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From: Chris Whelan on 22 Jun 2010 04:23
On Tue, 22 Jun 2010 00:17:29 -0700, levans wrote:

> On Jun 21, 9:49 pm, Chris Whelan <cawhe...(a)prejudicentlworld.com> wrote:
>> On Mon, 21 Jun 2010 13:43:45 -0700, levans wrote:
>>
>> [...]
>>
>> > That sounds promising. I don't have access to a lift but I do have a
>> > high-lift jack so maybe it won't be as bad as it looks. I'll get
>> > underneath it tomorrow ad have a proper look.
>>
>> Please reassure us that you will support the car properly on axle
>> stands before you get under it...
>>
>> Chris

>
> I'm pretty paranoid these days after a few near misses working on cars
> in my teens, so these days it's axle stands *and* big blocks of wood :)

Glad to hear it, and I hope you don't feel insulted.

I once had the rear wheels of a RWD car on ramps. I was removing the prop
shaft prior to a clutch change. The handbrake didn't hold, and I hadn't
chocked the front wheels...

My torso was in front of one wheel; as it rolled down the ramp, I had the
presence of mind to roll along until the car stopped, and I could shout
for help.

I had some pretty impressive bruises, and a greater sense of the dangers
working on a car can present.

Chris

--
Remove prejudice to reply.
From: Mrcheerful on 22 Jun 2010 04:25
levans wrote:
> On Jun 21, 9:49 pm, Chris Whelan <cawhe...(a)prejudicentlworld.com>
> wrote:
>> On Mon, 21 Jun 2010 13:43:45 -0700, levans wrote:
>>
>> [...]
>>
>>> That sounds promising. I don't have access to a lift but I do have a
>>> high-lift jack so maybe it won't be as bad as it looks. I'll get
>>> underneath it tomorrow ad have a proper look.
>>
>> Please reassure us that you will support the car properly on axle
>> stands before you get under it...
>>
>> Chris
>>
>> --
>> Remove prejudice to reply.
>
> I'm pretty paranoid these days after a few near misses working on cars
> in my teens, so these days it's axle stands *and* big blocks of wood
> :)

I have just remembered that the one I changed was on a LHD car on holiday
here from belgium, so you will probably have even less room to work than I
did :( good luck with that one. At the time I got a genuine starter which
IIRC was about 130 quid. I could have had the old one rebuilt, but the
ferry was going the next morning !


From: Mrcheerful on 22 Jun 2010 04:34
Chris Whelan wrote:
> On Tue, 22 Jun 2010 00:17:29 -0700, levans wrote:
>
>> On Jun 21, 9:49 pm, Chris Whelan <cawhe...(a)prejudicentlworld.com>
>> wrote:
>>> On Mon, 21 Jun 2010 13:43:45 -0700, levans wrote:
>>>
>>> [...]
>>>
>>>> That sounds promising. I don't have access to a lift but I do have
>>>> a high-lift jack so maybe it won't be as bad as it looks. I'll get
>>>> underneath it tomorrow ad have a proper look.
>>>
>>> Please reassure us that you will support the car properly on axle
>>> stands before you get under it...
>>>
>>> Chris
>
>>
>> I'm pretty paranoid these days after a few near misses working on
>> cars in my teens, so these days it's axle stands *and* big blocks of
>> wood :)
>
> Glad to hear it, and I hope you don't feel insulted.
>
> I once had the rear wheels of a RWD car on ramps. I was removing the
> prop shaft prior to a clutch change. The handbrake didn't hold, and I
> hadn't chocked the front wheels...
>
> My torso was in front of one wheel; as it rolled down the ramp, I had
> the presence of mind to roll along until the car stopped, and I could
> shout for help.
>
> I had some pretty impressive bruises, and a greater sense of the
> dangers working on a car can present.
>
> Chris

not as close as when I was changing the chassis on a LWB land rover. I had
put all the bits in the back as I dismantled it, the body was on the lift
and I was between the body and the chassis, there was a sort of creak and a
crash, I was hit on the head by the air filter assembly that I had left in
the engine bay above me and the entire body had fallen backwards off the
lift, happily the arms kept the body from then descending onto my head.
That must be the closest I have been to being killed in my own garage. I
take more care with weight distribution since ! The other one that was
rather nasty was when I was working on an Ambassador, the bonnet slammed
itself with my hand in the opening near the hinges. and of course the
bonnet was now locked down with my hand feeling very broken. I managed to
raise the edge with my other hand and was planning how to get to hospital
the quickest, but incredibly nothing was broken or bleeding, just some nasty
bruising. oh yes, another good one: I was repairing the wipers on
something and tested the whole lot on the bench, it turned and trapped my
fingers quite nastily.


From: Chris Whelan on 22 Jun 2010 04:44
On Tue, 22 Jun 2010 09:34:48 +0100, Mrcheerful wrote:

[...]

> not as close as when I was changing the chassis on a LWB land rover. I
> had put all the bits in the back as I dismantled it, the body was on the
> lift and I was between the body and the chassis, there was a sort of
> creak and a crash, I was hit on the head by the air filter assembly that
> I had left in the engine bay above me and the entire body had fallen
> backwards off the lift, happily the arms kept the body from then
> descending onto my head. That must be the closest I have been to being
> killed in my own garage. I take more care with weight distribution
> since ! The other one that was rather nasty was when I was working on
> an Ambassador, the bonnet slammed itself with my hand in the opening
> near the hinges. and of course the bonnet was now locked down with my
> hand feeling very broken. I managed to raise the edge with my other
> hand and was planning how to get to hospital the quickest, but
> incredibly nothing was broken or bleeding, just some nasty bruising. oh
> yes, another good one: I was repairing the wipers on something and
> tested the whole lot on the bench, it turned and trapped my fingers
> quite nastily.

It's scary how many ways there are to injure yourself!

Chris

--
Remove prejudice to reply.
From: Mrcheerful on 22 Jun 2010 04:49
Chris Whelan wrote:
> On Tue, 22 Jun 2010 09:34:48 +0100, Mrcheerful wrote:
>
> [...]
>
>> not as close as when I was changing the chassis on a LWB land rover.
>> I had put all the bits in the back as I dismantled it, the body was
>> on the lift and I was between the body and the chassis, there was a
>> sort of creak and a crash, I was hit on the head by the air filter
>> assembly that I had left in the engine bay above me and the entire
>> body had fallen backwards off the lift, happily the arms kept the
>> body from then descending onto my head. That must be the closest I
>> have been to being killed in my own garage. I take more care with
>> weight distribution since ! The other one that was rather nasty was
>> when I was working on an Ambassador, the bonnet slammed itself with
>> my hand in the opening near the hinges. and of course the bonnet
>> was now locked down with my hand feeling very broken. I managed to
>> raise the edge with my other hand and was planning how to get to
>> hospital the quickest, but incredibly nothing was broken or
>> bleeding, just some nasty bruising. oh yes, another good one: I
>> was repairing the wipers on something and tested the whole lot on
>> the bench, it turned and trapped my fingers quite nastily.
>
> It's scary how many ways there are to injure yourself!
>
> Chris

and compared to many mechanics I am quite careful!! When I was banger
racing I got talking to a guy with his arm in a sling, he had been using an
air chisel when it got away somehow, tore into his arm and ripped away in
there, the diagnosis was that he was not likely to get more than partial use
back, tragic especially as was only early 20's, but he said the incident was
his own fault, so it must be even worse mentally.


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