Ever have a GREAT wrenching session?

cutter67 wrote: the biggest improvement i have made since i started wrenching 40 years ago on cars is that i have slowed up. i was always looking for a short cut. like when replacing engines not disconnecting the accessories just wire tieing them up out of the way but they always fell in the way anyway. now if something gives me a hard time i take a little break and think about it. since my attitude has changed i find myself enjoying wrenching again it relaxes me. the tougher the job the better because when i'm done it brings more enjoyment.

This speaks to the one lesson that eventually sunk in from my Dad:

"when faced with two choices in life, if you follow the harder of the two, you will seldom go wrong in the end".

Some years ago I swapped out the trans and transfer case on my Ramcharger by my self using 2 floor jacks. Oh yeah, I had my left arm in a cast from fingertips to elbow. Did the job in about 6 hours.

Not that I can remember.

In reply to NOHOME:

Wise man your father.....my father use to say to "Mark we tried that 30 years ago it didnt work then and it wont work now" he said that everytime i came up with the next greatest idea since sliced bread

we had a great time this weekend pulling a M60B30 out of a BMW 530i. we let my nephew direct us (he is just learning to wrench) he did find out bellhousing bolts have a way of hiding and there is always something connected to back of block you never see. the big one was the exhaust headers. if you lay under the car you would swear they would pass the bellhousing but guess what they wont but it was a great time and everything went to game plan

Replaced a transaxle on a beautiful 83 928. Rebuilt a ford 5.4 truck engine. (Sohc) Currently... Rebuilding a sbc 400 Working on a frame off fj40 landcruiser rebuild.

My winter projects are going very smooth. Now if I can only secure a clean 944 before it gets warm!

I wouldn't say this was GREAT, because it still wasn't a ton of fun, but it went RELATIVELY smoothly, i suppose.

Pulled a motor in about 3.5 hours start to finish yesterday.

I had a good session on saterday... My girl friends car needed some tlc... I rolled into the shop I work at around 9am... I did both front wheel bearings (press in style), A valve cover gasket, flushed the coolant, flushed the power steering and an oil change... I drove the car out of the shop at 11am...

If I was to ever have a great "wrenching session", and I'm not saying I ever have, I sure as heck would never tell anyone.

There is no better way to jinx the "That sure didn't look like a left hand thread" Gods than to brag about a bit of providence.

JM

jm3 wrote: If I was to ever have a great "wrenching session", and I'm not saying I ever have, I sure as heck would never tell anyone. There is no better way to jinx the "That sure didn't look like a left hand thread" Gods than to brag about a bit of providence. JM

/thread

jm3 wrote: If I was to ever have a great "wrenching session", and I'm not saying I ever have, I sure as heck would never tell anyone. There is no better way to jinx the "That sure didn't look like a left hand thread" Gods than to brag about a bit of providence. JM

i will never understand some members on a forum like this. i really look forward to wrenching in the garage. my time is always a good time. i always see wrote PITA when talking about certain jobs on this forum. if you are going to love the cars we seem too on this forum wenching on them is a big part of the love. if you have the PITA attitude at the start it will be

Swank Force One wrote: ... Pulled a motor in about 3.5 hours start to finish yesterday.

I really like the contents of that garage.

pres589 wrote:

Swank Force One wrote: ... Pulled a motor in about 3.5 hours start to finish yesterday.

I really like the contents of that garage.

Ever wondered what would happen if you combined all the things you see in that picture?

Any time you finish a motor R&R and fire it up for the first time and nothing leaks, smokes or catches on fire.

In reply to cutter67:

Usually what makes wrenching a lot less fun for me is that I find my facility lacking in some way. Current garage would be great if it had real power fed to it so I could run my 220v air compressor (current power goes through an old light switch in the dining room to overhead lines run to the separate garage, so I'm very cautious about how much electrical load I have going out there, never mine 220) and an actually flat floor would be nice, instead of the 6 inch or so drop from one corner to the center. Etc etc. A little heat out there somehow and air tools would go a long way towards cheering me up.

pres589 wrote: In reply to cutter67: Usually what makes wrenching a lot less fun for me is that I find my facility lacking in some way. Current garage would be great if it had real power fed to it so I could run my 220v air compressor (current power goes through an old light switch in the dining room to overhead lines run to the separate garage, so I'm very cautious about how much electrical load I have going out there, never mine 220) and an actually flat floor would be nice, instead of the 6 inch or so drop from one corner to the center. Etc etc. A little heat out there somehow and air tools would go a long way towards cheering me up.

My space has no insulation, concrete floors, it's drafty, and there's a loft above it that eats up a lot of heat.

Forced air kerosene heater and i was sweating yesterday.

It's not REAL cheap to operate, but i still get about 10 hours of work out of $20 worth of kero.

In reply to Swank Force One:

I'm limiting myself to a max of 15 amps of constant draw because of the light switch and related nonsense. With the florescent lights on, if I grab my small hand drill and pull the trigger, the lights flicker. So a heater that requires any electricity seems right out. I've been trying to get out there more lately and just clean up the area and hang more tools, all that, but when it's cold enough to see your breath, I find that enthusiasm runs out pretty quickly.

This is becoming a threadjack so I'll just close with the concept of paying a mortgage to get a nice garage with some kind of house next to it is an appealing thought some days.

cutter67 wrote:

jm3 wrote: If I was to ever have a great "wrenching session", and I'm not saying I ever have, I sure as heck would never tell anyone. There is no better way to jinx the "That sure didn't look like a left hand thread" Gods than to brag about a bit of providence. JM

i will never understand some members on a forum like this. i really look forward to wrenching in the garage. my time is always a good time. i always see wrote PITA when talking about certain jobs on this forum. if you are going to love the cars we seem too on this forum wenching on them is a big part of the love. if you have the PITA attitude at the start it will be

I am thinking you didn't get the joke.

..and I can't explain it, because if I explain it I will have to admit to having a great night in the garage.

If I admit to having an evening where every single wrench I pick up is the right one (looks like a 9mm....and it is a 9mm....) then I could jinx myself into an evening where I drop a tiny screw, and it bounces into an alternate dimension.

Therefore, I cannot ever disclose one way or another, if I ever had a great night in the garage, for fear of dropping my trouble light and breaking the last spare bulb I have.

pres589 wrote: In reply to cutter67: Usually what makes wrenching a lot less fun for me is that I find my facility lacking in some way. Current garage would be great if it had real power fed to it so I could run my 220v air compressor (current power goes through an old light switch in the dining room to overhead lines run to the separate garage, so I'm very cautious about how much electrical load I have going out there, never mine 220) and an actually flat floor would be nice, instead of the 6 inch or so drop from one corner to the center. Etc etc. A little heat out there somehow and air tools would go a long way towards cheering me up.

i do understand what you are saying...a lot has to do with having the right place to work and the right tool. we were just discussing that also this weekend. talking about using a tree branch with a block and tackle to pull engines with, laying in mud on a piece of rug removing transmissions but as a forum member said to me back then we were the true "backyard mechanic" or "grassroot mechanic"

Haven't had a GRM type wrenching session in many, many months w/ no end in sight.

Might be losing my GRM religion

fasted58 wrote: Haven't had a GRM type wrenching session in many, many months w/ no end in sight. Might be losing my GRM religion

Then just buy a car from CraigsList!

Try to buy one that says "Must sale by ths wknd" , "My loss yr gain"

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jm3 wrote:

fasted58 wrote: Haven't had a GRM type wrenching session in many, many months w/ no end in sight. Might be losing my GRM religion

Then just buy a car from CraigsList! Try to buy one that says "Must sale by ths wknd" , "My loss yr gain" Keywords donut, steelies, blackies, touge, toyota, ae86, trueno, honda, k20 h22 b18 b16 d16 b20 k24 rsx type s base stock fast slow go civic integra, intrepid, stratus, avenger, 4 doors b16 b18a b18 b18c1 b18c5 rota rsx integra DA ef eg ek hx rims si rims gsr blades ls distributer distributor rota rotor free ds: 1998 98 1999 99 2000 00 2001 01 2002 02 si, dc2,da,jdm,itr,ctr,ek,eg,taillight, headlight, HID, aem,race blitz sparco tein coilover skunk2 300zx toyota mitsubishi accord prelude type r honda civic eg jdm usdm type-r coupe hatch integra gsr swap seat seats honda acura integra ls rs gs gsr type r civic dx bo rota rims eg6 ek civic hatch intKeywords Integra, skunk2, mugen, racing, motor, type r,drag,slicks,rota,drag,cold air, short ram, toyota, ae86, trueno, honda, k20 h22 b18 b16 d16 b20 k24 rsx type s base stock fast slow go civic integra, intrepid, stratus, avenger, 4 doors b16 b18a b18 b18c1 b18c5 rota rsx integra DA ef eg ek hx rims si rims gsr blades ls distributer distributor rota rotor free ds: 1998 98 1999 99 2000 00 si, dc2,da,jdm,itr,ctr,ek,eg,taillight, headlight, HID, aem,race blitz sparco tein coilover skunk2 300zx toyota mitsubishi accord prelude type r honda civic eg jdm usdm type-r coupe hatch integra gsr swap seat seats honda acura integra ls rs gs gsr type r civic dx bo rota rims eg6 ek civic hatch intKeywords Integra, skunk2, mugen, racing, motor, type r,drag,slicks,rota,drag,cold air, short ram, acura, honda, k20 h22 b18 b16 d16 b20 k24 rsx type s base stock fast slow go civic integra, intrepid, stratus, avenger, 4 doors b16 b18a b18 b18c1 b18c5 rota rsx integra DA ef eg ek hx rims si rims gsr blades ls distributer distributor rota rotor free aem injen akimoto parts works obx hatchback honda acura integra ls rs gIntegra, type r, itr, p28, dc, da, cams,

berkeley CL, I work so much I'll buy new

There is a little dude dancing on your motor

Hrmmm.... maybe THAT'S why it was so easy... i DID have help!

In reply to dean1484:

LOLz.