I hate American headlight units

[Raghavan]

You don't need A/C, sporty.

[CJ]

"I hate American headlight units"

Yeah, well, they hate you too.

[the Teuton]

"I hate American headlight units"

Yeah, well, they hate you too.

Now you're making me feel bad.  Seriously, I have never met an American headlight unit that I've like thus far.  My mom buys American, so hopefully that will change at some point.

As for the rest of the family, they can all be swayed to go foreign. 

[Raghavan]

t00ton, you're just a n00b at mechanic work.

[the Teuton]

t00ton, you're just a n00b at mechanic work.

I'd bet you're less experienced than me.  I know I don't have much under my belt yet, but I have:

Changed my own oil
changed numerous headlights and tail lights
installed my head unit in my car
helped install a new clutch in that 240SX
helped take an exhaust system off an M3
intalled my brother's head unit
taken off the cam covers and timing belt cover on the EJ25 (although I will admit I didn't change them myself at the time)

And I'll be doing a lot more this summer including both body and mechanical work.

I'm not that bad, Rag.  I'm learning, but my parents are hesitant to let me do a lot of this stuff because they're afraid I'll install something wrong and kill myself in a fiery blaze of glory.

[Raghavan]

I'd bet you're less experienced than me.  I know I don't have much under my belt yet, but I have:

Changed my own oil
changed numerous headlights and tail lights
installed my head unit in my car
helped install a new clutch in that 240SX
helped take an exhaust system off an M3
intalled my brother's head unit
taken off the cam covers and timing belt cover on the EJ25 (although I will admit I didn't change them myself at the time)

And I'll be doing a lot more this summer including both body and mechanical work.

I'm not that bad, Rag.  I'm learning, but my parents are hesitant to let me do a lot of this stuff because they're afraid I'll install something wrong and kill myself in a fiery blaze of glory.

I was kidding d00d.
And i'm more experienced than you too.

[the Teuton]

I was kidding d00d.
And i'm more experienced than you too.

Okay Raghamuffin.  Should I concede defeat or are you going to make a list of accomplishments?

[Eye of the Tiger]

I bet I've changed more headlights than all joo suxxors.

[Raghavan]

Okay Raghamuffin.  Should I concede defeat or are you going to make a list of accomplishments?

Erm, OK...

I've changed my own oil (it's so easy it's not really an accomplishment)
I"ve changed headlights and taillights
I've helped install clutches on 2 RX-7's
I"ve taken off and installed exhaust systems on a couple of cars
I've rebuilt an old Chevy V8 (that thing was a clunker )
I"ve repacked muffler bearings
I've replaced blinker fluid
I've welded stuff (not sure if that counts)
I replaced the wheel cylinders on a VW Bus (a pain in the butt)
I've sandblasted a car frame to get the rust off
Oh, and i did some suspension work on an old '60's Mustang today.

There's probably a lot more stuff that i'm forgetting.

[the Teuton]

Erm, OK...

I've changed my own oil (it's so easy it's not really an accomplishment) We'll count it
I"ve changed headlights and taillights Okay
I've helped install clutches on 2 RX-7's  Do I want to know what that's like on a car with a rotary engine?
I"ve taken off and installed exhaust systems on a couple of cars  Cool
I've rebuilt an old Chevy V8 (that thing was a clunker )  How was that?  That sounds kinda cool.  I get to do the same when the old EJ18 comes back.
I've welded stuff (not sure if that counts)  I've done some minor welding, but not on a car.
I replaced the wheel cylinders on a VW Bus (a pain in the butt)  You got me on this one.
I've sandblasted a car frame to get the rust off  Where do you have a sand blaster?  I'm going to be doing the same thing with a radial grinder and some bondo sometime soon.
Oh, and i did some suspension work on an old '60's Mustang today.  I got to play with some struts and a spring compressor for the 240SX, if that counts.

There's probably a lot more stuff that i'm forgetting.

Okay, I will concede.  Are you in an auto shop class?

[Raghavan]

Okay, I will concede.  Are you in an auto shop class?

Yeah, i'm in auto class.
Why would changing the clutch be any different on a rotary engine? It's basically the same. I also helped do it on an 626. That was such a bitch, i never want FWD. The engine has to be changed to a log or something so it doesn't fall out.
That Chevy V8 was in pretty bad shape, but i got it all back together.
And our "sandblaster" at school is just putting the frame outside and hitting it with an aircompressor and barrels of sand.
We don't have a sandblasting booth. Made a mess out of the outside of the shop.

[Raghavan]

Oh yeah, i forgot to mention, there's also a yearly autocross that my auto teacher organizes. It's supposed to be huge and a lot of schools with auto programs participate in it.
It's called the Duel at DeAnza, DeAnza college. It's actually coming up on Sunday. I don't think my mom will let me go though.

[the Teuton]

Yeah, i'm in auto class.
Why would changing the clutch be any different on a rotary engine? It's basically the same. I also helped do it on an 626. That was such a bitch, i never want FWD. The engine has to be changed to a log or something so it doesn't fall out.
That Chevy V8 was in pretty bad shape, but i got it all back together.
And our "sandblaster" at school is just putting the frame outside and hitting it with an aircompressor and barrels of sand.
We don't have a sandblasting booth. Made a mess out of the outside of the shop.

We had an auto body class at my high school.  I didn't do that and if I would have done the mechanics or shop class, I would have had to commute to another local high school, so I passed in favor of journalism.  I've given it thought to go to community college during the summer to catch up on some of this stuff, but I realize I'm going to get to work on a real car this coming up year for a race car team.  Check out this month's Automobile Magazine.  It has a guy who worked on our school's Camaro and Javelin back in the day.  The name of the guy on the car (Bob Fryer) is the guy who is helping up restart the club.  That, and my friend formerly with the Supra and now probably getting an E30 M3 will help me learn a little more when we get back to college.  He's a little turbo-happy, so that will teach me a thing or two.

Rag, go to the autocross!

[Raghavan]

We had an auto body class at my high school.  I didn't do that and if I would have done the mechanics or shop class, I would have had to commute to another local high school, so I passed in favor of journalism.  I've given it thought to go to community college during the summer to catch up on some of this stuff, but I realize I'm going to get to work on a real car this coming up year for a race car team.  Check out this month's Automobile Magazine.  It has a guy who worked on our school's Camaro and Javelin back in the day.  The name of the guy on the car (Bob Fryer) is the guy who is helping up restart the club.  That, and my friend formerly with the Supra and now probably getting an E30 M3 will help me learn a little more when we get back to college.  He's a little turbo-happy, so that will teach me a thing or two.

Rag, go to the autocross!

If you could actually become a fulltime mechanic for a good racing team, damn, you'd be pulling in huge amounts of money.

I really want to go, but it's from 7 in the morning to 5 in the evening. Since my auto teacher is leading it, he told us he needs some help, so even though i'm not going to drive in it, i want to help out. But i don't think my mom would like it. I'll ask her anyways.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Consider yourselfs lucky, for I wasn't allowed to take an autoshop class in highschool because it would have been a "waste of time"

[Raghavan]

Consider yourselfs lucky, for I wasn't allowed to take an autoshop class in highschool because it would have been a "waste of time"

Did your parents say that?
I hate it when they decide classes for you.
My mom won't let me take Auto II next year because she's mad at me. WTF.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Did your parents say that?
I hate it when they decide classes for you.
My mom won't let me take Auto II next year because she's mad at me. WTF.

Yes, stupid parents

I was supposed to take "college prep" classes, and autoshop was for bums who don't go to college 

[Raghavan]

My teacher says that autoshop is to save you money so you don't get ripped off when you take the car to the stealership and you can do all the work yourself.

[Eye of the Tiger]

The problem with my parents was, they just thought I was being silly always wanting to play with cars and stuff.

and they still do.

Fuck that, I'm going to be a fucking racecar driver, that'll show 'em.

[Raghavan]

Dude, you're 25, you can do whatever the hell you want.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Dude, you're 25, you can do whatever the hell you want.

I'm 23, but otherwise you're right... except I have no money and no job.

[the Teuton]

Nick, I didn't realize you were that young.  You have plenty of time to not end up as a trash man.  What did you do in the military?

And Rag, you seem to be very intelligent.  I kinda got a lot of the same responses as Nick.  I'm glad you get to do what you want when it comes to auto classes.  You have time to change your parents' minds.

[Raghavan]

I don't want to really make it as a career thing, just a hobby on the side.
I'm lucky my parents didn't mind me going to auto class, but next year, my parents might not let me go. I'll probably get around them by becoming a Teachers Assistant for the auto teacher.
A loophole!

[Eye of the Tiger]

Nick, I didn't realize you were that young.? You have plenty of time to not end up as a trash man.? What did you do in the military?

I was a weatherman, and to get a job in weather outside of the military almost certainly requires at least a bachelor's degree.
There is about a 0% chance that any of my military tech school credits will transfer to any school's 4-year meteorology program.

So that's a dead end for me, because if if I must to school, it will be for something I really want to do, like mechanical engineering, or something like that.

[TheIntrepid]

Yes, stupid parents

I was supposed to take "college prep" classes, and autoshop was for bums who don't go to college 

Worse for me: I had to take "University prep" classes.

Our class levels are :

Advanced University
Mainstream University
Mainstream College
College
Applied (For teh slightly slow)
Basic (for the extremely slow)
Challenged program


Most of my classes are advanced-university, and AutoShop is in Applied. Therefore, I couldn't take it without sacrificing a university prep course.

[southdiver1]

Replaced in 2005 by the ugliest van known to man, the UPLANDER

I happen to own one of those.. In fact, it is the same color... It replaced the Aztek.

[southdiver1]

I never had a problem changing the bulbs on the '00 Grand Am, or really for any of the GM cars I've owned- of course most of those have been old sealed beam headlights anyways, but still:

I think you're unfairly broadsiding GM for an access problem you've observed on one model.

Actually Soup, most of the new GM cars are a real pain to install a new bulb. Sliding the housing OUT is easy. Getting it back in without breaking the little slide things that hold the unit in is a real pain.
01 Aztek was a nightmare but at the same time, even putting in a new air filter in that car was a 45 minute job and a gaurenteed knuckle bleeder.
01 Grand Am was a pain for the headlights
I have not done the 06 Uplander.... yet

[Eye of the Tiger]

Yes, I also hate American head... it's very very bad.

[omicron]

I have it on good authority that Australians have good, er, head.

[93JC]

But do the Australian ladyfolk give good head?