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This article examines two cases of technical documentation occurring outside of institutions. Using a framework derived from de Certeau's (1984) distinction between strategies and tactics and Johnson's (1998) concept of the user-as-producer, I analyze communities surrounding Muir's (1969) How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive! A Manual of Step by Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot and Champion's (2000) Build Your Own Sports Car for as Little as £250. These communities engage in tactical technical communication, especially in the form of technological narratives that participate in broader cultural narratives about technology.