Celebrating Those Who Do

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.

There's a memorial in my garage to a tantrum- a cheap plastic drawer that exploded to pieces when I winged a socket wrench across the shop in frustration. I've left the drawer (now useless) in place to remind me to chill the hell out.

The wrench-in-the-air episode happened years ago during a rushed, late-night effort to squeeze a slicked oil-pan seal onto a Chevy big-block V-8. The clock was ticking because my two young sons and I planned to use our Chevelle wagon for a Route 66 spring break road trip. The seal slipped out of place dozens of times as I hunched over the engine bay. I snapped.

I don't remember how I eventually figured out the seal, but I did, and we had a wonderful drive in the Chevelle on the Mother Road. Whew.

We're wrapping up this do-it-yourself series of pieces with my ignominious tale because I think, at some level, the pain and suffering are the things that make DIY projects worthwhile. I love tinkering with cars almost as much as driving them. At my house, we jokingly refer to my car projects as "adult Lego," but the cars are more than toys. My ability to fix a car makes the experience of driving it all the more joyful, knowing my hands are what got the car on the road. These stories are an attempt to put those feelings into words and pictures.

To that end, we assembled an extraordinary lineup of writers and photographers. Matt Crawford, author of Shop Class as Soulcraft, shares what it's like to be a tinkerer in a modern suburban neighborhood. Sam Smith chronicles a fearless DIY mechanic who's repairing a flooded McLaren to the delight of millions on YouTube on page 66, and John Phillips hilariously recalls the frustrations of wrenching on a Boss 302 Mustang back when he was a callow youth.

As always, we try to elevate every topic with talented storytellers and aim to continue the intelligent car-magazine musings of legends like David E. Davis Jr. and Brock Yates. The stories venture off a bit from our usual car and people profiles, but one of our jobs is to take our content in directions you didn't know you wanted. For these stories in particular, I'd love to know what you think.

I'd also love you to work on your cars. Make no mistake, I'm not suggesting you replace the pros. I've been under the hood for more than 30 years and remain humbled at how average I am. There is simply no replacement for skilled hands. With this DIY issue, we hope to validate those who do their own work while also inspiring others to get their hands dirty. We all play a part in keeping our precious machines on the road.

I recently asked Jay Leno why he works on his cars, which he does almost daily. He said that his main job-comedy-is subjective. People either like it or they don't. When it comes to fixing cars, however, there is no debate about whether he did a good job or not. "It's either fixed," he said, "or it isn't." I know how he feels.