Gotten ready to do something and one little voice in your head said, "You probably ought to get someone to help you." But the other little voice in your head said, "Aw man, you can do this by yourself. No problem." Yeah, right. Today, I was anxious to finish installing the rear glass in my freshly painted 49 Buick. I had done all of the others with no problem. So I listened to that second voice and tried to do it myself. I put two suction cups on the curved glass, tested them on the bench to make sure they were attached well (I thought) and then, just as I was lifting it into place one of the cups came off. Scratching and scuffing my new paint in 3 places. Damn! So, after I cooled off, I called my friend Mark who helped me safely put the glass in place and now it is installed. Coulda, shoulda, woulda..... Hopefully, my painter can buff most of it out. I don't think it went through the clear in most places.
I was going to like rocable's first post, but how can you like a post when someone screws up his new paint? If it didn't go through the clear it can be fixed pretty easily. If not it's a bigger bummer.
I came across that delicious when I was 13 or 14, I came up with that somethings are always better with a partner.
I know how you feel, I have done similar things because I am bull headed and think I can do it all myself.
. The bad news is it happened. The good news is it can be fixed, it could have been worse, could have broken your glass or worse yet you could have been hurt. I agree it sucks but most of my mess ups like that usually end up with me hurting myself, badly, or destroying the piece I'm working on.
Have you ever.....? YES, I have ..... and a couple days later, I try to fix the carnage that I have single-handedly created.
Sounds exactly like lots of things I have done. My first bad example of not asking for help was when I was still in high school putting a big block Chevy block in the trunk of my car by myself because I had to get it to the machine shop right now...couldn’t wait an hour or so for help. Back still hurts over that one.
Sometimes I'll step away sit, look, think, about all the bleep bleepity bleep damage I have created. Arms, legs, tools, projects and equipment. Then look for aid ( more than not my good neighbor ) More times,,,, ego, pride, stubbornness, and the words of a palomine " No guts no glory ", all start whirling in my head, pressure builds, and sometimes lose. sometimes win. Thanks for listening
I have a windshield and back glass to put in my 62 impala. I don't have anyone close to help me anymore so I'm going to call a glass guy to come down and put them in. It's not that I couldn't do it, but rather I have no one to help. I damn sure couldn't do it by myself. Hate having someone else do it but no choice.
I kind of thought what you may have said when the glass hit the paint. Understandable. I thought what you probably said when seeing what happened. There is a thread on what you listen to in the shop. Usually I hear what I say when something goes sideways and me wondering out loud where I put the last tool. I have to curb it now as there are little grandson ears around sometimes. We are independent and are capable. 90% of the time when we should ask for a hand we don't and we get away with it. I will help people and never ask for a hand. Last year I was cornered by my friends who insisted that they were coming over on the weekend to help with a job I was doing. I was told that I never gave them the chance to help back. Lesson learned.
freshly painted and glass, - to me means lots of soft blankets to protect the paint …… But yes, - the fresher the paint, the more likely that you will have an “incident”………
Hello, When we were 20 somethings, we had plenty of time to do whatever we wanted. Newly married, a nice sedan delivery in the two car garage, and plenty of things to get finished before we turned 30 or 40. A Hawaii trip was in the planning and so was a European vacation. So, plans were always there. But, for the little things that can go wrong with our hot rods or daily drivers, well, that is another story. In all of the years of playing around with hot rods, I never had to replace a worn out water pump on a car. Bolted on a new water pump with the motor on an engine mount was simple as twisting the wrench. For this repair, the 327 Chevy motor looked simple and easy. My wife and I were planning on going to a family function miles away and our daily driver, El Camino just got a full tank of gas and was doing well for us. But, as we pulled into the driveway, it made a squelching sound that scared the crap out of both of us. Luckily, we pulled right into the carport and I got out to assess the problem. It was the water pump on our red El Camino. After 120k of driving all over So Cal, Northern California, curvy coastal highway to S.F. Bay Area, the close by desert plains, Baja, Mexico and the local mountains, it finally gave up. Jnaki Since I had never done this removal and replacement before on a car, I looked at the motor and told myself that in two days, we had to be at this family function. So, I planned on what I had to do to get it fixed. It looked simple enough, start unbolting things, setting them out to show where it was going to go back when the finishing was going to take place. I had the whole thing taken off and the new replacement part sitting on my work counter. But, the deadline of the final repair and the impending family function loomed large, creating added pressure. It looked simple as things just started coming off. I thought I could remove and replace without taking out the radiator, but that was not the case. So, extra work in removing the radiator was time consuming, but it sat on the concrete waiting for its return. Now, the pressure of being cold in the carport, the impending due date of the family and my skills, were all a part of the hassle of doing the work. It took a late hour to get things removed, and the next day the return process of parts went slowly. We had other things to do that took up some of the daytime work hours. So, it sat for a day. Then as the final due date was fast approaching, I finally got the whole thing buttoned up and running smoothly. No leaks, grunts or funny noises coming from the El Camino. I was happy with the finished work. I had planned on finishing in one day, but luckily we had a 2nd family car for errands and appointments. The exposed carport still looked pristine and the El Camino was good for another round of local and long distance road trips. My wife was supportive by bringing me hot coffee and snacks. She never mentioned having to get to our family function as she knew that would add pressure to me. The El Camino lasted another 5k miles and then it got sold to a surfer from Dana Point. We needed a larger family car as our family grew by one little guy.
Yes, many times have created more work for myself. I attribute it mostly to my stubbornness and lack of patience. I work by myself, that can be a good thing, or a bad thing..but there's only one person to blame. Good luck on your self made blemish.
One (more) of the damnable things about getting older is having/deciding to hire someone to do things you used to be able to do yourself. At 72, I painted the machine shed roof but at 73, I'm getting help for the steeper barn. Of course, being able to pay for the help is another benefit that comes with age.
The Jalopy Journal
