doing more with less 🙂

A few years back at a Manx Club gathering up in New York, we had one of those moments that every buggy guy knows is coming sooner or later. Two buggies got a little too friendly with each other out on the road. Nothing major—just enough of a bump to bend some parts and put one of them out of commission.

Back at the host hotel parking lot, the usual scene unfolded. Hoods were up, toolboxes came out, and before long half a dozen folks were leaning over the buggy figuring out what needed fixing. That’s the thing about the buggy crowd—everybody jumps in. Piece by piece we got things sorted out until just one problem remained. The tie rod was bent. Not just a little tweak either—it was pretty well pretzeled.

Someone looked around and said what everybody was thinking:
“Well… that’s it. We’re done. Nobody’s got a spare tie rod.”

Now when you’ve spent enough years turning wrenches and racing on a tight budget, you learn there’s usually another way. So I spoke up. “No we’re not done, we’ll straighten it.” and that got a few puzzled looks.

“How?” someone asked… “Well, the first thing you need is a couple blocks of wood.” and I never go anywhere without at least two blocks of wood. They’re one of the most useful tools you can carry, even if they don’t look like tools.

We slid the blocks under the jack that lifts the trailer tongue, laid the bent tie rod across the blocks, and started cranking the jack down.
Just like that—instant press. We worked it a little at a time. Crank down, check it, move it, crank again. After a couple tries the bend came right out of it. By the time we were done the tie rod was straight enough to run, the steering was back in line, and that buggy was back on the road.

Truth is, that kind of thinking comes from racing. When I was racing, money was always tight. Spare parts weren’t something you could just throw in the trailer. If something broke, you fixed it—whatever it took. And when you’re at a track miles from home and you get tangled up early in the evening, you learn to improvise in a hurry. Especially if you need to qualify… so you can win just enough prize money to buy the gas to get home.

– John Mickle