RE: IML: Safety First
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RE: IML: Safety First



Something my Dad taught me many, many moons ago, is that common sense is not common.  Safety goes hand-in-hand with common sense.  And never be in such a hurry as to skip safety steps just to get a job done quickly.

 

I’m not nearly as eloquent as many who post here, or as verbose.  So hopefully the few words I do use, mean something.

 

Ken

67 Crown 4 Dr Ht

(thinkin’ about looking for a 69 2 door LeBaron)

 

 


From: mailing-list-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:mailing-list-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of randalpark@xxxxxxx
Sent: Sunday, September 17, 2006 7:43 AM
To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: IML: Safety First

 

This brings to my mind something else that isn't common knowledge. It also could come under the category of "nobody ever told me not to do this".

 

Cinder blocks must NEVER be used in place of jack stands. I have seen many cars held up this way, and two of them came crashing down once the cinder blocks blew apart from the weight. I have come across folks under their cars, while held up this way, and ordered them out. One time it was just in time, as the car came down shortly after that. The guy was about to punch me out for interfering, until he saw what the hoopla was all about right then and there.

 

Quality jack stands should always be used, and used properly to protect against injury. They should also be used as a safety with any jack, including hydraulics.

 

Paul W. 

 

 
-----Original Message-----
From: luxoliner@xxxxxxx
To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Sat, 16 Sep 2006 4:55 PM
Subject: Re: IML: advice - the pros and cons

So right Mikey.  Safety has to always be job #1.  I work at home along 99%

of the time and I am forever taking measures to be sure I don't get trapped

under something or have some other mishap that will cause the need for

emergency assistance.  We all forget the simple things too though, like

Thursday when I was welding something in the bench vise and neglected to

check the work bench for flammables left over from previous projects.  I set

some papers and rags on fire when some residue from a lawnmower gas tank was

ignited by the welding sparks.  It was a tense few moments until I managed

to grab the garden hose and douse the bench.  I felt so silly because that

is such an obvious error...I got careless.  I'm glad I had this little

reminder and nothing valuable went up in flames.

 

I also agree it is valuable for everyone to throw in their two cents because

no single person knows it all BUT, there is also a time to seek the advice

of those who have been there.  It is not always apparent, on a list like

this, who are the seasoned veterans and who are the back yard hacks (like

me).  Trust me, I know for one, Mikey knows his stuff.  This is not to say

Mikey know it all or is infalable, he doesn't and he is.  This is also not

meant to be a post about Mikey, it's a post about safety.  You can bet that

people who have worked in the industry for many years and still have ten

fingers and ten toes and can see with both eyes and hear with both ears have

a good idea of what it is to work safely.

 

Sometimes, those of us who have been wrencing a while, tend to forget to

point out the pitfalls that are associated with a particular project.  The

comment was made that "I wasn't told to NOT do it."  My advice is to always

work under the assumption that if you weren't told to DO it, then you should

NOT do it.  You need to take that with a grain of salt of course but it

remains true.  You can't assume it is ok just because the person or people

giving the guidance didn't point out every possible thing that could

possibly happen.  There are certain assumptions.  An example is, if I told a

person to jack up the car and remove the tire.  I would make certain

assumptions like, they will use axle stands to set the car on, they will

chock the wheels to prevent the car from rolling off the jack, they will

remove the rim from the car rather than prying the tire off the rim (because

I told them to remove the tire).  Some assumptions were made, some need to

be repeated, some need not be repeated, some often aren't but should be.  It

all comes down to our good friend "Communication".  Mine is not always that

great and things often end poorly because of it.

 

Anyway, thanks for all the good advice, people.  Thanks for letting me

ramble.  I think this is a topic that is not discussed enough, particularly

considering its importance.

 

----- Original Message -----

From: "mike and linda sutton" <mikanlin62@charter.net>

To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Sent: Saturday, September 16, 2006 11:12 AM

Subject: Re: IML: advice - the pros and cons

 

 

In the past 8 years on the IML I have learned quite a bit about much of the

who, what, where to get a lot of valuable parts and such for our cars.

Being a mechanic by trade has made the work itself pretty much a no brainer

for me but I do understand that not everyone has acquired the methods and

skills to do their own stuff,  but thats ok.  For whatever reason some folks

just dont want to, dont think they can, prefer to pay to have it done by

someone else or just never got the knowledge and skills to do it themselves

and thats fine,  for the people who are trying to learn thats

great...knowledge is power and theres nothing better than getting

knowledge - as long as its the correct knowledge.

 

Point being...today some of the best possible advice you can or will ever

get in your life about jump starting was given out by someone who definetly

knows his stuff in that area.  Im not here to cause a flame war or point

fingers but I have seen a lot of anecdotal advice given out since Ive been

around here that makes me cringe to think what kind of potential damage

could result to a car, or more importantly, to the person doing the work.

Usually its things of purely mechanical nature that if done wrong generally

only result in frustration,  possibly damaged parts and lots of extra time

wasted in trying to correct a problem.  Today it was on a subject that could

very easily result in SERIOUS damage to ones person and ones car.

 

I used to throw a lot more " how to......" stuff out, but often found it

being debated by people who were convinced they knew better, or that the

advice they got from their nephews brother in law's neighbors paper boy who

knows a guy who had a car that was kinda like that but it was different was

better advice than mine.  So I figured that if someone wants to throw money

out the window or do it the hard way, its their choice.  Still, Id hate to

hear someone caught themselves on fire , blew a battery up in their face and

is blind, dropped a car on their chest in their driveway ( happened to a

neighbor of ours once ) or anything like that.

 

Folks, PLEASE,,please be careful out there.  Most of the time youll never

have a problem but it only takes once.  Your car can always be repaired

after a mistake but you only get one set of eyes, ten fingers and two hands.

I tell my students you want to leave the shop the same way you came in every

day, we should all want that.

 

Thanks much

 

Mikey

62 Crown Coupe

 

 

 

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