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Date:         Wed, 18 May 2005 18:30:49 -0700
Reply-To:     Michael Elliott <j.michael.elliott@ADELPHIA.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Michael Elliott <j.michael.elliott@ADELPHIA.NET>
Subject:      Re: It's never that easy (WAS: SS version of luggage rack bolts?)
In-Reply-To:  <47a0d976d06c0bba78afb05785ba6592@knology.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Oh well now you're talkin'. It takes a real man to walk up to the counter, sit on one of them stools, catch the eye of one of the surly fellows who are always looking through those gigantic catalogs, get them to acknowledge your presence, and come over to help rather than vanish into the stocking area for 20 minutes.

Then comes the real test: to ask for a part with a confident, knowing voice so that they know that you know exactly what you are talking about; yet with enough humility in your tone so as not to appear a pain in the ass customer-who-is-always-right; and with a smidge of folksiness (think G.W. Bush) that says "I'm a rough and tumble kind of guy just like you, who enjoys a cold beer at the end of the day and ain't above telling a few off-color jokes just to pass the time. I am not some effeminate poofter."

Which is all 180 degrees away from how quickly one-a them blue-jowled counter men can reduce me to a stammering ninny who finds himself asking if they have muffler bearings even though I know there is no such thing. Totally humiliated, I walk out of the store with an air freshener and a bag of wire ties, having completely forgotten what I went in for in the first place.

--

Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus 83.5 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana") KG6RCR

On 5/18/2005 4:38 PM Jim Felder wrote:

> Today I stumbled into fastener heaven, a real fastener store, they have > EVERYTHING but 8 x 80mm oil pump bolts, which I had to order over the > counter, which feels quite manly. > > It's called Fastenall, see if there's one in your area. Throw out the > viagra and get real counter help. > > Jim > > On May 18, 2005, at 5:44 PM, Rocket J Squirrel wrote: > >> Yes, but dagnab it, a fellow needs to go to a decent hardware store >> and find his own darn parts! Ordering bolts over the Internet makes me >> feel . . . well, less than manly. >> >> -- >> >> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott >> 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus >> 83.5 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana") >> KG6RCR >> >> >> >> On 5/18/2005 2:54 PM Jim Felder wrote: >> >>> Last weekend I got around to replacing my point iron luggage rack >>> bolts >>> with gowesty non-pointy SS replacements. No issue, no problems. Don't >>> need the point. >>> >>> Jim >>> >>> >>> On May 18, 2005, at 4:12 PM, Rocket J Squirrel wrote: >>> >>>> I popped into my local branch of West Marine. They have lots and lots >>>> of >>>> stainless hardware. But the bolts that hold the front of the luggage >>>> rack are metric. 6mmx1. Now, finding stainless hardware is a bit of a >>>> challenge. Add truss head style heads (or even oval heads and SS >>>> finishing washers to the mix as Lucas kindly suggested in p-mail) and >>>> you're looking at specialty items. Then add metric to the mix and my >>>> goodness availability drops quickly. >>>> >>>> Go Westy it is, I reckon, having struck out at the local drive-by >>>> suppliers. >>>> >>>> -- >>>> >>>> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott >>>> 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus >>>> 83.5 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana") >>>> KG6RCR >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> On 5/17/2005 9:36 PM Rocket J Squirrel wrote: >>>> >>>>> I pulled Mellow Yellow's luggage rack to see what kind of crud had >>>>> accumulated under it. Not too bad, dried leaves and other vegetable >>>>> matter, dirt. I reckon I will put some hoses under the drain holes >>>>> and >>>>> route them to the rain gutters. Those four truss head bolts have >>>>> been >>>>> leaving rust streaks down the sides of the rack. I'd like to replace >>>>> them with stainless hardware. They have pointy noses, though . . . >>>>> not a >>>>> standard bolt at all. Does anyone have any idea where something like >>>>> this can be found? >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> >>>>> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott >>>>> 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus >>>>> 83.5 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana") >>>>> KG6RCR >>>>> >>>> >>> >> >> >


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