Or How To Make It Easier To Reassemble The Puzzle.
Obviously most on this forum have done major work on their cars. But there are those who may be doing this for the first time. I thought while I was tearing down and packaging the accessories off of the engine that this would be a good time to discuss organization.
I've been guilty at times of dumping everything in a box with the certainty that I could figure it out later. Boy is that a mistake. On a large scale, this can lead to being overwhelmed when the car is laying on the floor in a thousand pieces. Everyone has there own way of keeping organized, and I'm going to share with you my way.
I like using the boxes that reams of paper come in at the office supply stores such as Staples, Office Max or Office Depot use. These are a generic shape and stack well. Because of the weight of the paper they were designed to carry, they are usually extremely strong.
My checklist of things I use to make and store what I pull off the car includes;
* 10 Ream Paper Box
* Zip Lock or similar sandwich and freezer bags
* Tags
* Printed copies of the parts book for the section I'm dealing with
* I use a labeler because I have one, but a Sharpie will do just as well.
* Scotch tape
* Digital Camera
If I haven't started a box that a part should go into, I start by labeling the box. It doesn't need to be this elaborate, just easy enough to locate when you need it. As I hadn't started a box yet for the 'Engine Electrical', I made a quick label on the computer (I made a template for this long ago) and printed it out. I just taped this to the box. Again, a Sharpie or Magic Marker will be just as good.
If the item is large enough, I just tag the item. This is the starter. I made a label with the part number and discription and attached this to the mounting hole on the starter. As mentioned, a marker will work just as well.
I do like to put things in zip lock baggies, but everything doesn't always fit. In this case, like the starter, the alternator and brackets have tags tied to them. I do toss a copy of the parts list and diagrams in a baggie and toss that in the box to. It keeps the paper neat when you finally need it.
The box may look a little empty now, but I have another starter coming and I want to find another alternator. On parts like these, I like to have spares as I doubt NAPA will have one of these in stock.
Smaller parts, like these motor mounts, will fit in a bag just fine. I cleaned the grease off in mineral spirits before storing the parts. There was no real diagram with the mounts, so I just included the section of the parts book. I made a label for the outside of the bag, tucked in the parts, the part sheet and zipped it closed.
When done, I have boxes that can be stacked one on top of the other. Try not to forget the law of gravity. The boxes are sturdy, but I'd still put the heavier ones at the bottom. I hope for those less experienced this has been useful. Trying to locate special bolts or fasteners after three or four years can be frustrating. I try to make notes if I think I'll need them, either on the box, or
Obviously most on this forum have done major work on their cars. But there are those who may be doing this for the first time. I thought while I was tearing down and packaging the accessories off of the engine that this would be a good time to discuss organization.
I've been guilty at times of dumping everything in a box with the certainty that I could figure it out later. Boy is that a mistake. On a large scale, this can lead to being overwhelmed when the car is laying on the floor in a thousand pieces. Everyone has there own way of keeping organized, and I'm going to share with you my way.
I like using the boxes that reams of paper come in at the office supply stores such as Staples, Office Max or Office Depot use. These are a generic shape and stack well. Because of the weight of the paper they were designed to carry, they are usually extremely strong.
My checklist of things I use to make and store what I pull off the car includes;
* 10 Ream Paper Box
* Zip Lock or similar sandwich and freezer bags
* Tags
* Printed copies of the parts book for the section I'm dealing with
* I use a labeler because I have one, but a Sharpie will do just as well.
* Scotch tape
* Digital Camera
If I haven't started a box that a part should go into, I start by labeling the box. It doesn't need to be this elaborate, just easy enough to locate when you need it. As I hadn't started a box yet for the 'Engine Electrical', I made a quick label on the computer (I made a template for this long ago) and printed it out. I just taped this to the box. Again, a Sharpie or Magic Marker will be just as good.
If the item is large enough, I just tag the item. This is the starter. I made a label with the part number and discription and attached this to the mounting hole on the starter. As mentioned, a marker will work just as well.
I do like to put things in zip lock baggies, but everything doesn't always fit. In this case, like the starter, the alternator and brackets have tags tied to them. I do toss a copy of the parts list and diagrams in a baggie and toss that in the box to. It keeps the paper neat when you finally need it.
The box may look a little empty now, but I have another starter coming and I want to find another alternator. On parts like these, I like to have spares as I doubt NAPA will have one of these in stock.
Smaller parts, like these motor mounts, will fit in a bag just fine. I cleaned the grease off in mineral spirits before storing the parts. There was no real diagram with the mounts, so I just included the section of the parts book. I made a label for the outside of the bag, tucked in the parts, the part sheet and zipped it closed.
When done, I have boxes that can be stacked one on top of the other. Try not to forget the law of gravity. The boxes are sturdy, but I'd still put the heavier ones at the bottom. I hope for those less experienced this has been useful. Trying to locate special bolts or fasteners after three or four years can be frustrating. I try to make notes if I think I'll need them, either on the box, or
. And I do plan on moving during the course of this build, so it does make that aspect easier. I do line up the parts when I'm doing some work like you do. My bag just happens to be plastic.
Comment