That is my arm--self portrait in the mirror. I start tomorrow at a major "American" manufacturer of automobiles (to be discreet). I am easing into a contracted analyst position there. So...a big drive means a bit of wear on the ol 1990 civic si. So I finally got a new distributor, got a decent (but not extravagent)JVC MP3/cd player replacement for the tape deck (I can get in 91.7 now!) and I FINALLY got rear trailing arm bushings. These are the parts in the rubber parts in the suspension of the car that encapsulate meeting points that would otherwise be metal-on-metal. Mine were REALLY gone. For Casey: the pin pulled out with my hand--one side required no wiggling, but the other did.

Thus far in the project, I have learned a lot about torches--including buying a MAPP torch (like propane, only much hotter) and bought a fire extinguisher (not coincidentally). One side is done and the other is about to be torched/cut out. Oh yeah, I also learned that nothing is quite as useful as a GOOD utility knife for removing flaming rubber. And those dust mask thingys really do help. Oh yeah. That stuff on my arm is the burnt rubber that I was rolling around in! Yay!