Keeping track of parts

[erict@cta.com (Eric Thorstenson)]

RDH said:
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A hint that has served me immensely-well over the ages. Buy several of
those cheap muffin pans. Each screw (or set of related/identical/etc.
screws), bolt, clip, etc. get puts into "the next" muffin hole se-
quentially as you take the dash apart. Reassembly is usually a fairly
symmetrical operation to disassembly, so you just reverse the order,
pulling bits'n'pieces out of sequentially-in-the-other-direction
muffin holes and fit them back into the dash assembly. If you're doing
something that might "take a while" (for larger values of "while"),
instead of muffin pans, buy one (or more) of those little plastic
parts boxes with lids (aka "tackle boxes"), so you can close up and
"seal in" all the little bits'n'pieces into their separate little
compartments so that, e.g., while you're at the hardware store trying
to find a replacement screw, rover (junior, whatever) doesn't "acci-
dently" scramble all your little bit's'pieces. You can even number
the compartments, then create an index to remind you where each number
belongs (e.g., "13 -- drip pan lower bracket to glove box support").
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Cool idea, the muffin pans! I've used the tackle box w/index approach
before, for long-term stuff, but hadn't thought of the muffin pan.

Another one I use: Sears sells small stainless steel bowls with
magnets in the base. Pretty handy, especially when the inevitable
happens and you blind-side it and send it flying. They cost about
$10. I have several.

Perhaps the ultimate parts keeper would be a muffin tin with a
magnet in each cup.....

Eric T.    '86 5kS
erict@ra.cta.com