A tedious car repair?

Quickbread · Jul 27, 2014

Hi everyone. I've got an MC who's a mechanic, and I know zilch about cars. He owns a small mechanic shop in a small town, so it's not a super sophisticated setup, though he does have a car lift. Also, the story is set in the mid-1980s.

Is there a repair he could perform under the hood that would be so boring, tedious and/or time-consuming that he might fall into a lull/daydreaming sort of state during the process?

Thanks in advance!

C.bronco · Jul 27, 2014

Trying to replace a water pump in a small, Japanese car. A Plymouth Champ would work perfectly for that scenario as well. He'd have to remove several parts to get to it, and would have a hard time using a wrench to dislodge it.

T Robinson · Jul 27, 2014

Pulling and replacing a harmonic balancer on an old Chevy engine. I had a 1963 Chevrolet Impala with a 327. I had to do it three different times over the years. Mind numbing.

debirlfan · Jul 27, 2014

Body work? (Filling, sanding)

blacbird · Jul 28, 2014

Replacing a broken timing belt. I had this awfulness happen about 18 months ago, to an older, but otherwise well-functioning car I drove. I stopped at a major intersection for the light to change to make a left turn, and the car simply died. Dead. No electrons, no nothing.

Turned out the timing belt had simply broken. That requires pulling the entire engine to fix.

caw

Quickbread · Jul 28, 2014

These are great ideas. Thanks so much, you guys!

WeaselFire · Jul 28, 2014

None of these, or any car repair for that matter, are tedious or boring enough to fall asleep. If you need this to happen for your story, have him spend the last week with a colicky baby.

Jeff

Karen Junker · Jul 28, 2014

Oh, I don't know, Jeff. I mean, I remember getting drowsy while hand-grinding the cylinders in my '68 VW bug. Though there may have been other factors in play.

Rufus Coppertop · Jul 29, 2014

Making a crankshaft with a titanium pole and a nail file's a bit boring at times too.

Karen Junker said:
Though there may have been other factors in play.

Green factors with rich, oily buds perchance?

A tedious car repair?

Quickbread

C.bronco

I have plans...

T Robinson

Born long ago, in a different era

debirlfan

blacbird

Quickbread

WeaselFire

Benefactor Member

Karen Junker

Live a little. Write a lot.

Rufus Coppertop