lilj Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 Yeah well, I recently got my car back from the shop getting suspension work done.. Shocks, springs, bushings, solid mounts, etc. So I'm really happy.. I got the car registered and all I lack is an inspection to be 100% legal right? Well, I get up this morning with the intent of going to autozone and buying the 'tune-up' kit. Ie. plugs, wires, o2 sensor, cap, rotor, fuel filter, etc. So I go get all of the stuff to make it happen. Well, I get back to my apartments and get to work.. Get the rotor and cap changed out and start tryin to do the plugs. I decide to go inside to look for a longer extension (300zxs are a bitch lol). Anyway, as I'm walkin inside.. the guy that runs the apartments comes running up behind me. I'm sittin here like 'damnit.' I knew he was going to say something stupid to me lol. Btw, I had a problem like this before.. however it was certainly understandable. He had told me I couldn't clean my engine bay in the parking lot (no duh, dunno why I was doing it lol). Anyway, he starts telling me 'I told you, you can't do that in the parking lot!' Uhhh ok, you told me I couldnt get the ground messed up (pavement). 'Well you're working on your car!' ... ok ... and I told him, 'I wasn't doing anything messy, nothing that would even remotely touch the pavement.' And then he just tells me 'Well you're hands are dirty!' WTF?! Like I'm gonna go crawling around on the ground or something just to get his pavement dirty? LOL. Anyways, Now I can't do any of the tune up because of the bastard people that run this place. If you have a Z, don't live in apartments =/ gay. *breathe* -Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 Yeah Jon, this is pretty common for apartment houses. Not only a mess being left but the "appearance" of shop work being done in the parking lot is not favored by the lordship as well. My first experience was on a Saturday night (a long time ago) when I swapped the motor out of my Pinto (rod was just about to go). Sunday morning everything was put together, but I still had the A-frame up. Well, the landlord was on his way to church, saw the hoist and A-frame as he was driving by, and gave me till he returned back from church to have my little section of parking lot completely clean with no sign of any mechanical work having taken place, or taking place, or I was out. Needless to say, that lot was spic-and-span before he said "amen." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
innerware Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 that totaly sucks. My landlord is cool though. He has offered tools if I needed them. We live in 1 of 5 apartments he built behind his house. Can't complain. I do try and do my work elsewhere though since there isn't a lot of room, but I have my ramps and some other stuff behind the car. Guess it is off to the streets for you aye? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilj Posted January 8, 2005 Author Share Posted January 8, 2005 Yeah, I totally understand where they're coming from = It's just the fact that something SOOO simple, can be turned into such a big deal. I mean its plugs and a fuel filter... I had already decided I'd go to a buds place to do the CAT. I understood all of that, and I'm really a clean person. I clean up EVERYTHING lol. Oh, well.. I tried. When I move back to dallas I'm definately going to look for a house to lease or apartments with a garage. Fun times, fun times.. -Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Magnum Rockwilder Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 Do the work in an Auto Zone parking lot. If that's not feasible, try Wal-Mart, an industrial park, or a list of other properties. I lived in apartments for 4 years and even did tranny swaps in random parking lots. I'd just drive around and scope out potential spots until I found something suitable. Auto Zone always worked for small jobs because most AZ managers don't mind you doing stuff in the lot as long as you buy stuff from them. For tranny swaps and whatnot, find a remote parking lot on a weekend and get to work. If anyone asks what the hell you're doing, tell them your car broke down and you couldn't afford a tow so you're fixing it yourself. Be creative. Oh, and before I left my last apartment, I was so fed up with the management that I drained all 5 quarts of my 240Z's oil onto the pavement. It ate up the blacktop and left a permanent stain. It's as big as a car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsunlover Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 Heh.. I find coin-op car washs are also good for these kind of things.. I've done brakes, exhast, stereo instals, rads, ect. When you're done, pop a few bucks in, wash the car, and the floor/crap/oil/whatever fell of as you were woking away. And the 'my car broke down' excuse works great. I to have had the urge to.. er, kill someone like that.. I once got in trouble because I had TWO vehicles. Yah.. THEN, I almost got evicted when I changed th motor in one (Jeep J10...) So I threw a for sale sign on the Jeep, and the next week did brakes on my 200sx... Land lord came over and started freaking out... so heres what I told the land lord: "If I don't fix the brakes on this car, I can't get to work. If I don't go to work, I don't get paid and won't have rent for you next week. And I'm not trying to be a dick, but it's the end of october and you CAN'T legaly kick me out. Not to mention I gave you first and last rent when I moved in, and you never mentioned anything about 'no working on cars' here. Look across the road; it's a low income residential area, and EVRY house has a vehicle or two being worked on. I clean up my mess, and always pay my rent on time.. unlike half the people in this building." He grumbled and walked away.. Dink... Oh yes, when I left that plave I to left oil spots, and a few tires.. rear diff.. suspension arms/struts from the 200sx.. Figures, I could use that diff NOW... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Magnum Rockwilder Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 Oh, I forgot to mention that I cut up an entire car with a sawzall and left it in the dumpster. I also had 3 cars and 3 motorcycles there at one point, and only one of them was registered. They asked me to move them all, so I bought 3 $20 covers from Wal-Mart and covered the two unregistered cars and the 3 motorcycles with them, and notified management that I had registered the vehicles, but I wanted to let them know that they are prohibited from touching the covers to read the plates because it's my personal property. They hated me, but they basically left me alone aside from the occasional smart remark. I could go on, but I fear I'll incriminate myself further. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilj Posted January 9, 2005 Author Share Posted January 9, 2005 LOL, fun stuff.. I think the autozone idea would be best for me, thats generally where I get stuff anyway. Up in dallas the 24hr autozone knew me by name since I was always up there spending my paycheck on parts haha =) Did work quite often up there. We'll see what happens I suppose, not really going to do anything major to the car until I get back to dallas anyway. -Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl327 Posted January 9, 2005 Share Posted January 9, 2005 Dont get mad, get creative. -Ive rebuilt engines sitting on the tailgate of my truck -I dropped in my turbo engine on the sidewalk, broke it in driving it to work and school, and have had 2 years of thorough enjoyment out of it with no compression loss whatsoever. -Ive changed my oil in the SFSU student parking lot, filter too. -I regularily fix cars that wont start for some reason or another right where they break down. Worst case scenario is replacing alternator in a 240sx on the side of the freeway in a slight drizzle, for shizzle. Ive done crazier and more labor intense work on the street, but laying under a car while people are doing freeway speed is just plain scary. -I did the 4x4 brake conversion in a Kragen parking lot on Geary Blvd and walked my two piston calipers downstairs back in for cores Its from doing stuff like this where I learned to know that I can do whatever I want as long as I believe in myself and love myself for who I am, a resourceful pain in the ass who refuses to believe the sky is the limit, and looks forward to the day WHEN I look down upon it-while never forgetting those nights drenched in rain and grease and oil with my eyes on the prize. I have now had a garage for two years, and I go absolutely apes#1t working in it as much as possible. I am not scared to work on the street, but I am happy that I can have shop time to do my stuff, and lucky enough to have friends that share my mentality (The NISMOBB) and will help me either work on my car in the street or in their driveways. Ive had people ask me what I was doing and I once lived in an apartment where the landlord didnt like it. I got lucky when I told him, " I have to work on my car here so I can get to work on time and pay the rent on time, like I always do because I work on my car to go to work on time and pay rent on time, (say that six times to any response he or she has to you saying it the first time)" They probably wont like it and your lease may not be renewed, but the landlord that once got mad at me doing brakes just looked away when the cherry picker came through the next time. Im not saying do what I do, but theres more than one way to skin a cat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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