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You're welcome. Thanks for watching!

All true. I really need to do a video about where I see technology taking the automotive business in the next half century. I think dealerships are going to disappear, but so will car ownership. Thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching!

I used this gauge. I just happened to have a spare hose from my old gauge that connected to it to give me some extra length. www.harborfreight.com/engine-and-transmission-oil-pressure-test-kit-64872.html

Thanks for watching!

@@erikstrawn3885 Thank you sir!

Excellent, thanks for watching!

I'm not shilling for likes, I'm just trying to share what I know. If people start liking and subscribing I might actually have to put myself on a production schedule, and I'm finding that I like video editing about as much as I like doing yard work. But thanks for the encouragement and thanks for watching! I'll keep trying to put out content that helps people.

@erikstrawn3885 understandable, thank you kindly for this video! 🙏

I got shareholder statements that showed me the dealership was raking in huge profits from my work, and paying me pennies. They were charging $75 a flag hour and only paying me $13 while their profit margin was 55%. I had an opportunity to leave the industry, and at that point I have zero care if their doors close. While the government doesn't have to turn a profit, government jobs exist because we want them to. When people don't see a benefit to government jobs, the political will to pay for them dries up and they disappear. As an example, the IRS lost 22% of its staff between 2010 and 2021. Knowing that, I've always tackled my government jobs with a desire to protect taxpayer dollars. Dealerships have traditionally had two competing business models, profit-per-sale and market-share. Back in the '80s dealerships were chasing market share, and you saw a lot of dealerships that would have weekend sales where they pumped as many customers through the showroom on a weekend as they could. If they could make a dollar on a car sale, they would. It was volume, volume, volume. The dealership I worked at last had a different model - they sold on profit-per-sale. If they couldn't knock your head off, they wouldn't sell. That carried through to the service side as well. Our prices were well above the average, and if you didn't like it you could tow your car elsewhere. Over the last twenty years the entire industry has switched to the profit-per-sale model. Because of profit-per-sale dealerships service department profits are up, but the volume is plummeting. They are losing more customers every year to independent shops. The profit-per-sale model only works when customers don't cross-shop or when you have a monopoly. As dealerships have fewer and fewer experienced techs, independent shops look like a better deal. Thanks for watching!

@@MireilleMalcomnson Dealerships have no problem telling technicians "How about you go work for down-the-road-motors." i.e. find another job. They just didn't realize it's a two way street. Never be afraid to jump. Keep a three month emergency fund and you'll find yourself with more freedom of choice. Thanks for watching!

Trade schools are recruiting by telling teenagers that they could make $100k+ in the automotive trade. They were telling us that back in the '90s. To this day I've never met a $100k+ mechanic. I really wanted to get into programming, and I had a talent for it, but there was no support structure for a high schooler to learn programming in Oklahoma. Thanks for watching!

It was twenty-five years ago. I have no need to name names. Thanks for watching!

Yup. Unfortunately, I think it will get worse before it gets better. As a starting tech in 1999 I was getting $13 a flag hour, which equates to $24.50 today, but starting techs are lucky to get $20/hr. At the same time the labor rate went from $75/hr to nearly $200/hr, far exceeding the $141/hr that would have been appropriate with inflation. I think Millenials and Gen-Z can tell when someone's whizzing on their backs and telling them it's raining. I have zero sympathy for dealerships. Thanks for watching!

That's "shooting fish in a barrel" when I rarely get over a hundred views on a video, but thanks for watching!

I should have recognized that it was you, Dave.

@@erikstrawn3885 keep up the good content!

Yup, that's a good tip. Honestly, if I weren't buying parts for GMT400 trucks I'd get rid of the SAE stuff altogether. Thanks for watching!

@@erikstrawn3885 yeah, it's pretty much a metric world now...if you do decide not to carry SAE around any longer just keep a 3/8 and an 11/16..all other SAE have a close enough metric equivalent.

I do, but I knew this was going to be apart for a while, and since it's been more than a year, it's all in a pile. If my kids' cars would quit breaking I might have a chance to put it back together. Thanks for watching!

We loved our xB, but they're getting scarce now, and every one you find has a rebuilt title. Thanks for watching.

In the video I didn't state why that was important to me. After being hired at that defense industry leader, they lost the contract and the shady company that took over routinely hired unqualified people so they could pay them less. It was terrible. You say "credentialism", I say "qualified". While I could accept working for someone without a credential who could do the job well, it usually just doesn't work that way. I agree that competency matter most, but most people are trying to move upwards, and so they likely haven't done that job before. Study up on the Peter Principle. Credentials have a purpose. Thanks for watching!

In case the video wasn't clear, it's been a while since I left the auto business. I've been seeing more and more commentaries on what's wrong, and it's the same things I saw wrong twenty five years ago. I'm in civil service now, where I'm treated as a valued member of the team. Thanks for watching!

The first dealership I worked at was a local chain, and they were fairly up front and honest. They sold to another local chain that was shady, but very profitable. That chain then merged with a nationwide conglomerate. It quickly became a race to the bottom for pay and respect. The market has been consolidating, and there's no guarantee that a mom & pop shop will stay locally owned. It's pretty assured that they will sell out in the long run, because they can't compete. Thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching!

I wasn't poor, but I didn't have front pocket money. My friends and I were always wrenching to keep our rides running, dreaming of being able to afford a hot rod. That has certainly served us well. Thanks for sharing and thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching!

That's $25 I don't have to spend because I spent a little time learning the proper feel for a belt. But, yes, if you're working on a system that requires a very specific belt tension, a belt tension gauge is worth it. Thanks for watching!

Now you know! Put it to use and teach it to others. Thanks for watching!

I'm not sure how you're getting that. Align the cam and crank dots, crank dot up and cam dot down. Your engine will be at top dead center on #6 on the power stroke, and top dead center on #1 at the beginning of the intake stroke - which is 180 cam degrees (360 crank degrees) out from firing on #1. I know it's a little difficult to wrap your head around without a visual, but I hope that helps. Thanks for watching!

We were in racetrack conditions, trying to get it done ASAP. We didn't think that far ahead. We were pretty sure we had a blown head gasket, so we dove right into it. But that's a great bit of advice. Thanks for watching!

@@erikstrawn3885 I learned that the hard way decades ago, great vid everyone can learn from that.

I recently added a trim fork to my junkyard toolbox. I've had one in my main toolbox for decades, but I've needed one in the small box. With it and a pocket screwdriver, I can get 99% of clips loose. Thanks for watching!

Eight jackstands and the jack to support a car? Even Air Force QA will tell you that's overkill. Buy quality jackstands, inspect them, and trust them. Try and shake the car before you crawl under it to ensure the car is secure. I hung out at the track for a while after our team left and I watched a guy try five times to get his car into reverse while a teammate stood in front and almost got run over - five times. I finally convinced him to get out of the way. I always try and get my teammates to stand to the side when someone's starting the car. I learned the hard way that safety glasses aren't often enough. I wear goggles or a face shield when using a grinder. Thanks for watching!

It appears we ran lean on the front two cylinders for some time and it eroded the piston and cylinder head. Once the head eroded back into the water jacket, it began pumping water into the cylinders. We aren't allowed to run antifreeze, so we never smelled it. Once I shut the engine down, the water (I called it coolant in the video, but it's straight water) leaked into the combustion chamber. I pulled all the plugs to perform the compression test, and once my teammate spun the engine over the water shot out onto my arm. The head gasket itself was not leaking water, although it did blow through between #1 and #2 at some point - probably when the misfiring started. Thanks for watching!

Here's our team podcast covering the weekend. ruclips.net/video/9a5DzbC40XM/видео.html

A cylinder full of water is an easy way to send a rod through the block. Hoping you didn’t have too much damage. Good safety lesson 👍

@@teagreen2220 Fortunately the bottom end was good. It's getting new bearings "because race motor", and it'll become the spare motor. The head might be salvageable, but M52 heads aren't too hard to find (yet). The spare head that failed is getting the valves replaced and tested before installation. Thanks for watching!

I've never worn eye protection for a compression test, but I will now. Thanks for watching!

Thanks for the feedback. I really value and respect your knowledge and opinion. Thanks for watching!

You would have to install a TV cable and change your wiring. I don't know how the computer would handle not reading the transmission. I suspect it won't affect the engine at all. Supposedly the Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS) is the same, so that's a plus. The most important thing is setting up your TV cable. I'll warn you that a TV cable is a pain in the rump, and not getting it right will burn up your transmission. I have a video on that. You already have a TBI, so if your throttle cable bracket is different, you should still have the mounting holes in the right place for the correct bracket. ruclips.net/video/4fBoAELaA1A/видео.html Thanks for watching!

I don't know why, but I think relays are fun. Thanks for watching!

I don't believe I've ever turned a wrench on a '77 Regal, but can you loosen any other component to take the tension off the belt? Thanks for watching!

@@erikstrawn3885 Thanks. I’ll see which components I can loosen. Didn’t want to deal with the tensioner if I didn’t have to.

While the cam pin and crank keyway are good sanity checks, I'd pay more attention to the timing markings on the cam and crank gear. Best of luck getting it sorted, and thanks for watching!

"Lift with your knees, not with your back." I can lift a 700R4 onto the stand by myself, so long as it doesn't have the torque converter in it. Once I asked my wife to help me, but if I weren't feeling up to it and she weren't around, I'd have to figure out a way to use my engine hoist. Thanks for watching!

Occasionally. I'm on the GMT400 forum more often.

I suspect you didn't clean your plastic thoroughly enough. I painted Way Cool Jr's interior pieces five years ago and they've all held up very well. The painted pieces are resisting weathering and are tougher with better scratch resistance than before they were painted. I'd try scrubbing as much of the paint off as you can, clean it with Barkeep's Friend, and repaint. Thanks for watching!

@erikstrawn3885 ill give it a go. I just used a degreaser pressure washed it and then scuffed it before painting. The paint seemed very thin though. Didn't seem to hold up to wear and tear. Maybe I just need to clean it better 🤔

@@scotthope5806 Barkeeps Friend is both abrasive and an acid. It etches the plastic. Be sure and rinse it off well.

The carpet on Way Cool Jr's door panels was ripped and rough, so I removed it. The plastic underneath doesn't have the same texture as the rest of the panel. For all the mouse damage in Roscoe, they didn't touch the carpet. I like how it turned out. Thanks for watching!

The motor mounts were replaced when I installed the engine and have very little wear. Before the grinding there was only about 1/16" clearance. Thanks for watching!

Thanks, and thanks for watching!

Thanks!