Ever fix something just to prove you could?

Do any of you do stuff like this? Drag something home and fix it, either to prove to yourself or someone else that you could do it? All the while knowing it makes no sense to fix it because you will end up with a war pension in it and when it's done it still won't be worth much. I know tractors are like that to a point. We fix old tractors because we want to...we enjoy it, not because it makes financial sense. Right now I have an old Dearborn pull type combine I'm going thru. I will have a fortune in it by the time I get what parts I need and fabricate the rest. I could buy a self propelled combine for less money, but that makes too much sense and it would be far too easy. I'm only doing it because I grew up with one and thought it was the coolest thing I had ever saw run at 5 years old. Do I need to seek out a therapy group?...lol.

Yes, especially in winter. In the long run it's cheaper than the nut house or counseling for winter depression.

I tend to do things like that, just to prove I can, and also to keep customers equipment going.

In some cases, your right, the machine being rebuilt will cost more to repair than it's actually worth. On the other hand, it cost less to repair the old machine than it would to buy one of the new pieces of junk that replaced it, and the old one will be going long after the new one is being recycled into yet another new piece of junk.

Yes, I've done that. And this is probably the
wrong forum for the the type of therapy we need.

I found an old red Radio Flyer wagon that I had as a kid. It was in sorry shape when I got it with rust holes and no paint. I fixed the rust by cutting out and patching in panels, filled, sanded, primed and painted the body, axles and wheels. To top it off, I had reproduction decals made.
Got a lot of time and effort in it plus 50-60$ in materials.
Not worth a lot but I've got a NICE wagon.

Just remember guys, that my (our) therapy. Will probably be cheaper, and more constructive than the bar with all the drama.

Oh, I dunno about that--I'd say this is EXACTLY the group for the therapy we need, as many if not most of us here share the same "disease". "Hello, my name is Tim and I fix things that aren't worth fixing"! Case in point was a beard trimmer I have--only paid $20 for it and used it for many years but when it got to the point it no longer worked properly I pulled it apart to see what ailed it. Ended up the little plastic eccentric stud that drove the cutter had worn down to the point it wasn't giving the cutter a full stroke any longer resulting in poor cutting. Fired up my little benchtop 7x12 lathe and turned a bushing for it, slipped it on, and it's been working fine ever since. Certainly not worth it if I valued my time at anything more than a couple bucks an hour, but a fun project and a learning experience to boot, which is worth more to me than my time was.

Yep. My '00 Expedition. It's getting to the age where lots of things are going bad on it (146,000 + miles). Was taking it to an independent shop for years but that was getting too expensive vs. the value of it. So rather than give it away to some clown after all I've put into it (new tires, starter, brake lines and rear brakes, trans cooler lines, battery, lower control arms) I've decided I'M GOING TO FIX THE NEXT THING THAT BREAKS. Didn't have long to wait, the ABS brake controller was spewing fluid. Found a NOS controller and got it installed, then one of the lines from the master cyl. to the controller broke. I was able to buy one of them ($80 !!) but the other is NLA.... so I learned to bend and double flare brake lines.

Drove it a couple of weekends in this cold weather and noticed it wasn't warming up. Suspected the thermostat, I'd never changed it in the 10 years I owned it and it was an easy fix. Trouble was the bolts were seized, and they broke off. Have to take the intake manifold off to get to them (the crossover the thermostat is on is part of the manifold and it bolts to it from the underside of it) so I'm going to try to drill it with a left hand bit after soaking it in PB Blaster for several day and see it I can get the broken pieces out without going through the hassle of taking the manifold off (found an excellent vid on YouTube on the whole procedure, posted by a Ford Tech). I assume if I have to go the manifold removal route I will break something else so really, really want to avoid that.

The air suspension has been giving occasional trouble so I eventually might replace that with standard suspension parts. They make kits that bolt right in. The upper control arms are getting very corroded too.

Yeah, it's crazy to dump a bunch of money in an old vehicle like that. Market wise it's not worth much, gas hog, but the wife and I like it, big and roomy, all sorts of luxury features and it will serve as an emergency tow vehicle if the truck is down.

All the time.Drives my wife crazy. The 'projects'
seem to come in faster than they get done!LOL

yes for example one of my flatbeds, my hound dog wrecked it, [long story] anyway the cop at the scene told me it was totaled, and wanted to have it towed off, i had already broke open the hood and had a peak and knew it could fix it, i told him id drive it home, and show it to him in 1 month so he got the vin number off the truck, i reached in , cut the fan belt off since the fan was pinched by the radiator which wasnt leaking, and drove it home, removed the whole front body clip , straightened the frame by chaining one side to the a barn support pole and using heat and the tractor bucket to pull on it, since i had a new used front clip, i could use its core support to get the mounts in the right place, got the body back together, painted the whole truck then drove it up to the cop station and let the know it all see the truck, which he wasnt convinced was the same one, until he checked the vin number, still use it almost dailey today

Yeah. It's called EGO satisfaction....for me anyway. Last case was
recently. Was going to fix a rear tyne tiller that obviously needed
boring and all the goodies, just to do it. But reality set in and I like
the little light weight things (Mantis) better for the tilling job and I
already have one that works. Besides new ones aren't all that
expensive and all the parts are new.

I do it all the time. Especially satisfying when I fix something that all the "experts" say could not be fixed !

That's pretty much what I'm doing with this Oliver 500. No idea if it'll ever be worth anything,but it's a conversation piece.

(quoted from post at 08:13:41 02/12/15) That's pretty much what I'm doing with this Oliver 500. No idea if it'll ever be worth anything,but it's a conversation piece.

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Got a free Sears LT12 lawn tractor with a bad belt and wouldn't start. It had a bad bypass switch and stuck valve and after getting the valve unstuck thru the sparkplug hole and eliminating the switch it fired right up. Over the years(it's a 76 model)I've replaced a mower deck bearing,starter,batteries,ign switch with one from a car I had laying around. The transistor ign went out and replaced the whole thing with 12v coil from an auto and using a pick-up coil and magnet,it's running again.
It still has the original tires.

A lot of times I do it for the satisfaction of being able to do it yourself. I'm in the process of swapping a good engine and transmission from a 2000 VW Passat with body damage into another 2000 VW Passat with a good body but bad engine. It's been a lot of hours so far and I still have to get it all back together now. Part of me is cheap and for $1000 I can get a car with a known good engine that I've owned for the last 100k miles that should easily last another 60k miles at least. I also have a full cars worth of spare parts to use until I just can't keep it running anymore. The other part of me knows I can't afford a car payment right now while I'm trying to get started on my little truck farm.

If this counts, when I was 24 I pulled the 350 engine out of my
k20 and put in a 1977 small block 400 that I rebuilt. It was a
great learning experience. I'm glad I did it.

Been told more then once I could not fix something and fixed it just because I was told it could not be done. Have a couple tractor rims that where rusted badly and was told I could not fix them well they have tires on them and holding air

You already have!!!

Been doing it all my life, have a project in the shop at all times.

When I'm told you cant do that, Or it will never run again, Well it just lights the fire under me and the little hairs on the back of my neck stand up and "Wanta Bet" comes out of my mouth. I did mount an AC corn head on a JD combine a few years ago and last year I took a locked up Oliver 1555 and got her purren like a kitten and lookin good again. I do like a good challenge and doing what people say cant be done! That's why I love this site, Its full of like minded people who don't have blinders on. I love it when a plan comes together!. Bandit

I did that also. Wish I still had that old 400!

Allan

LOL, We musta married sisters then mine does the same thing.when you goona finish the last thing you drug home LOL. O well. Hey theres alot of good junk to find out there still. Little side story. Whenever your just riding down the road the wives look in the front yards and houses and such. Im breaking my neck to see whats behind the houses thats where all the good junk is LOL

You mean something like this? Big waste of time and money! When I'm done fixing this it'll sit unused in the shed.

I've been known to pick up some household item (appliances, furniture) that was on the curb for pickup; I would "fix" the item then take it back to their house and ask if they wanted it back as it was repaired now.

If they didn't want it back, I put it on the curb with a "FREE" sign on it. Someone always wanted it, so they took it away.

I have a pile of weed-eaters that refuse to start if you all ever need some "therapy and self satisfaction". A few of them have real nasty names. LOL

Lots of times.

Last week, I installed a new water softener, then ordered the parts needed to rebuild the old one.

Today I completely rebuilt the old one including new resin. It will slide right in in place of the one installed last week, so I'll keep it as a back-up.

Though I do not like working on appliances, I can now swap out the water softener every few years as needed, rebuild the back-up and most likely never buy another. (Yes, I do stock replacement parts.).

Dean

20 yrs ago I found the Farmall H that my Dad had bought back in the early 50s,not in very good shape. I bought it,drug it to the shop,Dad says"what do you want that old thing for". I fixed it up and repainted it and Dad thought it looked pretty darn good. I still have that tractor as it is what I grew up on . Dad has been gone now about 10 yrs. Would sure trade the tractor to have him back

I have an old 3 pt JD 2 furrow 412 plow that had been sitting outside for 25 years as I had no real use for it. My buddy told me to scrap it and get a few bucks for it.
Instead I disassembled and sandblasted it, replaced most of the bolts and painted it. It's sitting in my drive shed looking great - but I still have no use for it.

Yep my gleaner k2 it's a work in progress dad says
I'm nuts neighbor told me I'm a idiot the guys
brother told me scrap it and save your money! Well I
have done some work and I'm only in it about 1200
bucks right now! Once I fix the variable speed do to
LACK of grease and fix the unloading augar it will
probly be capable of harvesting something! Wish
winter go away so I can plant oats!

Yap , dragged this 1939 WC from the woods sitting 15 years. Drove to Bad Axe Mich. for an engine and saved her from the scrap man and gave her a new life . She's a diamond in the rough -- but tough

Larry -- Ont.

I am going to try and rebuild two 32" rims that are beyond gone, just because they are part of what make a 9n Ford unique.