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

[bcoke]

Congradulations on making 55 years.....you both must have got married before you hit 12 years old!.........Read about your cousin ,sad but the price we pay for a long life I guess......he must be still a good driver as he sure made it to you the long way!!!! I know what it is as Dad on Long Island got his license renewed when he was 92 yo and for 8 years!!!!!! he said great I will live to be 100...........he only drove for another year and only in his comfort zone [8 mile radius and no night driving].........then let us do the driving [me and brother] but realized he could not cope with Long Island NY traffic........maybe your cousin was just out of his comfort zone [local roads] and will relize that road trips are no more! I was glad to learn of the Silver Alert and the Baker Law as my mother-in-law is 92 and up in Leesburg Fla and still driving , she is also limiting it to local as a few times she got "lost" when she tried to go too far away.......her son and family and sister/brother in law live in the same complex so she has alternative means they are both 10 years younger...........remember getting old is not for sissy's.........enjoy all you postings ......bobbycoke

 

[shortykorte]

Great achievement.

Probably not hard since you probably keep her in stitches (laugher) and she keeps you straight. Best wishes!

 

[Toolfool]

55 Years !!?? Wow, Congratulations.

 

[Bob Heine]

When I was finished with the valve seal job, I ran into a tiny problem. I couldn't get the new driver side valve cover on. The extra height occupied the same space as the windshield wiper motor. The stock and chrome stamped steel rocker covers barely fit under the wiper mechanism housing but my taller $80 polished aluminum covers don't. My first thought was to move the engine forward but before I pursued that I took a look at the wiper mechanism.

The wiper motor and gearbox is mounted to the firewall with 3 rubber donuts. If I can make the donuts thinner, it might fit. Twenty-five year old rubber living in an engine compartment hardens up a bit and they don't like to be disturbed. When I went to buy new donuts I found Corvette parts suppliers don't carry these but eBay has identical Buick donuts (probably universal). I tested the theory before buying the new ones and it worked.

Three sliced fresh donuts and three shortened sleeves later and I had the clearance needed.

There are no exhaust manifolds on the car at this point so I lifted the car 14-inches off the floor on jack stands. Time for some shiny stainless headers to connect to the catalytic converter. The driver side has a heat shield for the brake lines with plenty of clearance for the old manifold and pipe. At the left edge of the picture there's also an alternator brace that mounts on one of the manifold bolts (far left in this photo).

Robert (MP&C) showed how this should/could have been done and I did my best. I'm pretty sure brake lines touching exhaust headers is a bad thing so this was a shield I needed to keep. A little bending and hammering and I had a bit ugly but workable solution. This is a view of the bottom of the shield, where I removed the part closest to the header but well away from the brake lines. In the five years since I did this I did have the master cylinder disaster but no other brake problems so I think the shield is doing its job.

I have a disease common to many members of the GJ and it involves a stainless steel fetish. I'm installing stainless headers so I feel compelled to replace plain or painted steel steel things with stainless replacements. Sometimes that means making them from scratch. Old and new altenator braces:

That's actually my second attempt (too short first one) and it required a little grinding and polishing. It isn't show car quality but it made me feel good.

The original manifolds have standoffs built in and in some cases they are important for special bolts or bracket alignment. I could have cut the standoffs off the old manifolds but OnlineMetals.com sells stainless tubing that can be cut to fit. I found it easier to polish the foot-long tube and then cut the piece off. Still needs a bit of polishing but much less likely to turn into a projectile at the buffer.

The driver side went in with very little trouble and I was feeling pretty confident. I did some fiddly work with the spark plug wire mounts but I made aluminum brackets so I could polish them.

My OCD went a little overboard with the spark plug wires. I replaced the HEI distributor cap with an aftermarket unit that changes the external wire firing order while keeping the internal firing order correct. That means the four wires going to the driver side spark plugs come out of the four towers on the driver side of the cap with the four on the passenger side doing the same. Silly but it made me smile.

 

[Bob Heine]

Bob, you must be doing something right..

Steve, I don't think it's what I'm doing right. Mostly I'm doing fewer things wrong. Same effect but easier to succeed. I've learned not to contradict her directions but that often means turning left when she says right (the other left).

Happy anniversary Bob. I don't have a wife but I my girlfriend of 20 years fills the role. We celebrate as if we were married. It is a good and comfortable feeling.
I also understand the sentiment of "putting up with me"

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

Andrew, we used to tell our teenage son we weren't married so we could call him an inconsiderate *******.

Happy anniversary Bob.

Thank you Aaron and thank you for stopping by.

That battery looks scary .



I agree.

Simon, I didn't know lithium batteries did that. I'm used to alkaline batteries puking crystals out their ends but this is new. I bought three new Samsung batteries and I'll be checking them more often (at least annually). Our anniversary might be a good reminder -- buy a gift, flowers, card and check the phone battery. Chance of remembering any of the above -- SLIM.

Thank you and see my reply to Steve above.

Glad to hear your exciting week seems to have worked out for the best. I'm glad to hear your cousin has family that cares for him, and is able to take care of him. My sister in law is the Guardian for an elderly gentleman. His son originally got the guardianship, but is MIA and doesn't seem concerned at all with how his father is doing. He does have a couple of brothers that write him, but I'm not sure he remembers them or even knows they exist. It's a very sad situation.

JP, society has changed a lot, including how we care for our loved ones. I remember the older homes in Vermont that had addition after addition added on. The parents stayed in their home, along with their children, until they died. Several generations took care of each other and worked the farm together. I don't remember seeing many "Rest Homes" in Vermont.

Sorry to hear about your cousin! The tough part is when a person does not know he is in trouble. My son in law gets confused and lost, but he knows it and stops to call and ask how to get home. It can be a fun conversation.

Congratulations to you on 55 years, and sympathies to your wife.

After all these years she is still having to train you...

I wish you many more

Andy, that's the worrisome part but because he is giving away his prize Corvettes and clearing out the house, I suspect he knows something is wrong. Both the doctors who checked him out thought he was fine and wanted to release him (until the nurses filled them in). When it was all over, I realized I'm an antique. When he couldn't hear me on his smart phone, I told him to find a pay phone and call me collect. I'm glad he didn't hear me for two reasons: 1) he might have had to drive to Cuba to find a pay phone and 2) I'd be the one being Bakered for talking about mythical devices.

Thanks for the well wishes. I cancelled the printed newspaper delivery to the house so it's much harder for her to train me. Gonna hafta hide the broken broomsticks.

Congrats on 55 years Bob. If my wife keeps me that long it will be a miracle.

Bret

Bret, my theory is that like their pets, they are willing to clean up after us and show affection even when we disappoint.

Congratulations on your 55th Bob. Hope you have many more.

Thank you Bobby. It feels a little surreal that it has been that long.

Congradulations on making 55 years.....you both must have got married before you hit 12 years old!.........Read about your cousin ,sad but the price we pay for a long life I guess......he must be still a good driver as he sure made it to you the long way!!!! I know what it is as Dad on Long Island got his license renewed when he was 92 yo and for 8 years!!!!!! he said great I will live to be 100...........he only drove for another year and only in his comfort zone [8 mile radius and no night driving].........then let us do the driving [me and brother] but realized he could not cope with Long Island NY traffic........maybe your cousin was just out of his comfort zone [local roads] and will relize that road trips are no more! I was glad to learn of the Silver Alert and the Baker Law as my mother-in-law is 92 and up in Leesburg Fla and still driving , she is also limiting it to local as a few times she got "lost" when she tried to go too far away.......her son and family and sister/brother in law live in the same complex so she has alternative means they are both 10 years younger...........remember getting old is not for sissy's.........enjoy all you postings ......bobbycoke

BobbyCoke, I waited until I was 17 to get married. I can't imagine driving on Long Island in my 90s. I was getting worried when I was in my 30s. I mean, how does a person have an accident on the LIE parking lot? I think part of my cousin's problem was the loss of his wife. She used the smart phone and the computer. She also set up and paid close attention to the GPS on trips. He had the GPS with him but it was safely stored in his suitcase.

My mother drove when she was in her 90s but I coaxed her out of the car when she started doing what my cousin is doing on local drives.

Great achievement.

Probably not hard since you probably keep her in stitches (laugher) and she keeps you straight. Best wishes!

Stewart, thank you so much. Actually I'm not the funny one -- she is. A little bit of her humor has rubbed off on me.

55 Years !!?? Wow, Congratulations.

John, every time I say it I do the same WOW thing. The Episcopal priest who performed the ceremony told us during the counseling session that we shouldn't get married because these "things" never last. So far I have kept my wife from visiting his grave and doing that Russian ****** "thing" on it.

 

[maddog1949]

Congradulations !

 

[jp828108]

There are some homes with addition after addition around here in Ohio, and there are still some folks who actually worry and take care of their older loved ones. There are also so many that pack up their stuff and ship them off to assisted living facilities. They just have an attitude about trying to get "whatever they have coming to them" and want to sell everything off for their next vacation or new car. It is a sad state of affairs. My girlfriend worked in an assisted living facility for awhile. It was understaffed and the employees were overworked. My grandma is nearing 90, and it is starting to show. I am not looking forward to when my mom and her siblings have to have that discussion with her. She has been so independent for so many years.

 

[Bob Heine]

Congradulations !

Thank you Maddog.

There are some homes with addition after addition around here in Ohio, and there are still some folks who actually worry and take care of their older loved ones. There are also so many that pack up their stuff and ship them off to assisted living facilities. They just have an attitude about trying to get "whatever they have coming to them" and want to sell everything off for their next vacation or new car. It is a sad state of affairs. My girlfriend worked in an assisted living facility for awhile. It was understaffed and the employees were overworked. My grandma is nearing 90, and it is starting to show. I am not looking forward to when my mom and her siblings have to have that discussion with her. She has been so independent for so many years.

JP, my mother had a pension and social security with a total income of about $40K a year. I could have moved her to an assisted living facility but I have had really negative experiences with them. Not so much the facilities, just the misery of living in a strange place when things don't make sense anymore. I spent all her money and some of mine to have a trained caregiver live with her 24/7. Mom got to re-read her favorite books, play the piano, go through her photo albums and have slideshows with her caregiver. I stopped in daily to make sure everything was OK and drove her to all her appointments. She also took the senior center bus for painting classes and book club meetings, as well as classic movies. My son drove 70 miles to visit her almost every weekend. He took her out to lunch (lunch and gasoline was my treat) so she could spend time with most of the seven great-grandchildren. After complications from a stupid outpatient lumpectomy, she spent her last week in a Hospice and died Mothers Day afternoon. At least she had a visit with me, my son, his wife and their 7 children that morning.

I apologize for the "stupid lumpectomy" comment but my mother had annual mammograms at the local women's health center for 30 years. They always called to schedule and then would call to confirm the appointment. They found a tiny lump when she was 90 and did a lumpectomy. She recovered but her neurologist found a blocked carotid artery. After a carotid artery stent operation when she was 92, she mentioned her quarterly follow-up mammograms to her primary care doctor. The doctor took me aside and said she was suffering from congestive heart failure and that would end her life long before a tumor in her breast would kill her. I tried to talk her out of it but she became obsessed with the cancer she could feel growing inside. The center kept calling even after I objected and sure enough, a few months after she turned 95 they found another tiny lump. Another outpatient procedure but this time she came down with a lung infection that quickly turned to pneumonia. She didn't have the strength to fight off the infection and the only alternative was Hospice. The OB/GYN didn't kill her but he sure didn't lengthen her life. Smug ******* probably thought he was following the "do no harm" oath he took. At least he didn't try to talk Mom into breast reconstruction...

 

[bolensboneyard]

My heart goes out to all who care for their loved ones. I can certainly relate. I took care of my dad when no one else could find the time; twice. I was the black sheep of the family and my father and I were like fire and water for most of my life. I could not do anything right even when I was in my early forties. When I got the call from a thousand miles away I realized how humiliating it must have been for my father to have to call me; his last resort. I paused for a moment while I pushed the thought of payback out of my mind. I knew I could do only one thing. I was getting married in six weeks. He had been telling me since I was a child that the time he spent holding me over a vaporizer when I was first born was a waste of time "He should have let me drown in my own snot." I told him that I would be there in two days as I wanted to drive there not fly. He looked like Gandhi when I arrived.
When I had been with him for a few days he broke down and started crying. When I asked what was wrong he managed to choke out the words "why are you doing this for me? I never had a kind word to say about you." My answer; "Dad, all I ever wanted to do was love you. Know you cannot get away from me." We had four years together after he had recovered and I went back for three weeks of hospice then he died. His last words to me were "Thank God you're still here." He had woken in the night with need of a diaper change. We were in my sister's house and I was sleeping in the cellar. I had answered to the sound of screams heard through the cellar floor. Repairing my own broken self is the greatest thing I have ever done. Their is way more to the story. I hope this helps someone. Bobby

 

[Guster]

Congratulations to you and your better-half Bob! 55 years is no small feat and worthy of a good celebration.

Talking about additions and elderly care. My in-laws stayed over last week so the old fella could get to the hospital easier for an operation to repair a hernia. We were discussion the changing economy and impact it is having on society. Especially how the current concept of housing is becoming unattainable for our kids. Millennials are already group-funding property purchases to get a step up. Mum mentioned that it would be impossible past a certain point and we'd see a radical change or even a downfall in society. My take on it was that it will likely return to where 3-4 generations share a house and kids inherit it from their parents. With additions made to accommodate everyone. Similar to post-war Europe and still very prevalent in Persia and Asia. With families looking after their elders and elders looking after grandchildren. Compact suburbs, resembling villages where you don't have to go more than a bike ride to get necessities.

Either way if that doesn't motivate you to be qualified enough to earn a good salary and move out, nothing will.

 

[Bob Heine]

My heart goes out to all who care for their loved ones. I can certainly relate. I took care of my dad when no one else could find the time; twice. I was the black sheep of the family and my father and I were like fire and water for most of my life. I could not do anything right even when I was in my early forties. When I got the call from a thousand miles away I realized how humiliating it must have been for my father to have to call me; his last resort. I paused for a moment while I pushed the thought of payback out of my mind. I knew I could do only one thing. I was getting married in six weeks. He had been telling me since I was a child that the time he spent holding me over a vaporizer when I was first born was a waste of time "He should have let me drown in my own snot." I told him that I would be there in two days as I wanted to drive there not fly. He looked like Gandhi when I arrived.
When I had been with him for a few days he broke down and started crying. When I asked what was wrong he managed to choke out the words "why are you doing this for me? I never had a kind word to say about you." My answer; "Dad, all I ever wanted to do was love you. Know you cannot get away from me." We had four years together after he had recovered and I went back for three weeks of hospice then he died. His last words to me were "Thank God you're still here." He had woken in the night with need of a diaper change. We were in my sister's house and I was sleeping in the cellar. I had answered to the sound of screams heard through the cellar floor. Repairing my own broken self is the greatest thing I have ever done. Their is way more to the story. I hope this helps someone. Bobby

Bobby, some people grow bitter when the big man in their life treats them badly. I had a similar relationship with my father. He stopped spanking my with his hand when I was 6 and used his belt until I passed 13, when a wooden board became part of my life. He always reminded me it was going to hurt me more than him. Physical pain was relatively brief but he had a passive aggressive streak to fill the voids. He took the family on a special trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame to reward my sports-addicted brother. On another trip he made a special detour so we could drive by a car museum and not stop. Just a reminder...

My mother was a much kinder and gentler soul and disagreed with my father with no effect. When he made it clear I would never have or drive a car while under his roof, I got married and moved out at 17. In my mother's final years she commiserated that I might not have married that young if I'd had a car to work on (Duh!). Like your father she expressed astonishment when I took care of her in her last years. The real surprise was when she admitted my wife was my salvation. After my accident mom thought my wife should to do everything for me -- including feeding and bathing. My wife's attitude was "you're not getting out of painting the house this easy!" If I don't ask her for help, she goes about her business and doesn't hover. She does occasionally suggest I get help from friends (sadly, help always turns into doing it for me, which is annoying).

Congratulations to you and your better-half Bob! 55 years is no small feat and worthy of a good celebration.

Talking about additions and elderly care. My in-laws stayed over last week so the old fella could get to the hospital easier for an operation to repair a hernia. We were discussion the changing economy and impact it is having on society. Especially how the current concept of housing is becoming unattainable for our kids. Millennials are already group-funding property purchases to get a step up. Mum mentioned that it would be impossible past a certain point and we'd see a radical change or even a downfall in society. My take on it was that it will likely return to where 3-4 generations share a house and kids inherit it from their parents. With additions made to accommodate everyone. Similar to post-war Europe and still very prevalent in Persia and Asia. With families looking after their elders and elders looking after grandchildren. Compact suburbs, resembling villages where you don't have to go more than a bike ride to get necessities.

Either way if that doesn't motivate you to be qualified enough to earn a good salary and move out, nothing will.

Guster, no one is more shocked than my wife and me. Even we said it wouldn't last but we stayed together for the kids -- neither one of us wanted sole custody.

The devastating housing market collapse in the US probably extended the possibility for my grandchildren to afford a home. My oldest grandson bought a relatively new foreclosed 4-bedroom, 2.5 bath house that needed a little work for $196K a year ago. Because A-NZ had more restrictive rules on lending you didn't have the collapse and homes like his are more like $1M.

 

[Bob Heine]

My son-in-law's family has had a terrible year with his mother and brother passing away last May. A few weeks ago the widow found an affordable townhouse near her parents and was moving her things out of their home. Her 5-year-old daughter was playing with grandpa in the back yard and dove on top of him. It wrenched his neck and it became so painful they took him to the hospital. His upper spine had been weakened by bone cancer and several vertebrae were fractured. The bone cancer was a side-effect of renal cancer that had metastasized to numerous places in his body. It was stage 4 with no treatment possible. He died three weeks later. His widowed daughter's 20-something daughter woke up the morning of her grandfather's funeral with double vision and a terrible headache. It cleared up after a few hours but returned the next day. Doctors determined she had suffered a TIA (transient ischemic attack) caused by a partially blocked carotid artery. Just when I thought things couldn't get worse for the family, it did.

By comparison, I'm having a wonderful day and hope all is well with the poor souls who come here for some humor and positive thoughts. I haven't got much at the moment.

I promise to finish the stainless header story and maybe even resume the Mexico trip.

 

[oldironfarmer]

I for one appreciate your positive and uplifting posts as there is already too much pain in each life.

Then you post a meditative bring it down to earth post like this and we each feel for them while appreciating our own situation a little more.

Thank you!

 

[Vieux]

I really appreciate your concern for their loved ones.

 

[bolensboneyard]

Bob, all concerned remembered in our prayers. I too appreciate your humor. Perhaps it is being able to laugh at life that has got us through it. I'm sure we are not alone. I am writing a book about how I believe rebuilding things, and preserving other things that bare the scars of a hard life, has correlated with my efforts to correct the blueprint handed me so many years ago. I believe this is why so many of us GJ people can see beauty where many others see only junk. Bobby

 

[BBChevro]

Hey Bob, a belated "happy anniversary" on reaching the 50 year milestone.

Sad to hear about your cousin's experience - it reminds me of the time that a police officer waved my mother to the side of the road for an RBT (random breath test) - she just waved back and kept driving.

I haven't been on GJ (or anything else) very much lately, but I try to look in on your thread whenever I can.

 

[-Brent-]

Bob, I like you, man! I'm thankful you share the way you do. It's one of the reasons I enjoy the Garage Journal. There's a lot of humility here.

And Bobby, thanks to you too. When you could've been vindictive you were graceful. That's something I enjoyed reading. I appreciate your writing, as well.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Bob, I like you, man! I'm thankful you share the way you do. It's one of the reasons I enjoy the Garage Journal. There's a lot of humidity here.

And Bobby, thanks to you too. When you could've been vindictive you were graceful. That's something I enjoyed reading. I appreciate your writing, as well.

Well said..

 

[-Brent-]

Well said..

Thanks. Haha, I meant HUMILITY. Hahaha.

 

[dlcwent]

Bob, I don't think I can comment on all that has transpired in the last couple of pages of your thread. I will say congratulations on the anniversary milestone. Very few people get to share that.

Bobby's story is a great one and more people should be able to set personal feelings aside when it is necessary.

I liked the way you solved your valve cover dilemma, very clever of you.

Just wanted to stop by and catch up. I've been out of sorts for a few weeks. Last week I had some sort of flu and didn't feel much like doing anything including being on the GJ.

Glad to see you getting things done. And why did you think that brake lines touching the exhaust manifold wasn't a good thing? Good solution to that problem too.

 

[Guster]

Sorry to hear about your family's ordeals, Bob. Tough times like these definitely remind you to cherish family and life. Reminding you to enjoy what you have in life - though it always comes with a little guilt.

My youngest brother was diagnosed with cancer 2 months ago and had a tumour removed. His chances are significantly better and just waiting to find out if he is still up for chemo or not. It is very hard as both himself and his young family have to deal with facing mortality at a very young age. You never plan for this. Absolutely heart-wrenching.

I hope their fate/destiny takes a turn for the better!

 

[Bob Heine]

I for one appreciate your positive and uplifting posts as there is already too much pain in each life.

Then you post a meditative bring it down to earth post like this and we each feel for them while appreciating our own situation a little more.

Thank you!

Andy, you set the bar pretty high yourself.

I really appreciate your concern for their loved ones.

Thank you Vieux, I don't post on your thread as often as I should, especially considering how much time I spend enjoying the photos, the models, the air brushing and the resurrection projects.

Bob, all concerned remembered in our prayers. I too appreciate your humor. Perhaps it is being able to laugh at life that has got us through it. I'm sure we are not alone. I am writing a book about how I believe rebuilding things, and preserving other things that bare the scars of a hard life, has correlated with my efforts to correct the blueprint handed me so many years ago. I believe this is why so many of us GJ people can see beauty where many others see only junk. Bobby

Bobby, I find it harder to cry than to laugh so I take the easy way out. I mean this in the most positive way -- I wish I had this GJ "family" when I was young.

Hey Bob, a belated "happy anniversary" on reaching the 50 year milestone.

Sad to hear about your cousin's experience - it reminds me of the time that a police officer waved my mother to the side of the road for an RBT (random breath test) - she just waved back and kept driving.

I haven't been on GJ (or anything else) very much lately, but I try to look in on your thread whenever I can.

Thank you Mark! As I recall, the officers on RBT duty were not that happy because they were always out on weekend nights and holidays and would likely prefer being with family. I was surprised just how hard you had to blow in that machine on the few occasions I was waved over.

I had the opposite happen on a trip to the computer store (back when they existed). A long stretch of open 4-lane divided highway ended in a sweeping S-turn and I was cruising with the top down and paying no attention to my speed. Three cars had passed me and there was a cop waiting around the bend. He had all three cars pulled over and was signaling me with an underhand sweep of his arm. Instantly checked my speed and I was going 5 over the limit. As I pulled over to get behind the other three cars, the cop yelled KEEP GOING! I nearly ran him over getting out of there.

Bob, I like you, man! I'm thankful you share the way you do. It's one of the reasons I enjoy the Garage Journal. There's a lot of humility here.

And Bobby, thanks to you too. When you could've been vindictive you were graceful. That's something I enjoyed reading. I appreciate your writing, as well.

Brent, you are kind to say that. I learned a long time ago that we all have our demons and being a bit more open about them sometimes helps another who feels alone and hopeless. I'm also glad you are sharing your steel ceiling. That's a lot of character in one garage. I expect you are going to have a great time with the whole family in there.

Well said..

I agree Steve! Especially the Bobby part. I suspect he had someone in his life that showed him how wrong his father had been. Now that he shared a couple of photos, I know who that is.

Thanks. Haha, I meant HUMILITY. Hahaha.

Brunt, sometimes the spelling checker doesn't help!

Bob, I don't think I can comment on all that has transpired in the last couple of pages of your thread. I will say congratulations on the anniversary milestone. Very few people get to share that.

Bobby's story is a great one and more people should be able to set personal feelings aside when it is necessary.

I liked the way you solved your valve cover dilemma, very clever of you.

Just wanted to stop by and catch up. I've been out of sorts for a few weeks. Last week I had some sort of flu and didn't feel much like doing anything including being on the GJ.

Glad to see you getting things done. And why did you think that brake lines touching the exhaust manifold wasn't a good thing? Good solution to that problem too.

Dan, no need to apologize. Glad you are feeling better! I was doing some soul searching and it takes me longer to find than you would think.

I would never have thought about shielding those brake lines if GM hadn't given the hint. If it weren't for the GJ, I probably wouldn't have cut and shaped them to fit -- just BFH the original one into the space.

Sorry to hear about your family's ordeals, Bob. Tough times like these definitely remind you to cherish family and life. Reminding you to enjoy what you have in life - though it always comes with a little guilt.

My youngest brother was diagnosed with cancer 2 months ago and had a tumour removed. His chances are significantly better and just waiting to find out if he is still up for chemo or not. It is very hard as both himself and his young family have to deal with facing mortality at a very young age. You never plan for this. Absolutely heart-wrenching.

I hope their fate/destiny takes a turn for the better!

Guster, youth is no guarantee of good health but it does tip the scale toward faster healing. I don't have a great record from praying but be assured I'm sending positive thoughts your baby brother's way (I assume he will always be your baby brother). Chemo is a horrible choice to have to make but if it has a chance of helping long term, I hope he goes along with the doctor's advice.

 

[Bob Heine]

I don't know what happened but the view count on this thread suddenly jumped over 215,000. I did a quick google to be sure nothing in the thread was linking to or from a **** site. To all of you who are looking in, thank you for doing so because it encourages me (although I may be alone in thinking I need encouragement).

The two 4-bulb fluorescent troffers in my workshop have been slowly dying. A few days ago I walked in and all four bulbs in one of the troffers was out. These fixtures use 48-inch T-12 bulbs and I have stopped trying to find more. I did buy the parts to convert the lights to electronic ballast and T-8 bulbs. The new ballasts weigh a fraction of what the old ones weigh and for a moment I was tempted to save the old ones for their copper content. Nah, I'm going to throw out everything but the wires.... Here's what's involved in the conversion (replacing 8 sockets and 4 ballasts):

This is a simple project that took me four hours. I did have the sense to cut the wires to the old ballasts before replacing them with the new ones. The wire color codes are totally different and there's a different number of wires involved but the schematic is pretty simple. The black and white wires are power and common, respectively and the blue wires are the two supply side wires. The red wire is the return wire. This means one of the blue wires connects to the two push-in tabs for the bulb socket that used to connect with red wires. The other blue wire connects to the two push-in tabs for the bulb socket that used to connect with blue wires. The red wire connects to the four push-in tabs at the other end of the fixture that used to connect with white and yellow wires. The second ballast hooks up the exact same way but from the opposite end. A sheet metal holder ties four sockets at each end of the fixture and it is wired like two two-bulb fixtures. I have a switch that turns on one pair of lights and a second switch that turns on the other pair. Both troffers are wired to those two switches the same way.

Here it is with one side converted and it involves the two blue wires from one ballast and the red wire from the other (it hasn't been connected yet). Once you have all 8 wires connected, the sockets start slipping off and the wires start fighting back, disconnecting themselves from the sockets.

There are lots of bits of sheet metal involved in these troffers so after converting the first fixture, I looked like I had been in a fight with a bag of cats. I'm going to be using some bleach to clean up the shop as a forensic counter-measure. I don't want the CSI team to think I murdered someone in there. I took this photo without a flash, just before I closed up and quit for the day.

This simple project ended up creating another project. I normally leave the shop lights and A/C on and turn off shop power from the house. I wired a switch in the garage to an outside outlet that has a 100-foot 10-3 extension cord plugged in. The extension cord supplies power to the shop light and outlet wiring.

Before I quit for the day, I used the switches in the shop to turn off the lights and the fixture I just converted didn't completely turn off (continued to flicker). When I touched one of the ballasts, the GFCI tripped (after giving me a little 110v tickle). I turned the switches back on, reset the GFCI and the power stayed on. Must be a back circuit or faulty switch but that's going to wait for another day (after my cat-fight scratches heal).

 

[Bob Heine]

It's good to have multiple projects so you don't have to stick to one thing. You may recall that I started making a brace to extend the life of the bumper cover on the PT Cruiser. My wife asked me not to finish the cover because she was sure to destroy the new one within days of installing it.

I had an idea how I was going to finish the brace but it involved buying a $180 Harbor Freight tubing roller, $200 in SWAG Off-Road square tubing dies and upgraded bearings and shaft. Aside from the money, I don't have a good place to store the tubing roller.

I design things late at night, just before I fall asleep. Having neither drafting skills nor CAD skills, my designs ferment in my brain. What bubbled up this time was a cutting and bending of some of that left-over square tubing but the bending would be done in a vise and fine-tuning with a hammer. The table-mounted Portaband came to my rescue and helped make some slices in the tubing.

It needed some additional cuts and a bit of un-bending of the outside curve near the tip. The end of the tube had to be tapered to a dull point -- much as I enjoy Mad Max, killer bumper braces was not part of the design.

I also decided to remove the heavy lacquer paint at the end I planned to weld. Then I got carried away, expecting to get lots of practice welding on this project.

A few test fittings and additional bending and grinding and it looks very close to the thing I had in mind before falling asleep. Just needs a little more un-bending of the end.

Now I just have to make the piece for the other end look the same...

By the end of the day I had two pieces of the same design that should do the job. I didn't mean to have a soft focus of the finished pair but it's probably better not to show too much detail.

 

[oldironfarmer]

"Andrew, we used to tell our teenage son we weren't married so we could call him an inconsiderate *******.

Guster, no one is more shocked than my wife and me. Even we said it wouldn't last but we stayed together for the kids -- neither one of us wanted sole custody."

While I don't make it a practice to use Bob's philosophies to guide my life, I laughed so hard reading each of these thoughtful statements I just have to repeat them for posterity. While we know Bob doesn't realize how funny he is, we all enjoy laughing at him. Fortunately he can't hear us over the internet so he is not offended. And I find myself reminded of his profound statements regularly through the day and am carefully guided in my actions by the casual statements of a master of the language.

Now back to the regular programming.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Bob:

I've struggled with what to do with old ballasts. While trying to unwind them and save the copper wire unimpeded I noticed the weight of the soft iron core significantly exceeded the weight of the wire. And that wire is tiny! It might come in handy if I wire the shop for speakers.

Good job on the T8 conversion. I think my stash of new T12 bulbs and spare ballasts need to go to Habitat for Humanity. I might even gain some storage space.

It's statement like this that just confuse things:

"It's good to have multiple projects so you don't have to stick to one thing."

1/2 was telling me just yesterday I needed to finish one project before starting another. He was trying to be funny but that's what I usually do...

 

[shortykorte]

"And you light up my life
You give me hope to carry...."

Are we going to see the TIG in action on those bumper supports?

 

[jbmatth]

Bob and Andy,
When I rewired the 41 or so lights in my shop I had around 150 T-12 bulbs and 75 or so ballasts left over. I found out the scrap yard would buy ballasts so I just let them at the few boxes I had. As for the bulbs, I was able to give away 20 or so but have the rest stashed behind my The Berline Wall on the north end and may never see the light of day again. Maybe I'll hang on to them and sell them as antiques in 20 years to hipster kids.
JB

 

[Guster]

Always seems like all the sheetmetal edges and corners end up exactly where hands have to work on purpose. Combined with protruding self-tapping screws and those little attachment tags begging to take skin samples all the time. That is also my least favourite way to do wiring work. High overhead like that without the option to bring things down. Always seem like you need at least three hands, one on the screw driver, one holding the cheap screw that falls off the tip of the screw driver at the most inopportune time and one to line things up to get the actual screw into all the right holes.

You did an outstanding job swapping out ballasts.

Bob:It's statement like this that just confuse things:

"It's good to have multiple projects so you don't have to stick to one thing."

1/2 was telling me just yesterday I needed to finish one project before starting another. He was trying to be funny but that's what I usually do...

Hehehe… I’ll add to the confusion and would tell you to do both Andy. Just make it work in a way that fits your funds, time and priorities.

Fact is that some projects take time and money and would take forever. If that was your only focus nothing else would get done either. On the other hand there are things you can do that require neither which add tremendous value if done sooner and don’t forget the things you must do no matter what.

I think it is more about maintaining a level of healthy constant progress and that means maintaining a good focus on what is important and valuable to complete. That and recognise that plans and circumstance change more frequently than we’d like. Sometimes that means stopping a project that isn’t going anywhere and purely there on the basis of nostalgic value.

Personally I also throw in one thing that makes me happy from time to time. Only if I can get away with it.

 

[Craptain]

1/2 was telling me just yesterday I needed to finish one project before starting another. He was trying to be funny but that's what I usually do...

What exactly do you usually do? Finish a project or try to be funny? I have seen evidence of both so. ....

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

 

[oldironfarmer]

What exactly do you usually do? Finish a project or try to be funny? I have seen evidence of both so. ....

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

I thought surely someone would call me out on that. I don't usually finish anything and I'm not usually funny. But it was a lot of fun to say.

 

[bj383ss]

Hehehe… I’ll add to the confusion and would tell you to do both Andy. Just make it work in a way that fits your funds, time and priorities.

Fact is that some projects take time and money and would take forever. If that was your only focus nothing else would get done either. On the other hand there are things you can do that require neither which add tremendous value if done sooner and don’t forget the things you must do no matter what.

I think it is more about maintaining a level of healthy constant progress and that means maintaining a good focus on what is important and valuable to complete. That and recognise that plans and circumstance change more frequently than we’d like. Sometimes that means stopping a project that isn’t going anywhere and purely there on the basis of nostalgic value.

Personally I also throw in one thing that makes me happy from time to time. Only if I can get away with it.

This couldn't be said any better. A great reason to have more than one project going. Its just the holding yourself accountable for the ones that need to get done. The wife's are good at making this happen for the non negotiable projects.

For me the calendar with the "never break the chain" Red X's marked off each day for time spent in the shop has really help my projects move along.

Bret

 

[Vieux]

It's a good job

 

[Bob Heine]

"Andrew, we used to tell our teenage son we weren't married so we could call him an inconsiderate *******.

Guster, no one is more shocked than my wife and me. Even we said it wouldn't last but we stayed together for the kids -- neither one of us wanted sole custody."

While I don't make it a practice to use Bob's philosophies to guide my life, I laughed so hard reading each of these thoughtful statements I just have to repeat them for posterity. While we know Bob doesn't realize how funny he is, we all enjoy laughing at him. Fortunately he can't hear us over the internet so he is not offended. And I find myself reminded of his profound statements regularly through the day and am carefully guided in my actions by the casual statements of a master of the language.

Now back to the regular programming.

Andy, it's nearly impossible to offend someone who worked at IBM for 30 years. Then again, 55 years of married life requires a certain level of numbness as well.

Bob:

I've struggled with what to do with old ballasts. While trying to unwind them and save the copper wire unimpeded I noticed the weight of the soft iron core significantly exceeded the weight of the wire. And that wire is tiny! It might come in handy if I wire the shop for speakers.

Good job on the T8 conversion. I think my stash of new T12 bulbs and spare ballasts need to go to Habitat for Humanity. I might even gain some storage space.

It's statement like this that just confuse things:

"It's good to have multiple projects so you don't have to stick to one thing."

1/2 was telling me just yesterday I needed to finish one project before starting another. He was trying to be funny but that's what I usually do...

For me it's a fear of failure. Imperfections in a nearly finished project are understandable. If it's finished and isn't perfect, it's just another failure.

"And you light up my life
You give me hope to carry...."

Are we going to see the TIG in action on those bumper supports?

Stewart, it's likely I'll be using MIG and TIG because my 75/25 Ar-CO2 and pure Ar tanks are both down to about 500 psi. Rather than make two trips, I'll run them both out, hopefully getting it all tacked together at a minimum.

Bob and Andy,
When I rewired the 41 or so lights in my shop I had around 150 T-12 bulbs and 75 or so ballasts left over. I found out the scrap yard would buy ballasts so I just let them at the few boxes I had. As for the bulbs, I was able to give away 20 or so but have the rest stashed behind my The Berline Wall on the north end and may never see the light of day again. Maybe I'll hang on to them and sell them as antiques in 20 years to hipster kids.
JB

JB, that's an interesting idea. The scrap yard is close to the welding gas place so the 10-mile drive to the nearest scrap yard will be free -- if I'm careful, the Corvette will probably make the trip on a gallon of gas. I wonder how much they'll pay for my 4 ballasts with the leads cut off?

Always seems like all the sheetmetal edges and corners end up exactly where hands have to work on purpose. Combined with protruding self-tapping screws and those little attachment tags begging to take skin samples all the time. That is also my least favourite way to do wiring work. High overhead like that without the option to bring things down. Always seem like you need at least three hands, one on the screw driver, one holding the cheap screw that falls off the tip of the screw driver at the most inopportune time and one to line things up to get the actual screw into all the right holes.

Guster, are you spying on me? I had to stop work, go back up to the garage and get a magnetic 1/4" hex drive socket after the screw hit the floor the fifth time. I'm a little paranoid about smart devices and it sounds like you can see and hear me through the Radial Arm Saw even when it isn't running. Hey, if they can watch me through my microwave...

You did an outstanding job swapping out ballasts.

Thanks!

Hehehe… I’ll add to the confusion and would tell you to do both Andy. Just make it work in a way that fits your funds, time and priorities.

Fact is that some projects take time and money and would take forever. If that was your only focus nothing else would get done either. On the other hand there are things you can do that require neither which add tremendous value if done sooner and don’t forget the things you must do no matter what.

I think it is more about maintaining a level of healthy constant progress and that means maintaining a good focus on what is important and valuable to complete. That and recognise that plans and circumstance change more frequently than we’d like. Sometimes that means stopping a project that isn’t going anywhere and purely there on the basis of nostalgic value.

Personally I also throw in one thing that makes me happy from time to time. Only if I can get away with it.

I am always looking for projects that make me happy. Unfortunately my memory isn't what it used to be and I keep forgetting how frustrating some of those "happy" projects are.

What exactly do you usually do? Finish a project or try to be funny? I have seen evidence of both so. ....

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

Andrew, Andy is a master of both! He erects a furnace lean-to and then compacts the soil with a show truck. I am picturing a serious and enlightening This Old House episode ending in a Keystone Cop credit roll.

I thought surely someone would call me out on that. I don't usually finish anything and I'm not usually funny. But it was a lot of fun to say.

Hahahahahahahahahahaha urp.

This couldn't be said any better. A great reason to have more than one project going. Its just the holding yourself accountable for the ones that need to get done. The wife's are good at making this happen for the non negotiable projects.

For me the calendar with the "never break the chain" Red X's marked off each day for time spent in the shop has really help my projects move along.

Bret

Bret, you are so right! I have a tiny problem marking Red X's on the paper calendar. My wife puts everything on her DayMinder monthly planner and gets upset when I make marks on it that aren't "appropriate" (anything other than doctor/dentist/personal grooming appointments). I tried putting Red X's on my Lotus Organizer pages and it took way too long.

It's a good job

Thank you Vieux!

 

[56vette461]

Failure in a project can also be an excuse to do it again, just to make sure the brides honey do list doesn't interfere with shop time. I can be a master of failure if I really enjoy the project at hand.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Failure in a project can also be an excuse to do it again, just to make sure the brides honey do list doesn't interfere with shop time. I can be a master of failure if I really enjoy the project at hand.

Well said..

 

[Guster]

Guster, are you spying on me? I had to stop work, go back up to the garage and get a magnetic 1/4" hex drive socket after the screw hit the floor the fifth time. I'm a little paranoid about smart devices and it sounds like you can see and hear me through the Radial Arm Saw even when it isn't running. Hey, if they can watch me through my microwave...

No, not the radial arm saw. If it was a radio arm saw maybe, but we all know radial arms saws a pretty secure. It is those contractor table saws you have to be really careful of. Everybody knows they can throw a 2/4 right through your garage firewall.

Now if I really wanted to spy on you I would exploit some vulnerabilities of WindowsXP apps or even those running XP compatibility mode on later OSs. Something like Lotus Organiser should provide a few access points.

 

[Bob Heine]

Failure in a project can also be an excuse to do it again, just to make sure the brides honey do list doesn't interfere with shop time. I can be a master of failure if I really enjoy the project at hand.

56Vette461, you have been spying on me as well. Not knowing better, I bought a set of 16-inch wheels and tires for my '72 Corvette. The rims had elongated Uni-lug holes and the hole in the middle was nowhere near hub-centric. Replaced them with correct fit 17-inch wheels and tires. Someday they might even carry the weight of the car.

My honey-dos go directly to the top of the list. Doesn't mean they get done, it means they are the first ones I procrastinate doing.

Well said..

Steve, thanks for stopping by and I agree, just hope I'm not the only one.

No, not the radial arm saw. If it was a radio arm saw maybe, but we all know radial arms saws a pretty secure. It is those contractor table saws you have to be really careful of. Everybody knows they can throw a 2/4 right through your garage firewall.

Now if I really wanted to spy on you I would exploit some vulnerabilities of WindowsXP apps or even those running XP compatibility mode on later OSs. Something like Lotus Organiser should provide a few access points.

Guster, I unplugged the radio but mine is different because it doesn't saw (see?) anything. I keep the table saw under the bench and now I'm going to have to put a cover on it. My garage firewall has a bench grinder in front of it and even with a piece of 1/4-inch plywood over the Window (obviously it isn't XP) it has been cracked. Obviously that's how my new best friend, who just happens to be a Nigerian Prince, got through to me.

I'm shutting down Lotus Organizer, 1-2-3, Approach, Freelance and Word Pro. I've also hidden the Rolodex in a cabinet and its dark-tinted cover is closed.

I don't feel any more secure but I feel like I'm doing everything I can to foil someone.

I'll be back as soon as I finish my e-mail to the beautiful lady who is dying to meet me. I wish I could remember my Social Security number and ATM PIN. Getting old is ?????? arg, I forget.

 

[shortykorte]

 

[JCQuick]

please lord let me be like this when I get his age...