cc_rider wrote: 
My man!!!

I still use my trusty old Weller soldering station, and a Weller "gun" for high-wattage jobs.  "Solder it, seal it, enjoy it for years!"

wow. this kind of talk is impressive to me, since i know nothing about cars.

MIM, i'll take you up on that trade. i have to figure out what i've got that'd be decent enough for the job. because...it's bay-ad. my brakes are bad. bad. bad. bad.

 Lazy8 wrote: 
Well of course they both have drive differentials but the built-in differential of a front wheel drive is located in the transmission housing as opposed to a rear-wheel-drive differential. As a matter of fact a rear-wheel-drive 350 turbo-hydramatic weighs nearly the same as a front-wheel-drive GM 440T4 because they're both aluminum, so how could one deny the substantial weight difference?

What's wrong with my physics, incidentally?  My weight estimate?  A 1/2 ton Chevy rear differential with axles, ring-gear and pinion with housing weighs easily 300 lbs, more or less.  I'm confused.

Yes, I've pulled an El Dorado transmission.  The differential casing was made of the same alloy as a standard RWD housing.  Horrid design with a V-8 engine that was still mounted straight forward. It weighed a ton.  I broke a transmission jack and damned near lost a finger.   It was a nightmare. 

 p4jkafla wrote: 
I don't know if you're aware of this, but removing a wheel for inspection means that you need the proper tools to safely torque the wheel nuts to spec.  If you don't reinstall the wheel nuts properly, you can end up with a warped rotor!

The days of using a lug wrench to mount a wheel/tire assembly onto your car are long gone...

 maryte wrote: 
Always keep a book of matches handy, the abrasive strip works to clean up the points, and the flap is about the right thickness for point gap. And if all else fails you can start a fire to keep warm while you wait for help to arrive.

 

 ed wrote: 
Not retarded, good business!

FWD cars are an auto maker's dream.  They combine Engine, transmission, differential, steering and front suspension in one neat package that saves a fortune in assembly costs.  And from the repair POV, the whole engine/transaxle assembly often needs to be pulled to do even simple maintenance and repairs.  So a job that might take a half-hour on a RWD car takes two 8 hour days on a FWD car.  So the dealership can keep on raping you for labor fees, over and over again.

The only loser is the consumer, who has to pay exorbitant maintenance fees, which are exacerbated by putting power, braking, steering and suspension duties on the front wheels.  That's a masterpiece of planned obsolescence!  Plus, in demanding driving situations, FWD cars can understeer, or they can understeer.  Not a lot of choice for a skilled driver.

 islander wrote: 

  That's where most of my experience under the hood/deck lid comes from.  Good ol' Buggles, my 1965 Type 1!

 KurtfromLaQuinta wrote: 
As nice as the venerable Ford 9" is, for truck use the stronger, more available as a junk yard pull, and often disk-brake equipped Ford 9.75" is a better choice IMO.  It's a Salisbury axle, so you can't swap pumpkins.  But your transfer case is a more elegant solution anyway.

 ed wrote: 

I foreswore adjustable wrenches a long time ago for the same reason.

Wanna see my six point socket set????

 ed wrote:  Yeppers. There's a derogatory variant of the name, I need not share it here though. I've become a big fan of 'PB Blaster' and 'KROIL' for frozen bolts. And a MAPP torch...

Indeed, crescent wrenches are nearly worthless. I still have a couple, more for nostalgia than anything. I have a really big one, like two feet long, out at the ranch, for hitch balls and the like. But I also bought several 1"-plus wrenches and sockets: the tractor and mowers have a few big bolts too, and an adjustable just won't fit.

c.

 ed wrote: 
I used one of these:  As I recall the proper torque is: 3lb sledge hammer until the thing won't move any more, then use a 5 lb to rotate to the next key slot.
Old VWs are cool. 

 KurtfromLaQuinta wrote: 
Or if the driver fails to heed the screeching "replace brake pads" warning, that's caused by a little tab of metal that digs a nasty groove into the rotors if you let it go for too long.   I know from experience...

 cc_rider wrote: 
  My own driving style is murder on stock rotors.  So I replaced my stock rotors with drop-in aftermarket rotors that are made from a high temperature alloy.  I also resisted the urge to go faddish, and didn't cross-drill the bejezus out of them.  A few conservative slots to help clear gasses and (mostly) road grime.  And I threw in a nice set of Red Stuff brake pads to complete the task.

 MusicIsMotion wrote:
 
That's some interesting physics you got there, but before we go into that I gotta point out that FWDs have differentials too, they're just built into the transaxle. You save the weight of drive shaft, U-joints and a separate housing, complicate life by using the same lube for ring & pinion as gears, but overall there is a net savings—just not 200-400 lbs. A rear dif that big would have to be a live axle in a truck or something, powered by a lot of burning dinosaurs. Check out the transaxle in an old Eldorado if you need proof.

 ed wrote: 
Sorry to perpetuate an argument but your statement is absurd.  The concept of front-wheel-drive was primarily led by fuel economy.  Torque distribution is hand-down more efficient when pulling as opposed to pushing, as a rear-wheel-drive vehicle does.  Pulling requires less energy which meant that lesser horse-power would get the job done.  When you eliminate the rear-wheel drive differential (which weights between 200 and 400 pounds), you've cut weight as well which saves fuel.

 cc_rider wrote: 
I was always a Mac dude.  

Man, this is a bossy thread. Fix your own damn car, slugabeds!

 ed wrote:  Ouch. He's lucky he escaped with his life. As much as SO tools cost, they shouldn't break unless really, REALLY abused. I destroyed a Craftsman ratchet years ago, before I had a breaker bar. Now, if I run into a stubborn bolt, I set the ratchet aside and get the breaker bar. I'd rather take the extra time than have to deal with a busted ratchet, no matter what brand it is.

I use 1/4" drive sockets and ratchets a lot now. Leaves more room to work, and reduces the probability of overtorquing a bolt.

c.

agnes wrote: