Was this guy for real

[RPJS]

Hi<br />I just have to tell everyone about the fool I ran into at the marina today. I only called in to check on the boat as the weather has been that bad I havent been down for a few weeks, while walking over to my boat I came across a guy raining hammer blows to the flywheel of his outboard. On closser inspection I saw he had a screwdriver wedged under the side of the flywheel and was hammering the end of the crank shaft with what had to be a 3lb ball pien hammer.<br />Our conversation whent as follows:<br /><br />Me " Hi, got a problem"<br /><br />Him " No just giving it a service, checking the points" followed by a further hammer blow,<br /><br />Me trying to be subtle " I alwys let Brian ( the marina's resident mech) look after my motor.<br /><br />Him " he's only out to rip you off, and lets face it he probably dosn't know what he's doing" followed buy 2 more vicious blows of the hammer and the flywheel jumped from its taper.<br /><br />At this point I had to turn and walk away to hide the grin on my face.<br /><br />All I can say is I feel sorry for the poor mechanic who is going to have to clean up the mess after this guy has finished.

 

[Mr.Ladyfish]

Re: Was this guy for real

Some guys aren't even qualified to be shade tree mechanics. Myself included. After all these years I've finally come to the conclusion that I don't have the right tools or knowledge to fix my own stuff if its something I care about or need. It always seems to end up more expensive than if I'd gone to a pro to begin with.<br /><br />Now something as worthless as a jet ski I'll work on to save a few bucks.

 

[demsvmejm]

Re: Was this guy for real

As a professional mechanic this story reminds me of the saying "Pay me now or pay me later." I agree with Mr. LF, if it's something you care about or need, it's definately something to entrust to a professional. I do the same, because emotion is the right job's worst enemy.

 

[Winger Ed.]

Re: Was this guy for real

Originally posted by RPJS:<br />" he's only out to rip you off,"

Yeah buddy. He's real alright. And the world is full of folks just like him.<br /><br />But don't despair--- they are a great source of ammusement. <br /><br />///<br /><br />I run into folks like that every day. And I never get tired of 'twisting their tails'.<br /><br />I think they go into restaraunts and read the menu from right to left too.<br /><br />When one of 'them' tells me, "Oh gosh, that's WAY too expensive,,, etc."...... When trying to do or make something that is beyond their capabilities.<br /><br /><br />This works for many, many applications:<br /><br />I calmly--- while trying my best to keep a straight face--- ask them, "Ohhh,,, how much would you charge to do that, or make one of those if you were trying to do it for a living"? <br /><br /><br />In 20-odd years that I can remember off hand, I've never gotten a understandable, or printable answer when I've asked that.

 

[b20]

Re: Was this guy for real

friend of mine had a guy bring an engine to him that had exactly that done to it.he had to cut 3 threads off the crank to get a nut on.the first trip out the 'engine' siezed.guy took it to another mechanic and threatened to sue my friend.turned out the gearbox has seized,cause he was 'servicing' that himself too.my friend had a grin a mile wide that we couldn't get off for about a week.

 

[Tom2697]

Re: Was this guy for real

I saw a great sign in a repair shop. It went something like this:<br /><br />Cost per hour for repairs:<br />$10 to explain how to fix it<br />$20 to fix it<br />$30 to fix it while you watch<br />$50 to fix it with your help<br />$100 if you already tried to fix it

 

[Winger Ed.]

Re: Was this guy for real

Originally posted by B20:<br /> he had to cut 3 threads off the crank to get a nut on.

I can see it. If you've ever pulled the flywheel off a old Briggs & Stratton lawnmower engine- that's how its done. And if its really stuck, ya grind off the end of the crankshaft where you mushroomed it before re-assembly. Since that part fits under the recoil starter thingy and the threads don't start for a couple inches farther down,,, its OK.<br /><br />//////<br /><br />Used to know a guy who would argue prices with the Plumber. He did a 'do-it-yourself-er' plumbing job one time because the Plumber was going to 'rip him off'. While this drain line project was in the planning stages, he made the remark, "That guy probably got his GED Hi-School Diploma in prison. And how hard can it be anyway"? <br /><br />The only way I can imagine it happened was that there was a blockage in the city line, and it backed up on him.<br /><br />Anyway:<br />One thing led to another, and he flooded his bathroom, hallway, and the living room with sewage------- The fresh, raw stuff, right from the city pipe, and he didn't recognize hardly any of it as his own.<br /><br />Now whenever the Plumber gives him a bill, he looks at it, writes the check, and says, "Here ya go. Thanks".

 

[demsvmejm]

Re: Was this guy for real

Originally posted by Winger Ed.:<br />

Originally posted by B20:<br /> he had to cut 3 threads off the crank to get a nut on.

I can see it. If you've ever pulled the flywheel off a old Briggs & Stratton lawnmower engine- that's how its done. <br /><br /><br /><<<<<<<>>>>>>>><br /><br />Actually there's a special flywheel remover tool for that style flywheel. It looks like a coupler nut, ya know, like a nut only 3-5 x's as thick. Screw it on the crank and then hammer on it. The special design protects the threads by distibuting the impact force through all of the threads, not just the end of the crank. <br />Part of the price of any craftsman's labor is the tools he/she uses. There's usually a proper tool for any job. Most DIY's don't have the right tools, they just make do. <br />And most skilled craftsmen are "Out to rip you off." But hey, don't blame them, they're just passing it on. Have you seen the price of professional tools? <br />I've got >$32K in mine.<br />iBoats forums.... great info and wonderful amusement.

 

[Winger Ed.]

Re: Was this guy for real

Originally posted by Art B:<br /> Car did fall off the jack

Buddy, at this stage of the game, it pretty well isn't your turn to be under cars anymore. <br /><br />At age 50:<br />I've worked on fixing & building cars and boats, etc. all my life. But I have a great fobia about one falling off jacks.<br /><br />I won't even change a tire without tossing the spare or the flat one under the frame while I'm turning a wrench on it.

 

[artburr]

Re: Was this guy for real

This isn't a boating story but it will tell you why I don't work on ANYTHING mechanical. I was doing a tune-up job on my 52 Ford and in the process was replacing the points and condencer (dates me doesn't it). I dropped the little screw that hold the condencer down in the block beside the distributor shaft. Required an engine tear down. Then I replaced the tail pipe and mufler on another car. I knew that it was unsafe to work under a car without blocking it up in case it fell off the jack. When I was finishing up, I got behind the car and twisted the tail pipe to straighten it. Car did fall off the jack and I then learned that the block was not under the frame, just under the side of the car! $$$$ (bodywork) Enough of that I said, I am going to take a course in vehicle maintenance at the local community college. There, while using a dwell meter to check the timing, the cords from the dwell meter and timing light got caught in the fan and ruined about $200 worth of equipment. Now, I let them who knows how do it!

 

[artburr]

Re: Was this guy for real

This all happened about 50 years ago. Enjoyed your pictures. When I was a kid in Seattle, I watched the unlimited hydros on Lake Washington whenever they were running. It seemed like the whole town stopped everything to watch.

 

[Formula1974]

Re: Was this guy for real

I was under my old mustang project car bolting in a rear end and it was on 2 jack stands in the yard. My sisters boyfriend came walking towards me and I rolled out to take a brake and see what he wanted and he leaned against the car and it fell over and crushed into the ground since it didnt have any wheels on the back I couldnt even get a jack under it. My stands where trash and it took me an hour to get it lifted back up slowly from the front back. a few inches at a time.

 

[woodrat]

Re: Was this guy for real

when I was 18 I worked in an engine rebuilding shop and was the '"teardown guy". I saw some doozies. One engine came in for a rebuild that had a 3/8" socket down in the intake manifold. Had one engine that the guy had rebuilt himself for his wife's car. A ford v-8. he did a real nice job up until the point where he put the thermostat in - backwards. His wife must have really driven it until the bitter end, because when I got it, it had gotten so hot that the cam bearings had all turned to liquid and had run into the oil galleries. What a job it was to clean THAT block up!

 

[Seamus]

Re: Was this guy for real

You know, when I saw the little warning picture on my Honda's flywheel which looked kind of like a hammer striking something enclosed in a bar sinistre, I thought, "Now, who would be stupid enough to do that?!" Now I know. I'll bet his flywheel used to have a similar picture before he obscured it by hammering on it. As for improvised jack stands - check this out:<br /><br /> http://www.safetycenter.navy.mil/photo/images/photo126.jpg

 

[fire831]

Re: Was this guy for real

It's a good thing he's got that welder setting far enough away that it won't get smashed if them 2x4's break. duh.

 

[demsvmejm]

Re: Was this guy for real

Scary but I think I know that guy in the picture! Seriously I used to work with a guy who would do just that. Safety was a second thought to this guy. I don't know how, beyond dumb luck, but he still has all ten fingers, both hands and everything still functions (at least what's visible ).

 

[silenscurator]

Re: Was this guy for real

Quite honestly, I think the only people worse than the "do-it-yourselfers" that don't know what they are doing are the ones that pay family or friends to do something they don't know anything about. Because the two people involved are family, I won't say exactly what happened, but the price scale mentioned by Tom2697 is completely accurate...

 

[DJ]

Re: Was this guy for real

Unfortuneately, we as a society, have told people that are in the "trades" that they are second class citizens.<br /><br />That thinking is going to bite us one day.

 

[Trent]

Re: Was this guy for real

Unfortuneately, we as a society, have told people that are in the "trades" that they are second class citizens.<br /><br />That thinking is going to bite us one day. <br /><br /><br />Its comming DJ! I hope? Iv got lots of schools that iv been to and are going to... Plus reading to stay in the "groove" And If I dont do it right you might get killed. Just like a Doctor..But I dont get paid like a doctor...

 

[Tinkerer]

Re: Was this guy for real

Originally posted by Seamus McFadden:<br /> As for improvised jack stands - check this out:<br /><br /> http://www.safetycenter.navy.mil/photo/images/photo126.jpg

That looks suspiciously like a gas tank he's welding. When that goes off the jackstands should collapse and finish him off, if the explosion doesn't.