DIY Is a Reward Unto Itself
This story first appeared in the July/August 2024 issue of Hagerty Drivers Club magazine. Join the club to receive our award-winning magazine and enjoy insider access to automotive events, discounts, roadside assistance, and more.
Reading through the recent round of do-it-yourself stories is satisfying for me because I grew up in a family where you did things with your hands. Maybe you did, too. Car people often share this trait.
My great-grandfather could do just about anything—build a stone fireplace, perform plumbing and electrical work, wrench on cars. My father was the same way. An inveterate tinkerer, fixer, and first-rate shade-tree car mechanic, he always had a restoration project in progress. When my sisters and I were looking for him, we always knew where to find him—in the garage, among his tools, elbow-deep in a project. He and I once pieced together a rusty, torn-apart 1967 Porsche 911 S that became my first car. It’s one of my favorite memories.
When I grew up, I was surrounded by people who engaged things in the world head-on. When something broke, you didn’t chuck it—you tried to fix it. Sometimes you could, sometimes you couldn’t. Either way, we learned by doing, and as a result, I grew up unafraid to tear into kitchen appliances or, say, my grandma’s record player. (Sorry, grandma.) I developed a curiosity about the world and how things work via the experiences I had with tools in my hands. To this day, when I look at a building, a car, or just about any mechanical device, I think about how it was built and the decisions the builders made, and why.
That’s a valuable mindset to have, but one that’s dwindled over the past few generations. Why, I don’t know. Maybe it was the demise of shop class in public schools. Maybe devices, cars included, simply became too complex to work on yourself. Maybe appliances became so inexpensive it wasn’t worth the trouble of repairing them. Or maybe life just moves faster now than it used to and there’s no time left, really, to fix and tinker.
Whatever the case, David M. Kelley, an eminent engineer and designer who co-founded the design firm IDEO and the incredible Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (known as the d.school) at Stanford University, once told me that there is a potential downside to being a step removed from hands-on work. We end up knowing less about our physical world. We lack agency—which I define as a sense of presence, control, and curiosity in our own lives. We outsource tasks to others, but we miss out on learning how to do things ourselves, meaning our library of skills doesn’t grow as fast as it does for others. How many people do you know, for instance, who don’t know how to change a tire, fix a lawn mower, or change a furnace filter?
The good news: If you or someone you love didn’t grow up in a hands-on world, as I did, and want to learn, it’s easy. Just find yourself a broken toaster and jump on in! Then keep on going. Learning is always about doing, even when it comes to cars. Want to be a shade-tree car mechanic someday? Get yourself a project car that you can make a bunch of glorious mistakes on. And consult YouTube University frequently. It’s a great resource. Above all, remember to have fun. There is joy in doing.
Which reminds me of a story. I was at an eminent car show once talking to a collector who mentioned that her grandchildren were smart, wonderful youngsters who didn’t have much experience with tools yet. She said to me, “So, do you know what I did? I went over to one of the vendors here at the show and I bought two broken-down motorized scooters. And their summer project is going to be to get these two things fixed and running!”
I’ll bet those kids loved it. That is my kind of grandma.
Today many things are toss away, even some cars as they are not worth the cost to repair even yourself.
Tools can be expensive too.
Most kids today grew up not riding and repairing bikes but playing video games. There is little fixing there.
I grew up around men that worked with their hands. If they could not find what they needed they made it. This has been something I too do but my son has no interest in busted knuckles.
I grew up with engineers and mechanics that worked with slide rules not computers. My father who was in early on Computers let me feed my need to work and repair. I owe much to him and those who taught me today., Not only have I saved money. Recently replaced my own converter pipe and saved near $1000 but protected me from scams and other costly issues,.
And — unplug that toaster first!
DIY truly IS a reward. When my daughters were young, I built EVERYTHING myself. To the point where my girls thought it odd when one of their friend’s parents “bought a picnic table”, because of course we had recently built our own.
I fixed bicycles, vcr’s, cd players, tape decks, computers and car stuff. I either was curious and had to find out for myself, seemed simple enough or I went to someone and asked questions. Today kids have youtube videos which I wish I had back when I was a kid.
I have read a few books by David Kelley and IDEO. A great example of “hands on”
A terrific column, McKeel, and I especially liked the notion that working with one’s hands is important to establishing a sense of agency. All too often I hear about folks who are paralyzed when something simple befalls them. They must pay to have others do the tasks that most of us car guys just do ourselves.
DIY has given me more satisfaction and instant gratification than almost anything else. I’ve always figured that I can’t break something if it’s already broke, so why not try to fix it. And a surprising amount of times, it worked! If it turns out that I can’t fix something, or figure something out, then I can call a guy or replace the thing or whatever.
Agency – that’s who I am. I have always been a hands-on guy – beginning with tinker toys and erector sets – yes, that dates me. I have never been particularly talented at it. That’s not the point – designing it or fixing it is who I am. Relacing a garbage disposal. Putting a power steering in my ’73 F-100 (with my wife’s help). Swapping out a lock cylinder. I could go on. Those around me just have to accept if we are to be fiends.
Great article McKeel. I grew up in the same manner but was self taught as I didn’t have the benefit of family members who were mechanically inclined. I have used these skills my whole life and it has been quite rewarding. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Well, must agree! I’m at an age (79) when many men can’t ‘do it yourself’ anymore, but I still keep on my routine in my little shop, loving it (mostly), and hoping I can keep on…
Tip: restoration problems and fabrication for my resto-mods helps me to sleep at night; solving a challenge of the day mentally is a good intro to a restful night! Even figuring out kinks on one of my model car projects works — and I have actually woken with a solution to a quandary in the morning!
I do as much as I can on the 1/1 cars; since age 50 I mostly gave in on engine rebuilding, as I haven’t the best tools anyway, and a reman usually comes with some kind of warranty. Upholstery; a friendly shop will often sew new covers for me, if I bring in the old ones for patterns, natch; but I rebuild the seats and install. Body and paint is my forte, so I save a ton of loot there — painting small projects for my neighbors keeps them sweet.
Latest prob: had our homeowners insurance cancelled by AAA underwriters because they said my yard ‘looked cluttered’ from a spy satellite pic — of two years ago! Just by my garage/shop, and tho I cleaned it severely, still no coverage… Not all sweetness and light for a DIY guy! Wick
I always did my repairs out of necessity. From then on though I like tearing apart things destined for the dumpster. I save anything of value from small machine screws to misc brackets and wires. Old sweepers for example usually have very long power cords. Another cool find was a prism I pulled from a broken big screen TV. It sits on my desk.
My older brother was a mechanic and taught me a lot. I’m a Professional back yard mechanic since the eighties 😀 I’ve built a house and did over 90 percent of the work. In all my years I’ve only taken our cars to the shop for an alignment. I help my daughter on her car every time the dealer hands her a $2500 estimate for work (she’ll jump in and help). I can do the work for cost of parts and get a nice dinner at a restaurant I hate sending stuff to the landfill or scrap yard. I will try to fix something before tossing it. If you’re afraid to tackle something use the internet to guide you. It’s really helped out over the years.