Until a few years ago, I had never owned a new car.
Like many American teens, I started driving when I was in high school. I was fortunate to own a $400 beater purchased for me by my father. The car was not even close to being a cool ride, but it was infinitely better than riding the school bus and I had no real complaints.
Understandably, since the car cost less than .05 BTC (by today's standards - there was no BTC yet when I started driving), maintenance and repair lessons from my dad came standard. He made sure I understood the importance of tire rotation and pressure, fluid levels and basic repairs. My younger brother, a self-proclaimed "natural-born gear head", was also around to lend an extra set of hands (and tools) when necessary.
Some of my most treasured memories revolve around
a crappy 1980's domestic hatchback.
My brother and I always had dreams of turning my car into a beast like this GLH-S Omni. Woefully, we never saw those dreams come to pass. Image source
Side note:
Carroll Shelby was my brother's greatest idol. I know they're both tearing up the track somewhere on another plane together, R.I.P ♥
Fast forward! Today I drive a car manufactured this millennium, but its relative newness does not exclude it from needing normal repairs. This summer, it got some new shoes (tires), along with some suspension components and an alignment. After spending X amount of dollars at the shop, the decision was made to finish up this round of regularly scheduled maintenance, shade-tree style.
I enjoy working with my hands and I don't mind getting a little dirty when the situation requires. With the aid of Hive account@jschindler, replacing the brakes on my car was a snap!
Here's some process pics:
Get that puppy off the ground!
The rotors weren't too terribly worn down, no deep grooves. Decided to get O'Reilly to turn them. For this car, the cost to replace old rotors with new was actually about equivalent to having the rotors turned.
Nice bright even surface after being turned.
"Good as new!"
Application of blue raspberry brake grease. It was delicious, by the way.
I-have-the-po-wer (tool)!
...And hand tools too, like this brake caliper tool.
While the rotors were in decent condition, the pads clearly were not.
Dialing in the specified torque.
And we're all done, cheeeesy smile!
Do you have any car-centric memories to share?
What was your first whip?
Are you a closet gear head?
What's your favorite kind of racing?
I'd love to hear about it!
I appreciate you taking this little drive down memory lane with me.
☺
, replacing the brakes on my car was a snap!
