Tell us why.

[Shran]

I took apart one of my toys.

Same, I had a lot of old junk and tools to play with when I was a kid. I took my bike apart and lost a bunch of pieces to the pedal brake...my mom was super pissed, she had just bought it for me a day or two before. Fortunately I am much better organized now and don't lose things like that. I started wrenching on my own vehicles out of necessity because I couldn't afford one that didn't need work... I do it now because it's a challenge and really it's pretty hard to own an old truck and not work on it.

I have been asked a million times why I'm not a mechanic. My answer is that if I was, I wouldn't enjoy doing it anymore. I lost my computer hobby to my job so wrenching took its place!

 

[19Walt93]

I worked as a mechanic from 72-82 then as a service manager until retirement in 2017. I still enjoy building and fixing things, especially now that I can do it to my standards without worrying about how long it takes and without anyone coming up and saying "have you got a minute?" For years that meant addressing someone else's problem and staying after hours to finish my work. I built my 351 Ranger because I wanted to and that's reason enough for me.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

I like old stuff. It just seems to hold up better to my lack of maintenence and general pounding i subject things too. Plus not having a payment and being able to fix it myself are major pluses, and im not a fan of modern driving "aides" or the massive touch screens, consoles, and uncomfy seats.

 

[Jazzer]

I don’t do the mods you guys do, but anything mechanical, I wanted to know how it worked. I fixed my and my sisters bikes, my go-kart, and anything else that was supposed to go but didn’t.
When I was six I took apart a jingle-jangle wind up alarm clock. When I took the back cover off, spring action made it spontaneously disassemble. Didn’t fix that one.

-Jazzer

 

[racsan]

I love the ‘70’s full-size ford trucks, the ranger chassis is just more practical to me and I decided to build my ranger as a “70’s tribute “. with two-tone paint, cab marker lights, letters across the tailgate instead of the blue oval emblem, the “ranger” name plate moved to the rear bedsides and 1976 full-wheel covers from a F150.
I use it like a real truck too, its quite capable.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

I love the ‘70’s full-size ford trucks, the ranger chassis is just more practical to me and I decided to build my ranger as a “70’s tribute “. with two-tone paint, cab marker lights, letters across the tailgate instead of the blue oval emblem, the “ranger” name plate moved to the rear bedsides and 1976 full-wheel covers from a F150.
I use it like a real truck too, its quite capable.
View attachment 68169View attachment 68170

IMO the 73-79 F series is the most perfect truck ever built

 

[ITSA 7]

I do what I do because my wife keeps telling me to go for it. For almost 70yrs I have had a fast toy. Now that I am almost finished with my 557 BBF 95 F-350 Dually, I can start AGAIN putting my 351w in my 97 Ranger.I have found that if I am off road on a bike, car or truck it is because I am in trouble, not because that's where I want to be.

 

[tw205]

It was Happenstance. Sold my 04 Wrangler and needed a ride. Found an abused 89 Bronco II. Paid too much for it. Drove it home and started making her dependable. Girlfriend had to have it. So I bought another and another. Just couldn’t help myself. Great little trucks. Unbelievably capable. Left the girl friend. Sold her the 89. My brother got cancer and I was moving to Texas to be with him so I sold the other two. He passed quickly. I came back to Michigan to be with my last brother. Bought all my girls back. They keep me busy enjoying the simple life. A couple beers in the barn twisting a wrench making them better. Life is good.

 

[JohnnyO]

Why you do what you do.

You mean for a living or with my trucks?

I've built a number of vehicles besides my Rangers and Sport Tracs (a Jeep, a mid-80's T-Bird, and two Mustangs).
I usually get new vehicles because they're my dailys too and need to be reliable. I don't have the time or space to be changing engines and such.
I've never liked to drive the same thing as everyone else.
My style is a clean build that's not necessarily visibly modified but up on the details and functional mods that only people who know what they're looking at will spot.
Best example was my first Sport Trac where I essentially built the FX4 Sport Trac that Ford never did, including skidplates, decals and chrome tow hooks. If you didn't know it wasn't factory, you couldn't tell, which was the whole idea.
I like to tinker and do most of my own maintenance and repairs. It's my hobby. I have three college degrees including a masters, taught college economics part-time for 20 years, have a partial writing credit for a college economics textbook (long out of print) and call myself a highly-educated redneck. I can also pour concrete, shingle a roof, and embalm a dead body.

 

[Robertmangrum.rm]

I do what I do for a living because of the guy I work for and the guys I work with. I could make more money at a different place or even different type of electrical work. But then I've never worked with people I care for like family till now. I've been here since 03 and worked with and along side my boss since 98.

I do what I do with the Ranger to get away from all the hustle and bustle of day to day life. I love discovering new places and seeing sights that not everyone gets too. Plus it's pretty cool seeing people shocked that my Ranger on 32s is following along and keeping up with jeeps on 35s.

 

[RustyShackleford94]

I don’t understand, I do many things.

Im a machinist because i fell ass backwards into it after welding for a year after graduating high school. It pays the bills and never wanted to be a mechanic because i didnt want to hate working on vehicles.

I work on my own stuff because F**k paying someone else to do it. Unless its home electrical related. I know next to zero about home/industrial electrical.

I play pool, bowl, and shoot guns on a competitive level because ive done them forever, im good at it (i like to think), and its my favorite things to do. Im in an area pool league when its not bowling season, bowl in a league when its in season, and shoot every competition within 100 or so miles of me depending on what it is. Carry optics, open handgun, and 3 gun (even tho i dont actually own a nice shotgun yet) are my shits.

I daily my Ranger because it was $400 and goes 3 weeks on a tank of gas (~$40) vs a week on a tank in the GMC (~$75). Plus it came pre beat up and its 4x4 so i can pretty much do whatever with it because i dont care if it gets another scratch or dent, dont care if it breaks because there’s literally 5+ in every junkyard that i can pick from to fix it cheap, and it saves the GMC from salty roads. Also its kinda bulletproof if i keep the fluids topped off. The little 2.3 doesnt seem to make enough power to break anything and killing the engine itself is near impossible unless i overheat the hell out of it or run it out of oil. IMO its the perfect little beater.

 

[pjtoledo]

"tell us why"

you tell me and we'll both know

being retired I need something to work on that will never be finished.

 

[snoranger]

bowl in a league when its in season,

Bowling has a season? It indoors, can’t you do that year round?

 

[JohnnyO]

Bowling has a season? It indoors, can’t you do that year round?

At the height of Covid lockdown the wife and I discovered the National Cornhole Championship on ESPN2. Announcer and color commentator breathlessly describing matches complete with slow-motion replay.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

At the height of Covid lockdown the wife and I discovered the National Cornhole Championship on ESPN2. Announcer and color commentator breathlessly describing matches complete with slow-motion replay.

ESPN still carry sumo wrestling?

Asking for a friend.