Anyone never made a bad decision?

[440 PHIXX]

Do ya have to put in time off that far in advance?

Yeah. They want 6 weeks notice if you are taking off more than a day. My boss asked me if I wanted to come in Saturday. Ahhh… No.

 

[68BabyBlue]

bad decisions? let's look a little closer.........

the way I justify all the stupid things I have done; in my mind, anyway..........if I had done even ONE thing differently, or even a few minutes later, or sooner; I may have wound up in the wrong place at the wrong time and wouldn't be here to type about it.

Some decisions that looked like bad ones initially, led me down a path that proved to be a good deal in future years.

 

[Cranky]

Yeah. They want 6 weeks notice if you are taking off more than a day. My boss asked me if I wanted to come in Saturday. Ahhh… No.

I guess that was one of the good things about where I worked. Once I had been there awhile getting time off was easy....but I'm thinking they were happy to see me gone

 

[440 PHIXX]

I guess that was one of the good things about where I worked. Once I had been there awhile getting time off was easy....but I'm thinking they were happy to see me gone

I’ve been at my place for 28 years. If they could find someone younger, who could speak English, who maybe spent a few dollars on tools… I’d be out the door.

Lucky for me, no one under 40 seems to want to work in a machine shop. I can’t say I blame them!

 

[68BabyBlue]

I’ve been at my place for 28 years. If they could find someone younger, who could speak English, who maybe spent a few dollars on tools… I’d be out the door.

Lucky for me, no one under 40 seems to want to work in a machine shop. I can’t say I blame them!

Was the same way in the trucking business, or I never would have made it to 69.

 

[Cranky]

I’ve been at my place for 28 years. If they could find someone younger, who could speak English, who maybe spent a few dollars on tools… I’d be out the door.

Lucky for me, no one under 40 seems to want to work in a machine shop. I can’t say I blame them!

Man....I really liked working in a machine shop especially on the 'off shift' and getting to use lots of machines for me lol. I'm glad I didn't experience the ones that didn't want to work because that crap doesn't fly with me. Oh I had plenty of butt time but worked when it was needed.

 

[440 PHIXX]

Man....I really liked working in a machine shop especially on the 'off shift' and getting to use lots of machines for me lol. I'm glad I didn't experience the ones that didn't want to work because that crap doesn't fly with me. Oh I had plenty of butt time but worked when it was needed.

We have Bridgeport’s and manual lathes, but most of the time I program and run a 5 axis CNC 65x35 vertical machining center. But yeah, it helped last year when I had to ream the front hubs to fit the new studs. Doing that on a Bridgeport, everything was perfectly centered to the drums.

 

[Cranky]

We have Bridgeport’s and manual lathes, but most of the time I program and run a 5 axis CNC 65x35 vertical machining center. But yeah, it helped last year when I had to ream the front hubs to fit the new studs. Doing that on a Bridgeport, everything was perfectly centered to the drums.

Did a little bit of 'NC' work in the late 70's but got on at the Exxon Refinery Baytown 3 year apprenticeship program and the first time to walk into the Central Shop I thought....WTH.....was like walking into the stone age lol but learned a lot with the manual stuff which would have never learned with the NC stuff. Did enjoy running them and 'modifying' the program (tape machines back then) because our programer sucked and pretty bad. Wasn't hard stuff at all and the memory bank at the machine had the ability to accept and edit the program and spit out a new tape.

 

[eldubb440]

another thought....... you will always remember the "bad" decisions; and always ask yourself, "what if?"

 

[440 PHIXX]

Did a little bit of 'NC' work in the late 70's but got on at the Exxon Refinery Baytown 3 year apprenticeship program and the first time to walk into the Central Shop I thought....WTH.....was like walking into the stone age lol but learned a lot with the manual stuff which would have never learned with the NC stuff. Did enjoy running them and 'modifying' the program (tape machines back then) because our programer sucked and pretty bad. Wasn't hard stuff at all and the memory bank at the machine had the ability to accept and edit the program and spit out a new tape.

It’s amazing what the machines can do today. And the repeatability. But it is becoming a lost art. A guy that can make a part from a print on a manual machine. I use the big CNC as a “manual” occasionally because the engineers can’t figure out anything without a model on their software. The funniest thing is when they want me to machine a casting, and hold +/- .005 from the machined edge to the cast surface. On their silly “3D” model, all the cast surfaces are straight and square. It’s amazing that school can’t teach common sense. Those guys get paid better, so who’s the dummy?

 

[eldubb440]

But it is becoming a lost art.

there is a lot of that happening, across the board....... and it's happening very fast

 

[440 PHIXX]

there is a lot of that happening, across the board....... and it's happening very fast

I can’t find a shop that will do a front end alignment on my ‘68 Satellite. There’s only 6 adjustments, because I’ve already set the height. The racks today have a computer that needs the make, model, and year input. It only goes back to ‘88 in all the shops I called. These “auto technicians” today are not auto mechanics.

 

[eldubb440]

I can’t find a shop that will do a front end alignment on my ‘68 Satellite. There’s only 6 adjustments, because I’ve already set the height. The racks today have a computer that needs the make, model, and year input. It only goes back to ‘88 in all the shops I called. These “auto technicians” today are not auto mechanics.

there is a guy in Medford Lakes, not far from Atco dragway....... Jack's alignment, if he's still active he might be your guy

 

[440 PHIXX]

there is a guy in Medford Lakes, not far from Atco dragway....... Jack's alignment, if he's still active he might be your guy

Thanks! A bit far though. I really do have to start doing it myself. I got it drivable by eye, but can feel it acting funny in the rain. I need to get some turntable plates to do it right. I’m still running points in the car because it’s a big block. Imagine asking one of these auto technicians to do a tune up on that! My wagon has the 273. I think I put one set of points in it before I switched to electronic. No way was I stretching across that engine bay again to set the gap.

 

[moparwacko]

another thought....... you will always remember the "bad" decisions; and always ask yourself, "what if?"

Yeah, the what if? If I had the chance to do it all over again, I'd still make the same dumb decisions.
There are no do overs, just course corrections - if possible.

 

[68BabyBlue]

Yeah, the what if? If I had the chance to do it all over again, I'd still make the same dumb decisions.
There are no do overs, just course corrections - if possible.

I actually got a "do over" of sorts. When I finally got canned from my corporate employer after 20 years, the next day I went back to the small family tank truck outfit I ran with before I went to law school. I had often wondered what things would have been like if I had just stayed on the truck, and never gone back to school. I repeated my younger history exactly, driving a company truck for two years, then buying my own tractor. Only this time I ran it for 16 years instead of 18 months.

The work was way less stressful than my corporate life. The money was less than half. That hurt the ego, but not the wallet, I made up the difference with investment income. So in the end, it wasn't an apples to apples comparison. I doubt I would have achieved the investment results without the tools I acquired from my legal education.

 

[Budnicks]

Bad decisions, too many
some with cars/trucks, engines, and transmissions too

Guilty as charged...

recovered from most of them
still paying for 1
(not really paying, but spent way too much & lost some interest in the project)
don't change course/build styles in the middle of a build, it's costly & stupid

 

[old guys rule]

Think ALL of mine have been bad lol

Never accept on Monday through Friday or the weekend

 

[Budnicks]

A couple of the women I chose, early in life
mainly because they were attractive & slim
notably;
Vicky (winno-drunk & later a druggie), that **** got old quick
Debbie, Lonni (big titted sluts), need I say more
Anna (daddy spoiled lil' rich girl), in hindsight I probably should have followed her
When her & her family moved to Alaska
(her dad was cool, car guy offered me a job, he owned a TV cable co.)
all in my 20's

seems like the ones you treat like queens on a pedestal,
will eventually leave you for someone, that treats them like ****
the ones you really don't want around, you can't get rid of
(I don't treat anyone like ****)

I still like attractive & slim women, just with a bit more character & morals
we like what we like, even at 64
if it doesn't make it hard/turn you on, why even bother
I know what I like, I know it's bad for me at times too

I'm at the point in life, that I really don't care, I don't need it
if it happens it happens, I don't have to have someone to complete me
I had that already, literally 1 in a Million lady
(I mean 'real lady' not just a tart/golddigger with tits)
seems like they all have way too much baggage now, at this point in life too

At least, I've never been divorced
I have many people in my family, all my sisters, my niece, my dad
& quite a few friends that are 2-3 (some 4) time losers/bad choices
(in multiple marriages)
& they just go out do it, again & again, never learning from it,
make the same damn mistakes
that's the truly sad part

lost several racing partners in divorces too

 

[old guys rule]

My biggest one is buying a project car and not buying a finished car.

You took the words right out of my mouth!

Hell.. i'm going camping this weekend in a place that is about as far north as you can go in michigan... i already know it's a mistake (plus i hate camping, i bought a house so i don't have to sleep outside) Still gonna do it though.. 6 hour drive to pick up a trans.. and a friend wants to go camping so i suggested near where the trans is

Look out for Bigfoot