Great Day To Be Alive

 

Beautiful day yesterday. The temperature was just about perfect for whatever you wanted to do outside. I delivered the windmill to my sister-in-law and then went to Surly's while I was close by. He showed me a job he was fishing around for me to maybe take care of for him. I need to do a bit of research but I think I could take care of it without too much trouble. 

When I came home I made a blank-off plate for the fuel pump on the slant-six. I've been waiting to order an electric pump because the remote oil filter I want wasn't available and I didn't want to place two orders with two shipping charges. I'm not in need of either of the items right now but I want to have them here for when I do. I need to think about a fuel tank also. Make a tank, buy a fuel cell or go whole hog and buy a old school Moon tank. I'll need to make provision for a battery box as well. I really haven't given any thought to anything behind the cockpit area but I need to do that so I can tap some holes or make inserts when I take the rails apart to make clearance for the distributor. 

1/4" aluminum. I'll get some decent hardware - maybe some stainless button head screws with SAE flat washers. I've got a shopping list for the hardware that I'm adding to as I go. When I finally get around to putting the engine together I'll place the order and hopefully I'll have everything in house I'll need.

Since it was so nice out, I did some mowing and painted the trim I installed recently around the AC unit. Next up will be painting the window trim. Trim painting is a never ending job. I just keep working my way around the house. I'll paint a few windows this year and a few more next year. By the time I finish everything it's time to start the process over again. I need to touch up some spots on the siding as well. I need another gallon of paint but what I've got came from Sears and I don't think that's an option anymore. The can I've got has a sticker on the lid with the recipe on it. I'm hoping ACE can match it. I also need to paint the north side of my shop this year. I'm going to have to get on this before too much longer. It'll be too cold to paint in a couple of months.

Going out on the bike this morning and doing some walking later in the day with a group from the boxing club. My wisdom tooth is coming out on Monday, so I'll be able to rest my legs while nursing the sore jaw. Not looking forward to having the tooth pulled but it's been causing me some discomfort. Definitely time to go.

The weather's supposed to be more in line with normal temps this upcoming week. Between the hot days and the wisdom tooth induced headaches, I haven't been too ambitious. Be nice to get back out in the shop. 

Update

 

The oil tank fits & the customer's happy. And if he's happy, I'm happy. The welds don't look as nice as I would have liked but some days it bees that way. Good project to keep my hand in and to figure out the new welding machine.

Finished up the little windmill for the sister-in-law. Straightened what was bent, replaced a bearing that may or may not have been damaged when the tree came down, greased things, and put it back together with a couple of new cotter keys. Good for a 100,000. 

Had a phone appointment with my family physician yesterday. The office had called the day before to set it up to review my numbers from the blood test and said the doc would call me before 1:00 PM. I hadn't heard from them by 1:30 so I went out to the shop to do a little something. Came in an hour later and the call came through. I had to repeat everything I had told them when I went in last week and then they put me on hold, then they came back on line and gave me the thanks for holding, what can we do for you? You put me on hold, remember? Then the doc came on and asked if he had done blood work, which was the point of the call. Then he said he'd call me back. Finally we got to the crux of the matter and I got the test results. My A1C is a little higher than it should be and my cholesterol is up. Neither number is terrible but reflect the fact I've been sitting on my ass a lot more and eating too much dead animal flesh and Little Debbie Swiss Rolls since the cooties hit. 

I'm back on the bicycle and have started a bit of strength training, so I've got the exercise part of the equation covered. Diet part is just a matter of showing some restraint, especially in the evenings. I'm about a week away from hitting 70 - like to make it a while longer. Not only get older but also be physically able to enjoy what time I have left. I've still got a lot of things left I want to do.

Looks like the hurricanes are playing hell with Gulf coast. Riots are still going strong. I think it's about time somebody throws a flag and calls a penalty for piling on. And you know gas prices are going to go up now also. I've thrown in the towel on 2020 already, so as long as the Missus and I stay healthy and we don't get hit with some natural disaster, I'll just keep my head down, the gas tank topped off and roll with it.

Stay safe and restock. The next six months are going to be real interesting. 

Hot Again

 

Ain't that the truth!

I got the little windmill mostly repaired last evening. I need to fire up the torch to help straighten out a little something and then it'll be fixed. It's going to be hot again today. With the heat index maybe 100 or a bit above. Monday made it up to 95 or a bit above without the heat index. I've been out on the bike early before it heats up too much and rode 10 miles both Sunday and Tuesday. Won't be much else going on until it cools down a bit - mostly keeping up with the chores and doing odds and ends around the shack.

I did swing by work and cleaned out my locker. So it would appear I am actually retired now. I'm pretty sure I can get used to not going to work but I'm going to miss the paycheck. The Missus and I have a yours, mine and ours system for our finances and the side hustle was all mine. I liked having the  freedom to spend that money on whatever I wanted - project parts and materials, travel, etc. I'll just have to watch my pennies a bit closer now but fortunately, I was able to make that decision on my own terms. Lots of people are hurting now and it's only going to get worse in the very near future. If you're not already set on your "preps", I'd be working on that. We all might be "going to the mattresses" real soon. 

Joe Izuzu

 

When I saw this it had the title: He's Channeling His Inner Joe Izuzu. You need to be a certain age to get the reference, but if so, it's pretty funny.

I dropped off the oil tank yesterday and picked up a windmill on the way home. My sister-in-law had a tree come down during a storm recently. It tore the weather head off the house as well as damaging her ornamental windmill. I'll get that fixed this week and deliver it back to her. I'm going to go to my previous side gig and clean out my locker this week. I was planning on quitting Labor Day weekend before the cooties hit anyway. I'll bring my tools home but I might still work on things from here at home, depending. 

I'm going to take a trip north this week and hit the cemeteries. Since I didn't make it on Memorial Day, I need to clean up a few of the graves and pay my respects. I also need to run a few errands and pick up some things I can't get out here in the country. Other than putting in some miles on the bicycle, I'm not planning on working too hard this week - temps are supposed to get back into the 90s again. Stay busy but not too. Like a retired guy

Oil Tank

 

I finished the oil tank for the flat track bike. Top photo is the bottom of the tank. Two bosses for mounting, a bung with pipe threads and a coupling with an odd ball 7/8-20 thread. Top view shows three fittings - two for mounting and another bung with pipe threads. The filler neck looks like it comes almost straight out in the photo but it's actually on a 45 deg angle.

 Lots of welding involved and plenty of chances to warp things. I welded in all the fittings before assembling the sides. I clamped a pipe underneath the fittings to keep the sheet tight to them and minimize the warpage. Likewise, I clamped a heavy piece of aluminum under the sheet when I welded the filler neck to do the same. Worked out pretty well. 

When it came time to weld all the sheet metal together I hooked up my new welding machine and used some new type of tungsten. The new welder doesn't seem to initiate the arc like my old machine. Took a bit to figure that out as well as where to set all the dials. Even though I was using AC, the torch needs to be plugged into the negative terminal for TIG welding. I didn't try using the pulse function. I'll try that on some scrap before I put the machine away. It was hard enough getting all the pieces fit up properly with the curved back and trapezoidal sides - not really conducive to easy clamping. I didn't want to risk blowing a hole in the thing while trying to learn the pulse settings.

Anyway, tanks done and it looks pretty good. I hope to hell it fits. None of the dimensions are larger than the cardboard one he gave me to go off of. The only real concern is the clearance on the filler neck. He had layout lines on the cardboard where the frame tubes go and gave me a dimension on the diameter of the tube. Judging by that, it should clear and fit nice and snug along the frame rail. That's the side where the riders leg will be going when the bike is leaned over in a turn, so you don't want anything sticking out to snag or rub his leg.

I'm going to deliver it to Surly today - he's the middleman on this job. I'll then wait for feedback. Here's hoping!

Grill & Tank

 

I installed the grill on the Himalayan yesterday. Easy install - only took about five minutes with the included spacers and screws. I think I'm pretty well set on accessorizing this thing now. I would like to find a louder horn for it. Like most motorcycles, the horn is a bit on the limp side. I'd prefer something with a bit more authority.

I started on the oil tank for the flat track racer yesterday as well. I got the piece that will make the top, front and bottom made up. There are seven pieces that had to be welded in place with out warping the thing all to hell. I managed to keep the warpage to a minimum but the welds don't look as pretty as I would have expected. I don't know what the alloy is of the bungs, coupling and bolt bosses, but it doesn't weld like 6061, which is what I would have expected. I don't know the alloy of the sheet either but the welds on sheet to sheet look like I would expect them to. I'm going to work on making the other piece of the tank today and see what I can do about the filler neck. 

The design calls for it to come out the side of the tank at a 45 deg angle but it's not long enough to do that. I might be able to use the piece I cut off to splice in and make up the difference or I might have to make a piece to fill in. The other issue will be being able to tack the piece that makes up the two sides and the back to the first piece I made without an extra pair of hands. I've got several magnetic gizmos that would help immensely if the tank was made from steel but no help on aluminum. TIG welding requires two hands - one for the torch and one for the filler rod. Doesn't leave much for holding things in alignment for tack welding. I was planning on making the tank from .080" but the customer supplied .062". Not much difference in thickness but the heavier gauge does make the welding much easier. 

Books & Grill

 

I bought myself a used copy of the Royal Enfield story. Looks like Jamie's dad bought it for him as a Christmas present in 2017. Apparently Jamie doesn't cling to books like I do. Looks like it will make for some good bedtime reading, though.

I'm way behind on my book reading for the year. I just finished up a couple which put me to only nine for the year. While that's roughly one per month, it's no where near the one per week I was doing a few years back. I suppose it's still a lot better than some people. I know there are people out there who are lucky to read one per year. I have a hard time understanding why they would not avail themselves of the pleasure of relaxing with a good book but times have certainly changed. Movies and computers seem to have replaced much of the recreational reading but I'm fortunate to have access to a couple of libraries close to home. I have library cards from two counties so I have an excellent selection of books to choose from. I also have quite the personal library which I need to thin out. I've already gotten rid of several of my welding books and some novels but I definitely need to keep weeding them out. 

The headlight grill came yesterday. All the way from England by way of the Royal Mail. I'll get it installed today. I'm becoming quite the fan of the Enfield marque. I never saw too many of them back in the day. There were both Triumph and BSA dealers locally back then so they were pretty common. There were a few Nortons running around also but it was rare that you saw any other English makes like Enfield, Matchless or Velocette. They made some pretty nice bikes back in the 50s and 60s - shame the whole British motorcycle industry went in the toilet. 

I called the dentist today to set up an appointment to get my wisdom tooth pulled. Not looking forward to that but it definitely needs to come out. Saw the chiropractor on Monday, the family doctor on Tuesday and called the dentist on Wednesday. Figures. Only a couple of weeks from my 70th birthday and everything's falling apart. Get the tooth fixed and then I'll have to see about the cataract surgery. Definitely getting old.

Girl of my Dreams

 

Saw this one here. Mid-fifties farm truck that would be an ideal fixer upper - not that I need another project but the Honda Rebel that came my way recently will be moving along soon. That's a good thing. I'm going to be working on an oil tank this week and finishing up the replacement trim around the air conditioner that pokes through the wall in the laundry room. I got the pieces made and installed yesterday. I'll get things caulked and painted today.

I've been toying with the idea of buying a Predator engine from Harbor Freight for a scooter the boys built at the high school years ago. Surly took it to his house and played around with it but the engine has some issues as a result of the alcohol laced gasoline. The tank took on water from the atmosphere apparently and rusted the bottom of the tank below the fuel level. Not rust above the fuel level like you would expect. There is also an issue with the carb but I'm not sure what that is. With the 20% off coupon from Harbor Freight I can put a new 3 horse motor on there for $100.00 and be done with it. Get it operational and let the boys ride it or sell it off. 

I got out on the bicycle yesterday and put in 6 miles, the first 2 of which were into a pretty strong headwind. Legs were burning a little but after changing direction had a nice tailwind on the way home. Legs were fine the rest of the day so I think I'll sign up for the Hospice Hustle and shoot for about a 20-25 mile ride on my birthday. It's for a good cause - two actually. The hospice organization and my own good health. This will at least keep the year from being a total washout on athletic events. It's not much but it's a symbolic victory at least.

Have a good week and stay safe.

Cataracts

I think ole Merle is probably spinning in his grave what with all the craziness going on in this country.

Going along with these uncertain times, I got the .22 out the other day to see how well I could aim prior to going to the eye doctor. Not too bad with a scope but iron sights are fuzzy. The eye doc said it's time to consider having the cataracts removed. The right eye has gotten pretty bad but I can still see OK with the left one as long as I've got the glasses on for my distance vision. Near vision is either use the bi-focals or just take the glasses off like I normally do for TIG welding. He took the time to explain the options for surgery. I'll have to choose either corrected near or far vision - apparently you can't have both - so I've got something to think about there as well as deciding when I want to have it done. I'm assuming I'll need to have the Missus drive me home from the surgery, so I'll have to make sure she's comfortable with going out into the world.

The eye doc also gave me some insight about the cooties. He said there are mainly two groups that are dying from the virus: old people who would under normal circumstances would be dying soon anyway and those who are morbidly obese and have other health conditions. There are exceptions for those who get what he referred to as glass lung. He also mentioned that masks are pretty much useless but he had read that cigarettes actually helped protect the lungs, odd as that may be. He said, only somewhat facetiously, that they should be handing out smokes instead of masks. Learned quite a bit from the eye exam. I also got a pair of the disposable sunglasses for the trip home. I'm going to put those in one of the saddle bags of the Himalayan. I don't normally wear sunglasses but if I had, might not be in need of cataract surgery. 

I got a postcard from the hospice group about their annual bicycle ride. I was surprised to see they were having it but when I went online to check it out, it's a virtual ride. Basically, you sign up for $35.00 and ride whatever course or distance you feel like. I could easily do that without paying the money but they are having a drawing with some nice prizes, it's for a good cause and I could ride it on my 70th birthday. My mother-in-law had hospice care before she passed and it's a blessing for both the person dying and their caregivers, which in her case was my wife. I haven't been riding much but I think I'll sign up and get out on the bike and celebrate my birthday with a bike ride. We celebrated the Missuses birthday last week with a salad from Subway. Damn cooties!

Politics

 

If you surveyed the looters and rioters that have been busy breaking out the $25,000 plate glass windows on the Magnificent Mile, I'd be willing to bet you wouldn't find too many builders among them. I saw a couple of rent numbers for businesses that were affected by the looters and I wonder how they can turn a profit if business is booming. Might not be worth staying if things don't improve soon. I'm sure tourists won't be eager to visit high-end businesses with plywood on the windows. 

Between the riots and the Covid, I've about had all I can stand of watching the nightly news. Now the political crap will be shifting into high gear until the November election, at which time, depending on who wins the presidential election, more riots may ensue. I saw the other day the Libertarian presidential candidate, Jo Jorgensen, had to cancel out an appearance due to getting bit by a rabid bat - so very 2020. She'll probably get my vote. I firmly believe there needs to be a viable third party option, especially since both parties seem to be bound and determined to bankrupt the country. 

It appears I won't be working at the side hustle again, at least for a while. My students are busy after school now with work and athletics, so I should be able to get a bit more done around the shack and in the shop but in spite of my good intentions the odds of that happening aren't all that good. Regardless, things are pretty good around here now, so I'll just try to enjoy life and tune out all the political and cooties crap.

Himalayan Grille, Noggin' Therapy & A Birthday

 

I ordered one of these for the Himalayan. It's coming from England so it'll be a little while but that's OK. It's mostly cosmetic but I suppose it could save the headlight from a rock kicked up from a passing car or a gravel truck in front of me. The price was a bit salty but since I'm not squandering my money on tickets for midget or sprint car races and pork tenderloin sandwiches, what the hell.

I got some craniosacral therapy yesterday. Definitely something new for me. The lady says it usually takes two or three sessions to feel the difference but I managed to get a headache a little later in the day. Since I've been banged up so much over the years, I've always got something that aches and it takes me a while every morning to shake the kinks out. I'll have to see if this helps with any of my issues. I'd never heard of this therapy until the Missus pointed it out to me. The place also does therapeutic massage and it's close to home. 

And speaking of the Missus, the Old Girl turns 70 today. Making 70 was looking a little shaky a few years back but she's hanging in there. She's not what she used to be but after reading the preceding paragraph, it's obvious that neither am I. She damn sure was a cutie back in the day. Lucky man am I.

Oil Tank

I machined up the pieces I need to weld into the frame rail for the splice plate and cleaned up some of the mess in the shop.

Surly came down with the grandsons and brought me a gift:

Parts and pieces for an oil tank on a Triumph flat track bike. I made a better cardboard pattern but didn't get it cut out yet. I'm planning on making the tank from two pieces of sheet to minimize the amount of welding. The filler neck is a little short - it should be at least an inch longer, so I'm not sure what we'll do about that. Likewise the pressure feed fitting seems to have a bit different threads than the weld-in bung. Surly said he's going to see the guy the tank is for at the end of the week so I should have an answer then. I'm going to tape my pattern together and drop it off before then to make sure there won't be any clearance problems and then I can take it apart and use it to make the layout for the actual tank. While the cardboard tank Surly dropped off gives the rough shape, it's none too precise.

Should be a good project to keep my skills sharp.

Frame Progress

These were at The Daily Timewaster. This is the Maserati that won the Indy 500 in 1939 and 1940 - beautiful automobile. I'm going to have to make an engine turned dash like that for my project. Maybe get a dash plaque that says Automobili Jitney or maybe not. Also, that's the type of exhaust I'm shooting for. Not the most efficient design perhaps but that's the way it was done back then.

I did make some progress on the project. The tube that goes under the frame rail is all set to weld in place. I welded nuts inside it to bolt the splice plate to and I welded in a piece of flat bar inside it on the opposite side to strengthen it, since that's going to be the side where the frame rail needs to be opened up. The next step is to machine some pieces to weld into the frame rail, then I can cut the section out of the frame rail and hope all my calculations were correct.

Frame-Up

The new gloves for the blast cabinet showed up on Thursday and I received an e-mail from Harbor Freight that the glass bead has been shipped. Should have the cabinet back in service this coming week.

I received an answer to the e-mail I sent to my brother from a different mother concerning the pros and cons of running the distributor on the slant-six without the vacuum advance. He gave me chapter and verse, as I knew he would, about the need for it. Besides quoting the whys and wherefores, he even cited some of the results of his own research on his big block Chevy motor. The bottom line is I should run the distributor with the vacuum advance.

After giving some thought to a couple of different remedies I fell back on a welding/fabricating solution. Makes sense, right? Since that's my strong suit, I'll go with what I know. I'm going to cut a 5" section out of the frame rail, bridge underneath the missing section with a 12" piece of tube the same size as the frame rail, and make a plate that will close in the outside of the frame rail that will bolt to the top and side of the original frame rail and to the piece bridging the bottom, the pattern for which is in the photo. I'll weld some nuts inside the tube bridge and on the top side of the original frame rail. I'll also weld in some pieces of round stock that have been drilled and tapped in the side of the frame rail. The plate to replace the missing section of frame will then bolt to the bridge and the top and bottom of the frame rail. I'm also thinking about bridging across the top of the joint with a piece of round tubing.

I need to bolt up the cylinder head and valve cover to see where the tubing bridge might go. Be nice if I could make it work right underneath the hood. The engine is going to stick out on the right side of the car and the exhaust will stick out on the left so there won't be much in the way of side panels to cover the engine. I should probably get the distributor clearance taken care of first thing. If that's not going to work, no point in thinking about anything else. I still don't have a clear vision of what the front grill shell should look like. Once I get the engine position finalized I'm hoping that will help clear the fog so I can figure out the radiator placement and the grill.

Another Day in Paradise

I welded in a pour spout on the lead pot I made a while back. I was going to just pound it in, old school blacksmith style but I figured I could weld it in just as easy or easier. I cut a 1 x 1 angle at an angle, traced around it on the pipe, cut the notch out, welded in the angle and then cut it to length. Makes for a pretty fancy lead pot. Now I'm ready to make some lead soldiers and cast a few round balls. I've got a black powder percussion pistol I haven't shot in years that I'd like to use again. It's really a pain in the ass to shoot but since I've got more time now, might be nice to put a few rounds through it. I don't know how they ever fought a war with those things as long as it takes to reload.

I drug out the stock distributer that came with the slant-six. I'm still kicking around the idea of getting an electronic one but they should both fit in the same hole. The distributer almost fits in the space between the block and the frame rail. It would need some additional room to allow for the engine to rock a bit on the mounts. However, the vacuum advance points directly at the frame rail when it is properly oriented with the block. I can notch and box the frame for the needed clearance on the distributer easily and safely but there's no easy way to make clearance for the vacuum advance. Removing it is an option. I sent my brother from a different mother an e-mail about doing just that. I'll see what he says. Maybe get started on the motor mounts in the meantime. Maybe diddle with one of the bikes. No shortage of things to play with it.

Blast It!

I went to work on the sandblasting cabinet. I drained all the old glass bead out and repaired the gun. I over tightened one of the set screws when I was trying to get it to work when Surly was here. I welded up the old hole and built up the area a bit higher so there would be more threads. I drilled and tapped it for a 10-24 set screw. It's a little smaller than the one that was in there but I would imagine that one was a metric size. I've got some metric taps but not metric drill bits so I usually have to fart around a bit figuring out what the closest inch size is to the required metric size. Most of the standard sizes I know off the top of my head. 10-24 needs a #25 drill bit. I've got a drawer in my tool box that has all of my small taps and drill bits in it so it only takes a minute to find the tap and the drill. One of these days I should either buy the proper metric tap drills or figure out the equivalent standard sizes and make up a chart. Might be such a thing already exists if I were to do an internet search.

I received an e-mail from Harbor Freight. The new gloves for the cabinet are on the way but the glass bead is back ordered. I'll get the new gloves installed and if I need to blast something before the glass bead shows up I can get some silica sand or Black Beauty. Since much of what I blast is aluminum, I prefer the glass bead. It cleans things up well without pitting the aluminum.

The weather is cooling off. The weatherman said July was the 4th hottest July on record. We didn't get any 100 degree days but had a bunch in the 90s. I can function in the hot weather once I get acclimated but at my age and with my medical history, it really doesn't make much sense to bust my ass in the heat if I don't have to. Now that it's going to be a bit cooler, I hope to get more done in the shop and start back on my physical training in earnest. I walked three miles yesterday. I'll get back on the bike and do some strength training. I'd really like to have an event to train for to keep me motivated but as my old man used to say: "And people in hell want ice water."

Cooties Plan

A little philosophy, more for my benefit than yours. I'm definitely into the afternoon of life - actually closing in on the twilight as it were.

There was a 50 mile bicycle ride scheduled for today I was planning on doing. There was also a 5K race walk scheduled in two weeks I normally participate in. Since both of these events have been cancelled, this will be the first time in at least 15 years or more that I haven't done a road race, walk, or a long distance bike ride or race. While I'm not the greatest athlete, I do enjoy the training for these events, especially back in the day with my pal Kevin. We spent a lot of time on the road together after work, running and having some great conversations. Now days I normally train on my own but my running buddy and I meet for the event and then go out for breakfast or something afterwards. Good fellowship and some exercise out in the fresh air. Not this year.

No organized athletic events at all for me. I'm cancelling out my ride in the stock car and I've decided to write this year off. Five more months of minimizing my exposure to people. Definitely avoiding  crowds. The cooties aren't subsiding and probably won't any time soon since many people don't seem to be willing to make any type of sacrifice in their lifestyles. While that's certainly understandable with all the misinformation we've been fed, I'm sure I'll be better off staying home. My parents generation had to deal with WWII. My grandparents generation had to deal with WWI and the Spanish Flu. I can deal with the cooties.

I've got a half-assed plan to keep me going until the end of the year. Not much of a lifestyle change. Mostly I'm going to try and keep my days a little more regimented. If things haven't improved by New Year's Day I'll re-evaluate and take it from there.

Stay safe everyone.