What are you doing today? Thread

[ATC King]

We finally got a couple cool days where I could go out in the shop and not risk a heat stroke (seriously).

I had some OEM Honda wheels powder coated a while back and some new tires waiting for longer than that. My 200S still had TP on the rear but I had a nearly new Duro on front of the YTM200. I took the Duro off and put a Front Max on that and had an identical new Duro to match that and put those on the rear of the 200S with the powder coated wheels.



Some of the wheels I had powder coated had tubes or Fix-No-Flat in them and were typically rusty, but usable. Example of that one on the right versus the good one on the left.


I try to save what wheels I can but if they have rust holes, they go in the scrap pile.


Getting those TP off was really nice. I've been wanting those gone since I got the trike. They're way to heavy, ride rough, make the trike handling feel dead.

Of course, new Chinese/Taiwanese tires and the old tires aren't the same physical size even when they're both 22x11x8.



I weighed the Duro, TP, and TP with tube (which is what these had). Nearly 20lbs lighter with the new tires compared to the TP with tubes. Acceleration is much improved (besides they're a bit shorter).



I kind of forgot the 200S was the one I done the PIAA headlight mod to. I took a better picture of how that looks when off. The light blue ring is just the reflection from the blue bulb.

[plastikosmd]

Well I decided I wanted to make a hook to hang my binoculars on.

3 hrs of fun to make a 3$ hook. The wife just shook her head.




The little terror is also doing well

Lost my damn chair to the 3 of them

[coolpool]

Bitchin post.

It made me stop and think...we grew up driving these piles all over the place....and when they broke we just wrenched right there in the parking lot.

After reading....I took inventory of what has been done recently and what I may do. It has a new water pump, thermostat, upper radiator hose and belt (I think). It has a new master cylinder and booster. For a couple of hundy I could get the fuel pump and alternator and lower radiator hose and other little things.

It doesn't have a spare..... the tires have good tread, but they are old. I believe a 2010 date stamp. I should replace the old tires but I like to live dangerously....so I'll probably just source a spare.

Instead of doing something smart and logical like purchase new tires....I would probably waste some money on this bed cover. I could throw all my crap back there and feel a little better about it knowing it's covered.

If it all works out, I'll head straight up to coolpool then cruise back down.







Edit.....

Also did all the fuel/vent lines from the gas tank and rear differential seal about a year ago. I also may have the carb rebuilt professionally just for S&G's

C'mon on up knappy...we'll leave the light on for ya! I also like the cover as it's aesthetically pleasing and functional. ATC's idea of a grip mat is spot on....doesn't take much of a sliding weight to dent the sides in the bed.

[coolpool]

Long story short, our neighbor passed away (old age) and the kids had an estate sale. Unknown to me his kids had a box of Manx kittens there for free. It took the Mrs about 2 seconds to start scooping them up and carrying them around 1 by 1. We lost our big (22lb) Maine Coon Tuxedo Cat in March so officially we were down one.....or so I'm told. She picked one out....I shut up...... and home we went with a silver tipped black one. We've never had a Manx (tail less) cat before and it's been a joy to have around. The best part is it loves to play with our dog which is a blessing for them both. These things have large feet, tufted ears, are shorter in the body and have longer rear legs than a regular cat so it can really jump and get around. Reminds me of a wild Lynx.

[Shep1970]

Road trip south, picking up my son to bring him home next week, and picked up a new toy today at a walmart in florida. Havent seen atc toys for sale since the 80's so had to get it


shep

[plastikosmd]

Awesome cool and shep

Love the cat photos both of u

[ATC King]

Congratulations on the Manx kitten.

That's what we've been lucky enough to have most of my life and I consider them the best breed depending on what an owner is wanting them for. For pest control, they're excellent, but that comes with the hunter instinct and song birds also get eliminated. They'll certainly take care of mice, roaches, and drag a mole to the door if those are around.

To the owner and a specific owner they are extremely friendly. Overall they're very calm cats but to that one or couple people they form a bond with they love attention without being overly attention seeking. They're the kind of cat that'll snuggle all night in the winter and not leave until their human wants them to.

They're not prone to becoming overweight and seem to live a long time without many ailments.

Overall, they're very loving, hardy, and useful cats. I've seen a lot of the other basic breeds and the Manx is hands down my favorite. It's a cat that kind of acts like a good dog.

[coolpool]

Awesome cool and shep

Love the cat photos both of u

Plastik, looks like the tabby is a kitten? How old are the other ones...and are they domestic short hairs?

[plastikosmd]

^ sorry for delay

Yes, 2 black ones would just be considered shorthairs
The kitten seems to have some tabby (both spots and stripes on belly grey/white) but topside she is more (name escapes me) grey/orange

[Footy]

Road trip south, picking up my son to bring him home next week, and picked up a new toy today at a walmart in florida. Havent seen atc toys for sale since the 80's so had to get it


shep

Those are for sale in the gift shop at Binky's forever ATC museum. He had quite a few of them.

[ATC King]

I got a used engine for my Ford E100 project.

Since the van was dropped off I haven't done anything but start cleaning the inside out, mostly all the rat doo.

It hasn't run in decades but it's all there. The only info I have on it's past is the oil pan had a hole knocked in it a time or two, which was repaired. Because of that I haven't even looked into the engine, if it'll turn over or not, but it's all still intact. Not like anyone started to dissemble anything and just left it, so it has that going for it.

It's got a 240 inline and I found a used 300. The 300 was a option in that year so it should fit unless those came with a taller dog house or something.

I bought the 300 sight unseen, but the Clifford intake it came with was worth more than I paid so if the engine isn't good I didn't loose anything. It came with headers but the collectors will need repaired as someone welded exhaust straight to them. I'm not sure they'll fit in the van either. Even to get an inline in there Ford used a 90 degree oil filter adapter so if faces down instead of out the side. There's not a whole lot of room on either side of the engine but a V8 was optional so it's probably not as bad as it looks on space.

The 300 is potentially built up a little. The intake and headers alone were a bit costly, and it also has a Mallory dual point distributor which means it was an older build as those haven't been available for a while AFAIK. It was being run just on one point set though. I guess they didn't understand how the dual points work or how to adjust them. I have a vintage dwell meter but I'm not going to use that distributor, if for no other reason than it's old and rare now. The cap an rotor button are still good. It has a Jacobs coil, which is broken but that shows just how old the build is. What I think is it probably has higher compression and a mild cam but without opening it up I won't know. Before I toss it into the van I'll pull the tins off and have a closer look.

At any rate, it'll have more power than the van's stock engine did. These vans don't need much power though. They don't weight much, have a short wheelbase, and are top heavy. Four wheel drum brakes aren't confidence inspiring either. It'll have to be upgraded to front disc. Four wheel drums are really, really, really bad in wet weather and long mountain descents. This van has an automatic, so no engine braking either. You older northerners also know how they can freeze up overnight if they're hit with some water before parking. Fun times in a 2wd vehicle with frozen front drum brakes in the morning.

I was a little excited to get the engine so I figured I'd share. The van is on blocks right now because all the tires were rotten and the wheels were the old tube type that have rivets holding the centers in. I'm going to rob some wheels and tires off of another vehicle so I can get it moveable to work on, but getting this engine was a little boost I needed to get interested in the project again.

[ATC King]

In case anyone doesn't know, Malco (Eagle Grip) stopped making their locking pliers this year.

They're the top dog in locking pliers but that has come to an end. I was really, really, awaiting their locking needle nose pliers but that's not happening now.

They're the real deal and every bit as good as the original Vise Grips, if not better. I bought a pair for a friend a year or longer ago and some for myself recently, but just used them the other day. I've got an old pair of the original Vise Grips but they're decades old and thoroughly worn. These new ones should last another half century or longer.

Besides the longevity, they work like intended. Locking pliers aren't a normal tool for most things and when they have to come out they need to work. These work. The jaws are hard and locking mech can be tightened with an allen wrench for extra clamping force.

They're top grade locking pliers. No exception. Anyone wanting a pair should get them now.

https://www.eaglegripusa.com/

[knappyfeet]

In case anyone doesn't know, Malco (Eagle Grip) stopped making their locking pliers this year.

Sad. I purchased a couple at the swap meet about 4 years ago for next to nothing.....probably stolen.

Went and purchased the bed cover for the elco. Everytime I check them out the price seems to go up $50...... I figured better now before they go up $100+

[ATC King]

Still waiting on cooler weather to really get back on projects. Maybe it'll drop down to the low 90's and stay there soon. Leaving a tool in the sun for even a few minutes can make it too hot to hold.

110 is just too hot to work in the shop. Dripping sweat all over what I'm working on isn't ideal, especially if it's bare metal parts.

That, and a sweat soaked shirt and arms while leaning over a battery can get a bit tingly.

[ATC King]

One of our vehicles started running poorly last week and I just got around to looking at it. There were two codes related to the MAP sensor.

Old GM truck, so these things happen from time to time. Of course I'm running all the worst case scenarios through my head before I touched the truck, because that's my luck.

Hooked the scan tool up and the MAP value isn't changing. Pulled it out of the intake after removing other parts to get to it. Put a vacuum tool on it and still nothing changed, voltage stayed maxed out. Then checked the 5v wire and it was good. Checked the ground...the same.

All I had left was the signal wire, which I removed from the connector to get to the sensor instead of backprobing it. I don't like poking holes in wire or the connector seals. Done that and the sensor was actually good, running through the voltage swing with a vacuum applied then removed.

Right then I was about done with it for the day because that meant there's a problem in the wire harness and I had just had enough even thinking about tracing it out that day. Then I noticed the signal wire connector I removed was a little out of shape so I used a pick to close it up a little tighter.

Just for giggles I left the scan tool on and hooked up after I got it all back together, to fight it another day. Apparently that one connector or maybe even the whole thing was just a smidge loose because that fixed it.

No parts cost and I was super relieved. If it happens again I'll buy a pigtail and replace that connector because I done the proper diagnostics and know what the problem was instead of just replacing the part which may have appeared to fix it because it could have just been a loose connector and the act of replacing the sensor may of made it work for a while after unplugging and plugging it back.

There's no replacement for proper diagnostics. It can't be said enough. If I had just thrown a MAP sensor at it, the money would've been wasted and just the action of unplugging and plugging the connector back in may have made it appear the sensor was the problem, just to potentially have the problem come back and then think the new sensor went bad.



I worked on my van project this morning, trying to get it where it'll roll. Both rear brakes were locked up and it wasn't the parking brake, thank goodness, because it's been sitting for decades and if had sat that long with the parking brake on the cables would've probably been totally seized. Those can be expensive and hard to get for some older vehicles.

Lube, heat, and beat, then that left me with one seized to the axle and the other seized to the brake shoes. Neither has come off and now only one rolls. At least the one that will spin won't be an issue as far as moving it into the shop, the other one is free from the axle flange but pretty much attached to the shoes and the adjuster is frozen solid, can't even try to back the shoes off.

The entire brake system is going to need replaced, lines, hoses, master cylinder, and everything on the corners. It's about time to start sacrificing parts and that one drum is at the top of the list. I couldn't even get it break free by standing on a bar put between a couple lugs. The puller I have isn't large enough and that wouldn't matter anyway because it'd just rip everything from the backing plate because the shoes are so stuck.

The van isn't a vintage RR and I can get replacement parts and even upgrade to disk, so sparks are about to fly. It's not worth several more hours of work trying to save parts that are trashed, readily available, and affordable.



So, I moved from that onto a Supertrapp style muffle that has frozen bolts holding the discs on. I've been plucking away on it for days now, putting it down when I've had enough. All the bolt heads are stripped. That meant drilling the heads off and having to borrow a good bit because mine weren't up to the task.

Once the heads were off it took some finesse to get the end cap removed. Then even more tedious work of cleaning the truncated bolt ends up so subsequent disc may potentially be removed but since they were overtightend and some of the disc misshapen, many of them are locked onto the remaining bolt studs. Gentle pressure is all that can be used to keep from damaging the discs, which makes it frustratingly slow and eventually impossible.

I dunked the end of it in the ultrasonic cleaner today for about an hour in an attempt to break all the carbon off of the bolt threads to facilitate in removal of the discs. I got about two more of them off and put it aside for another day. It's an old FMF Megamax and new parts aren't available, haven't been for a decade or better, so I've got to go slow and save everything but the bolts.



The easiest thing today was our electric power washer started acting up recently and I noticed the hose to the soap tank wasn't on tight. A few zip ties and it's good to go. A small win but I'll take it.


I'm to the point as I finish some of my projects, I'm thinking about sending them away. Too much old stuff and I'm tired of spending more time working than riding. Sometimes it just me doing things like upgrades, but it's about time to just start buying newer vehicles that come upgraded from the factory compared to my old stuff.

It's a hobby and mostly fun but the fun is wearing thin and starting to stink. I may even get me one of those handicap ATVs with an extra wheel...crap, I've already got one but it's a project. New shoes it is and a newfound love for walking.