An Important Lesson (to those that wrench/own old vehicles)

Not the kid’s Taco
Still applies 100%

maybe bc she got jealous bc of all the work being done on the Taco in her presence……
My 98 RSTi developed a clunk from front sway bar links…..
Knowing she was jealous, I splurged on some new links

 

Then as I was down there
Just looked around for ‘weirdness’

holy crap

 

Just don’t just do the job
Look around when working

jeez
Yall know what boat stands for right?
Ugh

 

Yeah I've seen sidewall blow outs on pickups before.....
.....it aint pretty....
maybe ought to double check those too...


make sure your organ donor card is up to date....

 

Bust Out Another Thousand.
Ugh

car is parked.

 

I would chalk that up as good luck. Glad you happened to see it now. Nothing material lasts forever.

 

You didn't write that the new links resolved the "clunk" problem.

I had the same problem several years ago. A dull clunk when making a slow left-hand turn.

Replacing the links did not solve the problem, but replacing the two sway bar mounting rubbers did.

 

Was taught this when I started working on Aircraft. Do a visual insp of everything withing 10 feet of what you are working on.

 

I went a few steps ahead and just changed everything. LBJ's, tie rods, UCA's, suspension, steering link bushings, LCA bushings, leafs, tires, wheels, brakes, etc.

 

Ive worked building and maintaining electric substations for 35 years. You better look around and not just at what the task for the day is. Always a good idea and save you some grief. When I first got hired and started climbing steel, the crew lead would yell “You better be careful. There’s gonna be some slow walking and a lot of crying if you get hurt. AND I AIN’T BUYING NO DAMN FLOWERS!” And laugh like hell.

 

Totally right with our old vehicles. For twenty years I have been the only one working on my truck and Im not a mechanic by trade. I always find things loose, or falling apart. Like a battery ready to fall into a fan blade. Or my gas tank bolts coming loose and my tank dragging on the ground. Shit happens

 

I wanted to test drive….just in neighborhood…..decided not too

I tried some cheap links(came as set of front(extra)/rear for forester(fine so far)
So fronts were like a freebie and tried
Horrible…..worse than the beefy ones I rebuilt
D bushings are brand new(greaseless (believe or not!)) read about that Teflon tape trick too

These WhiteLine ones appear to be much better and came with extra hardware that the crap ones didn’t

now need to pluck down $$ on new tires
Ugh
Embarrassed to say but fuck it
Manufacture date of current tires 3813
Basically 10yrs old, good tread but old

 

Agreed
aircraft mechanics….
#1 choice of mine to buy any vehicle,any age from!!!

 

Never heard that one Before BOAT !

I can not say for others but Mom taught me from very young to always look for things that don`t fit or just did not belong using all my senses so now it is just natural.

 

I asked a guy once what it was like to own a boat, and he replied "take all the money you're ever going to earn in your life, multiply that times three, and throw it in the ocean."

 

Sounds about right!

Like anything else if you can not work on your own things and need to pay Labor it gets expensive.

 

Glad you see it before bad thing happens.

 

Me too!!!


Dropped $1100 on Falken RT660’s today
Only 12 tires in US per Discount
Ugh

 

Just bc I do estimates on boats every day……here’s another joke a boat shop owner told me….

what are the 2 happiest days for any boat owner?

the Day you buy it
the Day you sell it


And NO…..I do not own a boat!!!!

 

The first thing I did when I got my 2008 200 series from my dad was replaced the tires because he still had the original set on and they were dry rotted and one had the belt showing.