[TheForge] Re: Gazinta OT

Peter Fels And Phoebe Palmer artgawk at thegrid.net
Wed Aug 10 05:17:11 EDT 2005


Happy to help, but please don't remind me about dead starters. 
Our old Nissan Stanza wont start and that car is simply hateful 
to work on! Power everything and no access to anything..grrrr.

I propose that all auto designers be required to work on the 
products they design 2 months out of the year..the hottest and 
the coldest months....shade try conditions...by law!

Mike Spencer wrote:
>>While you are thinking about it....putting in some in-floor anchor
>>loops is probably worth the effort.
> 
> 
> Yeah, tell me, Peter.  I finally have a place I can get a vehicle into
> to work on it.  Has been very handy for stuff like replacing a starter
> motor in the winter, [1] formerly done in the back yard.
> 
> Only I have no way to get a *dead* vehicle in single-handed (because
> of a slight up-hill grade and a high sill.)  I need a big ringbolt for
> a come-along in the floor opposite the wide door.
> 
> Of course, now that the spiral stair is in place and anchored to the
> concrete with four 3/8" bolts, I suppose I could put a chain around
> the stair pole.  I dunno if I want to do that. :-)
> 
> So yes, floor anchors.  Yes.
> 
> - Mike
> 
> [1] And I have a special blacksmith's tool for removing Cavalier
>     starters.  See, they used a ca. 4" x 8mm bolt that is threaded all
>     the way through 3" of cast boss and projects out into the air near
>     the manifold where it can rust nicely.  You can't get a torch in
>     there to heat the boss without burning up all the wiring and
>     stuff.  If you twist that bolt off, you might well have to remove
>     the engine to bore it out.
> 
>     I finally welded a 5" long piece of 1x2 to a nice handle, heated
>     it in the forge to bright red, quickly wrapped it in ceramic
>     blanket and then held the end against the offending engine boss
>     for maybe five minutes.  That was just enough to break the bolt
>     loose so that it couled (eventually, resisting all the way) be
>     turned out.
> 
>     I wonder what they do at the Chevy dealership.
> 


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