First time your baby went to “someone else”

[DC_Gearhead]

I feel so vulnerable. Haha. I have been restoring my Bronco for 5 years. All work has been by me and my wife. Well…..today I took it to get aligned (not with strings and jack stands). As I was leaving I felt a fatherly instinct coming on strong.

As I’m handing him the keys, I said stuff like:

Careful with her.

Everything is new so you shouldn’t have any issues, but if you do call me…I’ll come right over.

Yes, I know the steering column bearings need adjusted

Look at the shift knob….the gears are different than normal trucks

Don’t go joy riding or anything.


When I walked home I noticed it was like dropping my kid off at kindergarten for the first time. I swear that my bronco was crying as I walked off. Probably just power steering fluid….

Anybody else say protective things to shops when they have work done?

My baby’s first time away from daddy….

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[ared77]

Yeah, I can't even leave mine, I have to stay.

 

[BronCowie]

In 30 years, I only did this once a few years ago to have my C4 tranny rebuilt. Thankfully, this shop appreciated a classic vehicle in their shop and took really good care of her. Their lot was full of newer cars except mine. The "old man" in the business took special attention to this job and ~8 years later, still shifting flawlessy. Dayonna Transmissions in Aloha, OR. They are from El Salvador of all places and thankful for being in our great country. https://www.daytonatrans.com/about-us

 

[DC_Gearhead]

In 30 years, I only did this once a few years ago to have my C4 tranny rebuilt. Thankfully, this shop appreciated a classic vehicle in their shop and took really good care of her. Their lot was full of newer cars except mine. The "old man" in the business took special attention to this job and ~8 years later, still shifting flawlessy. Dayonna Transmissions in Aloha, OR. They are from El Salvador of all places and thankful for being in our great country. https://www.daytonatrans.com/about-us

That’s awesome.


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[Rustytruck]

when I use to have my smog check done the guy gets in and proceeds to try to get the Bronco on the rollers I saw him struggling with it frantically flailing about he just didn't want to come to me for fear of losing his professional man card. he finally relents and comes over he asks how do you use the clutch. i looked at him and just like any other Ford you pull the column lever and put it in drive. there is no clutch for an automatic. he then fails to move now because he now has the transfercase lever in neutral cant put the transfercase in gear because the tranny is now spinning so out he comes again. asking what is the trick. turn off the engine while pressing the transfer case lever to 4 h, then after everything is stopped put the automatic in park.

he never got into my bronco again he would have me take the bronco in and out of the rollers after that every other year . He never forgot me and we still use him on our other cars never forgot me now for over 20 years.

other than new tires I don't let anyone drive my Bronco. both wives would never drive for fear of the wrath if something were to happen to it. since owning it from 1977 they know where on life's ladder they reside.

 

[BRONCITIS74]

I spent 2 years working on my first Bronco, a 1975. In 1989 I bought a rust free Bronco from Texas. So I decided the 75 had to go. This was 1990. My father-in-law bought it for $1000 and used it for a plow truck on the farm. About 10 years ago, he offered it back to me for $1000. Like a dummy, I didn't buy it. He sold it to some kid who rammed snow banks with it. The battery wasn't held down, and jumped up and hit the hood. It caused an electric fire the ruined all the wires in the truck. As far as I know, it was sent to the junkyard. Oh how I wish I would have bought it back. The end.

 

[ep67bro]

I always did all my own work except for exhaust, I remember asking lots of questions and hovering around before I was assured by the owner he was going to do the work on the bronco not the 17 year old changing tires! It is hard to let go sometimes.

 

[Slowleak]

I have only left one at a shop once. It was a ‘74 Ranger and it was many years ago. I would do a “drive by” after they closed to make sure it wasn’t parked outside.

 

[Lawndart]

I hear ya!
For me, only 1.5 times. Exhaust (1) and tranny overhaul (0.5); I removed the tranny myself and took it to the shop.

 

[blubuckaroo]

My experience with others working on my cars hasn't been good. I've found evidence of joy rides in my Z-28, had a cross threaded oil plug on my Bronco, and a couple of terrible brake jobs.
When I was just out of high school, I worked at a garage as a brake mechanic and also worked the lube rack. I've seen how cars can be mistreated.
To this day, I won't trust anyone but myself to do the brakes and oil changes on any of my cars.

 

[DonaldDouchebag]

I always did all my own work except for exhaust, I remember asking lots of questions and hovering around before I was assured by the owner he was going to do the work on the bronco not the 17 year old changing tires! It is hard to let go sometimes.

I just built my first exhaust from some bend kits the past couple weekends after never being happy with the one I had a shop make twenty years ago. I'm so pumped to have it finished!

 

[DonaldDouchebag]

My experience with others working on my cars hasn't been good. I've found evidence of joy rides in my Z-28, had a cross threaded oil plug on my Bronco, and a couple of terrible brake jobs.
When I was just out of high school, I worked at a garage as a brake mechanic and also worked the lube rack. I've seen how cars can be mistreated.
To this day, I won't trust anyone but myself to do the brakes and oil changes on any of my cars.

The very last time I took my Bronco in for an oil change I saw the car in front of me drive away leaving a nice stream of oil as it went. No idea why I didn't leave then and there.

 

[blubuckaroo]

I just built my first exhaust from some bend kits the past couple weekends after never being happy with the one I had a shop make twenty years ago. I'm so pumped to have it finished!

I'd like to see more about this. I've been doing all my own welding, and I can weld pretty well.
One question to you... Do you expand your tubes and fit them before welding, or do you butt weld the tubes?

 

[Nothing Special]

At one point my Bronco had an AOD with a manual valve body and a detent/ratchet shifter. One time I had to park at a valet ramp. I tried to explain the shifter, but he said he knew all about it. I came back about an hour later and boy were they glad to see me! My Bronco was stuck in a ramp. They had rolled it back (gently) into a concrete barrier because they couldn't get it into any gear. I wasn't thrilled, but the bumpers were built to take their lumps on trails, so there were no new marks apparent.

 

[blubuckaroo]

I got blasted once for this comment.
If you can't work on it, you shouldn't own it.
I truly mean it!
You may have enough money to pay for support, but how does that make you feel?

 

[NCSUWoj]

I feel so vulnerable. Haha. I have been restoring my Bronco for 5 years. All work has been by me and my wife. Well…..today I took it to get aligned (not with strings and jack stands). As I was leaving I felt a fatherly instinct coming on strong.

As I’m handing him the keys, I said stuff like:

Careful with her.

Everything is new so you shouldn’t have any issues, but if you do call me…I’ll come right over.

Yes, I know the steering column bearings need adjusted

Look at the shift knob….the gears are different than normal trucks

Don’t go joy riding or anything.


When I walked home I noticed it was like dropping my kid off at kindergarten for the first time. I swear that my bronco was crying as I walked off. Probably just power steering fluid….

Anybody else say protective things to shops when they have work done?

My baby’s first time away from daddy….

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

100% agree with you on that! Its tough!
I fell out with the best local exhaust shop in town because they wouldn't help me out, who has done my exhaust work for 20yrs... I needed to have the exhaust ran so I could break the engine in (needed the O2 bung for the sniper) and didn't have the soft top on yet. They wouldn't let me schedule a time and wanted me to drop it off in the back gravel lot to sit all day and would "get it". that day because they didn't do appointments anymore... No way in the world was I going to do that soft top or not!