Pulled the engine out of my race car today.

Did the hundred thousand mile service on my 2006 Mini Cooper S today. Replacing the serpentine belt is quite an ordeal! Although pelican does have a good step by step procedure for doing it. I don’t know how anyone with large hands could possibly fit the belt back in place. I’ve got small hands and I still have a number of scrapes on them.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1664494242.jpg

Wow you worked at continental... that is pretty cool. To bad it’s china aero now, suks for us.

Stud started pulling at 350 inch/lbs... bummer. Took it out and found a helicoil. No clue it it was incorrectly installed or if divco messed it up. In any case it's on me now.http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1664496365.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1664496365.jpg

^^^^ How will you fix it?

Most likely with an oversize helicoil... the correct answer however is how the ia wants it fixed.

Worked a little on the portable fab table I snagged off the local classifieds. Still need to cut 6" out of the legs...:D


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1664624960.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1664624960.jpg

I cleaned up the leaves and palm fronds from the wind Friday.

Then back to removing more sound deadener. This time I used the heat gun and I think it was better than the dry ice method.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1664678368.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1664678368.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1664678368.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1664678368.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1664678368.jpg

last night customers dropped off 6 mowers , a snow blower a chainsaw and weed wacker. ugh http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1664888689.JPG

Nice find! Those look like top-shelf Blickle casters!

Haha ... at $40 a piece at the calranch store I doubt they're top shelf.

Had to install a door at one of the rentals and replace 4 knobs and deadbolts at another.
Not the same level as pulling the engine out of a racecar, but we do what we can.

Doing some maintenance stuff before any winter weather starts. I might put another application of elasomeric coating on the roof, since it wouldn't hurt. But ugh! It's like looking out over the Sahara up there.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1664948029.jpg

Like walking around Bonneville...

I don't know why I never came in this thread before...I could contribute daily.

Let's see...
Recently been completely rewiring an Austria CNC lathe for new Linux based control and stronger motors:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1665111364.jpg

Spent 2 hours with the cops at work because I did some evidence collection and cross-collated video footage of an...incident...at the shop last week.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1665111449.jpg

At home just rewired the kegerator, the circulating fan blew out, and in the process of replacing it I learned that the 50 year old unit I have, at some point in time, had some internal wire fray and the case was energized. I never knew, because I never touched it when grounded.

Also in the process of trying to rebuild the actuator of our driveway gate, I fixed a major electrical issue (one of the relays must have started arcing and fused, burned some wire and blew a fuse). Had to remove the board, desolder the relays, replace them, and redo some wiring. Now, the controller works great, but the old actuator is slipping because it's now actually getting all of the current that the system is sending to it...

Oh, and telescopes. Reverse engineering a common but poorly designed telescope control package, hoping to make it much better. I also have a customer who wants me to learn and install an advanced go-to system from Japan on a rare Japanese mount, they have no support in the US so I might be the first to do this upgrade on my own.

Recently fixed a 35 year old camera flash cable which had a poor casing (UV degradation), I plasti-dipped the cable by hand several times and it turned out pretty darned good.

Um...changed a co-worker's battery? That actually took 30 minutes because it's a Ford Transit, and you have to disassemble the intake and battery box to slide the battery itself out.

All while getting addicted to No Man's Sky...

Update. I’m at the track, Roebling Road, and the car weighed 2028 lbs. that’s about 400 less than stock. I set my fastest lap time today with a 125.8.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1665273933.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1665273933.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1665273933.jpg

My son and I just starte No Man’s Sky! So far we are only a couple hours in but def enjoying it.

Very impressive, Mike! Welcome to the thread! SmileWavy

I've been busy with hurricane recovery stuff and taking care of Mom but did run by HD to pick up a new mower and some potting soil.

I've never owned a Honda mower before and finally caved in!

I'll assemble and get her going tomorrow morning.....

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1665282102.JPG

The luxury of mowing lawns with a Honda mower...

I love the sound of a Honda engine.

After years of tightening and replacing loose and lost nuts on a wobbly and dangerous garage attic pull down stairs I overhauled as follows:

Problems:

(1) Spring assembly on 35 year old stairs were severely worn such that spring arms bent inwards and springs would jump the U catch bracket on the frame for proper spring tension. FIX: Since the assembly is NLA I drilled out the large rivet holding the swivel arm to the frame and replaced with bolts washers and nuts. Now much tighter and the springs catch properly.

(2) The ladder section hinge bolt holes in the pine ladder had become severely wallowed out over time resulting in a rickey unsafe ladder with too much play in it. I have been worrying about it failing as I move heavy items. FIX: Replaced all hinge bolts with new 1/4 - 20 1" bolts and 1/4" - 20 5/16" T-nuts which required drilling out the worn holes fo the T-nuts to fit. Ladder sections are now much tighter. The section gaps and ladder play are now gone.

Now that the stairs are properly functioning and safe I like them much better than the ones I replaced with a newer aluminum set in the house with narrow treads blocked by the opening cover attached on the back of the treads. I regret replacing them now that I know how to repair the old ones.


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1665414381.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1665414381.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1665414381.jpg

Finally finished my first ding pass (on top of the corrosion resistant epoxy) on the drivers side, and shot the high fill for blocking.http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1665439740.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1665439740.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1665439740.jpg

I know Bill, right? :)

Got that sucker up and running in about 10 minutes. Hardest part was trying to loosen the oil filler cap - had to use a pair of pliers...lol....

Mowed beautifully!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1665458900.JPG

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1665458900.JPG


Hi Mark....really appreciate your post & photos more than you know! I did a little work on the one at Mom's earlier this year with the intention of continuing once it cooled off a little - so perfect timing!

I was looking at replacement stairs too, but ultimately decided that repairing what she has now would be the easiest fix.

I have some bent brackets and might just replace those as a start....but also not a fan of some of the fasteners....

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1665460056.JPG

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1665460140.JPG

As busy as I have been with repairs from the hurricane, I'm also trying to fit in other small projects to maintain a small sense of normalcy. Like touching up the palm tikis.....which was on my to-do list pre-Ian...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1665460385.JPG

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1665460385.JPG

Those are cool... does it kill the tree?

Thanks, Guy - and no it won't hurt the tree....SmileWavy

I've had a Honda mower for about 8 years. Although it runs well, it is a pig as far as weight goes.

Today's dust fest.. I started the drivers side with a stud gun and slide hammer directly following stripping and epoxy prime. Yesterday's pics showed the first full day of glazing putty from stem to stern finished with a solid coat of high build. Today was block the high build and touch up anything I missed yesterday. After that white sealer and orange epoxy primer. Todays epoxy coat will be blocked down to 320 then wetted to 400. Hopefully there will be enough left to allow the color to cover evenly. High build on the passenger side tomorrow.http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1665534718.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1665534718.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1665534718.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1665534718.jpg

Need to swap out the rear coilover springs in the Triumph for variable rate ones.
It doesn’t like me, a 200lb+ passenger and a full tank of gas - I get horrible tire rub.
It’s tight under there so I’m struggling…

My old string trimmer was getting to be really hard to start when first starting it from cold. I actually looked at the thing closely and noticed one major issue, Doh!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1665854679.jpg
The primer "bulb" had a major hole in it. It was the one the edger came with and I have had the Echo edger for about 10 years. The old bulb is obviously on the right, and the new one is on the left. So I ordered the bulb, and it only comes in a "kit" with an air filter, spark plug and even the fuel lines for about 14 bucks. OK,. the plug is old, and it sure never hurts to replace an old air filter.

Well "while I am in there" I could use a new string head. The old one really had to be whacked on the ground, and it had trouble feeding the line.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1665854679.jpg
Yea, some wear there. No wonder the string was constantly snapping off at the hole, and I had to stop and re-thread the line.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1665854679.jpg
Now how do I get the old one off? I was guessing it was a reverse thread, but YouTube to the rescue. I watch one video and the moron did say it was a reverse thread and to turn it counter clockwise. What? Lefty losey is counter-clockwise and normal. So I just took the reverse thread to heart, and used a strap wrench to get the old head to spin off. No big deal. I used the same strap wrench to put the new one on a bit snug.

Now the sting feeds with just a slight tap on the grass. I was lazy enough to just not mess with the fuel lines. It ain't broke, so why fix it? I have the rubber lines and plunk tank filter and a extra prime bulb in a baggie hanging next to the edger in the shed.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1665855672.jpg
The yard is edged and mowed and I am ready for a shower!

Paddle shifters! Nice!

I have that same mower for my smaller lawns. Great mower. Those paddles are the go pedals for self propelled. This guy I know needed money so I let him do some yard work. I showed him how the mower works and left him to it. When he was done, the lawns looked untouched. He was so intrigued with the self propelled feature he forgot the instructions to pull up on the blade activation bar after starting and just wasted gas and time. He felt really stupid and I agreed with him (in my mind). My wife said "oh well, at least the lawns got vacuumed". No they didn't! the blades are the vacuum!

Putting wood on this trailer I got for free. It had angle iron ramps going up over the wheels for a race car. Poorly done and kinda useless. I rebuilt the sides as a utility trailer. Can also fit a car i guess a jeep or something narrow. Going to paint it tomorrow and oil the wood later. Still need to run lights and make a tailgate and fenders but its slowly progressing http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1665958251.JPG

FYI, all Honda mowers sold in the USA are actually made in the USA; the Honda plant in Swepsonville, NC has a foundry and casts, machines, and assembles the engine on site. The rest of the mower is also manufactured at that plant, as well as loose engines Honda sells to other equipment manufacturers, snowblowers, mini-tillers, string trimmers, a couple of 2800w generators.

Be sure to register your mower with Honda, as this will make it easier for you and a servicing dealer if warranty repairs are ever required. More important, registering means Honda has a way to contact you (by US Mail only) in the event there's a safety recall on the mower.

https://powerequipment.honda.com/registration

Spent several hours trying to figure out if I can stuff a 12” tire with different flares on the 330.

Also, replaced the bushing/clip on the end of the transmission cable at the transmission on Ms. Rockets Tahoe.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1665968591.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1665968591.jpg

It would not start or change gears after filling up on the way home from New Orleans last night. The tow truck driver patched it up with some electrical tape to get her home.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1665968690.jpg

Bought a wheeled miter saw stand to facilitate a deck rebuild this summer but the wheels were too small and wheel base was too narrow. After dumping the saw a couple of times in transit (no saw damage thankfully) I completed several mods to safely use and move the top heavy setup.

* Changed out the 4" hard plastic wheels 7" apart with 10" pneumatic HF wheels and an 18" hand truck axle. My first attempt using 5/8" aluminum tubing, as an Amazon reviewer had done, failed. Too much weight resulted in a bent axle. Solid hand truck axle did the trick.


*Added Dewalt leg lock pin levers to make it easier to collapse the stand with the saw mounted on it.

* Built a "kick stand" that mounts to the saw table using the stock material clamps allowing temporary storage of the assembly during projects. When not in use I store the saw and stand on different shelves. Painted with Rustoleum Lagoon Blue - pretty close to Makita blue.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1667747910.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1667747910.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1667747910.jpg

One more pic - I had to resize the image to post.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1667750270.jpg

Well done!

What material is the ‘kickstand’ made of?

Makita should have done that for you for as proud they are of that tool. Nicely done. Beefy!

Thanks! The kickstand is made out of scrap PT 5/4 pine. Had fun making it. The holes were in an attempt to reduce weight which in hindsight is was immaterial relative to the weight of the saw and stand at 77lbs + 10lbs+/- for the wheels and solid steel axle

Hey Mark - another congratulatory post on your modifications - outstanding! Makes you wonder what Makita was thinking with those little plastic wheels and narrow width! Thanks for sharing - very inspirational!

Thanks Baz! And thanks for the attaboy on the attic stair repair as well!!

That is Makita's entry level/smallest miter saw stand. They make heavier duty models better suited for the more weight and transportation to job sites but I wanted the compact size for storage reasons. Now it fits my needs perfectly.