Shock Tower/Headlight Mount

 

Now more than ever!

Ural HQ Statement "Dear Friends, We wish we wouldn’t have to update you under the circumstances we find ourselves in. Questions and concerns inevitably come up about possible sanctions, availability of bikes and parts, support and so on. The short answer is that we are as ready as we can possibly be to address whatever challenges may come our way. Over the years we've learned to navigate ups and downs, to make plans B, C and D both strategically and on the fly. We’ve weathered storms that were very real and dealt with obstacles that were not so publicly known. The history of our brand shows that Ural always finds a way to move forward. Our highest priorities have always been our employees, our partners and our customers. We still hope for people to remain human, value life and stand for living instead of fighting. We pray for peace."

I received the above in an e-mail the other day. Slow Joe is implementing sanctions against Russia that are going to affect a lot of people. This on top of all the other effects that have come our way the last two years. I did find it interesting that he didn't want to sanction Russia's petroleum so our gas prices wouldn't increase anymore. Must be afraid of having his job approval level sink even deeper into the hole. You know it's not because he's concerned about working stiffs or retirees. I do like the way Ural has addressed its customer base, however. Both the fact they put something out and the sentiment enclosed.

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I worked on fitting the shock towers yesterday - would have been a lot easier with another pair of hands. I had to tack a piece onto the tower in order to have something to clamp to. As you can see in the photo, it's leaning outward so I need to adjust the angle to get it plumb. That'll require me to remove the piece for clamping, decide the angle to trim it at, then tack the clamping piece back on, then hold it in place with one hand while clamping with the other, and then hope I got the angle right the first time. And then repeat the process on the other side. Should look good as long as I get the angle right and both sides match.

Life During War Time

 

Seems a fitting selection since once again we're looking at a war. Of course there has been one going on someplace in the world my entire life. Now the question becomes should the US become involved? My response is those in charge should consult with a school superintendent. His response? "I'd like to help you but there's just no money." Simple as that.

Cold day again yesterday. I layed around the shack the better part of the day but since I had to bundle up to check on the chickens and get the mail, I figured I might as well hit the shop for a bit. I finished a little milling job and since I was in the neighborhood, I milled the plate for the idler on the jitney steering. I need a heavy washer to ride in the wider slot and I'll need a spacer bushing between the sprocket and the plate but I'll have to wait on that until I get a chain and can line things up.

I'll try to pull the rag out of my ass today and get some more done.

Dog Days

 Took the dog to the groomer yesterday, did the grocery shopping, picked the dog up from the groomer, and then went on poop patrol. Not the most exciting way to spend the day but the dog looks and smells much better. And if you go out and pick up the poop while it's frozen, fortunately it doesn't smell. 

I bought new tires for the "racing" bike and some new gloves. My running buddy gave up on the marathon she was planning but wants to do a century ride on the bikes. I found a couple of them locally towards the end of the season that look promising. I didn't have any trouble last year with the couple of long rides I did but 100 miles is a serious ride. I pumped up the tire on the trainer and have put in a couple of short sessions. I put a new seat on it a few years ago but I need to get some time on it to break it in to fit my bony ass. I've got the same seat on the racing bike and it's got a couple of dimples about the size of a golf ball from my sitz bones. 

I'll start training in earnest and get my legs, lungs and ass all shaped up enough I can start putting in some serious mileage once the weather breaks. I don't know if the bicycle race that I was training for last year will happen this year or not. I'm going to operate on the assumption that it will and get some speed work into my training. My running buddy mentioned an event in May she's interested in: 5K run, 10 mile bike ride and then stair laps for a total of 1080 stairs. She wants to put together a team but obviously if I'm on the team, it wouldn't be too competitive since I'd walk rather than run the 5K. Could be fun though.

Firewall Brace

 

I made the firewall brace yesterday. The triangle shaped piece pointing downward is to mount the remote oil filter. I might have to move that to get a bit more clearance from the cylinder head and valve cover. I don't know if I want to tackle putting the head on by myself. The chest and back are my weak links, and humping that head around is asking for trouble. I need some help with a few other things as well. I'll draft the next big, strong guy who shows up and help get the head on the engine block and load my propane tank in the back of the truck.

In the meantime, I'll tack the front shock mounts on and get the chain idler finished for the steering.

Tee Shirt Tuesday #17

Souvenir shirt from the high mileage contest at Sonoma Raceway in California. Had a great time with the students and the instructors. I was involved with the state contest for years when I was at the high school but never got involved with the Shell contest. The shirt is made from recycled plastic bottles - not the safest thing for a welder to wear, so it hasn't gone into the rotation. Maybe I'll wear it to the racetrack if that ever happens.

Beautiful day yesterday - what Lauren Bacall called "false spring" in the Shootist. Sunny, calm and temps in the fifties - warm enough to work in the shop with the big doors open.

I finished threading the shaft for the idler sprocket. I had planned to work on the base plate for that job but decided to work on the brake set-up instead. I needed to get the booster and pedal located, as well as where the remote oil filter is going to go. I'm going to make a channel or angle that will run across the front to help support those items. With that stiffener and bolting everything to the firewall as well, should be plenty rigid.

Sideview showing the booster and pedal. The hanger bracket is tacked in place and looks to be plenty strong, especially when I tie it in to the piece behind the firewall. I'm still going to need something to support a Heim joint for the steering shaft next to the U-joint. Maybe try to figure that out today. It's supposed to be in the forties today and raining - warm enough that I'll not have to run the heater other than to take the chill off. Time to get shaking.

Shafted

 

Fairly busy day yesterday. I plowed the drifts from the lane, cut the steering shaft to length and cut the keyway. Went walkies after that. The temperature warmed up nicely and the sun was out, but it was still windy. We were planning on walking the rail trail but it was closed, so we walked around town. Don't know our mileage but best guess was at least three.

When I came home it was still warm and daylight, so I went back out to the shop. I got my layout on the plate for the idler sprocket and then started on the shaft for it. I didn't have a 5/8-18 nut so I'll have to run to the hardware store and pick one up before I can finish threading the shaft. I need a couple other things as well. Glad there's a well equipped hardware store only about ten minutes away. They're not cheap but neither is driving all over Hell's Half Acre.

From Here

And in keeping with the spirit of the times, a reminder to stock up on all your supplies. I read that the police in Canada were firing tear gas and rubber bullets at those nice folks peacefully assembled in the streets of Ottawa. I'm not all that familiar with the system of government up there, but if it's any sort of representative democracy, maybe they should have listened to the truckers and actually represented the people rather than sending in the goon squad. Of course, we don't really have representation at the national level either. If we did, we wouldn't have all the rules and regulations, or having to pay a third of our income in tribute every year. I have a feeling things might change, however. Don't know how much or how soon, but hopefully it'll get better before too much longer. Of course, it might not ever get better, just different.

Oyster Crackers

 

I've been looking for oyster crackers for about a month now. All the local stores have been sold out. The Missus checked Amazon and bingo! We got crackers the very next day. What's even more incredible is the fact that the Amazon driver made it in before I plowed. Most of the lane was clear since the wind was blowing so hard when it was snowing but by the road and the house it was pretty deep. I plowed both of those areas and shoveled the sidewalk and in front of the door where I park my truck, then called it quits. It's supposed to be in the 40's tomorrow - I'll let Mother Nature take care of the rest of it.

Things are getting more and more interesting with our neighbors to the north. Instead of just rethinking the mandate for the truckers, Trudeau has decided to use his emergency powers to intimidate them. That might be a bad idea. Most all of us realize damn near everything moves by truck and there's already a shortage of truck drivers and the products they move. If you start fining them, taking away their licenses and freezing their bank accounts, you damn sure aren't going to win any friends with the drivers or the population at large. Especially when all the store shelves are empty and the gas stations are out of fuel. And from what I've read, people are already figuring out if they can freeze the bank accounts of the truck drivers, they can freeze the accounts of their supporters or anyone else not going along with the program. Good way to get a run on the banks. Might wake people up to the dangers of digital banking. If they can shut your debit or credit card off without so much as a court order, cash and precious metals looks like a much better way to store your wealth, especially since you don't make any interest on a savings account. And you know the mopes in Washington would not think twice about doing something similar to us. In fact, they'll have to do some kind of digital sleight of hand to get out from under the financial corner they painted themselves into.

Stay alert, my friends. Anything can happen at this point.