[cozwurth]

Last night was upper ball joints and shocks on the '98 1500. Last Friday it was the lower ball joints and lowering springs. Why not do it all at once? The uppers were still good 6-8 months ago when I bought the lowers and springs.:thumbup: Finally got time to install them last week.

On the Camaro (my daughter's '85 Sport Coupe, 2.8), I got the broken TPS screws repaired. Both broke off flush with the throttle body when I tried to loosen them. I clamped a couple of pieces of 1x4 to it so I could keep it vertical to drill the screws out on the drill press. Drilled them out, tapped the holes, new stainless button head screws with anti-seize and we're back in business. Now I can actually get the idle set from where the P.O. unplugged a perfectly good functioning MAF and then set the idle up to compensate.:spank:

 

[cozwurth]

Yep, last night my "project" kinda scared me, scared me about how friggin stupid I am. I put a new door knob on my front door.

You seem, the night before I found that the latch was funky, so I went and bought a new one for $12. I got home and installed it and found it did the same thing! So I figured, ok, it's the knob assy. Last night I went and got one, complete with a new latch too for $10.

I installed the knob assy....same problem, WTH? I pulled out the "new" latch I had installed the night before and put in the one that came with the knob assy and wham, it works like a charm.

Then the old man moron moment came, I noticed that I hadn't installed the new latch the night before at all! I had RE-INSTALLED the bad one and thrown the new one away! OMG!

Oh well, I figured a new assy was going to be $25 at least so it still cost me less than that. :drunk:

Brian

LOLOL, I am always impressed with a man that can laugh at himself.

I am amazed by a man that tells the world so they can laugh at him.


I totally tore the door apart on my mini van to replace the lock actuator. After taking the latch completely apart and busting the plastic outside handle, it occured to me the correct way was to drill out 2 rivets, replace the actuator and put the door panel back on. 4 hours to do a 30 minute job. Go figure. :nono::smash::evil: :drunk:

I think we've all caught that dumb**ss disease ain: from time to time. Several years ago i was replacing the intake gasket on my Nova and when I got ready to put the distributor back in I realized I for got some shop rags laying in the lifter valley. I didn't want to pull the manifold back off because I didn't have another gasket set on hand so I had to fish them out with a piece of wire. A friend showed up asking me what I was doing and I hated telling him but he promised not to say a word to anyone about it because he's had that ailment from time to time too.

I thought I was the only one to do things like that...

Anyway, nothing automotive done today, but I did get the power steering valve body removed from the tractor, torn down and cleaned. Ready to get the book out and figure out why it would only turn left.

 

[cozwurth]

It thinks it's a NASCAR ??

THAT'S IT! Why didn't I think of that? Better not take it to Sears Point, then, huh?

 

[cozwurth]

Anyway, nothing automotive done today, but I did get the power steering valve body removed from the tractor, torn down and cleaned. Ready to get the book out and figure out why it would only turn left.

The '65 Ford "NASCAR special" 4000 tractor is still not set up for Sears Point... No real adjustment in the valve body, or 'control valve' as the manual calls it. One part gets "tight, then back off to the next slot for the cotter pin", then the other gets "turned in tight, then back off 1/4 turn". Replaced all of the O rings and still have the same problem. Guess I'll be looking for a tractor forum now. Anyone know of a good one?

 

[cozwurth]

I tried getting some deck height measurements on my L31 today. No dice. My dial indicator is fluctuating 2-3 thousandths just trying to "zero" in on the deck surface. Set it on the deck, set one of the indicators on the needle, move it to the piston to find TDC, read the number, then put it back on the deck to verify. The deck is now 2-3 thousandths off from where it was before. I slid the magnetic base about 1/4 inch on a clean deck surface, so it should be the same, right? I was measuring the piston at the pin centerline to minimize any error from the piston rocking. Not gonna fight it, it's going to the machine shop to pay the nice man to do it right.

 

[cozwurth]

More light work on the trailer.
All the side markers were badly faded and dim, although amazingly, they did work. This is a 1959 trailer.
I was able to track down the last few replacement lights last fall. Good thing I bought them then, as they are no longer available today...
I installed them today and made a minor modification to the rears.
As seen in this pic, the rears faced forward.




I think someone at the factory put them on the same as the fronts and they should have been reversed for the light to shine back. This pic is showing there is little light to the rear.



When I installed the new lights, I turned the rears around.



Now there is much more light to the back, where it should be.



Much brighter now.



I like how the lines in the lens creates this shell pattern...

I love it! Someone else who is messing with old campers too! Do you have any interior pics? I am just finishing up the restoration (rectification?) of a 1968 Rancho El Rae camper myself. Planning on heading out for the first outing next weekend. Anyway, have you checked with Vintage Trailer Supply for your lights? They have a repro of those marker lights available, and replacement lenses too. I used them on my Rancho, the bases are thin aluminum, but the hole spacing was almost dead-on for my destroyed original plastic base lights. Lots of good, hard to find stuff there. I have ordered MANY things from them. Great service, and quick shipping.

 

[cozwurth]

Not exactly "today", but... Spent last Sunday afternoon helping a friend pull the engine from his '02 Ranger. 4.0 V-6 broke a valve spring, and then swallowed an exhaust valve a couple of weeks ago. Plenty of carnage, busted things up pretty good, even had coolant running out of the exhaust pipe while loading onto the roll-back to get it home. Even with the piston in pieces in the pan and the rod/wrist pin banging around the cylinder, the rings still somehow managed to stay in the cylinder. Not quite sure how that happened. Replacement engine on order.

Spent the last evening or two diagnosing and repairing a no back-up lights and a no A/C issue on the '95 Z-28 we just picked up for my daughter. Even with enough charge on it to fall within pressure specs the 'puter will not allow the compressor to run after a pressure fault code is set evidently. Had to disconnect battery to reset the code and get it going again. Leak fixed, now to finish charging the system. The back-up light problem was the shifter mounted switch. Man, those things are built cheap... I was going to replace it, but once I saw how it was made I just fixed it instead. Turns out the case was too loose to keep the spring loaded tabs in contact with the wiring plug traces. Took it apart, cleaned it, put in fresh dielectric grease, and tweaked the case a little to tighten it up. Works like a charm now.

 

[cozwurth]

Picked up my block and rotating assembly from the machine shop. They had to cut .0013 off of one side, and .0016 off of the other to get me where I wanted to be as far as deck height is concerned. He said that my block was actually in good shape dimensionally, the cuts were pretty even front to back on both sides. Now to get it back on the stand, clean it good, and start assembling.

 

[cozwurth]

Took a bit of an anti-freeze shower under the 'new to us' '95 Z-28 that I picked up recently. Drove it in the rain the other day and realized that it had no heat to clear the windshield. Both lines at the heater core were still relatively cool, so I knew there was no circulation. Tried to pull the lower heater core hose off the pump and put a plug on the pump at the same time. Didn't think about clamping the hose off first unfortunately. Didn't work quite as planned. Duh! Flushed the remnants of some brown Dex-cool sludge out of the core, heat works great now. :sweat:

 

[cozwurth]

Welllllll, got up to find that my hot water heater is a cold water heater! Still has a problem and I think I am going to bite the bullet and replace the whole thing. It's on it's way out being it's 10 years old so I think I will cut my loss and not spent $100 to buy a valve and just spend the $425 on a whole new unit.
CRAP

Brian

Brian, you can do that but my water heater is 21 years old and going strong. You could still have a lot of life left. Granted, mine is in the basement so I don't have as much liability if it springs a leak.

John

I'm with John on this one. I recently "rebuilt" my water heater for about $35. Two new elements, two new thermostats, packaged neatly together at the big blue box store. While I had the old elements out, I shined a good light into the hole to look at the tank from the inside. Nice and clean at 17+ years. Not sure about a gas heater though... Any way to look into the tank to see internal condition?

Dave

 

[cozwurth]

The problem is calcium build up. Mine isn't this bad by any means but I can see some big pieces in there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESP0xyCSEp0

But you got me thinking, I am torn. Around here water heaters live 10-15 years or so, if they are drained properly every quarter. I never drained mine, it's about 10 years old. I don't know what else could cause my pilot light to not light as it's doing now after changing the thermocouple. The control valve is the next step and it's $100. I am going to go to the big box store where I bought it and see what they have, maybe the control valve is a lot less and I would give it a try.

I do get a lot of noise from the heater when it fires up because of the calcium and I would hate for the tank to rust through, OMG that would suck big time, it's in my wash room behind the kitchen, yeow.

Brian

Could be something as simple as dust, spider web, or dryer lint at the pilot light nozzle. My parents have a set of gas logs that was doing the same thing. HVAC guy told us to make sure that the pilot was clear as it takes very little to foul it up enough to go out or not re-light. A shot from some compressed air might do the trick. Might just get it going long enough to search for the best replacement, not just something that is "in stock" today.

Dave

 

[cozwurth]

I was finally able to get a little done on my truck today. I cleaned and died the coverlay dash cover, and I got my block cleaned and ready to start assembly. Turkey frier burners work pretty well to heat the block to speed drying...

 

[cozwurth]

Spent a little time in the garage finally assembling the engine for my truck. Crank and 4 of 8 piston/rods in place. I'd like to get the short block done by the weekend.

 

[cozwurth]

You guys are "funny"... don't pick on my being "organizationally challenged".

You're not organizationally challenged. I can see the floor in your shop... Mine on the other hand, well, lets just say that it would make an OCD clean freak's head explode. Twice. ain:

 

[cozwurth]

still???????

I'm with whinny... What's a bitcoin?

 

[cozwurth]

I went over the edge trim in my '68 Rancho el Rae camper. Again. I "finished" the total frame-up rebuild back in the spring, and ran out to get inside with a flashlight every time it rained for the first month or so to look for leaks. Well, I guess when the weather turned cooler, the putty behind the trim shrank a little, and I got a leak in the front/left corner. Ruined a big section of my interior paneling. Tomorrow I get to scrape the edges and re-seal, because I can see several other sections that are shrinking. Hopefully this round will get it done.

 

[cozwurth]

Nothing automotive today, but I did get some work done along the driveway. Got all of the "head hunters" cut down. Tired of ducking and holding those branches out of the way while mowing. Now I just gotta move them all to the burn pile...

 

[cozwurth]

Broke a head bolt off while running the bolts up to 65 pounds. Came up to 45 pounds fine, but while pulling up to 65 pounds, it just kept going. As I'm pulling, I'm thinking "this doesn't feel <snap> right". It was a brand new set of Fel Pro head bolts, too. Cost me another $56 for another head gasket, and another set of bolts. At least the break was above the deck surface, and the remains backed out easily with a pair of vise grips. Looking at the bolt, it looks like it stretched a bit before it broke, which is probably why it just didn't feel right before it snapped.

 

[cozwurth]

I got my replacement head gasket and head bolts in from Summit, so I installed the head last night. I got the valve lash set, so now it's on to cleaning valve covers, and getting all of the incidentals together. I also looked at my Chevelle, trying to come up with a plan to fix the small rust pits and holes in the roof. I really don't like vinyl tops...

 

[cozwurth]

Yesterday was interesting... I took my camper over to dad's house to get it back inside so I can take the front window out to try to track down a leak. He walks out of the house, says he has water on the floor of the attached garage, looks like it's coming from under the house. Great. As I get close to the access door, I can hear the water spraying. Great. I spend the greater part of the day under the house fixing busted PVC fittings for the 3 heating/AC units under there. Luckily he had the house built up an extra block or two, and had lighting installed under there, so it's not as bad as it could have been. The bad part is that one of the solenoid valves controlling water flow is also cracked, so he had to call the HVAC guy anyway. As an experiment, I used some PVC shavings and some PVC cement to make a plastic "bondo" to cover the crack until it could be replaced. It was holding when I left last night, but will keep a close eye on it. I did get the camper inside, but nothing further there. I also replaced the starter on my truck. I replaced the dragging direct drive unit with a new gear reduction unit. This thing cranks up better now than it ever has since I've owned it.:thumbup: