I pretty much fix everything that breaks at our house. I will usually give anything a try and so far, have fixed everything that has broken for many years (with the exception of putting R22 in the air conditioner).
I know this old RV and auto mechanic. He has no formal training, is a serious drunk, but can fix anything. I asked him many years ago how he was able to fix everything. He looked at me all stupid like and said, "It's just like everything else, everything is just common sense". I have figured out that he was mostly right.
In the last thirty years I have repaired many things that most people wont even try to fix. I repaired the computer that controls the anti-lock brake system on my wife's Volvo wagon. I repaired the house AC unit a couple of times by replacing the contactor, the transformer and adding a supplemental capacitor to the condensing unit. I repaired the heat (gas pack) by figuring out that the motor was shot and converting it from a four speed to a three speed (you only use two, low for heat, high for AC). In the cold weather my old Harley (literally old, 26 years old) was not starting. I rebuilt the carb and rejetted the intermediate jet and now she runs amazingly well. I also mount and balance my own tires and have for years (on the motorcycles). I replaced the radiators in both our cars this year. The master cylinder went on the RV and I replaced that with a rebuilt unit for a grand total of $27 bucks, which sounds easy but, it was located under the driver's seat and behind the left front wheel, on a 14,000 pound vehicle. Brakes, oil changes, water hoses, fuel pumps, ignition modules, electrical shorts, welding, fabrication, some painting, plumbing, HVAC, home electrical, etc.. These are all skills I have taught myself or learned from others.
This is not intended to brag but to encourage a serious survivor to always push for more skills. Some people aren't geared for mechanical skills. But, there may come a time when people who are will be in short supply. Once you understand how a thing works it all of the sudden seems pretty simple. I think back to cars and truck that I have owned in the past and they seem almost childishly simple to repair.
If the SHTF find yourself a 1977 Ford truck (any old American made truck), or an old VW beetle or van, or many other older vehicles and you'll be in good shape. I once fixed the distributor on a 1973 VW beetle on the side of the road in the dark. I removed it from the engine, repaired it, reinstalled it and drove five hours. I had a cigarette lighter for a flashlight and a bag of hand tools. The screw that held the points down had stripped the threads in the distributor and I had to find a screw, and fish a nut up in the distributor with a piece of bailing wire. I set the gap with a worn out dime and it ran like a champ.
I know this old RV and auto mechanic. He has no formal training, is a serious drunk, but can fix anything. I asked him many years ago how he was able to fix everything. He looked at me all stupid like and said, "It's just like everything else, everything is just common sense". I have figured out that he was mostly right.
In the last thirty years I have repaired many things that most people wont even try to fix. I repaired the computer that controls the anti-lock brake system on my wife's Volvo wagon. I repaired the house AC unit a couple of times by replacing the contactor, the transformer and adding a supplemental capacitor to the condensing unit. I repaired the heat (gas pack) by figuring out that the motor was shot and converting it from a four speed to a three speed (you only use two, low for heat, high for AC). In the cold weather my old Harley (literally old, 26 years old) was not starting. I rebuilt the carb and rejetted the intermediate jet and now she runs amazingly well. I also mount and balance my own tires and have for years (on the motorcycles). I replaced the radiators in both our cars this year. The master cylinder went on the RV and I replaced that with a rebuilt unit for a grand total of $27 bucks, which sounds easy but, it was located under the driver's seat and behind the left front wheel, on a 14,000 pound vehicle. Brakes, oil changes, water hoses, fuel pumps, ignition modules, electrical shorts, welding, fabrication, some painting, plumbing, HVAC, home electrical, etc.. These are all skills I have taught myself or learned from others.
This is not intended to brag but to encourage a serious survivor to always push for more skills. Some people aren't geared for mechanical skills. But, there may come a time when people who are will be in short supply. Once you understand how a thing works it all of the sudden seems pretty simple. I think back to cars and truck that I have owned in the past and they seem almost childishly simple to repair.
If the SHTF find yourself a 1977 Ford truck (any old American made truck), or an old VW beetle or van, or many other older vehicles and you'll be in good shape. I once fixed the distributor on a 1973 VW beetle on the side of the road in the dark. I removed it from the engine, repaired it, reinstalled it and drove five hours. I had a cigarette lighter for a flashlight and a bag of hand tools. The screw that held the points down had stripped the threads in the distributor and I had to find a screw, and fish a nut up in the distributor with a piece of bailing wire. I set the gap with a worn out dime and it ran like a champ.
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