Paycheck again at 71?

[movietvet]

Sometimes you just never know when something will happen. I just got off a call with my friend that owns a shop in Junction City, Or., that I was trying to get to work part time and I was supposed to be told in March what was going to happen. Turns out I am going to be called tomorrow and likely work there on Thursday and Friday and see how it goes and hopefully continue from there.

 

[movietvet]

When it rains it pours. Just got a call from a shop that I had applied at 8 months ago, as a service advisor. The owner's daughter works there at times and is an auxiliary member at my American Legion. Her brother is the service manager and it is a 14 bay shop and he wants me to come in at least part time and whenever needed, full time as a service advisor. I am to meet them again at 10 am tomorrow. Better location than the other shop and this shop has 4 techs. One of the techs is a "green tech" and he wants me to help train him. That is right up my alley. It is a 5 day a week Monday thru Friday shop.

 

[thinger2]

We had an excellent local president who absolutely cared. He was phenomenal, but after a few years he turned down his nomination to let leadership change hands. The moron who took his place wanted all the perks and none of the responsibility. The company lost the government contract to a low-bidder. The low-bidder company threatened the union, and the union president completely rolled over for them. The new company was a complete $#!+ show. The union had them over a barrel, but the president was too stupid to realize it.

Ha. back in the 80s when I was a teamster our president suddenly resigned and moved to Florida with his new 40 foot offshore boat.
And our new union reps all of them nobody had ever heard of and you were very much advised to not ask about it.

 

[Erik the Awful]

The good union president we had had been a Teamster, and he got screwed over when he moved west of the Mississippi. I think that's why he was so good, he didn't want any part of the shenanigans. We were an IAMAW shop.

 

[movietvet]

My interview this morning, for service advisor, went ok, except for the money and the fact that there is a homeless encampment on the backside of the building and in the parking lot there was an old Dakota with the bed full of trash, nasty looking tarp stretched over all of it and tarps across the side windows and w/s and trash on the ground all around it. Turns out that right across the street is a Lane Co. homeless help building full of them and they roam all over the area. The pay was $18 an hour plus 2% of the tickets that I would handle. His son is the main guy and I would be a back up. He wanted me to move my tools there and help train the green techs. 5 techs there and not one of them is ASE certified in anything. Not moving my tools where the homeless encampment is in the back.

The one job I been wanting starts tomorrow in the shop owned by my friend where I would be there just part time, for cash, and wrench a little and help sell work.

 

[movietvet]

Once I got home from the interview and talked to my girl about why I was not taking the job and she was happy and then told me to quit moping around and do something on her truck or my 2005 Tahoe Z71. Yesterday I did the door drip rail seals on her truck and I had the Dorman exhaust manifold clamp for the driver's side rear and decided to do it. It was a bit of a PITA. Took me 1.5 hours on my back while it was on jack stands. Removed the firewall heat shield and disconnected the front driveshaft and moved out of the way. Still very tight quarters. The lower bolt at back of head is easiest to get to while having the bolt in the bracket hole and finding the threaded hole while holding bolt and bracket with one hand. The top hole has less room but is easier to swing the bracket in to position and find the whole and get a couple threads started. then you just hold your tongue right and thread bolts in with tips of fingers because there is not enough room to hold your palm back and reach with fingers to thread easier. I tightened down till the bracket was snug and then threaded in the bolt that goes in to threaded hold and ends up pushing the manifold tight. Then I used ratcheting wrenches and again held the tongue right and tightened all down but you really have no room for leverage to tighten very much. I then got an offset long wrench and was able to tighten down quite tight. The bracket bolts are 14mm, the firewall heat shield is 10mm and the 4 bolts at the driveshaft are 11mm. Only damaged the right hand in two places and most of this was done blind because you cannot see past your arm and hand.

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[someotherguy]

That manifold clamp is the get-by fix for broken bolts, right? Please keep us posted on how they do long-term.

Richard

 

[movietvet]

I already had the clamps at the other 3 corners. When I did the motor mounts, broke one manifold bolt and saw two that were already broken and then finally the d/s rear one went. The d/s rear was by far the biggest PITA. Have had the other 3 on for 2.5 years.

 

[0xDEADBEEF]

I didn't know they made such things, I can see that being better than trying to drill them out without being able to see what you are doing and keep it centered.

 

[movietvet]

I don't know how many engines are covered by how many manufacturers.