One of my memories of Beirut 1983 was blowing a special gasket in our 35’ twin turbe diesel “Seafox” boat. Boy, was that a problem! I was the det commander, so it was MY fault, of course. The seafox crew (in my det but not SEALs) did not have a replacement, and the boat was “down hard” until a new gasket could be flown in from the states. The gasket was in an odd shape roughly a foot by six inches, with some kind of cork/asbestos inside of a pressed metal rim or flange. Not something they stock at the 7-11.
I went to downtown Beirut to a shop recommended by a local contact, and they built me an exact copy of the gasket on the spot. (We took out the opposite “good” gasket, they made a mirror image.)
Necessity is the mother of invention. In the third world, folks figure out how to fix, rebuild or replace almost anything, without getting “factory parts.”
I went to a Fort Lauderdale junkyard with a Colombian guy once. He was AMAZED. He said most of the cars in the American junkyard would still be running in Colombia, even if they had to take two wrecks, cut them in half, and weld the two “good” halves together! And he was dead serious. He couldn’t believe how Americans were “throwing away” nearly perfect cars because of a “little” (to him) damage.
We’ll adapt, we’ll have to. And having a “skill” will make a huge difference. Hey, I’m still a welder! I haven’t forgotten how to fabricate anything out of metal. Any metal, any process, any position. Custom fabrication is my specialty, up to and including my 48’ “Escape Pod.”
Cool. I can't weld. Friends can though. Right about the junkyards, my truck and the others could be fixed indefinatly from parts in yards all over here. Hank is right, country boy will survive.
You guys are making me feel a little better. Besides my white collar skills, I’m a good mechanic (including modern computer diagnostic skills), plumber, and electrician. No, I’m not licensed for the latter two. But I’m as good as or better than many who are, and have cleaned up the crappy work they’ve left behind for friends.
So at least I have some low-level practical services to offer.