Oh, boy. You've really done it now. Was it a friend-of-a-friend's-cousin's-roommate? Was it the little old lady down the street? Was it (gasp!) an ad…{"id":4513,"date":"2013-12-13T11:19:50","date_gmt":"2013-12-13T19:19:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/?p=4513"},"modified":"2014-02-05T09:36:04","modified_gmt":"2014-02-05T17:36:04","slug":"getting-into-gear-three-things-i-wish-id-known-when-i-got-my-first-classic-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/2013\/12\/13\/getting-into-gear-three-things-i-wish-id-known-when-i-got-my-first-classic-car\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Into Gear: Three Things I Wish I’d Known When I Got My First Classic Car"},"content":{"rendered":"

Oh, boy. \u00a0You’ve really done it now. \u00a0Was it a friend-of-a-friend’s-cousin’s-roommate? \u00a0Was it the little old lady down the street? \u00a0Was it (gasp!) an ad on Craigslist?<\/p>\n

Hush, hush, it’s okay–we all had something or someone that pushed us over the brink from “normal person” to “that guy down the block with his head buried under that thing’s hood at all hours.” \u00a0One day, you’ll make peace with your personal gateway to the Realm of Classic Cars. \u00a0In the meantime, you’re stuck in this weird and wonderful little world. \u00a0Come on. \u00a0I’ll show you around and share a few of the lessons I wish I had learned before I ever called the number in that back window.<\/p>\n

Lesson One: Talk to People.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Look around you. \u00a0Okay, so maybe don’t literally look around you. \u00a0It’s probably a mess. \u00a0But take a metaphorical look around the classic car community and get to know your new brethren–the dealers, the hobbyists, the mechanical wizards, the rogue engineers.<\/p>\n

Okay, this time it’s literal. \u00a0Go out and meet these people–maybe get in touch with us<\/a> and ask about our next\u00a0 Pomona Swap Meet<\/a>. \u00a0Get to know these people. \u00a0You might already be intimidated by the sheer amount of information that makes up the world of classic cars:\u00a0 manuals<\/a>, forum posts<\/a>, how-to videos<\/a>, and online wiring diagrams are just the tip of the iceberg. \u00a0The people you’ll meet at car shows and swap meets have, in addition to impeccable style and supermodel looks, a wealth of knowledge about the machines they love, their history, and their little quirks. \u00a0I know I’m not the only classic car enthusiast who would be happy\u00a0to share what I’ve learned since I started work on my first rat rod. \u00a0The hard part is actually getting me to\u00a0stop\u00a0<\/em>sharing!<\/p>\n

Lesson Two: Everybody Has an Opinion.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Opinions are like armpits: everybody’s got one or two, and there’s occasionally a good reason for having them (like teaching your nephew how to make weird noises). \u00a0Asking for advice on maintaining or repairing a classic car can feel a little bit like kicking a hornet’s nest, especially if you’re just starting out.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, opinions are\u00a0not\u00a0<\/em>like hornets–getting a closer look at one, or five, isn’t going to result in any stinging, swelling, or swearing. Okay, there might be some swearing, but struggle through it! \u00a0Behind every fire-and-brimstone proclamation that only an idiot would put\u00a0that\u00a0<\/em>transmission in with\u00a0this\u00a0<\/em>motor, there’s a rationale. \u00a0It might be a good rationale, it might be a poor rationale, and it might be a hallucination induced by bad seafood. \u00a0The only way to find out is to look beyond the surface. \u00a0Chances are, you’ll find enough facts that you can come up with an opinion of your own!<\/p>\n

Lesson Three: Show Your Work<\/strong><\/p>\n

How can anybody\u00a0possibly\u00a0<\/em>get mad at you for picking “doing science” over “doing the dishes?” \u00a0They can’t! \u00a0At least that’s what I tell my wife. \u00a0But chore immunity is only a minor reason for taking a scientific approach to working on your new classic car. \u00a0Accurate record-keeping, which can range from a sketched-out diagram on a sticky note to a beautiful spreadsheet detailing the condition and age of every part in your car, will become your friend as you learn the ins and outs of classic car maintenance.<\/p>\n

You see, things are going to go wrong. \u00a0They may not go wrong immediately, and they may not go wrong in an essential area, but eventually things are going to go wrong. \u00a0What would you rather have on hand when that happens–a vague recollection of the last six times you went out to fiddle with something, or a set of notes detailing what you fiddled with, when you fiddled with it, why you fiddled with it, and what you definitely thought you did\u00a0not\u00a0<\/em>need to fiddle with? \u00a0Yep. \u00a0I thought so.<\/p>\n