Hey parts vendors, how about INCLUDING A DECENT SET OF INSTRUCTIONS in with the products you sell?
I do mean it. It doesn't matter how foolproof we make anything, the majority are simply bigger fools.
The cost of making detailed manuals is often higher than development a good product, and if that manual doesn't save enough in customer service costs then it's simply a waste of cash.
By this logic, the installation of the A/C system here from Vintage air should be different in EVERY 68 Plymouth simply because it isn't worth the time for the vendor to write decent instructions?
No. If the kit has parts that are common to all their kits and the parts are to be assembled to a production car, they can make detailed instructions that actually help.
To just leave it up to interpretation for every installation is piss poor business.
In 2019 when I was installing the Classic Auto Air in my Charger, I looked at other 68-70 B bodies at car shows and gatherings. There was a pathetic variance in appearance, placement of lines, parts and hoses in the cars that I saw. Some setups were far cleaner than what was shown in my instructions. Others looked clunky, awkward and more like a poorly planned installation that wasn't well thought out. I chose to route my lines in a much cleaner fashion so there goes yet another variation from the diagram.
Yes, there are ham fisted dipshits with false confidence that can fumble and figure out the job but that isn't the entire buying market.
These are not custom cars where every component is massaged and made specifically for this "one of one" car.
I'm talking aftermarket medium production parts designed to fit specific models.
If I was a cop, I'd probably have a hard boiled opinion of the public after dealing with the worst people for years on a day to day basis.
I am just one guy here...I am quite capable of figuring out this stuff and I rarely have to step away and ask for help....BUT helpful guidance in print beforehand would save me SO many cuss words, insults, scared pets running from the shop and a few online complaint threads like this one.
As a Carpenter, I would make notes of obstacles and problems on jobs where we built the same thing many times. The act of saving time and frustration is worth it for me. I want to focus on the quality of the build, not spend unnecessary time struggling to assemble something.