Never Stop Driving #106: Do It Yourself

Growing up, I never imagined I'd ever be able to remove an engine from a car, but as an adult, I've done it dozens of times and, shockingly, also successfully reinstalled the rebuilt motors. The satisfaction after the engine refires is immeasurable, on par with the joy I feel behind the wheel during the first drive after the rebuild.

When I was a kid, there was mystery to the machinery, and I lacked a guide. My father was an accountant, without mechanical aptitude or interest. That's not a criticism, just the way things were. As such, I was steered toward the math classes I excelled in and away from shop classes.

I started tinkering on my own, learning by doing, first with lawn mowers I used to earn cash to buy a dirt bike and then, finally, a car. My 1983 Volkswagen GTI, which I got in 1989 for $2300, broke often, so I fixed it in college parking lots with used junkyard parts. Back then, most junkyards were simply fields of dead cars. You'd walk through overgrown grass carrying a metal box that you hoped contained the right tools. Then you'd learn the procedure by removing the needed part, which you prayed was good. Often it wasn't. The yard owner knew me by my first name.

I've come to cherish the self-reliance gained through decades of trial and error. Since I've been in the car world, I've met countless folks with the same experiences and interest. For many, putting hands on their hobby cars is an integral part of the experience. As such, we've made do-it-yourself material a core pillar of Hagerty Media.

We publish a steady stream of written material and videos. When I first started, our video crew hatched an idea to do a time-lapse rebuild of a Chevy small-block V-8. I didn't know if such a film would be worth the months of effort, but I knew I wanted to see it. We'd show that an engine, which turns air and fuel into noise and power, was just an assembly of parts, which might also demystify the motor for a curious audience.

After we posted the video on our YouTube channel nine years ago, it went viral. We had something, so we leaned in. That original V-8 rebuild has now been viewed almost 10 million times. We time-lapsed more engines; here's a playlist. Four years ago, when the crew suggested doing a Chevy six-cylinder engine, I was skeptical but went along. The Stovebolt-six engine video has now been viewed 48 million times. There are 7900 comments.

I suspect the interest we see in our hands-on videos is a reaction to our increasingly digital world. A book first highlighted that for me, a terrific, thought-provoking read by the gifted Matt Crawford called Shop Class as Soulcraft, an Inquiry into the Value of Work. I interviewed Crawford for this week's podcast and I hope you give it a listen.

Crawford also wrote for the latest edition of Hagerty Drivers Club magazine. We posted the piece on our website, but if you're not already a member, please consider joining to support our efforts and get the full experience of our curated magazine. The latest edition is all about the joys and frustrations of DIY, with plenty of tips for your own garage. We called on some of the best storytellers in the business, like Zach Bowman, whose musings on how to overcome a stalled project might get a wrench back in your hands. We also covered DIY and more, in our own book, Never Stop Driving, a Better Life Behind the Wheel, which is available in audio format should you have a summer road trip ahead-I sure hope you do, whether you listen to our book or not.

One of my goals with my three kids is to pass along at least a basic knowledge of how things work and a curiosity to investigate. You'll have to ask my kids how it's going, but I've found that wrenching together, which has all the ups and downs of real life, has offered some of our richest experiences. Cars are wonderful canvases. "When they leave the house," a longtime friend once advised me about parenting, "you want them to know which end of the screwdriver to hold." I think I've done at least that and hopefully more.

Here at Hagerty, we also try to communicate that working on cars is not all roses. I admire people who do it professionally and realize that we risk romanticizing what is often arduous work. I've personally cited my own problems and shortcomings encountered during my current project, restoring a 1975 Dino 308 GT4. The latest dispatch is here. The car is currently at the interior shop and I'm cautiously optimistic I'll be driving it here in Michigan before the snow flies this fall.

Before I sign off and wish you fun with your car, here's a short list of some of our recent DIY material. I hope you'll share and help us reach those who might be like I once was: curious but in the dark.

• Our hero: The home mechanic who is rebuilding a flooded McLaren
• The mysteries of the torque wrench, explained
• Video: A Pantera, uncovered by Barn Find Hunter Tom Cotter, drives again
• Our UK correspondent fights a Lotus Esprit
• It's the simple things, like windows, that drive us mad

Have a great weekend!

Larry

P.S.: Your feedback and comments are welcome.

Please share this newsletter with your car-obsessed friends and encourage them to sign up for the free weekly email. The easy-to-complete form is here. And if you'd like to support the efforts of Hagerty Media, please consider joining the Hagerty Drivers Club.