This, That and the Other Thing

Last weekend I learned how to replace the radiator in my car. It has had a small leak for a few months now that I stoppered with ground pepper in the radiator (yes this actually works for small holes). Of course the pepper is supposed to be a temporary fix but it is one that had to last a lot longer.
My friend got me a brand new radiator at a good price and had someone to install it for me cheaply. But then the installer got arrested and put in jail (nothing car repair related). I never met the guy and I don't know how good or bad of a person he is, that was just really bad timing.
So my new radiator rode around in my friends car for a month. Then it sat in my shed for another month.
Why? Well, the garage wanted over $150 to install it plus the cost of antifreeze (they charge $12/bottle) and my roommate swore she knew how to do it. All we needed was some decent weather.
The first decent weather, actually it was fantastic weather, was this past weekend. I won't say that I would ever replace a radiator by myself but at least I have an idea of how it is done. I also got to remove my fan and place it on the new radiator correctly.
We learned an important lesson. The sticker on the bolt holes that said, "If you strip the threads, the warranty is void." is referring to using a torq wrench, not tightening by hand. When everything was installed, while the hood was still up, I turned on the car and watched oil geyser out! A little more tightening and we were down to a steady stream. The third attempt, a drip. And finally the part was tightened correctly. Turns out it is almost impossible to strip those threads by hand....Live and learn.
Oh, In all the repairs, the hood latch cable snapped...
This didn't make me happy. Now my hood won't properly shut and latch and the cable is apparently a real pain to replace. It was beyond the roommates abilities so she called her coworker, Zach.
Zach comes by, no shirt, tattoos shinning in the sun, cowboy hat on, and takes a look. "You need a new cable," he says. "I can do that but not today. I'll replace it next Sunday."
I ask how I'm going to drive to work and back all week. He replies with a grin, "I'm gonna redneck engineer it for you!"
And so he did. My hood is wired shut but thankfully, he hid the wire. And Zack will be back in a few days to fix the cable. While the redneck engineering is great (and I'm very familiar with the process being a country girl myself), it is a little inconvenient to open the hood so it needs fixed before I can get the oil changed or need new windshield washing fluid.
For the week, the wire has worked great. And the radiator works fine.