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Post by Ozarks Tom on Apr 1, 2024 22:52:09 GMT
By the time I was 16 years old I could tear down and rebuild a flat-head Ford V-8 engine with little more than a crescent wrench, a pliers, a screwdriver, and a few other assorted hand tools. I could drop a transmission (stick) and replace a clutch/throwout bearing/pressure plate in about 3 hours by myself.
Now, I raise the hood on the Suburban, see that it's full of "stuff", slam it back down and say "yep, still there!" I have no idea what 90% of what's under that hood is.
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Post by joebill on Apr 5, 2024 19:34:01 GMT
For a few years I had a very small shop on a very busy street in Tucson, and I had a dutch door with a counter on the bottom half so folks could just stop their truck, climb out, take a half dozen steps and either drop off or pick up a stack of blades to be sharpened or some tool to be repaired, then step back in the truck and be gone in minutes...most folks did not even shut the truck off while they were there. One contractor showed up one morning with both a brand new truck and a brand new black lab half grown pup on the seat. The lab was still trying to figure out what glass was all about, trying to stick his paw through it and sliding his paws around on it....and pushed down the lock button on the driver's door, of course with the keys inside the truck. Passenger door was locked, too. Dog and contractor spent the next hour staring at one another through the glass until the locksmith arrived, but at least the AC was turned on and the dog remained cool while the contractor sweated in the sun  .....Joe |
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Post by farmrbrown on Apr 5, 2024 23:25:47 GMT
For a few years I had a very small shop on a very busy street in Tucson, and I had a dutch door with a counter on the bottom half so folks could just stop their truck, climb out, take a half dozen steps and either drop off or pick up a stack of blades to be sharpened or some tool to be repaired, then step back in the truck and be gone in minutes...most folks did not even shut the truck off while they were there. One contractor showed up one morning with both a brand new truck and a brand new black lab half grown pup on the seat. The lab was still trying to figure out what glass was all about, trying to stick his paw through it and sliding his paws around on it....and pushed down the lock button on the driver's door, of course with the keys inside the truck. Passenger door was locked, too. Dog and contractor spent the next hour staring at one another through the glass until the locksmith arrived, but at least the AC was turned on and the dog remained cool while the contractor sweated in the sun .....Joe LOL. Same thing happened to my neighbor years ago when her 2 Border Collies were young. The good thing was it happened in her driveway. The bad part was we live 1/2 hour from town. The other good thing was her neighbor could get into or fix just about anything and has tools that MacGuyver would envy.  |
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Post by farmrbrown on Apr 6, 2024 0:37:51 GMT
For those mechanically inclined this will sound like a no-brainer but regardless, it's no fun at all if you DO lock your keys in the car (dogs helping or not), especially in the newer ones that ARE harder to break into by design. But experience is such an effective teacher that I'll pass this tip along anyway. 1) A simple, small, wooden wedge - like an over sized door shim. 2) A piece of thick copper ground rod (soft copper,not hard) at least 3 - 4 ft long. 3/0 or 4/0 gauge is thick enough. That'll get 99% of any car door open with a little patience and luck.....provided you were smart enough to stash it somewhere OUTSIDE the vehicle, lol. You can drill a 1/2" hole thru the wedge, slide it on the copper line and hang it on the under carriage somewhere like the rear bumper frame. If you've already called a locksmith before and watched how it was done, consider your tuition paid in full. |
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Post by David! on Apr 6, 2024 13:31:53 GMT
farmrbrown, You sound very experienced in breaking and entering.
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Post by Ozarks Tom on Apr 6, 2024 13:44:51 GMT
Back in the 70's the secretary at the company I was working at called me at noon to say she'd gone home for lunch and locked herself out of the house, could I help? Now, don't ask why she'd call me to break into her house, might be my shifty looks. Anyway, it was just a simple lockset on the back door, and a credit card slipped between the jamb and the latch opened it in less than 5 seconds. Her mouth literally dropped open. She couldn't believe how easily someone could nearly just walk into her locked home. About a week later she told me her husband had installed a deadbolt and replaced those little 3/4" screws with 3" like I'd recommended.
Oh, I asked her not to tell the rest of the folks at the company about my "handy" knowledge, gathered over the years of my misspent youth.
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Post by farmrbrown on Apr 6, 2024 21:55:58 GMT
farmrbrown , You sound very experienced in breaking and entering. Yep, and the irony is that I'm not a thief, lol. But I was doing security work back when you could find a Radio Shack next to an Ace Hardware store with a pay phone on the corner that costs a dime.  IOW long before Algore (sic) invented the internet. |
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Post by farmrbrown on Apr 14, 2024 16:24:32 GMT
Just preformed another act of kindness......in my own driveway, lol.
My wife had a locksmith on the way before my 1st cup of coffee because she "didn't want to wake me" and besides, she already tried it and the other set of keys wouldn't work.
After 2 swallows, I grabbed my set of keys and walked around this car running with the doors locked until I came to the driver's door - the only one with a keyed lock. Insert the key and turn.
Voila! Instant hero.
LMAO
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.....Joe
