"...Let's see your ideas!"
I'm older than the ages mentioned. Don't have a lift or the finances to get one. So, I still have to do it on a creeper. The hardest part of that is getting on the creeper & getting off the creeper.
For getting on the creeper, I bought knee pads from Lowes. I suppose they are used mostly for doing some sort of work on flooring. Anyhow, I only use 1, on my right knee. Prevents all knee pain in the getting up & down processes.
For getting up off the creeper, I leave the car windows open, and use my left hand on top of the door, to pull myself up. And, I have an old Borden milk crate on the floor, which I use to help push myself up, with my right hand/arm. So, I pull up with one arm & push up with the other. Yeah, it probably looks weird. But hey, there's nobody to see it. So, "whatever it takes".
Since I'm not in a hurry nowadays, it don't matter how long it takes to get up & down.
Another thing I have now, that I wish I'd had back in the old days, is small battery powered lights, rather than a corded mechanics light. These little lights can be aimed at different angles, & also have a magnet on 'em. Easy to get light exactly where you need it. And you don't have to mess with the cord, and getting it under the creeper wheels, or any of the other problems mechanic light cords can create. I bought rechargeable batteries & a good charger for 'em. Hope I never have to deal with a corded shop light, while under a car, ever again. I assume most of you guys cut the cord, & have been using batt powered lights for years.
That reminds me of the time I grabbed a shop light & couldn't let go. It could be used as an extension cord. The last plug we'd pulled out of it left one of the prongs in the light handle. So, when I grabbed the handle, it grabbed me. The current made the muscles in my arm contract, so that instead of letting go of the handle, my hand gripped the handle harder. All I could do was holler. Thankfully, another guy was there, who unplugged the light. Then, after he found out that I was OK, he just about rolled in the floor laughing at me. I didn't think it was funny, at all. I assume that if he hadn't been there, I might not be here today. Don't know. It is certainly something I'll never forget !
After that happened that night, I lost all desire to do any more work. So, me & the other guy grabbed some Coors that we had stacked in the corner of the shop, jumped into his '69 Z-28, & went cruisin. I'd recently bought 35 cases of Coors, on a trip we made to the D/FW area of TX. Back then, no Coors was sold in LA, legally. Most of you guys will probably remember that Smokey & The Bandit was about hauling a load of Coors to a state where it was not sold, legally. I made quite a few trips to Terrell, TX, to buy Coors. Had to make most of those trips by myself. But, there were always guys who wanted some, after I got back with it. Hey, thank God I lived past those days ! Haven't had a drink since 1976.
