« such as they are! | Main | gender and gearheads. »
May 14, 2004
even more about cars! yeah!
wheels are on. the dude at the tire place found a very, very polite way to ask me why the heck i was replacing my stock alloys with ugly-ass steel wheels :) it was pretty funny. i explained that i wanted a cheap wheel that i wouldn't have to worry about scarring up, since i seem to have a tendency to do that. the hubcaps i'm using only cost $9 apiece so i can afford to have a spare and replace as necessary. plus they have a cool 50's space-age retro look which i feel is very appropriate for spacepod! and which is completely unavailable in the form of a more expensive wheel.
so there.
i finally filled up at the durham station that now has biodiesel, then swung by the auto parts store which i knew to have an alternator belt for my van in stock. doing a little manual labor seemed like kind of a fun non-stressful thing to do when i got home, i guess i haven't been exercising enough lately. (or AT ALL!)
with some effort, three kinds of wrenches, and a small, carefully controlled amount of wd-40, i succeeded in loosening up the two bolts that hold the alternator, but when i went to put the belt on found that it was much too large. damn! i wish i had an exact size that i could ask for, rather than giving them the specs of the vehicle and hoping their inventory system is trustworthy. i guess i will call around to other stores and see if i have better luck. or call the busdepot.com people and see if they can help.
Posted by lisa at May 14, 2004 07:35 PM | TrackBack
Comments
What was different about the computer geeks? Here's a guess. There's no way you're going to threaten a machanic's livelyhood, since all you're really interesed in is keeping your car on the road. Bonus attention because it's a cool car.
With computers, you're a direct threat? Or maybe the Computer geek thing is to make sure these kinds of concepts remain shrouded in mystery, where the mechanics would love for you to know more about your car, because it means less work (or at least less stupid, this-could-have-been-avoided, work) for them.
Also, you're not building cars, simply maintaining them. It's more akin to sysadmin stuff. Still, it is curious. Every time a chick has expressed interest in what I do for a living, I've always overwhelmed them with information (except for once). How did the computer geeks treat you?
Posted by: Jason! on May 16, 2004 10:15 AM
ok, so a) your comment won't post right away because i have to approve it first and b) you might get a server error but your comment probably posted anyway and c) previewing doesn't work so i've removed the preview button.