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Car repair completed! Last Monday, I was pulling into the drive, and the passenger side lower ball joint came apart. The van was sticking out halfway into the street, and I had to get a tow truck to come and move it. I had them swing it around so that the nose faced out, and put the front end up on blocks, to make it easier to work on.
So, I IM'd Mike, and he said, "No big deal; four bolts, switch out the ball joint, bolt it back together."
"Hmm," says I, "my Dad says that the lower ball joint needs to be pressed."
"Nope." He's on webcam, and I can see him shake his head. "They used to, but they don't anymore."
So I walked to work on Tuesday. It's about four miles, and it took about an hour. Everyone at work was astonished. I thought that it felt good; I've been sitting on my ass too much, lately.
Wednesday, I went and got the part. Len came over to help. We tried to get the old ball joint out of the arm. And tried. "Um," Len said. "Not that I want to say that Mike doesn't know what he's talking about, but this looks pressed in." Indeed. I went on line, and, what do you know, those ball joints have to be pressed into the arm. It's late, and there aren't any garages open. But we have Laura's old van that we'd planned on using for parts out in the garage.
Len gets the arm off of that one. I have to say, I wouldn't have been able to do it. Those bolts are tough. Then he takes the arm off my van, and puts the other arm on. But the peg on the joint from Laura's van won't fit right. It keeps moving around. We check the new part. Oh, hmm, yeah, that peg isn't supposed to move around like that. The lower ball joint from Laura's van is bad, too. Right around this time, I get a call from Julie, the assistant manager at work -- It's 11:15, and I'm late. Damn. Len and I had been working on the van, out in the snowbank, for five hours. Lucas comes over and gives me a ride to work.
So, Thursday, I walk over to Barney's to get the new part pressed into the arm. It's late, around 4:30. The mechanic is still there, but he says he's done for the day. But he calls another garage, Ideal Auto, about 6 blocks away. Yep, they'll do it for me. The mechanic's on his way home, so he gives me a ride there. The guy at Ideal presses the part in and give it back, with "Merry Christmas, no charge." I coulda kissed him.
About eight blocks walk home, and then take the arm that we put in the night before from Laura's van out, put the original arm with the newly pressed ball joint in. Len and Lucas came over to help man-handle the joint back together, and viola'! It's 10pm, and I'm mobile.
Tonight, I'm taking Len out to Chinese, and then we're going over to watch Keith play his gig with Union Pacific. Life is good.
So, I IM'd Mike, and he said, "No big deal; four bolts, switch out the ball joint, bolt it back together."
"Hmm," says I, "my Dad says that the lower ball joint needs to be pressed."
"Nope." He's on webcam, and I can see him shake his head. "They used to, but they don't anymore."
So I walked to work on Tuesday. It's about four miles, and it took about an hour. Everyone at work was astonished. I thought that it felt good; I've been sitting on my ass too much, lately.
Wednesday, I went and got the part. Len came over to help. We tried to get the old ball joint out of the arm. And tried. "Um," Len said. "Not that I want to say that Mike doesn't know what he's talking about, but this looks pressed in." Indeed. I went on line, and, what do you know, those ball joints have to be pressed into the arm. It's late, and there aren't any garages open. But we have Laura's old van that we'd planned on using for parts out in the garage.
Len gets the arm off of that one. I have to say, I wouldn't have been able to do it. Those bolts are tough. Then he takes the arm off my van, and puts the other arm on. But the peg on the joint from Laura's van won't fit right. It keeps moving around. We check the new part. Oh, hmm, yeah, that peg isn't supposed to move around like that. The lower ball joint from Laura's van is bad, too. Right around this time, I get a call from Julie, the assistant manager at work -- It's 11:15, and I'm late. Damn. Len and I had been working on the van, out in the snowbank, for five hours. Lucas comes over and gives me a ride to work.
So, Thursday, I walk over to Barney's to get the new part pressed into the arm. It's late, around 4:30. The mechanic is still there, but he says he's done for the day. But he calls another garage, Ideal Auto, about 6 blocks away. Yep, they'll do it for me. The mechanic's on his way home, so he gives me a ride there. The guy at Ideal presses the part in and give it back, with "Merry Christmas, no charge." I coulda kissed him.
About eight blocks walk home, and then take the arm that we put in the night before from Laura's van out, put the original arm with the newly pressed ball joint in. Len and Lucas came over to help man-handle the joint back together, and viola'! It's 10pm, and I'm mobile.
Tonight, I'm taking Len out to Chinese, and then we're going over to watch Keith play his gig with Union Pacific. Life is good.
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