Couple Pieces Finished

Lookin' for an earworm? This one should do it. 

More rain yesterday - a couple of waves that hit pretty hard but nice in between times. Other than the humidity, that is. The sun was out around 2:00 and you could see a haze hanging over the corn field. Made for some serious sweating and safety glass fogging while I was finishing up the radius rods but they came out looking down right sexy. 

I decided to go ahead and TIG weld the new bungs on. I used an 80,000 lb tensile filler and warmed the parts up with my air-acetylene torch until they just started to show a color change and then welded them up - no evidence of underbead or shrink cracking so everything should be Jake. After the pieces cooled down I dressed the welds with a flap wheel, did a little file and emery cloth work and got them primed. 

I looked a little closer at the saw horse and I think I can sneak the radius rods back to the frame inside the legs if I move the horse back some. Next up is getting the spring and the axle mated back together again. I'm going to have to bite the bullet and order the front end components one of these days. Probably should do it before the prices go up - because we all know they will.

Found My Nuts

I met with my insurance man yesterday for a review and to get a couple of questions answered. There's a hardware store right down the road so I stopped there in pursuit of some fine thread nuts. I didn't see any in the cubby holes or the boxes on the shelves. I continued on heading to Aldi's for some groceries and stopped at a lumber yard/hardware store and got lucky. They had the fine thread nuts in one of the slide out boxes with the castle nuts. It's a bit of a trip up there but they've got most anything a guy could need, including decent lumber. 

So now we come to the above photo. Prior to going to the grocery store, I had read an article in the paper about what they call the CCP virus - CCP standing for the Chinese Communist Party. In the article it mentioned that 78% of all the Covid fatalities were people who were obese. And looking around the grocery store at some of the clientele, that might explain why the death count in the US is as high as it is. One of the things obesity has an effect on is low vitamin D levels. Seems vitamin D is fat soluble so there's a direct correlation between obesity and low vitamin D levels. And with the high temperatures levels around the country now, most heavy duties will be seeking shade rather than spending time soaking up the rays. This also helps explain why dark skinned people have a higher death rate. I had read that quite a while back. It's nice that after 15 months the government is still not giving us any solid information on prevention or the drugs that could safely cure the CCP virus such as Ivermectin. This cooties thing has been screwed up right from the very beginning. Lose some weight, get plenty of vitamins C, D and the mineral zinc, wash your hands and avoid crowds. Best advice I can give you, but why would you take medical advice from a welder?

I got the radius rods cleaned up for the jitney project. The last welding I had done was some stick welding with my old welder. I got the new welder out to TIG the ends onto the radius rods. My argon tank is about empty but I figured there was enough to tack the pieces on. However, after making the first tack it appeared that something wasn't right. It looks like the radius rods are some type of high carbon. I've got some filler rods for 4130 material and they would probably work with a bit of preheat but I think I'm going to stick weld the rod ends with a low hydrogen rod after doing a spark test.

I've got to put on my chauffer's hat the next few days and take care of a few non-project things so I don't know how much I'll have to report. Be cool and stay safe in the heat.

 

Wishbone to Radius Rods

 

Pretty good day yesterday. Got in six miles on the bike, four miles on foot. Also got the wishbone split apart and hung the front spring on the car. I tried connecting the axle to the spring but wasn't having much luck. I needed a third hand or I need to pick the axle up with the floor crane. I'll weld the bungs in the radius rods and get them cleaned up. The saw horse supporting the frame rails is too wide. I won't be able to connect the radius rods to the axle and frame rails unless I narrow the horse or come up with a different support - one step forward, two steps back. 

No damage around the property due to the storms. The power was out an hour or so. Other than the ten second delay before the generator comes on, the operation is seamless. Nice to not have to worry about the Missus being able to breath in the hot, humid weather. 

With the heat, humidity, exercise, and the physical work I've been doing, I'm down a few more pounds. If I watch my diet between now and race day, I might be close to being a middle weight again. That hasn't been the case, not just in years, but decades.

Got a few chores lined up today but I should be able to get the radius rods welded up and make a decision on cutting down the saw horse or making a new support of some sort. While I'm at it, maybe finalize the shift and brake arrangement on the Rickati.

I've Done It All

I might not have done it all but I did get the front end finally taken apart. I just happened to hear this one yesterday morning on Birdhill radio. It's been a long time since I'd heard it. Still can't get over the fact that some of the best classic country tunes come from a station in Ireland. 

I was hoping that by soaking it over night the bolt was going to loosen up but no such luck. I put a pipe jack under the end I needed to get apart to give it more support than the plastic saw horse. I then heated up the axle boss where the bolt goes through until it was good and hot and then wacked it a couple of good hard licks with the sledge hammer. The top four or five threads on the bolt were already shot due to rust, so I wasn't too concerned about mushrooming the end of the bolt. Once I got it to move a bit, I filed the end of it down and ran a die over it to make sure it would go through the hole. Obviously there isn't much clearance if it wouldn't come out, so I wanted to make sure it didn't hang up when trying to get it to go the rest of the way. 

After finally getting things apart, I chased the threads on the other bolt and then I tried removing what was left of the cotter keys that were still stuck in the bolts. That didn't go well either. I couldn't get them to budge with a hammer and punch, so I'm going to put them on the mill and take them out with an end mill. 

I looked at the Speedway website and they've got the replacement nuts with the taper on the bottom for the bolts - $5.99/pair. I think I'll get myself a little plastic organizer box and stock up on regular fine thread nuts. I don't need them that often but shopping for them locally can be a pain in the ass - with no guarantee that I'll be able to find what I need. Probably should have done that long ago. I had a hard time sourcing fine thread stuff when I was putting that Sportster together a few years back.

I was going to start cutting the wishbone apart but the radio came on with a weather alert - a tornado had been spotted not too far from me. It was tracking to the north but I wanted to get in the house and make sure the Missus was ready to get to the basement if need be. About the time I was ready to head back out we got hit with some monsoon type rains, so I called it. Glad I did because another wave came through with big winds and rain. It knocked the power out that time. Indiana weather can sure be fun.

Bit O' Progress

 

I fit up the pieces to hold the spring perches in place and then cut the perches loose from the wishbone. After getting that done I started taking the wishbone off the axle - and that's when the fun began. The nuts were rusted solid - no surprise there. I tried some PB Blaster and a breaker bar but no luck. Having never worked on one of these before, I didn't realize the bottom of the nut was tapered. Because of that I couldn't split the nut all the way to the bottom. However, between splitting the top and the heat applied it came loose after just a couple of solid licks with the hammer and chisel. I didn't even try a wrench on the other side and went straight to the torch. 

After getting the nuts off I tried taking the bolts out. One of them came out with a minimum of penetrant and hammering. The other side's still in the axle. I sprayed it and hammered on it and when that didn't do it, I heated the boss in the axle to get it to expand a little and break the rust bond. Still nothing. I went back out after dinner and gave it another couple of rounds of spraying and hammering but it still hasn't budged. I'll keep after it until I get it out, then I can split the wishbone and keep moving forward.

Surprisingly enough, my chest didn't hurt yesterday after bending the pieces for the spring perches. It rained in the morning but I was able to get out on the bike in the evening for a quick six miles - chest was fine bending over the bars. I've got about a month until the race. I underestimated how long it would take to get back into shape but regardless of the outcome of the race, I'm feeling better and stronger. And that's really all I'm looking for.

Lilies In Bloom

The lilies are all starting to bloom. I've got a nice variety of colors along with a bunch of "ditch" lilies - those would be the orange ones that you see along the side of the road out in the country. I need to find some other type of perennials to plant in spots where I had a couple of trees taken down. The stumps are still there so I could just chop them out and reseed the area. The one spot has a yucca there but it looked out of place before and even more so now. I'm not much of a landscape designer - in fact I'm just a guy who likes the looks of an old farm house with some of the traditional plantings. Especially if they don't require much more work than the occasional weeding. I should have come up with a plan a little earlier in the year when the garden centers were closing out on the spring plantings.

It was a nice morning yesterday - a little breezy but I was carrying 18 miles an hour for a 1-1/2 miles with the tail wind - we won't talk about what I was doing into the wind (Edit: I probably should have added that I was out on my morning bike ride). I later stopped at the Tractor Supply Co after picking up my weekly box of veggies. I was looking for some 7/16" fine thread nuts for the "U" bolts that hold the spring on the front end of the jitney project but no go. The "U" bolts came with lock nuts but I don't want to use them until the final assembly. I don't know why 7/16" hardware is such a bastard size but it seems I'm always running into a problem with it and 10-32 machine screws also. 

They're calling for rain the next week so I mowed before it rained but just barely. I went out to the shop to discover that the woodchuck is back again. I did a temporary fix with a piece of sheet metal and a cement block since it was sprinkling. Of course, I just did a temporary fix last year and that's what got me back into this mess again. 

I bent up a piece of stock (3/4"x 1") to make the brackets for the spring perches. They bent fairly easily on my little bender. Two heats and just enough effort on the handle that my chest will probably be sore for a couple of days. It would have been nice if one of the doctors I consulted over the years would have figured out what's causing that. Anyway, I'll get the pieces fit up and tacked on and then split the wishbone. I need to get a couple of answers about the kingpin diameters and length and then I'll order the front end kit. Steady by jerks.

Business As Usual

 

I took a run over to the side hustle yesterday. The sink in the above photo needs to go where this one is:

That's going to take some head scratching and a couple of Saturdays. I also talked to the boss about the other job he wants done. No time line on either of these yet. 

I finished removing the bushings from the axle and the spring. Took more than a hammer - but nothing a welder with an oxy-acetylene torch couldn't handle.

Here's the bits and pieces. The ones in the foreground came out of the axle. I assume the pivot bolts had those ridges from the factory as even as they are. You can see where they wore through the rubber they were bonded to and were eating away the outer steel shell. The pieces on top came out of the spring. They just bounced when I hit them with the hammer, so I got the torch out and burned some of the rubber out. The bolts came right out after that but the steel shell was stuck in there pretty good. I split the shell with the torch in a couple of places and then I could drive them out. On these kinds of jobs the rust actually works in your favor. The thin shell heats up hot enough to cut before the heavier section gets hot enough to cut into and the rust layer between the parts helps to prevent cutting into the spring or whatever it is you're working on. As long as you've got a clean tip and a steady hand you can burn thin parts out without damaging the other piece.

The second hollyhock is starting to bloom - different color this time. There's still one more to bloom. No idea what color that one will be. Things are looking pretty nice around here now. The grass had started to get brown and the corn wasn't doing much but the recent rains have really perked things up. You can hear the corn growing now.

I'm planning on some more work on the jitney again today - maybe a little on the Rickati to stimulate the brain cells enough to finalize the brake and shifter arrangement. 

Spring Time

 

I decided to start on the front end of the jitney. That's the axle, spring and wishbone pictured upside down.

That forged arm with the barrel shaped boss on the end of it is what supports the spring. I managed to get the spring off without too much of a struggle. The shackle bolt in the photo came out fairly easily. I had to cut it off and then drive it the rest of the way out with a punch. The one on the other side didn't treat me quite as nicely. I got it to move about an inch but only with some serious hammering. I shot the boss full of Blaster and left it for today. 

The old shackles where they fit into the spring and barrel boss are steel on the outside bonded to rubber, as is the bolt. The new ones I have just have nylon bushings that slide into the spring and boss. The side plates and bolts are shiny stainless. The replacement clips to hold the spring leaves in place are polished stainless as well. 

Once I get the bolt and the rest of the rubber and steel sleeve out of the boss, I'll make up some pieces that I can use to weld the bosses to the axle. When I get that done I can split the wishbone and see about hanging the axle assembly under the car. I'm about ready to order the front end kit - spindles, brakes, kingpins, etc. I've been buying most everything from Speedway but I think I'll do a little comparison shopping before I order. 

I'll try to get some more done on the car today as well as do a bit more on the Rickati. The year's going to be half over in another week or so. My goal is to finish at least two wheeled projects this year. Should be do-able since the Rickati is almost complete. I finish that up and I think I'll tackle the BSA next. There isn't that much to do on it. I can jump back and forth on it and the jitney.

Deciding On My Options

 

Didn't get much done on the project front the last couple of days between the heat, the rain, some necessary chores and the lead in my ass. I did take the parts off my old Sprint race bike. The engine in the bike was the first year for the federally mandated shift and brake conformity. The older Sprints, like the Ducatis, shifted on the right with the brake on the left. My rider was used to that set-up so I reversed the Sprint's set-up to make it the same as his Ducati single he was campaigning at the time. So what I'm contemplating on the Rickati is doing the same thing as the Sprint only in reverse - move the shifter to the left side and change the pattern to one down and three up like all new bikes have. The brake actuating arm on the Rickati's rear hub is on the right side, so it should be pretty easy to rig up the pedal on the right side. I need to make up my mind and get it finished. My buddy will be ready for the motor soon. I don't want to hold him up and I'd like to be able to finish the rest of the bike while he has the motor.

I need to make up my mind on the next step on the jitney also - starting to lose some steam on that one and I can't afford for that to happen.

I need to run over to the part-time gig and take a look at that job. I'll take a tape measure and my camera to have some actual measurements and a few photos to use to come up with my plan of attack.

Surly and his clan came down Sunday for Father's Day. They brought me a real nice gift and a welding job. It was nice being able to visit with the group again. Surly and I had a nice chat. Both the Missus and I have been missing getting together with them. This lousy pandemic has sure caused a lot of grief and inconvenience for people. I for one have had enough. 

Whistle

 

I've got a whistle that's been mounted on the wall of the shop for years. I disconnected the supply pipe and the little air tanks a couple of years ago. I'm not sure why anymore - I probably needed the pipe for something else. The tanks and gauge were down in the corner and like the slow moving vehicle sign I repaired recently, it was time to either fix it or scrap it. I had looked for a piece of 1/4" black pipe several times at Menards and a couple of hardware stores but nobody had one. While it wasn't pressing, I had to go to the hardware store to get a window screen repaired and I had them cut the piece of pipe for me. I cleaned and polished the brass on the whistle and painted the fittings and the air tanks. It'll blow as long as the air supply is connected but what it really needs is more volume of air. A larger tank and supply pipe and it would make your ears bleed. Not that that's needed. I need to make a bracket to support the tanks and I can call it done.

Pretty hot and sticky yesterday so I didn't get a lot done in the shop. It rained early morning and warmed up to temps in the high eighties. The weatherman said the heat index was right at 100 when you factor in the humidity and, unfortunately, there's no way you can't not factor it in.

After finishing up the whistle I sat on the stool in the shop and stared at the front axle, spring and wishbone for the jitney project for a while. I'm still trying to decide on the plan of attack. I need to make a plan and get some parts ordered in and finish up the shift and brake linkage on the Rickati. My buddy said he'd be ready for the engine pretty soon. It'd be nice if the shop was air conditioned. As I understand it, air conditioning units, like most appliances are pretty much unavailable these days. You used to be able to but a small window unit for around $100.00. That would be a good investment to encourage me to drag my ass out there when it's hot out. Maybe just start working the night shift. Or better still, just man up.

Slo-Joe Memes & More

 

While the memes are going to be rather hilarious the next few years, it's really not very funny how the country has ended up. And it's pretty obvious that things aren't going to improve anytime soon. Not sure what I can do as a hedge against inflation at this late stage of the game other than buy all the car and bike parts I'm going to be needing before the dollar becomes totally worthless. Brother Johnny was right, we're boned.

On a lighter note, I didn't do much on Wednesday after working all day the day before. I did get my bike ride in along with some yard work and patching a tire on my commuter bike. The tube already had two patches on it, so it's time for a new one. When I order one I'll have to get some new patch glue as well. The tube of glue that I carry in my tire kit on my road bike was dried up. The tube that was in the tool box with my bicycle tools was dried up as well. I did have a new patch kit on the shelf, so I was able to get the tire patched. I patched the tire on the chopper motor bike yesterday while I had the tools out and before that tube of glue dried up also.

My claim with the Post Office for the lost brake shoes for the Rickati project was denied - no real surprise there. I've got 30 days to appeal, so I'll give that a shot.

I got an e-mail from the boss at the side hustle wanting me to tackle a couple of things. One would be making some custom legs for a table that would be a fun job. The other would be a job that would be a pain in the ass at his shop. Having just finished one pain in the ass job, not so sure about tackling another.

I got my first batch of veggies from the CSA yesterday. Not a lot to choose from yet but it's still pretty early in the season. What they had was nice stuff, however. They had strawberries that were available for purchase and are fantastic. I can't remember ever having berries as sweet as these. I've got gooseberries, raspberries and blackberries coming on at the shack. I've also got mulberries falling off the trees along with lots of fruit on the peach and apple trees. My pepper and tomato plants are doing well also. It won't be long and I'll have an over abundance of fruit and veggies. I should definitely look into preserving some of the harvest to have on hand this winter. Maybe make some more peach and apple wine or cider again.  

Honey Dipper Repair

 

Photo of the back of the "Honey Dipper" I worked on yesterday. The valves to the right and below the big clean-out are attached to flanges. The pipes/tubes that they are welded to had developed holes and major pitting about an inch away from the weld seam. I'm not sure why that happened but I've seen similar things in the past. The pipe on the bottom is about 1/4" thick every where except where the pitting occurred. It's not like the septic tank ickyness wore through the pipe. It's got something to do with a chemical reaction that occurs where the metal is welded. If I had a metallurgist on speed-dial I'd give them a call. As it is, it'll probably remain one of life's little mysteries.

The other little mystery associated with this job is why I took it to begin with. I put in a full day fixing the two pipes in the rear and another on the side. Hard to get the corrosion out of the pits, one of the pipes had been smeared with JB Weld or something similar and some of the repair seams had to be made almost 1-1/4" wide. Hard to get clean, hard to get my welding hood in a couple of spots and I had to battle the breeze when I was welding on the pipe on the side of the truck. I finally had to cut a piece of carboard and hang a tarp to keep the wind from blowing the argon away. 

I knew the job wasn't going to be easy, but I had no idea how bad it was until he showed up with the truck. It took me most of the day to get it finished, even without taking a lunch break. Of course we had to spend some time gas-assing a bit about things old guys always end up talking about. Pleasant day to be working though. First full day of actually practicing my craft in over a year. Don't know that I want to make a habit of it, however. 

I found out when our guy fights in the Gloves for the finals - July 22. If he wins there he'll be fighting in Tulsa in the national tourney in August. Jimmy said he can't make the nationals, so I might be making a trip to Oklahoma. I'd really like to see our guy make it to the nationals. Not because I need a vacation, even though I'd like get out once again, but because this guy has been around just about as long as the gym has been open and has worked real hard the last couple of years to up his game. Jimmy and I are both real proud of him.

Flag Day

 

It's Flag Day today. I've become somewhat conflicted over the display of the American flag these last few years. While it should rightfully be the symbol of a great country, things aren't what they used to be and with the Fourth of July holiday approaching, you'll be seeing the flag being used to sell all types of products and services. And, of course, it's use in politics to promote the illusion of patriotism, regardless of the politician's real beliefs. I'm afraid I'm getting pretty cynical in my old age. EDIT: Chicken Mom has nice post on the history of our flag and the does and don'ts of flag etiquette.

I planted three of these hollyhocks last year. This is the first one to flower. The color rendition in the photo isn't the best due to the brightness of the sun. The flowers are a little more of a peach color. I don't know if the other two are going to be the same color or not. Won't be long until I find out, though.

The cycle training has been going well - been working on building up my mileage base. I've added 100 more miles since the last shot of the odometer. I've also been doing some "speed" work - speed being a relative term. If I get the freewheel in the highest gear while using the middle ring up front, I can carry 18.5 mph at a comfortable cadence - not for long, mind you, but as my conditioning improves I hope to increase the distance. My goal for the race is to average somewhere around 17mph. Faster would be better but I've got other things to consume my limited energy resources.

One of which is another boxing match. I'm not sure of the date yet but I think it'll be about the same time as the bike race. I don't know if they'll need me to help out but I'd like to go just the same. I think the format will be like Saturday's event. Most of the matches will be just a normal club fight but a few of the bouts will be the conclusion of the Open division Golden Gloves. If our fighter wins his match he'll be fighting in Tulsa in August. Be nice to see that happen.

Boxing Match

 Spent the day in Terre Haute yesterday for a boxing match. That's the farthest from home I've been in over a year. We took five fighters, had three wins, two losses. One of the losses was a split decision, so it was almost a win. The other loss was a RSC - referee stopped the contest. The first couple of fights on the card were actually Golden Glove fights. One of our guys with his win will be fighting in the upcoming Golden Gloves final. If he wins that one he'll be going to the nationals. 

The fights started outdoors but moved indoors when it started to rain. It was hot outside in the sun. Much more comfortable for the fighters and everyone else inside. And to top it all off, we stopped at the Grand Traverse Pie Company on the way into town and on the way back home. I do love me some pie! 

Nice show. Had myself an enjoyable day and I'm real proud of all the fighters.

Slow Moving Vehicle - My Spirit Animal

 

The bracket for the slow moving vehicle sign broke a couple of years back. The only time the tractor hits the county road is when I'm plowing snow and then only when I'm clearing out by the mailbox and turning around. However, it's not a bad idea to have some reflective material on the back side of the tractor. I'm slowly getting things taken care of that have been on the back burner for a while, so it was fix it or scrap it.  

The bracket broke where I had originally bent it - no real surprise there- especially since the sign  vibrated quite a bit while running the tractor. I welded up the corner and then added a gusset. The bracket was originally riveted to the sign so I had to drill the rivets out and bolted it back together. The rivets were underneath the stick-on part of the sign so weren't visible before. The bolts can be seen but it's better than not having the sign.

I moved the horses supporting the jitney frame out towards the middle of the shop so I'd have more room to work around it. After getting it moved and leveled up again, I tacked the splice plates I made to the main frame rails so I could clamp the rear section on.

I was figuring I'd have to remove them when I got ready to weld the rear section on, but I didn't want to have to worry about having a bunch of clamps in my way or something moving. 

After clamping the rear section in place it became obvious that the transmission is going to be too close to the differential to have any type of a driveshaft. The frame was built with a 92" wheel base according to the plan. However, the original car probably had a four cylinder engine and a manual transmission, which would have been shorter. Looks like I'm going to have to stretch the frame, especially since I wanted to move the engine back two inches. That's easy enough done, I'll just have to get a piece of tubing and decide how much I need to add. 

I've got the trans mount bolted on and it hangs down quite a bit below the frame rails. The crossmember will have to have at least a six inch drop. Nothing insurmountable, just need to design something and start fabbing it up.

I was once again perusing the SCTA rule book and depending on the speeds run, the tires have to have the proper speed rating. I looked up the tires I'm planning on using on the Coker and the Speedway sites and neither of them listed the speed rating. Something else I need to check on if Bonneville is ever going to happen. 

And speaking of tires, I was going to get the motorbike chopper out and run it down to get the mail but the front tire was flat. I tried airing it up but it was coming out almost as fast as it was going in. And a day or two later, I noticed the rear tire on my commuter bike was flat. It too wouldn't take any air. I checked my tube supply and, of course, I don't have a spare for either of those. I figured I'd pick up a couple of spares from the bike shop right down the street from the cardiologist when I went there on Tuesday but the shop showed no sign of life went I went by. I don't know if he went belly up or was on vacation, but no tubes just the same. Looks like I'll have to order a couple in.

I filed a claim with the post office for my lost brake shoes. I'm not holding out much hope for getting my $50.00 free insurance but you never know unless you try. 

Bike, Dr. & Jitney

 

I got the "racing" bike out the other day - pumped up the tires and put a new battery in the speedometer. Of course it took me a while to figure out how to reset the thing. I finally had to resort to looking for the manual which took me almost as much time as entering the new settings. I took the bike for a short test ride later and found that it's more uncomfortable than I remembered it being. The frame is smaller than my touring rig and I have to bend down lower when my hands are in the drops - going to have to work on stretching out the lower back muscles. 

I put in another ten mile ride yesterday. I'm slowly building up the mileage base and picking up the pace while out. I've got a long way to go to be in racing shape but I shouldn't have any problem doing a 62 mile ride by the end of the summer. 

All the cycling has been paying dividends. I had a check-up with the cardiologist yesterday. My last one was just a phone interview so now that he's seeing patients again he wanted me to come in. The doctor was pleased with the EKG results and the vitals. I go back in December for my regular annual. He's got me scheduled for an echocardiogram and the normal blood work. Shouldn't be anything to worry about. Actually, it should be a confirmation that I'm on the right path with my diet and exercise program.

I set the trans down in between the frame rails yesterday. I need to move some things out of the way of the horse that's supporting the rear of the frame rails. As you can see in the photo, the tailshaft housing is up against the horse and I think I need to move the engine and trans back a couple of inches. Time to do some "ciphering" before I proceed much further. Steady by jerks as my old pal Joey used to say.

Dash Hood Weld-Up

 

Warm day again yesterday but didn't seem quite as hot as Saturday. I put ten miles in on the bike in the morning and then met up with the boxing group in the afternoon for a workout - managed to stay on my feet this time but I took my bifocals off just to be on the safe side.

In between my workouts I pulled a short shift on the jitney. In order to put the transmission in by myself, I need be able to get the floor crane in there. The sheet metal on the dash hood was still in two pieces that were held in place with several clamps and Clecos. I finished fitting it over the framework and then welded the seam inside and out. Right now, there's only four screws holding the frame to the main frame rails, so I'll unbolt it, clean up underneath, get the trans bolted to the engine, and start designing the crossmember.

After doing a bit more in-depth reading of the SCTA rule book, there's enough room on each side of the seat for roll cage tubes to pass through to the front but the tubes around the top would require some creativity. My original design was to make a cage more like a modern sprint car, thinking that would be more than adequate. I'll keep thinking about the cage design as well as doing some cost analysis for things like a fire suppression system and a HANS device. Might be looking at a street rod now.

Bring it on Home to Me

 

Nothing much to report on the project front, so here's a bit of music from some of my favorite artists. As I've mentioned here before, my taste is varied and when I start my own radio station, this is some of what you might hear depending on the weather, what I'm working on and my mood. 

I caught about the last 45 minutes of Rock and Roll High School the other night on the television so the Ramones are fresh on my mind. And Compared to What? One of my all time favorite jazz cuts. I never get tired of this one.

Surly and I were fortunate enough to catch Mose at a club in Chicago some years back. 

And in light of what's currently going on, I'll close with Gil Scot-Heron. And remember, the revolution will not be televised. He might have been wrong about that, though.

Play By The Rules

 

Made some serious inroads on getting the tranny cleaned up. It's looking good from the topside but I haven't touched the bottom yet. I'll work on that today. 

The rule book showed up yesterday. I just thumbed through it briefly but I saw enough to know I'm going to have to read it very carefully. While I'd definitely like to run down the salt, I don't know if it would be worth all the trouble if I wasn't going to take it seriously, which at this point I'm not. They have a class for vintage oval track cars but the slant six doesn't fit the requirements. Not sure what class it would fit into yet. Besides reading the rule book very carefully, I need someone locally who could act as an interpreter of the rules and make sure whatever I do will satisfy the tech inspectors if I make the trek. Also need to see if Cuzzin Ricky would be good with getting salt all over his truck and trailer.

Regardless of what I decide, the rig's going to need a transmission in it, so I'll keep working that angle for the present along with finishing up the build on the Rickati. The temperatures jumped up into the nineties. That always takes me a couple of weeks to get accustomed to. So I need to change both my work and workout schedule. Shift things to early mornings and late afternoons. Ninety degrees, when just a couple of weeks ago we had frost warnings. Love this Indiana weather.

Battery Box Brackets

I got Cuzzin Ricky's job finished yesterday. Not much to it - cut and cope a couple of angles, drill some holes in them and then weld them on. I used the new welding machine with E-6011 rods. I need to fine tune the force control I think. The only other stick welding I've done with it was with E-7018 rods and it welds nice with those. I should record those settings, get some scrap metal and practice a little with the 6011 rods. 

I got a phone call from the post office yesterday morning. There seems to be some funny business but nothing the man from the post office could really explain. He was puzzled by what has occurred but he had one more thing he was going to pursue. He's been very helpful but that's not going to bring my brake shoes back. He did explain to me what I need to make a claim, so that's my next step.

I did a search for Rickman brake shoes and I did find some replacements, both originals and after markets. Also I have the ones from the front wheel I can use, so for now it's put those in the wheel and finish up the brake and shifter arrangement. I'll see if the originals turn up relatively soon, if not, I'll have to decide if I want to replace the originals from the front wheel.

Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes

I went out to breakfast yesterday morning with my old colleague and running buddy, Kevin. We hadn't had a chance to get together in over a year even though we live only about a mile apart. Nice visit and more like how an old retired guy should be able to spend his time. 

I went to the post office after breakfast to check on my brake shoes. I checked the tracking history the other night and I ended up with a three page print-out of all places they've been. The postal clerk looked up the tracking history and told me they were delivered to a body shop on May 25th. I came home and was able to find a phone number for the place and called them. The guy on the phone said he knew nothing about receiving a package that wasn't intended for them. He was pretty cool about it and said he'd get them to the post office if they did show up. I went back to the post office to tell the clerk what I had found out but I was told he'd just stepped out for a minute. This clerk told me she'd pass the message along to the one I had originally talked to, who had told me he could call the post master out there and do some checking. I was hoping he'd call me later in the day but no such luck. I'm thinking that's going to be the end of my brake shoes. 

I didn't use the front wheel from the Rickman, so I should be able to use those shoes in the back. I pulled the backing plate out of the hub yesterday and the shoes actually look pretty good. As long as they are the same size I can put them in the rear wheel and work on getting the brake pedal and linkage figured out. 

I've got a welding job for Cuzzin Ricky on tap for today - trying to get get caught up so I can get the tranny installed on the jitney. 

Let's Ride and Then Plant Flowers

I ran across this the other day but I'm no longer sure where, so I can't credit them. Worth watching just the same.

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Cuzzin Ricky, TVI and I resumed the Dead Relatives tour Monday as we normally do on Memorial Day. The cemetery where our fathers are buried usually has American flags by all the veteran's graves. Not so this year. There's a small veteran's area across the road from my dad's plot that has headstones from veterans mostly from both of the world wars and they had flags and there were a few others that had flags but not like it has been in the past. 

The other cemetery where my mom, their uncle and a couple of my old neighbors are buried had flags out, at least on the graves that had military markers. The neighbor who lived across the street from me when I was growing up was a few years younger than my dad but was old enough to have been in WWII. Like most of those guys from back then, they didn't talk much about their service, so I never knew if he was a veteran or not. Ancestry.com had free access to military records over the weekend so I looked him up and I did find a record of him having been in the service. I'm going to have to go to the cemetery and see what it would take to get him on the list for a flag next year.

While Memorial Day is for remembering the war dead. there's only one grave we decorate that is actually that of a serviceman who died in WWII. Neither Rick or I had any idea who the guy was but his grave is between my dad's and our grandparent's graves, so we "adopted" him a few years back. And like the rest of the graves we clean up and plant flowers at, it's nice they're dressed up a bit for the summer. No point in waiting until Veterans Day to plant flowers around here - liable to be snowing.

Glad the cooties didn't keep us away again this year. All that I've become, either good or bad, is because of those we visited Monday. I owe them all and I'll never be able to repay them by just planting some flowers but I'll never forget them. 

I'm always a little melancholy after visiting the cemeteries. Seems like the perfect song to ease that a bit.