Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Who Needs A Guy In A Three Piece Suit When You Can Have This Guy In A One Piece?

Often while out on the road, you have to do your own repairs.  Sometimes it's necessary, because you may be in a place where you can't access a shop, other times it's just to save the money you'd spend on labor.  If you're mechanically inclined, this option is a no-brainer.  Ed is the master of repairing almost anything. 

I remember one time sitting on the side of the road near the port in Newark, in the summer, when Ed had to fix the air conditining system on the old truck.  He replaced the air conditioning compressor, and ran new freon lines all the way back into the sleeper.  It took him HOURS.  He was crawling around under the truck, his clothes were filthy, and he had dirt in his hair. 

I wouldn't even let him back into the truck unless he took off all of his clothes.  So I stood on the side of the road in Newark (it was night by the time he was finished, and no one was around) holding up a towel like our moms used to do when we were kids and had to wiggle out of our bathing suits in public.  He stripped down to nothing, handed me his dirty clothes which I promptly put in a garbage bag, and then handed him the towel to wrap around himself so he could climb back into the truck.  Which is also the reason I bought him several sets of coveralls (long sleeve ones in winter, short sleeve ones in summer) like he's wearing in the picture. 

He's changed the air-compressor governor, alternators, a steering wheel, air lines, shocks, and has fixed a lot of wiring related issues. 
Recently, he had to replace the air dryer - which is the unit that takes the moisture/condensation out of the air system - and what he's holding in this photo.  Some of you may not know the sound the air dryer makes - it's a big PSHHHHH! sound - kind of like the sound you hear when a big rig sets his brake, only softer.  You'll only hear it when the truck is running, so if you stand by long enough, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Ed carries lots of tools and spare parts for things that regularly need checking or might go out unexpectedly - lights, wires, air lines, wheel seals, fuses, etc.  And for the big stuff, he can save on labor costs by just buying the part himself and installing it when he has time and where he has room - in this case, a Home Depot parking lot next to a strip mall with a Target.


Hey, there's got to be something to keep me occupied while he's playing Mr. Fix It.



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2011: Stop And Smell The Turkey And Sweet Potatoes
2010: How Do You Spell Relaxation? B.V.I.
2009: Green Velvet
2008: Eddie Lost In Space Friday
2007: Have A Happy Thanksgiving And Choke On A Turkey Bone For Us
2006: When You Can’t See The View Because The Hooters Are In The Way
2005: Stealth Monday

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Someone has to be the Boss and make sure that it is done right

Gil said...

I always wanted a pair of coveralls. Well, since I bought my first Volvo in 1967. A local dealer got a Volvo franchise and he hired a bunch of people from Volvo.

Parts manager - Dutchman named Ad

Service manager - Dane named Neils

Mechanic Ingamar & Tage

The Dutchman had a side business of importing Vredestein (SP?) tires and he had these neat coverall with the name on them. He'd always wear them on Thursday nights when we worked on our own cars. I was going to buy some a few years ago, but I don't need them these days as my mechanical work is limited because of COPD.