Door not shutting properly

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I'm in the same boat except a few years younger. But remember, age discrimination is illegal. 😉 I've run pizzas off and on for 6 years now, and my Daytona has been through hell and back. I put 45,000 miles on it my first year doing it full time. By doing repairs and maintenence myself, the job actually became quite profitable. Even made a few bucks on the side fixing other driver's cars too. 8)

I do the same thing, but I have been doing it for 13 years. The Nissan truck I drive I bought new as a delivery car since nothing out lasts them save an old Diesel Mercedes. It still has the original engine, and has lost nothing in terms of power and fuel economy. Even the compression is still good, but I do need to put a new front crank seal on it as it leaks a bit too much now ( about a quart every 2,000 miles). The nice thing about the job is I have never been unemployed. The bad thing is there is no room for real advancement and the hours stink. I do fix cars for other people on the side as well, but nowadays it's mostly free stuff I do to keep from feeling too lonely.

 

[supercrackerbox]

Yep, it's been a fall back job a lot for me too. I'll be going back tomorrow in fact as I just got laid off again today. If there was any sort of benefits packages (at all) or room for advancement, I'd probably go back full time and get back in school.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I even tried management and was a store manager for over a year, but I sadly made no more money, just worked more. After that, I quit that company and went to work for another that paid better and was closer to home. In my 30-40 hrs a week that I work now, I make as much as I did in my 50-60 managing.

 

[xminnis]

The thing is i usually try to do things myself but the most minor things end up taking me FOR EVER, i am 18 years old and i really dont have anyone around to show me things or teach me how to do things so i just always try to read up online about things and do it, but i recently put a grant racing wheel on my 86 Monte and something that seemed like it was fairly simple took me like 3 hours... 🙁

 

[85GPLef41]

Try getting a service manual for your car even though most of it applies to other g-bodys. I have been working on vehicles since bout 12 yrs old. I basically learned everything from research and asking questions not that i know everything... but I'm willing to learn. I am a heavy equipment tech but slowly but surely i will be a mechanic but this economy has slowed down advancement opportunities. So keep your head up and just study and ask questions. I am sure ther will be somebody here to help you out.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I am about 95% self taught and have been doing this since I was 15. My parents did not approve of my hobby and my dad is less than mechanically inclined. I may or may not be like other gearheads, but I try to pass on what I know to whoever wants to learn it. There are little tricks to doing things that you will learn only by doing or by someone showing you how. When I learned this stuff, it was on a very unpopular car (AMC Spirit) with virtually no information in print on it, and before the advent of widespread internet usage. I try to pass on as much knowledge on this and other forums as I can. Most car people are friendly and willing to give advice, but you have to show that you are worthy of their time too. In other words, the more you give the more you get.

Remember to that the internet is a very powerful learning tool, but only if you know how to use it. Some data may not be immediately Google searchable, but it may exist in a link or a forum, or even a diagram for the instructions on how to install a part. You may also need to do generic searches and look at how something is fixed on another make or model. Then again, some of it is just so intuitive to most of us that we figure everyone already knows it or can easily figure it out.

 

[xminnis]

yeah i found a chilton repair manual on amazon for pretty cheap the other day and ordered it so i am hoping it will get here soon, im just not very mechanically inclined, but i am definitely trying

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

yeah i found a chilton repair manual on amazon for pretty cheap the other day and ordered it so i am hoping it will get here soon, im just not very mechanically inclined, but i am definitely trying

I have the complete 3 book set of factory manuals that I got off Ebay for around $30. Much better than Chilton's or Haynes. I have factory service manuals for most of my cars as they help me do things I would otherwise never know needed to be done. The proper torsion bar setup procedure for my Nissan truck is only found in the FSM, for example. Or, the vacuum diagram for the A/C in the G body.

 

[supercrackerbox]

Factory service manuals are an incredible help, especially when it comes to wiring diagrams.

Keep plugging away at it, things will get easier. The first car I learned to do anything on was my '79 Malibu. I had to put shocks, brakes, a fuel pump, and a starter on it. Then next major project was a headgasket on my Daytona. 10 years and many more cars later, I've just recently completed my Charger, which I bought as just a bare rolling shell and spent 2 years piecing it together.

http://s123.photobucket.com/albums/o298 ... ?start=all

 

[xminnis]

SOOO what if the holes have already egg shaped... :?