Date: Fri, 6 Dec 2013 13:28:13 -0800
Reply-To: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Speedy
In-Reply-To: <52A21935.2040207@turbovans.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Speed and poorly done aren't always related. In most trades, given
unlimited time, anyone can get things almost perfect, eventually. In
the building trade, for example, your know-nothing basic laborer can
slowly put things together and get the job done pretty right, but a
journeyman or master builder can do the same job ten times over in the
same amount of hours and never make a mistake or let anything
'slide'...First you learn to do the job correctly and next you learn
to do the job more efficiently...quicker with few wasted steps, yet
still exactly right.
If you are working at an hourly rate you really do want to be able
work quickly without mistakes, and your customers will certainly
appreciate your speed...especially at the rates some shops
charge....So, the first time through a job, it might take say
5hrs....When you've done the job for years, and studied up on how to
get it done more quickly and better, too....You can cut your time way
down without sacrificing any quality...
The first set of stairs I ever built completely on my own,
shoot....it took me almost a full day just to get them laid out
correctly. ..and that was after about 2yrs of working with real
carpenters as an apprentice...... Now it takes me a few hours at the
most. The first time I pulled my trans in my Vanagon took me maybe
3hrs....Now I can do it in half the time, and I have only pulled three
of them...
Watching a really good fast mechanic work is eye-opening. I used
to be in awe of Alan at A & P Specialties down in Portland when I'd
take my super-complex and difficult to work on Porsche 928 in
there....He'd carry on a conversation and at the same time get work
done like lightning, work that would have had me diving into the 14
VOLUME factory shop manuals....
I agree, first comes quality, but then you have to keep on getting
better...speed it up and still make it right...unless you are working
on your own stuff....then you can dawdle along at whatever pace
pleases you, nobody cares much...
On Fri, Dec 6, 2013 at 10:36 AM, Scott Daniel <scottdaniel@turbovans.com> wrote:
> I could care less about speed..
> I am interested in quality.
> when I do a dash or heater box..there are nearly endless little tweaks..
> adjusting things, lubing things, addressing corrosion, improving things
> ..gluing weather stripping back on etc.
>
> Speed itself isn't worth jack unless it's an emergency, IMO.
>
> I have spent countless hours re-doing poorly done work on Vanagons. I
> almost specialize in it, or did.
>
> Scott
>
>
>
> On 12/6/2013 5:35 AM, David Bjorkman wrote:
>>
>> Wow Jim, that's pretty quick. Reminds me of the times (way back) at
>> Small Wheels shop when we used to compete to find how fast we could
>> pull a bug motor, drag it 30 feet out and back, and reinstall it.
>> Dave B.
>> On 12/05/13, Jim Felder<jim.felder@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>>
>> I can do a dash out, bust open box, replace
>> heater blower, seal box and reinstall dash in four hours.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Jim
>>
>>
>>
>
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