31.12.06

The roadracegeek DIY, One-day Paint Job



My community college Econ instructor once explained the term “specialization of labor”. Something about people being most efficient when doing the thing that they were best at. There were test questions about it, as I recall. The idea is that a contractor has no business doing his own yard-work. In order to maximize his efficiency, the contractor should hire a gardener. An hour working as a contractor paid him more than the gardener charged. Plus the gardener could cut and edge the lawn twice as fast as the contractor could. Using specialization of labor, the gardener gets work, the contractor saves time, and there are no lawn tools eating into valuable garage space where the contractor keeps his racing stuff. Everybody wins.

I did not do well in Econ, though, and every time I talk to a painter I forget all about it. My cheap-bastard genetics take over. I forget all the bad shit about body work, paint prep and the astronomical cost of automotive finishing materials. I figure I’m a pretty handy guy. I could save some real money and just do it myself.

I am an idiot.

2 comments:

Mike Schmitt said...

Why do gardening yourself when you have friends that can do gardening for you.

Hell it's the way I got into Honda Challenge.

"Hey Mike, can you help me with my yard? It will help to make my wife happy with me...and I'll let you drive my car with this group called NASA."

Thawley -- said...

For those who don't know, Schmitty is a compulsive competitor. Before we met he'd been into track & field, pro rodeo (bull riding), racket ball, hunting, fishing, skeet and trap plus a variety of competitive drinking games.

He'd never been on a race track before in his life. After one weekend driving my EF at Willow Springs, he had his checkbook out, looking for a car to buy.

According to all his wife's friends, this "racing thing" is all my fault. -- ed.