[EA S]

If you want to see some outrageous ways of keeping cars running in the outback, like fixing a busted front steering arm by removing the wheel and attaching a tree branch to the car with fencing wire and using it as a skid, tune in to Ch2. Tuesdays 8.00 p.m. (in Melbourne anyway) for Bush Mechanics.

 

[XR_Strider_GuY]

Hehe a boomarang compound brake pad and the gravity feed petrol supply, that show is a crackup.

Somehow i think i'll let Bendix takcare of my pads.

 

[EA S]

Glad someone else has discovered this little gem.

Can't say I usually have much interest in the story line, but some of the things those blokes get up to are brilliant. Leaving aside the laughs, it also shows how, if you get into trouble in remote areas, you often can get a seemingly immobilised car going well enough to get back to help without much in the way of tools and no spares.

 

[Kieron]

Its a good fun program but I think some of it is done for the cameras ie -

the brake pad thing, the original pads had meat left on them, when he replaced the caliper, he only put one piece of wood in.

The 'blanket' wipers wern't all that effective.

The coil in the bucket of water I don't think would have really worked, you need a decent earth on the coil.

The 'log sled' was innovated, but I don't think the car went very far at all.

I did see a goo bush tip though, getting the lead out of an old car battery, melting it and using it to seal the radiator!

Kieron

 

[Guest]

I watch that show as well and it is a good laugh.
Some ideas could be usefull if you breakdown out in the bush though they always seem to find exactly what they need in the middle of nowhere like a battery which they melt the lead to fix a leaking radiator.
Somehow I don't think that's possible.

 

[EA S]

I agree a lot of it's a set-up and there's a bit goes on when the cameras aren't rolling, like the cuts on the A pillar on the (?EJ?)station wagon (?last week?) supposedly made by a tomahawk were too clean to be true.

Some of it is just stuff that's dropped out of common use. It was pretty common up till the seventies to carry a bit of fencing and finer wire and pliers in a basic tool kit, and it's still not a bad idea, because you can twist up any size circlip pretty quickly or hold a bandage over a leaking line or hose. In fact, I wired the hose onto my compression gauge recently (after I stuffed up the loose pressed fitting completely by trying to tighten it with pliers) and it's better than it was new - now I can screw it in tight.

As for leaking radiators/cooling systems, unless it's a disaster you can usually get out of trouble just by leaving the cap loose so it doesn't pressurise and keeping the engine temp down. It's certainly got me out a trouble a few times.

Still, it's great to see how resourceful and inventive these blokes are in the various ideas they come up with to solve their problems.