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Jul. 17th, 2009 11:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stormdogA car repair isn't really a car repair until:
Choose 1:
A) Blood is spilled.
B) Something breaks that requires a trip to a store that isn't open.
C) A propane torch is applied.
D) A sledge hammer is employed.
But really, why stop at 1?
Not done yet, but the alternator is out. Tomorrow I need to buy a replacement bolt to go in the bottom of the thing; the one that was in there snapped off when I applied Posi's breaker bar to it. Once we got the alternator out, the remainder of the bolt was so solidly stuck in there, just from rust and an expansion sleeve around the shaft, Posi ended up using my sledge hammer to break it loose. He set the alternator on the ground and put the end of an old bolt into the hole left by the snapped-off bolt. He used a bit of twig to wedge in with the bolt to make it stand up straight so he could apply the hammer to it, which I found rather ingenious, actually. I swore it must still be threaded in there somewhere, but no; it was simply rust locked so badly that multiple, heavy sledge hammer blows were required to break it free. I just better get my core charge back even if the alternator frame is a bit, er, marred. They never said what condition it had to be in....
Posi commented on how it seems like every time he visits, my car breaks. I really had wanted to just be social when we planned a visit at the beginning of the week. *sighs* After I bought he and Nova dinner for helping out, I said that next time I hoped I could just lean on him and watch a movie. That would be nice.
It may be a late start tomorrow, depending on how long it takes to get the new alternator into the car. Hopefully the easy part is done now, but I know better than to count on that.
Choose 1:
A) Blood is spilled.
B) Something breaks that requires a trip to a store that isn't open.
C) A propane torch is applied.
D) A sledge hammer is employed.
But really, why stop at 1?
Not done yet, but the alternator is out. Tomorrow I need to buy a replacement bolt to go in the bottom of the thing; the one that was in there snapped off when I applied Posi's breaker bar to it. Once we got the alternator out, the remainder of the bolt was so solidly stuck in there, just from rust and an expansion sleeve around the shaft, Posi ended up using my sledge hammer to break it loose. He set the alternator on the ground and put the end of an old bolt into the hole left by the snapped-off bolt. He used a bit of twig to wedge in with the bolt to make it stand up straight so he could apply the hammer to it, which I found rather ingenious, actually. I swore it must still be threaded in there somewhere, but no; it was simply rust locked so badly that multiple, heavy sledge hammer blows were required to break it free. I just better get my core charge back even if the alternator frame is a bit, er, marred. They never said what condition it had to be in....
Posi commented on how it seems like every time he visits, my car breaks. I really had wanted to just be social when we planned a visit at the beginning of the week. *sighs* After I bought he and Nova dinner for helping out, I said that next time I hoped I could just lean on him and watch a movie. That would be nice.
It may be a late start tomorrow, depending on how long it takes to get the new alternator into the car. Hopefully the easy part is done now, but I know better than to count on that.
