As the old saying goes....
Spent most of a glorious Sunday afternoon with my son, working on his truck. He was supposed to come by yesterday, but considering the weather, he decided to take a "Can You Help Us..." assignment at work. So he spent the day out in the less-than-optimum weather getting paid, and I tinkered around the garage and basement.
He came over today, and we swapped out his OEM alternator with 96k on it, replaced the serpentine belt and tensioner, checked/greased his battery connections, replaced his wiper blades, and in general did a "Get It Ready For Winter..." service. He'd just changed the oil and differential fluid, but was hesitant to take on this particular work without some competent guidance, so over he came.
And we had a great time. Took our time, and he did 90% of the work. I showed him some tips on getting the belt tensioner backed off so you can slip the belt off the alternator pulley, how to correctly disengage the wiring harness connectors, and advised him on what size sockets, drives, and extensions to use to get at the bolts easier. Also what NOT to take off, which is sometimes just as important. He also asked a lot of questions along the way, and we repeatedly chanted the "One Broken Bolt" mantra to ward off Murphy.
It must have worked, as all the parts fit (Thank You Rock Auto!), no bolts or hardware were harmed during the operation, and the only dropped hardware was easily reachable, in plain view, and promptly plucked up off the valve cover.
There will be plenty of nice Fall days ahead to do some Supra driving, but spending an enjoyable Colorado day with your son, working on his truck, is a "Hallmark Moment", and not to be missed.
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Sounds like quality time to me . . .
ReplyDeleteExcellent. Wrenching with one's son/dad. That's the way to win.
ReplyDeleteAnd I just found out he doesn't have a decent socket set with all the fixin's. His birthday is next month, so I think I know what I'll get him!
DeleteFamily is everything. It's simply a bonus when that time accomplishes something useful which your son will one day pass on.
ReplyDeleteMany thoughts about The Master watching The Student passed through my mind. I learned this stuff by doing, asking questions, and helping my Hot Rod buddies. My Dad was aghast that I showed such strong "Grease Monkey" tendencies, but I persevered and got pretty good at it. Came in very useful later in my career when I was working with huge, fully-steerable antennas and the various servomechanisms used to control them.
DeleteAll the above, plus-a useful hack may be to use a bungee cord up to the hood to hold the belt in place while you tinker with it.
ReplyDeleteWe hadn't thought of that as we had two sets of hands at work putting it on. I've used duct tape to hold things in place while I fought with getting them in position.
DeleteThat it is!!! And I've been on the 'other' side of that saying a few times... sigh...
ReplyDeleteA shining moment occurred when he picked up something, and I heard him utter the immortal words.......
Delete"Huh..? I Wonder Where This Goes?"
I dropped to my knees giving thanks to the Lord above, saying....."He Gets It!".....
Used both the duct tape and the bungee cord tricks in the past. Thank goodness for Rock Auto & Parts Geek since I drive old vehicles (1991 & 1997).
ReplyDeleteRock Auto is one of the only places I can go to and buy In Stock parts for my '85 Toyota. They wouldn't ship here for a while because of the tax structure on sales here (their software couldn't handle it), but now they're back selling and shipping here.
DeleteI saw this earlier today and immediately thought of you Jim.
ReplyDeleteYou seem to have some spare time on your hands...
https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/building-a-v12-toyota-supra-is-a-bigger-hassle-than-you-can-imagine/ar-AA11Pwqc?ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=f3346760eb4e4249886d2ce0bb52ce7a
What a nightmare this must be!
Yeah, I've seen his story before. Mine's a 1985 MKII, so quite a bit different car. Prior to the MKIII, the Supra was based on the Celica platform, with significant changes. The MKIII was a separate model line, as the Celica went to Front Wheel Drive that year.
DeleteSome years ago sum dood put that same V-12 in a MKII car, and it was a sight to behold. It's a very interesting enigine, for JDM use only. It ran a pair of ECUs in it, from six cylinder engines, and one side could limp you home if the other side failed!
People have also put the Lexus 4-Cam V-8 into MKII cars, and those things are animals.