I managed to disconnect and remove the gearbox from my 98 uk turbo yesterday night on my own just using axle stands and a jack. (and tools obviously)

Must admit i do a LOT of mechanical work and have done on various cars for along time. Inc engines out of classic impreza's on my own. It was a struggle not having a ramp/lift. Had to get it off sharpish as ive sold it and im breaking the car.

Not looking for a pat on the back, Just wondered what other people have managed to achieve on their own despite the struggle???

 

I removed/skimmed and refitted a headgasket on mitsi evo in 1 day last week which i was pretty chuffed with,it was only a evo 2 but none the less quite impressive if i do say so myself

 

Sound like quite a task mate how did you skim the head, do you have a mill or a lathe to hand or something?

 

our machinist is only one mile up the road,so dropped it off and came back to clean block,then by the time id done that it was ready to collect.
All the parts were ready and waiting like t/belt and balance shaft belt,hg set and so on,and away i went again,road test next morning and out the door that day by dinner.
Probably the smoothed job ive ever had lol

 

i wish paintwork was as smooth,lol.you can paint a job quickly in morning and looks the muts nuts,do the same in the afternoon on another and wonder why you are in this game !can be the best job in world,can also be a b@stard too.

 

know the feeling there mate as i also do paintwork,everythings fine and dandy and then you get a reaction and why as you've done nothing diffrent and taken all the precautions for silicone and the like but it happens

 

what type of work do you do mate ?we do all sorts from smart repairs to panel replacement and the odd respray,weve just done a masserati that come out really well but getting there was a journey to say the least,stripping a simple door handle out become a nightmare

Do you run your own buisiness or work for someone ? i am hoping to go alone next year or so if i can get money for equipment together,worked for my dad who had quite a large shop in early nineties,had about 30 blokes working for him then.its good to hear of other scooby nuts in the paint trade.

 

me and my father coincidently lol own and run are shop,we cover most all repairs from small blow ins to full resprays/insurance work and mechanical work,all bases covered lol,i did 7 years on the spanners and the last 4/half on the spraying but also still keep me hands in on the spanners though.
There's 5 in my shop so nothing big but very busy all the time were booking 5 weeks ahead and more currently,im working with standox wb and max meyer for the cheaper jobs,sata equipment.
Know what you mean about the high end motors though i had fezza 550 in about 3 weeks ago for front and rear bumper repairs but almost didnt want to touch it for fear of braking something which costs ten times more than usual

 

i know mate awesome car tho ! funny that tho we are booking in 5 weeks ahead,do you do any of the paper work side of things ?we use max mayer and leckler for cheap jobs and glassurit speedy for bumpers and stuff(very good stuff)if im honest tho when you flat and polish, any clearcoat can look amazing.would love to do subaru only such as bodykits and one off pearles in future on my own.

are the sata rp worth the money and its supposed to spray quicker isnt it ?

 

business is booming you might say for us both,i do some of the paper work and quoting but hate it as its always the same 'really,that much',with no idea of the money involved to run a work shop.
Ive heard good things about glassurit and have contumplated it abit so i might have give it a try,and yes if you flat you can make the worst clear coat look good with enough material to play with,i find though with standox premium with the slow hardener it sits really nice so par the odd bit minimal flatting involved.
I hope all goes well then for mate and the future plans get off the ground,it would be awsome to do custom jobs i must admit
Sata rp's are the muts nuts with the atomization you get the drying time is next to none,just stand there and watch it dry in more or less seconds and personally i feel it is why the clear flattens out so well.

 

Is this silicone thing a common occurance? Ive heard this excuse several times now for poor paintwork.

 

not really a common thing tbh but every once in while something pops up to bite you in the *** lol,and its not the reason for poor paint work as it causes pockets that the paint just hasent been able to sit on or fish eyes as there called in the trade if the paint work looks poor it is down to the fact of who ever done it is no good,were as fish eyes need flatting back and re painting due to the fact there through the hole paint layer youve just put on.

 

you will find that a well kept car in regards to all the slimey,stickey bullsh1t some kids put all over trims and stuff can cause greif as nothing sticks when masking and occasionally it finds its way to whatever you are painting(not often)

let me say that if someone still sends a paintjob out the door with fish eyes in it then they are not the best of people to have do the job in the first place.its easy to paint YET HARD TO DO PROPERLY.if you pay peanuts you get monkeys !

what cost do you get that standox clearcoat in for as im after a source when i do a little on my scooby ?