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The "What Did You Work On Today" thread

3M views 36K replies 388 participants last post by  cerial 
#1 ·
4 hour work day for me at the shop. Used the time to do a valve body swap on a '01 Jetta 1.8t auto .... I successfully installed a transbrake on the car .... that however wasn't my intention.

Its in 2 gears at once in park, all other gears (R/N/D/2/1) are forward gears.... they all seam to be first gear.

I have it torn back down most of the way. Tuesday I'll actually get the VB back out and see whats up.... but part of me wants to take it out for a test drive the way it is just for the fun of it.
 
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#3,781 ·
Yeah I didn't think I would forget a thing about that truck having had turned every single bolt on it a number of times over the years but this age thing, holy crap. And it scares me too because my mom died of Alzheimer's, that of course is on my mind when I forget something I really should have remembered. No so much this bracket, I can't expect my brain to store something as immaterial as this bracket in the grand scheme of life. But sometimes I forget things that I REALLY shouldn't have forgotten, those things scare me.

Brian
Heck, sometimes I walk over to the tool box and forget what tool I was going there to get! Have to go back to the car and resume work to jog my memory!
 
#3,782 ·
Heck, sometimes I walk over to the tool box and forget what tool I was going there to get! Have to go back to the car and resume work to jog my memory!

Yeah, I love grabbing an air tool and not hooking the hose to it and expecting it to work! Or worse yet, grabbing a socket and extension without the ratchet! :spank:

I am the parts guy at the shop now and yesterday I was checking in some parts and walked away with a broken bumper bracket to put in the parts bin having thrown the new one in the parts cart with all the damaged parts!

When we get out minds going on something else that is when we do those stupid things. We need to STAY FOCUSED. :sweat:

Brian
 
#3,783 ·
yesterday I applied some mats to the backside of a porsche bumper and trimmed it up to fit. Today I shave off the excess crap and see if that baby fits. Should fit like a glove. Just concerned about the amount of twist/tension on the bumper to get it on there and any unseen cracks I can't find or may develop later. On one hand I have to do my repairs and on the other I have to be weary about the quality of an aftermarket part. Also looked over a van uni-side I'm going to do. A 26 hour job. Seems to be that if I'm working all the worst of the worst train wrecks than perhaps I should get paid that way.
 
#3,784 ·
Yeah, I love grabbing an air tool and not hooking the hose to it and expecting it to work! Or worse yet, grabbing a socket and extension without the ratchet! :spank:

I am the parts guy at the shop now and yesterday I was checking in some parts and walked away with a broken bumper bracket to put in the parts bin having thrown the new one in the parts cart with all the damaged parts!

When we get out minds going on something else that is when we do those stupid things. We need to STAY FOCUSED. :sweat:

Brian
I have the voltage gap problem all the time with my power tools! So used to my battery drives that when I pick up a corded tool I usually hit the trigger, and then have to stop and go plug it in!
 
#3,785 ·
I have the voltage gap problem all the time with my power tools! So used to my battery drives that when I pick up a corded tool I usually hit the trigger, and then have to stop and go plug it in!
"Voltage gap", I will now be calling it that, and "Air gap". LOLOL


Brian
 
#3,788 ·
Well fellas. The bad news is it is really, really bad. The good news is it is not as bad as I expected. There should be plenty there for patterns. The floor braces appear to be good enough to use for patterns also. The A and B pillars appear to be more intact than I thought. I need to get the doors aligned and fitting and I will be ready to go to work.

Ain't life good :D







 
#3,790 ·
I love how the top cyl is tucked thru those holes in the inner structure. :mwink:
That's pretty neat. I see a stock radio! If you plan on getting rid of that, I am interested, and all the dash knobs, I am interested. :pimp:

Brian
 
#3,791 ·
On my idea of dipping it in resin.......first lay a towel down on the floor to fill those large holes. :D

Rarely, do I not appreciate your advice. But there are times.......:mad:

Brian
I love how the top cyl is tucked thru those holes in the inner structure. :mwink:
That's pretty neat. I see a stock radio! If you plan on getting rid of that, I am interested, and all the dash knobs, I am interested. :pimp:

Brian
I won't forget. Going to need lots of money for resin..........
 
#3,792 ·
didn't get much done, more cleaning garage / painted the flexplate for 350 (I know no one will see it.), piut engine cherry picker together and got engine out of crate and on to stand.
back muscles said we've had enough.. ,today was 3rd day back to work after 6 weeks out, so it'll take some time to get back into shape..
 
#3,793 ·
Well fellas. The bad news is it is really, really bad. The good news is it is not as bad as I expected. There should be plenty there for patterns. The floor braces appear to be good enough to use for patterns also. The A and B pillars appear to be more intact than I thought. I need to get the doors aligned and fitting and I will be ready to go to work.

Ain't life good :D







thats not bad at all..
would it be cheaper/faster to get a new floor from a dry climate junk yard?
you have no roof so dropping it in shouldn't be that hard
 
#3,795 ·
Well fellas. The bad news is it is really, really bad. The good news is it is not as bad as I expected. There should be plenty there for patterns. The floor braces appear to be good enough to use for patterns also. The A and B pillars appear to be more intact than I thought. I need to get the doors aligned and fitting and I will be ready to go to work.

Ain't life good :D







oh man. one of those jobs where after you cut out each piece and you find something else, and this isn't even the hidden rust!
 
#3,796 ·
thats not bad at all..
would it be cheaper/faster to get a new floor from a dry climate junk yard?
you have no roof so dropping it in shouldn't be that hard
Yes. It definitely would faster though not cheaper. I am going to make the intire assembly from firewall to rear axle. I have the tools and being retired, the time. The floor pan assemblies with braces are 1025 dollars plus truck freight from Ecklers, not counting the inner rockers. I can make them for a couple of sheets of 18 gauge. I am hoping that there will be some guys out there on a budget that will like to see it done.

oh man. one of those jobs where after you cut out each piece and you find something else, and this isn't even the hidden rust!
You got it Henry. I am not going to try to save any of it. Building the whole bottom of the car from scratch. I am going to start a thread. It will be time consuming but with the shrinker/stretcher jaws I can make the braces even if I have to make them in pieces.

I have always built rusty cars no one else wanted. The key is you have to start with a car that will have value when you are done. This is how I manage to play with my cars. I try to make the hobby pay for itself. In return, I donate my labor. Of course it helps that I don't do it all day long for a living.

As a side note, when I retired from the Telephone Co, I started doing customer work. I lasted about 6 months and hated it. It took a couple of years for me to begin to enjoy going back to the garage to play with my toys.

John L
 
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