Small victories…. I embrace them!

Me and a friend have taken over the maintenance of 4 old fire trucks for our local club the Northern Historical Power Association.

First up is a 1952 IH chassis truck braking system. We disassembled the front drums, brakes, wheel cylinders, soft lines, hard lines, and master cylinder. Didn't break a bolt or fitting so were calling that a win!

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This really shouldn't be limited to 'wrenching' on rolling stock. The repair business offers a lot of gratification. It's still twisting tools for a good part of it. I like to see broken stuff become whole again.

Agree with above. When we lived in VA, my wife called our washing machine Lazarus because I raised it from the dead so many times. Lots of gratification in problem solving.

All day every day for the last 35 + years, yet I still find zen at my home garage , or tinkering with my personal projects .
Ill be staying late tonight to finish sandblasting the front suspension components for my SC.
No better feeling than having a bunch of shiny parts laid out on the workbench ready to install
I even enjoy a lot of my day to day work, but most of it has just become a grind .

Me to. It's a good feeling to salvage something useful. Also, I maybe do it as a protest against our disposable society. I really HATE to throw things away.

This extends to food. After we've harvested all we need out of our garden we open it up to friends, family, friends of family - basically anyone who can use the surplus food.

I do everything I can NOT to take any purchases home in a plastic bag. I hate throwing those things away.

I have a lifetime's worth of junk laying around here that other people would have pitched, but I'm hanging on to it against the off chance I ever have time to repair it.

After we sold our Z-3 I had an air filter left on the shelf. It would have been easy for some people to throw it out, but I couldn't do it. I found someone who could use it and took the time to mail it out to them, just so it wouldn't go to waste.

Yea, the waste is so overwhelming, and I hate it.

I go to a local small grocery store regularly for bananas, milk, cheese, and a few other items. The checkers are drilled to put everything into a paper bag. I always tell them I don't need a bag for a bunch of bananas and a loaf of bread. The new employees are drilled over and over to put everything in a bag. I tell them it is OK, I don't need a bag. They get fear in their eyes knowing if the manager sees a customer with no bag they will get in trouble. I tell them the manager knows me, and don't worry. When I do have enough stuff to need a paper bag, I use them. At home, we keep the old bags in a box, and when that gets full, we take them to a place that uses them in their charity. They have a large plastic bin that is waterproof, so we can dump them off when the parking lot is empty because they are closed.

1974 I bought a 69 Opel GT while in high school. Downdraft Solex I think. Found one of the four mounting bolts were missing because the corner of the intake manifold carb base was broken off. Idle was higher than it should have been.

Pulled the intake manifold off at a snails pace. Scared to death. Drove it down to the Buick dealer in Franklin, PA and met the Opel mechanic. He went to a pile out back of Opel engine parts and pulled out a manifold and said $20. I said here you go and he said, "No, pay in there". Paid at the cash register and told the lady how much the part was.

Installed it and it idled normal. I was Batman.

Mentioning it because it was the first real repair I performed and it had a huge impact on how I viewed cars for the rest of my life. Meaning they are not necessarily a can of worms.

I’ve been working on the 58 ford F100 and getting quite a bit done. Pulled the instrument cluster out and reconditioned it, repaired glovebox, ashtray, new flat glass for vent windows and doors and working on the rats nest of 60 year old original and hack wiring job. Finally got it started and smokes like hell. Engine may need rebuild but a winter project. Very satisfying working with SAE wrenches and sockets again. Work on it at my leisure a few hours a day, no pressure. Generator rebuild next. Parts are available and not to expensive, but shipping is a killer. Been fun so far. Don’t miss the Porsches I had over the years at all..

The biggest problem I have: "Too many projects stored in my head for later". :(

My stepper foot industrial sewing machine that I built from scratch. The head, motor and marine ply were bought new but everything else is found materials. The go pedal is an old bass drum pedal that had been collecting dust for decades. I saved about $400 doing it this way. Not entirely happy so I may rebuild it at some point.

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It is rare to see a pro wrench who still wrenches at home, for fun
You're a rare breed! Hats off

Yesterday I decided to do a fuel filter change on the Duramax . Awkward to get to and difficult to get any torque to break free the filter . I heard/felt something snap/tear in my left elbow 😩 . I knew right away that wasn't a good sound .

Finished the task and then did an oil and filter change . Completed that with no issues . Rewarding ? Yes . Painful ? Unfortunately yes . Probably will hurt for a week or two .

When reinstalling the transmission in my Subaru I destroyed my wrist. Had to take a couple days off just so I could use it again. It’s been a couple of months now and it’s finally feeling normal.

How's the elbow feeling today?

Better thanks for asking . Between aspirin and Ben Gay it's much better . Range of motion is pain free , twisting motion still painful but not as bad as it was . I ordered a filter wrench that is due to arrive today . If it works as expected the loosening of the filter in the future will be easy .

My greatest gratification is fabrication. Riding across country the kickstand bolt fell out in South Dakota. I even know exactly where but thought I had run over a rock at an intersecton. It would have been easier to get a new factory bolt or one of the cool flat Nichols bolts but those are NLA and not being made anymore. So I decided to make my own. Thread in the kickstand mount is M12 x 1.25, fine thread, which is coincidentally the same as a 911 flywheel bolt.

Kickstand off the bik
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Clean up with flywheel bolt
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Will need a bushing
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Mount media blasted, ready for the tumbler
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The spring mechanism was plated with black zinc chromate. Stripped that and tumbled those
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These thick washers from McMaster Carr were the perfect diameter.
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Just needed to cut the bolt head down on the lathe and then pressfit them together with the press
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Test fit here. I froze the bolt and heated the washer up to 450ºF
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Even frozen and expanded, it took a lot of force to press the bolt into the washer. They are definitely one with each other.
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Top and underside surfaces cut down on the lathe
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Nearly finished. Got the sleeve bushing and light duty thrust bearings from McMaster Carr.

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On the bike, I also got some 10mm 6061 rod and made a proper "through-bolt" with yellow cadmium hardware vs. the rusty Home Depot threaded rod that was in the bike.

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I had a buddy that could fabricate. Not as good as you but I realized it’s a gift. You guys see things most people can’t see!!

Had a call from a friend stuck in a parking lot with a no start issue. Jumped the car and it started fine. Some snafu with the key fob and it shut off. Tried to jump it again, and nada.

Had to pull the front tire and plastic bits out to get to the battery. Before killing myself trying to disconnect it and pull it out, I checked the terminals. Sure nuff they're loose.

Tighten them up and zoom. Fired right up. Put it back together and enjoyed a cold beverage. Good day.