ChemMan

I am amazed by the amount of knowledge regarding 911's that some of you have. I read whatever material comes my way, but I am curious as to where you "received your training" so to speak. Is it just knowledge gained after years of working on these cars? Are there classes that one can take? I have paged through the Haynes Manual and I purchased a Mitchell's manual on ebay (useless) and a variety of other books like the 101 projects book.
I am just curious as to how you learned what you know about porsche and I am appreciative of all the good advice I have been given on this forum.
Mike

DGaunt

I think there are twokinds of guys on this site:

1) Those who work full time like Steve Weiner and Pete Zimmerman;

2) A great many guys who have had a love affair for 20, 30, 40,50 years with the marque and either out of neccessity or desire, work on thier own cars.

Speaking stricktly for myself, if I know something you don't it's probably because I broke it before you did. LOL

As I age, I am becoming increasingly astonish at what I do not know!

imcarthur

That's me.

I also learn to be 'ready' for when it breaks.

Thankfully the experts keep us honest, so I always read posts answered by Steve, Pete, Bill Verburg, Chuck Moreland and Pelican's John Walker, Tyson Schmidt & many, many more.

Ian

theiceman

Well you know how it is , you remember the stuff that doesn't go well and forget the stuff that does, that makes it easier to pass on your learning experiences to others. All learning is done through great advice and experience.

BTW . I owned a 944S for 8 years , rebuilt it and sold it , I bought a 911, have driven it exactly 1 km ( yes... one km ) about 4 months ago , put it in my garage and just started taking it to bits , to learn how it all goes together. I gotta tell you I am having a blast ... and learning .. that's pretty well the best way .. and yes I have broke lots too.... but a lot less than I did on my 944.. so I must be learning something.!!

BER

I've owned and worked on my 911's since 1986. You can learn a lot in 19 years.

In the days before the Net, I bought the entire set of "Up Fixin' der Porsche" books from PCA. I read these technical books from cover to cover. I also networked with other 911 owners and watched (and helped) them do projects on their cars. Over time I build up the confidence and skill set for working on these wonderful little cars. Even today, I am still learning new things about my cars and the Porsche marque. Boards like the Rennlist and Pelican contain a plethora of information.

You are doing the right thing by participating in this Board...you'll learn a lot around here.

CN

People know lots about Porsches because they are worth knowing about.

butzip

Well said. My biggest motivator to learn...... lack of money. You know how much labor costs?!?!?! LOL - I've never been one to pay somebody to do something I'm perfectly capable of doing. Whether it's roofing my house, building a deck or working on my cars/bikes. You may have never done it before but that doesn't mean you can't do it Dig in and do be afraid.

Peter

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

Mr. Gaunt offered a true "Pearl of Wisdom",.......

I've been doing 911's for 30+ years and sports cars, muscle cars & hot-rods, since 1962 and not a week goes by where I'm still stunned about how much I do not know.

Fact is, the more we learn, the more we find out how much we don't know. True enlightenment will happen just before they lower me into the ground.

The best part of what I do is learning something new each day-week-month and thats why I still do it.

The toughest part for any DIY'er is knowing when one is about to violate the "Peter Principle". In the case of working on 911's, the consequences can often get very expensive,....

butzip

The toughest part for any DIY'er is knowing when one is about to violate the "Peter Principle". In the case of working on 911's, the consequences can often get very expensive,....

True true: Addendum: Dig in........ cautiously

pjc

Mike,

The fantastic thing about Rennlist is that so many people are involved that somewhere, someone has either already done it or tried and failed and can explain what went wrong so others will not repeat the misery.

No-one on the site will ridicule even the simplest question because even simple jobs like an oil change on a 911 can be full of pitfalls and many have fallen in - myself included.

PJC

Dthurman

You seem to be confusing information with knowledge. There is a plethora of information here... and even a bit of knowledge

ChemMan

I have not confused either.
Mike

Edward

Great thread! If there is one thing I'd like to add is that this forum, more so than others I've been on, is more conducive to sharing knowledge and experience because most here are a good group of mature, level-headed enthusiasts ...more than I can say for other places I've been on. Sadly, that is no overstatement. Here's one for Rennlist and all you who make it what it is:


Edward

Marc Shaw

The collective knowledge and experience of a large group of like-minded individuals can be astounding.

If a mistake can be made and then a solution determined, someone here has likely done the same thing already and is willing to share what they learned.

Marc

fixnprsh

I started working at my dads high end euro independant when I was in Jr. High on BMW, Ferrari, MB, Jag, Porsche...............

Worked for a dealer for a few years and a Porsche race shop. Thats my story