Continuing Thread: What Are You Fix-It'ing Today?

[ted]

Wow that Ram is getting a lot of attention!
How did you remove the truck bed, lots of muscle to help?
Just the RV will take all the effort you can put into it.

Originally Posted by afterburn 549

[Racerbvd]

Fixing a toilet.

[matthewb0051]

Yesterday was over 4 hours fixing the valve cartridge on a moen shower knob from the early 70's. With superceeded part numbers for 50 years it was a real treat

[Baz]

I have lifted the 8' bed on my Silverado several times when replacing the fuel pump.

8 bolts - 4 on each side, IIRC. Plus fuel filler neck and rear light wiring.

To do the fuel pump, you only need to remove the 4 on the driver side and just loosen the other 4.

I never removed it all the way although it's light enough to slide off by myself. But would really need more help to avoid damaging stuff, probably.

[Sinnedennis]

The finished rods, 1 mm shorter.

[Scott Douglas]

My wife has some older mechanical sewing machines that she uses mainly for just the straight stitch they do. That and they are fast too, when she wants to hit the full go pedal [1200 stitches per minute].
The machines have a thread holder on them that allows the thread to come off the spool and not have an preload on it. It is held up by a collapsible rod similar to an antenna on a car. The piece that attaches the thread guide to the pole is plastic and with age it has hardened and broke.
I tried a zip tie but it ain't cuttin' it.


So I decided I needed to come up with another way of fixing it.
Settled on using some coupler nuts drilled out to slip onto the pole.



Drilled out on the drill press leaving a short amount at the end for the thread guide rod hole to go thru. I'll be able to get some short set screws to help hold that in as the coupler threads are still good to go.
All that's left is breaking the rest of the plastic off the thread guide rod. The only forseeable problem might be if the thread guide swivels too much now on the pole.

[A930Rocket]

Install a CSF radiator and MSW mechanical thermostat on the 330 today. The good news is temperatures have gone down and the elusive fan is working. AC is ice cold too.

Next up is the non-operational keyless entry and windshield wipers. Both were working recently.

[john70t]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

The home owner guy was really upset at the mowing guy and mowing guy was blaming the sprinkler repair guy. In 22 years of mowing that yard, this is the first sprinkler head destroyed. The sprinkler guy just left it a little too high and not below the turf level. The mower guy should have stopped and just stepped down a little on the head to make sure it was below the mower blade.

Post of the year there.

I wish my landlord (The city @ $500/mo) would keep my place so tidy.
If it's green and higher than those bendy snappy things in the morning, I have to chop it all down.

[widebody911]

My outdoor mini-kitchen is functionally complete. It's a steel frame with 316 stainless cladding - welded it myself, for better or for worse. I started with a used BBQ drop-in that I got cheap, and then ended up getting tired of messing with it and bought a newer version of the same unit. The grill is way bigger than I'll ever actually need, but that's what happens when you design things backwards like this.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by widebody911

My outdoor mini-kitchen--snip--

Looks great, IMHO! Is that an outdoor thermometer attached to the wall upper left?

Speaking of outdoor living, I replaced a small (24") flat screen on my front deck that had succumbed to weather, I'm guessing. Even though it sits under the canopy, rain still finds it's way under there when we get certain downpours. $118 at Walmart and we're good for another fall football season!

I'm also installed oscillating fans. I have one already mounted just above and behind where I sit and for now have the other one sitting atop this Tiki. To be honest, I just sat it there to run while I was working - but after looking at it - I actually like the whole appearance of a fan on top of a Tiki, so might leave it that way. Also having a fan sit upright seems to be more efficient at it's job than the ones I have hanging.

Right now the TV gets it's signal solely from a digital antenna. I still get a lot of different stations and it's true HD, but eventually I will stick a firestick in it and stream, once I get a wifi router.

Really enjoyed the program on this morning..."Marty Stouffer's Wild America" about Polar Bears on a station called Buzzer.

BTW, that palm is called a Dypsis pembana. It's planted in the ground as all of mine are around and inside the deck. Eventually as it grows it will provide a nice canopy above the aluminum pan canopy I installed, helping to cool and add personality. It's a clumping (multiple stem/trunk) palm too so I will always have foliage underneath to whatever extent I want.

[GH85Carrera]

This is my trusty old bladed edger. It's first time use was on July 4th, 1986. So, yea, I have had it a while. It was built back when really American made quality was important.

Each wheel has a grease zerk, as does the arm that lowers the blade. It has a large fuel tank, a fuel shut off, and the air filter intake it up high by the handlebars, away from dust and dirt. For the last 36 years it has started on the first pull, and made short work of the 1/4 mile of edging I have here. Just walk along at a normal pace, and done.



Of course I still have the owner's manual. The model line started with serial number 500001 and went up from there. Mine is serial number 5000131. When I went to edge the yard a few days ago, it fired right up as usual, but it would not stay running. It just acted like a carburetor issue of choking out, or running way too rich. Of course I tried to find a carb rebuild kit, and that is like finding a brand new 4 cam Porsche engine case.

So I took the carb apart with great care. There are a few gaskets that were all in good shape actually. Some surface dirt, and just a layer of dirt on the bottom of the float bowl. The float is made of brass, and has no leaks. I soaked the parts in my chem dip carb cleaner for a full 24 hours. I wiped down and inspected the jets, and all look OK.

It fires up and continues to run, but a little bit rich.

I have only ever used 100% real gasoline, no ethanol, but my yard equipment gas does all have Stabil in it. When I am done with it, I always shut the fuel off, and let it run out of gas in the carb. I change the oil evey couple of years.

I really need to pressure wash it to clean up the decades of oil oil and grease, but I think of it as patina and rust prevention!

[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by widebody911

My outdoor mini-kitchen is functionally complete

Nice setup Mr Wide!

[A930Rocket]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

This is my trusty old bladed edger. It's first time use was on July 4th, 1986. So, yea, I have had it a while. It was built back when really American made quality was important.

Each wheel has a grease zerk, as does the arm that lowers the blade. It has a large fuel tank, a fuel shut off, and the air filter intake it up high by the handlebars, away from dust and dirt. For the last 36 years it has started on the first pull, and made short work of the 1/4 mile of edging I have here. Just walk along at a normal pace, and done.



Of course I still have the owner's manual. The model line started with serial number 500001 and went up from there. Mine is serial number 5000131. When I went to edge the yard a few days ago, it fired right up as usual, but it would not stay running. It just acted like a carburetor issue of choking out, or running way too rich. Of course I tried to find a carb rebuild kit, and that is like finding a brand new 4 cam Porsche engine case.

So I took the carb apart with great care. There are a few gaskets that were all in good shape actually. Some surface dirt, and just a layer of dirt on the bottom of the float bowl. The float is made of brass, and has no leaks. I soaked the parts in my chem dip carb cleaner for a full 24 hours. I wiped down and inspected the jets, and all look OK.

It fires up and continues to run, but a little bit rich.

I have only ever used 100% real gasoline, no ethanol, but my yard equipment gas does all have Stabil in it. When I am done with it, I always shut the fuel off, and let it run out of gas in the carb. I change the oil evey couple of years.

I really need to pressure wash it to clean up the decades of oil oil and grease, but I think of it as patina and rust prevention!

That looks just like the McLean edger we had forever. It had a red engine with a yellow frame. We only got rid of it after 30 years, because we moved to a townhome.

[pwd72s]

Anyway, what I really did was this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAIXiCDuEWI&ab_channel=HouseImprovements

But of course, it sure wasn't as easy for me as it was for the young and fit guy in the video...My unit not built at all like the one demonstrated. Had to remove the side coverings in order to remove the top piece & fan. Had to jury rig a resting place for said top piece. had to deal with rusty screws (Good old PB blaster). Had to kneel and lay on gravel to remove said screws...searching for a dropped screw. Thankful that all screws the same size, used a 1/4" nut driver. Actually, the shop vac, spray & rinse part went pretty easy...the reassembly not so much so, with holes not wanting to line up. With the aid of a straight pick, I got her done...only this time I had to lay and kneel on wet & muddy ground to install said screws. This while clearance hampered because of shrubs planted nearby. About 3 1/2 hours after I started, finally everything back together.

The bonus? When I plugged the power back in, the unit started working a TON quieter than it ever has. I didn't lubricate anything, the fan has a sealed bearing. Don't know why it's so much quieter, but it is. Only thing I can think of is maybe I (pure luck) lined the pieces up better than they were before.

[mthomas58]

I bought this nicely engineered lift to remove my Jeep hard top several years ago when it was only operated manually. They have since introduced a motorized kit that I've had my eye on. Pulled the trigger on it and installed it yesterday.






In keeping with my project motto that "anything worth doing is worth overdoing" I modified the kits open top metal motorcycle battery box by enclosing it in a plastic battery box and added a green LED voltage meter and green LED on/off switch matching the color of the lift.



When not in use, the top can be stored on the lift suspended above the hood thereby taking up no additional floor space in the garage.

[Baz]

I just placed an order for this product to use in treating some metal/wire hanging baskets I intend on using this week to plant some of my Bromeliads in.

There are about 8 baskets which I have had for many years in storage - overall in good nick - but do have some slight surface rust here and there.

I'm just trying to both treat the existing rust plus provide for some corrosion proofing long term.

[A930Rocket]

We’ll see how much I get done this weekend. I’ve got a new DME with a lot of electronics deleted and an oil cooler to install.

[ted]

In 2018 at Long Beach the snout broke off the crank on the 10 car.
Installed a New 23 degree 358 and everything possible refreshed and ready to race Wednesday at Laguna Seca Reunion.
8 new slicks and 30 period correct IMSA GTO cars to race for 4 days.


This is what it sounds like when the snout breaks off and the engine spins and the valve train stop moving.

[dad911]

Fixed my son's 2015 Subaru Forrester A/C. Clutch releasing after about 10 miles, service said he needed a new compressor. Found a youtube video that showed how to measure the clutch gap and adjust (remove) shim. Worked like a charm, and only took about 20 minutes.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by dad911

Fixed my son's 2015 Subaru Forrester A/C. Clutch releasing after about 10 miles, service said he needed a new compressor. Found a youtube video that showed how to measure the clutch gap and adjust (remove) shim. Worked like a charm, and only took about 20 minutes.

Noice!

You Tube has saved my bacon more times than I can remember!