Running errands yesterday while listening to Pete Fountain - good way to spend the morning. Bank, grocery store, Dollar General, library, car wash, and most importantly, got the header for the jitney sent off in time to get the 20% off Black Friday pricing.
The trip to the Dollar Store was to pick up another 8x10 picture frame for my Billy Goat Tavern photo - that's the one on the lower right. That one was shot with the old Franke Jr, handheld in low light. Came out better than I expected. Lower left is a big lathe at The Henry Ford I was able to take when I had behind the ropes access. Top left is brother Johnny "riding" the bicycle that was hanging from the top of the garage. Top right is a mill at a state park in Kentucky. Click on the photo for a bigger view.
Did a little layout work on the rear axle for the jitney. I'm going to have to move the car before I can do much else. The one end of the axle is hitting the milling machine when I tried to get it lined up. I'll have to move the car over and forward a couple feet before I can get started in earnest on that. Definitely time to move the operation inside - it'll be December in a couple of days - three months of cold weather at a minimum, now.
I did a 5k yesterday with Surly and a few from the boxing gym. I looked around at the start for the guy I used to work with who's a pretty fair race walker. I didn't see him but did spot him when he was right at the 1 mile mark. I told Surly we might be able to catch him if we really hustle - and we almost did. In fact, Surly caught him right at the finish line. However, he let the other guy go ahead. I was about 20 yards behind due to my back tightening up. As it turns out, the other guy was the first male walker, Surly was #2 and I was #3. If I had spied the other guy before the gun went off, Surly and I might have had a 1,2 finish. And Surly was wearing a rucksack with about 40 pounds in it. Probably the only reason I could stay with him. Great day for the race, on both levels.
I got the little bracket made up for the new metric deepwells. They're not in the handiest spot, but I doubt they'll get much use, so it's not a bad choice of locations.
I boxed up the jitney header yesterday. Jet Hot is having a 20% off sale, so time to send it out. I'll call them tomorrow and make sure the price they quoted me is still valid. If it's in the ballpark, I'll get it to the UPS place in the afternoon. It needs to be at Jet Hot by Dec 7th, so not much time to dilly-dally.
I've got some cleaning to do and then it's back on the jitney project and a couple more of the loose-end jobs I've been trying to get done.
I received a Christmas card in the mail from my new financial advisor yesterday. Included in the card was a schmaltzy letter and some information about the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program. The program was started in1947, so even a guy like me who's oblivious to many things, was aware of the Toys for Tots program, but I wasn't very familiar with the details. First of all, I didn't realize there was an actual Toys for Tots song that was recorder by both Peggy Lee and Nat "King" Cole. After being on this earth almost as long as the organization, I probably heard it a time or two but just didn't realize what it was I was hearing. Most importantly, I learned the financial office has a drop-box for toys.
Like most of you with a phone or a mailing address, you probably get bombarded all year long with people asking for money. I've decided to limit my giving to people and organizations that will have a direct impact on people close to home. I'm not a big giver by any means, but the Missus and I are truly blessed and can afford to share a little of those blessings. I normally give a few bucks to the local food pantry, a shelter and "Shop With a Cop" this time of year. Now that I'm aware of the drop-box for toys at the financial advisor, I'll get a couple of toys for the Marines to distribute. There is no reason that any youngster in this country should be "food insecure" or not get a couple of toys for Christmas regardless of their religion or financial situation.
Some friends lost their house to a fire Tuesday. What didn't get burned up was probably lost to smoke or water damage. I don't know their financial situation, how well they were insured, or if they had the mattress stuffed with "C" notes, but short term they're going to be hurting, no doubt about that. I'll kick a few bucks their way, also.
I mention my giving not to make myself look like a great philanthropist, but to point out that there are lots of people in need, especially this year. The covid, with the governmental response and their irresponsible money printing, has put the squeeze on a lot of people. Foreclosures are up, car repossessions are up, the housing market's heading down hill, layoffs, it all is adding up to a really tough end of the year and next year's not looking any better.
If you wish to make a donation to Toys for Tots and don't know where to drop off your toys or make a cash donation, click here and get the straight dope. They do a lot more than just the Christmas toys also. And if you are in need of toy, there's a spot to request one. Even if Santa can't find you because you're living on the street or in your car, the Marines will.
It's been a tough couple of years, let's all pitch in and do what we can to help the less fortunate.
Another beautiful day yesterday, so I finished screwing down the trailer floor. I was going to bolt the D-rings down but sticking my finger inside the tubing to put a lock washer and nut on the bolt just wasn't going to work out well, so I made back-up plates with the nuts welded on. Much easier with these.
I did a few other outdoorsy things, got the blade on the tractor along with getting all the fluids topped off. Nothing much on the agenda today. We'll be dining at home today, due to one of the grandsons running a fever. There's still plenty to be thankful for, however. Life's pretty much back to normal around here after a couple of years of covid seclusion.
I've been working on some photo stuff as part of the tidying up loose ends thing I've been working on as of late. The shot above is my gallery wall in the woodshop. Most of the photos are portraits I've done along with some other things, most of them out of view to the left. I've about run out of room except where the speed bag platform is. I'm going to take that down. Even though I've got it cross-braced and tied into the wall, it vibrates too much and kills the action of the bag. Might as well take it down and make room for a few more photos.
I've got a couple of negatives I was going to print up recently, but the developer had gone bad. I need to decide if I'm going to shoot anymore black & white film. I enjoy fooling with the old cameras, but I need to do something with the negatives. I might tackle some alternative process stuff. I bought a tintype kit, and I made a couple of albumen prints once upon a time. Hard to find any incentive these days when my phone takes such nice photos, and the images can be manipulated easily enough on the computer without any special software. I still like my old cameras, though.
Another beautiful day yesterday - temperature was about 50 - just right for working on the trailer again. Productive day. I've almost got it whipped.
Just have a couple of things left to do. I need to finish screwing down the floor and the "D" rings and then it's useable. I'm not too concerned about the sides at the moment. I'll work on them one of these days as a fill in project. I did take it for a little shakedown run. Lights all work, tires hold air and the wheel chock is bolted down. It's about ready to put into service.
Beautiful day yesterday - temperature was right at the average for this time of year. I got the gutters cleaned, put the cover on the air conditioner, a couple of other piddly-ass things, put the shocks and the acorn nuts on the trailer, installed the new rope light, and finished the day off with a trip to the gym.
Today and tomorrow are supposed to be seasonally warm again, or a bit warmer. I'll get a bit more done on the trailer while it's nice - try to get the floor down and the wheel chock installed. I need to box up the header for the jitney. I received an e-mail from Jet-Hot and they've got a 20% off thing going on. Time to get that sent out. I'll keep working on some of the loose ends and then get back on the jitney hot and heavy.
I went to Indy yesterday for a hockey game - Indy Fuel. It's been at least 10-12 years since I've been to a game. Last time I was there the team was the Ice, not the Fuel. The inside of the Coliseum has been remodeled since then as well. Nice place to watch a game. Good, fast action. Reasonable ticket prices, also. They had a special deal for $69.00 - 4 tickets, a hockey puck and a coupon for four sub sandwiches. The only problem is the sub coupons were for a franchise that wasn't in the coliseum. They're good until May of 23, though.
When I came home from the game, I got a chance to see the new post lights lit up. They look pretty good up there and actually put out quite a bit of light. If I get a railing, I can get my telescope set up out there without worrying about falling off. I did a trick like that once before - damn near killed myself. I'd rather not do that again.
The weather this week looks to be a bit more seasonal, thank goodness. Hope to finish up the trailer, keep picking away at some stuff around the shack and make a little more progress on the jitney.
I had the chance to see Leon Redbone a couple of times. His musical selections were primarily old tunes that lent themselves to his unique voice and guitar stylings. Unfortunately, not the kind of thing I can hear on any of the commercial stations I listen to. My buddy Kevin and I looked into starting one of the low wattage stations at the high school when they were handing out licenses years ago. The principal thought some kind of computer class or another was a better deal. While it's tough to argue with the guy who controls the purse strings, computer repair wasn't going to be near as much fun as a radio station in my book. Now there's all sorts of things available to get just about any type of music you want piped into your computer or smart phone. What I need to do is take some things off my MP3 player, add a few more, and then just let it run on shuffle when I'm out in the shop. The new radio/CD player in the woodshop is working out well for me but I don't spend much time out there. Probably should just quit complaining - as my old man used to say: "And people in hell want ice water."
I ordered this set of deep wells when I ordered the wheel chock for the trailer. With the coupon they were only $19.99. Granted they're made from Chinesium, but it's not like I'm going to be doing a lot of heavy-duty wrenching. Mostly lug nuts and the occasional odd-ball job I take on when I should have said no. The top of my toolbox is chock full of sockets now, so I'm going to make a bracket to hang this set on the wall next to the box. That's what the piece of angle and flat iron to the left of them is for.
It was cold yesterday, it'll be cold today and tomorrow, so not much going to be happening in the shop. I did go out yesterday long enough to finish the pieces for the exercise bike at the gym. All I had left to do was cut the two rods for the tee handles and drill the holes through the ends with the threads. These are used to adjust the seat height on an old Schwinn Airdyne. I don't know where Jimmy got this thing, but the factory adjuster was missing and the threads were screwed up on the crank where the pedal with the left-hand threads go, if I remember correctly. Since I was a shop teacher and a bicyclist for years, just so happens I had a left-hand tap to take care of that. The seat post adjusters thread into a 1/2" nut on the seat tube and extend through holes in the post so you can raise the seat up or down.
The one in the photo with the longer turned section is the second one I made. The first one lasted about two weeks and came up missing. Somebody lost it or stuck it in their gym bag, never to be seen again. So I made another one and keep it in my gym bag. Now that I'm going back on a regular basis, I've been doing some overdue maintenance around the place. It's gotten a little shabby over the last couple of years. I'm going to give the two new adjusters to a couple of the coaches. They can make them available to the fighters and keep track of them. I'm going to keep mine in my gym bag still.
They're calling for temps in the mid to high forties next week, so hoping to finish up most everything on the trailer, get the blade on the tractor and pick a few other things off the list. I've been on a roll lately, don't want to lose my momentum.
I don't know if there's a specific style for a poster like this, but I like it. The Gee Bee flying by is a nice touch.
These are much more futuristic than the first one, but I've got a personal connection to Bohn Aluminum. My Pops worked for this outfit in Danville, Illinois when I was a youngster. These are the work of Arthur Radebaugh. He did a bunch of similar advertising posters for Bohn, as well as a variety of other works of art. The link will give you a nice overview of his life and work. If you type in a search for Bohn Aluminum and click on images, you'll find some very interesting ads, all of which were very futuristic in style.
Here's a couple of propaganda posters, one Chinese, one Russian.
And here's a little propaganda from the home team. When I first started teaching, I signed up to get Savings Bonds with payroll deduction. I got paid every two weeks, except for Spring Break, Christmas and summer vacations - 19 checks per year. Money was pretty tight when I first started teaching, but with payroll deduction I never saw the money, so I never missed it. I've still got a few of them I kept for an emergency fund even though they've stopped paying interest. Fortunately, I've never had to fall back on them. However, the way things are going, we might see some new propaganda posters urging us to buy war bonds coming our way once again.
The Missus and I went to the next town up and over for an authentic Polish dinner. The hours were advertised as 4-7. We got there about 4:20 and they were already sold out unless you had purchased a ticket in advance. I was looking forward to a good Polish dinner prepared by the church ladies, but we ended up eating American food at the Greek restaurant. Not a bad dinner but wasn't what I was hoping for. I did manage to snap the above photo while walking back to the car at the church. Pretty little spot with the snowflakes coming down.
The laundry room storm door had a gap along the top that changed with the seasons. I've adjusted the metal trim on the outside several times but if I adjusted it any more, I'd end up with a gap along the top. With the new trim piece I made on the inside, the door can float in the jamb and it will still seal against the weatherstrip on the back side of it. Should help quite a bit with the heat loss as well as keeping the bugs out next year.
I fixed the broken tine on the rake and the little wire weeder for the veggie place yesterday as well. The wheel chock for the trailer project showed up also. The weather wasn't the best for working on the trailer outside, so I was happy fixing things inside. First thing I did was get the doors closed between the front and back part of the shop, and got the heater turned on for the initial firing of the season. It wasn't all that cold out there, but I wanted to make sure everything was a go. It's supposed to be in the twenties is all tomorrow.
Got back on the jitney project yesterday, finally. I welded the couplings to the flanges for the temporary axle. If you look closely you can see the alignment tool I made for just such an operation. I welded two pieces of angle to a round plate that I faced in the lathe so it would be 90 degrees to the angles, then split the piece into two halves. I milled a flat on the peak of the angle so there's a clamping surface. It works really well and the flanges or whatever you're welding on to the pipe or rod come out square.
Finished job looks like it should work. You can see the tool for welding the flange on in the foreground.
Not sure what I'm going to tackle today - something on either the trailer or the car. I bought a couple of post lights for the balcony of the new barn. Those showed up last evening, so probably get those installed. I still need to make a railing around the balcony. While I'm working on all sorts of odd jobs, probably should throw that one on the list.
Woke up yesterday morning to snow on the ground. It had changed over to rain by about 9:30 - 10:00 but it wasn't a hard rain, and it continued most of the day. A gentle reminder I need to get the blade put back on the old Allis before we get a big snow.
I picked up my raffle winnings yesterday. I had to go to the courthouse to pick up a receipt at the veteran's office and then to the gun store, filled out the federal transfer form and it was all mine. Nice little walnut box they had made for it. The box will look nice on top of the dresser but I'm thinking the gun will be a "safe queen". I've got a .22 revolver I inherited from my dad that I use to protect the chickens and a .410 shotgun I got for Christmas 60 years ago that I use to protect the wiring on the vehicles from marauding squirrels. That's about all I need, since I don't hunt, but this new one might be fun to take to the range and a little more firepower might come in handy when the sh*t hits the fan.
I put all the new hardware and some tools away yesterday and made a trim piece for the back door. I'll get it painted up today and get back out in the shop. I've got a couple of pieces to fix for the place I get my veggies and a couple of things to make for the gym.
When I went north last week, I took the long way home to enjoy the last of the warm weather and went by this place. I took the photo with my phone and then converted it to black & white with the tools on the computer. Unless I was going to make large photographs, probably no reason to even use film anymore. I did get some fresh chemicals to print some enlargements of some old negatives. Now that it's dark at 5:00, I can spend a couple of hours doing "darkroom" work and be finished before my bedtime.
My hardware order came in yesterday - acorn nuts for the fender bolts, jam nuts for the lower shock mounts, stainless self-drilling screws to fasten the plywood down for the trailer, and a bunch of other things to restock the inventory.
Didn't do much the last two days due to a sore back and some lead in my ass. We went from 70-degree weather to freezing temps just about overnight. I strung the extension cord out to the chicken coop to plug the water heater in. It's not quite cold enough to plug the heat lamp in yet, but it's hung up and ready to go.
I should pick up the raffle gun today or tomorrow - 9mm pistol. Nothing I really need but the way the world is spinning, that might change soon enough. I don't know how tough it is or how expensive it is to buy ammo these days, but 9mm is pretty common so if anything is available, I would think it's one of the calibers that would be. Since I'll be picking it up at a gun store, I'll see what's in stock.
Going along with that, the I'm Running 'Cause I Can't Fly blog features Jeremiah Babe's YouTube videos on a regular basis. Babe also has a Facebook page where you can find his stuff. He talks about financial stuff as well as preparing for what's coming. He stresses having real assets, being your own central bank and having security. I try to listen to them as I come across them. Most of them are 15-20 minutes long. They're different than the typical "prepper" videos. You might want to check his videos out before things get any worse.
Good day yesterday. The Missus had surgery to remove the port that was implanted when she was receiving chemo. It was in there for about seven years. Glad to see it go, especially since the oncologist originally recommended keeping it in due to the possibility of the cancer returning. Last visit, however, she said it was time to get it out of there since all the numbers look good. We stopped for lunch afterwards to celebrate and that pretty much shot the day in the ass.
I did go out to the shop to check on some hardware. I got the trailer wired Thursday and I needed some #8 screws to bolt the marker lights on. I was able to complete the job, but the drawer is getting pretty low. I decided to stock up on some stuff as well as getting what I needed to fasten the flooring down on the trailer. I received a comment from a friend a couple of posts back on a local source to get the self-tapping screws I was looking for, but I decided to just put together an order for everything from Bolt Depot. Thanks anyway, Dave.
Later that evening I received a phone call from the local veteran's organization. Seems I won the raffle gun that I bought a ticket for a while back. Since we've been getting all types of calls about signing up for Medicare starting at 8:00 every morning and continuing most of the day, I quit answering the phone. The man in charge left a message to call him on Monday to make arrangements to pick it up. It's been so long since I bought the ticket, I don't remember what they were raffling off. Find out Monday, I suppose.
Record warmth on Thursday, probably the last 70 degree day until March or there abouts. It was nice wiring up the trailer in a tee shirt. Time to fire up the heater and get back on the jitney and the trials bike.
The farmer showed up yesterday to chop the stalks - sure sign winter will be here shortly. The weatherman is calling for a chance of snow flurries this Saturday, in fact. Today, however, we might make seventy degrees.
In continuing my quest for organization, I hung up most all of my welding helmets - a couple for use with a hardhat, an auto-darkening one, and a couple with the big window that became necessary once I started wearing bifocals. I've also got a couple of handshields but since I TIG weld most of the time, both hands are needed for the welding process, so they don't get much use. Pretty much one for all occasions.
I painted the trailer frame yesterday and bolted the fenders on. I stuck the bolts up from the bottom for more tire clearance. I'm going to get some acorn nuts for the top side which will look better and less chance of getting snagged that way. I bolted the taillights on to get started on the wiring. I'm planning on working some more on that today. Not too much left to do, actually. I like the sounds of that.
Hubs are greased with new bearings and seals, and the wheels are back on. I went to Menards yesterday and bought a sheet of treated plywood for the deck. I didn't find the self-tapping screws I wanted, so I got some flathead sheet metal screws, but I think I'm going to keep looking. Hoping to get some paint on this rig so I can get it wired and get the floor screwed down before it gets cold. Fast running out of time.
Finished up the 3/4" drive toolbox yesterday as well. The sides and bottom have two coats of spar varnish, the top has three coats. Two of them after I put the "family crest" on the lid. Pretty happy with the way this one turned out. The woodworking is a nice change from what I normally do. I've got a couple other projects that I want to tackle but they might have to wait until the warm weather returns since the woodshop is not heated.
I finished up the hub project yesterday. Got it all welded up - nice professional job, even if I do say so myself.
I had to drag out the big gun to finish the job. I used this big old wrist breaker to drill the holes for the plug welds and to open up the holes for the lower shock mounts. I bought this thing used many years ago from a place that dealt in used tools. I rarely use it for anything anymore but when I was running a sideline hustle, it got put to use on a fairly regular basis. One of my better investments.
I got the axle plates for the "faux" axle on the jitney, cut out and cleaned up.
Looks like my layout was on the money. Next step is to weld the plates on to one end of the pipe axle and the coupling for the other end.
Looks like it might be too chilly for painting the trailer today, but it's supposed to hit 70 on Thursday. I'll get the hubs greased up and installed and get the trailer out there. I need to put a little more varnish on the box for the 3/4" drive box and install the hardware after the varnish dries. When I get the jitney axle welded up, I can start getting the rear end pieces fit up and tacked in place. Time to make some more progress on the jitney project.
I got the stub axle welded to the bushing and then turned the OD so it would fit in the pipe axle. I had to do some fiddling to make it fit since the inside of the bore wasn't completely round and there were some snags. I cleaned up the bore with a small drum sander chucked up in my drill motor. Even then, I had to file some spots on the bush to clear the flotsam on the bore. Next step is to clean up the end of the pipe, drill a couple of holes for plug welds and then tap it in and weld it up.
When I get the hubs on I'll roll the trailer out into the big barn and get some paint on the frame before the farmer gets his machinery back in there. It's supposed to be warm enough for painting the next few days.
Big change in the weather yesterday - rain in the morning, cleared later in the day but dropping temperatures. Gusty winds along with it.
The window guy came out to measure for the replacement windows in the morning. After he left, I put some varnish on the 3/4" drive toolbox, and then went to the gym. After I came home from the gym, I went out to the shop to work on the axle for the trailer project. The unfinished end of the stub axle is 1-1/4" but my largest drill is 1-1/16" so I had to bore out the remaining stock on what will be the spacer bushing to get it to size. I cut a weld chamfer on what will be the bearing end. The stub axle will stick out about a 1/4" on the other end, so I'll be able to just weld around it. I'll weld it up today. I don't like welding anything right before I close up shop - I'd hate to catch the shop on fire, especially on a day when the wind is gusting 40 mph.
I made the toolbox for my 3/4" drive tools yesterday - still need a couple of handles and latches/hasps. The one piece for holding the ratchets in place split when I screwed it into place, and that's after I drilled a pilot hole to prevent that from happening. Since I'm hoping that using these is going to be a rare occasion, I'll just leave it. The goal was to get them organized and keep them rust free. This should do it. First woodworking job after moving the table saw up top, by the way. Saved me quite a few steps up and down, not to mention not having to move the truck and the motorbike outside.
I drug out the hinge bits to install the hinges. These babies are the bee's knees for hinge installation. The end of the bit is tapered the same as the hole in the hinge, as well as being spring loaded. Stick the bit down on the hinge, turn on the drill and push down, and you've got a pilot hole perfectly centered. These came from Garrett Wade. I've only used two sizes so far, but they've got a decent deal on a 3 pack, or all 5.
I bought myself a new radio for the woodshop. The FM reception is a little better, but I really bought it to play CDs. The old player just wasn't cutting it anymore and since I like listening to jazz and blues, in addition to classic rock, I need the CD player. Plus, this one has an input for my MP3 player, so I can listen to whatever suits my mood on any given day. In the center of the photo is the first CD I played - Robert Jr. Lockwood. I had a chance to see him live many moons ago at a little club in Minneapolis. His wife had a card table set up in the corner selling albums. I bought one and Robert Jr. was kind enough to autograph it for me. I've been planning on framing it almost as long as doing something with the Mack bulldog. Might finally be time.
After I finished up yesterday, I looked for the toolbox hardware on Amazon and decided I also needed a Pete Fountain CD for the new player. My pops was a big Pete Fountain fan, so I grew up with him. However, no place on the FM dial can I hear Robert Jr. Lockwood or Pete Fountain, and since I'm on a traditional jazz and blues kick, maybe get myself a Jack Teagarden CD next.
When was the last time you heard Teagarden? I sure miss Sunday afternoons with Dick Buckley on WBEZ out of Chicago.
The roofers finished up yesterday - hard working group. They had to replace more of the underlayment than what I expected, but I should be good now for as I live here or as long as I live, whichever comes first.
I made a little bracket so I could mount the old Mack bulldog on the wall. This replaces the nail I was using to hang my shop coat on in the wood shop. I've had this thing for probably 30 years and never did anything with it. It had a bolt broken off in one of the mounting holes that I finally got around to removing not too long ago. The nail worked just fine, but now the bulldog is off the bench top.
The top plate has the layout and holes for a set of wheelie bars. I think I've got a set of the parts all cut out already. I need to see if I can find them and then make a set of bars for the 900, or finish cutting these out and make a set. I bought some aluminum to make a pair of struts quite a while ago. Another job that needs to be finished, whether I need them or not.
I used my new mag drill yesterday for the first time. While the holes are only 1/2", it took no time at all to drill them using an annular cutter - nice finish on the holes as well. This is the first time I used a mag drill with this type of cutter in a long time. I worked summers in a couple of structural steel shops back in the day, and I used this sort of set-up a lot, as well as a mag drill using regular Morse taper drill bits. We usually drilled a #35 pilot hole first with a hand drill using a screw machine length bit and then drilled the larger hole with the mag drill. I'm not sure why they used the #35 drill, but I just did what I was told. It did work well, though. Those two pieces I put the holes in are for the jitney project.
I ordered a piece of stock to repair the trailer axle. It should be here in a couple of days. I'd like to get the wheels back underneath that thing before the farmer puts his machinery back in the barn so I can paint the frame out of the wind and before it gets too cold. In the meantime, I'll keep piddling around with the jitney and keep waging war on the long list of little things that should have been done years ago.
Busy day yesterday morning. The roofers showed up, started unloading the truck, and then loaded back up, took off and showed back up about 1:30. In the meantime, I was busy piddling around with some small items.
I welded up a couple of the things for the guy at the CSA. In the foreground is a wire weeder that's going to take a little work. He gobbed it up with JB Weld. Not much I can do with it until I get that out of it. The other two weeders were a straight-forward weld repair. The round bar is a jack handle that I didn't know I had that was buried in the bottom of the roll-around box that I ran across the wire wheel to clean it up. That's also where the 3/4" drive socket stuff was, along with the bearing drivers. Definitely need to get that organized and make a mental inventory of what I've got down there. I also made myself a little scraper out of a power hacksaw blade. I had one about the same size that I've misplaced or lost - got that cured.
I welded the stops on the stakes for the trailer. Not much to that - sand off the anodizing, clamp the stop piece onto the stake and weld away. Then came the fun stuff.
I drug the cutting torch outside after putting in a bigger tip and started chopping away at the stub axle. After cutting off the axle, I trimmed the weld as close to the end of the outer axle as I could. I could see a crack all the way around, so I drove the remaining part of the stub axle inward until it popped out. I now had a big fat bushing stuck in the outer axle with a bored hole through the center. I figured I could split that with the torch and it would pull out easily enough. No such luck. The big fat bushing is made out of stainless, so you can't cut it with a torch. I ground around the end of the outer axle to get the remaining weld off and I could see the crack all the way around. I gave it a couple of whacks with the big hammer and it moved in a little. I was going to weld something to the bushing that I could bang on to pull it out, but I thought I might have something I could use on my slide hammer that would work. I got lucky and had a jaw that gripped the back of the bushing, so I soaked it down with some Kroil penetrating oil, bumped it back and forth and it finally came out.
As you can see from the photo, The axle was some sort of bolt concoction. Total bullshit, but not like I've never run across that before. Next step is to clean up the inside of the outer axle and drill a couple of holes for plug welds when the new stub axle assembly goes together. I don't think I've got a piece of stock with a large enough OD to make the bushing, so I'll have to go shopping. After I get things cleaned up, the fix should be pretty straight forward after that, unlike the roof. After they pulled the shingles up, things are looking worse than I figured. I don't know what the extra work and material is going to cost me, but no way out other than through now.
It's rare I use my 3/4" drive sockets, and I wish to keep it that way. I had the sockets in a cardboard box and the bottom fell out of the box when I went to pick it up the other day. I want to make something more substantial to store the sockets and ratchets. Most of the stuff is Snap-On, meaning if I had to buy it all new, I'd be looking at something like $1,500 -$2,000. The big socket on the left I bought to repair my old Ford 3/4-ton van. It's big but light duty to remove the bearing retainer nut on the rear axle. To the left of the extension is a 1/2" socket. I think that was a garage sale find. No way I would have bought a new one from Snap-On in 3/4" drive. I certainly don't need that kind of muscle to remove a 5/16" nut, when I can snap them off easily enough with 1/2" drive stuff. While I don't need to start on another project, I've got some other woodworking stuff to do so I'm putting a list of materials together to get everything together and spend a couple of days making sawdust.
Surly sent me a couple of things in response to my carb post. The photo above is an Offenhauser manifold for the Slant-Six that uses two stock carbs. Neato-mosquito, ain't it. That intake would look right at home with the Offy valve cover and oil filter cover I've already got.
He also sent me a copy of an old Offy catalog that has a page in it that one can use to arrive at the proper carb size for your engine displacement and rpm range. According to the chart, a 225 cid motor like mine turning an optimistic 5,000 rpm needs a carb that will flow 326 cfm. I've got no idea what the stock carb will flow, but two of them would surely do the job.
It rained most all day yesterday again, so I diddled around with a bunch of things - picked up a fresh acetylene tank, dropped some paperwork off at the financial folks, picked up some groceries, hit the hardware store again, did some housework and cut some pieces for the stakes for the sides of the trailer. The roofers should be here today, so I want to stick around, but I should be able to get some things welded up out in the shop.
Now for a bit of politics. It's been a few days since the Pelosi hammer event and there hasn't been much in the way of a legitimate explanation of what actually occurred.
Pretty well sums up what about 95% of anyone with at least a few functioning brain cells must be thinking. And the media wonders why we no longer believe anything they tell us. Nothing but a joke.
