It looked so easy on YouTube...

[ben550]

Its the same with "how to" threads sometimes...just because it was easy for another guy doesn't mean its going to be easy for you. Once you learn your limit on what projects you can and can't tackle its much better because you do what you can handle and have someone else do what you can't and avoid the headache.

Anyone else notice how easy people make things look on YouTube? I watched a video of a couple of guys upgrading the suspension on a Toyota 4Runner. It took them about an hour from start to finish. Everything just slid right into place.

I did the same job over the weekend. It took me around six hours, over the course of two days. Nothing about the job went into place easily. I busted fingers, smashed other fingers, and made up a bunch of new curse words. At one point I was laying on the floor almost in tears due to a quad cramping up. My back felt like it was going to snap in half.

I got the job done but it was nowhere near as easy as the guys in the video made it look.

I have gotten myself in some real messy situations where I am racing against the clock with car parts strewn across my garage floor... I have consistently found that on every project I attempt there will be at least one thing that goes wrong. For example: Replacing brake calipers, one of the rear calipers would not seal to the brake line... had to just reuse the old caliper... Replacing front rotors, one of the wheel studs snapped. Changing oil, one of the skid plate bolts snapped.... etc.

It is always something.

I now adjust my plans based on that fact. My wife always asks me for an estimate on how long a project will take when I say (already adjusting for problem issues) a generous estimate, she will double that... and she is usually correct.

Wife: How long is it going to take you to work on the car
Me: It should take 2 hours...
Wife: Ok so 4 hours...
Me: No it'll be quick

4 hours later... I walk into the house covered in grease/oil/brake dust all pissed off at the world vowing I will never do another project like that again.


And the cycle repeats itself...

 

[Jernik]

[MENTION=98419]ben550[/MENTION] - I get nervous when I notice a project is going along nice and smooth with no hiccups...

 

[lowcel]

[MENTION=98419]ben550[/MENTION] - I get nervous when I notice a project is going along nice and smooth with no hiccups...

I installed a new stereo in my neighbor's RV last weekend prior to doing my suspension. I expected the job to take an hour. By the time we finished the job took over four hours due to an incorrectly wired harness and having to track down the SIRIUS antenna. My neighbor was ready to give up and send everything back. He couldn't believe how calm I stayed. I told him that if things ever went right I would be scared to death.

I have to admit though, that was one hell of a job. RV's are a different kind of animal.

 

[ic0517]

The best ones are when you have to turn off the whole house's water because the numbnuts before you didn't install shut off valves.

And don't get me started when I decided to ask a professional plumber to install new outdoor sills, he did good work before, and he sends "the kid" who does such a retarded job, and installs those stupid anti-backflow valves so now soaker hoses don't work any more.

I ended up replacing one of them, good Lord did it take a long time to cut the pipes just right so that when everything was put together the valve sat straight.

 

[1engineer]

Rock climbers make rock climbing look easy.
Mountain Bikers make riding tough terrain look easy.
NBA players make playing basketball look easy.
Messi makes dribbling through defenders look easy.
Engineers make solving equations look easy.
Top Fuel Mechanics make engine swaps look easy.

Get the drift?

 

[lowcel]

Rock climbers make rock climbing look easy.
Mountain Bikers make riding tough terrain look easy.
NBA players make playing basketball look easy.
Messi makes dribbling through defenders look easy.
Engineers make solving equations look easy.
Top Fuel Mechanics make engine swaps look easy.

Get the drift?

I make screwing up look easy.

 

[4RunnAway]

ill save the trouble

a vehicle is a pretty expensive job to do trial and error with (if you are unsure of what you are doing) so for that purpose ill leave it to the pro's to take care of jobs like suspension and stuff lol.

 

[lowcel]

a vehicle is a pretty expensive job to do trial and error with (if you are unsure of what you are doing) so for that purpose ill leave it to the pro's to take care of jobs like suspension and stuff lol.

I'm a poor boy from West Virginia that works for the government. I wouldn't have half of what I have if I wasn't willing to do things on my own. Don't get me wrong, I wish I was in the position to pay to have everything done.

 

[MtnT4R]

Lifting my old GMC 2500 took an experienced mechanic and I 22 hours to accomplish in a disorganized but professional auto bay. Seems a side impact the previous owner forgot to mention tweaked the frame JUST enough to make me want to light the damn truck on fire and walk away. And two weeks after I spent two looooooooooong days crawling around under my truck, that same lift failed with a porsche on it. Talk about timing.

Compared to that friggin truck, everything on my 4Runner has been an absolute walk in the park.

 

[runnyeggsham]

Anyone else notice how easy people make things look on YouTube? I watched a video of a couple of guys upgrading the suspension on a Toyota 4Runner. It took them about an hour from start to finish. Everything just slid right into place.

I did the same job over the weekend. It took me around six hours, over the course of two days. Nothing about the job went into place easily. I busted fingers, smashed other fingers, and made up a bunch of new curse words. At one point I was laying on the floor almost in tears due to a quad cramping up. My back felt like it was going to snap in half.

I got the job done but it was nowhere near as easy as the guys in the video made it look.

Heh, that's why they made the video hopefully because they know what they were doing. I dont think I want to watch 6 hours of some guy doing it in 2 days. You at least did it in 2 days. I wouldnt even start on it. I dont have the tools (always easier when you have the right tools), nor the know-how.

 

[4RunnerAquasport]

Getting ready to get my butt kicked in the next few weeks......in a single car garage. Waiting on rear springs and deciding on wheels.
Big Thank You to Micah at Down South Motorsports and [MENTION=98153]MStudt[/MENTION] for the King GB. You guys are all over it!!

 

[MStudt]

Getting ready to get my butt kicked in the next few weeks......in a single car garage. Waiting on rear springs and deciding on wheels.
Big Thank You to Micah at Down South Motorsports and [MENTION=98153]MStudt[/MENTION] for the King GB. You guys are all over it!!

That's going to be a nice set-up!

 

[TFRnoob]

I don't know about what video you guys are talking about... but a good rule of thumb I've learned is that if you're working in your backyard or on jackstands the job is automatically going to take at least twice if not 3 times the length it would if it were on a hoist in a shop.

I can't really explain why this is the case, but it seems like even when I drag my tools from work it always takes a longer to deal with backyard car than when I'm working in the shop.

The other thing to point out is experience and tools, I have a set of nice shorty ratcheting wrenches that are perfect for things like that back 3rd bolt on the strut tower (break it loose with a regular wrench and just speed wrench that nut off.) But experience can play a big role in that, for example knowing when to just pre-soak some parts and/or not fight some components when you don't need to.

100% true story.

when I am working on the top of my engine things fly off/on but when I am under my truck with ant colonies crawling everywhere and in the dirt/ dust/ mud in the most awkward positions things seem to take forever.

When an engine is on a stand everything is light speed in comparison!

 

[4RunnerAquasport]

That's going to be a nice set-up!

Thanks Mike!
I hadn't really looked at Kings until I opened up your GB, and that was all it took. Spent the next 2 days learning about the Kings, and doing price comparisons. Really glad I did!

 

[MStudt]

Thanks Mike!
I hadn't really looked at Kings until I opened up your GB, and that was all it took. Spent the next 2 days learning about the Kings, and doing price comparisons. Really glad I did!

It's worth it to do it right the first time.

 

[amalik]

Everything looks easier on YouTube.

Just like the pros make basketball and football look easy when we watch them.

 

[Jetboy]

Here is the video I watched. It looked so easy I decided that I could easily do it myself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OScLwBAs4Jw

Scary video. Those cheap spring compressors are deadly. They are not meant for 600+lb springs. You can "rent" good quality ones for free from many auto parts stores. Trust me - I know from experience....

 

[lowcel]

Scary video. Those cheap spring compressors are deadly. They are not meant for 600+lb springs. You can "rent" good quality ones for free from many auto parts stores. Trust me - I know from experience....

After breaking the cheapies I took advantage of Advance Auto's loaner tool program. They were much nicer.

 

[LittleCaesar]

What scares me on YouTube are the people that are ASE certified mechanics or so they claim and fail miserably at a repair due to the lack of use of the necessary tools.

There is a lot of misinformation out there on car repair yet some videos aren't too bad. Just have to look hard to find the latter.

 

[rooost]

I think it works both ways:

They make some jobs easy, by skipping steps and then they make simple things look hard by talking too damm much...I really wish these kids would not narrate ever single step...like removing lug nuts or putting the wrench on the bolt.


I must admit, I love buying parts! I like them to be on the truck...the middle part is more of a love built out of necessity and general distrust of others coupled with some control issues...and I am ok with that....Luckily I have a friend about two hours away that is way more talented and has way better space/tools