the downward spiral continues

[Buddy_Christ]

she dropped the Rust Bucket (aka - 91 S-10 Blazer) off this morning for state inspection, which is overdue (ran out the end of July).

the guy called at 930 (which woke me up) to tell me what was wrong with it. he sounded like he was going to cream his pants reading off the list of repairs needed to pass state inspection because they would make a pretty penny from me on parts and labor.

what i remember from the list -

front brake lines
both lower front ball joints
rear brakes
both torsion bar mounts
rear axle seals (both? can't remember)
i think new CV boots, i remember something with the front end

i'll go pick it up a little later on this afternoon and see the service invoice myself. wonder how much this is gonna cost me (read - bend over, spread cheeks). yeah, i can do a lot of the work myself (never done ball joints or torsion bar mounts, that could be interesting), but the cost of parts is still going to hurt.

the alternative - get the 88 Beretta fixed and back on the road. needs all fluids flushed, valve cover gaskets, battery ground wire cleaned up or replaced, new E-brake cables, and i think a new rear ball joint.

Blazer - almost 170K miles, gets me 14-16mpg, looks like shit, rusted to hell, stereo fits in it nicely.

Beretta - 183K miles, gets 24-28mpg, looks like shit, door panels are maroon, rest of interior is grey, car is black, sub box should fit in the trunk but can't mount front speakers anywhere, so installing the stereo is fucking pointless beyond a CD player.

just wondering what in the fuck can go wrong next.

 

[Buddy_Christ]

gf just called and said she talked to someone that does "lick and stick" inspection stickers, so we're supposed to take the piece of shit in tomorrow morning. i bet it still fails, at least that'd be my luck.

 

[HumorMe]

just wondering what in the fuck can go wrong next.

You just had to add that line. Well, get ready buddy cause it is coming.

 

[bran987]

You just had to add that line. Well, get ready buddy cause it is coming.

post a funny picture of a car please

 

[FreeballinDC]

gf just called and said she talked to someone that does "lick and stick" inspection stickers, so we're supposed to take the piece of shit in tomorrow morning. i bet it still fails, at least that'd be my luck.

but if it fails at this "lick and stick" place, would they do the repairs that would pass their inspection?

Sounds like it would be a lot less expensive there, than at the first repair shop.

 

[Becoming]

front brake lines
both lower front ball joints
rear brakes
both torsion bar mounts
rear axle seals (both? can't remember)
i think new CV boots, i remember something with the front end

dude what the fuck - the state tests for that shit? I can't see someone crawling under and taking a look at your rearend seals....

that is bullshit

 

[Buddy_Christ]

post a funny picture of a car please

bro, screw that, i'll post pics of my own cars.

My hood -

After a little 4-wheeling

After the final trip home from my grandma's (look at all that RUST)

wanna see some more pathetic ones? i'll have to dig in my hard drive, but i'm sure there's some that detail the rust even more.

 

[HumorMe]

 

[SoreArms]

I thought this was going to be about the new NIN album

 

[FreeballinDC]

After the final trip home from my grandma's (look at all that RUST)

Is that the Beretta next to it? The one with the black door?

 

[Buddy_Christ]

You just had to add that line. Well, get ready buddy cause it is coming.

i'm used to it by now. i think.

but if it fails at this "lick and stick" place, would they do the repairs that would pass their inspection?

Sounds like it would be a lot less expensive there, than at the first repair shop.

hopefully they want minimal work done if they want any done, in which case i could handle that cheaply. it's nice that i can do most of my own work.

dude what the fuck - the state tests for that shit? I can't see someone crawling under and taking a look at your rearend seals....

that is bullshit

that's PA state inspection for you. they're assholes. i know they're right about the torsion bar mount because i can hear the torsion bar slapping around when i go around turns, but i didn't know it failed inspection for that.

2 years ago, right after we bought the car, one shop made me fix the rust in the rocker panels before they'd pass it. they also failed the idler arm, which was a cheap fix for me (bout $30 for the part, 1/2 hour of my own labor). i grabbed some fiber hair from an auto parts store and just shoved it in the spots in the rocker panels. that shop is actually pretty legit too, so i didn't argue.

of course, i ripped one of those fiber hair spots out when offroading back in april (see pics above). pulled a tree out of my way and went to drive around it. misjudged where it was and the roots of the tree took out my fiber hair job. it was about to fall out anyway because the metal rusted to shit around it.

 

[Buddy_Christ]

Is that the Beretta next to it? The one with the black door?

yeah that's the beretta. hasn't been fired up in a few months, hasn't been driven in a year i think.

oh, that black door you see used to be maroon, now it's primer black. the door that was there before, the window kept falling off the tracks and i couldn't fix it, so i just got a junkyard door for $20 and spray painted it black. it had a maroon door panel, so i grabbed one to match for the driver's side. talk about fugly......

 

[FreeballinDC]

yeah that's the beretta. hasn't been fired up in a few months, hasn't been driven in a year i think.

oh, that black door you see used to be maroon, now it's primer black. the door that was there before, the window kept falling off the tracks and i couldn't fix it, so i just got a junkyard door for $20 and spray painted it black. it had a maroon door panel, so i grabbed one to match for the driver's side. talk about fugly......

I feel for ya crak. I had a Daytona that was about to turn into that before I sold it. I don't know how the guy I sold it to got it inspected, since it had so much mechanical and body problems.

RIP one good car though, while it lasted.

 

[Becoming]

one shop made me fix the rust in the rocker panels before they'd pass it

dude if shops run the inspections - I don't knwo of a bigger conflict of interest....

 

[Buddy_Christ]

I feel for ya crak. I had a Daytona that was about to turn into that before I sold it. I don't know how the guy I sold it to got it inspected, since it had so much mechanical and body problems.

RIP one good car though, while it lasted.

i've always had good luck with cheap cars it seems. well, about as good of luck as you can get with a cheap car. bought that blazer for $900, the Beretta for $500 (from a friend who was askign $1K). i've NEVER spent more than $1500 for a car. all cars i've bought except one have been less than $1K. yeah, we have a 96 Civic, but her grandmother bought that for her.

yeah, i've always bought and owned cheap ass cars, but i've never been able to afford a nice, new, problem free car. kinda hard to be able to do that w/out a college education and a decent paying job. i've got to do the best i can with what i've got until i'm done with college in a few years. makes me wish i would've stayed in college when i was 19 instead of saying fuck school and joining the Marine Corps.

 

[Buddy_Christ]

dude if shops run the inspections - I don't knwo of a bigger conflict of interest....

the inspection guidelines are mandated by the state. the deal with rust is if it passes into the passenger's compartment of the car (ESPECIALLY floor boards). i didn't really argue with them on the rust thing, even though i knew it didn't go into the passenger's compartment. cost me $5 to patch it and i thought it'd slow down the rust spreading.

 

[FreeballinDC]

i've got to do the best i can with what i've got until i'm done with college in a few years. makes me wish i would've stayed in college when i was 19 instead of saying fuck school and joining the Marine Corps.

LOL, at the risk if highjacking this thread, do you regret joining the Marines?

 

[PHATchik]

You just had to add that line. Well, get ready buddy cause it is coming.

My sentiments exactly. You never ever ask what could go wrong next. You just don't do it!

 

[jenscats5]

I didn't know PA tests for all that stuff. Here in DE you go thru a drive thru garage, turn on the lights & wipers, hit the brakes and they stick a hose in the tailpipe to check for emissions. Pay at the window, here's your sticker.

Whew, glad I don't live in PA.

 

[Buddy_Christ]

LOL, at the risk if highjacking this thread, do you regret joining the Marines?

yes and no, but that's a topic for a whole different thread. i'm at least glad it's over, and i've been out for 3 1/2 years. you were in weren't you? (and i don't mean in the closet)


PHATchik - too late. doesn't matter whether i ask or not, it just keeps on coming. it's things like this that have me convinced there is so such think as karma, fate, or god. all the BS i've put up with in recent months, i deserve a break, ya know? but it just keeps all coming down the shit pipeline and into my mouth. i'm just really starting to not care about anything anymore.

Jens - they do emmissions testing in certain parts of the state, and the tests have gotten much stricter in recent years. where i'm at, however, they don't even shove a probe in the tail pipe. in parts of the state where they do emmissions testing, you get 2 windsheild stickers - one for inspection and one for emmissions. PA state troopers can spot an out of date sticker form 1/2 mile away at highway speeds i swear.

 

[FreeballinDC]

yes and no, but that's a topic for a whole different thread. i'm at least glad it's over, and i've been out for 3 1/2 years. you were in weren't you? (and i don't mean in the closet)

Yeah, I was in the army, and had a different experience. I don't regret one minute (well, maybe the two years I was stationed in Colorado). It got me where I am today, I just learned to build on that experience and grow from there. I hate to hear about bad or so-so experiences because it makes me wonder what that person didn't get out of it, or worse, what he/she did get out of it.

Besides, the way you put it in your thread, it sounded like it was kinda at the root of your current situation. For what it's worth, just look at what positive things you got out of the Marines, and build on that. Try not to wish things differently in the past, you can't go back and change it. Just work on the positives now, and it will come together.

 

[Buddy_Christ]

i got a lot of negativity out of the Marine Corps. really changed me from being a "happy-go-lucky" person to being an asshole. took me almost 2 years to get over that, but i'm still not the same person i was before.

didn't learn any valuable job skills either. i've always been a hard worker, but once i got out, i was a lot less tolerant of bullshit from employers.

i'm sure i got some positive things from it, but not much. at least i'm pulling the GI Bill now while i'm in school, and i think it's helped me to get a state grant for the next year. i guess that's a positive. other than that, it pretty much put my life on "hold," so now i'm 27, a college sophmore, and have plenty of years go in school to get to where i want to be (lawyer) with a shitty income and too many bills to pay.

 

[Buddy_Christ]

oh yeah, the bathtub is clogged up too, which means i'm goign to have to tear the pipes apart and find out why (draino barely made a dent in it). i so love showering and by the time i'm done the water is up to my ankles.

 

[Forge]

just wondering what in the fuck can go wrong next.

Cheer up, your GF / wife could get menopause. Then it would be worse.

 

[john937]

oh yeah, the bathtub is clogged up too, which means i'm goign to have to tear the pipes apart and find out why (draino barely made a dent in it). i so love showering and by the time i'm done the water is up to my ankles.

Use a plumber snake on it. Shouldn't have to tear pipes apart.

 

[Buddy_Christ]

forge - that might actually be a blessing because then we wouldn't have to worry about creating another mouth to feed.

john - need to get one anyway for the kitchen sink. i think i can rent them for $5-8 or something. my luck, my son dropped a car down the bathtub drain and that's what's clogging it.

 

[Buddy_Christ]

i feel like i'm one of AAP's bottoms that he just grudge fucked because i couldn't give a BJ worth a damn. this means that i just picked my car up and saw the invoice.

first off, i paid $23.31 for my car to fail inspection. now that i see the invoice again, i'm going to have to go back in and demand $2 back becaue they charged me for the sticker even though the car didn't pass (which they don't make you pay for the sticker until the car passes).

These are the breakdowns based on their prices.

Rear Brakes - $29.99 parts,
Grease seals for rear axle (2) - $18
Front Brake hoses (2) - $48
Front ball joint - $91.99 (they recommend both be done, only one failed)
Torsion bar mounts (2) - $50
Alignment (should be done after steering/suspension work) - $60

i'm not including their recommendation of flushing the brake system because i can do that on my own after changing the brake pads, and the entire system was just flushed recently when i replaced a wheel cylinder and then a bleeder screw.

total of parts (not including 6% tax) - $237.98.

it's not worth it. i dunno how much more money i can dump into that piece of fucking shit. it's going to nickle and dime me to death. still need to read the engine codes and find out why the check engine light keeps coming on. i think it's a blown O2 sensor AGAIN, at least it's acting like it, but i can't be sure until i read the codes myself.

if we can't get the sticker done tomorrow at the "lick and stick" place, i might as well just strip the VIN numbers from this car, drive it out in the middle of the state park that offroading is allowed in, and turn the sheet metal into swiss cheese with bullet holes.

so i guess today is just another normal fucking day in my life. i might as well quit school and go back to working a shitty factory job for $8/hr.

 

[Lumberg]

You'll be alright bro. Do some squats and fix the car.

 

[Buddy_Christ]

You'll be alright bro. Do some squats and fix the car.

yeah, i'm gonna fix the car alright. it's going to get fixed by Remington and Makarov.

i'll box squat monday. the gym just got me (yes, they got it for ME) a nice cage type box that's 12 or 14" high so i don't have to drag a wooden box, a rubber coated plate, and a flat steel plate into the squat rack and stack them all up. not sure off the top of my head what i'm box squatting on monday (somewhere between 190-200 for 10x2), but i konw wednesday i've got a challenge with a 255 5x5 squat session. 250 was really rough, and i barely made it though all sets.

 

[Lumberg]

congrats bro.

if you do that be sure to video it.

(the truck not the squats)

LOL!

 

[Buddy_Christ]

congrats bro.

if you do that be sure to video it.

(the truck not the squats)

LOL!

no prob. i try to remember to take the camera with me when i go offroading.

 

[Buddy_Christ]

oh, almost forgot, they also marked that the "exposed sharp edges" of the bodywork need to be fixed. do these appear to be "explosed sharp edges" to you?

yes, i know my tailpipe is bent. happened when i drove over a log last winter because i didn't feel like backing up out of my spot. assholes parked too close to me on either side. college kids need to learn how to park a fucking car.

 

[SoKlueles]

I have a 93 lumina van that looks pretty good, dont have any rust on it....but the ac dont work well, and it caught on fire in December I am now driving a 92 astrovan that my mom and dad gave me(well sold me cheap) and my mom took excellent care of it....its still a van but its pretty cool

 

[Buddy_Christ]

the astro van can go a loooooooooooooong ass time. i had a 91. my dad took great care of it, but at about 130K miles, the dumb bitch got it in the divorce. she proceeded to run it into the ground until it had 217K miles on it, at which point she gave it to me (After driving it cross country to get to where i was).

i tried to take care of it, but the damage was already done. it got me back across the country and died when it hit 242K miles. engine seized. i changed the oil in it regularly, but her abuse of that car for 80K miles was just too much for it to handle.

like i said, good van. the engine in them is bullet proof if it's taken care of properly. very powerful. they just suck on fuel economy. i think i got 18-20mpg in ours, a little higher on the highway.

 

[SoKlueles]

My Lumina has 205,000 miles, still runs, has new tires i got in April and new brakes and a new serpentine belt.but it makes a weird noise when you get to 50 mph to 55 mph....and the windshield wipers only work 1/2 of the time
I hope this astrovan works awesome, my dad treated it like a baby, he changed oil every 3000 miles and got it fixed whenever it tore up or whatever i sureeeeeee hope it does

 

[Lumberg]

oh, almost forgot, they also marked that the "exposed sharp edges" of the bodywork need to be fixed. do these appear to be "explosed sharp edges" to you?

yes, i know my tailpipe is bent. happened when i drove over a log last winter because i didn't feel like backing up out of my spot. assholes parked too close to me on either side. college kids need to learn how to park a fucking car.

A couple swings with a Louisville Slugger'll cure that right up bro. $25 since you're my bud. Just mention EF discount when you call.

SoKlueless if you dad took that kind of care of that van it'll last you forever as long as you keep up that care.

 

[Buddy_Christ]

A couple swings with a Louisville Slugger'll cure that right up bro. $25 since you're my bud. Just mention EF discount when you call.

SoKlueless if you dad took that kind of care of that van it'll last you forever as long as you keep up that care.

dude, i'll hit that bitch with the Louisville Slugger myself adn it won't cost me anything.

 

[Lumberg]

crak, repair at your own risk.

you know that I'm ASE certified right?

 

[Buddy_Christ]

crak, repair at your own risk.

you know that I'm ASE certified right?

ASE certified in...........?

i've been doing almost all of my own repairs for years. check out this doozie.....

her grandmother bought this car for her last March. 2 weeks later, i got into a "little accident" in which i rear ended a blazer (my FIRST at fault accident). airbags didn't deploy because my bumper went under his. we didn't report the accident, i paid for the damage to his car, then i set about fixing ours. i had never welded before, but had to figure it out on this car.

after the accident -

My backyard looked like a redneck's dream while fixing that car

After i got done with it

there's still 2 little dings in the fenders that we havn't gotten fixed, and the paint needs to be blended a little from hood and bumpers to the fenders. i picked up some body parts painted to factory color code pretty cheap.

 

[Moderate_THIS]

After i got done with it

That area reminds me of my grandma's place. How far are you from Clearfield?

 

[Buddy_Christ]

clearfield is almost 2 hours west of here.

you seem to of taken an interest as to where i live. you planning on coming here to hang out or kick my ass? lemme know so i know if i need to clean the house or not. thanks.

 

[Buddy_Christ]

btw Chaos, that line in your sig, so true, oh so true.

 

[Moderate_THIS]

clearfield is almost 2 hours west of here.

you seem to of taken an interest as to where i live. you planning on coming here to hang out or kick my ass? lemme know so i know if i need to clean the house or not. thanks.

You have mistaken my interest in your vicinity with ideal areas for kidnapping runaways at truck stops

 

[biteme]

You just reminded me, I have to get my car inspected before going out of town tomorrow. Thanks

 

[PHATchik]

PHATchik - too late. doesn't matter whether i ask or not, it just keeps on coming. it's things like this that have me convinced there is so such think as karma, fate, or god. all the BS i've put up with in recent months, i deserve a break, ya know? but it just keeps all coming down the shit pipeline and into my mouth. i'm just really starting to not care about anything anymore.

I've said it before and I'll say it again...see what happens when I'm not around to talk to anymore?

 

[Buddy_Christ]

I've said it before and I'll say it again...see what happens when I'm not around to talk to anymore?

i guess you've got a point.

get on AIM damnit!

 

[jerkbox]

well......i know how this feels

 

[PHATchik]

i guess you've got a point.

get on AIM damnit!

I can't. I'm at the library watching the chick next to me write a dirty e-mail to some guy she met on the Internet. Yep, this is the life.

 

[Lumberg]

Crak Brakes and Engine performance.

IN all seriousness bodywork is not my forte. Function over form for me. Very impressive job on that civic dude. VERY impressive.

 

[Buddy_Christ]

thanks Lumberg, but most of it was new parts - new bumper, hood, radiator support (which i had to weld in myself), JDM headlights (cheaper than stock, got them used), O2 sensor, AC condensor, some epoxy on the coolant overflow tank, couple new bulbs, tried to work the dings out in both fenders and hit them with some touch up paint (that barely matched) and we were back in business. i try to avoid bodywork too, because it's a pain in the ass. i tried to straighten the old hood, but it wasn't happening. the rad support, same deal.

but even though there were a lot of new parts, no one could believe it was the same car after i was done.

Brakes - easy work most of the time, as long as its just replacing pads. i don't care for doing drum brake work, but i have, and will do it again if necessary. Blazer needs rear brakes, and if i don't replace the car, i'll have to replace the brakes.

Engine Performance - i'd love to see you cheaply squeeze more performance out of that tired 4.3L one hell of a strong V6, i love the engine itself when they're in good shape, but this one was most likely beat to hell by previous owners (had 136K miles when i got it) and is just getting old and slow as it's ready to turn 170K miles.

 

[Lumberg]

Well I;m gonna be honest with you crak. My certifications expired in '03. WIth brakes you haev to know more about the priciples of how they work, how the power booster works, proportioning valves, hydraulics, antilock brakes, etc.

I agree that 90% of brake work is cake.

Engine performance is more like keeping it performing to the optimum of how it's designed to work and the engien control systems sending the right signals to the computer and stuff.