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Interesting photos from the shop today.

3K views 34 replies 16 participants last post by  carsavvycook 
#1 ·
A funny thing will happen at the shop, a number similar cars will come in at one time. I have seen this at every shop I have ever worked at as well as my own. You won't see a Jeek Wrangler for years and then all of a sudden there are four in the shop. You have never worked on an SSR and then wham, there are two parked next to one an other.

A week or so ago we had two identical damaged silver Mercedes sedans. I am talking the EXACT damage to the front fender, right at the bumper as it comes around the corner. No damage to the headlamp, just a simple large dent in the exact same place with a little damage to the bumper that we repaired in house.

But we see those Mercedes all the time, a Toyota Celica we don't see so often. How about the pair that came in today?

Click here for double vision. :)

Then you have this guy.



It was a "Hit and run" :D. These people just don't understand that we see this stuff over and over.

I guess after he parked the truck a pole came running across the lot and hit it!

Click here for evidence of what REALLY happened. :D

I guess the back up sensor buzzer isn't loud enough.

Click here......

You just can't make this stuff up! :D

Brian
 
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#4 ·
Only Racing said:
That double vision is pretty weird.
What makes it even more strange is I didn't set up that photo, that is where the customers parked them! Not only that, we don't see more than one of those Celicas a year, IF that!

Brian
 
#5 ·
#8 ·
I'm glad to see that you have plenty of work!

Back about 1979 I had had a similar thing happen to me. It seemed like every car that I did a major (not quite restoration) repaint on, wound up in an accident within a month after delivering it back to the customer. I remember this happened to several Jaguars, Porches, Mercedes and even an MG TD. It didn't happen to any of the small quick jobs, just the ones that I had poured my heart into. I painted my ex-wife's car during that time and some one ran into the front fender within a week. And then for no reason it stopped. You should have heard all of the jokes and ribbing I had to put up with. I don't know though it may have come back. Because the reason I was looking for a Mazda Miata door and fender was for the one that I was restoring for my girlfriend. I stripped it to the bare and replaced the deck lid, rear body panel, right front fender, right door skin and front and rear bumpers. Blocked on it for weeks, painted it inside and out with Gazurit base and self healing clear. Wet sanded it and buffed it to where it looked like you could dive into it and on the way home from my buddy's shop a guy ran into the right fender and door. I hadn't even put all of the trim back on it. So go figure.
 
#10 ·
When I got my first job in a body shop when I was 19, I had to go run an errand and used the Ford Escort courtesy car we had. I parked on the street. When I came back to the car, I got in and tried to start it but the key wouldn't turn. I couldn't figure it out. I got out of the car and realized I was in the wrong car. My Escort was parked behind this one. Car had almost the same black and silver paint job, just reversed top and bottom. Fooled me. I never saw that motif on another Escort again.

But I know what you're saying Brian. I worked in auto body long enough to see these odd waves of identical cars come once in a while. Ain't random math great! :mwink:
 
#11 ·
Another interesting phenomenon is the "rush" at a retail store. While working the counter at a parts store I was amazed how the place would be a ghost town with not a soul in the store and then with no rhyme or reason you have a line out the door! Like there is some subliminal message is shown on the tv screen across town or something "Go to NAPA auto parts". :D

I used to feel like there was a bus stop out front with buses full of people needing auto parts on a random schedule. :D

Brian
 
#12 ·
MARTINSR said:
Another interesting phenomenon is the "rush" at a retail store. While working the counter at a parts store I was amazed how the place would be a ghost town with not a soul in the store and then with no rhyme or reason you have a line out the door! Like there is some subliminal message is shown on the tv screen across town or something "Go to NAPA auto parts". :D

I used to feel like there was a bus stop out front with buses full of people needing auto parts on a random schedule. :D

Brian

Happens like that every bloomin' time I start to back my car trailer into the driveway. I can watch out the front door for an hour, not a single car will go by, then as soon as I hit reverse in the truck, I've got 45 people trying to get past me in 3 minutes, it's nutz, I tell you. The worst, though, is when people crest the hill at 45-50 mph (25 zone), and then give you the finger. I laugh every time the local officer sits at the nearest intersection. He bags at least 3 every time. Numerous arrests too. I love it when they bring in the K-9.....


In a while, Chet.
 
#13 ·
this stuff happens all the time for us also

last month we had three eclipse/avenger trans jobs to do right in a row when we never had any before.

now we have three fuel pump jobs right in a row, we did two the other day.

ford taurus trannies used to be one after another when they were still on the road anyways.

engine replacements in the gm fwd cars used to be one after another also and those jobs disappeared as well over time. havent had one in forever now.

recently we have done many truck transmission replacement jobs in a row again.,.

ball joint replacment jobs happen like this often as well.

also cv shaft ones.

will have none for a long time and then all of a sudden we have many of them do to within a few days' time



its odd like that..
 
#14 · (Edited)
The Power of Coincidence

Check out these Coincidences:

On 9-11 the New York State Lottery's evening number game popped up the numbers 9-1-1. For more amazing coincidences on 911 check this link: http://yndisfagur.blogspot.com/

We have all heard these: Lincoln-Kennedy coincidences both with seven letters in their last names, elected 100 years apart, assassinated on a Friday while beside their wives, one in Ford's theater, the other in a Ford Motor Co. car!

In Psalm 46 of the King James Bible, published in the year that Shakespeare turned 46, the 46th word is "shake" and the 46th word from the end is "spear."

I don't really believe in coincidences I think that most things can be explained. Take for instance everyone showing up at the parts store at the same time. I would first want to know what time the people in that particular neighborhood get off from work? And I would ask such questions as, do all of these people go to lunch at the same time? When is the average free time for the people that use that particular parts store? Take a given group of people living in a community and you will probably find that most of them do their daily tasks at about the same time. Back in the seventies when we only had four television stations to watch, the New York water and sewage department would see a surge in water and sewage usage at certain intervals between the times of 11:30 PM to 1:00 AM. Basically everyone was going to the bathroom at the same time. Was this a coincidence? No. It turned out that the surges coincided with the commercial brakes in the Johnny Carson show.

Coincidences usually are perceived differently by the people involved. The people that frequent the parts store may think that it is odd that every time they go there they see the same guy behind the counter. Or that every time they go down this one street in their neighborhood, some guy tries to back his boat into them. I work the second shift and the girl at the Chinese restaurant that I frequent thinks it's weird that I show up at the same time. I do go there a lot because they have good food and about 25 different dinners on the menu. In fact I could eat there everyday for five weeks and not eat the same thing twice. I have been going there for over three years now and I have yet to tell her that I am on my dinner brake. LOL

As in the case of the several cars that I restored getting in accidents, I think the people were driving them more to show them off. I also think they were paying more attention to themselves and how good they looked and not paying attention to their driving.

I also think that a mathematical equation can be used to explain most if not all coincidences. Mathematician John Allen Paulos, was quoted as saying, "The most astonishingly incredible coincidence imaginable would be the complete absence of all coincidences." Just take card counting for example: In the 1970's some college students put math to work on what we thought were random delt cards in the game of black jack. The casinos called them card counters. Well they got rich and were band from the casinos and then the gaming commission allowed for the casinos to change the rules. They now deal from multiple decks.

Now here is a coincidence I noticed about this web site: When the weather is nice there is less people using it, but when it is real cold or rainy we are all here. Why is that? LOL

Chris
 
#17 ·
Ok, how about this from the shop today? Looks like this guy was a world record panel cutter who cut this rocker off a 95ish Firebird. :D

No need to remove anything, just cut the darn thing off!

Brian



 
#18 ·
Awesome! He cut the interior trim panel and all and he even cut the rear lower control arm! Can you tell what he cut it with? If he used a gas operated carbide saw, it's a wonder that he didn't catch the carpet on fire. But I'll say this for him, at least he gave you enough to work with. And Brian, since it's the same color, if you're real tight with your welds you can tint your seam sealer red and you wont have to do any paint work! LOL
 
#19 ·
This thread is kinda coincidental because yesterday I was reading something similar but true. You ever see something say a car that you would not normally see like a Chevy Monza .And kinda notice it but soon there after see another maybe several more. It all connected I dont know how but its all connected.
 
#20 ·
Every day I see something that is a multiple its the same but different & weird.


It will go something like.

See a rare Catalina 2+2 421 beast on Power Block then be talking to someone & one will drive by { I wish} & or find a part for one on the sale ads.

Then see one in the funny papers.

Just weird how it works out thou.

As far as that chop job,
Pure amateur should have used the Stihl K~10 Gas powered 14" abrasive saw & left some windshield in tact thats always fun to cut through :evil:




R :thumbup:
 
#23 ·
No school I am aware of would even consider teaching (or Telling) facts like this.
A moral indescretion is not something that you would want the youngsters thinking is okay behavior.

We must note however, that the 1800s had different guidlines for proper behavior.

Not that I agree with them------as personally I believe adultery is grounds for justifiable homicide.
 
#24 · (Edited)
Bryan59EC said:
No school I am aware of would even consider teaching (or Telling) facts like this.
A moral indescretion is not something that you would want the youngsters thinking is okay behavior.

We must note however, that the 1800s had different guidlines for proper behavior.

Not that I agree with them------as personally I believe adultery is grounds for justifiable homicide.
I used to feel the same way, but now I could care less. After three marriages and some 7 or 8 live in girl friends I have come to the conclusion that their all the same and if you have to hold tight reins on them, well their just not worth ridding. In fact I'd rather you ask to borrow my wife then to borrow my tools. LOL

Now to continue on this train of thought and a little more about coincidences. I had what I considered to be a good dog. He was part coyote and part chow. Well we had had him for several years and even though he did not like strangers he had never been any problem to me or my ex-wife. Well one day he turned on my ex-wife so to speak (snapped at her and wouldn't let her out the back door) and I had to get rid of him. About three months later I found out she was seeing someone else. Was it a coincidence or was he trying to tell me something?

I do however have a new rule in my life: If the woman doesn't like or can't get along with the dog, the woman goes and the dog stays!
 
#25 ·
And the "Hits" keep coming. Over the years I have had very few times where I had in the shop, BOTH cars from an accident. It happens once in a while, but not often.

This is an interesting one, how about not only do I have both cars, they are both totals and owned by father and daughter! Yep, you guested it the daughter hit the fathers truck.

Poor thing, she was a sweetheart and I felt bad for her. But they both took it well, they are just pieces of metal, that's all, no one got hurt. But she was following him to someone house or something like that and WHAM!

Brian

 
#26 · (Edited)
Yeah I had the same thing happen several times back in the eighties. One time there was a four wheel drive that ran into a corvette. It was the driver of the trucks fault. Well after both vehicles had been there for about a week and a half both of the owners showed up at the same time to check on progress. When they both saw each other they started shouting and then the shouting broke out into a fight out in the parking lot. It was hilarious!

And then there was this one time when a young fellow of about twenty three who still lived at home had saved up his money and paid cash for a new corvette. That's right cash! Well on the way home from buying it a lady ran a red light and he T-boned her (the car only had seven miles on it). Both of them were all right but he freaked out and punched her right square in the jaw. Both cars wound up at the shop where I worked and I repaired the vett. The father of the fellow that owned the corvette took care of all of the business because his son received a two year sentence at the P-farm. And sure enough when the lady that owned the caddy showed up with her husband to pick the car up she still had some slight bruising and her jaw was wired shut.

Brian, I have done about 18 years in each field (mechanical and auto body repair) and I swear you see more strange happenings in auto body repair.

Now I'll bet that you can collaborate with me on these: Have you ever had a woman show up to look at her car and when she saw it, just bust out in tears? I was doing a rear clip on a Toyota and the woman showed up about the time I had the two haves lined up with each other but about three feet apart. That was a funny one. And have you ever had one try and work her deductible out in trade? In my case, it was always the ugly ones.
 
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