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How did retirement lead to fixing cars??!!

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by jerrymildred, Mar 4, 2022.

  1. ColoradoCrow

    ColoradoCrow Active Member

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    Congrats Jerry. JUst do whatever you want went you want to. You have earned it. I figure if you do side EGR,TB,IM cleaning on Gen 3's on the side after 4 jobs you can fund your Bolt for a whole year. LOL. Relax and travel with the Mrs.(y);)
     
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  2. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    I'm already considering another solo trip to Africa in May to help at the radio station there that I helped build. I have a Zoom call with them scheduled for tomorrow morning. Travel with the missus is definitely one of our ambitions.
     
  3. Montgomery

    Montgomery Senior Member

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    I recently retired from my full time gig at the Happiest place on Earth. I went back to my real estate appraisal business. I love the freedom of running my own business. I'm one of those who don't mind working until something tells me otherwise. But it feels good to still add my gifts and talents to the labor world. Dream job......Sales Rep for Hybridpit!
     
  4. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Prepping an auction car, getting it ready to put on the front lot. Found a way to make felt cylinders I had never thought of. Harriest car I've ever seen. Solid coating of long white dog hair on the floor mats and exposed carpet. Stinky, too. Had to take out the seats and carpet so I could pressure wash the carpet. Thankfully, it had leather seats so they were not too hairy. How do people drive in cars this nasty?!?! I felt like I needed an immediate shower after that.
    IMG_6118 Large.jpeg
     
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  5. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Have you thought of a good use for felt cylinders? Maybe it could be a post-retirement sideline.
     
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  6. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Color me jealous!
    Well.....except the climbing the tower part!!
     
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  7. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Hmmmmm. I may give that some thought. Or not. LO!!

    I'm with you on the tower climbing! I don't mind 20 feet or so, but I'm not a tower climber at all. We bring in the pros for that stuff.
     
  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    pros = fearless
     
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  9. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Matthew 28:19
    “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
    (There may be more than one way to interpret this, but I'm going to stick with what's been working for me. :D )
     
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  10. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    It's official. I am once again a "gentleman of leisure." I turned in my key and uniforms yesterday at Tampa Hybrids. What a year it's been. It about wore me out but I sure had a great time. Those guys really blessed me. And what a send off! They ordered in BBQ and a cool looking cake for lunch and even snuck behind my back get my wife there for the party without me having a clue. Besides eating, I spent most of the day doing and EGR replacement, fixing a very rough running 2009 that almost sounded like a broken connection rod. Turned out to be spark plugs even though there was no misfire (or any other code) triggering a dash light. And I had a chance to show them how much better an analog multimeter is than a digital for measuring ignition coils. Now I need to send them a link so they can get one.
    IMG_6130 Large.jpeg IMG_6131 Large.jpeg IMG_6134 Large.jpeg
     
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  11. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Congratulations Jerry!!

    Try not to over-work yourself on your retirement. ;)
    Somebody at church asked me if I knew when I was going to retire and I replied:
    "...about three days before my funeral!"

    Alrighty now...
    GET AFTER those Honey-Dos!!


    ------
    Stern Shot:

    If I'm ever in the market, I'm going to visit Tampa Hybrids.
    They look like a good bunch to do business with!
     
    #111 ETC(SS), Mar 2, 2023
    Last edited: Mar 2, 2023
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  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    How many EGR cleanings would you estimate you did there Jerry?
     
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  13. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Cleanings or replacements?

    I'd guess I cleaned somewhere around 350 of them. (coolers, pipes, valves, and intake manifolds) The last couple months, Rodney (the new guy) took over most of that, but I still gave him a break now and then.

    Replacements, I'd guess to be around 20-30. I did one on my last day and did two the previous week. So three out of my last four days.
     
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  14. ColoradoCrow

    ColoradoCrow Active Member

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    Congrats again Jerry! I has the last 6 weeks off in 2022 and loved my semi-retirement. Looking forward to the real thing. Agreed on Analog meters. For sure.(y)
     
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  15. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    LOL!! This thread won't die.

    Just before my sinus surgery last week, Todd asked if I'd like a gig job helping them with a project. They want to create SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for most things done there. They range from headlight bulbs to head gaskets.

    I'm pretty well recovered now, so today I went in and videoed the Gen 2 headlight job and the replacement of the Gen 2 inverter pump. The headlight is written up and ready for review.

    Obviously, I'm considering the contents of the SOPs to be confidential property of Tampa Hybrids. But Todd is considering making them into a YouTube channel once the written ones are done. That'll be fun!!
     
  16. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Tell Todd I will like, comment, and subscribe!!!

    If the vids include a G3 head gasket replacement I might even come buy one!!!
    I might anyway some day!!
    I like the way Todd thinks!
    If I were a little younger and a little wealthier I'd try to franchise a Tampa Hybrids West store..... :D
     
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  17. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    The SOPs will include the Gen 3 head gasket. That's one of the most complex things they do, so there's a lot of potential for time savings with a standard, efficient procedure that gives a quality repair in the shortest time. (We want to send the customer's car back to them ASAP, but don't want them coming back to have the same thing fixed again. And we don't want some other shop saying, "What a bunch of hacks!) But, being the most complex, we'll save it for later after we've honed our SOP skills on shorter jobs. Todd is still developing the list.

    Right now, Todd seems pretty enthused about the YouTube angle. We'll see how he feels when we get all the written stuff done. I'll be writing up the inverter pump SOP today. This will be a lengthy project.
     
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  18. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    @jerrymildred you guys are picking up a ball that’s been totally dropped, by Toyota: without fail, their repair manual outlines a total disassembly (of an engine, brake caliper, etcetera), NOT a specific step-by-step of a more common maintenance or repair process.

    Another idea for SOP:

    brake service (the in-depth, caliper off the rotor deal)

    Maybe Service/Repair documentation quality is sliding, across the industry, not sure. I suspect that slide accelerated with the demise of the paper (and/or pdf) manual. Attached is an example of a Honda Shop Manual, circa 1990 Accord. It's a clear/complete exploded view, acting as illustration, instruction and index, all in one.
     

    Attached Files:

    #118 Mendel Leisk, Mar 30, 2023
    Last edited: Mar 30, 2023
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  19. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Hmmm... So far, we're tackling Prius specific things like HG, EGR, hybrid battery, etc. I wonder if Todd will put brakes on his list. They are a little different. We don't usually do brake repairs, but it does happen.
     
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