tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post1632931750025442671..comments2024-03-28T22:08:48.577-07:00Comments on Chant du Départ: Reconnect ConnectOldAFSargehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-36882725683505262822020-07-01T07:49:34.784-07:002020-07-01T07:49:34.784-07:00I enjoyed how you ended the post, with that backho...I enjoyed how you ended the post, with that backhoe joke. I chuckled out loud. A battery change is about the only type of automobile maintenance I am willing to attempt. However, I am fortunate that both my wife and my cell phone new cars, relatively, so I won't have to do that anytime soon. My daughter inherited wife's Camry, and I have swapped that battery out before so I feel good about the future attempt there. AAA was very helpful to her in Savannah during college, charging her battery multiple times. However, they don't take too kindly to multiple calls. By multiple calls, I mean they charge a ton after the second one. It turns out she just never drove the damn thing. I paid a lot to get that car out there, to store it over Christmas and summer, not to mention insurance, and she may have driven it only a couple dozen times over the three years. Oh well, it's just my money.Tunahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04930237104692982421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-20156981385227538032020-06-30T23:08:15.255-07:002020-06-30T23:08:15.255-07:00Talking of cost and difficulty, I had a co-worker ...Talking of cost and difficulty, I had a co-worker who owned some type of Cadillac. Maybe ten years ago one of his headlights burned out. He took it to the dealership. They had to partially disassemble the front end of the car to replace the bulb. It cost just a mere $500 to reclaim his car.<br /><br />Another tale of car woes. Years ago I owned a Renault Alliance (1985). I had to take it to the mechanic we used to get some work done. When I picked it up the bill was quite high. He referred to the car as having a "bench engine". I asked him what that meant. He explained that to do about any kind of work on the engine or power train since it was front wheel drive, the engine had to be removed and put on the bench hence "bench engine".BillBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17593147581583316765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-632012644503712042020-06-30T07:54:42.733-07:002020-06-30T07:54:42.733-07:00Somebody commented on the "Nearly Totaled&quo...Somebody commented on the "Nearly Totaled" phenomenon on a thread here a while ago. And it makes a certain amount of sense to me. According to the theory, the car body is designed to absorb the energy of the crash before it reaches the people inside. The fact that the car is much more badly damaged and needs repair or replacement more often is just icing on the manufacturer's cake.juvathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09096708575138552532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-15636459775575892332020-06-30T07:49:48.191-07:002020-06-30T07:49:48.191-07:00Sounds like you were pretty lucky. But, as I alwa...Sounds like you were pretty lucky. But, as I always say, better to be lucky than good!juvathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09096708575138552532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-23765332543219798322020-06-30T02:45:05.064-07:002020-06-30T02:45:05.064-07:00I recently removed and replaced a bumper cover on ...I recently removed and replaced a bumper cover on a 2007 Jeep Liberty. In days gone by, this would have been done by simply removing a few bumper bolts, slide the old unit off and the new unit back on, replace the bolts. Done. <br /><br />Not anymore. The plastic piece of crap that came off was held on by about 20 plastic clips, all of which busted upon removal, the whole process took me about three days, to include waiting on Amazon to send me (with my Prime membership) some new clips. I can't believe how cheaply cars are made these days. You hit a garbage can with one, and they are nearly totaled.Freddhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10778430453468720627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-29496152433758162442020-06-29T22:20:29.598-07:002020-06-29T22:20:29.598-07:00Fender well. I wish!
My '88 Ford Ranger requi...Fender well. I wish! <br />My '88 Ford Ranger requires about 5 minutes to have the heater core in hand. Two hose clamps on the engine side of the firewall. Several screws to remove the drain pan that holds the core in the heater box, and it drops into your hand.<br /><br />Now my '00 Ranger? Remove the seat(s), drop the steering column, remove the entire dashboard, heater hose clamps, and remove the heater box that is now visible after getting the dash out of the way. Do NOT install a cheap core, get the factory one, as you don't want to do this again a couple years later.<br /><br />Why the change? Ford began copying the Japanese in vehicle design in the early 90's. They install the heater core first, and build the interior around it. Apparently heater cores don't go bad in domestic Japanese cars in their typical 40k miles mandated life.Willhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00722792638246578812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-3310515750584431422020-06-29T18:37:53.774-07:002020-06-29T18:37:53.774-07:00Hey Juvat;
I work on million dollar airplanes...Hey Juvat;<br /><br /> I work on million dollar airplanes and working on new cars scares the crap out of me...everything is soo"crowded". THen people wonder why I like my 99 F150 Lariat running at 250,000 miles and doing well. it is a truck and it ain't complicated. I do everything except brakes...don't ask me why but I don't do my own brakes, LOL. Sometimes I let the dealership change the oil(Usually I do it with Ford filters) just for fun and the mechanics are always checking it out because it is so different than the new cars they see on a regular basis.MrGarabaldihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05768774166065615995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-75503661023916194132020-06-29T18:16:21.141-07:002020-06-29T18:16:21.141-07:00Last major car repair I did was replace the heater...Last major car repair I did was replace the heater core on my '72 Chevelle back around 1980. I was too cheap to pay the garage the $100 they wanted for labor. Two days later I knew why they wanted so much. Had to remove the fender well. The original battery however lasted 8 years! Most of my driving was highway miles.<br />These days I take the vehicles to Advance Auto Parts and let them change the battery, head lights, etc. and give them a generous tip. A lot quicker and easier on the ego. Wolffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14983731436814153001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-73982426044037703082020-06-29T18:14:32.943-07:002020-06-29T18:14:32.943-07:00At least he didn't try to use 10 pennies.At least he didn't try to use 10 pennies.Beanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15293778848879361153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-15307037539693860122020-06-29T18:12:47.660-07:002020-06-29T18:12:47.660-07:00Watching Project Binky, you will realize that it&#...Watching Project Binky, you will realize that it's all about fabricating the brackets.Beanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15293778848879361153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-2783694982570301262020-06-29T17:19:05.221-07:002020-06-29T17:19:05.221-07:00(Don McCollor)…[in the days of simpler cars] many ...(Don McCollor)…[in the days of simpler cars] many years ago, I went out to my family farm on an Easter morning, parked my Dodge Diplomat on the road & walked in over the snowdrifts. Came bank and it was dead as a great wooly mammoth. Neighbor (before cell phones) saw hood and trunk open as I was trying the unscrew the battery terminals with a worn pliers (cleaning them was the only fix I could try) and jumped me. Not the battery, the alternator. No hope of getting one on Easter Sunday (and the local mechanic was probably in church) and I had to be back 200 miles to Grand Forks for a Monday flight for work. Back to town, and the engine almost stalling if I touched the brakes and the lights came on). COOP was open, and I bought the biggest battery charger they had, no questions asked, with the car idling outside. Got to my late parents house and put the charger on. Then got the Ford farm pickup started to use its battery as a backup. Gravel floor in the garage, water had seeped in, and it was stuck in the garage. Meanwhile a cousin and wife were calling asking where I was for Easter dinner. A hurried dinner (with the pickup idling outside). There was a fine balance between battery charge and time (like Apollo 13). If it got dark enough to use headlights, game over. At Fargo (2/3 of the way), the dome light was getting pretty dim, and I stopped. No start. Then discovered that Ford and Dodge batteries have terminals on opposite sides. Ford battery made the rest of the trip canted over to reach the cables. I made it, but was counting down each mile and reviewing what friends I could ask to come get me on the evening of Easter... <br /> Don McCollorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18028324869570493102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-20543792827207033992020-06-29T16:13:52.204-07:002020-06-29T16:13:52.204-07:00We had a guy working at the north end of Lubbock I...We had a guy working at the north end of Lubbock Intergalactic when I worked for the experiment station. He was putting plugs and points in an old International pickup. Young guy from TT hight skool. Someone had lost the feeler gauges, so an old timer yelled out to use a dime to gap the plugs and points. <br /><br />Crank crank crank went the engine, but it never caught. He didn't have a dime so he used 2 nickels....STxARhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04588850178293194825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-4588207587012457692020-06-29T16:09:25.079-07:002020-06-29T16:09:25.079-07:00My buddy in college would use hotdog chili on a ba...My buddy in college would use hotdog chili on a baked potatoe for a meal. Every day of the week. He'd put the lid back on top of the chili to keep it fresh in the fridge. I invited him over for home cooking once in a while. He was a ridge runner from northern R-Kansas. I miss old Howard. He was a class act.STxARhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04588850178293194825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-72473371027082085422020-06-29T15:10:10.329-07:002020-06-29T15:10:10.329-07:00Yep, New Boldface procedure
1. Take Clown Car to F...Yep, New Boldface procedure<br /><b>1. Take Clown Car to Ford Dealer<br />2. Have them replace Battery<br />3. Pay the Man<br />4. Repeat every 36 Months min, 48 Months max.</b><br /><br /><br />juvathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09096708575138552532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-88055974838882884492020-06-29T14:27:12.368-07:002020-06-29T14:27:12.368-07:00LOL, I related your story to the neighbor this mor...LOL, I related your story to the neighbor this morning. A rollback is now picking up his car... And that is why I take mine to the dealer and buy a new battery every four years, need it or not.Old NFOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16404197287935017147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-55562241183564239252020-06-29T12:53:02.248-07:002020-06-29T12:53:02.248-07:00It's too bad you couldn't hang on to it. ...It's too bad you couldn't hang on to it. Probably worth a pretty penny nowadays.juvathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09096708575138552532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-83414139529795667822020-06-29T12:11:12.402-07:002020-06-29T12:11:12.402-07:00The last major auto/truck engine repair I complete...The last major auto/truck engine repair I completed was the one before I found out a carburetor had an electric wire attached. Most of my engine work has been on flatheads. You could set the sparkplug gap and the distributor points with a matchbook. The first vehicle I ownwd was a 1938 Plymouth sedan with running boards, a floor transmission and "suicide doors" (the rear doors were hinged at the rear). The car was still capable of pegging out the speedometer at 80 mph when I sold it because I could no longer get insurance in 1959. Old GunsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-70900982402550101472020-06-29T11:06:22.706-07:002020-06-29T11:06:22.706-07:00Owwww! My head hurts. Now...I wish I had that kn...Owwww! My head hurts. Now...I wish I had that knowledge and expertise. Or at least the knowledge of WTF they were talking about.juvathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09096708575138552532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-13711285031295299512020-06-29T10:56:47.822-07:002020-06-29T10:56:47.822-07:00For fun in watching a shoehorning experience, ther...For fun in watching a shoehorning experience, there's these two Brits who decided to take a classic Mini and graft a, I think, Subaru engine into it. <br /><br />Watching them fabricate and hack and cut and build and twist things in order to get stuff to fix explains a lot about modern cars.<br /><br />Bad Obsession Motorsports. It's worth watching over and over again.<br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHvBHWBzzB7NyU5tIiEZHBgBeanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15293778848879361153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-54542879620856371262020-06-29T10:27:40.615-07:002020-06-29T10:27:40.615-07:00A can of RSB, a can of corn and a bit of hamburger...A can of RSB, a can of corn and a bit of hamburger makes a pretty good meal, even today. Reminds me of times gone by, so Mrs J indulges me occasionally. Oh and only RSB's work in that recipe. Tried it with other similarly named beans, just not the same.juvathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09096708575138552532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-50905716794477273642020-06-29T10:20:45.624-07:002020-06-29T10:20:45.624-07:00If back then I was as smart as I, obviously, am no...If back then I was as smart as I, obviously, am now I'd have had electricity added to the carport. Just didn't see a need back then. We've got several very long extension cords which we pull out for several projects on the property. Mrs J prefers an electric weed whacker for some reason. When we were in the planning stages of the new casa, we were very generous in placing electric outlets both inside and out. So...hopefully...I'm sure that the one place we absolutely, positively gotta have electricity will be the furthest possible location from an outlet. That's just me though...being realistic and experienced in that phenomenon.juvathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09096708575138552532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-42845067442385176702020-06-29T10:07:25.626-07:002020-06-29T10:07:25.626-07:00long extension cords are fairly cheap, juvat (kid...long extension cords are fairly cheap, juvat (kidding!)Tom in NChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03576958446243001152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-54592070466069073262020-06-29T10:05:56.110-07:002020-06-29T10:05:56.110-07:00good analogy, Suz. Also funny how a lot of docs w...good analogy, Suz. Also funny how a lot of docs want to self diagnose and not see others of their kind ... They take "Physician, heal thyself" a bit too literally - and yet some are just spooky good at diagnosing people with just a few seconds of conversation, or even just a glance as they walk by. My wife and son play that game at times, I'm sure you look at people in the same way.Tom in NChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03576958446243001152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-7020093050960747522020-06-29T10:02:17.174-07:002020-06-29T10:02:17.174-07:00Yeah, the "high tech" aluminum blocks in...Yeah, the "high tech" aluminum blocks in the Vega were awful! I have to admit, swapping in a big block Chevy into that little body made for a screaming dragster, but it did require "a little surgery".<br /><br />And did you know it's hard to find Ranch Style Beans in many places in the midwest and northeast? But I lived of those and rice for a while as well... Rotel tomatoes were also hard to find, but are a bit more widely available nowTom in NChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03576958446243001152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-21783594034460033162020-06-29T09:53:20.942-07:002020-06-29T09:53:20.942-07:00Best would probably add "...and the process m...Best would probably add "...and the process must be completed without a single utterance of a profanity." That might be a bit much to ask though.juvathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09096708575138552532noreply@blogger.com