1960 Valiant Restore: advice welcomed.
I learned along time ago, IF I could not be the work (like for anything whatever it might be) I was pretty much screwed!!!!! Even more so today!
Like the friend and neighbor down the road that was going to come over and get that 4 log log tall pine off my friggin truck where it landed in the micro burst last week, or help me and wife get the hood on that car, etc etc.
Good luck!!
I hear you loud and clear, Barbee. I have always had the deepest respect for tradesmen, mechanics, plumbers, electricians, etc, because they can DO stuff.
I opt to try to find someone to do it because of several reasons: I can afford it, barely, and because I work full time and am in an advanced school problem and don't have a heap of time or energy left over.
The BIGGEST reason is trial and error. How many failed attempts would it take for me to diagnose and install a speedometer cable fail? I once tried to rebuild a carburetor and ended up with two extra gaskets. Another time I tired the simple task of replacing spark plug wires on a Slant, by carefully taking off the old one and putting on the new one. I still managed to cross wire them. The boys at the shop had a good laugh at that one, as they handed me the bill. I tried to rebuild a reasonably intact Hondo 350. By the time I was done, it was a wreck.
I got a buddy who is rebuilding the differential on some Ford truck product. I asked him why don't you just toss the old diff and buy a used one at a scrap yard? He likes the challenge. Shims have to be installed to micrometers of accuracy. He has spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on specialized tools that he may only use one time. He enjoys this, so more power to him. (I will laugh when he gets ten miles down the road and the diff eats itself alive, however).
Yes, we now have lots of DIY vids to follow along on, and my friend Dave at Dyer Motorcycle says they routinely get bikes in that the owner attempted repairs by using a DIY video. I say this truly: I admire the guys on this forum who know how to estimate a problem and how to take it apart and put it back together again. That is not a simple process and requires great intelligence.
Old saying, "Cobbler, stick to your last."