A guy at the salvage yard last month changed how I look at old quarter panels

I was pulling a panel off a 2008 Civic in the junkyard over in Springfield, and this older guy in coveralls just walked up and said, 'You know, the factory seam sealer on that is still good if you heat it with a torch first.' He showed me with his own little propane torch, and the panel came off clean in about two minutes. I'd been fighting it for half an hour with a chisel. Has anyone else picked up a random trick like that from a stranger in the field?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_parker25d ago

Last summer at the LKQ in Dayton, some guy saw me struggling with a stuck caliper bolt. He just said "spray it with brake fluid, not penetrant, and wait ten minutes." Ngl, I thought he was nuts, but it worked perfectly. That one tip saved me so much time and broken bolts. Those old timers at the yard just know things you never find in a manual.

margaret_gonzalez2525d ago

Those old yard guys are walking gold mines lol. Watched one pull a whole dash without breaking clips by using a bent coat hanger as a tool. Another time a dude showed me how to crack a seized axle nut by hitting it sideways with a chisel instead of straight on. Makes you realize how much tribal knowledge is out there just waiting to be passed on.

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lisaf3817d ago

Yeah that thing about the chisel hit is so true. I had a crank pulley bolt that wouldn't budge, and this guy at the yard told me to put a long breaker bar on it and just bump the starter. Sounded crazy but it popped right off. @margaret_gonzalez25 is right, that kind of knowledge is pure gold.