So THAT'S why it's a $700 job!

Finfan

Finfan

New Member
Well, Mrs Fin is out of town and her Rav4 needs new struts and shocks. The shop we take our vehicles to quoted her something in the $700 to $800 range to replace them. I called around and found that I could get the parts for less than $300 so I thought I would save us some money and do them myself. After all, how hard can it be?

Heaven help me!!!!!

I started out at around 9 am getting parts and tracking down tools. It turned out the Checker I bought the parts at had already loaned out their spring compressor and the local tool rental didn't have one so a quick trip to Harbor Freight and $15 later and I am the proud owner of a spring compressor that I will probably never use again. Anyway that was the lead in to a days worth of car wars. There were a couple of false starts, backtracks and take it apart and do it agains. There was even one point as I was in the middle of attempting to do a two person job myself where I heard... "Hello I'm with Teen challenge, a group that tries to keep teens off drugs." Fortunately it didn't take much to convince him that his timing was rather poor. Anyway with the setting sun I managed to get the second strut in place and put it all back together. Tomorrow I get to take the wheels off again to torque some bolts to the proper spec and then I can tackle the rear shocks. Hopefully they will be a bit simpler!

So the question I have now is: Why do I hurt so much!!!!

:-||
 
Fin,
Because you're almost as old as me...and that's why I take my cars, even the hot rod to have the oil changed. It used to be fun when I was young...now, its hard work.
Tom
 
It's all in the tools. I know there was a time when I rebuilt entire vehicles with most of a set of basic cobbled together hand tools, but these days I can't imagine not having air tools and gear wrenches.
 
the "teen challenge kid" part was funny. those guys have the worst timing at my house, too.

i was having a birthday party at my house a while back, and i just got out of the shower, and i remembered i had to get my shotgun out from under the bed and lock it up before the party (ya never know...)

so i'm standing in the living room in my boxers, with a 12 gauge remington in my hands, ejecting the shells out onto the floor, when three tweakers selling magazines walk up to the screen door.

they didn't even give me the sales pitch. just apologized and backed away from the door...
 
I've been puting off doing the valves on my old truck for a very long time, & now my clutch is going bad.... So, I figure I have a lot more time than $$$ right now, so I'm starting the process of finding some rebuilt heads & a new clutch & then I'll just spend a few days handling it all!! I used to love working on my cars when I was younger... (I used to go out & adjust the valves on my bug because I was bored), but now it's a real pain in the arse!!
 
Man I know the feeling.............I have a 62 Lincoln Continental and I lowered it by buying more tightly wound (shorter) front coils and new (fewer leafs) leaf springs and shorter shocks all from Jamco. There is not a spring compressor built for cars these days that can handle the original springs---these things are massive! That is why you get that boat feeling when you take a drive :) I found this out after attempting to do it myself. I finally took it to a shop that had a compressor that fit. They said they usually only use it for the biggest of the big trucks.........when I picked up the car the guy told me that those mega springs almost killed him when they finally got them out!
 
Well this morning I went out to torque the struts and get started on the rear shocks. Wouldn't you know it but the nut that threads onto the shock arm wouldn't torque. There are flats on the shock arm and the spring retainer that are supposed to match up and keep the shock from turning. Apparently I missed. Out comes the strut so I can take it apart and put it back together. Well much to my dismay I discovered I had also made a small but significant error when I assembled it before. So fix that problem put the thing back together then pull the other side to take it apart and put it back together again. Day 2 of the project and I still haven't gotten the rear shocks done!

BTW Surfer Mike my hands are fine although a little grimy. Its my back and butt that are paining me rather fearsomely!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top