Parking Lot Engine Swap Update

"Justin Hughes" (justinhughes54)
04/14/2015 at 18:54 • Filed to: None

As I previously posted, on Sunday I saw these guys swapping out a Civic motor in my parking lot. They didn't finish. The replacement motor is on the ground under the engine bay, and the dead motor is sitting on the grass in front of the car.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

As you can imagine, this doesn't go over well in a condo complex. When I got home from work, there were violation stickers all over the windows, including a note that the car will be towed on 4/15. That's tomorrow. I have no idea how they intend to tow it. It's up on blocks, not all the wheels are there, and then there's the problem of random motors strewn about. There's also no way they can possibly finish the job in time. Since they've made no progress this week, I assume the guys work for a living.

On the one hand, I get it - it's an eyesore, and they definitely shouldn't have left a dead motor sitting on the grass. It's also taking up one of only four visitor parking spaces for the entire building. On the other hand, it's pretty clear to me that these guys were only doing this because they can't afford to take the car to a shop, and can't afford to replace it. They can't even afford decent tools. So if/when the car gets towed and impounded, they probably can't afford to get it back.

I only hope that this situation doesn't cause some complex wide total ban on car wrenching to come down. I don't do much, but I don't want to get fined for swapping wheels or changing brake pads...

DISCUSSION (26)

Textured Soy Protein > Justin Hughes
04/14/2015 at 19:05

I am familiar with these kinds of issues .

(I also no longer live where the issues occurred.)

505Turbeaux > Justin Hughes
04/14/2015 at 19:08

still, the respect-o-meter for getting shit done any way possible is tending towards favorable

I cut the goddamn roof off a 2002 with a sawzall in my apartment complex then banged some 220 for a welder off the dryer in the basement to weld the doors up so I could have a roadster. Fuck em

Tim (Fractal Footwork) > Justin Hughes
04/14/2015 at 19:10

this needs to be a liveblog thing, or like the Twitter #roofbreakup

Can we get a live camera crew onsite? New reality-TV show?

Parking Lot Engine Swap!

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Justin Hughes
04/14/2015 at 19:10

Ugh, I wish I were good enough to do my own swaps.

E. Julius > Justin Hughes
04/14/2015 at 19:11

Kinja'd!!!

Nice scooter

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > 505Turbeaux
04/14/2015 at 19:11

I'm almost afraid to ask why such desecration occurred.

505Turbeaux > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
04/14/2015 at 19:14

I got 3 of them for free that I drove home, why not? This was a rat in flat black, square taillight car with diving boards.

For Sweden > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
04/14/2015 at 19:14

Except this isn't fake.

PS9 > Justin Hughes
04/14/2015 at 19:15

They could have rented a storage garage for a week or so. They've got the money for that if they have the money for another engine.

It sucks that the condo management is coming down hard on them, but it's not like they didn't know that was going to happen. Lack of garage space and bitchy management are two of the reasons why you wouldn't catch me in a condo or similar complex. Third is shitty neighbors who love loud music + paper thin walls with no sound deadening at all built to a cost is always going to be an awful combo.

PS9 > E. Julius
04/14/2015 at 19:16

k20 scooter swap.