Tie Rod Lesson - don't work tired - Rant

JaxPilot

So this is a fairly non technical post, really just a rant about how stupid I can be some times.

Yesterday I got the tie rods installed on my build, and last night I went to put the final torque settings on the castle nuts at the wheel end. Tried to torque down the castle nut, but got to the end of the threads before it tightened up. Of course, I also had the nut installed upside down at first, because I did it without looking. Anyway, once I realized what was happening, I tried to get the tie rod end off the spindle riser in every way possible. Hammers, punches, and a few other things. Finally, after half an hour of banging and cussing, I unbolted the spindle arm riser but could not get it off due to the angle of the tie rod arm. So had to disconnect the other end from the idler arm.


Now, I still can't get the tie rod out of the hole in the spindle riser, even after putting it in a vice and hammering more. Then my 9 yr old walks into the garage and says, "Wow, Dad, I can really feel your frustration." At least I didn't totally take it out on him. I had him get my torch, I tried heating the spindle arm riser, banging more, and finally threw it on the floor in disgust.



Fast Forward to this morning, I'm having coffee and we are doing our morning family bible study, and it hits me. Two weeks ago I had bought a ball joint separator, and it was hanging on the pegboard less than 10 feet from where all the drama occurred last night.

45 seconds later, I'm done.


Morale of the story - don't work when you are really, really tired, use your brain before your brawn, and listen to your kids when they are being really perceptive.

BGW

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orangeman6

Haha. (Not laughing at you, laughing with you) 😀 Crazy how fixated we can get on something sometimes and kinda lose our minds.

I've been following your build, and it really is looking good. Keep up the awesome work.

dundeebarnbuggy

Been there,done that! I agree, sometimes the best [and safest] thing to do is go do something else and come back to it. Sometimes solutions float up through the sh,, er, mud in my brain.

mutant

wow-we must be brothers or something....i have done that more than i care to admit......


sometimes we just gotta walk away to get perspective....from the mouth of babes,and balems donkey come direction,whether we want it or not at the time-lol.

Swan

your latest pics are gone

crash test dummy

did a ball joint replacement a while ago ... could not find the wrench i had just used ... look everywhere ... then stood up to get another ... it fell out of my lap

JaxPilot

Reposting pics.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

dundeebarnbuggy

Bet you won't forget the pickle fork the next time you want to work on steering!

JaxPilot

Reminds me of one of my favorite sayings. "Experience is what you get just after you you need it the most."


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thetoddjohnson

I was frustrated that I couldn't find my iPhone while in the car. I knew it was in the car because the car stereo was playing music that was on the phone via bluetooth. When I got home I looked all around, in the glove box, in the console, on the passenger seat, etc. I figured it must have fallen between the driver's seat and the console, so I got down on my knees outside the car and shined a light under the seat. After searching for awhile I realized that the light I was using was the flashlight app on the phone. Doh!

TJ