Life in Lynch Lair at Wildcat Station

[Greg]

So do bots.

[Drunk Monk]

So do bots.

Fair.

Speaking of which... http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomFor...6#pid47386

[Greg]

During the trip to Lynch Castle and Jake's last weekend, my driver's side door panel decided it no longer wanted to be part of my driver's side door. Good times. The door panel basically fell off the door at Jakes, only hanging on by the electrical cables. I was able to hold it in place to get it back in place to return to the Lair.

I learned from good friends at Youtube that I had broken two brackets necessary to hold the panel onto the door. At first I thought I would just have to replace all of the door panel clips, but no. It was the brackets. The two brackets set me back $30. I ordered them from a nice man in Oakland off of Ebay. He was printing these out on his 3-D printer, I think. To give you an idea of the size of the brackets, they both fit comfortably in my pocket with plenty of room to spare.

Since I had toyed with the door panel before when I replaced my driver's side mirror, I figured the door panel job would be a breeze. Something about making the gods laugh.

I wanted to avoid a couple of things, mainly disconnecting all the wires. There were wires for the windows, the door locks, seat adjustment, and mirror adjustment. I soon learned that nothing was getting done with detaching all the wire harnesses. I always fear they will never find their right homes again. But I took them out. I then realized I wouldn't be getting one of the brackets on without taking out the control assembly mounted in the panel. This necessitated removing those wire harnesses as well.

I removed the broken brackets from the door and the door panel. My 3-D printed parts kind of lined up with the holes on the door panel. And lets be clear, the doors and the parts were all designed for professionals to do these jobs with all the proper tools.

With brackets in place, I popped the door panel in and again the holes kind of lined up. I got the first bracket attached with little problem. The first bracket was underneath the control panel and only a little twisting was necessary to get the screws in. the other bracket had issues. To affix that bracket, you had to get the nut downa small access tube in the door handle. It was at an angle so getting the bolt down the angled tube and into the hole in the bracket was going to be tricky. To up the skill level, the bolts were non-ferrous so you couldn't use a magnetic attachment to hold the bolt into the socket driver. And the tube down to the hole was barely wider than the bolt itself. And you couldn't see if the bolt was in the hole without taking the socket wrench out and shining a light down the hole. It took a couple of attempts before I realized the bracket wasn't even aligned with the hole. The bracket had slipped behind the hole all together.

I pulled the door panel off for the first of many, many times. I loosened the first bracket so I could pull the door panel forward to get the bracket over the mounting hole. But the hole in the bracket didn't quite line up with the threaded hole in the door. I pushed. I shoved. I prodded. I tried forcing it. I dropped the bolt multiple times in the hole and had to remove the door panel again to get the bolt out.

It's hot out. The sun is coming up over the trees. And the sun is in the perfect place to blind me as I sight down the door to look for the proper alignment of panel to door.

I realize the rigidity of the first bracket is keeping me from getting the second bracket in alignment with hole in the door. I take the panel off again. I take the bolt out of the first bracket. The second bracket lines up better but still not perfect. I go through several sequences of try to insert bolt, lose bolt, remove door panel and repeat. Finally the gods think I have suffered enough, the bolt finally slots into the hole at the bottom of the tube. I fight to get the bolt in for the second bracket. That bolt eventually concedes as well. Finally thing is back in place. I really should have bought new door panel pins as well, but maybe next time.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance indeed.

Two brackets. 4 Screws. 2 Bolts. Total time 90 minutes.

[Drunk Monk]

During the trip to Lynch Castle and Jake's last weekend, my driver's side door panel decided it no longer wanted to be part of my driver's side door. Good times. 

I'm suspicious. Anyone check cf's pockets for car door brackets? He probably smuggled them out hidden in his cane. That would be so cf, ninja-style.

[cranefly]

During the trip to Lynch Castle and Jake's last weekend, my driver's side door panel decided it no longer wanted to be part of my driver's side door. Good times. 

I'm suspicious. Anyone check cf's pockets for car door brackets? He probably smuggled them out hidden in his cane. That would be so cf, ninja-style.

On that outing I didn't have a cane.  I used a walker, which does have just enough room to conveniently hide door brackets -- if I were ever to stoop to such a thing.  But right now posture is very important to my recovery, therefore QED.

[Drunk Monk]

I used a walker, which does have just enough room to conveniently hide door brackets -- if I were ever to stoop to such a thing.  

Remember The Challenge with Toshiro Mifune & Scott Glenn? When they hid a katana blade in a wheelchair? Lotsa room in a walker too. Room for plenty of car door brackets.

Any of the rest of you experience car door problems? Yeti, check your bike!

[Greg]

I HAD THE EXACT SAME THOUGHT! Sword in the Wheelchair.

I might be writing a story about swords and Mifune....


No might about it.

[Drunk Monk]

I HAD THE EXACT SAME THOUGHT! Sword in the Wheelchair.

Kinda creepy but okay.

[Greg]

I just found out that John Frankenheimer directed The Challenge with a script from John Sayles. You should write a flashback article about it for DoG.

[Greg]

What stalwart foe has come to do battle with all the dangerous snakes, spiders, hogs and other vengeful creatures that surround the Lair? Who has the courage to brave such indomitable foes? It's tQ's 90lb 80 year old mother. That's right M-i-L tQ will be with us for the next two weeks. She looks forward to be among the wildness and has no fear.

I'm just saying.

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

Dowager Empress. Titles are important.

[Greg]

The Queen Mother (tQ does not approve of the Dowager Empress. It makes The Queen Mother sound old) has left the Lair. She's been here for ten days and only had the one brush with death. Granted, we had a small incident at Glacier Point and she did get to see Kittens VS Nope Rope out the window. I think she had a good time. I'm glad she came because it made the tQ very happy, especially since it coincided with her birthday. But I will be glad to get back to my routines.

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

DE outranks tQ. Can't have 2 Q's, unless different queendoms.

I don't make the rules.

[Drunk Monk]

EMPRESS


QUEEN


We would not survive another stay of my mother-in-law. Firstly, the bungalow is barely big enough for me, Stacy & Yuki. Secondly, the MiL's last stay at Ranch Macbeth was catastrophic and ended in the estrangement of my wife and her mom. 

Be grateful that you get along well with your MiL. From the pix, it looks like you showed her a real good time. Good on you.

[Greg]

Just found out the neighbors on Eagle Dr have camels. They growl.