Sunday, December 1, 2013

Moving Toward More Self Sufficiency

          

Modern cars often have plastic bumpers which not only damage easily, but take some skill to repair. (Image: http://www.123rf.com/photo_19237889_red-crossover-car-with-blank-number-plate.html )



  As we head toward the Holiday Season, Christmas and then New Year's Day, there is a lot of uncertainty in our country and in the world.  The way in which the United States is spending and borrowing money is not sustainable, and sooner or later, our nation will reach a point where it can no longer pay its bills or service its debts.  A collapse is coming and possibly soon.  Many expert economists believe that a collapse is coming, but they don't agree on what a financial collapse might look like in the United States. Many talk about an inflationary spiral where people may spent a hundred dollars for a loaf of bread, a la the Weimar Republic, but others who are equally as gifted and as credible foresee a time where houses that were worth $600,000 US dollars, are now worth $30,000.  Some economists feel that if no one has any money, and food must sell rather than spoil, then prices must also collapse to keep commerce going. (As it did in much of Russia in the early 1990s following the Soviet collapse. )    I have no idea what the future holds economically.  I know only that too much debt and too much spending plays out as negatively with governments as it does for a family.  Eventually there is a rock bottom moment and this can be devastating.
     
    My one objective now, in terms of family preparation is to become more generally self sufficient in the new year.  We have gathered parts for oil changes, timing belts, air filters, oil, and items which are replaced as normal maintenance for our vehicles. A couple of our family members gathered skills in car repair and maintenance, particularly for diesel cars and trucks, for our "own fleet".  We set up one garage bay as a place to repair our cars and had it properly electrified this year for the equipment that would most often be used there.  We have planted more fruit and food this year, despite the fact that it was too wet a season to be terribly successful.  We donated and cleaned out a percentage of our storage to make room for items which have a longer shelf life and better long term storage potential.   I gathered a second set of emergency medical supplies should we need to leave one kit one place and have another elsewhere.  Of course, there is still much to do.  Preparedness is a very active sport. Unfortunately, you can't gather and forget.   We need to gather, and then check through, stay familiar and then use from the kit and replace stock regularly.
        
   Some time ago, my eldest son, before the lightning strike injury which has limited him, and caused him to lose about fifty pounds,  made a video at the request of a friend whose bumper he repaired.  Again, my son is a degreed professional sculptor and not a car body man or a mechanic.  Still, my son has repaired a number of  car bumpers using this technique and so it may help to move some of the families here, toward more automotive self sufficiency.   In rural America, you not only need to avoid running into deer, but you need to avoid their running directly into your car and doing great damage.  Minor damage and some, not so minor damage has been repaired using this method saving families a lot of money at the body shop.


Veraseri Designs                                                     Welding Plastic on Your Car Bumper





12 comments:

Lady Locust said...

Great to know. My car is called the blue bullet & has killed more deer than most rifles. Tinker toy cars don't hold up out here.
Smiles

JaneofVirginia said...

Thanks LL,

In 2000, my husband and I borrowed our daughter's car to go to Wal-Mart and bring some items home for a trip to Russia. On the way home a buck jumped into the car on the highway. The buck took off but was probably mortally wounded. The car was totalled, and we had to do something most parents don't have to. We had to explain to our daughter how we had totalled the car she had worked and saved for. We bought her one later that year to replace the one totalled while my husband drove.

BBC said...

I'm a retired master mechanic with a 1996 Dodge Dakota pickup and a forty year collection of tools and equipment, including a metal lathe. My truck is old enough that it is still pretty easy to work on.

And when things go to hell I won't give a shit how plastic bumpers look. But I guess you want your end times to look pretty. :-)

Linda said...

My sister drove my niece's car before she let her drive it. My sister pulled out of her apartment driving her daughter's new red Mustang straight in the path of a Scirocco. It totaled her daughter's car, barely hurt the Scirocco. My sister could barely move for three days and had a swollen head and face. Her daughter refused to talk to her for three days, and my sister said I did not want to hear what her child said when she did talk. She had to buy her another red mustang.

I was just the aunt and sister, but it was horrifying to me.

JaneofVirginia said...

I will concede that I like things to look okay, but repairing the plastic bumpers and other items on a car are more important than looks. A plastic bumper which flops in the breeze costs gas mileage, and a broken bumper is a weaker bumper when left without repair. It still makes sense to repair them. Additionally, a bumper which is broken and flapping makes noise. I think it's beneficial not to attract attention in the country or anywhere else.

JaneofVirginia said...

I try never to lend or borrow a car, unless it's Enterprise rental, who is very understanding if you purchase the comprehensive insurance and then have a problem.

BBC said...

A good bumper is a welded on piece of grader blade bit.

Hahahahaha

JaneofVirginia said...

I actually agree with you there. Unfortunately, the federal government has gas mileage requirements which make plastic bumpers (or paper if they could get away with it) a requirement.

Mamma Bear said...

I honestly don't know what has kept the US from hitting rock bottom already but you had some good explanations in your post.

As for the vehicles. We have a big conversion van for the Marine and (2) 4 wheel drive trucks so no plastic bumpers here. We have extra oil and a few minor parts if needed. I'd like to find an older vehicle in good shape that one could still work on, you know, the one without all the computer crap. In a collapse I don't think too many people will be worried about a bumper and just rip it off if they did not know how to repair it. The body of the car is not much more than plastic.

JaneofVirginia said...

Thanks for posting Mamma Bear. Yes, I included the post as part of a general trend of examining what we can begin to do for ourselves. Gathering general repair skills of all kinds in many different materials is of benefit. Gathering tools is also a great idea.
I drive a diesel volkswagen when not driving a truck. I like it because it doesn't have as abundant electronics as many vehicles (though there are some), the fuel mileage is very high (57mph highway) and the range on a full tank of fuel is very high. (800-1000 miles) It is stored in an screen lined location so that EMP would not be an issue IF the car had been garaged during an event. Of our trucks, one is diesel and one is not. One may work post EMP and the other may not.

BBC said...

TERI'S POST OF THE TRIP.

JaneofVirginia said...

Thanks BBC.