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The King of the Parking Lot Repair


Comanche County
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Ok, just for fun.... :cheers:

 

Until proven otherwise by better testimony,,,I'm declaring myself "king of the parking lot repair". If you've done a bigger job in the parking lot of the auto parts store then please by all means relate your story and I'll relinquish my crown to the rightful king. If it becomes contested, then I guess will have to get Pete to settle it.

 

Its usually a frowned upon thing :fool: to fix your ride at the store, but sometimes it just can't be helped...(mostly because I could never afford a tow)

 

I've done a couple alternators, a few batteries, a water pump, but the one a while back that took the longest was the ignition switch. I went in to Napa, bought the switch, then persuaded them to loan me a steering wheel puller. The clerk said, "you can't do this here". The problem was the switch completely broke right when I pulled in, I couldn't unlock the wheel or get power. I told her, "no prob, it'll only take me about 15 minutes". I went out to the MJ and about 2 hours and some irate Napa employees later :rant: , I was back on the road. :banana:

 

I'm sure someone can take the crown,,,,anyone done a transmission, what about a whole engine?

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nothing at the auto store, but I've done an alternator in an interstate rest stop area 90 miles from home and any part of civilization, a starter in a grocery store lot, and a fuel pump in a U-store-em place parking lot.

 

Funny, all three were on the MJ...... :oops:

 

I do carry almost every tool I own in the toolbox in the bed (and wonder why I only get like 12 mpg)

 

Jeff

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As far as a parts store parking lot repair, I once had to replace the wheel studs on a rear axle after the lug nuts came loose and mangled the old ones.

 

In the parking lot of the Superlift ORV park I had to replace a leaf spring pack with a bastard pack made up of leaves from two XJ leaf packs and one MJ leaf pack.

 

Those are two that stick out in my head. I'm sure there are more, but most of the rest I remember right now were repaired on the trail.

 

Willy

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Ooh spring packs,,,,that's impressive. :bowdown: Definitely grittier than than the ignition switch, but not at an auto parts store, however, it must have been a nice sight to see the axle hangin out of the jeep, so....I'll go ahead and step down....unless someone wants to enforce the auto store rule,,,I'm kinda makin this up as I go.

 

reson46 is now King of the Parking Lot Repair.

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I guess it really aint a repair but, I went to oreillys to get some cap's for my vaccum lines for when i permently fix my CAD, (you know moving the fork over), got the cap's, walked outside and decided what the heck, ill need oil any way and i got the tools, so i just did the switch there in the parking lot. :D

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Don't know if it counts but I helped with an axle swap at a campground on an xj. I have done U-joints in parts store parking lots, on the trail, in campgrounds, on the side of the road, in the grocery store parking lot, in my parents backyard.......

 

Guess I should probably recheck the driveshaft angles on the cj huh? lol

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I replaced my radiator in the parking lot of an apartment complex. I rebuilt my entire VW beetle at various places (grocery stores, Walmart, parts stores, roadside), almost never had to do any work at home :clapping: Only had 3 fires in the thing too :ack:

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Well, I know Geonovast, and the members available to come, do everything in a car port... Including engine swaps, making a custom XJ convertible, and getting an XJ to fit on to an 4X8 trailer the fun way... :brows:

 

That count?

Rob L. :dunno:

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I seem to prefer to limp my way back to civilization by any means necessary. :dunno: blown axle, blown trans, water pumps, alternators, bad radiators, etc. most all on the daily commute. The blown ring teeth in the Dana 35 were fun. :fs1:

 

Worst out-of-the-way-fix was the water pump I replaced at a truck stop parking lot on 80/90 on the way back from Moab. (not the cool truck stops with restaurants or even gas, this was a glorified parking lot filled with sleeping semi drivers). And that was after an evening of continuously putting the belt back on after the pulley chewed off a rib and spit out the belt. that's fun to do... on the side of the freeway... in the dark. :ack: Eventually gave up when both my original and my spare belts only had 3 or 4 ribs each, called for reinforcements and spent my 3rd night of the trip in the truck. The next day Mike drove 3 hours to me and we fetched a new pump and belt from a not-so-local Autozone. Then i drove home. :D

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I tore apart a motor in a parts store parking lot once. It was on my first truck, a 1990 F-1fixme.

 

Found out I burnt up the #5 piston. Swapped in a 351 over the next week, in the same parking lot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I did work there though, so doesn't really count.

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if you say just in a parts store lot, than it would be the TPS on my old 87 xj while i was visiting my then-girlfriend in rockford, il.

 

as for out of the way repairs, i drove from grand rapids mi to rockford il on a saturday, took sunday to do a clutch in a friend's saturn on the side of the road, and drove back sunday night/monday morning to be at work monday. it was still cheaper for me to do that getting the parts here in mi and driving out there plus charging for labor and gas than it would have been for a local shop to do it in il :nuts: and by cheaper i'm talking a couple hundred bucks. by the way, you have to pull the engine to get to the clutch on those cars :nuts:

 

then there's the d35 that blew out while towing an mj home on a tow dolly, causing the left axle shaft and tire to fly off the road 100 yards or so that i rigged back together and limped home with the towed mj backwards on the dolly so that wheel straps held the shaft in place :D couldn't go over 30 mph or it started fish tailing from being so unstable.

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My best non auto store parking lot repair was a 90's Geo Metro. The motor was screwed, so we tore into it, all 3 cylinders of that beast. Before long, we thought why not just take it out, so we reached in and did. Pulled the motor by hand. I think by buddy put rings in it later and had it going again.

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Okay, not in a parking lot, but how about a repair to a Liberty tranny valve body in the front driveway (in an anal retentive town that has a bylaw against anything outside of regular maintenance) and in the household bathtub - all in February .....in Canada?

 

http://reddeerjeep.com/forum/phpBB3/vie ... 45rfe#p972

 

any points for that? lol

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ok i do 90 % of my work in the driveway no carport

i will list just part store parkinglot repairs

82 ruststang starter /u j/ timing belt / brake caliber

84 comaro radiator/master cylinder/brack line/tie rod end

81 chevy citation front half shaft /starter

88 ford van radiator

88 mj front hub /track bar / fuel pump/flat tire /fuel line x2/muffler/rear u j

82 550 ltd kowa sukee lol chain didn't get chain there but but it on there

i love my local advanced auto

this list is just my vehicals not including head lights wipers tail light

or other peoples cars that i have helped out when leaving store :cheers:

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