who works on their vettes?

[hdkeno]

I was wondering, whom does the mechanical work on your C3's?

Do you do it yourself,or some the less complicated stuff. (like me)
Or do you have a trusted (or otherwise) mechanic do the work.

Our cars can really be challenging to work on,especially for the mechanically challenged.

Me,I know my limitations,and can and will do "minor" repair work,of which i know that i can do without getting over my head or into a jam,and making things worse.
But luckilly I am fortunate to have a longtime friend whom owns his own shop, and who used to work at a Chevrolet dealership,and had experience working on C3 and C4 vettes,and who wont rip me off.

Just thought this would be a interseting poll.

Later, Ken

 

[bill81vette]

I'll work on mine!!!or I'll have a friend of mine help me if its too complex(which hasn't happened yet!)

 

[craig32]

So far it's been all me (except for alignment) I have 2 friends who have done it all, should I get into unfamiliar territory, and all the good people at the CAC for needed advice. The garage that works on the Monte get $55/hour, that's pretty good incentive to do one's own work.

Craig

 

[Peer81]

Doing a body off resto on my 81. So i do most of the things myself. I didn't tough the engine and the automatic. A good friend helped to rebuild the diff.

Groeten Peter.

 

[vett boy]

When I had a c-3 I did the bulk of the work and loved it.c-4 I did 25% of the work and hated it.C-5 10% of the work and it's o.k.

 

[gmjunkie]

I do it all,unless warranty pay's for it!!!

 

[Allthumbs]

Well.. I replaced my breather filter today .. does that count ?

Tom

 

[G Winter]

Well.. I replaced my breather filter today .. does that count ?

Tom

That's a start, once you get your head under the hood just keep picking away.
I have done about 90% of my own work since high school.. back in the 60s.
I will say it is getting to be harder work all the time. Takes longer too. :L

Glenn

 

[vett boy]

Well.. I replaced my breather filter today .. does that count ?

Tom

It counts a lot Tom.It's a bonding thing,your doing well.

 

[Daryllawman]

I like doing the work myself......something really big , I shop out but not very often....

 

[Yoda]

I do quite-a-bit of my own wrenching, but I also know my limitations. Engines are a :nono for me, but just about anything else is fair game

It also depends alot on being able to figure something out. If I find myself completely shooting in the dark after looking at the GM Shop Manual and the Assembly Manual and posing the questions here, I usually contact "Stingray 6974" (Mike) and ask him, then decide if I trust someone locally enough to do the job right. Sometimes it just better to muddle through it and do it right rather than pay a "Bubba" to fix it :eek

Bud

 

[geekinavette]

Only thing I haven't done myself is the wheel alignment (of course I was "present" for the entire three hours of that :L )

Engine
Transmission
Suspension
Steering
Bearings
Ujoints
gobs 'n gobs of electrical

We're "close" heheh

Bill

 

[Evolution1980]

I only do the simple stuff... Oil changes, tire rotations, and any interior work. Anything else pretty much gets the attention of my mechanic. As I've said in the past, at this point, the car is almost as much his as it is mine!

 

[Wegone]

I do it all and love it. Called stress relief…it does help that my best friend owns a corvette shop and lets me use everything from the tire changer/balancer to his alignment rack…Paint both and all.

 

[Dirtfarmer]

I do what I can. I feel that the appreciation grows when you get your hands dirty and get to know your car.

 

[WhiteKnight]

I do all I can .. with the help of my CAC friends.

 

[John Ulrich]

I consider it a personal defeat to let someone else work on it. Even my daily drivers I'll tackle.....with the exception of timing belts...it's just too tight with the front wheel drive motors sitting sideways!!! My Lexus dealer was in disbelief when he followed up to schedule a time for two axles/CV joints for "only" $1100 and I had to tell him I did it myself for $200.00 for two new ones from NAPA...I saved $900 for 4 hours of my time ($225 per hour of my time).
Every hour of labor I can do, I keep money in my pocket plus I'm saving the markup on parts shop's charge.....BTW, if/when you visit a shop. Look up the OEM's list price on the internet before you pay the bill. A little trick I find being pulled is markups over and above the OEM's list prices. I've had a few bills reduced when I've pointed out (photo copy in hand) they are charging me more then Ford/Chev etc's list price. (they will never sell you at the discounted price you can buy off the internet for)
JU

 

[Sensei]

DIYS

 

[bossvette]

I do everything except alignment, but I am better at motors then bodywork

 

[6 Shooter]

As much as possible...

Later - D