Over the years, I went through a series of stages where acquiring the right specialty tool would (theoretically) enable me to tackle a wider variety of repairs. “Now I have X; now I can do Y” Often, that was true, but there was one repeated exception to this pattern: “Now I have (air tools/MIG welder/torch/etc.) so now I can do exhaust work. Nope. Dismal failure every single time. The final straw came when I attempted to replace the dual system on my ’85 Chevy Crew-Cab pickup. I started at 6 AM. When my wife returned home at 7 PM, I was cut, burned, and covered in rust flakes; my shirt was ripped, and I could barely stand up. The truck had a broken rear shock absorber, and no exhaust beyond the manifolds. I told her that if I ever mused about doing my own exhaust work again, she should just shoot me. Sometimes, the best approach is to be happily helpless and just pay the man.
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