the 100% directionless thread

The actual purchasing process of buying a used car is far more difficult than I expected. Seriously how many more hoops will there be!
 
Tigger said:
The actual purchasing process of buying a used car is far more difficult than I expected. Seriously how many more hoops will there be!
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Cash is king. I've paid cash, or cash with a trade, for all of my cars.
 
Hm, too many things happening at once for me. :[

So I got an interview in San Diego! W00t!

But found a possible preceptor in Santa Clara. Unfortunately the preceptor works the same half of the week that I work currently so trying to figure out how to trade which half of the week I work. Not sure if I can even do that.
 
Wheel said:
You probably got a better deal that way too.
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I'd pay cash but I needed a loan to make this happen and that's been the struggle. Also Colorado's motor vehicle departments are basically run by each county. The car is in one and I live in another, which is not helping things.
 
Tigger said:
I'd pay cash but I needed a loan to make this happen and that's been the struggle. Also Colorado's motor vehicle departments are basically run by each county. The car is in one and I live in another, which is not helping things.
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Trouble getting a loan? I'd try a credit union if you have one, Sometimes they are a little more laxed on lending to good customers..

And the DMV.. well that's just the DMV expect delays, and stupidity
 
unleashedfury said:
Trouble getting a loan? I'd try a credit union if you have one, Sometimes they are a little more laxed on lending to good customers..



And the DMV.. well that's just the DMV expect delays, and stupidity
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Agreed. That's what I did for my truck.

Colorado DMVs are extraordinarily bad, I can vouch for that one hah.
 
unleashedfury said:
Trouble getting a loan? I'd try a credit union if you have one, Sometimes they are a little more laxed on lending to good customers..

And the DMV.. well that's just the DMV expect delays, and stupidity
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Credit union initially said it would not be a problem for me to sign the documents in Denver, where I spent the last three days skiing and killing time waiting for the seller to get into town. Today they tell me I need to come back and sign some stuff. Ya no, I'll get the car Thursday.
 
My buddy ran a call a couple nights ago that seemed pretty bad. We were talking about it when he dropped this paragraph that I thought was absolutely beautiful.

You know what, though? Things like that one last night don't really bug me. I don't know if I lack empathy, or I'm desensitized to it or I just have a realist's view of the world. That stuff is going to happen sometimes. If I'm there and I do everything I can to help, my job is done, it doesn't come home with me. Any follow up I do after the paperwork gets filed is purely an exercise in academia. People struggle with so many emotions and feel so much compassion that being exposed to human suffering just slowly erodes who they are, what they experience , and how they respond to all the life that happens around them. In five years I've had one call that has wrought me with emotions that I had never experienced before. I was in a bad way for days, but the thing that got me through it was discussion. Talking with people that were there or have experienced similar situations. There was no judgment, no questions, no huggy-feely crap but straight up discussion of the facts. There was only easy conversation that, in the end, showed that we did everything we could do and nothing anybody could have done would have helped.
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Very nice. I agree. I sometimes let myself get all tore up.

People on here are usually able to set me straight. And for that I am forever grateful
 
Wow, this is ridiculous. I went down to pickapart for a headlight the other day. Trying to figure out how to put a new one on. Realize the GM made it so you cant replace just a headlight. Have to replace the whole headlight system. As in remove the number, fenders and take off the whole bracket. This is stupid.
 
9D4 said:
Wow, this is ridiculous. I went down to pickapart for a headlight the other day. Trying to figure out how to put a new one on. Realize the GM made it so you cant replace just a headlight. Have to replace the whole headlight system. As in remove the number, fenders and take off the whole bracket. This is stupid.
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headlight lens? or just the bulb?

What make model and year vehicle I might be able to provide you with some insight.
 
unleashedfury said:
headlight lens? or just the bulb?

What make model and year vehicle I might be able to provide you with some insight.
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The whole headlight assembly on a 97 firebird. I wrecked it and it got screwed up.
I know what I have to do, just cant figure out the how. They have it riveted into the rear portion of the header panel (I think that's what it is called), so of course the rivets are right up against the wheel well, otherwise I'd drill them out. So, basically three rivets are messing everything up (the heads are against the wheel well). I dont want to mess up the header panel either, because obviously that's the brace for the headlight.
Ill post up some pics when I get home in a couple hours.
 
Argh, of course the preceptor they found for me works the exact same days as me. I tried making my schedule work, but it seems like they are rushing me. Unfortunately doesn't look like I am going to accept.
 
9D4 said:
The whole headlight assembly on a 97 firebird. I wrecked it and it got screwed up.
I know what I have to do, just cant figure out the how. They have it riveted into the rear portion of the header panel (I think that's what it is called), so of course the rivets are right up against the wheel well, otherwise I'd drill them out. So, basically three rivets are messing everything up (the heads are against the wheel well). I dont want to mess up the header panel either, because obviously that's the brace for the headlight.
Ill post up some pics when I get home in a couple hours.
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Two ways I usually handle rivets,

1. drill them out but you said you can't. If your concerned with cosmetics, utilize a small drill bit. like 1/8 or so and just drill out the center of the rivet the hollow head and shaft gives in and allows removal.

2. if its in a inconspicuous area, like behind the wheel well or underneath the car hit it with a die grinder. once you take the head off the rivet a little bit of muscle will break them free.
 
9D4 said:
The whole headlight assembly on a 97 firebird. I wrecked it and it got screwed up.

I know what I have to do, just cant figure out the how. They have it riveted into the rear portion of the header panel (I think that's what it is called), so of course the rivets are right up against the wheel well, otherwise I'd drill them out. So, basically three rivets are messing everything up (the heads are against the wheel well). I dont want to mess up the header panel either, because obviously that's the brace for the headlight.

Ill post up some pics when I get home in a couple hours.
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Two words...plasma cutter.

I guess all add another word to make it prettier looking...grinder.

;)
 
Robb said:
Two words...plasma cutter.

I guess all add another word to make it prettier looking...grinder.

;)
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QFT but I am also realizing that he is probably doing this job at his house, in his home garage or on the driveway.

The cost of a plasma cutter is not really beneficial to anyone who just does home mechanics on their own car because they have to.
 
unleashedfury said:
Two ways I usually handle rivets,

1. drill them out but you said you can't. If your concerned with cosmetics, utilize a small drill bit. like 1/8 or so and just drill out the center of the rivet the hollow head and shaft gives in and allows removal.

2. if its in a inconspicuous area, like behind the wheel well or underneath the car hit it with a die grinder. once you take the head off the rivet a little bit of muscle will break them free.
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Yeah, I guess. I just cant figure out how to access the head. Can you do it from the other side and put a smaller bolt and pound it out? Probably a stupid idea.
 
9D4 said:
Yeah, I guess. I just cant figure out how to access the head. Can you do it from the other side and put a smaller bolt and pound it out? Probably a stupid idea.
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You can try the only catch you might run into is when a rivet is installed they tend to mushroom at the tip end. So forcing it out backwards can cause the hole to blowout.

If they are the Plastic rivets also known as GM J-Bolt the have a standard head with a mandrel in them. what happens is the bolt is plastic with wings on it and it has a hole right in the center a straight plastic screw is installed it has offset slots on it that pushes the wings on the main bolt outward to hold it in place. If you have these just cut the ends off with a tin snip or even a pair of dykes. If you can access the head take a small screwdriver and pull up on the inside part of the head which will release the body. These things are cheap easy to install but truly are junk. You'll probably have to replace them and they are available at most of your autoparts stores on the cheap.

ETA, if your front clip is fastened similar to the sunfire, or cavalier where the quarter panel is connected to the front clip and has a squared off end. you can apply pressure to the front clip and open that gap a wee bit enough to get a hacksaw blade or the like in there and cut the rivet on the shaft. When you remove the old rivets you can replace them with standard nut and bolts
 
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SQ and IM injections on students today. Not extremely fun for me :sad:
 
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