Stinky Rooster

The biggest hurdle you are going to come across is insurance. Public liability and workers comp insurance is a massive cost to small business, and even if you volunteer your time, having a self confessed n00b in the workshop is not going to do much good for a mechanics insurance premium unfortunately. I went through this pain when I wanted to start drafting, and that was in a relatively safe working environment (an office) Secondly, most people will tell you that a first year apprentice costs way more than they make for their employer, so without the promise of making them money further down the track, you will be relying on the good nature of the mechanic/workshop manager (pauses fror hearty guffaws) to give you a shot. IMO wait until you have finished at least part of the TAFE course, even just to show how dedicated you are. And persevere. Above all else, persevere. If you truely are passionate about suceeding at a given task, the only thing that can ever let you down is your own attitude.

The stink of coolant inside that cabin, combined with the green squelchy carpets is usually a much more efficient indicator of a leaking heater core, than a bubbling sound.... Just because the big fan is turning doesnt mean the clutch is fine too - They have what is reffered to as a viscous hub, and can be shagged but still LOOK like its working. Give it a spin by hand and see if you can feel any resistance. If it spins freely, the chances are its stuffed.

Oh Hai! Team Lunchdate - http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/topic/355067-team-lunchdate/page__view__findpost__p__5781947 Come along and meet a few of the regulars around here

Sweet! I can confirm that everyones fav boytoy Maaaaaattley will be attending too, possibly Bard too So polish up your latex gimp suits boys

If there is any, and I mean ANY "rumbling" noise when you spin the pulley, thn replace it. The bearings arent serviceable, so there is no way to lube them at all, and the rumbling will indicate balls touching (nohomo) the race which means they are already on their way out. Having seen a couple of RB's after one of those bearings lets go, its not a risk I would be willing to take, myself. As for the timing - like johnno said, use a scratch (or mark it with a texta, then scratch inside the texta mark so you can see it) and you will be fine - but if you do get your hands on a timing light, make sure you put the ecu into "adjust timing" mode before trying to adjust it. Seems like a n00b mistake but you would be suprised how many people miss it.

So, its about time we all got off our collective asses and did this again eh? I am proposing the date of Friday the 13th of May, mostly because it will be my last day at my current position and I will feel justified in rocking up late, fat and happy I am keen for same place/time (7am, Cafe Wotziname, Cloisters Arcade) but if anyone has anywhere else they would like to try, then run it up the flag pole and we will see who salutes eh? As before, this is open to ALL, so feel free to come put some names to faces all you n00bs out there.

and if they do return, its usually walking a bit funny and no longer able to sustain eye contact. hey spermy?

You went in there with your flat brim cap turned sideways and your pants around your knees, didnt you? DIDNT YOU!!!??

Vodaphone probably even voted for labor too

Yeah - I copped thatr one myself once. The second time they tried to do it I arced up on the phone, demanded to speak to a supervisor and got 3 months free access. Still, 3 months free access kinda gets cancelled out by 3 months of patchy/no service, slow as fcuk data transfer, constant drop outs and text messages recieved up to 2 DAYS after being sent to me.....

The "thing" in the photo you are reffering to, is the spring loaded tensioner unit that one of the pulleys is attached to the engine by. The other kit does have it, but it is shown inside the pulley, not seperate from it. If it isnt supplied its no real issue any way as the spring unit is pretty indestructable, its the bearing that usually fails (isnt it hugh? )

Ask and ye shall recieve Oh, and its my experience that these rates "may" be a guide only, as when I recieved my bill, lets just say that I was WELL looked after Now, I seem to remember this place was going to get signed up as a sponsor? Get to it admin team.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/MMates-Place/154671114583576?ref=ts&sk=wall So, I am sure a few of you would have heard about this place, but I finally bit the bullet and took Teh Fury down there to do the long anticipated clutch change, and I can not rate this place highly enough. For those of you that havent heard of it, its a fully equpied workshop that is available to hire on an hourly basis. All tools etc are supplied, and they even have a brand spanking new downdraft spray booth and fully curtained prep area. I got handed an awesome workbay that came with a 2 post hoist that you only need 45mm of ground clearance to get on to (great for those of us with lowered rigs) a fully kitted out brand spanking new quality tool kit, and anything I didnt have, al i needed to do was wander over to the tool store and ask for. The place also has a fully decked out lunch bar/diner, fully licensed clubrooms (with bar) and even a place to take a shower when you are done!!! Oh, and a special mention HAS to be made for Roger, the guy that runs the place. He is one of the nicest blokes I have ever met in the autom/otive industry, bar none. Srsly, the guy is so easy to chat too, has no problems with getting in and lending a hand if needed, is quite knowledgable (one of his daughters runs australia's fastest altered, not to mention the myriad of sponsorships he has with various forms of motorsport around the traps) and also has some of the BEST stories I have ever heard about shennanigans of days of yore. (I recommend asking him about the austin repowered with a volkswagen engine, purely for shits and giggles) So, the place is awesome, the guy running the show is even awesomer, and he is providing a service we all need.

WGMG - Sony I have a sega master system, that is eleventy bazillion years old, and still plays sonic the hedgehog perfectly, not to mention the built in game "alex the kid" but get sucked into the whole "media centre" type set up, and the supposedly top of the line 320G slimline POS3 lasts less than 5 months before it shits itself in a major way that requires it to be sent to the other side of the fkn planet so 6 year old chinese children in a sweat shop can resolder the circuit boards. Not to mention the fact that it has taken all my recorded TV and all my save game data out with it, and made ornaments out off all the assecories I have spent up big on. Oh, did I mention it also burnt out the HDMI data board on my irreplaceable HD CRT television, that was only 3 years old, and Sony refuse to even look at? KUNCE

no need, the fact that you drive a girls car gets you free entry

OK, I'll bite.. Exactly how does a welshman run?

I was sure it sounded like you had blown the welds on your intake manifold, but that is usually fairly easy to diagnose because the floor pans drop out....

Personally, I would tend to take the advice of people who have actually worked underground, as opposed to people sitting behind a monitor...

I dunno about chicken, but the veal schnitzel I had at the duckstein brewery a while back was pretty fkn good.

Are you coming on to me?

Even short haired dogs moult like mofo's. I have a beagle that makes my carpet go from berber to deep pile shag in one short trip to the vet

Well, when I have to carry kids in the luggage area, they are usually wrapped and sealed in plastic....

Thats no way to talk about his mrs!

needs moar smileys

I am down like james brown for the inaugral meeting of the chronically unmotivated