TTR
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Posts posted by TTR
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Thanks for all the comments and PMs so far.
Although Peter G. (unexpectedly) changed my initial thread title, I would like to clarify something.
My search for shop assistance/help is not necessarily limited to "hiring" only.
It could also be considered by someone (perhaps a retired individual enthusiast/hobbyist ?) wanting to help, learn and perhaps barter for some direct advise, assistance, consultation (from my experience) for their own DYI home project or earn little extra to offset costs on their own project, etc.
On 12/9/2021 at 10:46 AM, TTR said:...having ability to adequately test drive clients cars through out the year also.
Just this afternoon, I was "test driving" a clients 60+ year old car and its (automatic) transmission operations at speeds exceeding 100 MPH, all inside(!!!) the shop and tomorrow morning, planning to do (close to) same speeds/tests on the nearby roads.
Another day (or two) in the “Office”. 😉
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On 12/9/2021 at 9:19 AM, George Smolinski said:
If you move your shop to the Twin Cities, I can start immediately and I’ll even help you unload and set up on my own time.😄
Thanks, but no thanks.
I grew up in and left a similar climate behind over 35 years ago and have no desire to re-introduce myself or my wife (who was born, raised & always lived in SoCal) to such.
Besides, I rather enjoy (leisurely) driving my vintage cars year round, not to mention having ability to adequately test drive clients cars through out the year also. 😉
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41 minutes ago, 28 Chrysler said:
To bad you are in California, hiring here in Nevada is bad enough.
I don't see "hiring" itself a problem as much as finding someone "qualified" (and/or able/willing to put up with me 😉).
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Thanks Peter for the additional detail. 👍
I should've thought of it...
40 minutes ago, George Smolinski said:... and the work involved nothing newer than 1976, ...
While I occasionally dabble some small issues or services (mainly for friends or good clients, if they really insist) on "modern" cars, i.e. pretty much anything made within last +/-40 years, I generally have a rule-of-thumb phrase "If it's not old enough to have carburetor(s), I really don't want to work on it". 😉
Ironically, I currently have a 1976 Eldorado (convertible) in the shop I have to do couple of small things to, but it does belong to a good long time client, so... 🙄
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Not sure if this is appropriate forum to post this, but …
… I’m at a point where I could use some (at least part-time) help at my shop in Riverside, CA and can’t seem to find any through more usual channels.
Ideally, this could be for someone with interest in old cars and potential chance to learn more about working around and on them.
Not a lot of experience is necessary, although any can be helpful, but more importantly, this person should have very good, “old school” work ethics, including mindfulness of cleanliness, safety, being extra careful around cars, their parts, shop tools/equipment, etc.If you are or happen to know of such person, you can contact me through DM/PM.
Oh, and if I haven’t made it clear with my posts on this forum, I’m quite critical and picky about the ways things get done in my world, i.e. shop. 😉
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Having lived in SoCal for 35+ years and driven tens of thousands of miles with large variety of vintage cars ranging from early thirties to early seventies around here during that time, my observations are and have always been that the vast majority of drivers I see daily lack basic vehicle operation skills and understanding of traffic surrounding them but somehow they manage their daily commuting without more collisions or other problems.
Only change I’ve seen is that with population growth, we just have more drivers suffering from aforementioned lack of driving skills.
And if anything, with ever expanding variety of vehicle control nannies introduced in all modern/new cars/trucks seems to also lessen peoples ability and/or willingness to improve their own shortcomings.
OTOH, this ^ acceptance/admiration of these “features” is the easiest path to real “Changing State of Motoring”, i.e. self-driving vehicles and ultimately, banning of all human operated vehicles on public roads, but I just hope it won’t become a norm while I’m still capable of driving my vintage cars…
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48 minutes ago, TTR said:
Having lurked and posted here for about a year and half now, I too just joined. 🥺
P.S. Contrary to what others may have experienced, IMO signing up online was very easy/simple.
P.P.S. I realize this may seem like a strange request, but if the membership includes some print magazines/newsletters, how can I opt out of receiving them ?
It's just that I probably don't have time to read most, if any, and don't wish to have club wasting postage or having myself to deal with recycling them.
Some of the clubs I'm a member of keep sending theirs, even after multiple request to stop, while others offer an option for online newsletters, which are easier and environmentally friendlier to dispose of by just hitting the delete button on my computer.
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Having lurked and posted here for about a year and half now, I too just joined. 🥺
P.S. Contrary to what others may have experienced, IMO signing up online was very easy/simple.
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23 hours ago, edinmass said:
driving over 17 mile bridge….
Looks more like sitting on a looong conveyor belt than driving. 😉
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Working on them, while it can be enjoyable(?)*, is only a means to an end, which is to enjoy the "fruits of your efforts (and expenditure)" by driving as much as possible.
And older I get, more I want to drive them (Heading out tomorrow again around 4-5am for few hours and 100+ miles of pleasure).
*Full disclosure, as mentioned before, I've been an old/vintage car enthusiast and owner of many for over 40 years, but for last 30+ years I've spent most of my daily life working on them full-time and mostly on other peoples (old/vintage) cars, so "enjoyment" of working on them has lost some of its allure, especially when having to fix "mistakes"** made by others before my involvement. Just encountered one of those again today. ☹️
** Far more common than most in this hobby realize.
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1 hour ago, Grimy said:
But he is an electrical/electronics engineer, and wants to cut holes in varying thicknesses of rubber gaskets until he achieves j-u-s-t the right thickness to allow the business side of the motometer to face the driver. But he hasn't done that yet. My dear friend of 60 years will spend a week doing an engineering plan for it, and 10 minutes doing the actual work. 🙂
I'm standing my for your expected retort, Bob....... 🙂
Sounds a bit like me, except I don't have any engineering degrees, but I do tend to spend excessive(?) time on planning (and over-analyzing) some of the tasks before I do them.
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29 minutes ago, wayne sheldon said:
Hey there Grimy, does your 'evil twin' know he is supposed to be able to read the Motometer from the driver's set?
Well, if one doesn’t actually drive a car much, it really don’t matter which way the Motormeter faces or whether it even works. 🙄
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23 minutes ago, edinmass said:
... Crown Royal…….
Isn't that just one step up from Kessler's ? 🤔
Your taste in cars appears impeccable, but whiskey preference OTOH... 🙄
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2 hours ago, trini said:
T T R … May be you should make for customers.
As I mentioned, I do reproduce & sell them (two sets last week), but they’re for very limited market and fairly labor intensive to make (Made in Riverside, CA).
Fortunately (for me), most cars with them have their originals in pretty bad shape, especially the brass grease fittings, as they were usually heavy-handedly hammered in to place and therefor rendered “non-serviceable” already at the “factory” or more specially, at their coach builders plant. -
43 minutes ago, trini said:
How about drilling a hole in the pin and cross holes for pouring oil in ?
Kind of like these, except they’re lubed with grease gun using a special tip that slides over the brass grease fittings ?
I produce them in “standard” and “oversize”, although not for OPs application.
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5 hours ago, joe_padavano said:
You can slow it down by ensuring that the hinges are always well lubricated.
Door, hood and trunk lid hinge lubrication is one of the most commonly ignored maintenance services on ALL vehicles, regardless of make, model or year.
Even on those owned and operated by so-called "car guys" (and/or their mechanics).
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1 hour ago, Paul Dobbin said:
I think the most common use in automobiles was to hold window molding to the doors an interior framing. Allowed the straight slot screw to be snugged up without damaging the paint or wood graining. Usually stainless steel. My 2 cents worth.
A lot of older Italian (and perhaps other European) cars used them to attach fabric/leather/vinyl covered interior panels to prevent these flexible soft materials turning/twisting under the screw head.
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2 hours ago, JamesR said:
That helps, Ed. I have the interior all torn out for refurbishment, except for dash, steering column, console and package shelf. I have a makeshift seat set up so I can drive it around the neighborhood to test things after I install them, but was going to temporarily reinstall the driver's bucket seat for the alignment shop. It now sounds like I should instead wait for the alignment until I get the the complete interior reinstalled. Then maybe add a couple of sandbags too for good measure. I'll reread the shop manual and see what it says.
Yes, at minimum you should have the car fully assembled into it's final configuration or equal amount of ballast weight added per weight of each major component not yet installed.
And as Ed said, also at minimum, make sure ALL suspension/steering related components are fully rebuilt/serviced or replaced with new, including (fresh) tires.
Otherwise, there's not really a point to align it.
Also, once aligned, you should go back to your alignment shop after few hundred miles and have them re-check it (Actually, if the shop doesn't recommend or insist on that, find another shop).
After that, just like your modern daily driver, have it checked and aligned every time you replace tires...
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Full disclosure: While I've given a fair amount "charitable contributions" (by giving away cars, parts, tools, $$s, work on someone's car for free of charge, etc) from my quite limited means, other than some of my time (as a volunteer), I've never "donated" anything to any "organized" charity and due to aforementioned reasons, likely never will.
All my "charity" has always been (usually a surprise) gifts and offerings directly to individuals I've deemed deserving them, i.e. cutting out the middle men. It has worked for me and I'll continue on that path, which some have called "Paying it forward" or something.
And in the vain of the other thread about what happens to my cars (+ tools and shop equipment) after I'm gone, I've already identified and willed them to the individuals* worthy of them, although these individuals do not know it or the fact that I may change my mind or that I'm might give them some or all of it while I'm still around.
P.S. Some of my aforementioned comments and observations are partially related to my lack of interest in participating in Car Shows, etc. I've mentioned in some other discussion.
* I/we don't have children and other than my wife, no direct family/heirs (and my wife is fine with my decision about the cars).
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On 11/14/2021 at 9:49 AM, alsancle said:
…most of the 501C‘s ARE about paying the guys to raise money.
Exactly, and based on my experience and observations, this seems to apply to majority privately operated Car Collections/Museum’s/Organizations and Events or Shows claiming to support whatever “charities”.
All they have to do is show a very small percentage of intake to be donated and rest can be claimed as “operating/organizing costs”.
And the irony is that they often enlist/get so many “volunteers” to do the actual heavy lifting while the main guys are just laughing all the way to …
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12 minutes ago, edinmass said:
Why not buy the equipment and align it yourself? I purchased a used set of slipper pads from my Snap On dealer, and a clamp on caster/camber/toe guage for less than 400 dollars all in. Then you have control of it getting done right. Trust me on this one:
First- most people,today can’t do an alignment unless the computer can tell them how to do it.
Second- It’s only good as the guy spinning wrenches, and most will short cut it as “good enough” and ship it.
Third- Half the guys after cheating the alignment and road testing it will over and under inflate tires to make it track straight.
Well, with all due respect Ed, but what you're stating easily applies to ALL aspects of automotive repairs, restoration and/or services, regardless of make, model, vintage (modern or old) and whether done by amateurs or professionals.
Also, probably applicable to just about all aspects of repairs/services one encounters a need for in everyday life, regardless of industry.
And you've seen and know the reasons for it too, right ?
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@JamesR & others:
If/when you get ready for alignment, make sure the car is at weight level indicated by the manufacturer for the given specification, i.e. whether it should be "loaded" or "unloaded", meaning whether it should have full tank of fuel or not, how many passengers onboard or none, spare tire, luggage, etc. ?
For example, some vintage sports cars I work on, OEM alignment/ride-height specs are based on them being "fully loaded", i.e. 2 passengers, full tank, spare, jack, tool kit, but no luggage. Most people (owners or their mechanics/restorers) don't take this into consideration and if not, the lack of any passengers (175-200 lbs each, gasoline at +/-6.3 lbs per gallon, spare tire, etc) can easily have 500+ lbs impact on "correct" ride-height and subsequent dynamic alignment, etc.
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3 hours ago, Bhigdog said:
I have a local shop that does all of mine. That said: I bring the shop manual and stay with the car. I've even gotten under the car to answer a question or when asked for an opinion. Not every shop is willing to allow that......Bob
Same here, except on any “completely” (incl. fully detailed/refinished undercarriage) restorations, I do all needed wrenching under the car while the alignment mechanic just tells me which adjustment or shimming I need to accomplish.
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On 11/17/2021 at 11:18 AM, JAK said:
Any recommendations on a good carburetor rebuilder for a high end car?
What type/year of car and/or carburetor ?
HOW LONG IS YOUR GARAGE?
in General Discussion
Posted · Edited by TTR (see edit history)
Most “Bling” or trinket accessories, especially when “piled on” to any single vehicle, regardless of its year, make or model, tend to give an air of a Pimp-mobile, …
… which in itself may not be a bad thing, …
… especially if aligns with the owners chosen profession.
OTOH, how many members who were old enough in the ‘50s, recall commonly seeing these types of “accessories” at the time ?
Same with WWW tires ?