Turning wrenches sucks out loud; makes for shitty weekend.

[Melchiah]

I finally finished the clutch job on my Mustang after two days of wrestling with a transmission in the 14" clearance between the garage floor and the bottom of the car, covered in Dexron. I suppose I need an occasional reminder of why I stopped doing that kind of work for a living, and this weekend has certainly galvanized me in that regard. Fuck turning wrenches, and double fuck turning wrenches without a floor lift. Thank you, that is all.

In other news, how was everyone else's weekend?

[Jerseyprophet]

Got pics of the mustand? Great car, great legacy.

[Melchiah]

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j1...lPhotos184.jpg

It's a 1999 model, not a GT I'm sad to say. That will be my next purchase, and I am in love with the new body style. I think I want a blue one next time though. The POS granny mobile you see in the background is my little bro's first car, and he "loves" that thing to death. Wrecked it twice already.

[Jerseyprophet]

(40 year old virgin voice) for shooooow

[Melchiah]

There you go sir.

[Jerseyprophet]

Mmm, cherry red. Very nice, indeed.

Wanna see mine?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...phet/truck.jpg

The blue dodge, back in Alaska.

Any advice on what I should think about for a lift kit? I wanna go big - but not so big that I need to start replacing drive shafts. 8''?

[Awoir]

I did a clutch job in my Porsche 944 about a year and a half back. Did you just get a new stock clutch or upgrade (centerforce, etc.)?

[Idlepimp]

Alaska bois luv trucks 8)

http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/1729/trukkgx1.jpg
theres mine

[Zalius]

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j1...lPhotos184.jpg

It's a 1999 model, not a GT I'm sad to say. That will be my next purchase, and I am in love with the new body style. I think I want a blue one next time though. The POS granny mobile you see in the background is my little bro's first car, and he "loves" that thing to death. Wrecked it twice already.

SOMEONE NEEDS TO RAKE >/

[Jerseyprophet]

Fairbanks baby 01-05

[Melchiah]

SOMEONE NEEDS TO RAKE >/

WTF is a RAKE? Is that a racial slur? Are you calling me a RAKE? ARE YOU? YOU SHOVEL! HA, TAKE THAT YOU RACIST SHOVELSHOVEL!

yarly I need to take care of those leaves... it won't stop raining though ><

@Jersey: With any suspension lift, you will be exchanging speed and stability for your ground clearance. As for drive shaft replacement, look at it like a triangle. Short leg being the vertical distance between where the differential was, and where it gets moved to, Long leg being the horizontal distance from the tailshaft of the trans to where the differential was originally, and the hypoteneuse being the distance from the tailshaft to where the differential gets moved to. Normally there is an amount of horizontal movement or play on the splines connecting the tailshaft and the flange from the driveshaft. This is what you have to play with when you lift/lower a vehicle. If the amount of lift causes the dimensions of that triangle to exceed the adjustable length of that driveshaft, then you gonna need a replacement designed for that application. Also keep in mind that the U-joints have a minimum angle that they will function at. Too much lift can exceed that angle of deflection, and the driveshaft won't turn properly.

@ Awoir: OE replacement clutch. I didn't have time to order an upgrade, I had to have that sumbitch installed between Friday morning and Sunday eve. I got warning signs on my way home from work Thursday. The kind of signs that say "Attention retard. I am about to fail. You will soon be walking." I did come to find out that the OE trans in those cars are manufactured by Borg-Warner/Tremec, which was a nice surprise.

[Jerseyprophet]

Did having to do what you love, but under someone else's time constraints ruin it for you? You said you used to do this as a living, past tense.

Tell us ^^

[Idlepimp]

Fairbanks baby 01-05

lol thats 4 years spent here too long...

[Melchiah]

Did having to do what you love, but under someone else's time constraints ruin it for you? You said you used to do this as a living, past tense.

Tell us ^^

No, it just fucking sucks dude lol, that's all there is to it. Shitty hours, asshole incompetent management... I worked for Firestone as a technician for 5 years. In that time, I amassed a modest tool collection, and a number of ASE certifications. I had to bitch, cry, whine, and pitch fits to get a pay raise comparable to other ASE cert. technicians. The last manager I worked for was a parts man. Meaning he came from a parts store, to run a service shop. Real big dumbass. It's like a shift leader at Micky-Ds going to run a banking firm, constant state of DUUURRRR?!

The chick in your sig has a killer ass btw Jersey. My kingdom to be that DJ.

[Idlepimp]

Yeah... Theres alot of hype about how being ASE certified opens up so many options...it aint true most of the time lol

[Melchiah]

Yeah... Theres alot of hype about how being ASE certified opens up so many options...it aint true most of the time lol

Yeah it's basically PR bullshit for the shop owner. He can say "My shop is staffed by ASE certified mechanics! We won't fuck your shit up!" Shop labor was about $75 USD an hour when I left Firestone two years ago. I was making $11 of those dollars for every hour of labor I turned in the shop. i.e. car comes in, needs work that totals up to 3.5 hours per the labor handbook(usually Mitchell). I get paid my hourly rate($11) x number of hours called for(3.5) = $38.50. The shop takes in 3.5 hours x shop rate = 3.5 x $75 = $262.5 on top of the 200% markup they charge on parts. Yes, I said 200% markup on parts. Automotive shops rip off their customers and their employees.

[Idlepimp]

11$ an hour is a fucking ripoff. I'm working towards my first iCar certification this year... I hope i dont get shafted for all my work like that..