Bought my first car this week!

[Username1]

Polishing compound is more abrasive than wax, and there are several different
types, you can find at automotive paint supply stores.... Wax is very lite abrasive.

Sorry about your life, but get use to working. Your dad's job is like one of my wife's and
mine's friend, close to retirement she may end up retiring sooner.... who knows...
She is a medical biller or some kind, works for a Catholic based hospital I think.

It's not Obamacare's fault, health insurance and the health care industry is too
dam expensive for most people, you will find that out soon enough.....
Healthcare needs to be made affordable or it needs to close..... $10. Aspirin anyone...?

This is a time for you to prioritize what you need to do to secure your future. I have
not worked on a tv in 20 years as I worked my landscaping job after EET degree.
I graduated during the Regan Recession, Oil Slumped really bad, Economy SUCKED,
I stayed with my summer job because it was doing well.... My contributions to the
company made it doubly profitable, and I was well rewarded, In short use your
skills in any way you may need to....

You - graduating in the next few years.... You will be graduating during the Next
Republican Recession, and it will be bigger than the last. If you have not kept up
with current events, this "recovery" has not lead to better pay, or lots of jobs...
Be Very Careful how much Debt you accumulate NOW. My Mechanical engineering
cousin now about 60 has done most of his work designing pressure vessels, and
industrial production equipment related to pharmaceutical, and chemical processes,
in the last 20 years in India, China, and the Eastern BRIC countries. Today the
industry sucks, not much is designed here, his company now repairs existing equipment.

Many of the people I went to school with for engineering are now readjusted into the
service industry.

The world is a growing place, and growth takes place where it is most profitable.
Where costs are the lowest, where workers are exploited the most. Those who
choose to compete will be meeting those costs. AKA Being laid off and rehired with
a new title paid less, work more..... Sorry it's the new new reality for some...

Hope things turn out better....

PS Funny, before Avon, my wife worked for a growing advertising list company,
It was bought by a guy unlike the owner of Arbusto Oil, someone who
lost money on every business investment. Imagine not being able to find
Oil in Texass.... This guy bought the company,
sold off profitable parts, gutted it and eventually it was bought by a much
smaller competitor years later.... Kinda like your Dad's situation....
It worked out ok.... for now....

PS2 - That car..... Junk it for something cheap to run, and practical, till you
have the time and money for something to play with.....

.

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by maxhifi

That same polishing compound also works well on dull Bakelite radio cabinets.

Thanks, I've got a couple of sets which could use a polish, and plenty of the stuff left.

I got the new starter in yesterday after spending Thursday night prying it loose. I'd have gotten it unmounted a LOT faster if I'd have realized that the top bolt goes in from the back (instead I assumed it was missing since I could not see it). That bolt is easy-ish to get at from the open hood if you look for it and have arms as long as mine. After I got it off I let it sit in the cars front end until yesterday when I figured out that the easiest way to get it out is to steer left so there is enough of a gap between the suspension and the steering rods to slide it out of the nook it resides in. The gear teeth all looked good so I got and installed a replacement. It is back to working as good as always now.

The bad starter appears to be the original Motorcraft part ~38 years ain't a bad run for a part like that.


I built up some muscle prying the old one free. It is quite empowering doing work that most people I know would not know how to do much less want to try.



Warning to those wanting to read about cars the rest of my post is mostly way off that topic.

Squirrel boy I was starting to think you were a cool guy, but your last post makes you sound like a damn Commycrat.

Originally Posted by Username1

Sorry about your life, but get use to working. Your dad's job is like one of my wife's and mine's friend, close to retirement she may end up retiring sooner.... who knows...
She is a medical biller or some kind, works for a Catholic based hospital I think.

My Dad is a step below the Director of the employee benefits department knows more than her and has the credentials to back it up, and would have had her job after she retires were it not for this.

Originally Posted by Username1

It's not Obamacare's fault, health insurance and the health care industry is too dam expensive for most people, you will find that out soon enough.....
Healthcare needs to be made affordable or it needs to close..... $10. Aspirin anyone...?

Not Obamacares fault!?!?...BULLSHIT!!! Dad has been with that large nursing home operating company since the latter part of the Bush administration. When he started the company was prosperous most people there were getting good raises and bonuses the company rented out a HUGE Ballroom in the Marcus Center for the performing arts annually for the Christmas party, etc. Sure the great recession had some effect, but things were stable and relatively unaffected until Obamacare was passed....Then it all went in to the toilet Christmas party gone, bonuses almost non existent, raises essentially gone...I can count on one hand the number of people that got even a meager raise since that damned act passed (and the only one dad has got was due to him studying and getting additional credentials) the cost of living was near the margins of his salary before raises stopped and health insurance (thank you obamacare, thank you commy Democrat bastards this is exactly the opposite of what you claimed it would be) and other cost of living increases have squeezed us.
Healthcare needs to be affordable or close, you say? So by that that logic if you decide your to offer your RCA 630 set for $10000 the government should stop you form ever dealing in TVs again because it is not affordable? That is nuts! Ignoring the blatant stupidity of arbitrarily artificially putting an industry into layoffs during a massive economic slump....Do you have no concept of a FREE MARKET (which the USA is supposed to be)? In a free market a service (or product) is worth what someone will pay for it. If there is no customers due to expense the service ceases to exist or changes to meet demand. If a service survives on the rich and pockets obscenely large profits and there is a market for that service that is priced out then someone WILL come along and cater to that market with a cheaper leaner equivalent service. Whenever I hear a liberal prattle BS like that and tell those they have disenfranchised that they are fine and to shut up about their plight and not let the world know, a little voice in the back of my head starts of dreaming of subjecting them to horror movie like torture.
As for 10$ aspirin, etc, the Pharmaceuticals are corrupt pirates who spend several times more advertising sex pills than actually researching new medication, price fix, and hide behind patents to extort the American people for their meds, which often are dangerous poorly tested crap....Obamacare did not do a DAMN THING about that, and guess what none of the Democrats, Washington establishment republicans, and even some of the staunch conservatives will NEVER do a thing about it since the Pharmaceuticals BRIBE (oh, wait they call it lobbying) the crap out of washing ton to preserve their cartel. All politicians but the staunchest of conservatives are too damn greedy not to fall for it so it sadly may never get addressed.

Originally Posted by Username1

You - graduating in the next few years.... You will be graduating during the Next Republican Recession, and it will be bigger than the last. If you have not kept up with current events, this "recovery" has not lead to better pay, or lots of jobs...

Many of the people I went to school with for engineering are now readjusted into the service industry.

I graduated at the end of May and got my diploma. I have not seen a recession that can be blamed on republicans. The Current recession that started during Bush's lame duck period was caused by Democrats in the house/senate and democrat/commy groups like Acorn (who Obama was part of) who pushed Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac to issue all those sub-prime loans, against sane banking practice, that set the economy up for the great recession. I remember Bush himself coming out against it and warning of what was to come, but he was powerless and his words went unheeded.
Recovery?...What Recovery things ain't in free fall no more, but improvements ain't happening either, and I don't believe the positive federal jobs reports any more...Every new one seems to come with a message saying the previous one was wrong and things are grossly worse than reported....Never mind that we've been doing this for many years and were more accurate before this administration that you can't do anything to make look bad, oops aren't we ditzes?....Please ruling party don't crush us and make us put out completely bogus data that totally ruins our remaining credibility.

Originally Posted by Username1

PS2 - That car..... Junk it for something cheap to run, and practical, till you have the time and money for something to play with.....

Sure, but let's see you junk that 80's Dodge Dakota, or your tube TVs first. I'd rather have a cheap gas guzzler that I can do most of the repairs on my self, than an over priced modern efficient planed obsolescence mobile that I have to take to a shop every time it needs an oil change. I own my car for the same reason I use only tube signal chain TVs: I understand/can easily grasp what goes on under the hood, can do most important work my self, refuse to give a damn about efficiency, and like the style and service I get more than anything modern I could get for the price.

[Jon A.]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

Sure, but let's see you junk that 80's Dodge Dakota, or your tube TVs first. I'd rather have a cheap gas guzzler that I can do most of the repairs on my self, than an over priced modern efficient planed obsolescence mobile that I have to take to a shop every time it needs an oil change. I own my car for the same reason I use only tube signal chain TVs: I understand/can easily grasp what goes on under the hood, can do most important work my self, refuse to give a damn about efficiency, and like the style and service I get more than anything modern I could get for the price.

Neither of us could take a 20-year hiatus from the TV hobby, we would go nuts! It all depends on how hardcore the hobbyist is. For some it can be a respite in trying times. Sure it's costly, but I do what I can, when I can. Since I got into this I have compensated for lack of equipment/good TVs/parts by reading up on the subject. I have a decent amount of that stuff now, but still a long way to go.

If I don't like looking at something and/or it's made on the cheap, it's worth nothing to me. That rules out most new cars, electronics, appliances, furniture. If I really like something but can't fix or use it right away, it will sit for as long as it takes to remedy the situation, but junking is out of the question.

About this particular car, I too am impressed by how well the wax worked. I'd do something about that rust very soon though and eventually get the quarters re-painted.