Dang, back to back transmission jobs. Identical 95 Ford half ton pickups.The shifter mechanism broke in my work truck last week and I finally got it back together Thursday.I had to take it out and take the top off and send the shift lever mechanism out and have it overhauled by my buddy.
No sooner did I get that done and then the old man that fetches parts for me had his clutch quit working Friday. The slave cylinder went bad and the dang thing is inside the bell housing so ya gotta pull the transmission to get to it. Ford is a four letter word.
I worked for Ford for ten years at a Lincoln Mercury dealership and now I remember why I hate working on cars.
At least the shop at the dealer had hoists, you could pick up a car or a truck, I even worked on limo's, and stand up while you were working.
This place? Oh hell no.
It's all about floor jacks and jack stands and rolling around on creepers when ya can, sliding around on a concrete floor on yer back when ya can't.
Both times I had to roll the transmission off the tranny jack onto the floor and drag it out because I couldn't get the truck off the ground high enough.
Then it took three of us to get it back on the jack when it was under the truck again and then fight the dirty bastard to get it stuck back into place.
I will be 49 years old at the end of next month and I have been wrenching for thirty years.
This shit is getting real old.
I am supposed to be a supervisor but I am ridiculously under manned.
It's nice to be able to point at something and tell someone that "You need to fix that", but in the mean time here I am.
Oh, I forgot to mention that generally,I am lucky to be able to work on anything for more than five or ten minutes at a time.
I am either being paged to answer the damn phone, my boss is telling me the next ten things he wants done before tomorrow , I am ordering parts or I am dealing with a moron who just broke a hundred thousand dollar truck out on the road somewhere, sometimes several states away.
I can't tell you how many times I have had to slide out from underneath a Big Rig and go take care of something and then come back and try to remember where the hell I was at trying to fix something, that ain't a good thing when you are dealing with vehicles that weigh a hundred thousand pounds fully loaded.
I love my job.
I actually consider myself fortunate I have one and this is a pretty good outfit to work for, I just need some competent help that they don't steal to do other jobs three out of five days a week.
I am tired.
I'll see if I can't find something more interesting to bitch about tomorrow.
Bottoms up.
I feel ya man. I worked at a furniture store for 15 years and I seemed to always be the low man on the pole. Their where only 3 of us though, the owner, his son and me, tough times I tell ya. I have always said that who ever said that "Hard work won't hurt you" well they never done much of it. Rest up.
ReplyDeletebusted, have i mentioned my son-in-law is looking for work - he's a retired mechanic (just retired coast guard)
ReplyDeletehow far is beaverton from your side of the river?
It's all about floor jacks and jack stands and rolling around on creepers when ya can, sliding around on a concrete floor on yer back when ya can't.
ReplyDeleteMy condolences. I worked in a shop where all I had was a wheel alignment rack to drive shit up on. What a pain in the ass when it came to doing transmission and engine work. We're too old to be groveling around on the floor. That's for the young guys.
I've done it all too guys and it ain't easy. Plus it takes a special breed of cat to do this and do it right so you don't have to go through the same miserable shit again because you fucked up.
ReplyDeleteMy equipment is smaller now and there is room for a specialized lift but since not enough thought went into the design of the shop if I put it where it's supposed to go things wouldn't work worth a shit.
Up and down off the creeper dozens of times a day. Used to raise myself with only my legs but now push up with one hand a bit.
Like to do something else but this is what I know the best.