HOW TO WORK ON CARS OUTDOORS

Working on a car without the luxurious climes of a workshop or garage is a rite of passage for many young car enthusiasts... or even older enthusiasts who have run out of space in their own garage! Marty and MOOG recently went back to their roots, filming two episodes on a brand new project on the OG driveway, where it all started back in January 2008 (you can watch them HERE and HERE AS WELL)

Working outdoors can certainly be a great adventure. From fixing cars on driveways, pulling down parts cars in a backyard, or doing a remote rescue of a new project from a field or forest, we shouldn't ever look past an opportunity to spend some quality time outside in the sunshine and using our brains. 

But, over nearly 30 years of working on cars, I've gained some hard-won knowledge from doing plenty of builds outdoors. So, here are my top 5 tips on how to work on cars outside. 

GET RID OF HAZARDS

This is an easy one to start off, but a big one. No matter where you're working you need to watch out for hazards. Before you jack the car up, do a site recce to see what you'll be dealing with, and if you can make the place you're working any safer.

The big one is to watch your proximity to passing traffic if you're on the side of a road or next to a driveway. I had to pull an engine on a suburban side street once, and this taught me a lot about the danger of passing traffic as cars cut way too close to me as I leaned over the front guards (fenders) to access bolts and wiring - even with the car half on the verge!

Keep in mind sight-lines for drivers if you have to lay under the car - can drivers see your legs sticking out, or see the car while they're navigating where they're going? Is the car on a bend, or are there trees and shrubs blocking the view of it?

The same can be said for farms and properties where machinery or animals might be moving past you. This actually happened to me while helping a friend rescue a 1960s Holden from a paddock with a very unamused bull - there was nowhere else to put the bull so we had to just keep an eye out for it as it moved around. 

Are there likely to be snakes, spiders, wild animals or stinging/poisonous insects (highly likely in Australia)? Are you in magpie season or working on a hot day where snakes might be active?

You'll need to sort the animals out before you start unloading tools, and - even away from a road - the area you're in can be just as dangerous. Is the ground firm enough to support a jack and stands securely? Are there tree roots you might trip over? Sand, loose rocks or wet ground can all provide pretty substantial hazards when you're trying to work on a car.

Working in dry riverbeds can be scenic but deadly with the risk of flash-flooding (which can occur a long way off and travel rapidly). Will you have light to work through the night, or power to charge tools, or will you have to pack up before it gets dark (so you're not tripping over trying to find tools)?   

If you can't make the workspace safer, you'll need to work out how to move the car somewhere that is safe to work on a car. This may be getting it trucked or trailered to a better location, or flat-towed or pushed behind a car or 4x4 to a better spot.  

KEEP YOUR TOOLS ORGANISED AND TIDY

Often you'll have to carry a selection of tools to the place you're working on the car, so try to be prepared ahead of time (as much as you can). First up, charge all your batteries, grab some lights, a jack and stands, and then work out what hand tools you're likely to need, outside of a good socket set, spanner roll, a breaker bar, pliers, side-cutters, torches, and anything else general mechanical work can require (picks, some rags, lubricating sprays, etc). 

In particular think hard (or use Google) to work out what types and sizes of tools you'll need for any specific jobs you know you have to do. Having a workshop manual (or a charged-up laptop with internet access in metro areas) will also allow you to quickly work out how to complete the task you're stuck on.  

If you're pulling an engine do you have space to swing a crane in? Will you be having to roll it on gravel or dirt (which is next to impossible) but, more importantly, can you and any helpers fit all this stuff in your car and load/unload it on your own?  

Once you're working, keeping tools tidy is the best way to avoid losing them. I typically keep tools a few metres away from the job, but somewhere easy to get more. I then take a tub or bucket with me per-person working on the car, and anyone working on the car keeps the tools they're using in that tub to stop sockets rolling down driveways into drains (it's happened), or losing expensive breaker bars in long grass.

KICK THE WEATHER IN THE FACE

When you're outside you're at the mercy of the weather and, in many parts of the world this can be incredibly harsh. Australia can be both freezing cold or stinking hot, or it could be horrifically humid and this comes with its own risks you'll need to be aware of. 

Working on super-hot days is just not a great idea but, if you have to, try to be swinging spanners before breakfast time (remembering local noise laws, guys) and figure that you won't be doing anything on the car between 11am-4pm. Similarly, in storm season you're unlikely to be working into the afternoon if the storm clouds roll in - don't work on cars in electrical storms! 

Working in the freezing cold is the same, but opposite. Working in the daylight hours to make use of the heat of the sun (if you don't have access to portable heaters) is how to survive, remembering to watch heaters or naked flame around flammable automotive fluids. Having had to work on cars outdoors in sleet and snow, I take my hat off to car enthusiasts who have to do it regularly!  

If your garage is full and you need to work on your car on a driveway, investing in a large pit tent is a great idea. This will give you shade on hot days, but also shield you from light rain showers.  This is great as you won't have to pack up all your tools, close the car up and cover any exposed mechanical pieces to protect them from the rain.

Having a camp chair or 2 is also a banger of an idea, as they're much more comfortable than sitting on a driveway while you smash a kebab with your mate. 

GROUND COVER MAKES FOR A BETTER EXPERIENCE

You'll note the lack of ground cover in the above image of my father-in-law (sorry Robin) as we stripped the poor, blue 323i BMW. However, I tpically have something to throw on the ground to protect us from whatever we're laying on.

Great things to bring out include a picnic rug or moving blanket on hard surfaces, to a large sheet of plywood or thick cardboard on wet, muddy ground, sand, or gravel. These will make the experience of digging around under a car in the wild far more enjoyable - but don't take someone else's picnic rug in case you accidentally ruin it with brake fluid, axle grease, and all manner of other automotive gunk (I ruined my mum's picnic blanket with leaking petrol and coolant back in 2006 - learn from my mistakes, kids).  

Blankets and towels are great to lay on, but be ready to rip whatever you're laying on out from under the car the second you need to use a trolley jack, engine crane, or to wriggle heavy parts out. Their casters, or your shuffling back, will get caught up and make it way more painful to get into position compared to just laying in some muck for a minute or so.  

PACE YOURSELF AND WATCH YOUR ENERGY LEVELS

Even when the weather isn't against you, working outdoors in the elements will typically tax people more than inside a workshop in a controlled space. It's all too easy to get carried away thrashing to finish whatever you want to do, but look after yourself (and anyone helping). 

Bringing an Esky with some snacks and drinks, somewhere to sit, and a portable music speaker (remembering to mind the noise around neighbours) will make for a way more enjoyable vibe. 

Once the afternoon sun hits if you don't have at least one floodlight and a few worklights you probably won't be getting anything useful done on the car, so this can be a great time to pack up, take note of where you are in the job, and plan what comes next.