2004 SUBARU OUTBACK - BODY WORK - AMATEUR STYLE

Updated Sept. 27, 2014

I am an amateur when it comes to body work on a car. I've never shied away from doing it; sometimes I do better than other times. A lot depends upon what part of the body needs to be repaired and how? I've never worked at a body-shop. I was an auto tech, not a body specialist. Still, given the interest in changing my temperature sensor, I thought some body work as an encore would be appropriate.

In most way modern day Subaru's since the late 1990's are a great car. Like any car there are problem areas. Seems Subaru doesn't have many, but one obvious problem is that the rear fenders tend to rust out:

This is my car before I started the repairs. I had sprayed some silver paint on the rust to make it less obvious, but you can see how bad it is.

Here is a close-up:

 

The other side is only starting to rust. This is the side that I need to repair. If for no other reason than it wouldn't pass inspection.

I begin by grinding as much of the bad, rusted metal away as is necessary. Then I swab it with gun bluing acid.

It doesn't take long to dry. But here is where one has some serious choices to make. One can probably buy the body panel. It would cost a lot I'm sure, and the labor would be a lot also. One could weld metal onto the area. It would take additional time preparing the area to be welded, and getting those curves would take talent, which I don't have. 

What about Bondo? Auto-body filler? Well those are some seriously large holes. Spray-in foam? That would trap moisture - no good. My choice is to spray the area with primer and use fiberglass.

Looks messy. It is, sort of. Actually you cut the fiberglass mat to size, mix up the resin with the hardener, and paint the mat on with a throw away paint brush. I probably should have used epoxy first to glue the mat in place - More work and also messy, but provides a much better bond to the metal.

Now we use the auto-body filler. Sorry, no pictures of that part. I was to occupied trying to fill all the holes. To get it smooth; involved a lot of sanding, refilling with filler.

I ordered the factory matched paint online. So here we have it. It'll pass inspection; I doubt I'll get a very good grade in auto-body repair. I think it looks worse in the picture than it does looking at it. Of course it'll weather. It'll fade and blend.It won't rust to quickly. And it's better than it was.

UPDATE: After another day and a half work I improved on the final product:

MANIFESTO _ WHAT IS IT EXACTLY?

EDITED JULY 24, 2014 8PM

We've heard enough in the news lately about mass murderers writing manifestos, alleged violent ones filled with hatred.

What struck me the most was the young man in CA recently who was distraught being rejected by his women peers. 

His actions defined by his "manifesto" were very extreme.

I'd say it's quite fair to say a majority of us young men (and even as we age) have dealt with plenty of rejection. One wins some, loses some. Yes, it's extremely frustrating. It hurts sometimes, sometimes very much. Seems like some guys have discovered a secret though, is that true? What's the secret many want to know.

Is it getting frustrated and angry to the point of beating people or worse, shooting and killing people?

Before I tell you the "secret", and yes, I know it; I did a search on the internet for what a manifesto was, as I was curious - I have a BA in English and I've only heard the term a few time in an historical context. I discovered there are lots of sources for what manifestos are, however I felt this explanation from Wiki-How best summed it up:

[A] "manifesto is a statement of your intentions, which can consist of only a few words or many pages of text. Its scope may be limited to a particular role or period of your life, or include your goals and aspirations for your entire life. Many people find it useful to compose a manifesto, believing that such a document will help guide them in making decisions and keep them focused on their goals. Manifestos are traditionally written by those with political aspirations, but anyone can write a personal manifesto for his or her life."

It does not say that murderers write manifestos. Anyone can write manifestos and they may be beneficial.

Okay, the secret about women:

Maybe there are many secrets and this is simply one that I learned in my early 20's.

Women are people. Yeah just like us guys! Yes, there are differences, but I would like you to stop and consider for a moment what I just said.

Women are people.

At an elemental level people accept and reject people. We made decisions. We make friends. We make enemies. Some people we get along with and others we don't. Some we are friends with, others we are intimate with. And within that tiny framework are millions upon millions of innuendos.  It's a wonder any of us get along, but were social as a society; may not trust other societies, but that's for another time.

Fact is, life is difficult, and relationships with the sex of we sway to can be very frustrating indeed!

But one od fact I've discovered... women in general like sex also, just like us men, some more, some less. Being a friend can make both people very happy too. And there's a misconception born from an unwritten analysis of relationship between the sexes, and black and white thinking, that people (when it comes to relationships) are either friends or intimate, but not both. And that is far from true.

All sorts of possibilities exist. Friends can become lovers, lovers friends. It's not weird, and more than that, the other person may never want anything to do with you again... that is not weird nor out of the ordinary either.

The secret is talking to a woman, creating a rapport. Enjoy yourself, be true, and flirting is allowed and encouraged, but do try to be subtle at first. Adjust yourself with both the other person's words and body language. Touch when it feels appropriate, but back-off for a time if it's shunned. And don't forget, if you really are itching to "get somewhere and you think the other person may be also, you can simply ask - "would you like to have sex?"

Just be ready for the answer.

Most times it seems some men just have the worst luck. But we really don't. We all have a roller coaster of luck.

If you feel you can't make choices... call a therapist. Most insurance covers a psychologist.

To kill people for rejection and then have a "manifesto" waved in the public's face, deludes the public. Writing a manifesto is a positive thing. A couple of bad apples doesn't spoil the crop! And there are sick, really sick people out in the world. They don't have to be - or stay sick. Options other than killing and hurting people are available.

Manifestos are words, important to some, but still words. Actions where people are hurt are more than words, and in a society as modern as ours there's no reason for violence of any kind. Yes, the "manifestos" of killers can yield insight into there minds. My reason for writing this post is that writing a manifesto doesn't mean or make you the killer type. Manifestos can be good to write and lead to a peaceful, prosperous life without harming others while getting there.

EDWARD SNOWDEN _ ANY CONNECTION TO FOX TV's "JACK BOWER/24"?

Well the last episode of the resurrected highly popular TV Series from FOX television, "24", aired last Monday, July 14. I watched them all looking forwards to the resurrected series near two years form when I recall first hearing about it.

This post is a review of "24". But it's more. It's a psychological profile comparing fictional "Jack Bower" to Edward Snowden - YES, I know, they are nothing alike. Or are they?

FOX'S "24" - It was really good! It was "24"...   same everything a follower of the program didn't expect was their but was - action, suspense, plot within plot, etc... I won't spoil the ending for those of you who haven't watched the newest "24" yet. But...

Heck, I will - Jack saves the world once again from WWIII. That's what Jack Bower does.

Edward Snowden, exiled and living the last I heard in Russia where he has asylum (why Russia? - that's a great question...). He had access to and leaked thousands of secret documents for the world to see. His motive as i understand it was to show the world the secrets the US Gov't had on everyone, including nearly every US citizen.

There have been arguments on both sides about Snowden. Without a doubt some leaked documents could be very harmful to our country. But I'm often discovering information from the leaks while reading the online news and interesting, thought provoking realizations about the country we live in becomes that much more transparent - and isn't that what President Obama promised US Citizens?

Here's the article: MTV: Is The NSA Laughing At Your Nude Pics?

Sounds funny, but after reading the article it is quite far from funny.

Considering the things "Jack Bower" did, and what Edward Snowden does, they are both extremely bold, calculating, ruthless and both have been considered traitors to the USA. One is prone to acts of violence the other is not.

I would like to see a new episode where the Fox production team goes to Russia and films a new "24" which includes Snowden in a short cameo appearance. That to me would be way cool...

What do you think?

MARIJUANA VERSUS THE WORLD - WHAT A WORLD WHERE CANNABIS WAS LEGAL MIGHT BE LIKE?

Not only where cannabis/marijuana was/had always been legal, but where it had never become illegal and prohibited to begin with.

A friend put me up to this question and it's a very good question. I've touched upon the answer in some of my posts, but I have never written anything directly answering that question.

By now (and I have covered this info many times) most of us should be aware that cannabis became known as marijuana in the early 1930's because marijuana was popular with Mexicans, and illegal immigration was as much of a problem as it is today. The Great Depression was either active or just ended, depending on the circumstances. Individual circumstances. Americans didn't have jobs, nor income. The logic is Mexican immigrants, illegal ones would work for far less than Americans... take jobs away from Americans. The country as a whole was very scared. Afraid! They stood in "bread-lines" for food.

The Emancipation proclamation by President Lincoln angered many. Activist groups formed, some with a lot of clout and money. Jazz music became very popular, and happened to include Black musicians.

It needs to be understood that prior to the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 cannabis/marijuana had never in human history been illegal or prohibited. In the early 1900's two federal acts passed regulating drugs, a first of it's kind type of law. Cannabis was not included as it's a plant. Process the plant and add it to other things and the law took hold... but by itself it was simply a natural, god-given plant, like ginseng, chamomile, green tea. Until 1837 one could ready buy cannabis. At the time it was used mostly as a medicine. It was included in the US Pharmacopedia until around 1942 - the doctors bible for plant medicines.

Southern states were hit hardest by the illegal immigrants, spoke loudest during Congressional hearings. Anti-Emancipation Activists saw what they wanted to see - Black jazz musicians seducing White girls with marijuana. Yellow Journalist's like Randolph Hearst, newspaper mogul, saw a profit in carrying the cause, and Reefer Madness was born.

Marijuana was prohibited due to the Marijuana tax Act of 1937 and for the first time in world history a plant was not only prohibited, but made into a criminal act. A criminal act that would morph over the years into a very serious crime, similar to assault, rape, burglary, 2nd degree murder, or worse.

Today everyone struggles for "the right answer", that is right beneath their noses.

Harry Anslinger, infamous for being the perpetrator of the law actually was opposed in the beginning. He understood it was a plant and that as such it was exempt from consideration. Being pressured, he realized that the "machine-gun control act" that passed during alcohol prohibition, which defied the 2nd Amendment, could work to make marijuana taxable. It was a Slam dunk with only one doctor from the AMA - opposed to prohibition, in attendance. The act passed, history and the future would affect many generations, and the marijuana frenzy spread abroad, as agreements were signed.

The situation that occurred could in no way be fully realized here! We're NOT talking about machine-guns, though that law permitted the marijuana law. We're not talking about gangsters... the focus then were Blacks and Mexicans. There is no connection. Gangsters have nothing to do with Blacks and Mexicans in general.

So, what if, the Marijuana Tax Act had never passed, that clearer heads prevailed, and especially due to the potential of hemp as industrial solutions, marijuana was never made illegal? Wow. We're talking extraordinary competitiveness in manufacturing and product development, the potential for eco-friendly products far sooner than when they became a necessity, and to be honest, marijuana never would have become as popular as it is, as unlike alcohol and tobacco, it's not very addictive. That's not to say some people really find value using it... it means the addiction is not a physical one per se, but rather a choice.

If cannabis had not become marijuana, which alludes to what Mexicans called it, it's unlikely the 60's would have been what they were. People are "creatures of habit" and seriously, cannabis wasn't particularly known to be recreational. It's unlikely it would become known as such either.

Opium has always been there, LSD the CIA developed and yes that would have hit the streets. That may have increased interest in Peyote, and to a slight degree cannabis, but overall, the lack of hybridizing cannabis due to no prohibition would have made more dangerous drugs or synthetics much more controllable - meaning, we wouldn't have the problems we have today with meth, heroin, designer drugs if marijuana had stayed as cannabis.

Cannabis grew naturally in this country until 1937. It was eradicated almost completely. Small natural patches may still exist, but it's rare, considering it used to grow everywhere - and no one took notice. But the federal government eradicated it nonetheless. And left all the poison ivy!

Millions of people today and in history wouldn't have misdemeanor or felony records for possession of marijuana, as it should be, but which it is not. A perfect storm to illustrate how person bias and prejudice can shape a nation and cause hurt to many generations of people.

Can it be said that any good has come from the malignant passage of the Marijuana Tax Act? Unfortunately the answer is no. No, in the sense that, health professionals sometimes caution against using it, maybe for scientific reasons, but it's illegal, so who gives a damn? To many people they wouldn't have even considered using it unless, they had a medical condition that science found that cannabis would help (but scientific research was ground to a halt starting with Nixon in 1970).

Cannabis as hemp was billed as a billion dollar crop in Popular Mechanic's magazine, February 1938 (Link source: www.lycaeum.org). Henry Ford planned on using hemp oil as fuel. Nylons from hemp could be made naturally for women, but DuPont saw that as a threat... to nylon. Not only the benefits from competition were lost due to prohibition but many beneficial products were never developed also.

Ask the average person about marijuana and they'll laugh... they likely will not know what to answer to any questions you may have. The reason for that is simple. As long as marijuana remains a Scheduled Federally Prohibited drug, the facade is in place. Even in states where cannabis is legal the question of legitimacy is in question. But the truth is right under our noses... marijuana is no more dangerous than coffee, and just as beneficial if not more.