What have you done to your square lately??

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

TotalyHucked

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2020
Posts
6,946
Reaction score
25,628
Location
Auburn, Georgia
First Name
Zach
Truck Year
1985
Truck Model
Sierra 1500
Engine Size
5.3
I totally agree, "the wages they pay, keep the smart ones away". I'd still be doing parts but the pay is shyt and they want you to work on customers cars like putting batteries in, wipers, bulbs, usually no big deal till it's -20 outside or raining unless something goes wrong. But when dealers just charge $69 or more just to look / diagnose a vehicle, doesn't make sense making $12.00 hr to do the same. Oreilly's is the worst for pay IMO after working for them for several years. I may get back into it when I retire but I won't be fiddling around with customers cars. The only way a parts guy can possibly make an affordable living / career out of it is if you get into management.
Yeah that's ridiculous that they're still paying that. Hell, our warehouse guys start at $18 IIRC and that's barely a livable wage these days
 

Travlr

Full Access Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2023
Posts
540
Reaction score
1,776
Location
Central Utah
First Name
C
Truck Year
1978
Truck Model
K20 Camper Special
Engine Size
350
And it's also compounded by the fact that highschool/college age kids aren't into cars like they used to be. Car culture is just lost on so many that would be ok working for those wages when they're young
Ain't that the truth...

My wife and I got tickets to have some things appraised on the Antiques Roadshow. One of the things I took was a legitimate Cannonball hat signed by Brock Yates, supported by some authenticating information. The initial guy we showed it to was excited. He wanted to do an appraisal in front of the camera. But he had to talk to someone that would make the decision... and the guy was way young and obviously not a car guy. He probably thought the Cannonball was just a movie.
 

Blue Ox

Turning Diesel Fuel Into Fun
Joined
Mar 27, 2018
Posts
5,874
Reaction score
14,629
Location
LI-NY
First Name
Derek
Truck Year
MCMLXXXV
Truck Model
K20HD
Engine Size
6.2L
Yeah that's ridiculous that they're still paying that. Hell, our warehouse guys start at $18 IIRC and that's barely a livable wage these days

Here's an amazing thing about markets...

If they can't get people of the quality they need to work for them, they're going to have to...... wait for it......

Pay more!

Jeezus H, it's really that simple. You want to make more money, you have to be worth more money. EZ PZ.
 

legopnuematic

Licensed Junk Dealer
Supporting Member
Joined
Oct 27, 2016
Posts
5,135
Reaction score
19,120
Location
MO
First Name
Spencer
Truck Year
1971, 1̶9̶7̶4, 1976, 1979,1̶9̶8̶5, 2002
Truck Model
Dart Swinger, Sierra 10, C10 Cheyenne, C10 Big Ten, Silverado 10, Ram 2500
Engine Size
225/6, 350 c.i., 350 c.i., 5.9l Cummins
Washed it, filled one tank up, ate, changed the oil, and drove it home.
You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
 

TotalyHucked

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2020
Posts
6,946
Reaction score
25,628
Location
Auburn, Georgia
First Name
Zach
Truck Year
1985
Truck Model
Sierra 1500
Engine Size
5.3
Here's an amazing thing about markets...

If they can't get people of the quality they need to work for them, they're going to have to...... wait for it......

Pay more!

Jeezus H, it's really that simple. You want to make more money, you have to be worth more money. EZ PZ.
Yep. Any time our owner or HR wonders why our turnover rate in the warehouse is up I just look at them with the "I've told you why" face lol
 

TotalyHucked

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2020
Posts
6,946
Reaction score
25,628
Location
Auburn, Georgia
First Name
Zach
Truck Year
1985
Truck Model
Sierra 1500
Engine Size
5.3
Its begun.
You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

It didn't even have any sound deadening - just 4 loafs of some sort of foam-turds. Thats going away as well.
You're gonna wanna do something similar to keep the oil canning down and give the outer skin some support unless you want it to just dent looking at it. I'd do a piece or two of sound deadener and then find some kind of synthetic foam that's roughly the right size for the skin to compress it but not too thick so that it holds the skin up too high either.
 

Doppleganger

Full Access Member
Joined
May 24, 2019
Posts
14,275
Reaction score
67,301
Location
OH-MI: Just like it sounds
First Name
Chris
Truck Year
1985
Truck Model
K20
Engine Size
5.7
You're gonna wanna do something similar to keep the oil canning down and give the outer skin some support unless you want it to just dent looking at it. I'd do a piece or two of sound deadener and then find some kind of synthetic foam that's roughly the right size for the skin to compress it but not too thick so that it holds the skin up too high either.
Being these things are stamped out of coke cans, I'm well aware of their fragility. It didn't stop the extreme oil canning before.

Whats weird is every one of these I see with the skin removed, there was just 4 strips of tar-papered sound deadener or a panel of some sort of wafer board.
 
Last edited:

TotalyHucked

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2020
Posts
6,946
Reaction score
25,628
Location
Auburn, Georgia
First Name
Zach
Truck Year
1985
Truck Model
Sierra 1500
Engine Size
5.3
Being these things are stamped out of coke cans, I'm well aware of their fragility. It didn't stop the extreme oil canning before.

Whats weird is every one of these I see with the skin removed, there was just 4 strips of tar-papered sound deadener or a panel of some sort of wafer board.
Every truck we've cut down so far has had either 1 big section of tar paper sound deadener or the strips but also that expandable foam in varying amounts
 

Doppleganger

Full Access Member
Joined
May 24, 2019
Posts
14,275
Reaction score
67,301
Location
OH-MI: Just like it sounds
First Name
Chris
Truck Year
1985
Truck Model
K20
Engine Size
5.7
Every truck we've cut down so far has had either 1 big section of tar paper sound deadener or the strips but also that expandable foam in varying amounts
I'm going to find the depth of these blobs and see if there is any kind of foam close to that size - maybe 1/8 or so taller for support? I know there is alot of issues with oil canning on metal roofs for buildings and they use some sort of small cell foam. Cant find anything on it. I would reuse these things but they're dried out /shrunk and obviously didn't do much for oil canning before.

Fella on the left coast (huge resto shop - buys your panels exclusively) said he's come across this stuff in various cars and has found nothing to substitute it. Told me if the roof is perfect it shouldn't oil can.

:pp:
 

JamesSam

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2023
Posts
2,592
Reaction score
7,862
Location
VA
First Name
Sam
Truck Year
1987
Truck Model
Silverado V10
Engine Size
5.7 L 350 v8
Spent some time on various Poppy’s Patina products (sold by Vice Grip Garage) and I’m just not happy with any of it. So @legopnuematic and I had a little discussion on another thread and I’m gonna see if I can take this from a 50/50 truck to a 30/30 truck (maybe 20/20 truck but I doubt it).

Got some a couple cool different shape sanding blocks, some 1000/1500 grit, and some cleaner/compound. Let’s see if I can bring ‘er around a little.
You must be registered for see images attach
Chad @ChuckN , please post about how it goes. I love the way my truck looks even with the fading on it's roof, and beginnings of clearcoat peeling here and there. I have given some thought to wetsanding and then ceramic coating, but also want to see and hear about other methods to bringing old paint around and preserving even with signs of age showing.
I want it to be good enough for the girl I date, I mean my wife. Lol
 

ChuckN

Full Access Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2022
Posts
2,082
Reaction score
7,636
Location
Bellinham, WA
First Name
Chad
Truck Year
1981
Truck Model
C10
Engine Size
350
Chad @ChuckN , please post about how it goes. I love the way my truck looks even with the fading on it's roof, and beginnings of clearcoat peeling here and there. I have given some thought to wetsanding and then ceramic coating, but also want to see and hear about other methods to bringing old paint around and preserving even with signs of age showing.
I want it to be good enough for the girl I date, I mean my wife. Lol
So far I’d say it’s going reasonably well. Most of it is two things- learning what paint/clear I actually have and how it responds, and then learning the stupid cryptic non-standardized products out there for cutting/polishing. For example “Heavy Cut Cleaner” by Meguiars is actually more gentle than their “Ultimate Compound” that doesn’t really tell you much of anything except that it’s a compound. This frustration is backed by thousands of threads online asking for a listing of products from least to most aggressive.

That said, I think that the VGG wipe on clear coat is pretty tough stuff and it’s going to take some elbow grease to even that coat out. I started at 1000 grit, and I’m probably going to end up at 600 to get some traction before going to 1000, then 1500 and then going to the final polish stages.

I’d take pictures but they’re worthless- what I’m seeing and feeling with my fingertips just doesn’t show up in photos. But I’ll check back.
 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
48,401
Posts
1,066,559
Members
42,779
Latest member
blue10
Top