ZMotorsports Shop Projects 2.0

[lilscorpion]

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[zmotorsports]

I know it’s probably difficult based on the angle of the picture but the holes for the fog lights appear to be in the path of the tires. Is there adequate clearance there?

I think so, the bumper is quite a bit in front and the lights will be nearly flush with the front face of the bumper when installed. The owner was asking me about lights as the original ones are 4" and this bumper is set up to accept 6" diameter lights. I told him to get as shallow of lights as he could like the Hella Black Magic halogen's or similar as they will not sit back further than the bumper itself.

I also informed him he may want to steer clear of any metal housed lights as being directly in line with the tires will get chips and corrosion will start very quickly. Trust me, I am familiar with this. When I purchased my first bumper which was used (Warn Elite series) back when I first bought my Jeep as I didn't have time to build one yet it came with the Warn Powerplant winch and KC Daylighter metal housed lights. I installed it as is just to get my Jeep on the trail as I needed to do axle upgrades and gears first and within a very short time the housings of the KC lights were rusted beyond words.

When I finally got around to building my front bumper about 8 or 9 months later, I installed the Hella Black Magic composite housed halogen lights and they have been on my Jeep ever since with no issues whatsoever as far as damage or debris from the tires.

 

[lilscorpion]

I think so, the bumper is quite a bit in front and the lights will be nearly flush with the front face of the bumper when installed. The owner was asking me about lights as the original ones are 4" and this bumper is set up to accept 6" diameter lights. I told him to get as shallow of lights as he could like the Hella Black Magic halogen's or similar as they will not sit back further than the bumper itself.

I noticed the larger holes too. Not sure I’ve seen many that enable the use of the lager lights like that. Can’t decide if I’d like the look or not. Maybe if the Jeep had bigger tires to correct the proportions.

Agree on the housing material. I had a set develop rust on the housing exactly the same way as you described. I honestly didn’t see it coming initially given the lights were in front of the tires. I would bet that they do a better job lighting the fire of fo view being wider on the bumper though.

Do like the black magic lights.

 

[zmotorsports]

I noticed the larger holes too. Not sure I’ve seen many that enable the use of the lager lights like that. Can’t decide if I’d like the look or not. Maybe if the Jeep had bigger tires to correct the proportions.

Agree on the housing material. I had a set develop rust on the housing exactly the same way as you described. I honestly didn’t see it coming initially given the lights were in front of the tires. I would bet that they do a better job lighting the fire of fo view being wider on the bumper though.

Do like the black magic lights.

I agree that the larger lights in the bumper would be more proportionate with a bit of lift and larger tires. I have been trying to convince him to let me lift it and upsize the tires since I did the axles and gears in it several years ago but his wife likes it the way it is.

He originally wanted me to build a set of bumpers like I built for mine but I simply don't have the time. When he asked me about putting a set on if he buys them along with a winch I agreed. Evidently the rear bumper has 4" openings in it so we will relocate the OEM front lights to the rear bumper when he gets it.

As for the Hella Black Magic lights, yes, I really like mine and I have had them on for about 5 years now. I tied the relay into my OEM auxiliary light switch on the turn signal lever so it is quick and easy to turn them on/off. I use the Hella halogen's when highway traveling as they light up the roadway well for animals and such yet are instantaneous yet quick to turn off and back on for oncoming traffic, unlike the HID's that I have on my "A" pillars. As far as light output goes the Hella Optilux 4" HID's that I have on my "A" pillars are down right bad ***. They make it seem like daylight but they take 30-45 seconds or so to heat up so they're not practical on the highway. I also don't run them offroad unless I'm leading as they will blind the guy in front of me but when I'm leading they are the ****.

Thanks for checking in and following along. I've sure enjoyed watching your shop organization coming along. I'm not one to get into woodwork but it is turning out VERY nice.

 

[lilscorpion]

He originally wanted me to build a set of bumpers like I built for mine but I simply don't have the time.

Bumper fabrication takes time even when you have the right tools. Key is a CNC plasma and CNC brake. Then it’s more like legos with a little finish work.

As far as light output goes the Hella Optilux 4" HID's that I have on my "A" pillars are down right bad ***. They make it seem like daylight but they take 30-45 seconds or so to heat up...

I had 4 9” HID’s on a pre-runner Rack on my ‘95. Same deal as yours - took a minute to warm up but game changers when they we fully on. LEDs are bright but no comparison to HID’s...none. Like you said, only really useful when you lead or run alone.

Thanks for checking in and following along. I've sure enjoyed watching your shop organization coming along. I'm not one to get into woodwork but it is turning out VERY nice.

Thank you, appreciate the compliments. Full disclosure, I’d rather be building jeeps. Following along with your skills allows me to get my fix and keep my brain away from beginning to justify another Jeep build. Thank you for that and look forward to see what you build next.

 

[zmotorsports]

Thank you, appreciate the compliments. Full disclosure, I’d rather be building jeeps. Following along with your skills allows me to get my fix and keep my brain away from beginning to justify another Jeep build. Thank you for that and look forward to see what you build next.

Thank you, I appreciate that.

Cool Jeep by the way. I too would rather be building either Jeeps or bikes at this point in my life.

 

[zmotorsports]

Tonight I arrived home and polished wheels on the coach. I generally run a coat of polish over them once or twice a year but with the move and shop build last year it’s actually been two years since they have seen polish. I hope now that she lives indoors maybe I can get away with only having to polish them once a year.

Right Rear drive and tag wheels.


Fronts.


I then rebuilt the exterior hose bib on the back of my house as I noticed it was tough to turn and didn’t shut off all of the way when I washed the coach on Sunday.

 

[TerryH]

Tonight I arrived home and polished wheels on the coach. I generally run a coat of polish over them once or twice a year but with the move and shop build last year it’s actually been two years since they have seen polish. I hope now that she lives indoors maybe I can get away with only having to polish them once a year.

Right Rear drive and tag wheels.


Fronts.


I then rebuilt the exterior hose bib on the back of my house as I noticed it was tough to turn and didn’t shut off all of the way when I washed the coach on Sunday.

You ever just hang out and do nothing? Those wheels look killer!

 

[paranoid56]

I agree that the larger lights in the bumper would be more proportionate with a bit of lift and larger tires. I have been trying to convince him to let me lift it and upsize the tires since I did the axles and gears in it several years ago but his wife likes it the way it is.

He originally wanted me to build a set of bumpers like I built for mine but I simply don't have the time. When he asked me about putting a set on if he buys them along with a winch I agreed. Evidently the rear bumper has 4" openings in it so we will relocate the OEM front lights to the rear bumper when he gets it.

As for the Hella Black Magic lights, yes, I really like mine and I have had them on for about 5 years now. I tied the relay into my OEM auxiliary light switch on the turn signal lever so it is quick and easy to turn them on/off. I use the Hella halogen's when highway traveling as they light up the roadway well for animals and such yet are instantaneous yet quick to turn off and back on for oncoming traffic, unlike the HID's that I have on my "A" pillars. As far as light output goes the Hella Optilux 4" HID's that I have on my "A" pillars are down right bad ***. They make it seem like daylight but they take 30-45 seconds or so to heat up so they're not practical on the highway. I also don't run them offroad unless I'm leading as they will blind the guy in front of me but when I'm leading they are the ****.

Thanks for checking in and following along. I've sure enjoyed watching your shop organization coming along. I'm not one to get into woodwork but it is turning out VERY nice.

not sure i would recommend any old school halogen setup when LEDs are superior in every way.

Bumper fabrication takes time even when you have the right tools. Key is a CNC plasma and CNC brake. Then it’s more like legos with a little finish work.



I had 4 9” HID’s on a pre-runner Rack on my ‘95. Same deal as yours - took a minute to warm up but game changers when they we fully on. LEDs are bright but no comparison to HID’s...none. Like you said, only really useful when you lead or run alone.

.

HIDs are still old tech now. LEDs now are brighter then your HIDs. no so years ago, but now a days LEDs rule the night. take a look at any desert race. Hell even cars are moving to LED and even Laser in some lol. halogen is dying (dead) and Hids on on the way out too

 

[zmotorsports]

You ever just hang out and do nothing? Those wheels look killer!

I get my down time to relax but just can't do it for long. I usually wait until the wife gets home and after dinner we either go for a walk or sit and relax out on the deck and enjoy our view.

Thanks for the comments and for stopping by my projects thread Terry. It's good to see your machining capabilities growing with your machines.

 

[zmotorsports]

not sure i would recommend any old school halogen setup when LEDs are superior in every way.



HIDs are still old tech now. LEDs now are brighter then your HIDs. no so years ago, but now a days LEDs rule the night. take a look at any desert race. Hell even cars are moving to LED and even Laser in some lol. halogen is dying (dead) and Hids on on the way out too

LED's definitely have their place, I just don't care for them in every application. To each their own.

 

[zmotorsports]

There has been some very flattering comments about our coach that I have shown on this thread so I wanted to show off some our past RV's that we have owned. Rather than post them all in this thread, I have started a thread entitled "Vintage or Past RV's" where I have pictures and descriptions of our past RV's.

Here is a link to the new thread.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=7271183#post7271183

I hope others will post up theirs and I welcome any comments.

Thanks for looking.

 

[Wanna Ride]

Just love catching up on this thread and all of your projects. As always... excellent work!

 

[zmotorsports]

Just love catching up on this thread and all of your projects. As always... excellent work!

Thank you, I appreciate that.

Sorry for the delayed response, I've been disconnected for the week plus on vacation.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my projects thread.

 

[LXCam]

Mike, the work and maintenance you've done with the coach is just spectacular bud. Very impressive to say the least. And I'm so sorry to have bugged ya during your vacation. Hopefully your wife is much more forgiving to your second life on line then mine is at times. Regardless I really appreciate you taking the time giving me the feedback on the jeep build.

It's rare I have a mental block on which design looks best but having your input as backup is priceless. Thanks again!

So hey!, how about a write up on your vacation. What adventures did the Zmotorsports couple have this time??

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike, the work and maintenance you've done with the coach is just spectacular bud. Very impressive to say the least. And I'm so sorry to have bugged ya during your vacation. Hopefully your wife is much more forgiving to your second life on line then mine is at times. Regardless I really appreciate you taking the time giving me the feedback on the jeep build.

It's rare I have a mental block on which design looks best but having your input as backup is priceless. Thanks again!

So hey!, how about a write up on your vacation. What adventures did the Zmotorsports couple have this time??

Cam, you were not a bother at all my friend. Sorry for the delayed response as I was driving through one hellacious downpour for several hours and didn't realize I had a message. My wife is very understanding about such things so don't worry about that.

Thanks for the comments, I really appreciate them and am flattered by them.

As for our vacation last week, it was nothing elaborate. We spent a few days in Ennis, MT then over to Livingston, MT for a couple of days, just relaxing and enjoying some cooler temps and hanging out with my wife and in-laws.

We saw quite a few animals during our travels this past week. A LOT of elk, even more little ones than usual for this time of year, several black bear and a metric ****-ton of Bison.

I'll post up a few pictures in a bit.

Thanks for stopping by and trusting in me enough to want my opinion.

 

[Bighead38]

How’s the grass looking?

 

[zmotorsports]

How’s the grass looking?

It is coming along nicely. My center section in the front where I added the additional 4 heads (1 full zone) greened up quite well while I was gone last week.

I've been going crazy trying to get the lawn to fill in and thicken up as my wife is throwing me an early 50th birthday party on Saturday. I've been stressed about my yard as I want it to look good for the few friends/family that will coming over.

Thanks for asking.

 

[Bighead38]

From previous pictures you don’t need to stress. It always looks perfect. I know how hard it is to have grass like that after landscaping so many years so I enjoy seeing when someone nails it.

 

[LXCam]

Well happy damn 50th brother! I hope you all have a great time

 

[Finallygotit]

Happy birthday youngster! You've done well!

 

[zmotorsports]

From previous pictures you don’t need to stress. It always looks perfect. I know Home hard it is to have grass like that after landscaping so many years so I enjoy seeing when someone nails it.

Thank you very much. For the most part the yard is looking "ok" but not great by any means. My front yard was severely under-sprinklered(if that's a word) by the previous owner so I have had to add about 9 or 10 heads to have full coverage. I think it has definitely helped as the center has began to green up and thicken nicely. My neighbor even came over on Friday night while I was finishing up mowing and commented on how thick it was looking. Although the yard is still not great, I appreciated the gesture.

As for the back yard I have about three areas that have been hard to get the sod to take hold. I noticed that the areas in question seem to be getting good water coverage but upon giving them further thought I realized that these were areas that I did not disturb last year when I put the shop and/or yard in. I asked my fertilizer guy and he informed me that those areas could be more compacted where I didn't dig up the yard in those areas and therefore make it harder for the roots to go down through the ground and seek water. He also told me that I need to be patient as it takes a good three to four years for a yard to really take hold and flourish. He noted that he realizes that I am NOT a patient person and that I should try. I guess I don't know how to do that exactly.

Although I LOVE my new home and shop and 100% happy with our decision to move and what we have built, it has been a hard transition coming from a yard that was groomed and carpet like to a yard that I have had to put in and re-do sections of the front from the previous owner's incompetence.

 

[zmotorsports]

Well happy damn 50th brother! I hope you all have a great time

Happy birthday youngster! You've done well!

Thank you very much guys. I appreciate the thoughts. Technically I'm only 49-1/2 as my birthday isn't until late December, but the wife wanted to throw me a party. Personally I think she wants to show off the house and yard but in July vs. waiting until my actual birthday. I think we would have less people show up in late December though. I'm not exactly a "social butterfly" so this is kind of a stretch for me to have 30-40 people at my home and walking on my lawn. I will definitely be out of my element that's for sure.

I must put out this vibe because my son's girlfriend, who has only been in the picture about 4 months now, even jokingly made a comment the other night about if I was going to be able to handle having people walk on my lawn. She had also pulled a weed the other night in one of my flower beds and moved a handful of rocks. She looked at me and apologized if she didn't get the rocks back EXACTLY in the right spot, she mentioned one might be a millimeter off. My wife noted that she has my number and likes to give me a hard time, but I'm sure I dish it out too.

Anyways, my son and wife have been planning this for quite some time I guess and now even have my son's girlfriend in on the planning and setup. She seems to be fitting into our family very well and is a sweetheart to my son so I am happy for them.

Again, thanks for the kind words and comments guys, I really appreciate it.

 

[nutjob]

He also told me that I need to be patient as it takes a good three to four years for a yard to really take hold and flourish. He noted that he realizes that I am NOT a patient person and that I should try. I guess I don't know how to do that exactly.

I hate landscaping. What if your GC painted the shop and you looked at it and it was sticky, streaks, the wrong shade and tint and he just says "Give it 2 to 3 years and than it will look perfect" But the landscaping guys do that everyday!

Kevin

 

[zmotorsports]

As promised I will attach a few pictures from last week’s trip to Montana.

I thought this was kind of cool. A fisherman with car and camper made of various items. This was outside of the office at the RV Park we stayed at. Look closely and you can see his head is a coffee pot and his feet are irons.


Our campsite in Ennis. The coach and Jeep are filthy as we drove through a ten mile downpour just before arriving in Ennis. I don’t mind getting rained on during the drive home as the coach gets a bath before being parked anyways, but driving in the rain on the first day of a vacation really ***** as I have to look at a dirty coach the entire time.


We drove over to Virginia City and Nevada City one day and walked around. I forgot what a neat little town Virginia City is.


A carriage house full of carriages and fire wagons.




We then went over towards Nevada City and wandered around the largest mining dredge in the U.S. in its day. This is the crusher from the dredge that crushes the rock that enters the intake track.


Here is the driveshaft that turns the ring gear on top of the crusher in the previous picture. The pinion on this shaft is turned via a large flat belt driven off an engine.


Intake side with crushing wheels.


One of the crusher’s wheels and shafts were removed exposing this Babbitt material in the casting.

 

[zmotorsports]

Our next stop was Livingston, MT.

We had a very nice back in site along the back property line of the RV park. Almost felt like we had the entire place to ourselves as the site was very wide and an end site so we only had neighbors on one side.


Yellowstone NP is one of mine and my wife’s favorite National Parks except this time of year when everyone else seems to be there. We generally avoid Yellowstone between Memorial Day and Labor Day and hit it in spring or late fall when there are no crowds but we were quite close being in Livingston so we thought we would do a drive through the Lamar Valley and see if any animals were out.

As we were driving into Mammoth Hot Springs a bison and red dog were wandering down the street so I had to get a picture.


They must have had a harder winter and later spring than I thought as we generally see these young bison (and even elk) much earlier than late June. I couldn’t believe some of the bison and elk calf’s that were still very small this time of year, much like April~ish timeframe of year.

We saw several black Bear during our drive that day as well.

Here is one just past Mammoth Hot Springs.


This one was closer to the northwest entrance almost to Silvergate.




A red dog crossing the highway in front of us in the Lamar Valley.


This one still nursing on momma.

 

[Bighead38]

I hate landscaping. What if your GC painted the shop and you looked at it and it was sticky, streaks, the wrong shade and tint and he just says "Give it 2 to 3 years and than it will look perfect" But the landscaping guys do that everyday!

Kevin

There are situations/jobs in landscaping that really do need time to look it’s best or reach its full potential. I know when I was working there were jobs that didn’t really give me that satisfaction upon completion but then seeing the job a year or two later when it had grown in and matured made it worth it. Especially when the customer would make a comment about how much better it looked and they were happy they had trusted you because they weren’t 100% satisfied at the time but after giving it time to develop they couldn’t be happier.


Cool pics of the old town. I really like the rock crusher and the old carriages. One day I would love to travel around the western United States and explore.

 

[zmotorsports]

Upon arriving home I commenced pressure washing the coach and Jeep which were both filthy. The road spray had filled the engine bay and undercarriage of the Jeep and coach requiring about 6-hours of cleaning between the two.





Jeep presentable again and the coach washed and parked in her bay.

 

[LXCam]

Awesome pictures Mike. Your comment about getting the coach filthy before you reach your first stop cracked me up. We were big time Powell boaters for a dozen years. And it never failed that I would detail my boat before leaving only to have to do it all over again the minute I got there. Even after I had a custom towing cover made for it, the hull would always be caked with road grime n grease.

 

[zmotorsports]

There are situations/jobs in landscaping that really do need time to look it’s best or reach its full potential. I know when I was working there were jobs that didn’t really give me that satisfaction upon completion but then seeing the job a year or two later when it had grown in and matured made it worth it. Especially when the customer would make a comment about how much better it looked and they were happy they had trusted you because they weren’t 100% satisfied at the time but after giving it time to develop they couldn’t be happier.


Cool pics of the old town. I really like the rock crusher and the old carriages. One day I would love to travel around the western United States and explore.

I understand the landscaping has to mature or grow and I'm sure it will continue to look better and better but I'm somewhat impatient and want it looking perfect, NOW!!!

I hope you are able to get out west and travel around, we really do have some cool areas to visit. Many of them I've been to several times and I still want to go back again and again.

Thanks for stopping by my thread and commenting.

 

[zmotorsports]

Awesome pictures Mike. Your comment about getting the coach filthy before you reach your first stop cracked me up. We were big time Powell boaters for a dozen years. And it never failed that I would detail my boat before leaving only to have to do it all over again the minute I got there. Even after I had a custom towing cover made for it, the hull would always be caked with road grime n grease.

Thanks Cam. I used to carry a wash bucket, brush and chamois with me but over the past several years it is getting harder and harder to find campgrounds/RV parks that will allow you to wash your rigs at your site so I just live with it until I get home. There are a few that will allow a third party to come in and wash them but for some reason I just can't let someone else touch my ****. I'm sure you understand, not to mention they charge by the foot and I'm a bit "cheap" in that respect.

 

[Bighead38]

Have you ever taken the rv to the northeast?

 

[LXCam]

I'm sure you understand, not to mention they charge by the foot and I'm a bit "cheap" in that respect.

I totally get it my friend. And all though I've really slacked off on how annal I used to be about general appearance of my stuff. I still can't bring myself to hiring out any type of project. Either no one is up to my standards or the few that are, are so expensive I won't pay their price. You aren't the only one that's cheap. Lol

 

[zmotorsports]

In a couple of days (July 4th) it will mark exactly one year to the day that I started moving tools and equipment into the new shop. I had a few small tasks on my white board related to the shop completion and I told my wife I wanted to get them done so all shop related items were crossed off of my list by the fourth.

I knocked two small items off the list on Saturday while the wife’s car was on the lift with the oil draining. Yesterday after the wife and I returned from breakfast I went out to the shop to complete the last item, labeling the breaker box.

When my electrician buddy and I wired the shop I roughly scratched out on a cardboard box which circuits were which and figured I would write them in nice and neat when I had time. I then cut the box out and leaned it against the wall under the panel until Saturday.

I had a couple of circuits that I wasn’t sure were tied into the same breaker so my son assisted me while I went around the shop with the meter.

After labeling the panel itself I went around with my label maker and labeled each outlet and switch to correlate with what particular breaker it is fed by.









Finally after exactly a year I feel like my shop is complete.

 

[zmotorsports]

Have you ever taken the rv to the northeast?

We have not. Unfortunately that area will have to be a retirement trip as I can't take much more than a week off at a time and anything past the mid-west pretty much negates travel until retirement. My wife and I have several trips planned out that will have to wait until retirement. The very first one is a several month road trip up to Alaska, then a year or so later the northeast area. We joke about a week after retirement the coach is heading to Alaska as that will be our retirement trip to ourselves.

 

[zmotorsports]

I totally get it my friend. And all though I've really slacked off on how annal I used to be about general appearance of my stuff. I still can't bring myself to hiring out any type of project. Either no one is up to my standards or the few that are, are so expensive I won't pay their price. You aren't the only one that's cheap. Lol

I thought if anyone understood it would be you Cam although I too feel as though I may be slacking off a bit as I get older. My wife and son don't seem to think so but I can feel it.

 

[Duker]

I know Mike is younger than I am and I am guessing Cam is too as I have reached that “age” where I am willing to pay to let competent folks do some tasks especially when the temp is 95 and so is the humidity!

I just had a crew come in and frame out the walls of the wood shop and a wall in the metal shop and they knocked it out in two days in 95 degree weather. It would have taken me a month of weekends working by myself. I will give my wife credit for the conversion of attitude as I was planning on doing it myself when she convinced me that I would enjoy working on other projects so let someone else handle the others and get the shop done. We just went through some life altering experiences that convinced us time is short so use it wisely.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[zmotorsports]

I know Mike is younger than I am and I am guessing Cam is too as I have reached that “age” where I am willing to pay to let competent folks do some tasks especially when the temp is 95 and so is the humidity!

I just had a crew come in and frame out the walls of the wood shop and a wall in the metal shop and they knocked it out in two days in 95 degree weather. It would have taken me a month of weekends working by myself. I will give my wife credit for the conversion of attitude as I was planning on doing it myself when she convinced me that I would enjoy working on other projects so let someone else handle the others and get the shop done. We just went through some life altering experiences that convinced us time is short so use it wisely.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Thanks for the comments Duke. The only concern I have with your comment above is that "competent" part. I don't know what it is but that is getting harder and harder to find. "Can" a person do the task at hand? Many "can". But can they do it to my expectations and to the level in which I am paying them? That is the hard part.

I found this out when having my shop built last year. I realized that first of all, I am not as young as when I built my previous shop and secondly, I simply didn't have the time working 10+ hour days. Those two reasons are why I decided to hire out the construction of my shop. Had I merely left it to the "professionals" and not been so involved with the process I don't think I would be nearly as pleased with the outcome. I was very disappointed in the level of workmanship and follow-thru that was exhibited if I wasn't standing right there or at least checking in and following up on items daily. That was just for a simple four wall and roof building. There is absolutely no way I will entrust one of my vehicles to someone else, professional or not.

When my son and I were installing additional sprinkler heads a few weeks ago a neighbor stopped by on her way to get her mail and was talking with my wife. She inquired why we didn't hire someone to work on the sprinklers and even noted a month or so earlier when my son and I were out in the pouring rain removing bark and topsoil then hauling rock in. She asked my wife why she would allow me to work so hard when we could have it done so cheap by hiring someone. My wife simply smiled and told the neighbor "you don't know Mike". I would like to think there was a compliment in there somewhere but I don't think it was meant that way.

Although I get your point completely Duke, I have just not found other people's quality of work something worth bragging about these days. It's sad because we as Americans used to really pride ourselves on quality of workmanship and unfortunately that pride has been diminishing a lot over the years and now it is solely about making money and as much as possible as quickly as possible.

My cousin gave my name to a friend of his over the weekend that has an old ski boat that he is sentimentally attached to even though his wife bought him a nice new one about two years ago. He belongs to the local Model A club that my cousin belongs to and has been trying to get the carburetor rebuilt and the engine tuned as it hasn't ran the greatest over the past couple of years since having the engine rebuilt. He has taken it to several places and no one will touch it because it is carbureted. He had one shop tell him that they don't know carburetion nor understand it, they would "maybe" make $50 on the deal and would end up being married to him for 6-months on the job so they would rather he take it somewhere else. I can somewhat see their point where they don't understand carburetion but the other side is they won't make as much money as on a simpler job. I know when I was in business I took on about anything and everything. Mostly for the money but also the knowledge and experience on things I wouldn't have otherwise had the opportunity to work on. I did lose my *** a few times but when **** left my shop I would bet my life on the quality of the work. That is gone these days.

So it looks like I'll be working on another damn boat in the near future. I hate boats but I like a challenge and will get it running perfectly for him.

 

[LXCam]

Duker, I'll put it to ya this way. I don't remember my 50th. I do remember my 55th only because of my car affliction the wife kinda did a Sammy Hagar themed deal. Lol

My biggest issue is I'll jump into something and my head goes at it like I'm still in my 30's but reality now quickly sets in that 60 ain't allllll that far off.....woof!

Mike, brother I totally understand the pride in producing a product that is normally beyond reproach. I started my first business over 30yrs ago with not much more then a pick, a shovel and a bag of tools. And regardless of whether it was construction or cars, my reputation meant more then ever making a profit. There was a time in contracting when I had over 30 guys in the field and was thinking about making the next jump up. Problem was some of the quality was going to **** and I'd show up on a project, lose my mind and make them tear it out and do it to my expectations. The day finally came I dropped the field back to my core group of guys that had been with me for years and focused on my goal......bringing value to this world. Ya I know how corny that sounds but it is what it is as I could always sleep at night knowing "we did our best".

When I opened up the performance shop and very specialized parts manufacturing biz after the economy and construction took a complete dump I went at it with the same vigor. But soon found out it's just not possible to charge for every minute of your time which cost me dearly. This lasted as a full time gig for only a couple years and all though we were eating it wasn't worth the 100hr weeks even though it was one of the most enjoyable times in my life. Lots of travel, lotta racing and a whooole lotta cocktailing all over the country. My reputation in that little niche market is spotless and I can travel anywhere knowing I got a buddy within reasonable distance I could rely on if the need arises.

Unfortunately the need to make money took over and after being prodded back into what I do best I opened up a construction consulting business. And all though life is good it's not what keeps me sane. One of these days I'm going to have to grow up and decide what it is I wanna do for a living

Mike and everyone my apologies for the overshare. Now back to your regularly scheduled program.

 

[Finallygotit]

Mike and everyone my apologies for the overshare. Now back to you're regularly scheduled program.

No need to apologize, I for one am glad there are still people out there like you and Mike with pride in workmanship.