Shop Teacher Bob: September 2021

Wednesday, September 29, 2021

The Choppy Right Ended His Night!

I got a message from Bazooka Joe a couple of nights ago thanking me for working on a choppy right hand with him. Because Joe's tall, it's a good punch for him for when a shorter fighter tries to close the gap, especially since Joe has a lot of power in the right hand. That was the punch that did it for him.

A couple of shots of the finished steering wheel to quick disconnect adaptor. I'm not really a machinist but I've done enough on the lathe and mill to know my way around as long as you're not in a hurry. Pretty happy with how this one turned out.

I did run into a couple of snags. I couldn't get the center drill or the countersink close enough to the piece without running into interference with the chuck and the tapered part of the piece. I made an extension with the center drill on one end and the countersink on the other. It's made from 1/2" cold rolled that I put in a collet on the lathe to drill and ream the end for the countersink and then flipped it around and drilled to depth with a slightly smaller drill bit and then used the actual center drill to finish drilling it out to size. I drilled and tapped both ends for 8-32 set screws and I was in business. I should have made something like this years ago - not the first time I've run into this problem.

When getting the spacer head set up I zeroed the center and then moved it over 7/8" to get it on the proper bolt circle diameter. Since there's some slack in the table and I don't have readouts on the mill, I was going to mount a dial indicator to measure the movement so I'd be sure to get back to my zero after milling the clearance slots but the plunger on my dial indicator wouldn't move freely. I took it apart and gave it a little lube, which helped a little but I think it might have gotten dropped and the plunger got bent a wee bit. It's not a real expensive one, so I think it's time to get a new one and see what else I need and place an order.

Now that the quick disconnect is finished, time to move on. Not sure what's next but no shortage of things to do.

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Praying Mantis & Steering Wheel Progress

I was leaving yesterday to go walk and I saw this Praying Mantis on the door. This is a photo taken from the inside of the house looking out - belly-eye view as it were.

I wasn't sure if it would still be on the door after I opened it but it was, so I got a photo of it from the top side as well. Crazy looking things.

The item on the left in the photo is the adaptor to mount the quick disconnect to the steering wheel. It looks fairly simple but there are three different diameters, three different lengths and the one diameter is tapered which makes figuring the length a bit tricky. I still need to cut a keyway in it and drill it for the mounting bolts on the quick disconnect. I've got an old steering wheel with a three hole mounting but I don't think that's going to be the diameter of the bolt circle on the quick disconnect. The wheel has a bolt circle of about 2-1/16" but Grant steering wheels which are probably the most common are 1-3/4" I think. The quick disconnect should be here today, so I'm hoping to get it finished today once I know for sure the bolt circle.

The item on the right is a piece that goes into the middle of the steering wheel where a horn button would normally go. The hole in the middle will accommodate a stainless button head screw. That will pull the adaptor up into the taper on the hub.

Looks pretty good dropped into the hub. About the only thing left on the steering is to actually figure out how to get from the steering wheel to the steering box. That'll keep me thinking for a while. I'm also thinking I should have a spinner/brody knob on the steering wheel. The width of the rim and spokes might mean I'll have to make my own but that should be easy enough. I've got one on the old Allis I can use for a model.

Lots left to do but if I continue to keep pecking away at it, the jitney should be a runner next summer.

Sunday, September 26, 2021

Bazooka Time & More

Dashboard on a '27 Caddy - gorgeous no doubt - but check out the shifter knob. Just like the one I got for the jitney.

The grill insert on this old Maserati is what I'm looking for on the jitney - be nice if I could find a similar item in brass. Both photos from here.

I mowed the front yard on Thursday evening and the mower worked just fine. I went out to mow the back yard on Friday and nothing, not so much as a click. I put the jumper cables from the battery directly to the starter to by pass all the electrical stuff but nothing. Since the battery appeared completely dead, I put the charger on it but it wouldn't take a charge. I put a new battery in it Saturday morning and it's all good once again. I found it strange that it died without any warning. It's not unusual for those small lawn and garden batteries to quit taking a charge but rare that they just die.

While mowing the back I noticed the seed pods on the Big Leaf Magnolia were ripe and opening up. I'd like to get a couple of the seeds to sprout and then get them planted. They're a cool looking tree.

The hub on the jitney steering wheel had a chunk of something inside it when I got it. I knocked it out of there and saw that the hole in the hub is tapered. I measured the two diameters and the length, did a little trig and came up with a number and double checked the angle with a protractor. It worked out to 2 degrees so I made a practice piece to check the angle and the fit. The angle was correct right off the bat but I had to take a few tickle cuts to come up with the correct length. I've got a piece of stock that's about the right size to make the adaptor. I gave it some thought yesterday on how to chuck it and figure out my sequence of operations. I think I've got it figured out - I'll know soon enough.

The quick disconnect hub should be here on Wednesday. I also ordered my rear tires - they're on back order until the end of November. They require tubes, so I'm going to check with the tire shop about the availability of those. I don't want to wait until November to find out I'll have to wait on tubes. I'll get a pair of those and have them on hand for when the tires show up, hopefully.

It was a big week for boxing. PBS had a documentary about Mohammed Ali that was nicely done. The man was no saint but he was one helluva boxer. He fought some of the best and the three bouts with Frazier were some of the best fights of all time.

The movie Raging Bull was on the television this past week as well. I'd never seen the movie even though it's been around for a long time. I was thinking it was more a boxing movie rather than the bio of the psychotic LaMotta. Glad I watched it but I doubt I'll ever watch it again.

And finally, Bazooka Joe fought and won last night out in Iowa. 2nd round KO. I'm real happy for him. Wish I could have been there to see it.

Friday, September 24, 2021

Pinholes, Trans Mounts and Steering Disconnects

While cleaning and sorting I came across one of the pinhole cameras I've made over the years. This one was made from a 10# welding rod can that I cut off and then ran through the beading and crimping roll so the lid would fit again. The inside is painted flat black, the outside I sprayed with some metallic silver I had laying around. The pinhole is under the sticker I put on to keep paint out of the pinhole. I usually just use a bit of black electrical tape for a shutter. My "film" is a piece of printing paper cut to fit in the can. I don't remember the size of the hole I drilled in the can which will cause a bit of a problem determining the exposure time. I've got a chart of exposure times for various pinhole diameters. I'll see if I can come up with the diameter and then cut some paper up and try taking a couple of pics.

The shifter mount came in yesterday - about a week earlier than expected. Looks like it'll work out just dandy except the hole in the arm on the side of the shifter is too small for the bolt that fastens the linkage to it. Drilling the hole out is no biggie, I was just surprised that it would be necessary.

I took a longer look at the new steering wheel yesterday. I'm going to get a quick release hub to make getting in and out of the car easier.

It's going to take a bit of machine work to get it to fit the wheel since the wheel wasn't made to bolt on with the standard three hole mounting. I made a quick sketch with some rough dimensions and I think I've got it figured out.

I picked up a job for the side hustle yesterday morning and started on it. I did a similar job a couple of years ago. It took me a bit to figure the first one out but since I've already made one, this should go quick.

I put the second coat of stain on the picture frame - looks pretty good. The wood was chosen strictly by price. Rather than cutting down a piece of construction lumber, I bought two pieces of aspen. I've never used aspen for anything before. It's extremely white without any finish on it but it looks nice with the two coats of maple combined stain & varnish. The stain brought out the grain in the wood and it was quite a bit cheaper than one of the hardwoods. I still need to get a piece of glass and either buy or make a hanger for the back.

Thursday, September 23, 2021

New Wheel

I'm making a picture frame to display some of my photos out in the woodshop. Nothing fancy but one of the little things on the long list of things on the want rather than need list. I'd like to do some more black & white photo work one of these days. It's been a while. Need to get out and shoot some film and see what I can do in the darkroom this winter.

I picked up a steering wheel for the jitney yesterday from my buddy Don who's building his own hot rod at the present time. He's got every thing trial fit and now he's finish welding the frame and getting ready to get it sandblasted and powder coated. It's going to be a nice ride.

The wheel is large in diameter, so I need to figure out where I need to mount it in the cab. I held it in place after bringing it home and I may need to move the back of the cab back a couple of inches. I'll figure out where I want the wheel and start positioning everything else where they should be. The wheel's going to look good on this rig.

Monday, September 20, 2021

What Is Truth?

From Here

I ran across this the other day - it's been a while since I've seen it. And of course, it reminded me of this:

Which brings me to the fact that there's a whole lot of people in important positions that are "flukes of the universe". A bunch of chuckleheads who don't know if their ass is punched or bored feeding us all a load of crap about a pandemic. If it truly was a pandemic, they would close the border to prevent any infected people bringing more disease in with them. And as if that's not bad enough, they load them up on busses and send them all over the country. And if it truly was a pandemic, they would use any treatment available to knock this thing down. Instead they're going to force everyone to get shots from now until forever apparently.

What is truth? Who the hell knows anymore. It's hard to believe that Biden not only is going to force people to decide between their lively hood or their health, further destroying the economy, but he's going to withhold a proven treatment from a few of the southern states on the pretext that it needs to be allocated to more of the states. From my point of view it looks like he just wants to punish DeSantis.

Again, if it truly was a pandemic, they would be doing everything possible to get this cleared up instead of playing politics. The truth will come out some day but it will be too late for a lot of people unfortunately. I personally am tired of the whole affair. This is not how I planned on spending my golden years.

It's officially the start of Autumn, (old people try to avoid the word fall). Even though I didn't go much of anyplace this summer, the time flew by just the same. We've got about two months before it gets really cold but it won't take long to get things ready for winter. I'll get started on that in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, just keep on keepin' on.

Birthday, Bicycles and More

It's Sophia's birthday today. One of the classic beauties of my age - or any age I'd wager.

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I've rung up another couple hundred miles on the bike since I accidently reset the odometer. I've got another three weeks to ride until the 50 miler. I'm plenty ready - just don't want to lose my fitness level at this point. I rode an easy seven yesterday morning and walked three later in the day.

I was watching Jeopardy the other day and like always I wondered how my education had so many gaps in it that I can't answer many of the questions but then two of the categories that came up were boxing and motorcycles. All three of the smarty-pants contestants couldn't answer some of the questions but I could have run the table on those two categories. I guess that explains what I was doing when I could have been reading Shakespeare.

I spent a little time in the shop yesterday but mostly doing cleaning and organizing. I need things straightened up so I've got room to work around the bead roller to get started on the sheet metal on the cab. I've been thinking about hooking up the steering on the jitney. I need to consider a couple more things first but there may be some bevel gears in my future.

Speedway Motors sells a thing called Steer Clear that would make hooking up the steering relatively easy. It comes in several lengths but it's also over $600.00. I'm going to see if I can devise something on my own that will accomplish the same thing but at a much lower cost.

Meanwhile, I've got a couple more things to finish on the clean-up detail and then back on the jitney or Rickati.

Sunday, September 19, 2021

Lever Action

I was out on the bicycle yesterday morning and rode through the parking lot at the middle school. I ride through there most all the time when school's not in session because I can add a couple of miles to my ride and there's no traffic and smooth pavement. I stay away when schools in session to avoid any suspicion of being a pedophile - can't be too careful these days. However, there was a football game going on and I saw this sidecar rig pull in so I followed him in. The chair was made by the California Sidecar company maybe from the seventies. The guy was happy to talk shop but his wife was pretty antsy - she's probably had more than her share of standing around while the ol' boy talks bikes. He did say he had another rig at home. Hardly ever see one around here but this guy's got two. Pretty cool.

Speaking of pretty cool - I made the shift lever yesterday. Real happy with how it came out. The stub on the shifter that the lever goes over has two shallow holes about 1/8" deep to allow a couple of setscrews in the lever to firmly secure the lever to the stub shaft. I put the lever blank on the mill so I could get the holes dead nuts on center and the proper distance apart. The threaded holes in the lever line up perfectly with the holes in the shaft. The lever is pretty shiny now but I'll probably put it on the buffer and polish it up. I like the looks of the Bakelite knob. It came from an outfit that sells parts for old tractors. Shipping was twice the cost of the knob but it looks as it should.

Here's a couple of views of the alternator bracket I described in the last post. The description probably makes more sense now with the photos for clarification. The spacer in the foreground of the lower photo is the same width as the ears of the alternator so I should be able to take the spacer out and drop the alternator in place. I'll shorten up the spacer to fit between the ears so I can tighten up the alternator without bending or breaking off the ears.

The short spacers on the water pump will get tacked to the plate and I'm going to make something to stiffen up the plate a bit. The best solution might be to weld a couple of pieces that connect the sides. That will strengthen the part and keep the two sides in alignment.

I'll finish that up and then make the top piece that will keep the belt tensioned - that'll be easy enough. Just a piece of flat stock with a hole in one end and a slot on the other.

Saturday, September 18, 2021

Harvest Time

I went out for my bike ride yesterday morning and it looks like harvest season has officially started. Which means there'll be lots of trucks, tractors and combines on the roads along with lots of dirt, corn husks and corn cobs. Most of the combines take up both lanes when they are out on the road. Watch yourself out there - especially when on your cycles.

I got the broken water pump bolt out of the spare motor. It actually came out pretty easy. I've been spraying it with Blaster and tapping on it for a week, though. When I welded the handle on, I sprayed the bolt while it was hot to shrink it and then tapped the handle back and forth until it turned freely. Once you get them moving the penetrating oil can get down in the threads and out it comes.

I made a spacer the same width as the alternator. I threaded the ends, bolted it to the bracket already mounted to the block and then cut out the piece for the second bracket. Everything was going well until I bolted the new bracket to the block and the spacer. I then saw that the first bracket was bent - probably from the previous owner taking it out of the car or by me during the ride home. After getting it straightened out the one hole in the new bracket no longer lined up with the spacer. The hole needed to come out closer to the end of the bracket, so I built up the edge and moved the hole. I need to make a couple of 1/2" long spacers to align the new bracket with the outside width of the alternator. Once I get that taken care of, I'll shorten up the spacer to fit in between the ears of the alternator. Time consuming but that's typical.

The shifter knob came yesterday. Bakelite with a 3/8 fine thread brass insert. I got the piece of stock for the shift lever cut and chucked up in the lathe. Maybe get a little done on it today - might have to pick more grapes after my bike ride. Maybe a midget race this afternoon/evening.

Friday, September 17, 2021

Critique Of The Morning

The Missus and I left the shack yesterday morning about 7:30 for her medical appointment. On the way I had the radio on but like most every week day morning drive-time, lots of talk but not much in the way of music. I'm not sure whose idea it was to replace the normal musical programming with talk that time of day, but when I get my own radio station there'll be some changes made. Mostly all music all day, with decent weather reports in the morning, including wind strength, so folks that commute on two wheels can make informed decisions on whether or not to ride or take the car. I want to listen to music not talk - that's what bar stools are for.

After dropping the Missus off for her procedure, I went to the Bob Evans restaurant just down the street for breakfast. I'm not much of a fan of the chain but when in Rome and all that. I think their food is over priced and the menu isn't really vegetarian friendly. They had a Southwestern Avocado Omelet on the menu, however, so I gave it a try. The avocado pieces were cold as was the shredded cheese on top of the omelet. A zap in the microwave to heat the avocado and melt the cheese would improve things. The $2.89 cup of coffee was good until I was finishing the cup and found some nasty schmutz stuck to the side of the cup near the bottom. They refunded the price of the coffee but that wasn't a lot of comfort after drinking it down to the level of the icky stuff.

However, after breakfast I went for a walk. The development has a nature preserve with paved walking paths that are either brick or an elevated boardwalk. I did a couple of 5K races there years ago and my running buddy and I walked around and took some black & white photos a couple of years back. Beautiful place to get out into nature and as you can see from the photo it was a good day for it.

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Since the Missus had a couple of spinal injections, she was told not to do anything the remainder of the day. That being the case, I didn't get much of anything else done yesterday but be her full-time man servant. I did go out to the shop long enough to find the piece of stainless to make the shift lever for the jitney project. I also received a text from my boss at the side hustle. He's got a couple of jobs that he contacted me about earlier in the summer. One could be fun, one a pain in the ass. I'm going have to decide to either do them or just retire completely. In the mean time, I'll make a few car parts.

Today's Constitution Day. It's a bloody shame the Constitution is being ignored by so many in power who have sworn to uphold it from all enemies foreign and domestic. I'm planning on taking Hillsdale College's online course on the Constitution this winter. I'm sure it will be well worth my time. It would probably be better if the members of Congress would take the course but I doubt even that would make much difference at this point.

Thursday, September 16, 2021

Shifter

My shifter showed up yesterday morning. It's all stainless, has a neutral safety switch and it's made in America. The instruction sheet has two part numbers for the spring that controls the side movement through the gates. One for 12" shift levers and one for 16" and 23" levers. According to the instructions the spring for the 12" lever is in the bag of parts but I didn't see one in there. They list a couple of shifters even shorter than 12". I'm thinking about 8" will do it for me. I'll get my lever made and once I have the mounting kit I'll see what's what with the spring. The shift knob should be here tomorrow, so I can make the lever over the weekend. I think I've got a piece of stainless that'll work.

It was an absolutely beautiful day yesterday. I put 16 miles in on the bike. I sent my entry in for the 50 mile ride in October, so I need to keep riding. My other package showed up yesterday about the same time I got home from the grocery store. I wasn't going to waste a beautiful day laying around the shack again waiting for the FedEx truck.

I'm taking the Missus north to receive some more medical treatment today - seems like that's a never ending thing. I did notice there's nothing on the calendar next week for either of us. Maybe call Cuzzin Ricky and see if he wants to do breakfast and maybe a trip to the gun range. I can't remember the last time we went to the range. We've both had cataract surgery since the last time out. It'll be interesting to see how that's affected our marksmanship. We both could use some improvement as I recall.

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

I didn't get anything done in the shop yesterday - no bicycle ride either. I received a text Monday from FedEx that an order I've been waiting for was to be delivered on Tuesday that required my signature. Since the item is heavy, I figured I'd stick around the shack to sign for it and take it out to the barn right away, especially since I've had some less than stellar experiences with FedEx. According to the text, the delivery was sometime before 8:00 - even worse than waiting for the cable guy. They usually show up before 5:00 at least. As I'm sure you've already surmised, FedEx never showed. I'm going out on the bike this morning and working in the shop later. It's supposed to be a nice day. Yesterday the temps were back up into the high 80s, so I didn't feel too bad staying in the house catching up on the bills and my reading.

I did order a shifter for the jitney while laying around. It's a Gennie shifter. It should be here within a few days but the mounting kit won't ship until the end of the month. Since I've got the front end mostly completed, I'm starting to work my way back. I needed to locate the shifter to be sure the seat will clear it and start fitting the firewall, floor, dash and steering. There are several options for the shift lever from Gennie but I'm planning on making my own. I've got a Bakelite knob ordered that should look period correct.

I got the coupler for the steering box and shaft tacked together - looks like it runs pretty true. Not sure what my next step is on that. In the mean time I'm going to finish the alternator mount and maybe start on the exhaust system. Since I've got the spare motor on the stand, I can work on the exhaust with the header plates I bought a while back.

Since the holes in the plates are rectangular and the tubing is round, I'm going to have to play around with coming up with a good way to get a nice fit while getting the tubes to bend down as they leave the header plates to clear the tubes on the intake manifold. It's nice that I have the spare motor to use.

I still need to finish weld the frame on the Rickati along with a host of other things. Hot weather is supposed to return after a couple of days. Not looking forward to that.

Monday, September 13, 2021

Political Post

Just a few comments on the current state of our country:

Saturday was the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attack as I'm sure you all know. It's also the anniversary of our governments failure to protect its citizens, one of the most important functions of any government.

It's become woefully apparent as a result of the Arizona election audit that things were in fact more than a little hinckey. While it hasn't been proven conclusively yet, I'm sure audits in other key states would have similar results. Making sure elections are honest is another important function of the government.

Something that didn't get much press was the removal of the statue of Robert E. Lee from Richmond, Virginia, something roughly equivalent to the destruction of the antiquities the Taliban has been doing.

Here's a photo of the oppressed people cheering the removal of the statue. Shouldn't one of the functions of the government be to preserve our history. Take a stand so the memory of the brave soldiers and their leaders will be remembered, even if the cause was not to your liking.

If they ever come to their senses and decide to put General Lee back on display, I'd be willing to help with the welding. History is never kind to those that destroy it. Both photos from here, by the way.

And finally, our illustrious leader came on television last Thursday to tell my fellow countrymen that his patience is wearing thin with those of us who haven't yet gotten the Covid "vaccine". He's going to solve the problem by forcing all corporations with more than 100 employees to get everyone on the payroll vaccinated or tested weekly, unless you work for the Post Office or are a federal judge, congressman or staffer. Besides being blatantly unconstitutional, it's going to get real interesting when people start walking off the job. I just read where a hospital is closing their maternity department due to the nurses leaving in response to forced vaccinations. I'm thinking you ain't seen nothing yet. If one of the functions of government is to guarantee the safety of its citizens, they've sure dropped the ball as far as covid is concerned.

Not near as badly as the withdrawal from Afghanistan, however. That just might be the single most screwed up event in the history of the country. I don't know how Trump was planning on handling the event, but I can guarantee you Robert E. Lee wouldn't have allowed that to happen.

With the "transitory" inflation picking up steam, shortages of goods and services and government overreach, looks like we might be in for some interesting times ahead. I don't know if Civil War II is coming but regardless, we all better have our shit together - stock up on some essential supplies, have some cash on hand, get debt free, have a security plan, and get yourself in physical shape. Remember, no-one is coming to help you.

Saturday, September 11, 2021

Propane Tank In The Gloaming

It was time for a new coat of paint on the propane tank. The top was just faded but the bottom needed to be scraped and brushed. The John Deere green looks pretty good in the early evening light.

I bolted up the drag link and the steering shaft coupler. The drag link completes everything on the front end ahead of the steering box except for the brake lines. I'm going to need some type of bracket to support the rubber brake hoses where they connect to the steel lines. Now that everything else is in place I can figure that out.

The steering shaft needs to be welded into the coupler. It's a bit of a loose fit, so I'll have to figure out how to insure concentricity. Maybe some center punch marks on the shaft to tighten up the fit then put it in the lathe and check the run-out. I also need to make a bracket for the Heim joint that will support the steering shaft. The more I get done, seems the more there is to do. Progress just the same.

Friday, September 10, 2021

More Wild Kingdom

What's left of a giant wasp nest that blew down during the storm the other night. I had no idea it was in the tree - maybe I need to look up once in a while. There weren't any wasps around when I went to check it out, thank goodness. Of course they had to go somewhere. I'll need to be on the lookout.

It was a beautiful day yesterday for a motorcycle ride so I delivered some tools to Surly on the Himalayan. And because it was relatively cool, I went up in the woodshop to clean up the mess from the last job to get ready for another one. I started sorting out some old magazines, catalogs and project books and plans. I've got a bunch of woodworking magazines that I'm going to thumb through but I should probably just toss them rather than wasting time looking through them. I did find an old Street Rodder magazine that has an article on setting up straight axles, now that I've got mine set. I'm going to read the article and see how close I came with my set-up compared to what's in the article. The how-to on making a waste basket with Pexto machines is gone now along with the welding projects booklet. I've got to keep whittling away at all the ephemera.

The latest order of parts for the jitney came yesterday. I should be able to have the front end from the steering box forward complete now that I can get the drag link installed. I'll need to get the cab/dash hood mounted back on the frame rails and get the firewall cut for the trans clearance before I can figure out the rest of the steering but I'll also be able to see where I'm going to put the remote oil filter, ignition coil, etc. Slowly but surely it's getting there.

Thursday, September 9, 2021

Riding With The King

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Yvon Duhamel passed away a few weeks back. I was unaware of that until I finally got around to opening up my e-mail from Cycle World. Kevin Cameron wrote a nice article about Duhamel. In addition to being a world class motorcycle racer, he was also top notch as a racer on snow machines.

When I was racing my Sprint in vintage events, my guy came in fourth in the AHRMA championship. The next year my bike qualified for the front row at Daytona due to the previous year's finish. The first three qualifiers were all riding for Team Obsolete if I remember correctly, with Duhamel being one of the riders. Pretty fast company, especially since my Sprint was a 350 competing in the 500 Premier class. RIP Monsieur Duhamel.

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It seems the majority of slant-six motors had the alternator mounted high on the right side, at least from most of the photos I've seen. However, I want to mount mine like in the above photo.

I dug my alternator out of the stack of parts, bolted the bracket I cleaned up the other day onto the motor on the stand and made a pattern for the second bracket I need. The one hole I'll need to use has a broken bolt in it on the spare motor. I'll have to remove that first and then I can accurately locate the hole that will support the alternator. I'm planning on working on that today after my bicycle ride and maybe a motorcycle ride as well. Great weather for two-wheeling!

Tuesday, September 7, 2021

"There's A Hole In The Bucket, Dear Liza"

When I got home from the bike ride on Saturday, Surly was there with one of the grandsons loading up their dirt bike. Surly had brought down a nice present for me as well as the pot in the photo that needed to be repaired. I welded it up yesterday but it was a bit more of a struggle than it should have been. I have 1/16" filler rod but that's actually too thick to weld up a thin pot. I thought I had some .035" MIG wire which would have been ideal but couldn't find it. I should have looked a little harder - I found it right after welding up the pot. Anyway, it's done and it doesn't leak.

In addition to doing some more brush busting on Monday, which gave me a pretty good workout which made up for me doing nothing at all on Sunday, I sandblasted and painted a couple of parts for the jitney motor. The part on the left is an alternator mount I took off the spare motor I ended up with when I bought the transmission. This piece bolts directly to the front of the block and supports the rear of the alternator. I don't have the other part. I believe it bolts to the water pump. I'll have to see what it's supposed to look like and find or make one. I've got an alternator so I'll be able to rig something up since I know a definite starting point.

The part on the right is the timing indicator. It bolts to a stud on the timing cover. However, my timing cover doesn't have that. I'm not sure what my motor had for setting the timing but I think the easiest solution is to pull the timing cover off the spare motor and use it. It'll be a while before I need these parts but I want to be able to trial fit everything before final assembly of the engine.

I clamped the bracket for the steering box to the frame and measured up the length for the drag link. I ordered the sleeve for the drag link, the coupler to hook the steering shaft to the steering box, a Heim joint to support the shaft, and the rear wheels. Tires will come next month - big ticket items are one Social Security check at a time.

I need to design the rear crossmember. I looked at it a bit yesterday to start the wheels turning but nothing jumped out at me. I've got plenty to keep me busy while I'm mulling that over, however.

Monday, September 6, 2021

The Salt Of The Earth

I saw this on my bike ride Saturday. Thirteen tractors lined up as a memorial to the thirteen Marines who died as a result of the suicide bomber in Afghanistan. The same suicide bomber who apparently was in the sights of a drone but was allowed to complete his mission rather than being blown to kingdom-come before hand.

On the way home from the ride we passed a sign in a field with the following words painted on: Keep the illegal aliens. Deport the Democrats. Also, when we stopped for a beer there was a sign on the door of the bar stating that due the government paying people not to work, the bar was short-handed so the service might not be as good as it was previously. And, of course, please tip the bartender generously. The local grocery store had a sign posted last week that the deli wouldn't open until 9:00 am due to a shortage of personnel.

Seems everywhere you go there are help wanted signs but the real unemployment number is still about 25 percent. And that number is liable to go much higher if employers are going to insist on everyone getting the Covid shots as a condition of employment.

So on this Labor Day 2021, I raise my glass to all the hard working people, to the salt of the earth that are keeping the wheels of commerce turning. Those workers that have labored to keep us healthy, hauled away our garbage, done their best to educate our children during these most difficult times and all the rest of my people - the working class stiffs that are the backbone of the country.

Enjoy your day my brothers and sisters. You deserve it.

Sunday, September 5, 2021

Zip-A-De-Do-Da

Finished my bicycle ride yesterday - we did the 41 mile ride rather than the 62. The weather was a little iffy, the route was really hilly and we hooked up with another lady who wanted to ride along with us while her hubby was keeping an eye on another guy who was struggling on the hills and they were planning on riding the 41 mile route. Her and my running buddy hit it off really well, so I was the lead dog and they rode behind me for the most part. We made pretty good time and I wasn't tired when we finished. I could have done the 62 mile, even with the hills. I probably would have been more than just tired had that been the case and I probably would have gotten rained on too. Good way to celebrate my 71st birthday, however.

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“As I’ve Aged”
- Author Unknown

“You ask me how it feels to grow older. I’ve learned a few things along the way, which I’ll share with you…

As I’ve aged, I’ve become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I’ve become my own friend. I don’t chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn’t need, but looks so avante-garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging. Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of many years ago, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love… I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things. Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody’s beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don’t question myself anymore. I’ve even earned the right to be wrong. So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day (if I feel like it). May our friendship never come apart especially when it’s straight from the heart!”

From Here

Thursday, September 2, 2021

On The Level

I had to move the jitney in order to get the Jeep in the shop last week. After moving it back in I needed to get it leveled up again in order to set the angle of the engine and trans. I consulted my brother from a different mother and he gave me a short run down on power transmission through driveshafts. He said all the Chevys have a 3 degree angle so I figured that would be good for my rig as well. He recommended using a digital angle finder, which I didn't have, so I bought this little cutie. I checked it against my carpenters level and my analog angle finder and it seems to be right on the money. Probably more so. Plus, it's a lot easier to read and it's got a magnet in it to hold it in the vertical position which my other one doesn't have. $14.00 to the door - hard to beat.

I made some more pieces for the side hustle. The boss just asked me for these a few days ago but I've got some others I need to get to work on also.

This rig is being raffled off on Facebook. I might buy a ticket for this one. This and a small trailer would take care of most of my needs.

Hyundai has a new little pickup coming out for2022 - the Santa Cruz. If it had only two doors the bed would be long enough to be useful - likewise the new Jeep pickup. I was real happy with my little Hyundai Veloster. Fun little car to drive, decent mileage and had almost as much cargo space as the little four door pickup trucks. I had an '89 two-door Dodge Dakota I bought new. 4 cyl, 5 speed manual and an 8 foot bed. The engine was a little on the gutless side. I drove it down to Daytona a couple of times with my bike in the back and had to downshift to 4th even if I had a decent head of steam up when I encountered some of the hills in Tennessee and Georgia. But around here on the prairie, it was just about a perfect vehicle for my usage. I was surprised when all the small trucks went away. It's good that they're coming back around - be nice if they were a little more practical. Especially for a guy like me who uses a truck to haul things.

I'm about set for my big bike ride this weekend. I checked my exercise log and I've put in 670 miles since April. I'm thinking that should have me ready for the 62 miler. I'll find out in a few days. I've already made an appointment with the massage therapist a couple of days after the ride.