Doing it right

steven d. ferguson

New member
Aug 1, 1999
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Henry wrote: So, out comes the engine. And I'll redo a bunch of the work
myself. Thought
that I'd save time by having someone else do it for me.

Henry,
Ever notice that nobody ever does it as good as you do? It never fails,
if you find one Mickey Moused thing , there's gonna be more. (Journey
repairs excluded.)
BTW, Tom's advice about the non-hardening sealer around the core plugs
is straight out of the "right way" bible.
Steve Ferguson
San Diego
 
>Henry wrote: So, out comes the engine. And I'll redo a bunch of the work
>myself. Thought
>that I'd save time by having someone else do it for me.
>
>Henry,
>Ever notice that nobody ever does it as good as you do?

And sometimes even I don't do it as good as I do. You know the trick - get
in a hurry, decide that the "little extra" doesn't really matter. Put it
together. Then say to yourself "OH" when you realize WHY the "extra" was
important.

It never fails,
>if you find one Mickey Moused thing , there's gonna be more. (Journey
>repairs excluded.)

Back to things GMC - your comment is very true of the coaches. With all of
the house and automotive systems, it's often the case that someone has made
a BIG mess of some part.

In my case the powered mirror remote will be made permanant after 18 months
of use (really wasn't certain that I liked the location), the inverter will
get a permanent install below the electrical cabinet, my storage area
halogens (that are now disconnected) will be replaced with florescents, and
the ceiling trim will be made from 1/8" aluminum bar stock (replacing the
temporary luan pieces). So, I've doen a bit of Mickey Mouse repair/upgrades
of my own - all with the specific intent od changing it out or living with
it for a while to decide if it's right. Personally, I find that if I finish
soemting off too nicely I'm a bit reluctant to tear it out. That's starting
to go away!

> BTW, Tom's advice about the non-hardening sealer around the core plugs
>is straight out of the "right way" bible.

The last engine that I did the whole tear down and rebuild by myself was a
1960 Ford Falcon in about 1969. The rest have been partials.

The last few experiences with engines make me pretty certain that when
it's time, I'll do the rebuild myself - or find a GMC facility that I can
really trust. I've talked to Joe Mondello a few times but not as much as
Tom. If I knew that he was overseeing my engine rebuild I'd not lose a wink
of sleep. I'm less confident of others. If I screw it up I can only blame
myself - and I'll KNOW what exactly has been done.

Henry
PS for those who asked - yes it's a chevy 350 retrofit to the '53 pickup. 4
speed tranny from a '69 Judge, disks on all wheels, etc.
Henry Davis Consulting, Inc / new product consulting
PO Box 1270 / product readiness reviews
Soquel, Ca 95073 / IP reviews
ph: (831) 462-5199 / full service marketing
fax: (831) 462-5198
http://www.henry-davis.com/ http://www.henry-davis.com