Rawge's Old Truck Project Tips

Disassemble - Reassemble and have a can for "spare parts"
I always love it when someone that's giving you directions about overhauling some piece of equipment ends with, "...and then just put everything back together in reverse order." I guess the premise is that if you pay attention, you can later recall the order and place for each tiny nut, bolt, spring, and doohickey. What??!! Apparently they think they are talking to that guy with the 2:00 a.m. infomercial that can remember the name of every person in the audience after hearing it only once. Well that guy doesn't work on trucks - I do, and I do not have that kind of memory.

My memory is apparently about 99% as good as the infomercial man. It seems that I can always recall the place for every part except one. It doesn't seem to mater what I am working on, I have one part left over when I am finished. Carburetor rebuild - 1 extra tiny spring. Change the heater motor - 1 extra screw. New brushes in the generator - one extra nut. 

This used to worry me. Actually it used to worry me a lot - especially just after a brake job. I would put the extra parts into an old coffee can and keep my fingers crossed that a wheel didn't fly off the next time I drove it. I am now on my third coffee can and have had no major catastrophes. I probably even get better performance due to the 14 lbs of un-needed weight I have managed to trim off, one tiny part at a time. 

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**** Strictly for entertainment purposes - not to be taken too seriously!! :)