4 ms·

Top notch! It looks so easy! But you forgot the part where you spend an hour banging, cursing, and blasting that one bolt with a torch because it. just. will. n

Top notch! It looks so easy! But you forgot the part where you spend an hour banging, cursing, and blasting that one bolt with a torch because it. just. will. not. budge, only to have it snap off and realize you're going to spend tomorrow drilling it out and tapping that hole...

jacquesm 9y ago
WD40 and an overnight soak... Force will always get you broken bolts. Corollary: No amount of force or increase in cutting speed will substitute for bad planning. (from my metal working guru friend)
- damnfine 9y ago
  Even better than WD40 (which sucks as everything equally) is a mix of ATF and Acetone for stuck bolts. From the store, pb blaster is the best. Wd40 stands for Water Displacer, it is not the formula our fathers knew. They would have used wax and a torch or wintergreen oil anyway.
  - cr0sh 9y ago
    If for some reason you don't have some ATF and acetone lying around, Kroil is the next best thing.
resolaibohp 9y ago
I am convinced from my experiences doing DIY auto repair that the jobs themselves are all fairly simple, it is dealing with stuck bolts and bolts that are hard to get to which turn the job into hours of work and frustration.
- cmrdporcupine 9y ago
  Yeah and putting one's body in poses and positions that are painful for someone who is accustomed mainly to sitting down in front of a computer all day. I discovered after buying my little hobby farm that mechanical stuff hurts me. I have injured myself all sorts of ways I didn't expect. Also in meatspace you can't hit 'undo' or 'git reset --hard' .. I hate that :-)
  - cr0sh 9y ago
    > I have injured myself all sorts of ways I didn't expect. It's kinda like how (in the days of old, at least) when you built a PC, if you didn't cut yourself and spilled a bit of blood (usually on a sharp case edge) - you were doing it wrong. Instead, you have that one tight bolt you're wrenchin' and pullin' on - then suddenly it breaks free and WHAM, your knuckles get busted on the crossmember (or something else unforgiving). Which is why, if you have the ability (leverage) and room, it always better to push on the handle of the wrench with an open palm or loose grip - that way if the bolt breaks loose, the inevitable won't occur...

jacquesm 9y ago

WD40 and an overnight soak... Force will always get you broken bolts. Corollary: No amount of force or increase in cutting speed will substitute for bad planning. (from my metal working guru friend)

damnfine 9y ago
Even better than WD40 (which sucks as everything equally) is a mix of ATF and Acetone for stuck bolts. From the store, pb blaster is the best. Wd40 stands for Water Displacer, it is not the formula our fathers knew. They would have used wax and a torch or wintergreen oil anyway.
- cr0sh 9y ago
  If for some reason you don't have some ATF and acetone lying around, Kroil is the next best thing.

resolaibohp 9y ago

I am convinced from my experiences doing DIY auto repair that the jobs themselves are all fairly simple, it is dealing with stuck bolts and bolts that are hard to get to which turn the job into hours of work and frustration.

cmrdporcupine 9y ago
Yeah and putting one's body in poses and positions that are painful for someone who is accustomed mainly to sitting down in front of a computer all day. I discovered after buying my little hobby farm that mechanical stuff hurts me. I have injured myself all sorts of ways I didn't expect. Also in meatspace you can't hit 'undo' or 'git reset --hard' .. I hate that :-)
- cr0sh 9y ago
  > I have injured myself all sorts of ways I didn't expect. It's kinda like how (in the days of old, at least) when you built a PC, if you didn't cut yourself and spilled a bit of blood (usually on a sharp case edge) - you were doing it wrong. Instead, you have that one tight bolt you're wrenchin' and pullin' on - then suddenly it breaks free and WHAM, your knuckles get busted on the crossmember (or something else unforgiving). Which is why, if you have the ability (leverage) and room, it always better to push on the handle of the wrench with an open palm or loose grip - that way if the bolt breaks loose, the inevitable won't occur...