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Old Age Rant

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mrv8q

mrv8q

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So I realized, while I started refurbishing the hydraulic system on my TR3, the hardest thing about working on a nearly 50 year old car, is working on one with nearly 50 year old eyes! I couldn't figure out how to get the brake cylinder off, until I put on some 3X old lady glasses; hey, there are two tangs on the end of that thing!
And I was also transported, while lying upside down scraping old gasket material from inside the differential cover, to a younger me doing nearly the same thing 30 years ago, on the Datsun 2000 roadsters I owned. It wasn't so much fun then, and it isn't so much fun now, but back then, AT LEAST I COULD SEE!
Thanks, rant over...
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Sorry but having trouble reading what you wrote. Can you use a larger font?

Bruce /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
For me, it's the pain I get in my back after bending over the side of the engine bay. I get locked like a Parkinson's patient in a stooped-over postion. I walk into the house and my wife gives me strange looks (and then says things like "please don't hurt yourself.")

My eyesight went south when I was 13 years old, so I'm used to not seeing the fine details.
 
I actually brought up the topic of Lasik with my eye doc last week. My wife had it done. Since I have an astigmatism, plus I'm diabetic, there is some question how long my eyes would stay around 20/20 vision w/ Lasik.

Of course, it's nice to either have glasses or contacts when I'm working on the cars, since when the junk (mud, rust, little British supplier parts) falls into my eyes, I can either clean the glasses or take out the contacts and saline them off!
 
The thing that helped me the most was bi-focal safety glasses.
I looked all around for a while and found a lot of expensive ones...then I went into my local Wal-Mart Eyecare Center and found them for less than $100 USD (including lenses.....I already had a prescription).
 
I've recently found that I'm concentrating soooo much on seeing small details on parts that my eyes start to water... making it impossible to see said parts. Time for my first pair of glasses.
 
Remember: lots of light makes a big difference. The older you eyes get the more light they require. A bright work light will make a difference.
 
My eye sight isn't so great so I need glasses for reading but thats it so far(I am only 16!) BUT my dad's eyes are horrible. He's got bifocals and still can't see a thing, he's constantly complaining when ever he's working on cars....At least now I can tell him he's not the only one.

RadFords right about the work lights...got a VERY bright work light from Canadian Tire and it does make a difference, also useful for drying paint, heating the garage in the winter, lighting for photography class ect.

Zack
 
Because these old eyes have become farsighted and I now wear progressives-- the problem is, that stuff that you look at when working on a car is often fairly close to you but above you-- meaning you're looking through the top part of the lens which has no magnification-- I finally learned to keep a pair of cheapie drug store glasses with single magnification out in the garage for such work-- they're bigger lenses to0 to offer a little more protection. When they get scratched up after a while, I just toss 'em and get new.
 
[ QUOTE ]
My eye sight isn't so great so I need glasses for reading but thats it so far(I am only 16!) BUT my dad's eyes are horrible. He's got bifocals and still can't see a thing, he's constantly complaining when ever he's working on cars....At least now I can tell him he's not the only one.

RadFords right about the work lights...got a VERY bright work light from Canadian Tire and it does make a difference, also useful for drying paint, heating the garage in the winter, lighting for photography class ect.

Zack

[/ QUOTE ]

You are right on about the lights. My Dad got a nice set of Craftsman area lights with an adjustable stand for Christmas. I can see pretty well, but these provide so much light and are so easily positioned that I hardly need my work lamp any more. Twin Halogen bulbs /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif . They can actually warm up the immediate area when it's cold, too. The only problem came when I installed one of the bulbs with the thing plugged in. I thought the switch was off, but BWANG!!!!!! One billion candle power in my face. I thought I'd melted my eyeballs. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazyeyes.gif
 
Re: Old Age Rant--Two More Points

1) I wear magnifiers when I work on my TR. Cheap ones from the hobby store, but they are indispensible;

2) I remember coming back from Mexico in my TR4 in 1971 and was passed by a Datsun 2000. That was a good car. I was going 90MPH when it passed me. My TR was in top mechanical condition, but back then I didn't have the money to keep it "pretty."
 
Re: Old Age Rant--Two More Points

I completely understand your glasses situation, but try adding to that, being color blind and trying to figure out the 50 year old wiring.(I know that the colorblindness has nothing to do with the old age), but try adding that to needing glasses. I have to have my kids out there to tell me what color wire I'm looking at. I couldn't have them help me when they were younger and got grounded cause they'd tell me the wrong color for the wire, Ha Ha. Maybe that's why when I turn on the turn signals the heater comes on.
 
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