Here's how I am spending my time in quarantine.

jmonica

Original poster
Member
Apr 2, 2013
384
Hamburg, NJ
Hey Everyone... I spent the better part of last night rebuilding my rear window wiper motor. It actually worked! I was going to post a few of the other "Projects" I've been tinkering with while I "work" from home, but then realized that 1) I'm sure that nobody cares and 2) That I better not post pics of my other non Envoy related projects in the other forum section because I don't want Mooseman cracking down on me and squishing me like a bug with his corporate boot heal. And so I ended up here to share what I did yesterday.

Toolbox organization. Attempting to really do the entire box the right way once and for all, and i didn't realize how much planning and work I'd need to put into it to get everything right. Here's a pic of insert for my socket drawer. Obviously I have a lot of holes to fill, but all in good time.

Sockets_Org_3.JPG

While I was doing this I had decided I was going to breakdown and buy myself at least one good set of wrenches. Started researching SnapOp,Proto, BluePoint, Tekton, MAC, Wera etc.. and soon realized I would not be buying a whole set of any of those at this time. I expected them to be expensive but come on. A single 3/8" Snap-On socket for $24? Bite me.
So instead I decided I was just going to start by buying a few good wrenches and begin by just buying the sizes that i use the most and go from there. And so the pic of that Black 10mm wrench is the result. It's a Proto brand and so far it feels and work great.
Proto Wrench 10mm.jpg

A while back I was pressing in a driveshaft u-joint in using my vise. I've had the vise for 4 or 5 years but have only used it a few times. It was a Grizzly brand. Using only my limited arm strength, the center shaft of the vise broke. See the pic of the red one. I called Grizzly and they had no interest in helping me. Oh well they would sell me the replacement part for $65. That part that broke in my opinion should last a lifetime... Do not buy Grizzly vises. They suck and so does the company when you have a problem with one of the inferior chinese tools.


Fast Fwd 3 weeks.... I went buy a garage sale a couple of weeks ago and just as i was passing I saw the gray rusted vise in the pic. Craftsman brand. I'll take it! Did some rust removal some media blasting, prime and paint and the Orange jack photo is the result. I am NOT happy with the paint job at all. I love the color but not the quality of my cleanup and spray.
Red_vise Broken.jpgDIrty VIse1.jpgDIrty VIse2.jpgDIrty VIse3.jpg




So now back to the garage to install a 4 channel amp and some new rear door speakers. Anyone else using this downtime to tinker on anything good? Stay healthy everyone!
 

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Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,262
Ottawa, ON
That I better not post pics of my other non Envoy related projects in the other forum section because I don't want Mooseman cracking down on me and squishing me like a bug with his corporate boot heal.

What the hell? I'm no brand nazi or neither are any of us, unless you're talking about Ferd because they Farking Only Run Downhill (just kidding!). We don't care if you talk about other brands or heck, other modes of transportation. Me and @BrianF talk about sleds, some talk about computers and guns, we even have members that own other brands and still hang around. Just don't walk in and say that Ferds rule, which we all know is a lie! :laugh:
 

jmonica

Original poster
Member
Apr 2, 2013
384
Hamburg, NJ
Hi, I know I hope you know that I was joking. I just felt weird talking about vises and tool organizing in the Technical forum which is where I was going to post pics of the rebuild of the rear wiper motor.

So are you guys under lock down up there as well? I hope you and your family are all healthy and staying safe!

Oh and BTW... I'd never want to be FOUND On the ROAD DEAD, which is why I am a Chevy guy until the day I die! One exception might be if someone wanted to give me one of those 760HP GT 500's they just came out with. Ehh I'd probably just yank the motor and put it in a Camaro anyway. :smile:
 

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,262
Ottawa, ON
So are you guys under lock down up there as well? I hope you and your family are all healthy and staying safe!

Yep, we're in isolation, pretty much everything is closed, same as most of the US, but we've been at it for 2+ weeks. Wife's been working from home, son that lives with us has been laid off, other son with family has also been laid off. I'm retired however I'm a police reservist. Scheduled next week for a couple shifts and will be doing so from then on. Expecting a total shit show by then and that we'll be asked to help out more.
 

northcreek

Member
Jan 15, 2012
3,310
WNY
Thanks. I can relate. I'v been getting the cleaning bug on a daily basis and once I get going i don't want to stop!
I've enacted my 5 yr. plan.....going through all my stuff and if I haven't used it in five years I'll chuck-it or ebay-it. This is freeing up a lot of space and if I need something later that I got rid of, I'll just buy it.
 

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,262
Ottawa, ON
But not tools right? Because, you never know!
 

Drec

Lifetime VIP Donor
Supporting Donor
Member
Jan 29, 2018
216
Yakima, Washington
One of the downsides of being retired, everyday is a work day in the shop, unless my wife wants me to take a day off and do something for her.

A couple of weeks ago I bought a 1998 K1500. The front seat adjuster wouldn’t work, so I pulled the seat out and took the track all apart. There were these little cages that held a couple of ball bearings that stabilized one of the tracks inside of the other one. These were all bent and and a couple of the ball bearings were missing. I spent a number of hours trying to get these cages to work inside of the tracks. So over a couple of days the seat was taken apart more than a couple of times. After working on the seat for a couple of days, it’s back in the truck and working good. Wow, what I thought was going to be a simple job turned into something else. After the world gets better, I might look for a replacement seat track.

Now I’m back to working on my other projects; which I shouldn’t run out of for a long long time.
 

Reprise

Lifetime VIP Donor
Supporting Donor
Member
Jul 22, 2015
2,724
But not tools right? Because, you never know!

I think I'd throw away clothes & food (& TP!) before I threw a (working) tool away... :biggrin:
 

Mounce

Member
Mar 29, 2014
13,667
Tuscaloosa, AL
Looking good. Quarantine has forced me to clean almost everything in my house/garage....I am running out of things to make spic and span :2thumbsup:
Been eyeballing your website with anticipation of this relief check coming in. I'm lucky enough to have an 'essential' job so I still have income, albeit lowered without usual 10/hr of overtime, but unless we get shut down the relief check will just be a bonus. Feeling a tune for my truck coming on...

Meanwhile during the 'quarantine' with my lack of overtime, I get 3 days off a week and as some have seen I've been working on our old tractor to get it running again. Currently have the injection pump torn down waiting on parts to come in the mail. Otherwise I'm pretty much done with the disassembly and have ran out of fun things to do. Will have plenty of work to do once the tractor is running again. Driveway needs a day or two of grading to get it in shape for some new gravel and the land needs a good bush hogging.
 

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