"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
06/23/2020 at 11:47 • Filed to: Rust rust and more rust
5
38|
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
06/23/2020 at 11:47 • Filed to: Rust rust and more rust | 5
| 38 |
Yesterday Razorbeamteam showed us that he found !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! in a Chicago area junkyard. Interested in seeing this “celebrity” vehicle in person, I inquired which yard it was in. Well go figure, it’s at Victory Auto Wreckers in Bensenville. This is by far the closest yard to where I live, and the same yard where the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! met its end.
Razorbeamteam told me David had asked for more pictures and for the turn signal lever to be pulled. With a little time on my hands and the forecasted rain being pushed back, I tossed a tool bag into the cavernous storage compartment of my Hooligan and headed to the junkyard.
I pulled both the lever and I decided to grab the passenger ... err ... drivers side mirror. It just looked neat to me for some reason.
Now, I love David and his articles. I’ve met him, I consider him a friend even though we only met the one time. I’ve defended him and I stand by everything I’ve said about him.
That said, I was taken aback by how bad it really was in person. As bad as you think it was, it was worse. I believe him when he says it was in good mechanical shape. I don’t believe he was putting anybody else in danger. But you could not drive this thing if you value your own personal safety in any way. My scooter is far safer than this thing.
Here is a small sample.
E90M3
> shop-teacher
06/23/2020 at 11:50 |
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He seems alright, apart from his blatant and utter disregard for safety of himself and anyone else on the road.
Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
> shop-teacher
06/23/2020 at 11:53 |
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POStal has a part that is worth saving? This is news to me!
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shop-teacher
> E90M3
06/23/2020 at 11:53 |
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I don’t believe driving this put anybody else in danger, but it absolutely put himself in danger.
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shop-teacher
> Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
06/23/2020 at 11:54 |
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I didn’t say the parts were worth saving, just that they were neat :)
facw
> shop-teacher
06/23/2020 at 11:55 |
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Here is a small sample.
Kinja’d?
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E90M3
> shop-teacher
06/23/2020 at 11:55 |
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IIRC, there was one time he was doing under 40 MPH on the interstate.
farscythe - makin da cawfee!
> E90M3
06/23/2020 at 11:57 |
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eh...since i learnt hes an engineer it all makes perfect sense to me
anyhoo....im reasonably sure his jeeps will disintegrate if they hit anything harder than a wet newspaper
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facw
> shop-teacher
06/23/2020 at 11:57 |
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For anyone who didn’t see, David chimed in on the other thread:
It’s a real shame.
I really hoped this thing would get picked up by a rural mail carrier (ideally one not in the rust belt), who would daily-drive the Jeep for another five or ten years.
By the time I was done with it, the Jeep was in really decent mechanical shape (which I realize is hard to believe given how it looks), as proven by 4,500 miles of pretty much trouble-free (well, minus a remanned Autozone master cylinder failure) driving and serious off-roading in Moab. I put the Jeep through the wringer, and it just shrugged everything off like a champ.
But alas, Project POStal’s time came early (Actually, that’s not true. When I bought the DJ-5, it already had three wheels in the junkyard. So really, I gave the Jeep some extra time on this planet). I’ll pour out a little antifreeze, as POStal liked to do from its rear freeze plug.
https://oppositelock.kinja.com/1844127579
I think this being daily driven for 5-10 years is a bit unrealistic, but always sad to see a car you liked reach the end of its life.
nerd_racing
> farscythe - makin da cawfee!
06/23/2020 at 11:59 |
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What’s the Engineer comment supposed to mean?
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facw
> farscythe - makin da cawfee!
06/23/2020 at 11:59 |
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The postal J eep was rear-ended by a Hummer H2 and mostly survived. Looks like since David sold it, it’s taken some front end damage without completely destroying it as well.
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Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
> E90M3
06/23/2020 at 12:01 |
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The person that hit him in a h ummer sure didn’t seem to mind.
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farscythe - makin da cawfee!
> nerd_racing
06/23/2020 at 12:01 |
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mostly just that engineers think differently
i figured david was a little bit off in the head till i learnt hes an engineer
take it you’re an engineer?
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farscythe - makin da cawfee!
> facw
06/23/2020 at 12:02 |
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well....good...means david aint dead
but also thanks for immediately shooting down my only slightly hyperbolic point :p
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shop-teacher
> facw
06/23/2020 at 12:02 |
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Yep. Should be there now.
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shop-teacher
> facw
06/23/2020 at 12:03 |
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Yeah, a rural mail carrier is probably going to want a vehicle that can keep the mail dry. That thing couldn’t.
lone_liberal
> shop-teacher
06/23/2020 at 12:04 |
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I think David seems like a good guy who has a hoarder tendency and severely rose tinted glasses. If left to his own devices he would have been one of those guys with a junkyard where his yard should be and a grand plan to fix everything that never seems to happen. Hopefully the city cracking down on him will help him get some balance in his life.
Sovande
> shop-teacher
06/23/2020 at 12:05 |
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I’m fascinated by this dude. I respect his can-do attitude and his willingness to tackle seemingly difficult projects on a limited budget. But I extra don’t respect that he doesn’t know when he is in over his head. The welds on that Jeep look like day one practice welds and he doesn’t seem to know any better or to care. And it’s certainly not limited to this particular heap of shit. It’s all of his heaps of shit. If he’s on a closed course someplace it’s all fine. When you take it on a public road and potentially put others at risk is where I have an issue. His stories used to read like it was him against all odds. They now read like he has placed a bunch of self-imposed time constraints on his projects and his abilities. It’s not that interesting to keep reading how bad someone is at planning, execution and know how.
The Snowman
> shop-teacher
06/23/2020 at 12:11 |
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Still kinja? I just see one picture of the interior roof and it looks better than I would have thought.
vondon302
> shop-teacher
06/23/2020 at 12:13 |
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I was shocked too.
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nerd_racing
> farscythe - makin da cawfee!
06/23/2020 at 12:50 |
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That is true, most Engineers are different thinkers.
Guilty as charged, I figured you were going to get into the whole “Damn useless Engineers” rhetoric.
One of the things I like to look for when hiring other Engineers is experience working on vehicles. It builds a certain type of problem solving skills that come in pretty handy.
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shop-teacher
> lone_liberal
06/23/2020 at 12:53 |
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Agreed.
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shop-teacher
> The Snowman
06/23/2020 at 12:54 |
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Look at the seam where the roof meets the side of the vehicle.
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shop-teacher
> Sovande
06/23/2020 at 13:03 |
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He definitely has issues with prioritizing what should and should not be done, and in what order. I can see him learning and getting better throughout the process of these articles. He’s never claimed to be an expert. He’s a guy with zero training diving in and figuring things out, with a level of commitment that is above and beyond. Sometimes ... often times... to his own detriment.
I do not agree with those who insist he was endangering others. There are valid points made, but I still believe the only person he endangered is himself.
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farscythe - makin da cawfee!
> nerd_racing
06/23/2020 at 13:04 |
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lol nah i dont think engineers are useless
its just that they focus on the can we...and ignore the should we...or will this be a huge pain in the arse for the techs
theres a reason by the time im putting together a machine for a customer im working from drawing *insert number* revision 12.8
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farscythe - makin da cawfee!
> farscythe - makin da cawfee!
06/23/2020 at 13:20 |
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im a tech btw...i may be a little bit biased on that point
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Sovande
> shop-teacher
06/23/2020 at 13:34 |
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I think he has gotten worse as his confidence has grown. Thinking you can do all is fine if you can support that claim. If not, you end up tackling projects outside of your abilities. Welding up a set of shelves for your garage is one thing, repairing your vehicles frame with no training and no discernible skill with a flux core Harbor Freight 110V welder and then driving it 1500 miles is another. It’s a dangerous and the scary thing that David (and many more like him) don’t seem know that or don’t seem to care.
I will agree to disagree on the safety thing.
I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker
> nerd_racing
06/23/2020 at 13:38 |
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Are you an engineer? Most of the job of an engineer is making concessions. When you let that mentality spill over into your personal life and hobbies, well, this is the result.
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I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker
> Sovande
06/23/2020 at 13:45 |
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The welds on that Jeep look like day one practice welds
One time I was driving with my dad, and we saw what looked like a Harley with the back chopped off and a car trailer welded in its place, with an appropriate setup to make this contraption drivable. I forget the exact wording, but to paraphrase: “some people just shouldn’t have a welder. That shit is like putting a meat grinder on a baby stroller.”
POStal is a meat grinder on a baby stroller.
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The Snowman
> shop-teacher
06/23/2020 at 14:07 |
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Yeah I see that but I guess my shotbox standards are really low lol.
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shop-teacher
> The Snowman
06/23/2020 at 14:10 |
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Ha!
Urambo Tauro
> shop-teacher
06/23/2020 at 20:04 |
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Man. Project POStal’s final resting place. It’s k inda sad, but I’m glad the Jeep was made functional enough for one last hurrah before ending up there. Say, I’ve actually ridden in that thing, maybe I should get a T- shirt saying I survived it!
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shop-teacher
> Urambo Tauro
06/23/2020 at 20:32 |
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Lol! You should!
I wish he had let this one be, and focused his energy and money on some of his better Jeeps. He could have the Golden Eagle back on the road and looking great.
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nerd_racing
> I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker
06/24/2020 at 06:55 |
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I am an Engineer. I like to think I leave that part of my life at work at the end of the day though. But yes, can see how it would be problematic if it consumed all aspects of life.
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nerd_racing
> farscythe - makin da cawfee!
06/24/2020 at 08:36 |
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There are plenty of useless Engineers out there. Let’s just say I try to make sure my team takes into account ease of use, service, and repair when they are doing design work. Sometimes the bean counters really make it difficult, same with packaging, and ownership too.
David Tracy
> shop-teacher
06/26/2020 at 00:17 |
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Thank you for t he photos! ( For those of you with concerns or confusion about my builds , my response from last year should clear some things up. Cheers! ).
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shop-teacher
> David Tracy
06/26/2020 at 08:24 |
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You're welcome!
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facw
> shop-teacher
06/26/2020 at 14:21 |
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Time to put auto photographer on your resume: My Heroic $500 Postal Jeep Is Officially Dead In A Junkyard
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shop-teacher
> facw
06/26/2020 at 14:51 |
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Oh wow!