iansane said:
Antihero (Forum Supporter) said:
I love my dad dearly but dear God do I hate the way he mechanics.
We've all done some questionable repairs to get home or had a car that was "car-guy" safe but he stops there so everything is just.....half assed.
My work trucks fuel pump died so I grabbed his work van. It's technically the business tool van and he's usually the guy to drive it, so I'm rarely if ever driving it. He repairs and drives it.
Sweet baby Jesus does it need some help. The idler screams, there's no fan, it's leaking gas, the driver seat belt isn't really working, he didn't have either gas cap on it, the turn signals a jury rigged to hell ( but working so I guess that's a win), it's filthy, it's ridiculously filthy, there's either a u joint going or a carrier bearing, the aux gas tank is apparently not working, the wipers don't work on the fastest setting and the brake warning light comes on when there are bumps.
At least half of that is small easy repairs. Driving it I remembered how much I love the 300i6 engine but man.....wtf.....
My dad is the same way. He is to construction the way I am to autos. He'll jump into any building job whatsoever with little experience and just figure it out. But when it comes to cars he has trepidation and an amazing skill for halfassery. I, on the other have, will put any engine into any car but I have as much nervousness replacing a few sheets of t1-11 as I do taking a final exam for calculus.
He recently gave me a truck and holy hell is it scabbed together...
Funnily enough my dad is the same way. He started as a mechanic, in the army, working on tanks which is kinda scary seeing this van really
Do not ship carburetors by just throwing them in a box with last week's newspaper.
Duke
MegaDork
4/30/21 1:56 p.m.
Some people just have NO berking idea of consistency.
I really really don't like working with those people.
Yard work is one of my least favorite things to do- I just really don't like it. So when I do set out to do it, I want to get it over with as quickly and easily as possible. Today was pretty much the perfect weather for it, so I set out to clear the brush, vines, and saplings from around the fence in our backyard- figuring that it would be smart to do it now when things are smaller than waiting until later in the summer. Made it all the way around with the electric hedge clipper, and was 80% of the way around when the chain on the chainsaw caught on a stump and chewed up the inside guide teeth on the chain. So now I need to track down a new chain for it, install it, and then finish cutting things down.
Motherberkeleywhore. The old wooden windows on my second floor will not stay up on their own so you put a stick under it so it stays up. Old farm house things.
It's windy as hell right now and as the wind is whistling through the window in the den, my dog won't leave my side because he's so scared. So I open the window, put the stick in and check the storm window which was cracked a little. As I'm closing the storm the stick pops out, the heavy wooden window slams down like a guillotine about 18" into my arm resting on the sill. This actually happened about an hour ago and the strong pain killers I haven't been taking for my shoulder have just kicked in and I can actually move it.
It takes a near death experience for me to actually go to the hospital, but I'm thinking about it. Something might be broken.
And I had BIG plans all weekend
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
I've had customers toss a half dozen cast iron cams in a box, ship them 3000 miles with no packing, and flip out when they arrive broken into little pieces. Enough times that I would not give out my address until they acknowledged the shipping instructions.
In reply to Mr. Peabody :
I mentioned to the seller that it got mangled and he should probably consider better packing methods, but I could probably de-mangle things enough to work. The throttle shafts themselves do not appear to be bent, which is a minor miracle because, if you notice, the shafts are less than half the diameter in the middle, and it's not like '79 RX-7 carbs are easy to find... which is rather why I jumped on buying this as soon as I saw it for sale.
He did refund my money, without my requesting it.
Sometimes working on cars is super fun and satisfying.
The rest of the time it’s pretty darn frustrating and discouraging.
Tonight was the latter.
Things would just keep going downhill from here.
Facebook Marketplace has stopped working on my phone for the 100th time until they realize there's a bug and roll out another update. Oh how I hate you Facebook Marketplace but have grown to depend on you. Anyone miss Craigslist?
In reply to Scotty Con Queso :
Nothing that requires a mobile app is reliable. Nothing.
RevRico
UltimaDork
5/1/21 11:18 a.m.
In reply to Scotty Con Queso :
Since I'm still using Craigslist, yes, I miss what it was before. People are insane with their asking prices and more unreliable than ever even when trying to get rid of free stuff.
Just leave me alone. You are now my ex-wife because YOU wanted out. I really don't care about the washer you refused to take care of and now won't drain. Nor do I really care you drive over E36 M3 causing flat tires. I'm not saying I don't care, but it's not my problem anymore. Figure the E36 M3 out on YOUR own.
Walmart. On a Saturday afternoon. Enough said.
The best part was a tweaker looking dude tried to leave the garden center without paying for his plants.
In reply to stanger_mussle :
Here I sit now broken hearted
In a lot of pain, and I'm not faint hearted
I thought if I could take a chance, I'd drink enough tequila I'd be in a trance
I did enough shots to get completely fried, hoping I'd wake all ready to ride
Alas I did not, and it seems that it's broken. If you think this is funny, trust me I ain't jokin
My right arm's in a cast and I'll keep it at rest, for I am fortunate enough that I can drink with my left
Rodan
Dork
5/1/21 5:16 p.m.
Apparently, today was 'drive like an shiny happy person on the track' day. Poor driving, lack of etiquette, and just plain stupidity...
I think this is the first time I've ever been happy to have a mechanical issue that put us in the trailer early.
In reply to Mr. Peabody :
So, the window really was that heavy...
I can either clean the house and have you feel guilty, or not clean and have you pissed. Either way i lose. Make up your mind.
Jalousie windows in an old camper look cool.
But working on them suck, really, really badly. I've now broken two panes while trying to put them into the aluminum frame. Looking at the closely- whoever made them was a moron. The top and bottom of the windows are different. I had thought I could have mixed up some of the parts, but when I compare them all- all of the tops are shorter than the bottoms. Not much but enough to really make it tough to line it all up. And every time I get close, the new gasket material comes off the window, and I have to start over again.
Out of the ~25 total panes I have for all of the windows, I've gotten 5 done. Had to give up after breaking two.
arg.
In reply to Streetwiseguy :
Indeed it was, and it actually dropped 25", not 18. I suspected a break. I've done a lot of damage over the years and never felt anything like that. Appointment Monday morning with an orthopedic surgeon
I've had a pretty bad day, had to deal with several asshats in totally different situations that are unconnected, my Facebook memory is me telling people that my dad is super sick, I found the fireworks that I bought for my mom for 4th of July that she never got to see, my neck got sunburned and my head hurts.