Subj: Re: Repair R Us
Date: 9/8/00

Larry!
I Loved your story! I see that I have no means marketed the corner on funny story telling. I was in a self-help garage helping/showing a friend how to service their Accord. I gave a torque wrench to him and I started with another. From out of the corner of the garage, I heard a mechanic say, "sounds like a bunch of crickets in here!"
I had another mechanic (different shop) smirk and say, "Torquing the wheels?" (holding up his air gun) "I never had one fall off yet!" I said, "I agree, in fact I saw two people with flat tires this morning using pipe extension on their wrenches just trying to break the nuts free."
I think Larry B. and Peter M. share the "hurry up and get the job done" trait. Now by no means is this meant to be derogatory. When Peter Mills was at my house redoing his harness bar installation. Seats were coming out almost as fast as I could carry them into the other room. When he installed the part of the bar that bolts into the OEM seat belt location in the trim side panels he would look at me, make these clicking sounds (as if he were using a torque wrench) as say with a smile, "There, they are all torqued!" Peter pulled on his seat belt to see if it would extend and retract. Well, it did half of it OK (as the limp belt lay on the floor). I smiled and said, "And that's why they give you a torque setting!"
Larry B.and Peter have been influenced by their backgrounds. They either work at or own civilian companies. (i.e., they're expected to make money) I on the other hand have been influenced by the military (for 29 years). The military, or ANY government agency is not in the business to turn a profit (unfortunately for the tax payers). In my short stint as a UH-1 (Huey helicopter) mechanic, you could not have a "it's good enough" attitude. There have been far to many cases of failure to properly torque a bolt bringing down an aircraft and killing several people and destroying a multimillion dollar aircraft. In my usual teasing attitude, I would wait until the helicopter was over mountainous terrain and say, "I wonder if I put that bolt in properly?" Silence would consume the cockpit, and several slow turning heads would stare at me only to see me smiling. "That's not funny Larry!", they would say.
So now you know what caused the way I am now.

For the rest of you on the story list, If you get together with one of the club members, write a humorous story about it. It's fun!! I for one, enjoyed seeing myself through someone else's eyes.
Again, good job on the story Larry!
Larry G.