Post Recession Shop Rehabilitation Project

[95riosnake]

Man, here I was disappointed recently to check in here and not see an update... then to read what you've been through since the last update more than explains it all.

I can only imagine what it felt like to see your wife flatline, I would be beside myself. We've had a couple scares over the years with my wife, I've taken her to the ER twice thus far. Once was at about 3am, and the other was when I was about half way to work at 5am when she called me crying hysterically that she couldn't move (ended up being a nerve issue due to a disc problem she has in her neck - work related injury). Both times the instinct kicks in and the only thing that matters is getting her to safety and every second feels like an eternity.

Anyway, I'm glad to hear she is doing ok, and to see that you seem to be in good spirits. It's too funny that you mentioned your out of pocket costs in terms of the cost of a bandsaw... I find myself always thinking of expenses in terms of what kind of machinery I could have bought with the same money lol.

Regarding the land down under, any chance you might be traveling there in January? I've had a bucket list item of attending the Summernats for quite some time, just all out vehicular insanity. It's amazing the wide array of vehicles they manage to stuff a blown big block into. I have read that is has a bit of a Mardi Gras atmosphere which may be a bit much though... Early January may be a bit too soon for your wife anyway. I know there are some Aussies here that you might be able to pencil a visit with into your trip regardless. 1/2 Cup comes to mind!

 

[Duker]

Chris, great news that your wife is doing well in recovery.

I experienced my wife "flat lining" and it was a terrifying experience. The silver lining is that when you get into real trouble you can pull out the ace in the hole and remind her about that little saving the life thing! Unfortunately, I have played out that card one too many times!



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[bj383ss]

Glad to hear your wife is doing well Chris. God bless you and her and prayers sent your way...

Bret

 

[Mr. Roboto]

Hey Chris,

So sorry to hear about what you and your wife are going through, but glad to hear that she's doing as well as can be expected. Hang in there. Sounds like you've got a great support system in place, and you have a great plan moving forward. Give her all of our well wishes!

 

[oldironfarmer]

Sorry to hear of your wife's health issues. My wife has had some too, and I don't like that feeling of loss of ability to do anything. Like "Green Acres", "On the mend is the place to be".

QST is a marvelous cure.

I've said many times "I'd rather be here than in the ER. Of course if you need to be in the ER there is no better place to be". We all think our life's work is important, that people need our efforts. However the medical field is the area that is so important and we often take them for granted, and complain about the schedule. Hat's off to all the health industry workers

 

[rmalkow2]

So glad to hear your wife is recovering well. It's very hard to watch someone you love suffer even with all the expert help around. I pray she continues to a full recovery. Hope you can have a little shop time now just because it can be very therapeutic for you as well even if it just involves some sanding time.

 

[ODIS]

Welcome home! Cherish every moment.

 

[longlivepunk]

Sorry to hear that you guys had to go through that, Chris. Send your wife all our best wishes! Glad to hear it worked out about as good as could be expected. We'll be here to watch in envy when your updates start rolling in again! Cheers

-Eric

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[rmack898]

Chris,
Sorry to hear about your ordeal but very glad to hear that things worked out as well as they did.

We'll be here waiting when you get back to working in your shop.

 

[Guster]

Aw man, sorry to hear about the close call. Great outcome with your wife well and getting better, along with a Hobart210 in the stable to compliment the other machinery! Enjoy the time in the shed and take it easy.

 

[Lyndon]

Chris

Just showed your post to the one and only. (I had to have management approval before posting this, so apologies for the delay). . .

She said, immediately, you're welcome here for as long as you want...... And we'll lend you a car if you want (though it sounds like you want 2 wheeled power ).

Keep in mind we are an hour south west of Sydney, but that makes everything south of here, including the south coast, readily accessible. But you might be thinking north, and maybe even an island or 2 (Hamilton etc).

Anyway, look at your options, ask for advice if you want (pm even if needed), and we'd love to meet you and the bride.

Lyndon
Good health to all of you from here on!

PS. And you are entirely correct about the people who work in the health care system. While I had some funny experiences in my "journey" I was unbelievably impressed by the people who ran the system.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Chris, you could have knocked me over with a feather when I read what you and your wife have been thorough lately.

All the best to you both..

 

[dhubbard422]

Chris,

Welcome home. All of our best to your wife (and you) for a full and speedy recovery!

Again, all our best,
Don

 

[don long]

Hi Chris
I'll ad my prayers to and do a little double time out in my garage for you

 

[wnyrider]

Very nice

 

[Bob Heine]

Chris, I'm glad to hear your wife is recovering. You have both been blessed. I'm also glad to hear you are planning a trip Down Under. I found a near-death experience can change your life for the better. Things you took for granted, like this morning's sunrise or a bird in the sky get your attention. The biggest change, putting things off for "when we retire," no longer makes as much sense.

Lyndon made a good point about February being a good time to visit Southern Australia (New South Wales, Victoria and even Tasmania come to mind). Northern Australia is amazing but touring it in February is like touring Florida in August.

Any flight from the US to Sydney is long (19 hours from Denver, not including layovers) and because you cross the dateline you lose a day en route. Add the drive to get to Denver to the hours before flight time for international flights and it's a full 24+ hour trip. Business or First Class is a real good idea if you have the miles (or pay the coach fare and use the miles to upgrade). If you have never experienced jet lag, there's a good chance you will when you fly to Australia. Plan on a lazy day upon arrival -- your bodies think it's 17 hours later than it is. Seriously consider spending more than two weeks (I would recommend two years but that just leads to crazy thoughts like 'not coming back').

If you were to take Lyndon's offer, he lives about an hour from Sydney's airport. Two hours further west are the Blue Mountains. A place like Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains would be a very nice base for mountain bike rentals and excursions. Australia's mountains are more like the Adirondacks than the Rockies -- New Zealand's South Island has the closest thing to our Rockies.

Chris, tell your wife I recommend from now on she "Eat Dessert First."

 

[krcoomer]

Chris: So glad to hear that things are working out for your wife and you. That is a lot to handle and those types of things are what shows you who your real friends are. You said you hope to be able to repay others for their kindnesses. You cannot. The summer of 1995 was a rough one for our family. My wife and I realized we could never repay all the kindness and generosity shown to us to the ones who provided for us but we could sure as the devil pay it forward. It is eye opening and makes you appreciate what you have and how each day is a new opportunity.

 

[timbitca]

Just finished reading this thread over the last 2-3 days. Great read, and even better build.

I'll also add my prayers for your wife's quick recovery.

 

[shortykorte]

I'm glad to hear you and yours were blessed.

 

[250]

As many have said, and I'm sure you fully realize now after the fact, you've both been blessed. I've unfortunately seen the other side of the coin. Its so sad and scary. The screening for such problems isn't considered cost effective, but for those who have a significant bleed and lasting complications, its a small price to pay.

Now, my turn to enable. The flight down to sydney (at least from LAX) is just the right length. You leave late in the evening, watch a movie or whatever with dinner. Take your sleep aid of choice, wake up a couple hours out, have breakfast and refresh yourself arrive fresh as a bunny in the morning local time.

 

[oldironfarmer]

A note on jet lag. I've made lots of transoceanic trips (20+) and the best antidote to jet lag is to force yourself to stay up upon arrival until local bedtime. Resist the urge to take a nap - that just keeps your body on home time. Arriving in Sydney at 5:00 AM, I worked a full day, went out to dinner, and finally to bed at 9:00PM. Next day you hardly know you just had a trip. I've traveled with guys when we stayed in Europe for a week. They napped daytime and could not sleep at night, hardly remembered the trip afterward.

While there are lots of antidotes, staying up upon arrival truly works for me.

Take the trip, take the offers, take the memories. You can give to others.

 

[Lyndon]

Chris

You've been gone for a while again.

Hoping everything is still OK....?

Lyndon

 

[pitterpat]

Chris,

Just caught up on the thread; sorry to hear all you've gone through. Hope you and your wife's health is holding up. Hope all others are well.

 

[AZpilot]

Just read the after hospital update. So very glad all came out well. Don't worry about updating unless you just want to. You did great getting her to help fast. My wife is an RN and she is always talking about the first hour. Take care of her and we'll see you when you are ready.

 

[NedNorton]

Hello folks. Sorry for the delay in getting back to everyone. Things have been super busy with her recovery and I have gone back to work full-time. All that translates into a hectic schedule fore sure. Jen is making great headway on her recovery, but these things take time to heal up so we are taking it day to day.

I just wanted to say, thank you for all the good wishes. Sometime early on in this project I decided that if someone took the time to post on the thread the least I could do is to acknowledge them. Some of you shared personal experiences in you posts so it feels even more appropriate now. I showed the thread to my wife and she was moved to say the least. So... Lyndon, rusty1161, GB, Huxley, 95riosnake, Duker, Bret (bj383ss), Mr. Roboto, Andy (oldironfarmer), rmalkow2, ODIS, Eric (longlivepunk), Mac (rmack898), Guster, Steve (1/2 Cup), Don (dhubbard422), Don (don long), wnyrider, Bob (Bob Heine), Kenny (krcoomer), timbitca, Shorty (shortykorte), 250, Pat (pitterpat) and AZpilot, I can't tell you how much we appreciate you folks taking the time.

Some of you guys have reached out via PM and again, thank you. Huxley, we need to get a beer. Soon.

Lyndon, I'll be sending you a PM about your offer to host us. Super generous and so you know, we are figuring out details on our end. We may take Bob's advice and buy the tickets and use miles to upgrade. Long flights are much easier riding up front.

QST (Quality Shop Time). I needed it.

With my wife's Aunt here to help for the week, I did manage a little time in the garage. My car needed Front Control Arm Bushings so I figured it was a good excuse to spend some time on the lathe. I'm super slow when machining parts. So much so, I think it counts as meditation.

Even though I pale in skill to Don Long, we do share the reading by pictures preference so I thought a few shots were in order.

Here are the press parts I made to help with the bushing removal and install. I have to say, cold rolled 1018 finishes great with carbide at 2200rpm. I really do love making stuff, even if it's easy.


After turning them down they were treated to a quick black oxide solution. The solution from Caswell has changed from clear-blue to milky white but still works as it did the first day. (And yes... Still finishing them in the used oil!)


Old bushing in the bracket going in...


In action (Look at that fancy HF 20 ton press. )


Done! (way past due as evidenced by the old one coming out in parts.)


It all went back together without any drama and I got to build a few more tools in the process (I forgot to take pictures). The combination of having the lift to raise the car, the lathe to turn the tools and even the cheap HF 20 ton press made this repair a breeze. How do folks live without tools? Not only would you have to pay the mechanic to fix the car but you have to pay the the therapist too since you wouldn't have the shop time either. At least I would.

While I had some help in town another buddy and I got out for a quick ride on the Peak to Peak and grabbed lunch in Idaho Springs. He just bought a Cleveland Cycles Misfit. It's a cool bike with a Honda 250cc engine. Not fast, but light and fun to ride. Cleveland is importing a larger engine next year that should swap right in. As much fun as it is with 250cc, it will be much more fun with 550cc!


And, I know it is just a "thing" but... Riding this bike makes me happy.


To close out the update... We were driving back from rehab and it was cold and rainy in Boulder. 2/3 of the way up the canyon on the way home... Blue Sky!

Ain't Life Grand!​

Somehow this phrase seems to not cover it but I'm going use it anyway.


Thanks for stopping in and reading the ramblings. As always, I appreciate it.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[Lyndon]

Chris

So good to see your post. . . You were starting to worry me. And I was tempted to PM, but didn't want to disturb you if you were busy.

Good to see you getting some hands on therapy. It helps!

Keep in touch now, ya hear!

Lyndon
Late Friday night, several "beverages" in!


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[oldironfarmer]

So very glad to hear the recovery is progressing well. Slow and steady wins the race

Great job on the press tooling! I just can't seem to find the time to finish tooling, so great job in that aspect too! When you take it to a mechanic you never know when they have the right tooling or rig something up that does not do a proper job, that is, not press on the rim of the bushing, damaging it in the installation process.

We have a Chevy commercial here locally where a great looking middle age mechanic is flailing away with a hammer on something. I ask my wife "what is he beating on so hard with a hammer?" The hammer in my shop is a tool of next to last resort (blue wrench next) so I'm surprised the dealership is advertising "we'll beat the heck out of your car". Probably not a bad commercial, I'm obviously not in their target group.

Congratulations on QST.

 

[rmack898]

Life IS grand Chris and that phrase does cover it.
Glad to hear that recovery is moving forward.

Shop time is so therapeutic, glad to see you back at it.

 

[Prometheus]

Chris,

Having worked in a Neuro ICU before, I can understand the torture you and your wife have gone through, but I'm thrilled to hear that she is getting better.

...and I totally agree - shop time counts as therapy for me too. Keep plugging away at shop projects, but family comes first, I think we all get that. We're pulling for ya.

-Adrian

 

[ODIS]

Good to have both of you back!

 

[fergus]

Chris,
Glad to hear the wife is recovering. Glad you could get a bit of break as well. Its as important for caretakers as those receiving care.
And you're right, the bike is just a thing, but riding is...well...something more than just a thing.

Even my wife recognizes this, and has encouraged me to buy a bike again, even though there are much bigger priorities. She says I'm "just so much better" when I can go ride. It gives my mind a break, since all I can do is concentrate on riding while I'm riding.

Anyhow, heres to a speedy recovery. Cheers.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Chris, thank you for your update..

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Before I get started, I'm glad your better half is on the path to recovery. Close call indeed. I dread the day when we have to deal with health issues.

Just finished reading the whole build and I've got to say, truly inspiring work! Absolutely love the beetle kill wall and sheet storage rack! I think I'm going to have to build one.

About your FJ60, I love it! Looks like you've got good plans for it. I would have chosen a manual transmission, but to each his own. I trust you're on IH8MUD, but if not, go check out that forum, there's a wealth of info over there. I've been wrenching on my FJ60 since 2007 and I tell you, it's never done!! HTH if you have any FJ60 specific questions.

I’ve been grinding the heads, then drilling them with progressively bigger bits. If anyone knows a better way, please chime in!

Specifically about the rivets, I have had to deal with those rivets too many times. I've replaced my frame, similar to what you're doing, changed engines, changed suspension designs, etc. The easiest way IMHO to deal with them is either with a plasma cutter or with an oxy-acetylene torch. Cut/melt the head off and then blast through the center. After the center is torched out it's easy to knock the rivets out with a punch and after the first rivet or two, you'll learn how to do it without damaging the frame rail you're removing the rivet from.


Keep up the good work and I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with the new welder!!

 

[Bob Heine]

Chris and Jen

 

[rmalkow2]

Glad to read that your wife is on the mend.

 

[Huxley]

Back at ya! Just a few miles North of you last weekend. The funny part is that we drove about 1 1/2 hours from home & the first person we ran into was our neighbor. What the hell!

 

[shortykorte]

I'm glad a bit of normalcy is returning.

Therapy is a day in the shop or a bike ride on the mountains. Riding Yellowstone was great.

 

[NedNorton]

Lyndon - Never a bother. Ever. The wife and I are working out what we can do about getting on a plane. Her rehab schedule is the linch pin.

Andy (oldironfarmer) - Hammering... At the Dealer?! My response is just like yours, " What the hell?"

Shop time is so therapeutic, glad to see you back at it.

Mac (rmack989) - It is good to be back, if even at a slower pace. I've been working on the cars lately so "optional" projects are on the back burner until they are done. I'm hoping to be back at the mill soon. Very soon!

Adrian (Prometheus) - The folks in the ICU are amazing. Could't have done it without their help. What do you do that put you there for work?

Good to have both of you back!

ODIS - It's good to be back!

Fergus - I'm with you on the motorcycles. The weather here has been unseasonably warm so I may get out on Monday for a quick ride. Much cheaper than therapy, for sure.

Steve (1/2cup) - As things slow down I'm hoping that the updates have more shop stuff. Hope is the key word!

About your FJ60, I love it! Looks like you've got good plans for it. I would have chosen a manual transmission, but to each his own. I trust you're on IH8MUD, but if not, go check out that forum, there's a wealth of info over there. I've been wrenching on my FJ60 since 2007 and I tell you, it's never done!! HTH if you have any FJ60 specific questions.

Keep up the good work and I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with the new welder!!

GLTHFJ60 - Welcome! I have read a lot of your post over on MUD. Thanks for the kind words about the shop and making through the entire thing. Moving into the winter, I'm hoping that I can follow in Coop's footsteps and get to building the rig. Auto? No such thing! I'm planning on a 6.0-NV4500-'87 Split Case - FJZ80 rear. Any help would be much appreciated!

Chris and Jen

Thanks, Bob. Means a lot.

ramalkow2 - Thanks for checking in. How is the CJ project coming along?

Huxley - BEER!

Shorty (shortykorte) - Next time you decide to ride Yellowstone, you need to let us know! We will meet ya!

Thanks everyone for checking in. I appreciate it.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[NedNorton]

QST (plus working on the cars)

A little while back I retired my beloved BMW E46 Touring (260K miles) for a newer E46 Touring. This time the car is AWD and silver vs. RWD and black. One thing about BMW’s of this vintage is that they treat their owners much better if given a little bit of attention and harshly if they don’t get it. We have had the car for 10K and it was time to do several PM things. One of which was replacing the rusted dust shields and rebuilding the brakes. Well, in order to fix the dust shields you have to pull the hub, which in the process destroys the wheel bearing. The factory tool is $600.

To the lathe!

It was a good day, as evidenced by all the chips.


Fruits of the labor…


In action getting the old bearing out…


Pressing the hub back in after installing the new bearing…




The good news… The hubs are back together. The bad news, the hack who worked on this thing before me installed a **** aftermarket passenger side axle (among other "work" he did or had done but, we won’t go into all that here) that had a leaking boot. Aftermarket axles are notorious for causing issues in short order so, the car is on the lift (love the lift) awaiting the new GKN (OE) axle. Hopefully it will be all back together by Tuesday night. After all this is done the wife’s car needs a little attention so that will be the next “project”. I do like working on the cars but too much of a good thing is well... What the hell am I saying? All the cooling systems, oil separators, valve cover gaskets, etc all beat the heck out of the ICU! Life is good.

Looking forward to spending time on the FJ60 frame when all the "chores" are done.

Thanks everyone for checking in on the happenings. I appreciate it.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[1/2 Cup]

Thanks for the update Chris..

Regards