Tools

Part of the reason for this flurry of activity as well as the blog, is my natural resistance to +$100/hr labor charges and the flat book hours allocated to each job.  I inquired at a local shop whether the hours allocated to two jobs on the same area or component would be merged given the duplication of parts of the job (lifting, wheel removal, etc).  Nope, I'm charged the book hours for each job regardless of how long it actually takes or which jobs are done at the same time.  Half of what I required done this time around would be spent on labor, and that's going to add up quickly.
Also, based on early quotes the cost of shop-ordered parts could easily surpass twice the average aftermarket source(s). Hey, I get that they need to make a living too, but having recently been relived of my tenuous existence at a local sweat shop, I actually had the time on my hands and no current source of income.  With skills derived from decades wrenching in the motorcycle world, I felt that it might also be time to earn some auto trade secrets in repair and maintenance the hard way....

And I would get to buy new TOOLS!

Floor jack, Jack stands and Wheel chocks:

Spring compressor:

And a few additional fluids and gaskets and plugs for some engine work:

Time to check them out, bleed the floor jack, and get some practice in.