Frosty Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 I really hate jokers like that Billy, nobody who puts people in danger or causes them pain for fun is a good guy and deserves nothing but disdain. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 TW, when i was in TX a freind asked if wanted to go back home with him to his family ranch. That is how i ended up trying to stay on a bull. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 I had a flat tire on my classic 1987 Chevrolet Cavalier Z24 hatchback. It went flat when we had all that nasty cold, snow & ice a couple of weeks ago. A couple of days ago after it warmed up a bit I took my air tank out to the car port where it lives and aired up the tire. I checked for the leak with some soapy water and found an old plug was leaking so I drove it over to the garage and replaced the plug. Checked it again and the new plug was holding just fine. I checked the air in the tire before driving it and it was low again so I pulled the wheel off and checked it again for another leak. Well it was leaking from the bead at the rim. I got to checking the service folder on when & where I had bought those tires and found out they were 13 years old Goodyear Grand Am radials. I guess I got my money's worth out of them and decided to buy a set. I found out that Goodyear discontinued that tire 8-10 years ago. The dealer said he had sold the last one he had in stock 3 years ago. About the only place I drive the old war horse anymore is to my mailbox a half mile round trip on the driveway, so I decided to take that tire & wheel to the dealer where I get my truck tires to see if it could be fixed. Threw it in the back of the pick-up and off I went. That dealer is about 15 miles from the house and it takes me about 20 min to get there. The weren't very busy and Steve one of the tire guys took one look at it and said it was so old and starting to crack, it was not repairable as it probably would fail (blow out) at highway speeds. I went inside to the office and had the manager check the Hankook line for a comparable tire. Hankook's are what I have on the pick-up and really like them. The Goodyear's are an odd size 215/60 R 14 and no one makes that size so Brad said he would check with his warehouse to see if they had any of the Goodyear's left in stock. They had 3 of them and the cost was now $285 a tire (ouch). Nope I would need 4 even if they could find another one. Brad said the closest tire that Hankook had was a 205/70 R 14 which should fit and be just a little taller. I knew there was enough room in the wheel well for it so I asked "how much". He said normally the were $125 a tire but he could let me have them for $110 so I said sold. Steve put the new tire on and put the other three in the bed of my truck. He said I should trailer the Z24 over to have the other 3 put on, especially if the others were in the same shape. I don't have a trailer the Z24 would fit on so I told him I'll be back with another wheel & tire in about an hour and will bring the other 2 tomorrow. Sure enough Got the second tire mounted and put back on the car. Good thing that I decided to do it that way as the tire on the other side had a noticeable bulge on the inside sidewall. Probably wouldn't have made it 5 miles on the highway before blowing out. I jacked the front end up and put jack stands under it and removed both front wheels and threw them in the truck. Good thing I have the equipment & air tools to do that or the job would have been a lot harder. I'll be on the road back over to the tire dealer tomorrow mid morning and by lunch time I should have the Z24 back on the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 I left the house at 10:30 hrs headed to the tire place. When I got there they were just standing around, so a couple of the guys grabbed the wheels and new tires from the truck and had them mounted, balanced and back in the truck in about ten min. I was back home and the wheels back on and torqued to 100 pounds on the Z24 by 12:15 hrs. Back on the road and what a difference in performance & handling. We watch a lot of NASCAR and those pit crews have nothing on me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 I am inside the shop pacing a little and debating. After about 25 years in the collision repair field with a bit of classic restoration experience, I decided to look around at some classic repair shops since classic and antique cars are more my passion and new stuff just brings me down with the direction it is going. Found a notable shop dealing in any manner of classics and applied to meet and see what they pay since I am doing ok where i am. Well I met with the gentleman of an owner and walked through. I could be a great asset to him but could he be an asset to me. Well, i was surprised by his offer to match my current pay. In hourly. There are some other bonuses but no healthcare. But can work 4 10's instead of 5 day. Also it is further away in the city so I really need to consider what is best. Will be debating and praying for guidance. A lot to consider. I am just rambling and debating a big possible decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 Aric, health insurance is a BIG deal, particularly because you have kids. Is it possible for you and the girls to be covered through your partner's insurance if she has it at her job? If not, you will have to look into private insurance. Also, most states have an insurance exchange where you can get health insurance if you can't get/afford it on the open market (aka Obamacare). This is one of those things that you always hope you and your family will never need but if you do it can get very expensive very fast. My late wife, Martha, used to say after she was diagnosed at age 53 with terminal cancer that everyone is just one diagnosis away from a life changing train wreck. I would say that unless you can figure this issue out it could be a deal breaker. I would ask the owner of the new place what he does for health insurance and what the other employees do. If they run bare and just pray that nothing bad happens that is not good. A lot of small employers cannot afford to offer health insurance any more. Maybe some of the folk here who are in a similar situation or are self employed can share what they do about this issue. George PS I don't recall if you are veteran but if you are you might check out coverage through USAA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 Thanks George. I am not a veteran. My current job has a few guys who opted out of the shops health ins. and got plans of their own. The shop pays them a certain amount per month in the opt out. My first order of business this morning was to talk to them and get their opinions of their ins. I also got the number of the company they went through. Insurance is a big factor since I am covering the girls. Liz doesn't have healthcare through her current job so that isn't an option. I will be calling to see what my options are and what the cost will be before I make a decision. My kids well being comes first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryFahnoe Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 Aric, just another person's perspective on navigating the complexities of health insurance. I'm in Minnesota and have been self employed periodically though now mostly retired. I have found Minnesota's healthcare marketplace (ACA exchange) to be quite helpful if for no other reason than to be able to easily compare plans side by side. I've purchased our health insurance through the exchange for several years now. Good luck with your decisions, kudos to you for thinking about how you can combine your passion with your livelihood! --Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 I can attest from personal experience that good insurance can mean the difference between spending lots on medical bills and having to sell everything just to survive. Just one ambulance ride can cost a couple thousand. I went from having a pretty fat savings and retirement accounts and darned good insurance to getting by on a little more than retirement and soc sec. One accident. Insurance is a must imnsho. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott NC Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 I agree with all of the above. I lost my job once and had to buy COBRA insurance and it fairly well chewed through my savings in short order. But it was better than not being covered if something did happen. I look at it this way, which isn't much help, but either you don't try something and never know, or look at it as "a bird in the hand" situation. It depends on the individual. I've gone for the brass ring a few times and won and lost. Whatever you do, I wish you the best, of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 Larry, Frosty, Scott thanks. Got two coworker approved companies to call tomorrow to see about getting quotes on policies. Price of that will determine how I move forward. It is easy to stay at a shop I've been at for 11 years and do have good friends at but I'd never know that "what if" of working on the cars I am more passionate about. Or the possibilities of making new connections for other things in my life like forging and art. I can't take a step backwards on my compensation tho, I've worked hard to be where I am. On a positive note if I do make a leap and things didn't work out I'm sure I would always be welcomed back here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott NC Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 Be very careful Aric. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 I'm not one to leap easy. (I also Hate moving my tool box and carts.) I have my girls to worry about first and that trumps my desires of what I would "like" to do. Just seeing if I can make that possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 Eric, I wish you luck. Another thing to consider is the distance from home to the new shop. Commuting can become a nightmare in the winter and in good weather it will definitely raise your blood pressure. When we lived in Florida my commute was only 15 miles and lots of time it took 45 min. due to traffic and accidents. South Florida drivers are possibly the worst or at least on a par with NYC. I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sail’s. Semper Paratus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 Yeah, that's an age old quandary Eric, responsibility vs. desires. Everything costs one way or another. When I transferred from the geology section and drilling to road maintenance I got to sleep in my own bed every night but my compensation dropped a good $20k / year. There were more things and my main reason held sway. The new foundations geo was a real piece of work it didn't take long to discover everything he had in life was the result of kissing butt and stabbing backs. He was insufferable so I changed. The money was nice but the job conditions were well worth it. It's a tough choice Brother, we're with you. Refractory sales, Maine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 Das, i feel ya on the moving tool box thing. Snap-on used to do it for you if you owned a Snap-on box but i think they quit doing that a long time ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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