Yesterday I put my beloved $700 Chevrolet Tracker for sale on Facebook Marketplace, and within a few hours I received a message from a gentleman by the name of Florentin. “Hi David, I think I just passed this car today it was parked on [redacted] Rd. At the house with all the trucks in the yard? Is that your place? I always thought that guy works on a lot of cool cars.” I responded with an affirmative, at which point Florentin asked me for a favor. You see, he’s in a bit of a predicament.
This person responding to my Facebook ad had no interest in buying my now-rather-beautiful five-speed Chevy Tracker, what he had was a problem. “Cool man. I have been driving by your house for a while and seems like you know your way around these trucks. Do you just work for friends or also do repairs for other people? I really need some help,” he began a rather large message.
“I was actually thinking about stopping by that house to ask for help and then seen this post with the car I just saw in your driveway. What are the chances? I bought a 2002 Lexus LX470 recently and the AHC system was bad as it had a bad front shock. I bought an Ironman 2” lift kit with shocks, springs, torsion bars and front diff drop to convert it. I lifted it up on jacks in my back yard to work on it myself after watching a YouTube video and soon realized it’s beyond my skill level since I’m not a mechanic,” he continued, before saying his friends didn’t have time to help him get his suspension back in order.
“I was able to do front shocks, swap the torsion bars, and got stuck on the rear shocks,” he told me. “I took the AHC lines off but couldn’t get the rear shocks off myself. I need to do the back shocks and springs, front diff drop, and make sure it’s all leveled.”
Then came the kicker:
“Would you have any interest to come see if you finish this for me? I really need this car for winter since my rwd bmw is not well suited for my work in the winter. I would pay you for your work. I just need to finish this. If you can help that would be amazing.”
I responded with the truth: I just don’t have time for this. I was supposed to have moved to LA months ago, but that’s gotten kicked down the road in large part because I have too many cars, and I need to get them fixed and sold soon. Then I need to actually find an apartment, pack all my things, and road trip multiple vehicles. All the while, I have to run a business.
Florentin told me he understood, and even offered to help me wrench on my stuff, as he’d like to learn a thing or two.
A few minutes passed.
At this point, I was sitting in a bar by myself wolfing down an ice cream-covered brownie, contemplating all the stuff I have to do. And yet, I couldn’t get this random person, whom I’ve never met, off my mind. The winter is coming. It’s about to be ass-cold, and this poor bastard is going to be without his winter-crushing 2002 Lexus LX470. He may have to tow the thing to a garage and pay an exorbitant sum. I could help him.
But I don’t have time. But then, maybe I do? I mean, sure, I should be fixing and selling my own cars, but why am I any more important than this guy? He seems like a nice dude. He works in the healthcare field; who knows, maybe people’s lives depend on him? Plus, think about how much he’d appreciate it, given how thoroughly screwed he feels at this point. I could be that calming, steadying, rust-healing force for him — someone to tell him “There, there. It ain’t nothin’ that my cheater bar and torch can’t handle” as I crack open a can of beer (I don’t actually drink beer, but it’s imaginary instances like these that make me sometimes wish I did) and smoothly twist out a hideously rusty bolt.
Anyway, as I sat there unashamed after having eaten a huge brownie all by myself at a bar, I texted Florentin: “Okay I’m down.” Then I drove to his house to assess the situation. That’s what you see in the top photo; the Lexus is currently sitting on jack stands. Up front, new shocks glisten among the rusty metal, while brake calipers sit awaiting new pads. In the rear, old springs and shocks need to be removed, though new rotors are already in place.
Any, if any of you readers want to eat pizza, crack some brews (or cokes), and tackle some fasteners on the HMS Land Cruiser you see above, let me know.
DT, fix your own stuff, sell it to whatever masochists that are willing to take them on and start over in Cali.
Or stay where you are, fix your own stuff, sell it to whatever masochists that are willing to take them on and ship the Nash to you. I personally I am glad you gave up on the Cactus.
Or, change your name and enter the witness protection program and just edit the site.
Gave up on cactus?
Toyota technician who owns a 100 series. I replaced the rear ahc on a lx470. You need a double box end 22mm or 21mm with collared box ends. And far better than that, a double box end flex head ratchet with the collars. I didn’t have the flex head, just the box end so it was a huge PITA. Good luck!
“Has a rear wheel drive BMW that isn’t good for winter use”. Not to be winter tire guy, but yeah, gonna be winter tire guy. Have a full set of winter tires on my low to the ground, rwd Lexus IS300. It will boldly go where front and even all wheel drive have never gone before. I realize the guy already invested int the beater, but winter tires for the win here Alex.
Tried to find an IS for my fiance, but she like the v6 Rav4. Cool car though. That being said, I know that a 100 series will go much further than the IS. Or on top of it. Winter tires or not. Plus, given that other drivers might not have winter tires or know how to drive in the snow, I’ll take the vehicle that weighs as much as a Suburban for my own safety.
Good karma, David.
But, didn’t you >just< have an article on Autopain involving trying to help someone else??
That didn’t go well.
If you need anyone to light the blow torch and hit the breaker bar, let me know. I’m local, been putting off car repair so this’ll give me yet another excuse to not fix my shitbox, and I’m massive so that leverage on the breaker
I want to hang out with someone who refers to themself as “massive.” So yes, let’s.
I’m also massive, but it’s really NOT that impressive. You just need to eat wrong and not exercise…
I saw a video about this same conversion on Tony Angelo’s “Stay Tuned” youtube channel a couple months ago. The main reason it’s so difficult to remove the rear shocks is that they are inboard of the frame rails. The top shocks nut is in a pretty tight space between the floorboards and the rear frame cross member. The 3rd Gen 4Runner has a similar setup. I’m not sure about the 200-series Land Cruiser/Lexus LX but on later model midsize Toyota pickups and SUVs they moved the rear shocks outboard of the frame rails which makes them a lot easier to change.
Definitely gotta watch this before you do the job. Great episode. Don’t forget to read up on ih8mud for the rest of the details.
why not just cut the stud off?
“…Is that your place? I always thought that guy WORKS ON ??? a lot of cool cars.”
Uh, you mean “collects”
Note to self: ask David for that big favor AFTER he’s had his brownie, not before.
Better yet, offer him brownie and ice cream and after the 1st bit start your best favor spiel
I know there’s going to be a fight with seized fasteners, but I am truly amazed there’s still paint underneath that car as I imagine it’s seen a few salty winters!
Clearly David is cramming in all the rust experience he can so the inevitable difficulties of life in California can be rationalized with a quick trip down memory lane to his days of wrenching in Michigan.
Some of you calling this hopeless rust are just laughable. This is how every truck frame more than a decade old looks in the rust belt, or worse. Sometimes much worse.
This is also why I don’t do chassis work on my truck. I pay my trusted local independent mechanic, because dealing with those fasteners without a lift and special tools is a proper nightmare.
I’d seriously have this dude do some gopher work in your garage with you in trade, and even help you ready some of the cars you’re going to sell. He can take pics, he can clean out the trash, and do some light detail work, check and fill fluids, that sort of stuff.
You could have said to him, “Rather than pay me for my time fixing your old Lexus, buy my Tracker and you’ll be good for the winter”. Nah, that would be too logical.
Working on someone else’s car when you have other things to do reminds me of the time that one of my buddies got married. We went for the tux fitting and his mother found it necessary to tell us in no uncertain terms that if we stopped to work on a car while wearing the tuxes, she’d kill us.
I had to shimmy under my VW van on my way to my wedding to short across the solenoid —thanks for reminding me!
You have to replace the front torsion bars as well. The stock lx470 ones are sized to the ahc system, and are too small for normal suspension.
Oh wow, you can’t just crank those up, eh?
You can, but it won’t level out to a stance you’re happy with.
Send the car to a shop, the potential liability on this is huge. What if something (that you never touched) breaks/falls apart/comes off and he hits a busload of kids and nuns on their way to school?
I used to be happy to help folks with their stuff, now I only work on my own…..it’s a sad thing, but I just can’t do it anymore….too many crazies with guns and lawyers out there now.
ehhhhhhhh that’s a bit much man. I don’t want to live my life in fear.
Something kind of like that happened to me. I changed the oil on a friend’s car and her now ex-boyfriends. I was working in the dark with a flashlight as they didn’t have any exterior lights around their house. I accidentally left the old oil filter gasket stuck to the housing and put the new filter right on top of it. So, all the oil leaked out overnight. Shouldn’t have been an issue, I would have just driven over that morning, fixed it, and be done. So this was the ex’s car, he said he had noticed a giant puddle of oil under the car that morning. But ignored it. And ignored all the warning lights that came on as soon as he started driving. He literally told me this. Eventually he hit the highway and locked up the engine. I felt awful (not for him, I never liked him, just for my friend) especially because I was super broke at the time and couldn’t do much of anything to help. They did get a new engine put in and as soon as I had some extra money I gave some to my friend for the trouble. She has assured me that it’s now just a funny memory for her, so I feel better.
Oh, and I did brakes on a friend’s Aveo once and had to send her home with only three of four lug nuts on one wheel, since some dumbass shop employee had cross threaded the damn thing and I didn’t have the time or tools to fix it.
And that is why I only work on my car and my partners car.
I think “Good Samaritan” laws ought to apply to this sort of thing as well.
Oof that’s rusty, good luck with those fasteners
Whoooooof.
That’s a “leave the keys in the car in a bad neighborhood” type rust right there.
Sadly, that’s pretty good for a 20 year old truck in Michigan. Fasteners are wear items due to rust. You go into the job expecting to replace some of them because you had to strip the head getting them out or had to cut them with a grinder or a torch. The rust on the axle and related components is normal. The body and frame of the truck is remarkably clean given its winter usage. Toyota must have really gotten their shit together after the Tacoma frame rust fiasco.
All the pieces are still visibly present and look like themselves. This is in good shape for the rust belt.
This comment is to rust what Lucille Bluth’s estimates are to banana prices.
Nah. I lived in the Northeast for the first 13 years of my life. PTSD is kicking in.
Are you kidding? By David’s standards, that’s rust-free!
Good guy Tracy
I’d trade some labor for some help finishing the engine swap on my 03 Jetta TDI. Just about got the old one out, nice covered shop at 11 & coolidge.
Hit me up.
Email me david@autopian.com
Hear me out, you (or someone on your staff) need to charge people for mechanic work and start a series called “Tales From The Shadetree”. Here’s how you can help people out, work on challenging projects, create great content, learn a lot and teach a lot too:
You could go over the work and business challenges for the aspiring small-time mechanic, keeping track of costs and earnings to see if it’s a viable way to move towards getting certification and working at or even owning a real shop. Tool costs, subscription repair info services, certification prep, business/insurance/tax issues, legal proceedings for people who don’t pay, how to set fair prices for both parties. There’s all kinds of related topics that could be of a lot of interest to people here and across the internet. Accompanying videos are definitely a possibility, even a YouTube series. Hell it’s possible people want to see car repair livestreams on Twitch so why not try? It just costs some set up time if you already have the equipment.
As long as you don’t turn it into a staged “reality” show I think the idea could be a winner. If the enterprise loses money hopefully the content will make a profit for the website. Harbor Freight might even sponsor the whole thing, they’ll probably naturally come up in every other article! And if you do make any profit it could go to some automotive related charity, either helping people get vehicles they need or maybe teaching young people mechanical and electrical skills. Both for real good to come out of it and to keep the tax man happy. Anyway, think about it!
You have considered this sounds like a trap, right?
I can see a meeting among several sinister types set in a dark smoky lounge…”we have the perfect bait! He won’t be able to resist!” Cue evil laughter all around.
On a more serious note, good for you helping some one out, and good luck.
A very specific trap to catch a very specific person.
Exactly what you need when hunting someone with a very particular set of skills.
Hey David, my ’72 K5 Blazer needs a full frame-off restoration, and it’s beyond my skill level to handle alone, can I interest you in coming by to help?
Sorry, you have to wait until after he swaps in an overdrive transmission into my MG.
Just use the toyota 5 speed conversion, it’ll be cheaper
Based on just what he wrote about his first week in Australia, with all the help that he got, karma probably requires that he just fix whatever anyone asks him to fix no questions asked.
So do a labor trade. Work on his, and have him work with you on yours. Seems like a good deal. BTW, what vehicles are you planning on selling after you fix them?
Still cannot fathom why anyone would actually want to be in California anytime soon, but more power to ya. still it seems like maybe powers that be are suggesting you should stay in the Midwest.
Cmon man who doesn’t like paying $3000/month for a 200 sq ft apartment with a single parking spot available for an additional $200/month?
And watching your step for discarded needles and human turds on the sidewalk in front of your new place?
Man, you guys have no idea what it’s like out here. Keep on thinkin’ that way, we do have plenty of people who actually do know. But no hard feelings. We’ll maybe sell you one of our rust-free 50-year-old cars someday.
the cost of living in LA over Michigan is no fucking joke, though. hard to recommend it to anyone unless they’ve got a job lined up in an industry that’s somewhat specific to LA. David’s case actually makes sense.
“David’s case actually makes sense. ”
This statement fits under the category “Words that are seldom written.” 🙂
Yeah, those of us who live out here can tell you it’s not the hellhole that some media reports have made it out to be. It’s way too big and complex of a state to be reduced to media talking points. Like everywhere else, there are positives and negatives but most of us here lead very good lives.
I live in the Midwest now, used to live on both coasts. It’s amazing the number of people around here who have never been to California but are convinced that it’s a hellhole filled with homeless people and druggies, as opposed to, ya know, the 5th largest economy in the world on its own, with everything from skid row to ivory towers.
Cost of living is higher, sure, but so are wages, and so is the quality and availability of pretty much everything. I won’t argue that it’s superior to other places, although I loved it, but people need to put a little less stock in what politicians are telling them about places they’ve never been.
Wages are not high enough to justify the cost of housing. When literal trailers on a tiny plot of land go for $450k, your real estate is broken.
I’m not going to repeat right wing talking points and fear mongering, I am going to say when I walked around different neighborhoods and opened the zillow app, my mind was blown. I saw a house with the soffits dry rotted so bad they were about to fall off the house, and inside, the whole floor was askew, with exposed rafters on the ceiling/no insulation because it looked “designer chic” (have fun with the AC with no insulation?!).
The house was on the market for $1.1 MILLION dollars. It’s fucked.
Actually I do have an idea, I’ve been to LA a few times. The weather and vibes are nice! But the cost of living, and cost of housing, is full retard. You never go full retard.
No lie, Google tried to hire me 5 years ago or so. They said the salary was $100-120k, starting. If I adjusted my then salary to cost of living for mountain view, they should have been offering 180-200k a year.
Moving to LA would be a great plan if you plan on renting forever and never owning property, but idk how you’d gain any personal wealth that way.
Unless f-you money is involved, it’s a terrible, terrible idea. Even “turrible,” per Charles Barkley.
There’s a reason the universe hasn’t let you move west yet, Tracy. I suggest you have a long conversation on the subject with whatever you consider to be a higher power.
Michigan ain’t going nowhere.
That’s true: even if you COULD fire it up, the peninsula would drop off due to rust when you put it in reverse!
*jest picking’ : I’m from the Midwest myself (that’s why the underside pic made me shiver)
I think that too. Don’t unpack all those boxes, David.
California’s great if you’re into car journalism… lots of press events, good driving roads to review cars on, tons of car people and car culture in every pocket of the city, great weather all year round, etc. Yes, it’s expensive, but there’s a reason people still want to be there. I’d much rather be in California than in Michigan, personally.
I wish I was in the Detroit area to help out. I know the feeling of ‘oh shit, I’m in over my head, and I need this thing to run’, and it sucks. If it was still 2000-2005, I’d even have driven down from Flint to lend a hand. Wrenching is infinitely better as a social activity, IMO.
Getting springs and shocks out from under a solid rear axle shouldn’t* be too difficult, and the underbody pics of that Lexus don’t look bad to me. Step one, of course, is to jack up the car and put the stands under the frame instead of the axle to let it droop… I think if you bring your arsenal of breaker bar, PB blaster, and MAP torch you should be able to help this gentleman out of a bind.
*this is the biggest potential lie in all of mechanicdom, but I can cross my fingers…
I remember having a lot of those ‘oh shit, I’m in over my head’ moments when I started wrenching. Thankfully, I lived with a couple of roommates who were pretty handy and would always help out. It’s always a lot better when there’s another set of eyes. I think we as gearheads should endeavor to help others with their projects and help them build that confidence to tackle bigger projects. Kudos to David for helping this fella.
You go to bars to eat ice cream covered brownies? Must be a Jeep thing.
” . . . sitting in a bar by myself wolfing down an ice cream-covered brownie . . . ”
All THIS and you have yourself in a lather over moving to California? David, man: wake up! You’re livin’ The Life!
(Seriously, good call on the helping. Don’t let word get ’round.)