It's easy to misunderstand go/no-go technical stuff when only using the written word. 10x harder
to convey all the subtle stuff that tone of voice, facial expressions, body language, etc communicate
during face to face conversation.
I don't think anybody in here is laughing at you or your situation. Everyone in here seems to have
enough success under their belt that they don't need to belittle others in order to make themselves
feel better. @Hipster described it best what it was like back when we were learning
all this stuff on our own, pre-internet.
Myself, my first 3 solo engines gave me 12 motors worth of experience, for I would put them in, they
wouldn't start, I'd pull them back out, find the mistake I made, wow I would never make THAT ONE
again, and go on to make a new & different one. Rinse & repeat...about a dozen times.
At this point, my singular goal in life was to build an engine, install it, and have it start without having to
first be pulled back out again. And finally, right about the time I thought that it was either impossible
to do...or maybe I just didn't know enough to be doing this on my own, I finally had an engine
go in and start right up.
How good did it feel? I don't have words to describe the feeling. But fortunately this gentleman
shows you how the teenage Road Trip felt -- far better than I can describe using a keyboard:
xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media
The point I'm trying to make is, I know what it feels like to work so hard on something and feel *that*
level of disappointment. I've also know how it feels to drive around, propelled by an engine
that I put together myself. And if I can help someone new(er) to the hobby feel that same sense of
accomplishment, then I'm more than happy to do what I can to assist.
And everyone else in here seems to share the same perspective. Setbacks s*ck, but I for one learned more
from the things I've gotten wrong than what I've gotten right the first time. There's plenty of those mistakes
I still don't make to this day. (Thinking of a newer Pontiac V8 which had a smaller flexplate than the
engine I was replacing? The old torque converter bolted up, but the starter just went wheeeeeeeeeeeeee
when I turned the key? Never, ever, made that assumption again. :0)
Congrats are in order for trying to accomplish what a small fraction of today's population is willing
to attempt. With enough patience you too will be propelled down the road by a piece of
machinery that *you* fixed. Once that happens all the frustration will evaporate. And
you will have lots of stories to share when you're sitting next to the pot-bellied stove
at the local hardware store trading war stories about underhood battles of yore...
Best of luck getting that valve train set up for success!
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and be sure you un-mute the audio.
