Before I get to a story, I'll share a little background info. Unlike most of you that have already commented here, I don't work in a shop, I work in my driveway. I also don't work on big things like you guys work on. Most everything I have turned wrenches on over the years has been limited to having 4 wheels. I have been working on vehicles since the 1970's, mostly my own, and have a few stories to tell. I have owned 44 vehicles since 1977 and until I bought my new Challenger in 2010, the most expensive one was $3900. Most were much less and some were free, if I could get them running. The Challenger (#42) cost more than the previous 41 altogether!
Several years ago, my oldest son ("Number One") had a S-10 Blazer and blew the motor. We purchased a good used motor and proceeded to do a swap. Everything went smoothly until I got to a bolt on the transmission housing that had a stripped head. This bolt goes through the housing into the motor, on the passenger side, and access is very limited. No matter what tools I used, I could not get to it to cut off the head. Finally, I went out and bought a plasma cutter and in five minutes, we were pulling out the old motor. So, I have a plasma cutter. If anyone needs to rent one, I can hook you up!
