Fixing my mistakes: part 3

"BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires" (biturbo228) 08/22/2013 at 13:18 • Filed to: Bimmer Fix

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Second haul of parts from the scrapyard. Got the fan and radiator I needed (plus an oil cooler, but I think it's toast). I'd have got a slam panel too but I had a bonnet fall down on my head pretty hard (the air box I had propped it up with shattered). Bled a lot, but I'm alright. Nice ladies at the minor injuries unit at the local hospital patched me up. Not sure what's in worse condition now, the car or me :S

Fitted the new fan and radiator, which happens to be quite a bit bigger than the old one. Same width, but about 4 inches taller. I think it's either from and M52 engine or a diesel, but it should fit fine.

Old and busted:

New hotness:

davedave1111 > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 08/22/2013 at 13:25

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Ouch. I sometimes wonder if I'm paranoid working on cars, because I do stuff like think 'oh, that bonnet could fall on my head while I do this' and prop it up. I tend to get a bit of stick for being overly cautious, but every now and again I hear something like what happened to you and feel vindicated.

The E30 has some daggerlike bonnet latches, and you really wouldn't want to take one to the head (pic not my car):

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > davedave1111 08/22/2013 at 13:34

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Definitely better safe than sorry. So far, a BMW E36 has tried to attack me on 4 separate occasions. First mine bent the stock jack that was holding it up, a couple of minutes earlier my head was under the car. Secondly it kicked out and put me into a barrier. Thirdly it burnt my hand, and lastly one in a scrapyard dropped a bonnet on my head.

I think they know I'm an Alfa fan.

davedave1111 > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 08/23/2013 at 05:08

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Hmmn... Maybe #4 was just the BMW giving you a well-deserved slap upside the head fr #1. You don't put anything under a car only supported on the jack , as I'm sure you know very well. Axle stands, man.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > davedave1111 08/23/2013 at 05:58

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I had a wheel under it, but it was positioned in the wrong place so the whole thing pivoted over it. Not clever.

davedave1111 > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 08/23/2013 at 06:30

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Not good. Some things you can leave to the fates, but when it's something as dangerous as holding a car over your head like the sword of Damocles, you're better following some sort of mental checklist/procedure. There aren't many things you can do working on a car that can actually kill you, but crawling under a lifted car is one of them if you don't take care.

We really need to start thinking about new ways of doing things, though. If it's just for a look underneath, you don't need to get under the car anymore: just get your phone/camera out and shoot some videos - with it taped to the end of a broomstick of necessary.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > davedave1111 08/23/2013 at 10:34

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If you're doing that trick you probably don't even need to jack the car up.

davedave1111 > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 08/23/2013 at 10:54

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Yeah, that's what I meant. We've only just got these cheap, HQ cameras, so it's not surprising that we haven't started using them yet, but I can't help thinking there are lots of improvements you could make.

Think about how many jobs there are where you have to take stuff apart because you can't see what you're doing, even though you can reach. If you had a camera on the tool you were using, you could work via remote image.