Facing you Fear
Pro
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 647
Likes: 0
From: Oradell New Jersey
anything semi difficult for the first time is scary... i taught myself a lot working on my 88 camaro for the past 10 years... but the corvette makes me even more nervous, cuz, well its a corvette lol
Racer
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 419
Likes: 3
From: Lexington VA
St. Jude Donor '11
That fear can be conquered!
Get a small refrigerator. Put in a case of Bud Light. Sit on your work bench stool, stare at the corvette, drink consecutive cans of beer and pretty soon you'll just grab some tools and dive right in!
Next morning you just crack the garage door enough to peek in before you actually open the door to go in to inspect your work. If you did bad, drink some more beer in remorse. If you did good have a few beers to celebrate!
Works every time!
Get a small refrigerator. Put in a case of Bud Light. Sit on your work bench stool, stare at the corvette, drink consecutive cans of beer and pretty soon you'll just grab some tools and dive right in!
Next morning you just crack the garage door enough to peek in before you actually open the door to go in to inspect your work. If you did bad, drink some more beer in remorse. If you did good have a few beers to celebrate!
Works every time!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 2,237
Likes: 9
From: Springhill FL
First brake job, first clutch job, first cam job, Custom supercharger build for my 98 C5, built a custom turbo setup for my Rx8(manifold from scratch, the works!). The list goes on and on. As said the first time doing anything is intimidating because you care about your car. Just do your research and know your tools. If you still feel up to it, go for it! 
All those kinds of jobs have that point where you go "ahh man, what did I get myself into?!" but then a few hours later your are putting it all back together and its all downhill
All those kinds of jobs have that point where you go "ahh man, what did I get myself into?!" but then a few hours later your are putting it all back together and its all downhill
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 170
Likes: 1
From: Lafayette La
That fear can be conquered!
Get a small refrigerator. Put in a case of Bud Light. Sit on your work bench stool, stare at the corvette, drink consecutive cans of beer and pretty soon you'll just grab some tools and dive right in!
Next morning you just crack the garage door enough to peek in before you actually open the door to go in to inspect your work. If you did bad, drink some more beer in remorse. If you did good have a few beers to celebrate!
Works every time!
Get a small refrigerator. Put in a case of Bud Light. Sit on your work bench stool, stare at the corvette, drink consecutive cans of beer and pretty soon you'll just grab some tools and dive right in!
Next morning you just crack the garage door enough to peek in before you actually open the door to go in to inspect your work. If you did bad, drink some more beer in remorse. If you did good have a few beers to celebrate!
Works every time!
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 3,532
Likes: 79
From: pueblo co
that looks soo much better then that stick on **** that i see soo often around my area ..very nice ..looks good when done right
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 170
Likes: 1
From: Jacksonville Florida
Installing the iPad in my dash scared me, for a ton of reasons. Standing at the bench making the first cut on the bezel with the dremel making that first cut was the hardest part. Still a work in progress but it's getting there....
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Advanced
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 72
Likes: 0
From: Edmonton AB
I am not mechanically inclined but had been on this website for a while before I bought my car and knew that if I was to ever get into working on cars this is a good website to rely on. Since then I have done some small things to my car (replaced shifter, water pump, thermostat, fluids etc). I have helped a buddy remove an engine in his '68 Camaro, change out the transmission and re-install it and neither of us had done that before, just read up on it and followed instructions.
I want to replace the valve springs in my 03Z as a preventative measure. I keep going back and forth on whether to do it myself or bring it into a shop. I think I will do it myself once winter goes away here and I take the car out from hibernation. I have a bunch of valve spring replacement threads saved and have done a lot of research on it. Does not seems like that hard of a job but still a little scary to do it the first time on my Z06!
I want to replace the valve springs in my 03Z as a preventative measure. I keep going back and forth on whether to do it myself or bring it into a shop. I think I will do it myself once winter goes away here and I take the car out from hibernation. I have a bunch of valve spring replacement threads saved and have done a lot of research on it. Does not seems like that hard of a job but still a little scary to do it the first time on my Z06!
Racer
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 346
Likes: 1
From: Austin, Taxes
The only time I have ever been "scared" working on a car is that something minor would go wrong on somebody's car that I had worked on and they would come to me and complain. I have never been scared to do any work on any of my cars from painting to building engines to wet sanding to upholstering door panels. If I screw up, big deal. I'll figure out how to fix it, learn from my mistake, and usually still come out less than having a pro do the work.
Pro
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 655
Likes: 0
From: home= Tiffin,ohio. stationed Abilene TX
was scared to make my own twin in tank pump setup. dove in last night. and im still scared. it is a pain in the ***, i could ramble on but the important thing right now is it works...just have to sort out my fuel level situation then im good to go.
Racer
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 419
Likes: 3
From: Lexington VA
St. Jude Donor '11
Funny but I noticed the DRL is still on!
Thread Starter
Lifetime Member
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 10,702
Likes: 76
From: New Jersey
St. Jude Donor '05, '12-'13, '15-'16, '21
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 2,786
Likes: 7
From: Iowa
always an option, but considering the mod potential of all C5s I wasn't willing to give up the removable roof for the extra stock power, handling, and brake ducts.
eventually I'll find a place that will do that for me so I don't have to see it done. to me its kind of like sausage, if you want to eat it, you don't want to see how its made!
I think the Z rear ducts look better on a coupe than they do on the Z personally.
eventually I'll find a place that will do that for me so I don't have to see it done. to me its kind of like sausage, if you want to eat it, you don't want to see how its made!
I think the Z rear ducts look better on a coupe than they do on the Z personally.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 5,280
Likes: 1
From: PALM COAST Flordia
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 170
Likes: 1
From: Jacksonville Florida
Pro
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 718
Likes: 0
From: Henderson, NV
It takes me less than 5 hrs to drop it out now and 8 to put back in, so I do it now every winter just so I can check everything out and clean it up.
BTW. The DRL isn't on, just reflection from the camera flash.