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Date:         Mon, 30 Jun 2008 22:14:45 -0500
Reply-To:     Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Do You Ever Wish...
Comments: To: Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@turbovans.com>
In-Reply-To:  <48697126.8070105@turbovans.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Many years ago I learned to accurately estimate the duration of a project in the real world: you simply come up with a measure of how long it should reasonably take, double that and go to the next unit of time. Example: Replacing a hose should take three minutes. 3 x 2 = 6 hours.

Rebuilding an engine should take two days. Therefore, it will take four weeks.

It's unbelievably accurate.

Jim

On Mon, Jun 30, 2008 at 6:49 PM, Scott Daniel - Shazam < scottdaniel@turbovans.com> wrote:

> almost without exception I find all projects have a way of expanding - just > how it goes on these 20ish year old wonderuful vanagons. > > Of course you could always grind down a normal small pair of vice gribs to > make a very narrow nose one. > I don't think I could function fixing cars without a basic bench grinder. > I must use it 5 times a day at least. > one really handy tool I don't see for sale too often - a really small vice > grips, like a 3 inch one, or maybe 4 inch ..........but smaller than the > usual small ones - fantastic little tool. > And while Americans only excell in some areas - like truck building ( > certainly not their cars ! ) and Boeing's aircraft say........... > one great device, and likely an american invention is the good ole vice > grips ! > Worked on Citroen cars with a Swiss guy in the 70's - he said he had never > seen a pair of vice grips until he came to the US. > And rust - oh yes.........just got to treat and permanently stop any tiny > spot of it ..........left alone it can only get worse. > Treated, which doesn't have to take long even- rust can be stopped totally. > And easily. > > scott > www.turbovans.com > > > > J Stewart wrote: > >> You could just back up a couple of hours and not have started a "project". >> That was me yesterday. At 2:00 pm I had just a floppy vent wing window. At >> 3:30 the whole drivers side door is torn apart. I thought this would be an >> "easy fix", not so. I now have the vent window completely removed, the >> rubber gasket off, and it's been sanded and repainted. But, as for >> tightening the tension itself, what a needless PITA! The head on the tension >> screw faces outward, and there is absolutely no way to get any type of >> screwdriver in there to tighten it. IIRC correctly, on my old Bays this WAS >> a simple job. I did check the archives AFTER I was in way too deep, and did >> see a good suggestion about using a pair of vice grips (would have to be >> needle nose) to get it there and tighten the screw. I couldn't get enough >> grip with just a regular pair of needle nose, and I don't have any needle >> nose vice grips-yet, I will soon. I just love it when what you think is >> going to be 15-20 minute jobs turns into >> hours. Oh well, the frame was starting to rust slightly, so at least >> thats some consolation that that is taken care of! Jeff >> >> >> >> >


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