Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Bob Heine's Auto Emporium

[kaymccampbell]

Almost a month, Bob. Just post SOMETHING. The kids are getting antsy.

 

[pi_guy]

Geez Bob we gonna have to do a drive by.
Remember in the old days when people would just show up at your house?

 

[y'sguy]

Hey Bob, IF you or your family are going through a rough patch, we hope it smooths out soon. Be well, my friend.

 

[CNC_RICK]

Rick, I got one years ago when I had a rounded-off soft metal drain plug on a new used car. The directions said to run the engine for 8 minutes from cold first. (Not too hot, not too cold, stuff stirred up some.)

The good news is now you have one. (I call it ****-O-Matic.) It can be used for antifreeze, brake fluid, and regardless of what the instructions say, gasoline! Handy thing to have.

Hope that engine's okay. I used to know a guy who did 30,000 mile oil changes in the 80's. Mobil 1 (back when that was kinda newfangled) and a new oil filter every 5K, plus a top up. He put a lot of miles on his cars and it was working for him.

Thank you Squanky. That makes me feel better. I didn't change oil filter, and always use Fram filters. I know Fram is not everyone's favorite.

 

[Squankum]

Thank you Squanky. That makes me feel better. I didn't change oil filter, and always use Fram filters. I know Fram is not everyone's favorite.

It all depends on the level of Fram you're choosing, really. Also, the internet is full of "looks right" engineering, guys cutting open filters and sniffing about this or that part. Nobody in the world of videos is building filter testing rigs, that I know of.

Now, while the entry-level Fram doesn't look so hot inside... things could be worse! A few years ago I bought a junkyard motor and the oil filter it had on it was "FRAM Workshop." I looked up that product line and it was lowest in cost! Below the cheapest thing they sell on the shelves at Wal-Mart, this is for the quick lube side of the tire and oil shop in Wal-Mart 20 yards away. So there are worse! And ya have to wonder what corners got cut with those.

 

[CNC_RICK]

It all depends on the level of Fram you're choosing, really. Also, the internet is full of "looks right" engineering, guys cutting open filters and sniffing about this or that part. Nobody in the world of videos is building filter testing rigs, that I know of.

Now, while the entry-level Fram doesn't look so hot inside... things could be worse! A few years ago I bought a junkyard motor and the oil filter it had on it was "FRAM Workshop." I looked up that product line and it was lowest in cost! Below the cheapest thing they sell on the shelves at Wal-Mart, this is for the quick lube side of the tire and oil shop in Wal-Mart 20 yards away. So there are worse! And ya have to wonder what corners got cut with those.

I have on occasion, taken a used oil filter (mostly Fram) and cut the end off in the band saw to take a look at the pleated paper insides. In every case, the filter mat'l looked good, just dirty. Fleet Farm does sell, in a lot of cases, three levels of filters for each application. Basic, Tuff-Guard, Extra-Guard. But now I'm starting to sound like a commercial... Haha

Edit: added a pic...

 

[CNC_RICK]

A few years ago, (ok many years ago). Fram used to sell a filter for dinosaur oil, and another one for synthetic. By the looks of this box, they've figured things out and this filter can handle both. But I wonder how many people use fossil oil anymore...

 

[CNC_RICK]

I still use dino oil in my 70 year old Farmall tractor, but wouldn't be against to putting full synthetic in it next time. In my case, dino oil is a bit cheaper than synthetic. I think the leaded gasoline verses unleaded fuel made bigger waves in the public eye than a change in what oil goes into the engine.

Don't get me wrong. Both were huge changes to the public.

In many cases, it's a cost issue.

 

[CNC_RICK]

My Dad used to work for a Mopar dealership, many moons ago.. One day, an oil company representative came in with a demo, to try to prove to them, their worth of their product, synthetic oil. I won't mention names, but the guy proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that his company's oil was better than the rest. Including dino oil. The test was somewhat of a plastic toy, with a crank to turn, with a very small electric motor, as oil was put into the gears. Of course, his tests went completely in his favor... The motor would stop with anything but his oil, while he put more and more friction on the motor and gears. Then someone, (not my Dad) another mechanic, suggested to try some 80/90 in his small toy. That man tried his best to try to stop the motor. He could not.. he went away with his head held low, took his example toy with him and never came back... Haha. Moral of the story, don't mess with real mechanics. Lol.

 

[gman007]

Welcome back Bob!

What a relief to see you are actively reading the posts!

 

[pi_guy]

Gee I was going to start a Go Fund me for a Uber to drive by and honk.
Was thinking of a flash mob but don't think most of us are moving that fast these days.

 

[Bob Heine]

Sorry for my absence. A January 9th doctor visit started a slew of doctor visits and hospital tests. I asked my Hematology Oncologist if I could stop taking the hormone drugs, Lupron, Prednisone and Zytega because of all the side effects. He checked my last few blood tests and all my PSA tests had readings under 1.0. He didn't mention tapering off but I decided on my own to cut the dosages so I didn't do a sudden stop. January 20th, the day after I finished the last Prednisone and Zytega pills, my legs and feet swelled up a bit. Using my Google Medical Degree, I doubled my Hydrochlorothiazide dose to 25mg for a couple of days. By Friday evening (1/23) both feet, ankles and calves were quite swollen and painful.

Called our primary care physician Monday morning at 9:00. At 3:00 that afternoon he inspected the even more swollen lower limbs and prescribed a second, stronger diuretic. His office set up an ultrasound of my legs at the hospital the next morning. No blood clots so it's a lymph system problem. More visits to primary care for blood tests and finally a return visit to my Hematology Oncologist. All of my Google MD research pointed to the drugs I stopped taking but my medical degree didn't come with prescription pads so he gave me a script for Predisone and my Primary Care doctor gave me a script for Tramadol 50mg pills for the pain. It has been a fun month.

Every time a new service provider moves into our area with promises, the local township FB group comes alive with negative comments about our current primary provider in the township (WOW). WOW has provided my service since '07, including buried cable from the other side of the road for a $250 onetime charge, (they've actually buried it 3 different times due to some "oopsies" from me, my neighbor and a construction crewmember), they've upgraded my service in the last few years from 30 Mb/s to 1Gb/s and have less than nothing more than an occasional suspected "slip of the finger" to get equipment reboots done.

AT&T is one of the challengers, now along with Frontier, who was our landline provider with the worst service track record in my experience. I'm not interested in changing to either of these bozos....

Gerry, I don't understand how any of these providers get positive reviews.

I have been with Spectrum for a few years until T-FIBER came along with Fiber and a better price than Spectrum. So I committed and made the switch. Naturally the hardest part was cancelling Spectrum. Somehow I must have been keeping them solvent and they didn't want to lose me. So they obviously offered prices they had previously said were not available. But having stretched my patience to the limit they finally cancelled my account. (But they haven't given up hope)
T-FIBER though hasn't yet lived completely up to the promise. For me it's blazing fast but my wife has issues with slow speed. And a couple of appliances still will not connect.
Back to Spectrum? I don't know yet.

Andrew, I liked the AT&T switch to fiber but the telephone screwup and every other month increase made a switch to Comcast attractive. Comcast reminded me why I switched to AT&T a couple of decades back.

Went out to eat on Thursday a few of us pick a good place like Vincent's Clam Bar in Little Italy. We get there at 8:30 and they had decided to close for the week because of the snow. So we hit Japonica a Sushi Bar opened in 1978 food is out of this world.
But here up north the world is hunkering down from the impending storm. Claims are we have not had one this bad in ten years.
Stay safe people.

Michael, I miss the NYC restaurants but not the Hudson Valley weather or taxes.

BOB!!!!! HOLY COW!!!! We just got fiber optic this past summer. No muss, no fuss. I/Me/Myself did happen to cut the new fiber about 2 weeks after we got it. They couldn't bury it more than 3" in a couple of spots. Guy came out and fixed my screwup for free. It's good stuff. Sorry you're not having as good an experience.

Kirk, Our AT&T service started out as twisted pair cables that were set in shallow slits similar to yours and I cut that cable several times. It being copper wire, I just soldered the wire back together. The guy who installed the fiber went a couple of inches deeper and I haven't cut it yet.

Who's fiber? We're seeing them pulling the fiber on this side of 27 - North of Bath. Not sure why I'd change from Wow at this point, I'm getting 900 Mb/s from them, not running a **** site or doing remote CAD; streaming is fine. I'd change for a lower price, but the MTBF track record is gonna have to be better than what I've gotten from Wow for years..

Gerry, I'm willing to stick with piss-poor service because there always seems to be someone worse that catches me off guard.

It's out of Westphalia, by Westphalia Electric. They represent Homeworks I think. One of the big names (Comcast, AT&T, whatever) came through about 10 months later and complained about the way WE did the job. It's not uncommon to have 2 different movies and an online game going at the same time at our house.

Kirk, the bigger the provider, the more likely their service is based on the animal husbandry model.

xtremek said: "It's out of Westphalia, by Westphalia Electric.",

Back around '05 my daughter was living west of Portland, had to use satellite. Rather than Hughes, she opted for another smaller company (Blue something maybe) marketed by WE... Had to get on a waiting list to get the service.
BTW, I get screwed by the same shallow burial on my Wow "underground burial". The contractor working for the 811 locator services said state standard code calls for a minimum of 6" for low voltage burial. Last time my cable got cut by a contractor parking his round point shovel in about three inches of sod. I've got to go round with them again in the coming months because I need to enlarge the parking apron and the cable's already been rerouted around the existing. Maybe I'll wait and see what the fiber folks are bringing..

Gerry, every time I think of satellite service I have visions of a dish taking out whatever happens to be parked in my driveway or a neighbors' when one of those H things visits.

Think we got hit with the storm of the decade. I have 24 inches high of frozen snow and slush 4 feet wide at the end of my driveway. I live at the end of a state road and they send the same three types of truck teams that plow the Expressway 495. They turn around in front of old IBM GC
Now instead of fluffy snow like we had at noon now it is freezing sleet.
So stay safe out there.

Michael, one really bad storm back in the 1960s came on the heels of another storm. The end of my driveway had the Triumph Herald parked in a ******* tunnel. When I heard the plow coming down to our cul-de-sac, I got out in front of the plow holding two shots of whiskey. I asked if they could reverse their plow pattern so my driveway wasn't always a snow drift. After finishing their shots, they explained they couldn't do that but they could back up and clear the end of my drive before leaving. A couple of neighbors realized what I had done and after every big storm there were a half dozen or so neighbors at the end of their driveways with shots. The plow guys always cleared my drive but only did it once for the copycats. That could have escalated into some dangerous plowing.

The reason for the shallow burial is that it's running through some seriously tall pin trees that are planted close to the shop and tightly together. Nothing anyone can do about it.

You got snow, we got cold, wish we could have traded. We got maybe 4" of very light fluffy snow over the last 3 days, but Saturday morning when we left the house it was around -20*F.

Kirk, we've had some cold (for us) weather that has gifted Jasmine with two more Chicken of the Trees that passed out in the cold. She's broken the 50-kill total. It's a comfortable 71°F tonight (11:45 PM).

Bob! Long time, no speaky... (My fault). I've been changing my oil all day long, today and more to go... Ha. I'm sure you read about some of this on the "Pull up a Chair" thread. I'm trying one of these plastic pump jugs, pump the handle, creates a vacuum and ***** the oil out through the dipstick tube. I'm trying to do this wintertime and it's taking a while. No fault of the setup, me figures... The winter temps are definitely hindering my progress, but there's more than that happening. I haven't changed oil on this Durango, going on 30,000 miles or so. Not my usual style... There could be a couple dead rats, a squirrel, some dead pigeons down in that sump of an oil pan by now. Who knows what's down there and think I'm trying to **** up at least some sludge off the bottom. That, I think, is what is taking so long. This is the first time I've tried one of these vacuum tanks to change oil with.

Rick, I have so many tools and gizmos in the garage and workshop, there's no place to store one of those pumps. I am behind on my oil changes for the Cadillac and Corvette. Neither one has passed the 1,000 mile mark so it's less of a problem.

This is quickly getting old, not having a heated shop, with a pit, etc... I'm starting to hate working on cars, outside. For many reasons. One being the winter temps. Another is, middle of summer, try to work on an engine, outside... In direct sunlight. Since I wear glasses 24/7... (Ok, not nighttime). It ***** to reach down into an engine, to replace a cam sensor, for example. The sun is too bright, my glasses darken and I can't see nada.. My trouble light is not bright enough to over-power the sunlight. What happens when it rains?

My idea is to buy another shipping container, leave a space in between and buy a "garage in a box" and put that in-between both tin cans. That, at least would get me out of the sunlight, I can work on a car when it rains. I can heat, wintertime. Eventually, I'll have to replace the boxed garage with a real roof. As far as floor goes, I'm too old at this point to mix my own cement anymore, but maybe a layer of pavers? A few at a time?

Rick, lived in our first house (9 years) had a 1-car garage, our second (21 years) had a 2-car garage and 8x12 storage shed and our third and current home (29 years) has a 3-car garage and 12x18 workshop. Never had heat in any of my garages but the last two (and the workshop) have wall shaker AC units. Last time I mixed my own concrete was around 1977 when I was 33. Mixed enough 50-lb bags of Quikrete for that 8x12 storage shed. Six or seven years later I had redi-mix delivered to pour a 12x12 slab for the hot tub. The storage shed was right next to the patio addition so I put a few solar panels on the roof (just to heat water, not for electricity. Got some experience with screen enclosure construction on that job.

My second container, I'd put some of my machine tools in. Some of the smaller machines that are still in the fallen shop. As far as putting pavers for a floor (in the middle) would prevent me from installing a two-post hoist, and most likely not a four post hoist. A four post hoist, I think, would best match what I had with the pit. I'll have to think on that some more.

Rick, you're making me tired.

There are these magical things called cement trucks. Much easier than pouring your own for larger jobs. Then all you have to do is squish the cement out flattish.

In my old age I had tended to limit myself to 8x12 for self pours. Though, nowadays, with way less energy, I'm thinking a 6 foot oval is going to be my limit this spring.

Kay, I did the cement truck thing with the patio extension and had some help from my neighbor. Around 1997 I helped the neighbor across the street pour a new section of his driveway after he discovered his house had a septic tank and he'd been paying for a city sewer hookup for 8 years.

Reading about a 6 foot oval pour is making my back ache.

"Then all you have to do is squish the cement out flattish."
and level out the cement truck ruts

Kevin, the other option is to barrow the cement so you only have one narrow rut. The look on that cement delivery guy's face when I rolled the wheelbarrow out using my artificial arm and farmer's hook still puts a smile on my face. He relaxed a bit when my neighbor rolled the second wheelbarrow out.

Kay... Magic concrete costs money. Something I don't have. You did better'n myself with my limit being about 10 x 10 slab, every single weekend for about five years... Or maybe about the same.. When it came time to pour the pit walls, my Dad came to help, but limited himself to wheelbarrow duty. It was up to me to keep two mixers, side by side, mixing all day long. I figured we poured about 4 yards that day. I was one tired boy that evening... But it was a good tired. I figured all in all, I poured about 40 yards in 5 years. But I was in my twenties, back then and felt invincible. Toward the end, I had a good sized tractor and a gravel pit on my property, so the only thing I had to buy at the time was 94 lb sacks of cement and a handful of 3/8 re-bar.

Rick, I'm at the stage where even paying for the magic concrete, my son and a couple of my grandchildren seems like a bargain.

In other words, I'm kinda done, mixing my own cement in this day and my age, but still have the mixers... I wonder if I have enough left in me to do one... more... slab... For a four post hoist...

Rick, finding out you don't have enough left is a terrible option.

At the time I was buying only 94 lb sacks of cement powder, (a full cubic foot), it would cost me about 5 bucks per sack. I haven't checked lately, but pretty sure prices have gone up a bit.

Rick, I stuck with 50 lb sacks and even those I split in half. No mixer, just a cheap mixing tray and hoe.

Hi Bob
It is been awhile since your last post. I hope all is well.

@gman007, see opening comment on this post.

Rick, I got one years ago when I had a rounded-off soft metal drain plug on a new used car. The directions said to run the engine for 8 minutes from cold first. (Not too hot, not too cold, stuff stirred up some.)

The good news is now you have one. (I call it ****-O-Matic.) It can be used for antifreeze, brake fluid, and regardless of what the instructions say, gasoline! Handy thing to have.

Hope that engine's okay. I used to know a guy who did 30,000 mile oil changes in the 80's. Mobil 1 (back when that was kinda newfangled) and a new oil filter every 5K, plus a top up. He put a lot of miles on his cars and it was working for him.

@Squankum, I have a suction brake fluid unit but nothing else ever goes through it.

I do 25,000 mile oil changes (Mobil 1) with 3,000 mile oil filter changes in all of the vehicles I've owned since ~1986. Never had an oil leak. I popped a couple of rocker covers during that time and the engines looked pristine.

YMMV

Dan, I wouldn't even be at the half-way mark for my first change on the Cadillac, just past my second oil change on the PT Cruiser and Corvette.

Hope thing are well, figured doctors got Bob going to 50 different places these days.

@Bob Heine

Cody, you just about nailed it.

Last seen today @6:51am (Pacific Time) but last activity was Jan 27th.

Roger, it's so bad I even missed the 10th anniversary of this thread.

Almost a month, Bob. Just post SOMETHING. The kids are getting antsy.

Kay, whatever you want, I'll do my best to please you.

Geez Bob we gonna have to do a drive by.
Remember in the old days when people would just show up at your house?

Michael, they still do but it's usually because Liane turned me in for doing something stupid.

Hey Bob, IF you or your family are going through a rough patch, we hope it smooths out soon. Be well, my friend.

Alan, it's all on me. With the swelling in my legs I need to spend a bunch of time with my feet elevated above my heart and that makes for a bad keyboard and mouse position.

Thank you Squanky. That makes me feel better. I didn't change oil filter, and always use Fram filters. I know Fram is not everyone's favorite.

Rick, I used to drive 10-12K miles a year and did 3K oil and filter changes. These days I drive 1-2K a year split among three cars.

It all depends on the level of Fram you're choosing, really. Also, the internet is full of "looks right" engineering, guys cutting open filters and sniffing about this or that part. Nobody in the world of videos is building filter testing rigs, that I know of.

Now, while the entry-level Fram doesn't look so hot inside... things could be worse! A few years ago I bought a junkyard motor and the oil filter it had on it was "FRAM Workshop." I looked up that product line and it was lowest in cost! Below the cheapest thing they sell on the shelves at Wal-Mart, this is for the quick lube side of the tire and oil shop in Wal-Mart 20 yards away. So there are worse! And ya have to wonder what corners got cut with those.

@Squankum, I had the first oil change done on my new cars at the dealership. One didn't tighten the filter properly, another didn't fill the sump to the full mark on the dipstick and the last one charged me for a new filter but the mark I put on it was still there when I got home and checked.

I have on occasion, taken a used oil filter (mostly Fram) and cut the end off in the band saw to take a look at the pleated paper insides. In every case, the filter mat'l looked good, just dirty. Fleet Farm does sell, in a lot of cases, three levels of filters for each application. Basic, Tuff-Guard, Extra-Guard. But now I'm starting to sound like a commercial... Haha

Edit: added a pic...

Rick, I took one filter apart many years ago and made such a mess I decided to find other ways to make messes.

A few years ago, (ok many years ago). Fram used to sell a filter for dinosaur oil, and another one for synthetic. By the looks of this box, they've figured things out and this filter can handle both. But I wonder how many people use fossil oil anymore...

Rick, I started using Mobil 1 when it came out in 1974. At the time we had a 1968 GTO and 1971 Vega GT. The last few decades I've been using K&N filters.

I still use dino oil in my 70 year old Farmall tractor, but wouldn't be against to putting full synthetic in it next time. In my case, dino oil is a bit cheaper than synthetic. I think the leaded gasoline verses unleaded fuel made bigger waves in the public eye than a change in what oil goes into the engine.

Don't get me wrong. Both were huge changes to the public.

In many cases, it's a cost issue.

Rick, the most upsetting change came with the switch from SAE Gross to SAE Net in 1972. My 1969 427 Corvette was rated at 390 HP and 460 ft lbs torque but my 1972 454 Corvette was rated at only 270 HP and 390 ft lbs torque. Some of it was compression ratio and available gasoline octane ratings.

My Dad used to work for a Mopar dealership, many moons ago.. One day, an oil company representative came in with a demo, to try to prove to them, their worth of their product, synthetic oil. I won't mention names, but the guy proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that his company's oil was better than the rest. Including dino oil. The test was somewhat of a plastic toy, with a crank to turn, with a very small electric motor, as oil was put into the gears. Of course, his tests went completely in his favor... The motor would stop with anything but his oil, while he put more and more friction on the motor and gears. Then someone, (not my Dad) another mechanic, suggested to try some 80/90 in his small toy. That man tried his best to try to stop the motor. He could not.. he went away with his head held low, took his example toy with him and never came back... Haha. Moral of the story, don't mess with real mechanics. Lol.

Rick, I recall an ad for STP that involved trying to hold onto a screwdriver shaft coated with STP.

 

[scooterbum46]

Bob - good to see ya.. I'm also on the edema trail, double diuretics and multiple compartment pressure boots (supposed to use twice a day). Not a lot of progress. (mentioned in the Pull Up a Chair thread)..

Edit: You remember Gus Wilson, right?

 

[kaymccampbell]

Glad you're back. Get better.

 

[Grizz1963]

Good to see the silence broken Bob.

Your gang was certainly missing you.

Look after yourself.

 

[bugnut]

Hey Bob, great to see you!

 

[jon72vega]

Bob,
Glad you posted.
I have missed you.
I'm praying your health gets better.

 

[RickP]

I need to spend a bunch of time with my feet elevated above my heart and that makes for a bad keyboard and mouse position.

Sounds like a great TV-watching pose. Hope you've gotten your quota of the Olympics.

Feel better soon!

 

[kaymccampbell]

a bunch of time with my feet elevated above my heart and that makes for a bad keyboard and mouse position.

I've got a 10 inch Galaxy tablet. I prop it up and only need one finger to gesture type. It's what I do all my GJ stuff on, cause it's got the cam, too. It's my email, calendar, task list, browser, you name it. I drag it everywhere. They make bigger if you need/want it.

 

[gman007]

Bob
I am sorry to hear about all the recent medical issues you've been having, and I hope you feel better soon.

 

[gearhead1960]

@Bob Heine happy to see you back. GJ is just not the same without Bob Heine!

 

[jon72vega]

@Bob Heine happy to see you back. GJ is just not the same without Bob Heine!

Truth!

 

[pi_guy]

Feel better.
I have had two weeks of flaming **** issues sometimes it was a pill and back to bed. You have my sympathy nobody wants my flaming ****. The only thing that hurt more than this was taking my ski boot off after I broke my leg and that pain stopped when the boot came off.
Ya I know they cut the boots off but they were 1k and a few hundred dollars of fitting.

We are screwed big time now. 24 inches or more of snow is on the way. At least my son will be home to help shovel

 

[floridafarmer]

Sorry for my absence. A January 9th doctor visit started a slew of doctor visits and hospital tests. I asked my Hematology Oncologist if I could stop taking the hormone drugs, Lupron, Prednisone and Zytega because of all the side effects. He checked my last few blood tests and all my PSA tests had readings under 1.0. He didn't mention tapering off but I decided on my own to cut the dosages so I didn't do a sudden stop. January 20th, the day after I finished the last Prednisone and Zytega pills, my legs and feet swelled up a bit. Using my Google Medical Degree, I doubled my Hydrochlorothiazide dose to 25mg for a couple of days. By Friday evening (1/23) both feet, ankles and calves were quite swollen and painful.

Called our primary care physician Monday morning at 9:00. At 3:00 that afternoon he inspected the even more swollen lower limbs and prescribed a second, stronger diuretic. His office set up an ultrasound of my legs at the hospital the next morning. No blood clots so it's a lymph system problem. More visits to primary care for blood tests and finally a return visit to my Hematology Oncologist. All of my Google MD research pointed to the drugs I stopped taking but my medical degree didn't come with prescription pads so he gave me a script for Predisone and my Primary Care doctor gave me a script for Tramadol 50mg pills for the pain. It has been a fun month.

Gerry, I don't understand how any of these providers get positive reviews.

Andrew, I liked the AT&T switch to fiber but the telephone screwup and every other month increase made a switch to Comcast attractive. Comcast reminded me why I switched to AT&T a couple of decades back.

Michael, I miss the NYC restaurants but not the Hudson Valley weather or taxes.

Kirk, Our AT&T service started out as twisted pair cables that were set in shallow slits similar to yours and I cut that cable several times. It being copper wire, I just soldered the wire back together. The guy who installed the fiber went a couple of inches deeper and I haven't cut it yet.

Gerry, I'm willing to stick with piss-poor service because there always seems to be someone worse that catches me off guard.

Kirk, the bigger the provider, the more likely their service is based on the animal husbandry model.

Gerry, every time I think of satellite service I have visions of a dish taking out whatever happens to be parked in my driveway or a neighbors' when one of those H things visits.

Michael, one really bad storm back in the 1960s came on the heels of another storm. The end of my driveway had the Triumph Herald parked in a ******* tunnel. When I heard the plow coming down to our cul-de-sac, I got out in front of the plow holding two shots of whiskey. I asked if they could reverse their plow pattern so my driveway wasn't always a snow drift. After finishing their shots, they explained they couldn't do that but they could back up and clear the end of my drive before leaving. A couple of neighbors realized what I had done and after every big storm there were a half dozen or so neighbors at the end of their driveways with shots. The plow guys always cleared my drive but only did it once for the copycats. That could have escalated into some dangerous plowing.

Kirk, we've had some cold (for us) weather that has gifted Jasmine with two more Chicken of the Trees that passed out in the cold. She's broken the 50-kill total. It's a comfortable 71°F tonight (11:45 PM).

Rick, I have so many tools and gizmos in the garage and workshop, there's no place to store one of those pumps. I am behind on my oil changes for the Cadillac and Corvette. Neither one has passed the 1,000 mile mark so it's less of a problem.

Rick, lived in our first house (9 years) had a 1-car garage, our second (21 years) had a 2-car garage and 8x12 storage shed and our third and current home (29 years) has a 3-car garage and 12x18 workshop. Never had heat in any of my garages but the last two (and the workshop) have wall shaker AC units. Last time I mixed my own concrete was around 1977 when I was 33. Mixed enough 50-lb bags of Quikrete for that 8x12 storage shed. Six or seven years later I had redi-mix delivered to pour a 12x12 slab for the hot tub. The storage shed was right next to the patio addition so I put a few solar panels on the roof (just to heat water, not for electricity. Got some experience with screen enclosure construction on that job.


Rick, you're making me tired.

Kay, I did the cement truck thing with the patio extension and had some help from my neighbor. Around 1997 I helped the neighbor across the street pour a new section of his driveway after he discovered his house had a septic tank and he'd been paying for a city sewer hookup for 8 years.

Reading about a 6 foot oval pour is making my back ache.

Kevin, the other option is to barrow the cement so you only have one narrow rut. The look on that cement delivery guy's face when I rolled the wheelbarrow out using my artificial arm and farmer's hook still puts a smile on my face. He relaxed a bit when my neighbor rolled the second wheelbarrow out.

Rick, I'm at the stage where even paying for the magic concrete, my son and a couple of my grandchildren seems like a bargain.

Rick, finding out you don't have enough left is a terrible option.

Rick, I stuck with 50 lb sacks and even those I split in half. No mixer, just a cheap mixing tray and hoe.

@gman007, see opening comment on this post.

@Squankum, I have a suction brake fluid unit but nothing else ever goes through it.

Dan, I wouldn't even be at the half-way mark for my first change on the Cadillac, just past my second oil change on the PT Cruiser and Corvette.

Cody, you just about nailed it.

Roger, it's so bad I even missed the 10th anniversary of this thread.

Kay, whatever you want, I'll do my best to please you.

Michael, they still do but it's usually because Liane turned me in for doing something stupid.

Alan, it's all on me. With the swelling in my legs I need to spend a bunch of time with my feet elevated above my heart and that makes for a bad keyboard and mouse position.

Rick, I used to drive 10-12K miles a year and did 3K oil and filter changes. These days I drive 1-2K a year split among three cars.

@Squankum, I had the first oil change done on my new cars at the dealership. One didn't tighten the filter properly, another didn't fill the sump to the full mark on the dipstick and the last one charged me for a new filter but the mark I put on it was still there when I got home and checked.

Rick, I took one filter apart many years ago and made such a mess I decided to find other ways to make messes.

Rick, I started using Mobil 1 when it came out in 1974. At the time we had a 1968 GTO and 1971 Vega GT. The last few decades I've been using K&N filters.

Rick, the most upsetting change came with the switch from SAE Gross to SAE Net in 1972. My 1969 427 Corvette was rated at 390 HP and 460 ft lbs torque but my 1972 454 Corvette was rated at only 270 HP and 390 ft lbs torque. Some of it was compression ratio and available gasoline octane ratings.

Rick, I recall an ad for STP that involved trying to hold onto a screwdriver shaft coated with STP.

Bob - best wishes for continued improvements ! Let me know if I should ship you enough kink-ease to fill the tub!

 

[Ford52PU]

Like the rest I’m also glad to see you posting. Sorry for your recent health issues and hope your on the mend.

 

[Squankum]

A few years ago, (ok many years ago). Fram used to sell a filter for dinosaur oil, and another one for synthetic. By the looks of this box, they've figured things out and this filter can handle both. But I wonder how many people use fossil oil anymore...

Many people out there can't afford the nicer anything, and I keep seeing videos from professional repair shops of cars that didn't get regular oil changes and paid a price for it! Synthetic has slowly taken over in America, over many decades.

Just checked, conventional oil is around 53% of the market.

North America Automotive Engine Oils Market Forecasts to 2031

The North America Automotive Engine Oils Market size worth 2.79 billion Liters in 2026 is growing at a CAGR of -0.45% to reach 2.73 billion Liters by 2031. Chevron Corporation, ExxonMobil Corporation, Shell plc, BP p.l.c. and Saudi Arabian Oil Co. are the major companies operating in this market.

www.mordorintelligence.com

 

[Squankum]

A few years ago, (ok many years ago). Fram used to sell a filter for dinosaur oil, and another one for synthetic. By the looks of this box, they've figured things out and this filter can handle both. But I wonder how many people use fossil oil anymore...

I like Wix XP filters lately. The "synthetic" filters have better filter media that can hold more debris, so you can go further, as today's synthetics are often ready to go a long ways.

WIX-XP Oil Filters

Engineered and designed to maximize the performance of synthetic motor oils, WIX-XP Oil Filters provide optimum engine protection.

www.wixfilters.com

With advice from an oil lab, I'm no longer doing 5,000 mile oil change intervals on some of our cars. Our new used modern Transit van is happy with Red Line synthetic, Wix XP filter, and the oil lab recommends changing the oil at 12,000 miles now. And it's not burning a drop, either! Or leaking! I love it when she buys newer cars. (The older ones keep me busy.)

 

[LeonardY]

Bob,
Glad you're back. Hope you get better soon.

 

[Squankum]

My Dad used to work for a Mopar dealership, many moons ago.. One day, an oil company representative came in with a demo, to try to prove to them, their worth of their product, synthetic oil. I won't mention names, but the guy proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that his company's oil was better than the rest. Including dino oil. The test was somewhat of a plastic toy, with a crank to turn, with a very small electric motor, as oil was put into the gears. Of course, his tests went completely in his favor... The motor would stop with anything but his oil, while he put more and more friction on the motor and gears. Then someone, (not my Dad) another mechanic, suggested to try some 80/90 in his small toy. That man tried his best to try to stop the motor. He could not.. he went away with his head held low, took his example toy with him and never came back... Haha. Moral of the story, don't mess with real mechanics. Lol.

In days of yore... and Project Farm!... the scar tester has been used to play with oils, and, well, it's not really a proper test of what an engine needs.

This video is a condensed version of what The Motor Oil Geek had to say on the subject in a longer video:

As for Lucas Oil and their spinning gears, a) yeah, viscosity changes that 2) I'm not trying to lubricate plastic gears in a box, iii) my oil doesn't need "stabilizing."

My local transmission and rear end shop -- best in town -- wants to add a quart of Lucas to a rear end before they ship it out the door, then Mobil 1 gear oil. Egads, it's just thicker stuff. I could buy thicker oil if I wanted thicker oil. Let' s just fill it with 100% quality oil from a real oil company.

 

[madison069]

Those legs looks fuller then a tick!

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

Glad to see you are back, you had everyone a little antsy. Didn't realize you had a Google medical degree.

 

[Squankum]

Bob, your OnlyFans income is going to plummet now! You'll just have to promote your older videos to the foot freaks.

 

[Sifan]

my Primary Care doctor gave me a script for Tramadol 50mg pills for the pain. It has been a fun month.

I've taken same for many years for knee pain. Have had right replaced, trying to put off doing left.

used to get 90 day supply with 3 refills to last a year.

When Obama healthcare took over, I could only get a 90 day supply with no refills. Because on narcotic list, have to physically see doctor before he can tell pharmacy to refill.

 

[Blackbyrd]

Hope you get a laugh, feel better Bob

 

[zanyad]

Glad you're okay, Bob! Rest up and heal up!

 

[PugetDude]

****, I was halfway to Florida to check up on you and then you break witness protection....

 

[Squankum]

****, I was halfway to Florida to check up on you and then you break witness protection....

Bob was living the rest of his life like a schnook, but he missed the action too much.

 

[Squankum]

Called our primary care physician Monday morning at 9:00. At 3:00 that afternoon he inspected the even more swollen lower limbs and prescribed a second, stronger diuretic

Bob, I learned of a new power tool last week and my first thought was, "Oh geez, the woo crowd is going to use this for "cupping" to remove "toxins", but hey, do you have any DeWalt batteries? Maybe you could slap the DeWalt Grabo against your leg and have at it!

 

[Bob Heine]

Bob - good to see ya.. I'm also on the edema trail, double diuretics and multiple compartment pressure boots (supposed to use twice a day). Not a lot of progress. (mentioned in the Pull Up a Chair thread)..

Edit: You remember Gus Wilson, right?

Gerry, I'll find out if they can provide treatment tomorrow.

As a long time subscriber to Popular Science, I relied on Gus for guidance on auto problem diagnosis. Popular Science was where I found the article on a single lever hydraulic brake system. Wrote to the source and Mr. Williams sent a system specifically made for my Schwinn Varsity bike.

Good to see the silence broken Bob.

Your gang was certainly missing you.

Look after yourself.

Rian, it seemed like every time I sat down to check in on the gang, something broke, required a doctor visit or simply fell into an old rabbit hole.

Hey Bob, great to see you!

Bob,
Glad you posted.
I have missed you.
I'm praying your health gets better.

Jon, I'm trying to break away from my current life pattern. Recently Liane has asked me to spend more time with her so that means staring at the TV until my eyes dry up. Another distraction involved my office computer setup.

I bought a Samsung 32" curved monitor a few years ago and parked it alongside my Dell monitor (in portrait mode. I was having trouble reading my Quicken information on that smaller screen...

I forget how much I paid for the 32" monitor but I bid on an identical used one. When the bid got to $75 I placed a $77.35 bid, which was the winning bid. It's almost overwhelming...

Still a little bored, I upgraded the 2 monitor, 4 computer KVM (Keyboard Video Mouse) switch to a 2 monitor, 10 computer one.

While I was doing the re-wiring, I put an 18-outlet Power Strip/Surge Protector and a new APC UPS box for the computers.

Sounds like a great TV-watching pose. Hope you've gotten your quota of the Olympics.

Feel better soon!

Rick, it's as good as being in bed but the recliner assists my transition from full recline to full standing position.

I've got a 10 inch Galaxy tablet. I prop it up and only need one finger to gesture type. It's what I do all my GJ stuff on, cause it's got the cam, too. It's my email, calendar, task list, browser, you name it. I drag it everywhere. They make bigger if you need/want it.

Kay, I have Fire tablets in 8" and 10" versions (and a Maylong 6" tablet). I have used the 10" Fire many times but the tiny keyboard and no guess assist annoys me enough to make sessions short.

Bob
I am sorry to hear about all the recent medical issues you've been having, and I hope you feel better soon.

@gman007, I am hopeful and my doctors are doing a good job keeping me alive (if not completely well).

@Bob Heine happy to see you back. GJ is just not the same without Bob Heine!

Thanks Mark. Good to be back. I feel like I take a lot more from the GJ than I give.

Truth!

Thanks Jon!

Feel better.
I have had two weeks of flaming **** issues sometimes it was a pill and back to bed. You have my sympathy nobody wants my flaming ****. The only thing that hurt more than this was taking my ski boot off after I broke my leg and that pain stopped when the boot came off.
Ya I know they cut the boots off but they were 1k and a few hundred dollars of fitting.

We are screwed big time now. 24 inches or more of snow is on the way. At least my son will be home to help shovel

Michael, I sympathize with the loss of your boot. My accident cost me a pretty nice 3-piece suit and accessories.

Bob - best wishes for continued improvements ! Let me know if I should ship you enough kink-ease to fill the tub!

Mark, SWMBO has told me to use Vaseline with compression stockings but I may give a bucket of Kink-Ease a try.

Like the rest I’m also glad to see you posting. Sorry for your recent health issues and hope your on the mend.

Thank you Dennis. I'm doing my best to follow orders and get better.

Many people out there can't afford the nicer anything, and I keep seeing videos from professional repair shops of cars that didn't get regular oil changes and paid a price for it! Synthetic has slowly taken over in America, over many decades.

Just checked, conventional oil is around 53% of the market.

North America Automotive Engine Oils Market Forecasts to 2031

The North America Automotive Engine Oils Market size worth 2.79 billion Liters in 2026 is growing at a CAGR of -0.45% to reach 2.73 billion Liters by 2031. Chevron Corporation, ExxonMobil Corporation, Shell plc, BP p.l.c. and Saudi Arabian Oil Co. are the major companies operating in this market.

www.mordorintelligence.com

@Squankum, I've been a synthetic fan-boy for decaddes.

I like Wix XP filters lately. The "synthetic" filters have better filter media that can hold more debris, so you can go further, as today's synthetics are often ready to go a long ways.

WIX-XP Oil Filters

Engineered and designed to maximize the performance of synthetic motor oils, WIX-XP Oil Filters provide optimum engine protection.

www.wixfilters.com

With advice from an oil lab, I'm no longer doing 5,000 mile oil change intervals on some of our cars. Our new used modern Transit van is happy with Red Line synthetic, Wix XP filter, and the oil lab recommends changing the oil at 12,000 miles now. And it's not burning a drop, either! Or leaking! I love it when she buys newer cars. (The older ones keep me busy.)

I figure the cost of oil and filters is pretty cheap insurance. Having spun more than one bearing, I stay on the overkill side of the intervals.

Bob,
Glad you're back. Hope you get better soon.

Thank you Leonard!

In days of yore... and Project Farm!... the scar tester has been used to play with oils, and, well, it's not really a proper test of what an engine needs.

This video is a condensed version of what The Motor Oil Geek had to say on the subject in a longer video:

As for Lucas Oil and their spinning gears, a) yeah, viscosity changes that 2) I'm not trying to lubricate plastic gears in a box, iii) my oil doesn't need "stabilizing."

My local transmission and rear end shop -- best in town -- wants to add a quart of Lucas to a rear end before they ship it out the door, then Mobil 1 gear oil. Egads, it's just thicker stuff. I could buy thicker oil if I wanted thicker oil. Let' s just fill it with 100% quality oil from a real oil company.

I just buy the best lubricants in the reasonable price window.

Those legs looks fuller then a tick!

Cody, I've had my share of annoying stuff and this ranks in the bearable but would be happier without the tick.

Glad to see you are back, you had everyone a little antsy. Didn't realize you had a Google medical degree.

Emil, I was feeling guilty for not visiting but sitting just aggravates the swelling.

Bob, your OnlyFans income is going to plummet now! You'll just have to promote your older videos to the foot freaks.

@Squankum, my OnlyFans income has always been low. Stump fans and foot fetishist visitors are pretty cheap and I'm not willing to add piercings to bump my fees up.

I've taken same for many years for knee pain. Have had right replaced, trying to put off doing left.

used to get 90 day supply with 3 refills to last a year.

When Obama healthcare took over, I could only get a 90 day supply with no refills. Because on narcotic list, have to physically see doctor before he can tell pharmacy to refill.

Kevin, Florida is really strict (we were the pill mill capitol of the world at one time) so all I got was 60 of each so a 30-day supply and no refills. Liane goes to a pain specialist so she can get some better stuff.

Hope you get a laugh, feel better Bob

Adam, thanks for that! I see you've met my therapist.

****, I was halfway to Florida to check up on you and then you break witness protection....

Scott, as soon as I saw what new ID costs, I broke myself out.

Bob was living the rest of his life like a schnook, but he missed the action too much.

Then I come back and just updating my thread takes forever.

Bob, I learned of a new power tool last week and my first thought was, "Oh geez, the woo crowd is going to use this for "cupping" to remove "toxins", but hey, do you have any DeWalt batteries? Maybe you could slap the DeWalt Grabo against your leg and have at it!

I may look into that. I found some leg squishers for $127 so maybe the DeWalt Grabo could be a backup

 

[scooterbum46]

When I moved from a Yamaha 1100 cruiser to my first Harley (2012 Street Glide in Big Blue Pearl), I was introduced to ABS braking on a bike. Riding amongst the blue haired set in the Tampa area proved it's value, magnified moreso when I went to an even heavier full dress Ultra. So when I moved on to the TriGlide, I was surprised to learn that HD didn't offer ABS on trikes, instead offering "linked braking", with either the rear brake lever applying a proportional amount of force to the front brakes (they say 10-30%) and vice-versa when using just the front brake. It works very well for me.

BTW, if I ever finish my time travel gizmo, I plan on going back to my Jap bike riding era and prepare myself for the fact that one day in the future, I will cross the line and that Harley's engines were not really built by John Deere....