Art & Inspiration Why You Should Do Your Own Work

I can neither prove, nor disprove that a split lock wash works, or does not work, at or after the event horizon of a black hole.

 

WHY YOU SHOULD DO YOUR OWN WORK

You know the guy doing the work so you might get a good deal.

Who would know better if the guy doing the work is a half ass cluster fucker than you.

When you do the work yourself you know when it’s done good enough.

 

But only if you can judge your own competence objectively!

 

The first rule of Dunning-Kruger Club is that you don't know that you are in Dunning-Kruger Club.

 

So many good topics in one thread.
I admit that at times I am a shitty mechanic. I've gotten much better over the years, but even after innumerable repairs, 10 engine builds, tons of trannies and diffs, I can still leave the oil fill cap off and get oil everywhere after a simple oil change. Unlike my sister's oil changer place travesty, just a little mess.
Regarding loctite, that photo of me is driving a road race kart at Willow Springs. At 14,000 rpms those engines damage hearing and loosen every nut and bolt on the machine. Red and blue loctite was my every session companion. And those karts spent far more time disassembled that assembled. 90% wrenching 10% driving.
My sister asks why I still do my own stuff. On the other hand, the pest control dude told my wife that he was stoked that I'm building my own car entirely myself. Asked if she'd give him a heads up when the car is "finished" (hahahahah - dude, they're never finished.) I never thought about his quarterly visits to our RV space, but perfect for a periodic check in on the project.
Made my day.

 

Model T oil pans had at least 20 bolts with nuts and a cotter pin in each one. Never saw one come loose but it sure is a PITA to remove one with 100 years worth of grease and rust.

 

Okay, so I'm confused.
Do I need to take my '50 Chevy truck to NASA for a valve cover change or not?

 

What's the definition of legitimate as it applies to quality ? You lost me ! I've witnessed numerous legal , licensed businesses that did obvious sub par work !

 

Each of the regional research centers should be able to handle it.

 

I wouldn't trust them with your ride. They can't even figure out how lock washers work.

 

On simple stuff, steering column drop, body mounts etc I still use lock washers (yes I agree they don't do much) on more important stuff I use poly lock nuts and on serious stuff I use stover nuts.

Now if it comes new with cotter key hole and slots I have a winner !

I'm not afraid to use loctite either when needed...

Jury still out on my steering arms when I final assemble... drill and tap for cotter keys (grade 8 bolts) ... Stover nuts... or loctite...
Decisions.. Decisions...

...

 

I agree with this method. Increase the locking mechanism ability as the need to keep things from coming loose increases. The lock washer issue has been bothering me since it was first posted that they do nothing. I was taught by my grandfather at a young age how they worked and when to use or not use them. He was a mechanical engineer and a gear designer. So today I revisited something that I was taught. I took a small block of wood and a cheap bolt and nut. I drilled a hole through the wood and placed the bolt through the wood held in place with locking pliers holding the bolt head on the bottom. The I used a hardened steel lock washer followed by the nut. I tightened it using an inch pound tq wrench. At 18 pounds/inch it seemed snug. It took 28 pounds/inch to break the nut free. Inspecion showed both surfaces had marks from the lock washer. The wood had a visible gouge. If they did nothing it wouldn’t take more torque to loosen the fastener. I repeated the process tightening to 60 lb/in and the nut was turning again. It also came loose at the same 60 lb/in.

Saying they don’t work period is easily disproven. Saying they don’t work in certain circumstances is just as easily proven. Knowing what was done and why is one of the biggest reasons for doing our own work whenever possible.

 

we just have to go back to using lots of wood in cars-and those locks will be fine!

 

No we just need to use the parts the way they were meant to be used or be willing to accept the outcome good or bad. And if we do it, we only have ourselves to blame.

 

Hello,

I drove the new 65 El Camino all over the whole West coast of the USA plenty of times and into Baja, Mexico many times. Mechanical skills were handy as I did the work to keep it running smoothly. Overall, in the 12 years we owned the El Camino, my wife and I enjoyed trouble free road trips endlessly. It was nothing to get packed, camera case behind the seat and off we went up the coastline for our adventures. College was important, but great experiences on road trips commanded our attention and allowed us to be together on those drives.

Sometimes, even with the skills one has or has learned over time, it takes a person who has been working on a particular skill and is a top mechanic to boot, to help out in difficult situations. After a grueling coastal road trips one winter, the road hazards just seemed to be “out to get us.” Pot holes, awful condition roads and severe weather all played a surprising effect on our red El Camino. Yes, we were safe and cozy sitting in the cab, but not knowing the full effect of road hazards, by the time we got home to our dinky apartment, something was not right.

As mechanical as I learned and had experience, alignment was not my cup of tea. So, I called my friend who always worked on our Impala, our dad’s Buick sedans and was very knowledgeable in all things car. But, his specialty was fixing cars, including wheel alignment, truing and balancing. One has to be allowed to pick and choose their battles and this one was different and not up our bag of tricks.

Jnaki

So, sometimes one needs outside help and for all of the knowledge of parts under a car, the wheel alignment process was completely out of our knowledge range. With our friend’s expert help was a necessary thing. Yes, standing around in his cool shop made me feel as if I was a novice at the time. But, it was something different from our pages of learned mechanics. I listened, but it was up to him to get the stuff done, as he always did for our Impala and the big Buick sedans. YRMV

Note:

The only problem was that his shop was located near the UCLA campus and that was a drive. (Almost 60 miles round trip.) But, as far as the quality of the work, it was well worth the extra miles. The cool thing was in a few years, he had moved his family to the big OC and his shop was now about 10 miles away and accessible any time…yes!

 

Lock washers rely on the surface hardness of the material that they are fastening. If that surface is harder than the washer, the locking edge has little chance of digging in.
About washers in general, long ago I was talking to a GE tech rep about some brand new jet engines we were receiving when I was in the military. I noticed that these highly refined fighter engines had almost no washers anywhere. The GE guy said their testing showed with the correct application fastener, washers in general offer little benefit, but more weight and opportunity for FOD. Good for protecting a soft surface though.