What a Mess!

Much more room with that off. 

All the cleanup work I could've saved if I would have just put a tarp

under it before I started. 

What a mess. What a ridiculous mess. My hands are dirty. I have oily grime in the lines of my dried fingers. Usually I'm happy to have 'working hands', but I cannot get the grease out of my bitten nails. I knew that was a bad habit and now I have permanently greasy skin beneath my nails. I know the grime will eventually clean out, but in the mean time they'll serve as calling cards to all like minded people - kinda like the bat symbol cast in the night sky. How did Batman see the bat-light anyways - wasn't there street, office, and building lights in Gotham? Bat-vision, I suppose... 

Up until this point, I'm quite proud of the job I've made by keeping up with everything. One part comes off - any hoses or electrical connections get taped, the tape gets labeled, the part gets cleaned, bolts get cleaned and accounted, then on to next part. Easy. Orderly. You don't have to know how to work on cars to take off parts, you just have to be purposed and focused.

This week, things changed. My whole one part for one part got changed. The focus of this week was getting parts off to sell them. The only problem was when I had a guy asking me about a part that I wasn't ready to pull - the power steering pump - cue dark ominous tones. I had to pull the water pump to get better access to the power steering mounting bracket. I had to pull the thermostat housing to gain better access to the water pump. One thing leads to another and more antifreeze gets deposited on the floor.

I enjoy getting to run this selling thing - Paypal, Excel, photos, and confirmation numbers. I've created a spreadsheet with username, name, address, parts sold, date sold, and confirmation number. I know it's really nothing, but I think it's important to know where parts go, for how much, and when. I don't know how many posts I've read with buyers posting hateful comments about the seller and the seller claiming complete ignorance. I have an opportunity to do this right and it's exciting.

A bit dramatic perhaps, but selling my parts does make me feel like Sally Field, oh how I love, nay intensely love, Ms. Sally Field. You love me! You really love me! 

Label, label 

I'm still attempting to pull one part then clean, but now everything seems to have either antifreeze, oil, or gas in it and it goes all over. Oh yea, I had oil pans underneath and a pad of carpet under the truck, but it still goes everywhere. It's the nature of the beast, I suppose, but now it's going to be grimy until I get that motor out, body off, and frame rolled away to the blaster.                                    

 

To add to the mess that's beginning to imprint in my garage floor I can't seem to find anything now. Initially, my goal was to clean my tools and put them up each night. Best laid plans I suppose don't necessarily dictate progress or access to the tool I need for that matter. The tools are now staying at the truck. It's funny, really. I have a two car garage. My tools are located on the opposite wall. I can make the trek from truck to tool without having to stop to hydrate along the way, but it's entirely too far. 

A few things I've learned thus far - keep your bolts ordered, count them; use painter's grade masking tape; use black magic markers any other color is for a high school art project; your hands will get grimy even with gloves; presentation, presentation - sell your parts by cleaning them and taking good photos (says the person who has sold 3 parts); oh and you need more space.