HK Blackbird

I'm especially intolerant of the suspension of disbelief that's necessary when watching this form of entertainment. My teen-age son, who's not gotten his hands on cars (yet) has become an armchair expert, after listening to my regular commentary. It started when he began asking me why it took me SO LONG to work on the cars that come through my shop. From there it was a slippery slope, pointing out all the inconsistencies. There's one group of tatooed car builders who always seem to be seconds from disaster, only to "Pull together as a team" in order to make their deadline. The owner, who seems to do little more than yelling at his staff and complaining about his stress levels, seems happy to hobnob with his celebrity clients while the predominantly Mexican-American workers do all the heavy lifting. The frequent breaks with progress, so they can go kart racing or some other time-wasting foolishness, bothers me to no end. When I'm on a project, in the zone, getting good work done, the absolute LAST thing I'd welcome would be a break in the action. Shortcuts? No doubt. Reality TV? A contradiction in terms.

Seeking a qualified, experienced automotive repair mechanic. Must have experience working with repair and restoration of classic automobiles. References accepted. Must own hand tools. Attractive compensation commensurate with experience. English required, Cantonese & Mandarin welcome. Old-school skills in repair and troubleshooting given first consideration. World-class repair facility. Please reply via PM.

Our shop is being refitted with all new equipment. Up for discussion is the choice of wheel alignment lifts. The local distribution here in Hong Kong, has two brands on offer: Hunter, who are well known and reputable, and Ravaglioli, who are well-represented, but relatively unknown to me. Does anyone here have any information to share on the pro's and cons of these two? I've had mixed results with Italian equipment in the past, some good, some tragic. Hoping to avoid any unnecessary shedding of tears, blood and cash.

Well, I've been a smoker, and am now a former smoker. As shop foreman, I figure it's incumbent upon me to set an example. When I smoked, a stressful job or tough problem would send me out back for a smoke to calm my nerves. NOT good for productivity. Then we got anti-smoking legislation, which effectively put out every cigarette in any business. Cell phones are a distraction, but in many cases are a necessary evil. Any tech who insists on using their phone while working on a car, may only do so with a bluetooth ear-piece. No texting, no facebook or other graphically-involving B.S. I don't want to have to deal with someone dropping an expensive bit of car, because one of their hands was wrapped around their precious phone.