Just read this entire thread...haha....good stuff!
Yeah - I'm not above throwing F-bombs and the like.....usually I'm very even tempered but it seems like no matter what the job is - you always drop a fastener and it goes into some black hole - or there's a clamp that doesn't want to come loose - or the way something is engineered you'd think it was purposely designed to frustrate the hell out of whoever had to work on it.
The key really is to have the right amount of time so you're not in some huge hurry. And like Fred said....when something isn't working out...just bail on it for a while and re-group.
My latest job was replacing the water pump on my 4.8 Vortec and it was an easy job - 2 hours - and that's not rushing.
Few years ago R and R my tub starter to replace worn bushing...check out the hose clamp on the top bolt which is only accessed through the engine bay - so it could be held while being tightened - that's something from the PO but just shows the kind of resourcefulness necessary to get the job done.
