Technical What did you do today?

I drove through some rain to day 3 of Back to the 50's. After wiping it down we walked the swap and wandered around the grounds looking at cars. Shortly after walking back to the truck, 3 guys on a golf cart stopped to check out the '58 and give me this nifty decal...

 

Recovered from the SH#T ASS ride home from the Lyons museum show in LA yesterday , but what an AWESOME show! Helped pull my bud Bobs 36 coupe out of mothballs and get it running.Told him he needs his head examined for not driving this car often!

 

worked on dists again

 

Let's see, today I woke up early, took a dip in the pool, then cleaned some damned hubcaps that have been driving me nuts. After that I got to do somethings that I wanted to do. Installed three new ground straps on the sedan, played with timing and adjusted the vacuum advance. Then the fun part, I went for a nice drive.

 

Worked on my son's 20-year-old OT SUV, changing out the little motors in the door lock actuators. It was a tedious job, and when we were done, the new motors worked - but in reverse. Hitting the lock button unlocked 'em, hitting the unlock locked 'em. Not sure yet how to solve this, since I won't cut apart the actuators a second time to replace the motors (reversed polarity?). I may need to trace down the wires and see which ones I need to flip. Nothing on the new motors said whether they were clockwise rotation or counter-clockwise rotation, so who knows if I bought the wrong motors, or it doesn't matter, or the car's ECM is programmed to screw with anyone changing out the motors, or . . .
I hate it when I've spent hours trying to fix something and end up making it worse.

 

Hit the pool a few times too, even vacuumed that. Saturday was hot and sticky. Managed to get the oil and filter changed on the Ford, greased what I could while the grease lasted. Got the drag link and sway bar and not much else.

 

I started assembling a 30 model a roadster, really sort of fun.

 

The Phone Rang at 2AM our son Zack was returning home from work and on the way home in the heavy rain hydro planed and his truck went into the ditch. Nothing damaged but he was stuck. 50 feet from the road down next to a culvert. So I loaded up various chains a big power puller shovel and some ramps in my wifes OT Jeep Cherokee. and drove thirty miles to rescue him. Thankfully it stopped raining. We put the ramps under the rear tires and hooked the chains to where I didn't have to get off the pavement. It came right out. took longer to pick up the chains & ramps than to pull him out. Then I drive 30 miles back home.

 

Made so much more progress on uncovering my first 1931 DB coupe.

 

I did some work in my basement workshop. I love old license plates, but they really stink. The best ones I sold, these are what I had left over. The "JRB 1992" was the license plate on my first car.

 

Pieced togather this self propelled push mower,got the engine from a friend and the frame from the neighbor and I had the bag and a better set of tires in stock and so far has not cost me a dime yet.

 

Took off the nerfs, Shorten up bumper Brkts by 2” and installed a bumper on my 37.

 

Worked on this ugly thing.

 

Thanks for giving me a brief look into my future with my soon-to-be-driving son.

I remember calling my Dad at 2am (after I walked a mile and knocked on a strangers door and asked to use their phone (circa 1989)) after I spun a rod bearing in my ‘69 GTO racing at Muncie Dragway. That was about 50 miles from where we lived. No complaints of course. I don’t remember him ever complaining about my Pontiac addition actually. He parked in the street while my ‘66 sat in the garage (his spot) and my ‘69 resided in the driveway. I miss him everyday.

Yep, thanks for the look into the future and past. Regards, Randy


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looks like something from 50's movie "Invasion of The Body Snatchers" or "Invasion of the Brake Snatchers"

 

planning next months cruise in. heres some pics from last month.

 

I went over to Bentonville, AR to buy a spare trans for my 50 Ford. This was right near Alice Walton's world famous Crystal Bridges art museum. I don't give a dam about that museum, but I sure enjoyed looking at early Ford stuff at a real nice guy's shop!

 

worked on the dually, not traditional but it hauls my junk.

 

Not much physically; did a lot yesterday so was still tired today..A lot of thinking though...

 

Sitting on my ass at a state park in northern minnesota with the scamp, econoline, my best girl, and a pocketful of money......What could go wrong?

 

you just forgot a cold beer in the right hand ......

 

Its got hot here in Arkansas. This morning I watered all the garden stuff and flowers ect. I had earlier replaced the 12.5 flathead engine on a old murray riding mower with a 17.5 overhead cam engine. The carb suffered from the stale gas syndrome. I couldn't get the metering tube out of the carb body so I couldn't get that part clean. So it was starving for fuel. wouldn't run without a partially closed choke. So I ordered a new Chinese carb. cost $18 free shipping. It arrived today. So I now get to install it. ive been using two cows to mow the grass. They do a Ok job but its ragged and there are certain weeds they will not eat and they leave huge cow pies. Hopefully the Chinese carb will function properly?

 

I picked up a almost new looking push lawn mower along side the road on trash day. The start rope was broken. Fixed that and it still wouldnt start. wasn't firing. The wire that grounds the ignition was permanently grounded. I took it loose and it ran perfect. I just use the wire to ground it when I want to shut it off. The gas we have today is not optimal for small engines. I have to use corn gas. So I color my gas by adding some 2 cycle oil in a 5 gallon container. pour some in a glass gallon jug. add a bit of water and shake it up. when it settles the ethanol mixed with water is at the bottom its clear. the gas has a blue color. Its now non ethanol. Just be careful pouring it and not pour the clear in. Don't let a small engine set with gas in it for very long it turns to a varnish like gooey mess.

 

Played hookie from work .. I cut the grass, ordered a pizza then watched Pearl Harbor again and now watching Saving Private Ryan for the 700th time ....

 

Or in my case, eats up all the damn hoses!

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Finished working out the electrical bugs in the dually and moved my car project back in the shop.

 

I took the bucket to my 2 doctor's appointments today, was fun setting off car alarms in the ramp and talking cars with the older vets, they sure perk up reliving their youthful bliss.

 

Fired up the leaf blower and climbed up on the roof to clean out the gutters. I have put it off way too long as it has rained so much. Caught hell from my wife for climbing a ladder at my age(almost 68) but I took it slow and easy. Besides that who the hell else was going to do it?
Got it done with no problem so I done the garage gutters too. Trimmed some bushes around the yard and cleaned that up. Went in the house for a cold one or two and cooled down a while then to the garage to clean up some hubcaps and other car parts. Had a grandsons ball game at 7PM, last one of the season and they went undefeated.
I have a few aches and pains tonight but so what, I got some stuff done I have been putting off and that part feels pretty good.

 

Stripped the suspension off of the Merc, ready for the Blaster!

 

Still cracking at my arch nemesis 61 Olds project, and a few odds and ends around the shop while I’m waiting for my fuel sender to come back from being rebuilt. Been rebuilding a new fuel bulkhead in the trunk and will start the plumbing to the tank soon, maybe tonight.
I also got the front seat tracks released, since they were pinching and wouldn’t move, but unfortunately there isn’t enough motion in the tracks to get the seats forward enough. That will be a project for another day.
The center cap spinners on the rear were also incredibly loose and rattled like hell, so I fired up the Bridgeport and made some aluminum backing plates to tighten everything up.
I’ve also been decruding my shitty old Bridgeport, and cleaned up all the dials so I can see what the hell im doing. Probably getting a new-to-me Bridgeport in the next week or so, so I’ll probably sell this one. No reason to have 2 mills taking up space.


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