Meeting people as a mechanic.

[JC316]

Hell, Chevy trucks haven't had carburetors since 86-87.

Hell, even those had early ECM's and they were unreliable piles of shit. You have to go way back to find anything without an ecm. Personally I will take an OBDII car over ANYTHING old, at least those make sense to me.

[helosailor]

Hell, even those had early ECM's and they were unreliable piles of shit. You have to go way back to find anything without an ecm. Personally I will take an OBDII car over ANYTHING old, at least those make sense to me.

True. Computer controlled carbs are the devil.

[sdun]

86 was the last year for carb. It was a turd 305. 87 was the first year for the efi 350. It was in the old body style truck, ran like a sob for a truck back then. 88 was same motor with the new body.

[BradM]

86 was the last year for carb. It was a turd 305. 87 was the first year for the efi 350. It was in the old body style truck, ran like a sob for a truck back then. 88 was same motor with the new body.

I had an 86 with a 305 that would burn one tire for as long as I wanted.

[sdun]

With a posi, 6 15s, a couple of sheets of mdf, and 295/50-15s on some champ 500s and it won't spin em once in the rain. Anyone remember this truck? Dark blue, short bed with "thumper" on the windshield. He hung around mesquite on Galloway most weekends. 15s earned a few tickets from mesquites finest.

[Frank]

With a posi, 6 15s, a couple of sheets of mdf, and 295/50-15s on some champ 500s and it won't spin em once in the rain. Anyone remember this truck? Dark blue, short bed with "thumper" on the windshield. He hung around mesquite on Galloway most weekends. 15s earned a few tickets from mesquites finest.

Sounds vaguely familiar. Was it yours? About what time frame?

[mikeb]

I had an 86 with a 305 that would burn one tire for as long as I wanted.

We had a 79 GMC pickup with a 305 that came with a "dual jet" carburetor on it, which is basically the front half of a q-jet. We swapped intakes and put a 4 barrel on it with headers and it still had no power. Talk about a gutless wonder.....

Of course carbs come with their own complexity which is now worse given the corrosive effects of ethanol and the lack of knowledge of how to fix a carb. If you know the little tricks (like a tire iron applied to the carb with gusto near where the fuel line goes into it when the floats stick and it floods over) you'll be fine.

[Torinoman]

Thread of the year!

Thanks Laser and everyone for the stories.

[sdun]

Late 80s to early 90s. Friend of mine from Forney. He passed away a couple of years ago, cancer. Someone stole the stereo and he used the insurance money to put a nice motor/tranny with boost in it.

Sounds vaguely familiar. Was it yours? About what time frame?

[LaserSVT]

Not really funny, just annoying.
So this is the only vacation I get all year. My 4 days during Christmas. Well yesterday I decided to go 60 miles and get granny and her truck to do some normal maintenance on it. Belts about to snap, pulley makes noise and filter is dirty. She, of course, does not hear the belt and pulley making a racket. So I get the truck in the air and her tie rods and wheel bearings and end links are all shot plus she never had the fuel filter changed like I told her to a million times. Explains why the truck is so sluggish as the fuel filter is CLOGGED big time. As I am doing this (my shop is closed but bay doors are open) a guy comes in all frantic that he has no brake lights in his 82 Thunderbird he insists is worth $5000. So I fix his brake lights. Then an Acura stops in. Some place just changed his tire and snapped two studs. Only had two holding the wheel on and is on way to Dallas. Fine, I will replace the studs. Finish that just in time for my friend and his new used VW to stop in. His wheel is about to fall off from a very shot bearing. Argh. Change that too. So I really got to enjoy my day off yesterday. No good deed goes unpunished. LOL

[03mustangdude]

If it's open Bay doesn't it usually mean your open unless you have a big open sign somewhere. I bet if door was open halfway Noone would have stopped by.

[line-em-up]

Bless you. You are like Santa Claus. You gave out some nice presents to people who hopefully are very grateful. Next time, leave the doors closed.

[LaserSVT]

People stop in all the time with the bay doors closed or partially closed. What gets me is the office is right next to the bay doors. It says office and has the shops name above it. Giant neon OPEN sign in the window. Credit card stickers and hours on the front door. People will completely ignore that, go under a bay door and walk around inside my shop shouting "Hello?" They are usually there for inspection. Having completely ignoring the bright yellow building in front of mine that has "State Inspection" signs on it in 8 spots and ignoring the sign on my building saying "State Inspection Station is the front building". I will still have to go point them the right way. Sometimes I am standing 10' from the other building and pointing at the huge State Inspection sign and they look across the street....... makes me want to scream. I have said more than once "No, look where my finger is pointing. That building RIGHT HERE" and they still look around the building and ask if i am talking about the taco shack across the street........ really!??! WTF?

[LaserSVT]

Bless you. You are like Santa Claus. You gave out some nice presents to people who hopefully are very grateful. Next time, leave the doors closed.

LOL, yeah. I would have rescheduled all of them but all were miles from home and with serious issues. They are customers I will never see again so no repeat business but I know I did the right thing by helping them out. It was late afternoon and nobody was open.

[line-em-up]

People stop in all the time with the bay doors closed or partially closed. What gets me is the office is right next to the bay doors. It says office and has the shops name above it. Giant neon OPEN sign in the window. Credit card stickers and hours on the front door. People will completely ignore that, go under a bay door and walk around inside my shop shouting "Hello?" They are usually there for inspection. Having completely ignoring the bright yellow building in front of mine that has "State Inspection" signs on it in 8 spots and ignoring the sign on my building saying "State Inspection Station is the front building". I will still have to go point them the right way. Sometimes I am standing 10' from the other building and pointing at the huge State Inspection sign and they look across the street....... makes me want to scream. I have said more than once "No, look where my finger is pointing. That building RIGHT HERE" and they still look around the building and ask if i am talking about the taco shack across the street........ really!??! WTF?

GEEZ. It makes you wonder how those people make it through life.