What are some car-repair jobs you always wished you could do but have never done?

I agree also. I used to patch the junction between the pipes with that white stuff. Yuck. Never worked for more than a week (to get through inspection).

I did patch a holed gas tank once. Amazingly, it worked for the remaining life of the car.

My experience exactly.

I agree with you on this. I haven't had, AFAIK, a non SS exhaust in decades.

If it's that simple, what happened to the "UV coating" someone suggested?

Anyway, if it's that simple, I'm all for it.

Just like getting oil is simple (you aim for the lowest spread in viscosity and the highest SX rating alphabetically) and just like getting pads is simple (you aim for the highest cold/hot friction you can get) I'm all for simplicity in specifications.

So your recommendation is: a. Polypropylene or Polyethylene b. but not ABS or Polyvinylchloride

If that works, I'm ok with that. Simplicity is good. When it exists.

Still ... what about UV coating?

For example, eyeglasses get complex when it comes to UV coatings because some plastics don't need it while others do (although I always argue that naked eyeballs don't come with UV coatings so why do people with glasses need them when people without glasses don't need them?).

I'd have to do a little digging, but it's not an impossible question to answer. Google is your friend, but more importantly, you won't get a useful answer unless you can find out what plastic the table is made of before you buy it.

I am currently designing something that will be used outside and needs to be clear. Initially I was going to use polycarbonate as it is very strong. But it is not very tolerant of UV light unless coated, so I'm going with acrylic which withstands UV without coatings.

I know, I returned a lawn mower 10 years later. In my defense, it actually quit after two years and I got ticked off and shoved it in a shed. I couldn't find anyone I trusted who could work on a Honda mower, so I hired someone to mow the lawn. Eventually I cleaned out the shed and took the mower back to Costco. They didn't accept it back without... discussion, but I repeatedly referred them to their own policy written on the wall I was facing. So don't think Costco will honor the return policy completely.

Maybe they used stainless, but you paid for it, no?

A 20 year old Toyota T100 with 240,000 miles. Is that your typical crap?

I may have seen a tool like that somewhere and wondered what it was for :-(

I could only move the wrench in a

That's my point. I have bought stuff from TAP Plastics for example, and that's all they sell, and even THEY often have trouble telling me what the plastic is that I'm buying.

Not only do you have to know what plastic (and coating) you want, but you also have to ask someone who knows what they are selling.

It works for eyeglasses, for some reason, but I doubt it's gonna be easy to figure out the plastic on anything else that easily (at least not when you're in the store).

I get your point, which is that there are plastics which handle the sunlight (which I agree since my garbage cans handle it better than anythin else I've ever seen that is stored outside).

You just have to know the answer. And the people who sell the stuff have to know the answer.

Just an aside.

It might have happened a little on my mom's (end eventually mine) 88 Caddy. Slight vibration when braking, but they felt OK. Until 2 of the calipers seized 8 years later, of course :-( POS, I'll never own another GM product.

These looked like a high-school first-time lathe project. Each of the steel projections on the backing plate had dug out its own trench. Godawful noise, but the brakes still worked fine so I figured I could wait another month :-( (Not the Caddy, this was a 68/9 LTD.)

Do some research. Polyethylene is an incomplete description. It can be high density (milk cartons and canoes/kayaks and some lawn furniture) or low density (and a few other newer, specialty forms). Both types are susceptible to UV damage unless stabilizers are added.

I'm not so familiar with polypropylene and UV. I know most plastics are susceptible unless additives are used. There are lots of references available... read!

Toe is last. Adjustments to camber will alter toe. Adjustments to toe will not alter camber.

Timing belts are used because they are *quiet*.

You'll probably have to change both at least once during the life of the engine. The problem with chains is that the sprocket gets worn and your timing gets retarded. People will drive with a retarded engine for thousands of miles. Nobody should have to live with a retarded engine. That's just retarded.

There are a lot of retarded people out there driving cars. Why shouldn't they have a car that matches them?

I will go with timing chains every time. FWIW, it it not difficult for a manufacturer to come up with a mechanism that auto adjusts cam timing to compensate for slack. Regardless, I expect the timing *chain* on my Toyota to see my time with the car out. That'll be in the vicinity of

BTW, how's the camber scrub issue going with your vehicle?

Get it sorted yet?

Positive crankcase ventilation systems were the start of the improvements that led to long oil life, hence longer engine life. Add to that better metals, better combustion processes, fuel injection, computer control, electronic ignition systems.

Getting rid of the carburetor was a big improvement.

Better seals, better greases, better bearing materials - they allcombine.

What can allow grease out can let contaminants in. Also, ball joints are made of much better materials these days.

A u-joint that doesn't have angular movement *will* need lubricating. The needle rollers in a u-joint must roll a little else the grease will dry up.

Better seals.

They control the spark timing to prevent detonation and pre-ignition. The small amount of combustion detonation sufficient to trigger the knock sensor serves to remove potentially harmful combustion chamber deposits.

The removal of the carburetor meant that the sump wasn't being contaminated by fuel wash from incomplete combustion when the engine is cold. The much finer fuel spray from injectors ensured reliable cold start and improved warmup time. Positive crankcase ventilation removed any acidic components and prevented carbon buildup in the oil.

The timing changes because the points gap alters. Put in an electronic aftermarket replacement for points with, say, an optical or magnetic sensor, and the timing never varied. Except for gear wear on the distributor but that's over a very long time span.

Two strokes are always harder on spark plugs.

A lot of technology in spark plug, especially in the metalurgical side.

You understand the efficacy of slotted and/or drilled rotors the first time you experience brake fade.