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

[Bob Heine]

Thanks for the information of the bathroom repairs. I do not like to buy cheap plastic fixtures and those look like they are good ones. Have a good New Year

Dwight

Dwight, I'm happy with the quality so far. I am suspicious of low prices but this time it was a pleasant surprise. Of course, I bought an extra faucet just in case....

 

[Bob Heine]

Bob: here's to another good year above dirt in 2017. we survived 2016 or we will in a few hours.

your attitude, your wisdom, your stories, your sense of humor and your willingness to share is AWESOME.

GJ is a much better place having you sir so hope you stick around here for many many years to come.

cheers

Drives, thank you so much for the kind words. I'm doing my best to hang around. It's now 15 minutes before midnight so I'm not too late to wish you a Happy New Year!

Now get back out in the garage and finish Dancing Chair 1.0 so we can critique or congratulate! You are one of the GJ celebrities and we are all better for you words of wisdom.

 

[Bob Heine]

Slimpickins: Great discourse, thanks!

Sweet '17 everyone!

Andy, say goodnight Gracie! And have a wonderful '17 yourself.

 

[Bob Heine]

"it keeps me from drinking". . . . So that's what I need? ? ? ?

Lyndon



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Lyndon, your underwhelming digestive tract keeps you from overindulging so you might not need to find other controls. I've been away the last couple of days replacing perfectly good incandescent landscape lighting with LED bulbs and fixtures. Started off swapping out 20W MR16 floodlights for 4W LED bulbs and they are cooler and brighter. Then I replaced six 9W walkway lights with 2W fixtures. Found some 1W flood lights in real small fixtures that should work well to light up the back yard trees,

I know....

 

[oldironfarmer]

Andy, be careful trying to be serious. You do better as a jester or a Shirley, as in Surely you jest. I apologize for missing the hard water comment and I should have caught it -- we have hard water coming out of the freezer door every day.

People never take me seriously. When I used to make obscene phone calls at work I have such a distinctive voice the girls would just say "oh, cut it out Andy" and laugh. Saves me a lot of grief not being taken seriously.

Andy, say goodnight Gracie! And have a wonderful '17 yourself.

Good night, Gracie.

 

[Bob Heine]

I may have exaggerated the "perfectly good" part of the old lights. They weren't actually working and even when they were, they didn't give off much light. The plastic imitation of the Hollywood Bowl were meant to stake into the ground and light a walkway from the side but every time the lawn guys blew the leaves off the walkways the lights would blow over and aim at the sky. The lights had keyhole slots so I hung them on the fence. The reflector inside the fixture was a piece of cardboard with aluminum foil attached (not sure how but it eventually comes off).

Q: What's that blue tube above the light?
A: I didn't care for the plastic air line kit I bought from Harbor Freight but I ran in out from the garage to the shop running on top of the fence. The 5/8-inch garden hose and #10 extension cord aren't as visible but they get water and electricity to the same place. I should probably dig a trench and bury a power conduit, low voltage conduit, copper water line and stainless air line but this works and it's paid for -- and all my tools in the shed are 110v.

The new lights are meant to be mounted on a wall or deck and are made of cast aluminum. Two screws (provided by me) attach a stainless clip and a setscrew on the bottom of the fixture holds it in place. As you can see from the discoloration on the fence, the new fixture is a lot smaller.

The new light fixtures are reasonably priced at about $10 each but I don't expect to be able to buy replacement LEDs. Here's the current link to the lights, sold in sets of six:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IGYDFAI/?tag=atomicindus08-20
The LEDwholsalers site sells the set for a penny less but you have to spend $100 to get free shipping.

I took a couple of pictures of the working lights last night...

With Flash...

Without Flash (and without tripod).

 

[shortykorte]

Some pictures would definitely shed some light on you latest picture. Happy New Years

Damn your fast. Didn't see your last post.

 

[Bob Heine]

Some pictures would definitely shed some light on you latest picture. Happy New Years

Damn your fast. Didn't see your last post.

Stewart, Happy New Year to you too. From my side it seems to take forever to get pictures loaded and the words typed. I decided to try again tonight, using a little tripod and the timer on the camera with no flash. Looks a little better.

In the front yard, which my wife calls the alien landing zone, I replaced the 20W halogen MR16 bulbs with 4W LED MR16 bulbs. Five of the seven fixtures worked but one had to be rewired and the other replaced. I have one bulb left to use in the back yard to up-light one of the trees. If they don't die like some of the LEDs I've tried, I'll buy more. I like lots of outdoor lighting -- I hate shooting (intruders) in the dark.

I have to say the LEDs really do light up the front yard.

The walkway lights in front still have 9W low voltage incandescent bulbs, which is why they are so yellow. I've ordered some 1W LED replacements so they will finish the front for now.

This is South Florida so we not only have leaves on the trees in January, the big tree on the right in the above picture is flowering. Even after more than 40 years living down here, it's still weird.

 

[Grizz1963]

I do like garden lighting.

Yours looks just lovely Bob.

And a happy new year to you and your gang too.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Shed utilities look like something I'd do.

And your last picture? Still no tripod?

 

[bolensboneyard]

Very nice Bob. How did you grow a tomato that big? I thought I had a green thumb!

 

[Bob Heine]

I do like garden lighting.

Yours looks just lovely Bob.

And a happy new year to you and your gang too.

Rian, thanks for stopping by and a Happy New Year to you, Harley and Katy. It may look overdone (probably is) but I edited the photos to make them appear brighter (it was after 11:00 PM).

Shed utilities look like something I'd do.

And your last picture? Still no tripod?

Andy, I was thinking of you when I pointed out the shed utilities.

Good eye on the 3-legged monster sneaking up on me in the dark.

Very nice Bob. How did you grow a tomato that big? I thought I had a green thumb!

Bobby, I may have picked that one up in Alaska -- I think they still have a contest to see who can grow the biggest produce in the Matanuska Valley.

http://www.amusingplanet.com/2015/10/alaskas-giant-vegetables.html

On second thought, that might be a giant apple fountain from Costco that eats tiny water pumps like potato chips.

It's all part of my wife's gardening strategy. She is never happy with the way the gardens look so she pots the babies from the overgrown beds and then puts the pots at the front of the garden. Then she has me move the pots from garden to garden. It isn't that bad an idea because plants that do fine in direct winter sun are fried in the summer sun. I get to move the plants to wherever my wife thinks they'll do best. We have a lot of empty pots from a few tiny miscalculations.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Bob, your lighting looks a treat.

Interesting to note that you have issues with some LED lamps. I have tried some here and have not had much success to date.

Regards

 

[dlcwent]

Your yard looks great Bob, the lights are really nice and adds a special ambiance.

I don't live in Florida, so it's very important that we identify what we are shooting at. And the intruder actually has to be inside your house and threatening your life before you can pull the trigger justifiably. You on the other hand don't need have a reason to pull the trigger. I'm a little spectacle about coming down to get my boxes from Gerard. He could shoot me and actually get away with it. I can see the headlines: Maine man shoot while loading vintage craftsman boxes into trailer.

 

[Bob Heine]

Bob, your lighting looks a treat.

Interesting to note that you have issues with some LED lamps. I have tried some here and have not had much success to date.

Regards

Hi Steve and I see you are having a really wonderful start to the new year. Grandbabies look wonderful and happier than most of the ones I'm familiar with.

I bought under-cabinet low-voltage LED pucks for the kitchen about 5 years ago. The first puck went out after three weeks and within three months all seven were dead. I could/should have returned them for a refund but I used them for some anger management exercises instead. Pretty sure it was cheaper than a real therapist.

I also bought some miniature 110V LED spotlights (over kitchen sink) and one died within 6-months but the other is still going strong three years later. I keep dipping my toe in so maybe I'll find reliable sources more often.

I know you're on top of this but... your wife can cancel your thousands of Atta-Boys with one Ah-$hit if you forget January 8 -- that's less than 4 days away where you are. Be safe, not sorry!

Your yard looks great Bob, the lights are really nice and adds a special ambiance.

I don't live in Florida, so it's very important that we identify what we are shooting at. And the intruder actually has to be inside your house and threatening your life before you can pull the trigger justifiably. You on the other hand don't need have a reason to pull the trigger. I'm a little spectacle about coming down to get my boxes from Gerard. He could shoot me and actually get away with it. I can see the headlines: Maine man shoot while loading vintage craftsman boxes into trailer.

Thanks Dan. A similar headlines crosses my mind almost daily:

Wife Shoots Husband
Returning From
Late Night Photo Session
​

 

[taumac]

Bob, your lighting looks great. Great to see I'm not the only one that likes to light up their house at night.






I like the yellow or soft hue halogen lights but running 160 watts for my uplights 120 watts for down lights. Got 4 transformers running all that so might be converting to led.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Maine man...

Reminds me of the newspaper article in Normal, Illinois.

"Normal Man Marries Oblong Woman"

Oblong is just down the road, but it was a genuine headline.

 

[NedNorton]

Bob,
Just catching up with the happenings. Great job getting the new faucet in and remembering that you had a second stash of o-rings. I would have bought a replacement and a few extras "just in case" only realizing that I had the others when I went to put the extras away. Seeing you get all that done between X-mas and New Years makes me realize that I have a ton of "honey-Do's" that need doing.

More importantly...

This is South Florida so we not only have leaves on the trees in January, the big tree on the right in the above picture is flowering. Even after more than 40 years living down here, it's still weird.

Wow! The house and landscaping is looking great! We have family in Florida and when we visit during the winter all the green is a welcome break from the Colorado snow. Winter is the best Florida season. Enjoy the green for us!

Cheers,
Chris

 

[Guster]

your wife can cancel your thousands of Atta-Boys with one Ah-$hit if you forget January 8 -- that's less than 4 days away where you are. Be safe, not sorry!

Happy new year Bob!

Catching up on the last few weeks of GJ and almost got me mid-sip but decided to read further before continuing else I’d be running for the paper towels again. Wise words. You can never get those atta-boys back either. Clears out the brownie points and blocks the account for quite a while too. Thank goodness for the calendar app! Even lets me remind myself what that perfume was that she wanted for which ever special event. Keeps the improvisation to a minimum which is always a good thing!

Though I will have to learn to be more careful looking in as I’ve now been caught twice this week… First while looking over 12Guage and being interrogated as to why I can’t get my workshop to look like that and just now while marvelling at all the nice accent lighting here she sneaks up behind me with a ”that is lovely, are you planning to light up our front yard and make it all lovely like that?” Ah-$hit!!

 

[slimpickins]

Bob,
Thanks for sharing. I love garden lighting too but never did anything much because it would've cost a fortune with the low voltage halogens. I'll have to look into the LEDs too now that they are coming down in price a bit.

Cheers!

Happy new year Bob!

Catching up on the last few weeks of GJ and almost got me mid-sip but decided to read further before continuing else I’d be running for the paper towels again. Wise words. You can never get those atta-boys back either. Clears out the brownie points and blocks the account for quite a while too. Thank goodness for the calendar app! Even lets me remind myself what that perfume was that she wanted for which ever special event. Keeps the improvisation to a minimum which is always a good thing!

Though I will have to learn to be more careful looking in as I’ve now been caught twice this week… First while looking over 12Guage and being interrogated as to why I can’t get my workshop to look like that and just now while marvelling at all the nice accent lighting here she sneaks up behind me with a ”that is lovely, are you planning to light up our front yard and make it all lovely like that?” Ah-$hit!!

My neighbor is complaining about me talking about what I've been doing in my garage as his SO is now giving him the gears saying why can't his garage look like mine. And mine isn't even close to the 12 Gauge....

Just goes to show a little work makes a big difference I guess!

Cheers again!

 

[Bob Heine]

Bob, your lighting looks great. Great to see I'm not the only one that likes to light up their house at night.

I like the yellow or soft hue halogen lights but running 160 watts for my uplights 120 watts for down lights. Got 4 transformers running all that so might be converting to led.

Gerard, thank you and right back at you. Your house looks great. It's funny but the renters in the house across the street just put up-lights on the front of the house much like yours.

I don't know what color range my halogens were but they were definitely warmer than these LEDs but they are available in warmer versions. I am running three transformers: 1) 500, 2) 300 and 3) 100. I had to be careful adding 20-watt floods but now even the 100-watt is overkill for the LEDs. The 12-volt MR16 LED replacements are actually cheaper than their halogen equivalent.

Maine man...

Reminds me of the newspaper article in Normal, Illinois.

"Normal Man Marries Oblong Woman"

Oblong is just down the road, but it was a genuine headline.

Andy, I love it! A lot like Pennsylvania where you can get from Blue Balls to Paradise by going through ***********. It's not the only way but it kinda works.

Bob,
Just catching up with the happenings. Great job getting the new faucet in and remembering that you had a second stash of o-rings. I would have bought a replacement and a few extras "just in case" only realizing that I had the others when I went to put the extras away. Seeing you get all that done between X-mas and New Years makes me realize that I have a ton of "honey-Do's" that need doing.

More importantly...


Wow! The house and landscaping is looking great! We have family in Florida and when we visit during the winter all the green is a welcome break from the Colorado snow. Winter is the best Florida season. Enjoy the green for us!

Cheers,
Chris

Thanks Chris! I hope Jen is continuing to improve and your down-under trip becomes a reality. It really is a great place to visit. If you get any grief for honey-do's stacking up, remember I have 6 Saturdays every holiday-free week.

I don't mind buying the O-rings (look how cheap they are in the 1000-pack) but stopping mid-project and driving to the store kills my momentum. My honey-do atta-boys also suffer when the water is turned off for a real long time (because I didn't replace the washers in the shutoff valves). Did I mention that I have several thousand petrified faucet washers -- and knowing where they are doesn't make them usable?

Every time I start to feel bad about the lack of seasons in Florida I take the Corvette for a top-down drive. I also try to remember to turn the climate controls in the cars to HEAT at least once a year.

Happy new year Bob!

Catching up on the last few weeks of GJ and almost got me mid-sip but decided to read further before continuing else I’d be running for the paper towels again. Wise words. You can never get those atta-boys back either. Clears out the brownie points and blocks the account for quite a while too. Thank goodness for the calendar app! Even lets me remind myself what that perfume was that she wanted for which ever special event. Keeps the improvisation to a minimum which is always a good thing!

Though I will have to learn to be more careful looking in as I’ve now been caught twice this week… First while looking over 12Guage and being interrogated as to why I can’t get my workshop to look like that and just now while marvelling at all the nice accent lighting here she sneaks up behind me with a ”that is lovely, are you planning to light up our front yard and make it all lovely like that?” Ah-$hit!!

Guster, Happy New Year to you too! As a phone-phobic person, I have to rely on my Lotus Organizer on the computer and my because of my wife's tech-phobia (she's a Luddite) we have a Monthly DayMinder calendar. Every appointment and reminder is recorded with a quill pen.

When I'm reading a really interesting post with great photos, I have to click on another browser tab if I hear my wife headed to my office. If I don't and she sees the post, I get the "Why doesn't your fill in the blank look like that?" If I do switch but not quickly enough, I get the "Were you texting your girlfriend?" (she believes ALL MEN have girlfriends in their computers). The imaginary girlfriend is a lot cheaper than the kitchen or bath renovation.

Bob,
Thanks for sharing. I love garden lighting too but never did anything much because it would've cost a fortune with the low voltage halogens. I'll have to look into the LEDs too now that they are coming down in price a bit.

Cheers!



My neighbor is complaining about me talking about what I've been doing in my garage as his SO is now giving him the gears saying why can't his garage look like mine. And mine isn't even close to the 12 Gauge....

Just goes to show a little work makes a big difference I guess!

Cheers again!

Slim, I completely agree on the outrageous prices on the low voltage lighting. Mine were done on the "installment plan:" whenever they went on closeout or scratch-and-dent sale. The cast aluminum 20-watt M16-bulb flood lights would go on sale for $9.99 and I would buy five. Costco had a set of six cast aluminum pathway lights with the Malibu 7- or 9-watt bulbs for less than $50 so I bought one set -- my wife liked them enough to give the go-ahead for a second set. When the lights stopped working I didn't fix them so it had deteriorated to just a few working lights in front.

My neighbor and close friend's wife is beyond OCD neat. They were in the process of moving a few weeks ago and my friend's tools were in the moving truck. They came over to borrow a couple of basic tools and those magic words came out of her mouth: "Why aren't your tools this neat?"

 

[-Brent-]

I like the landscape lighting, too. It's been on the list of things I'd like to do for a few years.

 

[Bob Heine]

I like the landscape lighting, too. It's been on the list of things I'd like to do for a few years.

Hi Brent, I did a little landscape lighting in out last house and brought the fixtures with us when we moved. It's one of those rabbit hole projects but it's possible to start small and expand a little at a time. One of the benefits of getting old is forgetting what's on the list. Then GJ goes and ruins it.

 

[Bob Heine]

Sometimes I start a simple project and it stays simple.

I decided to finish up the TIG Argon purge project. It needed a few items, like a hose and some clamps. I was in Home Depot and picked up a 10-foot length of 1/4-inch ID plastic tubing. I also ordered some stainless Oetiker clamps (single ear crimp-on hose clamps).

To turn the project into a bigger deal, I started searching for a diffuser for the end of the purge hose. I learned that it's real wasteful to use an open hose because it causes turbulence, mixing rather than displacing the oxygen in the purged container. After finding some real expensive diffuser ends, it turns out most welders just use a gas lens on the end of the hose. Hot dog, I have some of those. In fact, I have one I will probably never use because it takes a 1mm Tungsten.

I have used worm clamps on hose all of my adult life and I have the finger scars to prove it. That's why this little project is getting the Oetiker clamps. The hose barb on the dual regulator is a little smaller than 1/4-inch but the clamp made it a tight seal. The gas lens diffuser threaded end is quite a bit larger than 1/4-inch but a little heat and it slipped on. It only took a few minutes to put it all together.

Remembering that turbulence issue, I decided to plug the Tungsten hole in the middle of the gas lens. I almost threw out a tiny screw a couple of days ago but threw it in the screw collection. Dug it back out and found it was too big for the 1mm hole. A 3/32-inch drill bit opened the hole just enough to get the screw started. It bound up nice and tight so I think I have a done deal.

 

[Bob Heine]

Sometimes I make a mountain out of a mole hill.

Three years ago (January 2014) I was going to take a 400-mile road trip in the '87 Corvette. [FONT=&quot]I took it in for a 4-wheel alignment, checked all the fluids, gave the car a good wash and cleanup and headed over to the local gas station to fill the tank. On the way home I stopped for a red light and just as the car was coming to a complete stop I lifted off the brake pedal a little (like usual). Instead of releasing the brakes, the car continued to slow. When the light turned green, it was obvious the front brakes were dragging quite a bit. I pulled over, shut the car off and waited a minute. When I re-started the car, the brakes were still stuck so I tried pumping them. That just made it worse and I drove the last half-mile home creeping along at less than 5 mph with the engine straining to move the car.

I’m actually feeling pretty lucky. If this failure had occurred on an Interstate, the initial slowing down would have included my brake lights being on but when I let off on the pedal, the brake lights would have gone off while the car was still slowing down. Slowing down with no brake lights on an interstate full of texting, talking and otherwise preoccupied (take your pick – really old or really young) drivers behind me would not have ended well.

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]I had already ordered a new master cylinder with front and rear reservoirs (stock ’87 master has only a rear one) because the pedal had gone soft once in the driveway a month ago. The brakes seemed fine after that episode but obviously they weren’t.

I wanted to know what went wrong so I took the old master cylinder apart. First thing I removed was the Warning switch assembly, Primary piston stop and Combination piston (it’s the piston behind the hex-head plug on the outer end of the master cylinder).

[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]The rear brake section of the piston was clean but the front brake section had dark red paste in it. I thought it might be rust but when I put a magnet right on the blobs on the paper towel, it didn’t stick to the magnet at all. I believe it’s varnish from old brake fluid.

I removed the Primary piston after removing the snap ring. The Primary piston came right out but the secondary piston was quite a bit harder to remove. The last part, the Center valve assembly came out real easy but it was in pieces. I believe this was the cause of the failure. The spring broke apart and wasn’t strong enough to return the Secondary piston assembly to its normal position. There was no way for the front brake pressure to be relieved, keeping the brake calipers engaged.
[FONT=&quot]

[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I thought this was a relatively new master cylinder but I found the record in Quicken and it was purchased in 2000 at a local parts store. While I had it out, I pulled the bias spring out of the Combination piston just to see how hard it was to remove. It was easy to remove and re-install.
[FONT=&quot]

[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=&quot]I decided to go through the whole system and ordered new front calipers and pads along with a DRM (Doug Rippie Motorsports) brake bias spring for the new master cylinder.

I started with the passenger side front brake. First thing I noticed was metal whiskers on the ABS Sensor. Metal whiskers tell me I ground off a fair amount from the sintered metal pads and the metallic dust is attracted to the magnet in the sensor. Even though the rotor is heat scorched and has some pad residue, I can still make out the original surface grinder marks on the rotor.
[FONT=&quot]

[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I removed the caliper and pads and the pads were quite worn. I don’t think they have 5000 miles of gentle driving on them so this is another problem to solve. The piston seemed to be pretty hard to move so I cut the rubber boot away and there was no sign of fluid but there was some white residue on the piston. Considering how hot the brakes got, it might be minerals left behind by water that boiled off. When I removed the driver side caliper it was obvious there is a problem with the passenger side front caliper.
[FONT=&quot]

[/FONT]

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]I rebuilt the calipers and replaced the flexible lines, pads and rotors in 2008. I took the calipers apart and even though I found nothing wrong, I decided to replace the front calipers as a pair. I also decided to replace the pads with a complete set of EBC Red pads. I had some down time waiting for the brown truck to deliver my parts so I polished and painted a few things. It went together quick with no problems to this point...

[/FONT]

 

[oldironfarmer]

Nice work on the brakes. Do you suppose the broken return spring contributed to the front brake pad wear and subsequent overheating?

 

[Bob Heine]

Nice work on the brakes. Do you suppose the broken return spring contributed to the front brake pad wear and subsequent overheating?

Thanks Andy. I don't know for sure what caused the uneven wear. It may have been the spring but I suspect it was just my poor maintenance habits. The gunk in the master cylinder was just a hint of the gunk buildup in the whole system. The passenger side caliper was stuck when I checked it and I think that caused the abnormal wear. I don't know why it was stuck but obviously it had been stuck for quite a while.

I had owned the car for 9 years when I replaced the master cylinder the first time and that was the only time I added more than a topping off of the brake fluid. This 2014 failure was my 23rd year owning the car. I began to worry the whole system was contaminated....

 

[Bob Heine]

Because this catastrophic failure was preceded by a warning, I started thinking back and recalled a panic stop a few years after I bought the car. The car stopped fine but the ABS and brake warning lights came on after the stop. By the time I got home the warning lights went off.

Now my plan to flush the brake system has me worried because the car is equipped with ABS and pushing dirt through that super tight tolerance unit is another potential disaster. Now I want to take the ABS unit apart but the shop manual says it can't be serviced. Turns out you can't buy a new or rebuilt unit either. I hedged my bet and bought a used ABS unit "just in case" taking mine apart is a failure.

It was getting pretty dark in this rabbit hole so I ordered a complete set of pre-bent stainless lines for the car. On my '56 Chevy that was 7-piece set. On the '87 Corvette it's a few more...

Boy am I glad I bought the pre-bent lines.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Bob, thank you yet again for your detail you articulate here in regards to your brakes it makes an interesting read and a lesson for all.

Regards

 

[dlcwent]

Bob, I had again written a lengthy post and it got eaten somewhere in cyber space. Probably that happens for a reason.

My first suspect of the unretracted caliper would be the flex hose even though you said it was replaced in 08. Not being there doing the work, that is a total "diagnosis over the phone". You'll need to hold the speaker end closer to the problem. Best of luck with the final outcome.

 

[Bob Heine]

Bob, thank you yet again for your detail you articulate here in regards to your brakes it makes an interesting read and a lesson for all.

Regards

Steve, thanks for stopping by and your kind words. Looking back, it was a fun project that I'm hoping not to have to repeat

Bob, I had again written a lengthy post and it got eaten somewhere in cyber space. Probably that happens for a reason.

My first suspect of the unretracted caliper would be the flex hose even though you said it was replaced in 08. Not being there doing the work, that is a total "diagnosis over the phone". You'll need to hold the speaker end closer to the problem. Best of luck with the final outcome.

Dan, I know exactly what you mean. There's a morbidly obese post eater lurking out there somewhere.

There was a stuck caliper on my son's Fiat X1/9 and it was indeed the disintegrating flex hose. Mine were Teflon lined braided stainless and I checked them first. That's what led me to the brake lines and ABS unit. The brake lines go from the master cylinder in the engine compartment to the ABS unit behind the driver's seat and then back to the front of the car. Because each caliper has its own brake line from the ABS unit, I thought that the cause of the stuck caliper was in that circuit.

Disconnecting the lines, checking for debris and connecting the old lines back in didn't appeal to me, thus the new lines. Then the $pendthrift who lives in the recesses of my brain said "as long as you're replacing those lines, why not upgrade to stainless?" The cheap$kate who lives on my brain's front porch said "that's going to cost a fortune!" It turned out to be $235 delivered to my door so $pendthrift won. The place I bought them from no longer carries them and the places that do are $100 plus shipping more now. My cheap$kate is saying something but I can't make out what it is.

 

[zmotorsports]

Sometimes I start a simple project and it stays simple.

I decided to finish up the TIG Argon purge project. It needed a few items, like a hose and some clamps. I was in Home Depot and picked up a 10-foot length of 1/4-inch ID plastic tubing. I also ordered some stainless Oetiker clamps (single ear crimp-on hose clamps).

To turn the project into a bigger deal, I started searching for a diffuser for the end of the purge hose. I learned that it's real wasteful to use an open hose because it causes turbulence, mixing rather than displacing the oxygen in the purged container. After finding some real expensive diffuser ends, it turns out most welders just use a gas lens on the end of the hose. Hot dog, I have some of those. In fact, I have one I will probably never use because it takes a 1mm Tungsten.

I have used worm clamps on hose all of my adult life and I have the finger scars to prove it. That's why this little project is getting the Oetiker clamps. The hose barb on the dual regulator is a little smaller than 1/4-inch but the clamp made it a tight seal. The gas lens diffuser threaded end is quite a bit larger than 1/4-inch but a little heat and it slipped on. It only took a few minutes to put it all together.

Remembering that turbulence issue, I decided to plug the Tungsten hole in the middle of the gas lens. I almost threw out a tiny screw a couple of days ago but threw it in the screw collection. Dug it back out and found it was too big for the 1mm hole. A 3/32-inch drill bit opened the hole just enough to get the screw started. It bound up nice and tight so I think I have a done deal.

Nice job on the diffuser Bob. I have used that idea before as well before I fabricated my own set of various diffusers. Mine are filled with shredded copper and steel wool to dissipate the gas evenly and they work very well.

Here is a picture of mine completed.

Mike.

 

[Bob Heine]

That stuck caliper was a real puzzle to me. I normally just pull the piston out by hand but this one wouldn't come out. I tried the fallback trick of 100 psi air applied to the brake line hole and that didn't work either. I ended up going Medieval with a pair of Channel locks. I still don't see the problem but a replacement caliper did the trick.

 

[Bob Heine]

Nice job on the diffuser Bob. I have used that idea before as well before I fabricated my own set of various diffusers. Mine are filled with shredded copper and steel wool to dissipate the gas evenly and they work very well.

Here is a picture of mine completed.

Mike.

Mike, that's a beautiful set of diffusers. I thought for a second that you drilled holes and then saw the tiny weld beads. Every little thing I learn about welding is wonderful. I am even past the REGERTS of waiting so long to start.

Mike, I'm hoping you're OK. Do you go out in the yard and look at the space where your shop is going? Or do you just go in the garage and commiserate with the machines ("don't be sad, I'll be wiping the tears off you soon). I know you can't look sad when the new house makes your wife so happy.

 

[Wreckster23]

Finally caught up to current date on this thread. Thank you for posting up the family history! I'm much to young to have experienced much of this myself, but it really is enjoyable reading from your perspective.

I currently live in New Windsor, been in the Hudson Valley all of my 31 years. Your name certainly sounds familiar, though it sounds as though you haven't lived up here for some time. The only thing I can imagine is that you may have known a previous professor of mine, Vern Piantinida (spelling?) As he was an "IBMer" for some years before teaching at UCCC. My uncle was with IBM for quite a while, though never anywhere near here, perhaps the last name Greenfield rings a bell?

Your proficiency in technical writing shows through your posts. There's something to be said about enjoying reading about a procedure one already knows how to do.

 

[Robey5]

Bob:

Nice posting(s) on the C4 brake repairs. They made minimal enhancements to the C4 brakes over the years, and that ABS system is going to be a real problem if the controller and motor sub-assy decides to quit. I've ripped into my 93 a time or two in nearly 20 years of ownership, and can say with certainty that if the motor quits in mine, I will try to find a way to bi-pass it.

 

[Bob Heine]

Finally caught up to current date on this thread. Thank you for posting up the family history! I'm much to young to have experienced much of this myself, but it really is enjoyable reading from your perspective.

I currently live in New Windsor, been in the Hudson Valley all of my 31 years. Your name certainly sounds familiar, though it sounds as though you haven't lived up here for some time. The only thing I can imagine is that you may have known a previous professor of mine, Vern Piantinida (spelling?) As he was an "IBMer" for some years before teaching at UCCC. My uncle was with IBM for quite a while, though never anywhere near here, perhaps the last name Greenfield rings a bell?

Your proficiency in technical writing shows through your posts. There's something to be said about enjoying reading about a procedure one already knows how to do.

FA, thank you very much for visiting and you have my respect and sympathy for the time spent on this odyssey. We moved south from the Hudson Valley ten years before you were born and between Kingston, Poughkeepsie and East Fishkill there were probably 40,000 IBM employees. I retired from IBM after 30 years and that was 22 years ago. I have a terrible time remembering names and if it weren't for my photo ID I suspect I'd forget my own.

The last few years in Wappingers Falls we were into boating, having joined the New Hamburg Yacht Club. We passed by New Windsor on the river frequently and always spent the 4th of July anchored off Cold Spring to watch the that were launched over the river, including the show from West Point.

Bob:

Nice posting(s) on the C4 brake repairs. They made minimal enhancements to the C4 brakes over the years, and that ABS system is going to be a real problem if the controller and motor sub-assy decides to quit. I've ripped into my 93 a time or two in nearly 20 years of ownership, and can say with certainty that if the motor quits in mine, I will try to find a way to bi-pass it.

Robey5, I appreciate your visit and thanks for the compliment. I once owned a 1979 euro spec BMW 733i that was equipped with the Bosch ABS unit of that era. When it had a problem the BMW dealer told me it couldn't be rebuilt or repaired and would cost $2,500 to replace (just the part). I asked how much a pair of Tees cost and when he said $33, I had the fix. I think I was smarter when I was younger.

 

[Bob Heine]

That dome on the ABS unit covers the main bolt that holds the whole thing together. That hose pick helped me get the dome off and when I tried to loosen the allen bolt, my ancient Rockwell (made in Japan) impact wrench didn't have the oomph. Excellent opportunity to add a Harbor Freight Earthquake impact to the collection. Took a split second for the Earthquake to break the bolt free.

With a little gentle prying on all three solenoids, the upper assembly come off (along with the main connector).

[FONT=&quot]With the solenoids removed, the lower housing shows some contamination (and a fair amount of debris in the hard to get to areas of the housing. I'll be spending some time cleaning all the stuff up with denatured alcohol.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I removed one of the solenoids to see if there was any crud on the other end. It looks pretty clean but I'll give it a rinse anyway.

[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]As long as I've taken it apart this far, I thought I'd try disassembling the solenoids (one at a time). I managed to get it apart except for the solenoid plunger. It appears to be staked and I just don't want to have metal shavings introduced to what appears to be a pretty clean assembly.

[FONT=&quot]At this point I decided there was no point in disassembling the ABS unit any further so I put it all back together. In that last picture you can see I've done about as much cleanup as I can. I'm a foolish man but fear eventually sets in and before I mess up my "new to me" ABS [FONT=&quot]unit, I decided [FONT=&quot]t[FONT=&quot]o carefully put it all back together.[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
[/FONT]

 

[oldironfarmer]

I would much rather watch you dive into an ABS unit rather than do it myself.

Do you like what ABS does for you? I'm still not sold. But ABS was not available on my Yugo. When I want to lock them up I want to lock them up. When I'm stopping on ice I'm convinced I can stop quicker than an ABS system. All it takes is the fortitude to let off the brakes as you're sliding toward an impending wreck. I love seeing the cars in the news shots, sliding to a crash, wheels always locked up and brake lights burning bright. My wife will attest I shout "lock 'em up, you'll get there faster if you don't let up!"

When my 94 Dodge was experiencing starting problems and the dealer couldn't reproduce it, I took the very short trip to my breaking point. Drove into the service bay (empty except for me) at a rather high rate of speed and the damn antilock brakes wouldn't let me slide to stop. Then I was really mad. Should have traded it off.

I finally figured out the problem occurred when the truck was parked nose down hill for more than four hours so I took it back (it was still new) and showed them how to park it and insisted they not move it until the next morning when I got there to watch them start it. It took two trips as the mechanic moved it into the shop for my arrival and starting test the first day. Asked him if it had started right up and he said, "Ummm, not really, why?". That's when the 2w light bulb went on in the service managers head and he decided it would be a good idea to listen to it start cold, nose down. They replaced the pickup line in the fuel tank.

You had a Rambler. Did I ramble?

 

[Bob Heine]

With a clean and hopefully functioning spare ABS unit, I decided it was time to take the original one out of my car. I have a set of Craftsman flare wrenches in SAE but none in metric. Being pleased with the Earthquake impact, I bought a set of metric flare wrenches from Harbor Freight. The first four fittings came loose with no drama but when I tried the fifth one, it was stuck. Of course the last one is in the most difficult position at the bottom of the unit at a 90-degree angle, right below the VL port, which is at a 45-degree angle on top of the unit. It's visible in this picture but it's down in the bowels of the car behind the driver seat. Had the shop manual gone further than saying "Don't touch the ABS unit," I would have learned that the lines on the bottom are easier to get to when you drop the mess out the bottom.

Gave the fitting a shot of PB Blaster and waited a day. Still wouldn't break loose so I tried a shot of Kroil and waited another day. This time there was a snap and I thought I was home free. Nope, the fitting is fine but the flare wrench not so much.

Before you post a "Told You So" about the $8 set of flare wrenches from Harbor Freight, you are 100% correct. I went to Sears and for around $30 picked up a set of Craftsman flare wrenches. The Craftsman 12mm couldn't break the fitting free either (it did start to round it off) so I found a Snap-On 12mm flare wrench on eBay for $24. One side of the wrench is a 12mm open end and the other is a12mm flare. This wrench arrived and it would have worked great at the beginning of the process but it didn't fit on the buggered fitting. I now have a rather large collection of metric flare wrenches that I may not use again. The Snap-On wrench isn't in the picture because I keep it locked up in our safe deposit box.

Because I had made the decision to buy the new brake lines, that last fitting stayed in the ABS unit with a very short piece of clipped-off steel brake line. It was impossible to get the diagonal cutters in from the top so I did end up attacking it from the bottom -- eventually.