Frankie the Fink

is there a spate of new vintage Corvette owners on here that are just messing around with things on well-running cars out of boredom or something?

Then they get jammed up and don't have any clue how things go back together or even possess or refer to the GM documentation to help guide them along

I've started ignoring some of these posts where the car owner clearly had no business under the hood at all - life's too short.

These posts are pretty recognizable, they usually start off something like, "...the car was running fine until I ....."

Maybe I'm just getting older and crankier

6T5RUSH

Frankie "older and crankier" LOL Jim In God We Trust!

Frankie the Fink

Ha! Probably so!

bluestreak63

You're probably getting older and crankier.

Isn't this one of the reasons why the forum is here? So owners or prospective owners can ask questions and get clarification on how to put stuff back together.

If we didn't have these new owners tinkering around with these vintage machines, this forum would be a lonely place.

I have to get back to my drum brake overhaul one of these days and I have the service manual, AIM, etc., but I suspect I will run into something that needs clarification and I hope the old and cranky crowd here will provide some further information and expert instruction...

Randy G.

I know a bit about these cars as I have have owned a few, do all my own work and completely restored one of them. Having said that, there is still opportunity to learn from others when basic how-to questions are asked. There are people a lot smarter than me that are willing to post answers here.

The cranky part? Comes with age. We had a saying back when we were still racing:

"The older I get, the better I was."

Crunch527

These guys keep me fresh on what I have already learned...

desertpilgrim

I think Frank's referring to those who can't be bothered to buy an owner's manual, let alone read it.

Bowlerdude

There's really only one way to learn how to work on cars and that's to just get in there and do it. You'll get lost and make mistakes along the way, it's just part of the process.

Perhaps Frankie, you've forgotten how it was when you were first learning how to do these things. I know I haven't. Back in the day I had to ask for advice pretty often when I was a teen but I was fortunate to have a few people that helped me along the way.

I vote cranky, but hey we all get that way sometimes.

Frankie the Fink

True.

I wish I had a nickel for every time JohnZ or somebody else cited the AIM or shop manual as the source for info that was written for the very purpose of maintaining these cars....

Some things I understand...like dash pads or convertible tops but much of it is explicitly covered in the factory docs

watson

I hope that I am not one of the guys that Frankie is complaining about. I ask a lot of questions on here and I really appreciate the wisdom of this group. As for the AIM, I have one for both my 67 and my 65 and I guess that I am just not smart enough to use it properly. I have a heck of a time finding the page that I need and, when I do, my copy is so bad that I can't really see what I am looking for. I really appreciate the benefit of the experience that this forum has to offer. I also assume that the group will let me know if I am asking too many really dumb questions.

Doc

MattB

Hey,

I am a new C2 owner. I have a lot of questions. And, I do have the AIM and the shop manuals. But, the AIM I have is not organized and a lot of the illustrations in both are just ink spots now. Sure they are helpful, but no where near as good as the C5 shop manuals (should be after nearly 50 years of practice). To be honest, I find the how-to's on the C5 to be better than the shop manuals a good deal of the time. A real picture and some hand holding go a long way in educating people who are new to a car. And, it would be nice if that level of info was here on this board.

I can understand the monotony of the questions though...

SDVette

I don't know.. I prefer ANY banter to silence.. It can get pretty inactive on this forum sometimes.. There is always the option to not read the offending posts.. Even a "Pertronix vs. Points" thread beats silence for me

Gary's '66

What I've observed is that many of the SAME questions seem to be asked. Maybe it's ego ('cause I don't want to seem too stupid ) but, when I'm in doubt about something I usually try to do my due diligence ie check the manuals and archives references first before I post a question.
I believe that most here do the same but there are many that are still learning, as I've had to do, and need the advise here before they're able to acquire the ability to navigate and learn how to do their own research.
Then there are a few that are just lazy and will just post a thread rather than take the time to do some research first.
But yeah, I think Frankie just might be getting a bit cranky as well.

Gary

MikeM

....until I installed the Pertytronix!

Got a thread going on this right now as a matter of fact! Another guy that put his points back in!

Zoomin

You're being cranky. The thread title is usually a clue, and if you went ahead and clicked it didn't cost you anything.

And forgetful. You've started a fair number of "How do I..." posts.

MikeM

It's that time of year for the "Help me" my car is overheating and/or it's running hot or purculating!

Get ready

ifitgoesfast

If I saw a thread asking what 1 + 1 equals, I could respond by:

1. calling the OP all kinds of names, then posting a new thread exhibiting how fixated I am on said thread

2. ignoring it (maybe someone else will help them or do #1 above) since it isn't important in my life to help/fix someone else's issues

3. actually answering their question with "= 2", and then explaining why, or keeping it short and refer them to grade school books which do the job better

Gary's '66

1+1=2

Gary

fyreline

I think the key word in this discussion may be "tinkering". Getting under the hood when nothing is wrong with your car, and randomly "tinkering" with things is a good way to end up with a non-runner. The old adage "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" comes readily to mind. No, we're not talking about repairs here - we're talking about taking things apart that you don't know how to put back together - for no reason other than to take them apart. There is no valid reason to do this, and it rarely ends well.

The genuine pursuit of knowledge has no better friend than the many capable individuals on this forum. If you need help with something, they are always there and willing to share their vast reserves of experience and knowledge. Needing help to put something back together that you had no reason to take apart in the first place, and that you knew going in you wouldn't be able to reassemble . . . now, that would **** off the Pope. Don't do that. Just don't. You're neither learning anything, nor trying to.

"I wonder what this does?" is rarely a good plan for taking apart things. When working on your car, do the research and have a plan. Preferably two or three plans. For vintage Corvettes, we are blessed with a TON of available resource material, and the aforementioned wealth of experts here on the forum. There is no reason to get jammed up by taking apart something that the only thing you know about it is this: It was working fine before I screwed around with it. I may be wrong, but I think THIS is what Frankie is talking about.

And I agree with him.

Donny Brass

there is a quick way to tell if Frank is getting old and cranky



Is the sight of children upsetting to, even if they are not on your lawn ?

Are you nipples tender from morning to night ?

Are they tender from rubbing on your belt ?

If you answer yes to any of these questions............