Getting old sucks

Joined
Dec 19, 2013
Messages
7,933
Location
Fort Worth, Texas
Maybe it's not age really but the miles I've put on my body over the years in this trade, Took in a 2002 Chevy Express 1500 High Top Conversion van, Needed.....
Lower Ball Joints
Upper Ball Joints
Upper Control Arm Bushings
Steering gear Box (Leaking)
Both Idler Arms
Steering Link (To the Center Link)

Wasn't any point in putting it on my lift as it's too tall to get it up to a decent working height so I did it on Jack Stands...... I used to bust these out on my knees & back like nothin'. My back is on FIRE right now & my knees don't feel much better. This is the LAST time I do a frontend rebuild on the ground!

The good news.....I do have a Challenger 14,000 pound extended length drive-on 4 Post Lift with 2 air over hydraulic rolling jacks on order. Had the concrete poured a month ago but the lift is on backorder like everything else.

This is a stock photo of the lift.....
7NxjUTM.jpg
 
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Yeah I used to do repairs all manually, no lift, no power tools, back in the day. Pneumatic, corded, and cordless tools help a lot, enough to motivate me to start a repair then finish it. I always finish what I start so the starting is the hurdle. It does make a difference, spreading out the effort by using air or electricity to do the work, so your mind is focused on most efficient way to tackle the next step rather than getting the current step done. Let the tool do the work.

Back and knees though, they need exercise and will remind you if you don't give them that then ask too much all at once.
 
That's an awesome lift! :cool:

I did a full suspension job on the Mitsubishi back in January - control arm bushings, ball joints, torsion bars, rear control arm bushings, springs, stabilizer bar bushings, panhard rod bushings, shocks, etc. Even with power tools, doing it on the ground makes it that much more tiring and time consuming. My knees felt the worse, although backpain came in a very close second. Prior to gaining a lot of weight, because of this COVID crap, it was a whole lot easier.
 
Yep, crawling around low like that torquing on this and that, standing up, kneeling down. It takes me a fair few days to recover from it if I have to do something involved.
 
Well i'm almost 74. Will be next month. Have no lift here just jacks and stands. The hardest part for me is the getting up off the floor and getting down to the floor gently. I sure do feel it for a couple days though. Got major work for me coming up next week to do planned maintenance on my wifes Mazda 5. Tranny drain and fill, cooling system drain and water pump replacement and serpentine replacement. Pump and belt still fine but it is just time for it. It is 9yrs old and has 128k miles. It has been a very reliable and economical car.
 
I am 73. A couple of years ago, I was walking at the mall for some exercise and my back started to hurt. By the time i got home, it was so bad, I had to lay down. A few hours later, my wife called for an ambulance as the pain had become extreme.
Long story short.....two discs, those on each side of my L5 vertebrae, had failed. Had to get back surgery and have four long screws and cadaver bone put in place to do the fusion/repair. Healed up really well and I am completely back to normal as far as the back goes.

Getting old does suck.
 
I’m younger than you Chris and my body is too already feeling the pain of this trade. Already have had bilateral carpel tunnel and cubital tunnel surgeries and now developing really bad tennis elbow in my right arm, as well as arthritis in my dominant arms shoulder.

I too love what I do but it gets harder as time goes on to do the big physical jobs.

good luck with the new lift it will definitely help!!
 
I've been meaning to buy a set of knee pads to help with the tire rotations, brake bleeds, etc. My dream of having a garage with a lift may never come to fruition. I just throw down an old retired bath towel and kneel on it, but my knees are giving me fair warning that a blowout is coming if I keep it up.
 
Awesome looking lift. I'm jelly 🤣 25 years of firefighting took a toll on my body too but now that I'm retired I have to make sure the couch doesn't hurt me. Its a fine line btwn doing too much and not enough.
 
Yea, I had my driver's license renewal a few weeks ago. I looked at the picture and suddenly realized, dang, I'm starting to look old (65)! This, coming from a guy whole enjoyed still getting carded for alcohol at age 32 (less common back then).

The one good thing about aging, for me at least, is that I feel a sense of having many (not all) things figured out about life. I have a better sense of balanced life. I have less anxiety about almost everything. Less need to rush. Less need to finish everything ahead of time. Less worry about career and kissing rear end in general. Less worry about perfection and material things. More priority towards family and friends (young guys - try to achieve this as early as possible).
 
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