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What did you do "IN" your garage today?

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PassnThru

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 5, 2010
Messages
6,512
Location
Bowling Green KY
Worked on the ramps I built a few months ago for oil changes. While they have been very useful - the usual scenario is that I'm guiding them on while my wife or one of the kids are driving. It can be tricky to get up them without going over - to their credit they have not overshot them yet - but better safe than sorry. So I'm trying to make them easier to climb and harder to overshoot.
Took the belt sander to the bottom board - gave it more of a curve rather than a 45. Will hit the upper board also but the rain moved in so not today. To help with the second step I wanted to add another 3/4" step so it would be easier to roll up. Problem is I have 4 different cars with wildly different tire sizes so I wasn't sure where it needed to start. Also, I like the fact that currently the ramps nestle together so they are only 6 inches thick and no longer than one ramp. Adding an interim step was going to kill that. So I decided to make it removable and adjustable. I plan to add an adjustable and removable backstop as well. The adjustable part probably won't really matter in the end but it wasn't that much more work since they are removable - just a few extra holes to drill.Ramps 2.jpg
 

KwikFab

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 27, 2024
Messages
1,211
Location
Central Valley, CA
A few things; my garage is in shambles until I figure a few things out so where to start.

I performed 3 test cuts with the new machine torch on the table. The first test was omitted as it was used to figure out my kerf width. The second test is shown here.

Per CAD, the dimensions are 2" x 2" with a 0.625" hole to match the pattern on my fixture table.

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Actual dimensions varied for an average of .003" from the CAD design.

20240911_120925.jpg

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Seeing as how there was a bit of beveling on the top edge, I dismantled the entire mount a few times and remounted my torch. Trying to get it perfectly square with so many moving parts can get pretty tough with a bad back.

Shortly after, my second fixture table arrived. Fortunately, my other welding table sold within hours of posting.

The old table.

20240911_161947.jpg

The new one (it's the brown one as it came in super dirty with surface rust).

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Some WD40 and a few scotch brite pads and it was looking a hundred times better.

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Having received a small, partial refund (it was REALLY bad in person) I decided to spend that money on a bolt kit so I should be able to bolt the two fixtures together next week.

First table has a 5-6" total length where a .011" shim slides underneath the straight edge. After that, it fits nowhere else and it does not allow a .012" to slide anywhere underneath the straight edge.

Second table has a 2-3" total length where a .008" shim slides underneath the straight edge. Trying to get a .009" to slide anywhere else proves to be unsuccessful.

More than flat enough for me!

For the meanwhile, ignore the feet and caster combination. Two feet (closest to the air dryer) will be removed once the fixtures are bolted together. On the opposing end, I will have casters on both feet for a total of six feet all with leveling casters on them.
 

GrayFlattop

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 18, 2018
Messages
1,051
Location
Chicago
You know when you go into the garage and”that smell” hits you, you have a glue board that did the job. Held my nose and pitched the glue board, replacing it with a fresh one. Damn, I hate mice. Then grabbed my 24” adjustable from the garage to wrench to snug down the last fittings on the hybrid water heater install in the basement. Fired it up and it worked perfectly.

I still have to run the condensate drain, but every can of pvc cement I had was dried out, so off to Menard’s to get a fresh can - and more glue boards (now on sale). I’ll probably start decommissioning the old boiler in the basement, since the coming days will still be too warm to work comfortably in the garage.

On the way back home, I noticed that one of the local breweries had a big tent up for Oktoberfest, so I went home, grabbed my bride and headed out to enjoy some fresh beer and dinner from one of the food trucks there. I’m absolutely getting older as two beers in, I was ready to go home and take a nap.
 

LeonardY

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 16, 2011
Messages
5,077
Location
Southern California
Finally fixed the string trimmer. I took the fitting out of the fuel line. Just ran a continuous line to the carb.
Tried to prime the engine and nothing. Oh ****! i reversed the lines. Swapped the line and it's running like it should.

So I probably didn't need to take the fitting out. Oh well.
 

ATC

Well-known member
Joined
May 12, 2012
Messages
8,331
Location
VA
What did you do for prep first ? Just wash it off, let it dry and apply or was there more to it ? I’ve been thinking about doing this to a few trailers for a while now.

I just swept it with a broom. It's a trailer that hauls junk vehicles, skid steers & attachments, steel, and well...anything really. It's pretty new, bought it new back in October, so the deck is still like new.
I got 8-9 years out of the deck boards of my last trailer (they were never sealed...just standard treated boards), so I'm just seeing if this will get me a few more years out of these.
I plan to reseal it every 2 years or so. Might do it again next spring/summer since this is the first time though...then every 2 years after that.
 

BlakeTheCarGuy

ALLIANCE MEMBER
Joined
Oct 10, 2018
Messages
9,383
Location
Roanoke Virginia
Not today but yesterday at work got my **** kicked by this Camry. The guy helping me did too. We still haven’t figured it out. We spent an hour on it Thursday and 8-5 on it Friday. It was towed in with a crank no start. We suspected it to be a fuel pump but the pump is working fine. Wiring is fine. Relay is working fine. We have done so much electrical diagnostic testing on it that we are stumped. Third tech came over to help us and is stumped too. We jumped things and tested things and are just stumped. Hopefully we can figure it out next week. It was originally assigned to me but once I figured out it wasn’t going to be the fuel pump I went to my boss and said I need some help with this because I don’t know even where to start with electrical problems. So for the flat rate guy helping me I sold 2.5 hours of diagnosis to start then we sold 4 more. He already gets money for the hours I turn anyway so he will make bank off of this. I’m helping too because I want to learn. So that’s why I asked for help and got this tech assigned to it since he was my trainer I get to work with him still when I need it. And he takes time to show me things and let me do things. It has air and spark but fuel is not getting all the way thru to where it needs to go. Everything we tried doesn’t work. This is what I call an electrical gremlin. Unless we are all over thinking it and it’s something simple. But hey I’m learning and that’s what I value so no matter what we find the issue to be I’ll be very happy with the things I’ve learned so far. IMG_0422.jpegIMG_0421.jpegIMG_0426.jpeg
 

DGersic

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 12, 2017
Messages
6,354
Location
DeKalb, IL
Not today but yesterday at work got my **** kicked by this Camry. The guy helping me did too. We still haven’t figured it out. We spent an hour on it Thursday and 8-5 on it Friday. It was towed in with a crank no start. We suspected it to be a fuel pump but the pump is working fine. Wiring is fine. Relay is working fine. We have done so much electrical diagnostic testing on it that we are stumped. Third tech came over to help us and is stumped too. We jumped things and tested things and are just stumped. Hopefully we can figure it out next week. It was originally assigned to me but once I figured out it wasn’t going to be the fuel pump I went to my boss and said I need some help with this because I don’t know even where to start with electrical problems. So for the flat rate guy helping me I sold 2.5 hours of diagnosis to start then we sold 4 more. He already gets money for the hours I turn anyway so he will make bank off of this. I’m helping too because I want to learn. So that’s why I asked for help and got this tech assigned to it since he was my trainer I get to work with him still when I need it. And he takes time to show me things and let me do things. It has air and spark but fuel is not getting all the way thru to where it needs to go. Everything we tried doesn’t work. This is what I call an electrical gremlin. Unless we are all over thinking it and it’s something simple. But hey I’m learning and that’s what I value so no matter what we find the issue to be I’ll be very happy with the things I’ve learned so far. IMG_0422.jpegIMG_0421.jpegIMG_0426.jpeg

Is the ECU calling for the fuel pump to turn on? Does it pump when commanded?

Is there pressure at the injectors?

Are the injectors firing when commanded?
 

BlakeTheCarGuy

ALLIANCE MEMBER
Joined
Oct 10, 2018
Messages
9,383
Location
Roanoke Virginia
Is the ECU calling for the fuel pump to turn on? Does it pump when commanded?

Is there pressure at the injectors?

Are the injectors firing when commanded?
The person helping me is set on it being something in the wiring I think. But we need to check a few of those things. We know it’s getting no pressure because we put a gauge on it. But however fuel comes out of the lines when you disconnect them just no pressure at all when cranking.
 

DGersic

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 12, 2017
Messages
6,354
Location
DeKalb, IL
The person helping me is set on it being something in the wiring I think. But we need to check a few of those things. We know it’s getting no pressure because we put a gauge on it. But however fuel comes out of the lines when you disconnect them just no pressure at all when cranking.

Could be a bad pump that can’t build pressure.
 
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housewolf

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 3, 2021
Messages
1,144
Location
East Texas
Replaced plugs, wires, fuel injectors, supercharger intercooler & pulley, and added flex fuel sensor for my CTS V. It still had the original pulley so the whole blower needed to be removed so a pulley adapter could be pressed on. Any future pulley swaps will be very simple. Hopefully dyno tuning next weekend to find out I’ve picked up ~ 100 hp
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A95F4129-836B-49B2-804F-49F6F6A5073B.jpeg
IMG_9986.jpeg

IMG_0002.jpeg
Not in my garage but a follow up on this post from last week. Since a stock CTS V dynos about 475 rwhp on that particular dyno, looks like I picked up about 125 rwhp 😀
The dotted lines are 93. Red/blue - E85
IMG_0875.jpeg
 
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TurnipTruck

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 28, 2005
Messages
1,580
Location
Southcentral Alaska
Pounding rain all day, leaves are turning already.
Fixed the Husqvarna zero turn yet again. Did Husqvarna stop selling mowers?
New headlights came in so rearranged the shop and got the Gladiator in and changed out the criminally inadequate stock halogens. We will find out in the morning how much better these LEDs are.

Holy **** those damned stockers shouldn’t even be an option. My wife traded her Wrangler mainly because of its lighting.
 

ATC

Well-known member
Joined
May 12, 2012
Messages
8,331
Location
VA
Looks good. My brother just uses motor oil for his new trailer. I guess oil and water don't mix. The pic is when I borrowed it for reference.

I really wanted to use an oil/diesel mix, or ATF. I did. I did a lot of research on it, but kept getting too many mixed comments about it.
It's only $22 for a gallon of Thompson's, so it wasn't worth the potential disappointment of using motor oil.
 

Squez

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 16, 2023
Messages
321
Location
Southern California
It looks a LOT easier with that rig than the one I did by hand about 45 years ago.
It’s not to bad.. I just got the power wrapper taking a little time to get used to… but I ve been doing it for years off and on on a manual set up..
The first rod I wrapped I did on a homemade pvc frame.. still have the rod it’s caught limit after limits of yellowtail…
 
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