What are you doing today? [Part II]

[Sparky]

Bought a load of outlets switches n such to replace every darn one in the house. Many outlets are loose, a couple don't even work right, some mismatched colors or plates or painted over crap, and frankly the old ivory color looks absolutely terrible. Upgrading most of the house to TR sockets so we don't need to use those annoying safety plug in things that kill your fingers to remove.

 

[BrianF]

I went out and retorqued the trans pan bolts on my 3500. All took a bit to snug up.

I then put some silicone grease in the empty connectors, then bagged and taped them up. When you delete, all the sensors and shite are removed from the exhaust, so I like the idea of protecting whats left in case I return to stock. I then went through the old exhaust and stored it. It was heavy as f. The scr was the bulkier but the picture of the dpf substrate shows how fine it is and that is obviously a big restriction in flow.

 

[BrianF]

Did a big day trip today. Crimetown for lunch and a swim and then off to saskatoon to see our arab stallion in the arena. His performance training is really paying off. He has such a good mind that even my girls had a ride.

440km round trip, 75mph highway speeds and plenty of city driving. Averaged 17.7mpg on winter blend. This is an improvement as I don't think we ever bested 16mpg on similar trips. Seems like the delete does return some savings...... kind of....

 

[christo829]

Heading back over to my aunt's house to try to figure out why the basement keeps flooding. I'm trying to get the house ready to sell, but want it to be safely livable first. Went over yesterday, and was greeted by about 2" of standing water in the basement. Had to call in ServPro to get the water out.

I suspect the downspouts are clogged underground, so it just dumps water right next to the foundation, where it bubbles up from the french drain around the slab. It doesn't help that it's already prone to moisture and always has been. The sump pump was trying, but not able to keep up.

So, today I'm heading over to home despot to get some downspout diverters to temporarily bypass the buried pipes and see if that cuts down on the amount of water accumulating there.
If I have time, filling up the trash bin yet again, but my back may have other ideas there...

The upside? It's making it easier to throw stuff out. Too bad some of that I had planned on trying to keep, (but I already have enough stuff), and a couple of those things were old trunks and my uncle's pool tablev that I really liked.

 

[Blckshdw]

lemme see, now that gremlin has to be in here somewhere!



Last Thursday, the cooling fan started to get noisy. Since I just upgraded the big box, can't afford a new laptop, so ordered a $10 replacement fan Friday that should get here in an hour or so.

This morning the fan's noises changed, from 'stressed', to verge of death. It would nearly stop and then spin up again to idle speed. No longer increasing speed when the CPU load increased. Time to shut it down!

It's almost 8 years old and I leave it on 24/7, so hoping it's just the fan motor, and not the pwm controller on the motherboard. (that was the issue with my PS3 back in the day) got all the screws sorted and labeled, so hopefully will be back to normal after lunch.

 

[Mooseman]

Weather warming up so I wanted to get some riding time in, possibly for the last time this season. But looks like it won't happen as I found a puddle of oil under the sled. So gotta get it in the garage and see where it's coming from. Now I know where my oil has been going, taking about a liter every 2-300km. Today is already +6c and tomorrow, +12c and showers. Sledding in the rain blows even if the trails are open.

 

[Mooseman]

Didn't find where it's engine leaking oil however I have found that a bolt came loose inside my chain case and ground a hole through the cover. Oil wasn't coming out there however this could cause more damage. The bolt has damaged threads as well as possibly inside the shaft. There was aluminum sludge at the bottom when I drained the oil, which I never saw on the dipstick since it would sink to the bottom at rest, which is when I would check it.

So my season is over as I foresee the trails getting closed down likely tomorrow or Wed. Thinking I'll patch the hole with JB Weld and see if I can just replace the bolt. There was a circlip that was supposed to retain the bolt and prevent what happened when loose but it's destroyed.

 

[BrianF]

Ya I want to sled but.... we had some warm weather. The snow is rock hard, well what's left. Now we are back to -18c tonight and no snow in the forecast.

My wife found a pair of 1979 Kawasaki Drifters. A 340 and 440, both fan cooled. Looked in decent shape and cheap. Sold before we got a chance to call. Oh well. Next time.

 

[littleblazer]

Building a posi for the 67...

 

[Matt]

First day of vacation, we leave for warmer climes on Saturday.

 

[Mooseman]

Yeah, we're done here too. Trails are closed so fixing the sled now is a moot point. I'll wait until it warms up a bit to fix it. The garage is not well heated and the concrete floor freezes my feet fast.



Did about 1200km this season, which is double from last year. Now I want all this crap to melt fast so I can get going on the summer stuff

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Bout to take kids to FL tonight for bit over a week. Need some time off and the beach house should be nice.

 

[TJBaker57]

Well this was an ordeal!

Yesterday/last night got around to seeing if I could get my Bose 6 disc from the 02 working. A good pick set or two would have helped for resetting springs. Lacking that I had to thread single strands of light gauge copper wire through spring ends to then use to pull them into position from outside the case! Better eyesight would be helpful also but that ship sailed long ago.

Synchronizing operations of two sections which had geared mechanisms was a time consuming event. Needed to turn the gears on each section to figure out what their function was and how they must go back together so that it worked.

Thus far I have only loaded 2 CDs but it works at least that far!

New video by Thomas J Baker

photos.app.goo.gl

 

[TollKeeper]

Think I would have bought a new one. They are 15-50 bucks depending on generation.

 

[Mooseman]

The question is... you're still using CDs? That is so 2000's

 

[TJBaker57]

Think I would have bought a new one. They are 15-50 bucks depending on generation.

I like to think of myself as one who repairs things! I like the challenge, plus I like to keep things as original as possible. Been watching each trip to the yard but haven't come across any 6 disc Bose units.

 

[TJBaker57]

The question is... you're still using CDs? That is so 2000's

I think I only have maybe just enough to fill that changer!!! And the store bought ones are from the 80s!!!

 

[BrianF]

Since spring is somehow in the air out this way, the weather has been nice. Came home yesterday and today from work to see the kids out riding. We went for a rip down the road with the quad, the kids on their bikes and the dogs. Then took the kids out for a rip through the slush and mud. Lots of fun!!

 

[Blckshdw]

Continuation of a little misadventure from yesterday. On my lunch break Thursday, decided to step outside for some fresh air. Walked around the property to check on things, got around to one side of the house and noticed some smudges on the wall, above where the fence met the house Get closer, couldn't tell what caused it. Look up and the soffit screen I had stapled in place showed some damage. On closer inspection there were a few rips and small holes, like something was jumping up and trying to chew holes in it.

I was planning to put aluminum soffits up this fall when I painted the house, but that timeline got fast tracked to the top of the list. Since the overnight temps were in the 60's, slept with the windows open. Woke up in the middle of the night, hearing the distinctive squeaks of rats in the brush by the pond. So that made me paranoid, and every little sound woke me up. No further damage the next morning though. On today's lunch break, hit the hardware store and bought a couple 8' long aluminum vent covers, some stainless screws, and JB weld for the EXT's LP pocket.

Tore down the screen material from that eave on the side of the house, and put up the aluminum piece. Perfect length didn't need to be cut or trimmed. The other side of the house will be next. That will be more involved as I'll have to notch it to accommodate conduit and cables. The peace of mind will be worth it, not trying to deal with critters again.

 

[xavierny25]

Hey guys! Yes, I'm still here. Lol
The house has definitely been keeping me busy though. The wife and I have picked out crown, base and door moldings and I've slowly been getting things done. We also decided to go with a feature wall in the dining room just to bring some kind of focal point to that area instead some bland flat painted walls.

The fireplace is still a work in progress since it will house the receiver and a bunch of other stuff. I havent closed it off just yet since I still have to run wires to that location in the mantel. I did however get in wall speakers as well as the overhead center speaker.

I've also been thinking about the pool and I'm trying to figure out how to tackle it. @littleblazer I know your the pool guy around here as well as @Mooseman so I'll probably shoot you guys a pm with some questions. I've been doing some research on utube but still very unsure of what I'd need and whats it all going to cost to maintain.


As for the ceiling I did the corners and went around scraping down the popcorn and doing a first coat of compound. That was in prep to get the crown up. This past weekend I tackled the first coat on the both area's of the living and dining room.

The finished dining room wall will look something like this.

 

[Blckshdw]

What am I doing today, besides work? Well thanks to @xavierny25 I'm looking up at my popcorn ceiling in disgust.

 

[littleblazer]

Hey guys! Yes, I'm still here. Lol
The house has definitely been keeping me busy though. The wife and I have picked out crown, base and door moldings and I've slowly been getting things done. We also decided to go with a feature wall in the dining room just to bring some kind of focal point to that area instead some bland flat painted walls.

The fireplace is still a work in progress since it will house the receiver and a bunch of other stuff. I havent closed it off just yet since I still have to run wires to that location in the mantel. I did however get in wall speakers as well as the overhead center speaker.

I've also been thinking about the pool and I'm trying to figure out how to tackle it. @littleblazer I know your the pool guy around here as well as @Mooseman so I'll probably shoot you guys a pm with some questions. I've been doing some research on utube but still very unsure of what I'd need and whats it all going to cost to maintain.View attachment 99972
View attachment 99973
View attachment 99974
As for the ceiling I did the corners and went around scraping down the popcorn and doing a first coat of compound. That was in prep to get the crown up. This past weekend I tackled the first coat on the both area's of the living and dining room.View attachment 99976

The finished dining room wall will look something like this. View attachment 99975

Nice work. And you still have my number lol. Just shoot me a text lol. How bad could it be. (Famous last words.)

Job has been nice. They already put me on the long week short week schedule so I worked yesterday 6-6 and now I go back Wednesday and Thursday for the same time then the long week is Monday Tuesday Friday Saturday then it flops back again. It's pretty nice actually.

Today I am waxing the boat.

 

[BrianF]

Just rolled into days off. Farrier today, kids orthodontist tomorrow and then some yard work... possibly.

Other than that, found these guys the other day at the end of the driveway.

 

[Mooseman]

What am I doing today, besides work? Well thanks to @xavierny25 I'm looking up at my popcorn ceiling in disgust.

Great! Just great! Made me look at mine. I've got it everywhere except the kitchen/dining room where it's sponge swirls, which aren't that good looking neither. I'm not saying it out loud or the wife will dump another project on me .

 

[BrianF]

Put a few miles on the quad with the kids once the farrier left. Looks like some nasty weather is on the way so time to drink it in.

 

[xavierny25]

Got my new Klein RJ45 crimper in the mail over the weekend and put it to the test today.
I had a similar kit years ago and I can't remember who had borrowed it and didn't bring it back. Its definitely going to get broken in as I have to run multiple lines for my whole home audio system. Each room will have a dedicated wall control pad to select sources as well as the volume of speaker or speakers in that room. The cables have to route from the bedrooms to the attic and down to the basement where the receiver will be. Luckily I located where I can do all this the easy way. More to follow, along with all the other work/upgrades in progress on the house.

 

[Redbeard]

Drove about 20 miles south to a Walmart (funny thing there is that there are 3 walmart's within a 3 mile radius of my house. 2 super Walmarts and one neighborhood Walmart grocery store) that had Covid19 shots available for the mrs. & myself. First shot done and next one in four weeks. And auto zone sent me a calendar for 2021 which I was able to write the appointment down on I have been to cheap to purchase a calendar for this year so it was much appreciated.

 

[BrianF]

After lunch I used the quadivator to drag the arena and round pen. The footing is very nice for the horses and we have a 4H ride planned for this upcoming weekend at our place.

As the light snow storm blew in I decided to do some upkeep on the quad. Did the front hubs again, which certainly needed it. As you can see by the color, that was ATF and some remnants of old hub oil coming out.

The hubs are easy, quite a simple design. Remove the fill plug, pop the end cap off to drain it. Then fill the hub, clock it to 4pm and drain out extra.

Now the front diff is another story. It takes 5oz of gear oil but as the manual says, no easy way to check, just drain and fill. Took over an hour to rip down the steering, move a coolant hose, figure out how to fill through a tiny fill hole and get it done. Only made a tiny mess.

 

[Redbeard]

It takes 5oz of gear oil but as the manual says, no easy way to check, just drain and fill. Took over an hour to rip down the steering, move a coolant hose, figure out how to fill through a tiny fill hole and get it done.

Something I have done to fill this is use an "old fashioned oil can" and pump the lubricant in. The newer cans even have a flexible snout on them to make difficult areas much easier.
Similar to this thinking:

 

[Matt]

Just soaking up the sun and playing golf.

 

[NJTB]

Finally got my first Covid shot.

 

[BrianF]

Redbeard, I like that idea a lot!!

Yesterday, since it was cold and miserable out, I did some more work on the quad.

Did a drain and fill on the transmission, changed the plug and greased a few more spots.

The transmission is easy, both plugs are easy to access and filling only requires a small funnel. The ATF
that came out was dark and the magnetic drain plug had the usual unsavory deposits.

The plug was way over due. The small engine shop only had the B&S cross, not like I care. Manual specs 0.028" and the old plug was damn near 0.060". She runs damn good now!!

 

[BrianF]

Worked on my quadivator today since it still refuses to warm up. I cut off the butchered mess of wire they grafted on and spliced in some fresh stuff with heat shrink butt connectors and then more heat shrink. There was no switch, just some mashed up wire ends so I crimped on some eyelets to make contact with the positive and negative terminals at the ass end of the quad. Works great now.

The old tubeless turf tires were shot and the wheels were all but rusted on. One came off easy enough, the other needed the cotter pin sheared off and a sledge to persuade the wheel off. Drilled out the pin and then plopped on a set of run flat Carlisle run flats.

We bought the thing cheap as a project and glad we did. The tires were 60 bucks and a couple of bucks for the connectors and crap. It really does a great job on the arena and not too much for our quad either.

 

[Matt]

Packing to go back to NE Ohio tomorrow, unfortunately.

 

[Blckshdw]

It was time to renew my registration on the EXT, and since I decided to go from a sports team plate to a regular one (save a few $$$ each year) I had to go into the DMV. I always have tons of PTO stored up, so I took the whole day off to have a long weekend.

Had a 9am appointment, so gathered all my stuff, snagged the drill and went to toss it in the back. Lifted the lift gate handle, and nothing. Took me a minute to realize it, but when I put the LP pocket back in, I forgot to reconnect the linkage before putting the panels back on! Got my new plate, and hit the grocery store on the way home, back seat for everything, but it wasn't too inconvenient.

Crawled into the cargo area, and tried to release the lift gate through the access hole, but that wasn't working. Started pulling the panel off, but of course the part around the latch can't come off with the thing shut. So had to reach down over the top of the panel and fumble around to find the linkage, before my knees started complaining, cuz I didn't grab a flashlight first. Got the gate open, panel off and linkage reconnected. Did break off one of the panel clips in the process

Now relaxing, and thinking what I want to do for lunch. Leaning towards tossing a pizza in the oven... Decision, decisions...

 

[Mooseman]

Fighting with city hall to get a building permit for a garage. Last year, I first tried to apply but was told that the plans I had were too old and didn't comply with the current building code. It's a used steel building I bought that came with its original plans from 2012. Contacted the company and got a new set of plans, which set me back $2500. They were exactly the same as the old ones except these say they are compliant to current code. So off I go to city hall again to resubmit a couple of weeks ago. Last week, receive a first email asking to indicate location of the septic tank, septic field and the water well. Distances are fine as far as regs are concerned. Second one they wanted some sort of certification for the engineer (?). I had one more document that I scanned and sent them. Then a third saying that my application is deferred because the garage with my existing house would cover more than 15% of the property. WTF? The house already covers more than 15%. And I'm also not allowed more than 2 buildings. I also have a pool shed and an old gazebo that's not on a concrete bed so I'm not mentioning that one to them. I can apply for a minor code variance however I have to go through a bunch of hoops and pay the city another $2800 that's not refundable and not guaranteed to be approved, on top of the $129 I already paid.

And to add insult to injury, I wasn't getting any responses because my emails were being blocked by their spam filter . So I have to use my GMail account and resent everything.


All I want is a garage

 

[BrianF]

My girls rode some horses today after chores. My 10 year old got tossed but thankfully she was ok. She finished off back in the saddle and all is well.

After we went for a quad ride. It wasn't warm today so the snow drifts were pretty crusted over so we tried a few. Of course we got stuck about 2 miles from home. Broke through with just my weight in a real narrow part of the road. Meh, some strategic snow removal, jimmying the ass end a bit and some judicious throttle application and we were back in action. Saw a couple deer and my girls admired the beautiful sunset over the valley.

 

[Sparky]

Darn you and your house projects, I keep looking at my sponge ceilings and really hate them but doing that many ceilings.... I'd be tempted to just put new drywall up instead of scraping it all! Then we could do some ceiling lighting etc too...

What a mess that would be.

 

[xavierny25]

Over the last two days off from work did some more work on the living and dining room ceiling.
Previous owner thought it was a good idea to cut into the floor joist to install his high hats to be on center with the bay window. My bedroom is just above that and thats my side of the bed. What a D-bag, so I had to sister up these joist with some 2×6's and get them closed up.

The skim coat and sanding is about done except those three spots. So I'll be ready to primer and paint next weekend. I'll get some more pic's up for you guys when I get home from my regular 9-5 today.

 

[Mooseman]

Rain day so not much going on. Putting away the sledding gear until next season.