A gift from heaven

[JW]

So at work to today I been working on changing a radiator for two days. Total nightmare job, I own my own auto repair shop. Have two lifts and like $25,000 in snapon tools. Im not going tell the name or location of my shop, since I dont want any bad google business revues. I am a ASE L1 Master tech.

So I have this guy call me and asked if he could borrow some tools a hose clamps to fix his truck in my parking lot. Everyone in my line of work knows this is a major no no...

Im siting there and I said sure" he could do that. What he was doing was pretty simple I had the parts he needed the whole thing.

So im sitting there and said what the hell...

He got his truck fixed and I said can I help you with anything? I was like hell ya I can... turns out the guy is a master tech from Canada. Needless to say I could not have been done with only one person.

Things worked and I dont know what I would have done with out that help.

JW

[MattM]

I do understand not what say you.

[JW]

WILSON!!!!!

[dnix71]

MattM The guy he let fix his truck is the same level tech as JW and some jobs like radiator replacement take 2 people to do properly, so JW got the help he needed.

I have ordered a window regulator assembly for a coworker's Honda Pilot. Changing that part properly requires 2 people. One to hold and adjust the glass and the other to unbolt and replace the assembly. It can be done alone, but it takes a long time and if you drop the glass and break it you have a much more expensive job on your hands.

[JW]

I can recall the other master-tech told me "hey we got this condenser backwards" I was like hmmmm, I agreed with that and it was classic example of cooperate between two experts...     

[Frank S]

Where I live out here if someone lives within the same zip code you are neighbors so to speak which is almost a truism since there are less then2000 who live in the same zip code. only a single zip code for the whole county.
 Anyway a neighbor that lives about 3/4 mile away crow flight that is, is also a welder/ mechanic/ machinist. A few years younger and not yet retired. He does mobile repairs where as me if it doesn't cross my driveway I'm not interested anymore.
 Anyway Billy calls me up and asked him if I could help him out of a jam.
 I'm thinking he must be in a real spot since I know his abilities pretty well.
 I go take a look to see what's up. He has a hydraulic pump with several broken bolts in it and I see where someone has already attempted to and failed to remove some of them.
 Turns out his customer a field maintenance guy had been called out to repair one of the companies machines that and operator had damaged causing all of the bolts to sheer off he couldn't repair it so he brought it to Billy. Billy had managed to remove some of the bolts but the ones that Mike had already tried and failed to remove were simply not coming out no matter what the 2 of them did.
 Can you get the last 2 bolts out for us they asked me?
 Well someone had just about fubared them but yeah I can get them out but it may take most of the night or I might get lucky. They are way beyond drilling or welding onto them to get them out plus the housing itself is damaged so if the seal area can't be saved without welding it up and milling it back down it will mean a complete tear down and rebuild which will mean we will have to order at least a seal kit.
 Is there anything we can do to help they asked.
 You can come and watch or help me lift it onto my mill and help me tram in it in if it will even fit in my mill without tearing the pump apart so yeah why not make this a community effort.
 We get it back to my shop and I start laying out some lines on a plate to cut up to fabricate a set up to hold the pump stable enough to mount in the mill Billy starts cutting parts Mike grinds and cleans them I tack them up  then mill and drill the fixture to hold the pump we get the thing all  zeroed in then I tell them from this point on I don't want to hear a single word out of either of you yo can watch but keep your distance because I have only 1 shot at this and only 1 end mill. About 30 minutes later there was nothing left of the 2 bolts but the Dutchman's but in 1 of the holes Mike had drilled off center so I had to drill it out over sized thread it and lock-tight a larger bolt in place then drill through that and thread it back to the proper size we finished up around 10 PM
 I tell them next time call me before the 2 of you completely get something FUBARED.
Mike and Billy took it and worked through the rest of the night to get the machine back up and running for the crew to be able to go back to work in the morning.
 2 days later Billy called me again.
 Frank Mike has some more broken bolts in another machine and I can't cut loose to go and get them out he wants to know if you can do you magic again if he brings it to you.
 Tell him to bring it over. Almost before I had finished my 2nd cup of morning coffee Mike showed up with the part.
 This time it only took me a few minutes to remove the broken bolts  because neither of them had tried to do the job themselves.
 
 
 

[Harold in CR]

I'm just getting into machining and will definitely remember this solution. thanks for posting it, Frank. !! 

[Frank S]

Harrold if you are getting into machining then you need
 What I have in my last post.
 it is a lathe 11feet between the centers 56inch swing at the chuck 36 inches over the carriage and weighs a cool 26,000 lbs

https://www.fieldlines.com/index.php/topic,149693.msg1049350.html#new

[Harold in CR]

Hah,  got that beat. I'm building one.  So far, roughed out, I'm within 20thou. Lots of scraping and stoning.
Hope to get a surface plate and a bunch of parts crated up and shipped down next month.

I don't do any outside custom work. Just playing at being a machinist. 

[SparWeb]

Frank
I remember an old Herman cartoon: A plumber says to the homeowner guy "It's 100 bucks an hour, and 125 bucks if you insist on helping me!"

Thanks for the story.