Just for fun...
Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2005 11:21 pm
My "Basic Chick's Guide to Restoring Old Cars - So Far" :
* Degreaser is good. Especially when it is $1 a can.
* You can fit 15 cans of $1 degreaser in the baskets they give you at Supercheap Autos.
* 15 cans will not be enough. You will need 2 baskets.
* While you are rubbing down your shiny buffed alternator with turpentine to get all the black stuff off, do not hold it against your stomach. Turpentine soaks through clothes. It also burns. Turpentine burns take 2 weeks to go away.
* Grease, oil, turpentine and paint all soak through to your underwear, no matter how many layers you are wearing. Don't wear good underwear.
* It is not compulsory to wear underwear under your work clothes. No-one will notice.
* Except your partner. And he will appreciate your efforts to keep your clothes clean. It may take you longer to restore the car, though.
* If your partner doesn't wear safety goggles when using the wire wheel on the bench grinder, it's not because he doesn't need them. It's because he wears glasses. You will need goggles to achieve the same level of protection. Otherwise you will get dried up paint flecks in your eyes. That hurts.
* More body filler is not necessarily better. It just takes longer to sand back.
* Don't be tempted to use degreaser as a short-cut to getting grimy stuff off your hands. It also burns. Especially the cheap stuff.
I'm working on a website with before/after pictures, and I'll post a link when I get it up. It's taking a while, because every spare chance I get is spent making engine stuff shiny! Hey, I know my limitations. I'm not good with mechanical stuff, but I can buff...
Primm
* Degreaser is good. Especially when it is $1 a can.
* You can fit 15 cans of $1 degreaser in the baskets they give you at Supercheap Autos.
* 15 cans will not be enough. You will need 2 baskets.
* While you are rubbing down your shiny buffed alternator with turpentine to get all the black stuff off, do not hold it against your stomach. Turpentine soaks through clothes. It also burns. Turpentine burns take 2 weeks to go away.
* Grease, oil, turpentine and paint all soak through to your underwear, no matter how many layers you are wearing. Don't wear good underwear.
* It is not compulsory to wear underwear under your work clothes. No-one will notice.
* Except your partner. And he will appreciate your efforts to keep your clothes clean. It may take you longer to restore the car, though.
* If your partner doesn't wear safety goggles when using the wire wheel on the bench grinder, it's not because he doesn't need them. It's because he wears glasses. You will need goggles to achieve the same level of protection. Otherwise you will get dried up paint flecks in your eyes. That hurts.
* More body filler is not necessarily better. It just takes longer to sand back.
* Don't be tempted to use degreaser as a short-cut to getting grimy stuff off your hands. It also burns. Especially the cheap stuff.
I'm working on a website with before/after pictures, and I'll post a link when I get it up. It's taking a while, because every spare chance I get is spent making engine stuff shiny! Hey, I know my limitations. I'm not good with mechanical stuff, but I can buff...
Primm
