[rescue] pointless rant -- difficult machines

[Sheldon T. Hall]

... 5.  Any E-type Jaguar.  To get to the clutch, you have to take the
tranny out.  To do that, you have to take the engine out.  The engine and
transmission come out the _BOTTOM_ of the car as a unit.  So you have to put
it 'way up on jackstands, take the bonnet off (a 3-man job), find a tall
motor hoist, etc., etc. etc.  Builds muscle.

... 4.  A 944 Porsche.  Just to prove they can out-do the Brits, the Germans
built this one so that to get the clutch out, you start by pulling the rear
suspension, then the transmission/differential, then the torque tube.  All
this comes out, you guessed it, the _BOTTOM_ of the car, so you you have to
put it 'way up on jackstands, etc.  At least you only have to _open_ the
bonnet, not take it off.  Builds both muscle and character.

... 3.  The E-jag again.  To change the rear brake pads, you have to either
pull the rear suspension/differential or cut a hole in the floor. Builds
vocabulary, too.

... 2.  The 944 again.  To change the rubber belt that drives the cam, and
whose failure means major engine implosion, and whose life is rated at
something like 60,000 miles, you have to disassemble the front half of the
engine compartment.  Budget $1,000 or more to change this $40 part....
Increases resolve to become fifnacially independent.

I dunno which is #1.  There are many, many competitors for this honor, and I
have not yet reviewed all the contestants....

-Shel
--
Sheldon T. Hall
shel at cmhc.com
206-842-2858
206-780-7971