It's just about lunch time so I'm going to make this quick, or so I say.
Last weekend I helped my husband change the rear brake shoes and drums on the Ranger. It was not the cleanest job in the world. The guy at Auto Zone said, "You're going to need some brake cleaner to do the job." My husband looked a the cost of the stuff and bypassed it--he's cheap like me--he figured we could use the compressor to spray the brake dust off. Plus, we already spent a small fortune on the parts and the spring tools to do them right.
After we got into the job he realized we needed the $8 spray. We live about 40 miles from Auto Zone so we did without...
The job took just about all afternoon to accomplish. The mess on the garage floor was extensive. The spring puzzle those Rangers have connecting everything together gave me a headache and a broken nail. I think part of the headache might have come from inhaling brake dust too. However, in the end (and two aspirin later), the brakes work great.
I learned a lesson doing the brakes. You must have the proper tools to get the job done right.
Speaking of proper tools, I've been building a lot of lenses. I decided to build a lens about the tools, information, and references I use to build my lenses. I actually have a lot of other tools bookmarked here and there but this is what I have gathered so far:
I'm learning so much building these lenses. All of the marketing and promotion stuff I talked about here months ago applies to the lenses too...I have to go back and change some things on the lenses after revisiting some of my old posts. I'll get it right in the end.
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Love the illustration, muse! And empathize with the frustration--why are things never as easy as should be?!
ReplyDeleteHi! Sounds like a pretty good bonding session if you ask me. As long as you two didn't come out hating each other that is. Sorry to hear about the broken nail.
ReplyDeleteTake Care,
Peter
Thanks for reminding me why I'd rather pay someone else to do the brakes! I've done it on a Gremlin over twenty years ago and on my Dodge Dakota about five years ago.
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right on needing the right tools to do jobs. I have to remind the wife of that fact every time I buy new software or real tools. :)
Muse:
ReplyDeleteKudos to both of you on completeing a tough brake job. You can save a lot of moola by doing some of these repair jobs yourself. Not only does that apply to repairing the car, but the home as well. All it takes is a sense of adventure, and the guts to tackle the unknown. It's surprising how easy some of those jobs are too. Replacing garbage grinders, toilettes, hot water tanks, and thermostats may seem complicated at first, but with a little tenacity, and a good How-To manual, even the most complicated job can be a piece of cake. But, when it comes to Squidos, I still don't get it.
Happy trails.
Hello all!
ReplyDeleteThe good news is the rear brakes are working well! The bad news is now the front pads need to be done. It's all good though. We've done front pads together before and have that down to a science!