TOPIC: Reason I gave up boat restoration

One of the reasons I gave up boat restoration is age related and having to crawl in and under tight spaces, working on my back upside down and feeling for tools that should be in arms length but usually aren't.
No boats anymore so I figured to do an easy car resto. Now I crawl under a dash board instead of a bow area. All this just to replace a dirty ignition key module. Go figure.

Oh boy... I feel the back pain already... but isn’t it satisfying when you fix it! Hopefully last time under a dash! I still appreciate the advice from all of your boat restoration experience, so please stay on the site even if you are now yachting over land.

Yep never say never! LOL

Bob

Funny, during my Century 18 resto, at one point I was lying on my side replacing a raw water pump. I was stretched out, on a soft runner on a carpet thinking how much better this was then lying under a 911 contorting my arms around the top of a tightly packed engine! Of course that is on an inboard....many i/o's are pretty much like working on tightly cowled cars.

Let's face it. Design engineers take extra measure to make things difficult for mechanics. On that honey above to change a timing belt just about the entire right side of the engine has to be removed starting with the wheel.
The good ol' days when you could stand up inside the engine bay to change a cartridge oil filter, spark plugs were right on top of an engine, Belts and pulleys could be changed kneeling on the front bumper, etc.

My first car was a 1957 Chevy. There was enough room between the radiator and the grill that you could stand there and reach anything you want. Now, when you open the hood , it takes most of an hour to get enough crap out of the way to even see the engine.
Bill

AMEN

after being a mechanic for 47 years I could tell you some horror stories that I have seen thru the years, wanted to make 50 but could not do it

I recently had a 1996 Chris Craft Concept stern drive with a big block Chevy. Chris Craft thoughtfully built in a non-removeable barrier (a 90-degree fiberglass wall attachment to the flooring) that completely blocked the front of the engine. It took me 2.5 hours to replace the raw water pump on that engine. Got her running fine and then down the road she went!

The engineers and designers always think about the poor guy that has to work on it later.
Bill