Weekend of Wrenching

I used to shudder at the thought of working on my rig. If you follow this blog for any length of time you know I suck as a mechanic.

A few months ago though, a guy I barely knew stepped up to the plate to become teacher and friend. To show me the ropes and not only provide instruction, but to help me in building confidence.

Once (sometimes twice) I am shown something, I can usually repeat it. In the past few weeks I have learned how to instal CB radios, put in 12 volt sockets for accessories, put on a serpentine belt, and mount off road lights.

This week was total tune-up week. Spark plugs, wires, rotor, rotor cap, fuel filter, and all four heating/cooling hoses. In addition we replaced the leaky seal on the front differential. Not theneasy one….the rear one.

It has gone really smooth to this point. It took a little over two-hours to get everything done. As we were about to retire for steaks (me cooking) we detected another minor issue that could have been a major issue on the trail. The ground wire from the battery was intermintently failing. Fortunatly Carl found it right away. He kicks @$$ on stuff like that.

After hanging out and after consuming a couple of steaks and Carl’s home made potato salad, we were off to the parts store for a new cable. In addition, I found that my radiator only had two of thenrequired four screws in it. So new screws were on the list as well.

When I speak at seminars about survival, or I’m running a class, there is allot of focus on things like lighting fires, building shelter, or getting water. Yet everything I did today is essential survival knowledge. Not only how to do it in the middle of the desert- but how to do it before leaving for the back country.

If a few weeks we are sponsoring a workshop for guys who want to work on their own rigs, but for whatever reason have not had the opportunity to do so. We have some fantastic instructors lined up (Carl is one of them) and a good group of guys who will bring in their own cars and learn how to do basic automotive repairs.

Wrenching is good