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DrEntropy

DrEntropy

Great Pumpkin
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...and he has a &^#*%@ Jeep. The exhaust manifold has been a constant source of problems. Last time it started leakin' pressure I had NO way to deal with it. He took it to some guy...

Now it's sittin' here with numerous stripped studs (metric nuts air gunn'd onto SAE threads), hogged out holes in the head where 3/8-16 SHOULD go but 12mm coarse studs have been FORCED in, P/S pump was missing four of its six fasteners...

I told 'im the last person who touched this thing was a drunkard and an incomp. Turns out that fool has died. Will I go to Hades for responding: "GOOD!!! He was doing damage to everything he touched!" ???

:shocked:


I'm so P.O.d I'd like to hit his widow up for the original bill for this "work" PLUS the subsequent damage repair to FIX it. What a nightmare!

How do people like that get away with this kinda stuff?!!? It is true ~butchery~ IMO. I know it ain't a Ferrari, but I've seen similar on even them!

ANd ~I'M~ LoOkiN' fOr WORK!?!?!~~~

AYYYEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! :madder: :wall: :madder: :wall: :madder: :wall: :madder: :wall: :madder: :wall: :madder: :wall:
 
Always the way. Amazing how many companies lay off the productive employees, leaving the morons to run the place. I have this theory that the managers try to get rid of the better people because it only they were left it would show the managers up for the dolts that they are. Keep the idiots and they still look good in comparison........

As for your situation, yes, it just boggles the mind, does't it?
 
Well, the idiots usually are willing to work for less. What can you expect?

On a similar note, I was working on a "50 MB 170Va a couple years ago for a friend. Had to remove the master cylinder, which is a bear on that car anyway. Had serious problems getting to the blind 12mm nuts that hold it on. Finally discovered that the previous shop (a well respected British car chop) didn't have the right metric bolt so substituted 1/2 inch SAE instead. Of course, no real damage done as in your example but still busted several knuckles and caused an unnecessary amount of cussing and frustration on my part. Why can't people just "do it right?"
 
After all of my years in the business and what I've seen in pictures on many forums, including muscle car forums, nothing surprise me.
 
I'm not so much surprised as genuinely out of sorts, as this thing was FINE before it was "fixed" by th' Dead HammerMechanic. It's a S*#t-simple machine, NO skill level beyond simple mechanics required... yet he wound fine thread metric nuts onto the two swedged bolts in the exhaust manifold, where CLEARLY they were 3/8-16... Couldn't be done unless he used a windy and just let fly...

I finished it by noon, some time spent drilling/tapping/inserting HeliCoils into cast iron... All bolts replaced with grade-8's, MISSING fasteners reinstalled, booger'd threads chased and clean'd up. sheesh.

LocTite on EVERYTHING now. :wink: Runs quiet.
 
Doc, you wanna come up here and diag this shade-tree veggie diesel MB slug I got right now? Talk about butchered! this thing's a nightmare. He wanted us to replace the vacuume pump (self diagnosed). But I get great vacuume if I connect directly to the pump. He's got everything but the brake booster and trans solenoid disconnected, but wants us to try and get it working with the ignition too. Right now ya gotta push the stop lever under the hood.
Oh yea, and he left instructions to use the bottle of ether on the dash to get it started in the morning! Are you kidding me?! That's just stupid. how long has he been doing that?!
Nothing worse than getting a repair job after some ignorant knothead has really screwed it up.
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]Nothing worse than getting a repair job after some ignorant knothead has really screwed it up.[/QUOTE]

Isn't that the truth......

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]I finished it by noon, some time spent drilling/tapping/inserting HeliCoils into cast iron... All bolts replaced with grade-8's, MISSING fasteners reinstalled, booger'd threads chased and clean'd up. sheesh.[/QUOTE]

I hope that you bill him accordingly.
 
Don't ya ever wonder what became of the original fasteners?? They were there in the first place..... Too lazy to bend over and pick them up again?? Tossed over the shoulder upon removal?? Like all other "pro" mechanics, I have seen my share too. We has an XJS convert in here a while ago that had all the broken injector connectors attached with silicone glue, and the job just got better from there. I sympathize Doc, I know exactly how you feel. I have an '02 Audi A4 coming in that the owner tried to "tinker" with to "learn how to fix cars" Ohhhh Dear!!
 
<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">I'm so P.O.d I'd like to hit his widow up for the original bill for this "work" PLUS the subsequent damage repair to FIX it. What a nightmare!</span> </span>

She is probably very grateful that he's gone.

<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">How do people like that get away with this kinda stuff?!!? It is true ~butchery~ IMO. I know it ain't a Ferrari, but I've seen similar on even them!</span></span>

It doesn't matter whether it's a humble Ford or an exotic. There is a real lack of pride in workmanship these days. It's kind of similar to those P*icks on Wall St., in that they wanted something for nothing. So people like this jack-leg mechanic probably was taking shortcuts to save time. In the end the customer takes it in the end.

I knew a guy in Charlotte, NC who worked for Jaguar near the end of the JRT days. He used to brag about how he had devised ways to cheat the system and cut time off of the allowance they got for certain jobs. He was taking short cuts and omitting certain critical steps in the procedures. He eventually got fired when a customer's car "blew up". That was over 20 years ago, but the principal is the same.
 
Frank, it controls the electrics, the glow plugs for cold starts (likely those ain't workin' on THAT example now) and have a vacuum switch too... to cut the fuel flow so it'll *stop* runnin'. Ben's got a bunch of bad vacuum connections on that slug. The BROWN line is the iggy cut-off and usually gets pulled out of its solenoid when the oil filter gets changed.

Typical German OVER engineering. When it works it's great... :devilgrin:

Door locks are vacuum, the trunk lock, fuel lid door and a few other doo0dads are electric OVER vacuum. Way too complex. But there ya go! :wink:
 
280C with vacuum seat back locks..... AIEEEE!!!!
 
:lol:

WHOOPS!!!
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]Door locks are vacuum, the trunk lock, fuel lid door and a few other doo0dads are electric OVER vacuum. Way too complex.[/QUOTE]

Sounds like the car was engineered with help from the guys who did the Lincoln vacuum setups in the 60's & 70's.
 
jessebogan said:
280C with vacuum seat back locks..... AIEEEE!!!!
Click to expand...
That sucks.
 
...or not... :smirk:
 
I had a 67 lincoln conti. had vacume door locks wiper ran of the power steering pump infite speed adjustment no dwell time great piece of eng.
Had an 8 track player with reverb so wierd. Speedo looked like a rectal thermometer laying on it side. made some of the oddest sounds when it was cold out.even had electric vent windows. Had a monster carter AFB carb look liked four mason jars grouped togather. What a beast it was the hood open from the windshield and was tiny in compareson to the rest of the beast.I bet a herd of cows gave there lives to cover those seats.
 
When I first got the Elan (1971) the headlamp "buckets" would droop on hard acceleration at night, the vacuum check valve was goober'd up. A replacement was over $40 and on an Airman's wage that was nearly a week's pay. Remember'd the Ol' Fella's Lincoln, went to the local Lincoln-Mercury parts room and got a one-way vacuum valve for the headlight covers on that lump. Less than $10... It's STILL in the Elan! :thumbsup:
 
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