You have to want it

My big ol' '58 really fills up one garage stall. Weather permitting, I roll it out into the driveway so I have more room to work on it.

It's getting colder out, so I'll be doing more work inside the garage. Here you can see I have a decent amount of space to do my front disc brake work on the driver side. I started with this side because I knew I would be getting up and down a million times troubleshooting problems.

On the passenger side, it's pretty tight. I have a cheat method of moving a car sideways using my big floor jack, so I can gain a little more room than this. But it's still not real comfortable.

My point is this: sometimes working on cars can be a bit physically difficult and uncomfortable. So you really have to have a passion for it to put up with inconveniences. And my garage is luxurious compared to some places I have done work.

Back in about '84 I had a '68 Impala convertible project car stored outdoors in Poughkeepsie. I would drive up to there with my little tool box, after work, during the winter, in complete darkness, and get to work. I think I was doing a clutch swap or something. I'd slide under the car, on the snow, on a little plastic sled. Holding a flashlight in my mouth, I'd work until my fingers were numb, then get back into my daily driver and try to warm up again. Go back under and work some more, etc. I think I did this for a week or so, but the thing is, I was just doing what it takes to get it done. You don't do that without passion.


Now I have this great little propane heater in the garage that I got from my good friend Joe V. Ahh, toasty.

Nothing great happens without passion. I know I don't have to do this, but I want to do this. So I make things as comfortable as possible, and I can get stuff done. I love my garage, and I have a passion for cars.

This is why I don't like newer cars

I own this big white truck that I call "the big white truck". Overall I am very satisfied with it. One thing I do not like so much is that it is too new. It's a 1997, so why would I consider a 15-year-old vehicle new?

Well, for one thing, it has power windows. Man, I hate power windows. I hate power windows because they break, or fail to work, while old style hand crank windows never fail to work. I had a Suburban that I replaced 3 window motors on, and I also had an older Dually that had crank windows, which I loved. BTW, each time you replace a window motor, say goodbye to about $100 for just the part.

Needless to say, the power windows on the big white truck broke. The front passenger window did not work from it's switch. It would still work from the driver's door switch, but this was not real convenient for the passenger.



I replaced the passenger side window switch a while ago, at a cost of about $35, if I remember correctly. This did not fix the problem.

My fellow mechanic friend recently diagnosed the problem down to a faulty window lock switch. The window electrical circuit(s) were too complicated for me. Why a window lock switch is necessary, I do not know. If I'm driving down the road, and one of my passengers feels the need to open a window and jump out of it, far be it from me to curtail their liberty with a paternal window lock switch. So of course I have never used this switch, but it's part of the circuit, so I need to fix it.

I got the new switch, again at a cost of about $35. I installed it, and the passenger window now works from the passenger door. But here's the thing: look at this wiring inside the driver's door switch area.

Is all that really necessary? Just because people are too lazy to crank a window handle? Really?


I'll tell you what the reason is; it's because the carmakers have to justify newer cars and higher prices. See, cars have reached the relative end of their evolution. The new car you can buy today has the same basic configuration cars of 50 years ago had. So to get you to buy new cars, they have to pile on dubious new features. Like power windows. That break. Oh, did I mention that the automakers also sell parts to replace all the stuff that will likely break? No, it's true.

Another look at the same wiring. I mean, really?

I guess I hate power windows because I don't understand their complicated wiring, and yes that is my shortcoming. But I also hate them because I feel they are an unnecessary complication that will cost you plenty when they break. Which they will.

Yes, I am a bit of a Luddite, but I just prefer elegant simplicity. No frills or junk. Form follows function.

Perhaps it's my Scottish heritage, and their disdain for frivolity. Perhaps its my many years in engineering, where parts 'left off' don't fail and keep costs low. Perhaps it's my passion for drag racing, where extras just add weight and slow you down. Likely it's all three factors that shape my viewpoint, and I'm ok with that.

Just don't get me started on sunroofs.



I like to have a system for things. Plus Nanatechnology

Here is the '58 in the garage. If the '58 has a downside, it is its sheer size. This thing really fills up a space. See how tight it is in there?

That's what she said.


So to give myself some working room, I like to roll the car out of the garage and work on it in the driveway. My driveway has some slope to it, so getting it back into the garage takes some doing. The slope is too much to just push the car in by myself. About 10 years ago I tried that with my dragster (a much lighter car) and did in fact rip out a previous hernia repair so that I needed yet another hernia repair on top of it. Yes really. Too bad I didn't have Nana-technology*.

I then mounted an electric winch to the rear garage wall, and I used that for a while to pull the car back in. Eventually I could see how much the wall flexed while using the winch, so I got a little concerned that I was going to pull my whole house down doing this.

I now use the "tugboat" method. I drive my daily car up to near the garage door, and roll the '58 out until they rest bumper to bumper. I can reverse the cars down the driveway in a controlled fashion, and then push the '58 back in with the daily when I'm done. I chock the '58's wheels if I have to move the daily car.

You can see I have refined this method by placing a tire between the cars to minimize scratching and to add a cushioning effect. The problems with this were that it was difficult to place the tire initally, and it would sometimes slip down and just fall under the cars during the procedure.


My final improvement:

I put a loop of rope around the tire that I can just slip over the hood latch mechanism on the '58. This keeps the tire in place, and is easy on/ easy off.
Here's a long shot of the set-up. Yes, I have to get out of the daily a couple of times while doing this to monitor the side clearances and adjust the '58's steering wheel.

I like to have a system for things. Especially things that I have to do repeatedly, or are dangerous, or are tedious. Especially if it's all three.  But so far this has worked out pretty well. No more hernias. Controllable. Simple. Cheap. It's a good system.

*I hear a lot about nano-technology. I don't know what that is, and I don't know why it is such a big deal. My idea is nana-technology. You know, nana, like your sweet old grandmother. The thing is, individually they're kind of weak, so you have to amass a lot of nanas to get it to work. Think about having like 100 nanas, all working at once to help you out with a task. Think about how much you could get done with the combined power of 100 nanas.

There would be some inefficiencies, like some taking a break for tea, and some needing a nap, and probably they all want to watch Golden Girls when it's on. But the sheer number of 100 nanas means something would inevitably get accomplished. They would have the '58 pushed into the garage right quick. Plus they would be bringing you snacks, and knitting you sweaters, and all the other nice things nanas are known to do. I know, the more you think about it, the more you like it, right? Nana-technology.

Photo source: The internets. IDK who took it.