Way to go Cliff. Definitely gives you a good feeling of accomplishment working on your own vehicle. And beats the heck out of paying someone else to do it!
My dad started me off changing his oil and spark plugs before I could drive. And when I started driving, my first couple of cars were the old family car that turned in to his old work car that then became mine (Chrysler products), so they were good to learn on. I bought a carb kit and tore the old Carter carb apart on one of them, something he'd never done, and he doubted that I'd get it back together. Later, after helping my brother-in-law rebuild an engine, I pulled the old worn out 383 out of my '68 Plymouth and tore into that in the garage. Had to borrow money from my dad to finish it. He bet me what I owed him that it would still be torn up and wouldn't be running a month from then. I cranked it up two weeks later while he watched in disbelief.
Didn't always go that way though. Can think of a few times where my own repairs ended up costing more from screwing something up in the repair process, but that's all part of learning.
There will always be people out there that know how to do more than you, some that learned it and just want to brag about it, and others that remember what it's like to be in those learning shoes and are willing to share the knowledge, like the folks on this board.
