ZMotorsports Shop Projects 2.0

[yaidunno]

Looks like a fun trip out to Montana! We were just out there last year, its really a great place to visit. Heading back to the black hills this summer. I can't seem to get enough of the west.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Nlped]

My wife & I are sitting in the Spokane airport headed back to the humidity belt, after being all over northern Idaho and western Montana. We’ve been here for 2 weeks and had an absolutely wonderful time and actually made an offer on a piece of property just outside of Coeur d’Alene and hope to close in a week or so. Just means we get to come back up sooner than later. We envy your “seasons” in this part of the country.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[zmotorsports]

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.

No need to apologize Cam. I enjoyed the story and although I haven't worked for myself to the extent that you have, I completely understand where you are coming from with trying to not only provide a living for your family but also to give back to the community, bringing value to the world.

I try to do my part to give back (bring value if you will) but not to the degree that you have by any stretch. My wife and son know and understand what makes me tick and they understand my passion to change the perception of what a mechanic is. I realize that mechanics get a bad rap and granted, sometimes that bad rap is well deserved but many times it is merely a poor or mis-placed perception of mechanics based on isolated situations. That is what I have tried to change my entire career.

My goal throughout my entire career, besides providing a good living for my family, has always been to have my workmanship as well as my relationship with people who know me to hopefully elevate that perception of mechanics, even if only a small amount. I have put my whole heart into everything I have done in hopes that it will make others want to do the same, many times at a loss on my behalf but I can at least lie my head on the pillow at nights knowing I did my best. I'm not perfect and far from it, but I want my efforts to at least be perfect knowing that I did the work to the best of my ability, even if the outcome is less than perfect.

Again, no need to apologize and thank you for your comments Cam.

Also, I don't want Duke to think I was criticizing his comment. That was the farthest thing from my thinking, I merely went off on a rant about how I can't seem to let things go and allow others to do it for me.

 

[zmotorsports]

Looks like a fun trip out to Montana! We were just out there last year, its really a great place to visit. Heading back to the black hills this summer. I can't seem to get enough of the west.

Thanks for sharing!

Agreed, I love living out here and the wide expanses to visit.

One thing I learned about Virginia City this trip that I didn't now before was that many of the panes of glass, doors, etc. are still original. That got me to thinking as my wife and I were walking up and down the streets. I stopped at one corner and turned back towards the little town and it just hit me, if the streets were not paved and the cars and trucks lining the street were replaced with horses and carriages the little town would look nearly identical to what it did back in its day. That was a pretty amazing thing to see.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you are able to get more time out here. As for the Black Hills, we love that area as well. My wife and I will be heading there again sometime in September if all goes as planned.

 

[zmotorsports]

My wife & I are sitting in the Spokane airport headed back to the humidity belt, after being all over northern Idaho and western Montana. We’ve been here for 2 weeks and had an absolutely wonderful time and actually made an offer on a piece of property just outside of Coeur d’Alene and hope to close in a week or so. Just means we get to come back up sooner than later. We envy your “seasons” in this part of the country.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for following along and I wish you the best with your property purchase. I have only been to Coeur d'Alene a couple of times but it is a beautiful area.

I remember a little floating restaurant that sat on the Spokane river (I think that was the river). It floated up and down on pillars with guide rollers and a plank that you walked out on to enter the restaurant. The view and food were both amazing as we sat with friends and watched fresh cut log poles floating down the river from upstream. We were told they were heading to the sawmill. I wish I could remember the name of the restaurant but it has been about 10 years ago now since we were there last.

 

[slodat]

I'm battling this very thing.. **right now**. I have the perfect, for me, day job. Working conditions, schedule, benefits, pay can not be beat. I'm very good in my current foreman position. I have a great crew. What's not to love? My upholstery business is never going to match what I make at my day job, even if I put in twice the hours. Never mind the fact that self employment doesn't give "benefits", etc. I've been telling myself I'll quit the day job right before I turn 50, and enjoy the business, despite these realities.. Time will tell. 1499 days to go!

 

[yaidunno]

Agreed, I love living out here and the wide expanses to visit.

One thing I learned about Virginia City this trip that I didn't now before was that many of the panes of glass, doors, etc. are still original. That got me to thinking as my wife and I were walking up and down the streets. I stopped at one corner and turned back towards the little town and it just hit me, if the streets were not paved and the cars and trucks lining the street were replaced with horses and carriages the little town would look nearly identical to what it did back in its day. That was a pretty amazing thing to see.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you are able to get more time out here. As for the Black Hills, we love that area as well. My wife and I will be heading there again sometime in September if all goes as planned.

Very neat! We gave good consideration in stopping at Virginia City, but didn't have enough time. The windows at the Mining Museum in Butte were exactly as you described though. They have quite a collection of old mining machinery to check out as well.

One area in WY that really is under appreciated IMO, is the Big Horn National Forest. The drive on 14 between Shell and Dayton is really spectacular through the canyons and mountains. Its not as grand as the Rockies, but it also keeps the touristy feel away too.

Looks like we will just miss you in the Black Hills. We will be there in the later part of August.

Anywho, sorry to derail your thread!

 

[polexican23]

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

Paint isnt effected by that b!tch mother nature.

 

[zmotorsports]

I'm battling this very thing.. **right now**. I have the perfect, for me, day job. Working conditions, schedule, benefits, pay can not be beat. I'm very good in my current foreman position. I have a great crew. What's not to love? My upholstery business is never going to match what I make at my day job, even if I put in twice the hours. Never mind the fact that self employment doesn't give "benefits", etc. I've been telling myself I'll quit the day job right before I turn 50, and enjoy the business, despite these realities.. Time will tell. 1499 days to go!

Steven, when I started my side business back in 1997 my goal was to build up my clientele and quit my day job and do what I love, wrenching/fabricating, sounds much like the plan that you described. My experience throughout the years of working both a full-time and part-time job is that I had the best of both worlds and I don't know if I myself would be willing to put in the hours required to really have a successful business. Also the next step of running a successful business would have to be volume and a one man shop is hard to put the volume of work through so then you end up hiring others that you "hope" have the same drive and produce the same quality of work. That's a big hope.

Ultimately I ran my side-business for exactly 20 years and never took it full-time. On one hand I feel like a failure due to that fact yet on the other hand I feel like I had a good balance between work and family time, something that I think would have gotten out of control had I not had my full-time job and relied solely on shop work for income.

My goal now is to be able to retire at an age old enough to have a good nest egg built up, yet young enough to be able to work in my home shop doing specialized projects that I "want" to do vs. those I "have" to do in order to survive.

I hope that makes sense but that is merely my perspective. I am in awe of those who are able to create a business, grow that business and reap the rewards of their sacrifice and efforts because I don't think I have it in me. I hope you do and wish you the best as it seems many of us here have very similar end goals yet will have completely different paths to get us there.

 

[zmotorsports]

Very neat! We gave good consideration in stopping at Virginia City, but didn't have enough time. The windows at the Mining Museum in Butte were exactly as you described though. They have quite a collection of old mining machinery to check out as well.

One area in WY that really is under appreciated IMO, is the Big Horn National Forest. The drive on 14 between Shell and Dayton is really spectacular through the canyons and mountains. Its not as grand as the Rockies, but it also keeps the touristy feel away too.

Looks like we will just miss you in the Black Hills. We will be there in the later part of August.

Anywho, sorry to derail your thread!

No need to apologize, and you didn't derail it one bit. I'm glad you commented and welcome them.

We've been over that Hwy14 pass several times between Sheridan and Cody, WY in our coaches. We've even been over 14A to Burgess Junction which is a steep and winding ***** of a road but very worthwhile as far as scenery. It is amazing the contrast of the east side vs. the west side of the same pass.

We have also been over Highway 16 between Buffalo and Ten Sleep then up towards Cody. That isn't as steep and has passing lanes but not quite the scenery that 14 or 14A have.

 

[LXCam]

Dan and Mike, thanks guys I greatly appreciate what was said. If we ever get together the root beer floats are on me......ya I stopped drinking a few years back

Steven. Having been there and done that I'll echo mikes sediments 1000%. I also need to add that as a one man shop andno matter how good you are you can make a good living, but you'll never make good money. I got to enjoy many years of chasing my passions only because I had several good reliable folks covering my overhead. Don't take that comment as I got to play all the time as I worked a minimum of double what anyone else did. But I worked hard so I could play hard. My greatest demise was I have never been a true business man despite my successes. Why?, because I cared about everyone that worked for me like they were family. When work was slow I should have laid them off accordingly but that wasn't me, I still kept them all working full time even if that meant bullshitting around the shop or maybe a major project or two at the house. Whatever it took for them to keep both benefits and food on the table for their families. All that caring took a toll on me and our retirement when the economy completely died out here. Had I shut it all down a couple years before I did, I'd be retired right now kicking back in my boat somewhere.

What I like about my current business is I have no employees. You have no idea what a relief that is as large construction projects ebb and flow. When it's slow I have plenty to do and have no one but my immediate family to be concerned about.

My only suggestion would be to never regret your decision. Don't wake up one day wishing you had gone for it. My dad could have built a thriving pool construction business but was afraid of not being able to feed the family, so he ran businesses for others his entire life and made them a **** pot load of coin. Myself, the only regret is I cared too much but I can live with that.

 

[zmotorsports]

Dan and Mike, thanks guys I greatly appreciate what was said. If we ever get together the root beer floats are on me......ya I stopped drinking a few years back

Steven. Having been there and done that I'll echo mikes sediments 1000%. I also need to add that as a one man shop andno matter how good you are you can make a good living, but you'll never make good money. I got to enjoy many years of chasing my passions only because I had several good reliable folks covering my overhead. Don't take that comment as I got to play all the time as I worked a minimum of double what anyone else did. But I worked hard so I could play hard. My greatest demise was I have never been a true business man despite my successes. Why?, because I cared about everyone that worked for me like they were family. When work was slow I should have laid them off accordingly but that wasn't me, I still kept them all working full time even if that meant bullshitting around the shop or maybe a major project or two at the house. Whatever it took for them to keep both benefits and food on the table for their families. All that caring took a toll on me and our retirement when the economy completely died out here. Had I shut it all down a couple years before I did, I'd be retired right now kicking back in my boat somewhere.

What I like about my current business is I have no employees. You have no idea what a relief that is as large construction projects ebb and flow. When it's slow I have plenty to do and have no one but my immediate family to be concerned about.

My only suggestion would be to never regret your decision. Don't wake up one day wishing you had gone for it. My dad could have built a thriving pool construction business but was afraid of not being able to feed the family, so he ran businesses for others his entire life and made them a **** pot load of coin. Myself, the only regret is I cared too much but I can live with that.

Very well said Cam and my hat is off to you sir.

Personally, I fall under that too afraid to take the plunge category. I have a good life, have made a pretty good living (granted working two-jobs) and have a good nest egg built up and don't want to jeopardize any of that. Yet on the other hand I sometimes ponder where I would be had I taken the plunge earlier in life and taken the path of self-employment. I'm not saying I have regrets, I just sometimes wonder. My life right now is pretty spectacular though so I feel like a **** for even wondering what my life would have been like had I taken another path and followed my heart rather than my head.

My father on the other hand was a dairy farmer, which also meant my entire family were all farmers, and he generally worked 20-hour days only needing 4+ hours sleep a day. I still don't know how he ever did it. When he saw farming start to take a downward turn in the late 70's he took some property out of the greenbelt and built a motel and restaurant on a couple of acres and by the time I was a senior in high school we were getting out of the dairy business. My mom and dad ran the motel/restaurant business and my brother in law and I ran the remaining 70+ acres of farm with alfalfa, wheat, potatoes and sugar beat crops but I quickly came to the realization that I was NOT a farmer as all I could think about was wrenching on ****.

I had a great childhood with parents who cared for me and my siblings tremendously. That being said, my father never saw me play in a single football game in school and let me know that it was an inconvenience picking me up several times a week after practice. I am in NO way blaming my father for anything other than doing a great job providing for his family but I swore I would be a more hands on father and not have a profession that would keep me from my family (I feel like a ***** for even saying that). I feel blessed that even when I was working both my full-time job and my part-time job that I NEVER missed a single baseball practice or game of my son's nor a parent-teacher conference. I don't think that would have been the case had I taken a different road early on in my life so for that I am grateful and in utter awe of those who can juggle both successful businesses AND family. I just don't think I could be one of them.

 

[WhiffySpark]

Very well said Cam and my hat is off to you sir.

Personally, I fall under that too afraid to take the plunge category. I have a good life, have made a pretty good living (granted working two-jobs) and have a good nest egg built up and don't want to jeopardize any of that. Yet on the other hand I sometimes ponder where I would be had I taken the plunge earlier in life and taken the path of self-employment. I'm not saying I have regrets, I just sometimes wonder. My life right now is pretty spectacular though so I feel like a **** for even wondering what my life would have been like had I taken another path and followed my heart rather than my head.

My father on the other hand was a dairy farmer, which also meant my entire family were all farmers, and he generally worked 20-hour days only needing 4+ hours sleep a day. I still don't know how he ever did it. When he saw farming start to take a downward turn in the late 70's he took some property out of the greenbelt and built a motel and restaurant on a couple of acres and by the time I was a senior in high school we were getting out of the dairy business. My mom and dad ran the motel/restaurant business and my brother in law and I ran the remaining 70+ acres of farm with alfalfa, wheat, potatoes and sugar beat crops but I quickly came to the realization that I was NOT a farmer as all I could think about was wrenching on ****.

I had a great childhood with parents who cared for me and my siblings tremendously. That being said, my father never saw me play in a single football game in school and let me know that it was an inconvenience picking me up several times a week after practice. I am in NO way blaming my father for anything other than doing a great job providing for his family but I swore I would be a more hands on father and not have a profession that would keep me from my family (I feel like a ***** for even saying that). I feel blessed that even when I was working both my full-time job and my part-time job that I NEVER missed a single baseball practice or game of my son's nor a parent-teacher conference. I don't think that would have been the case had I taken a different road early on in my life so for that I am grateful and in utter awe of those who can juggle both successful businesses AND family. I just don't think I could be one of them.

Same boat here. I’m self employed so I have the option to be present for all my kids functions.

My dad doesn’t understand why I don’t work 100 hour weeks 52 weeks a year, but mine was just like yours.

 

[Finallygotit]

What's that saying you don't find on headstones..........


"I wish I had worked more hours"

 

[zmotorsports]

Dan, I remember seeing/hearing that saying as well but can't quite remember where.

I have another one that has stuck with me over the years.

My wife and I were applying for a small loan for our second motorhome in 2000 and I had a stomach ache from the stress wondering if we were making a mistake or not. I knew how my father felt about RV's and on one hand I didn't want to disappoint him, yet on the other hand I knew how much my wife and I enjoyed RV's and we wanted to upgrade. We had our obligations met and the money was discretionary but I still worried about what my father would think but by 2000 his health was drastically declining and he was not lucid much of the time.

As we sat there awaiting our answer I saw a small placard on the shelf behind the person's desk that stated "if you have waited until retirement to start enjoying life, you've waited too long". I remember that hitting me like a freight train and I said F**K IT, we're buying this thing and going to enjoy it.

My father passed away in 2002 and I don't think he ever knew how much enjoyment our RV's have brought us, yet I think he would roll over in his grave if he knew how much money we have spent on them over the years.

Like I mentioned earlier, many of us have similar end goals being on a garage and tool forum but we will ALL take different paths to get there. What works for one person may or may not work for someone else and we all must find what works in our situation.

 

[LXCam]

Looks like a few of us all had the same dad. Pops was a full on Oklahoma red neck hardass. Being a young child during the depression there summed up his values as you can imagine. I can honestly say while growing up than man worked everyday and the amount of times that only he and I went and did something could be counted on one hand and still have a finger or two left.

When we started our family and as money allowed I always made sure to make every game, Girl Scout cookie sale,,,whatever. I never missed a one between our two kids. I took them boating, dirt biking, bla bla bla. Sent the wife and kids on major vacations out of the country every year when it wasn't possible for me to be gone. You get the picture.

My ole man thought me a fool for spending that kind of money doing all that nonsense. His major goal in life was to retire, buy an RV and pull his gold wing around the country. Well he got to do a little bit of that for only a year before Alzheimers got the better of him.

I lead the life I did because I wanted to give my kids something to remember. The wife and I not only did this for our family but many, many other children and family members that couldn't do for themselves.

I regret nothing and now as a not so young man with the realization that most likely I'll be going down the same path as the ole man, his mom and her mother all of which I watched go thru a 20yr decline am damn glad I enjoyed and provided enjoyment for most of my life.

 

[zmotorsports]

Another great story Cam. I love hearing about people to see what makes them tick, why they do what they do, etc. Thank you so much for sharing. Sounds like we have more in common than I thought.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[slodat]

You guys hit a lot of familiar feels!! I grew up in rural southwest Kansas. Wheat farm country. When I was small, my father was a ranch hand. Later we had a small farm of our own. Most people either can’t relate or don’t believe me when I talk about working 60+ hours a week on the farm as a kid. My father was a grade A hard *** SOB. He worked no less than 100 hours every week of his life.

I broke that mold. I was an E5 in the Navy at 19. I busted my *** in the submarine force. The work ethic and attention to detail my father instilled in me have paid me dividends beyond measure. Were we differ is I don’t “care” about “money”.

I know from experience that if I were to have employees, I’d do exactly what Cam described above. There’s no other way in my book. My hope is the day job will let me work part time for all of my fifties. My trade will forever be undermanned, so they just might. In an ideal world, I’ll turn down spending and lifestyle enough to live on what my shop can reasonably, reliably bring in.

These conversations are what I value the most on GJ.

Have a great Fourth guys!!

Steven

 

[zmotorsports]

I had planned on getting the pressure washer out and pressure washing the house, shop and fence around the yard tonight in preparation for the party my wife is throwing me on Saturday but Mother Nature had other plans. As I was leaving work the wind and rain came up. Not enough rain to do anything other than get everything filthy. That’s funny because this morning on the news they said partly cloudy and cooler but no chance of rain. I sure wish I could make that kind of money and be wrong that often. ��

I thought I would cross another item off the white board and not waste an evening in the shop.

I pulled the truck in on the lift and performed a LOF service and tire rotation.




Ready to change the engine oil filter and the external spin-on filter on the Allison transmission.


New fuel filter at the ready as well.


Filter strap wrench and ratchet/extension for fuel filter removal.


I hope this shows up well enough. The strap wrench around the fuel filter and 3/8” ratchet and extension to break the filter loose.


Removing the water sensor that resides at the bottom of the fuel filter in order to install it in the new filter.


Here is the bleed screw that must be loosened before priming the fuel system. You may notice I have replaced the black plastic bleed screw with an aluminum bleed screw. I purchased it from Merchant Automotive when I first purchased my 2006 Duramax in 2009.


Lastly before setting the truck back down to torque the wheels I noticed my stainless steel exhaust tip was looking a bit rough so I polished it up.

 

[Duker]

No need to apologize Cam. I enjoyed the story and although I haven't worked for myself to the extent that you have, I completely understand where you are coming from with trying to not only provide a living for your family but also to give back to the community, bringing value to the world.



I try to do my part to give back (bring value if you will) but not to the degree that you have by any stretch. My wife and son know and understand what makes me tick and they understand my passion to change the perception of what a mechanic is. I realize that mechanics get a bad rap and granted, sometimes that bad rap is well deserved but many times it is merely a poor or mis-placed perception of mechanics based on isolated situations. That is what I have tried to change my entire career.



My goal throughout my entire career, besides providing a good living for my family, has always been to have my workmanship as well as my relationship with people who know me to hopefully elevate that perception of mechanics, even if only a small amount. I have put my whole heart into everything I have done in hopes that it will make others want to do the same, many times at a loss on my behalf but I can at least lie my head on the pillow at nights knowing I did my best. I'm not perfect and far from it, but I want my efforts to at least be perfect knowing that I did the work to the best of my ability, even if the outcome is less than perfect.



Again, no need to apologize and thank you for your comments Cam.



Also, I don't want Duke to think I was criticizing his comment. That was the farthest thing from my thinking, I merely went off on a rant about how I can't seem to let things go and allow others to do it for me.

Mike, no criticism taken and I appreciate the comments. I also completely understand your points on doing a quality job and trying to find good help.

Cam, also appreciate the background story. It’s the different paths in life that makes us who we are... and yours is certainly more interesting than mine! [emoji3][emoji106]




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[zmotorsports]

You guys hit a lot of familiar feels!! I grew up in rural southwest Kansas. Wheat farm country. When I was small, my father was a ranch hand. Later we had a small farm of our own. Most people either can’t relate or don’t believe me when I talk about working 60+ hours a week on the farm as a kid. My father was a grade A hard *** SOB. He worked no less than 100 hours every week of his life.

I broke that mold. I was an E5 in the Navy at 19. I busted my *** in the submarine force. The work ethic and attention to detail my father instilled in me have paid me dividends beyond measure. Were we differ is I don’t “care” about “money”.

I know from experience that if I were to have employees, I’d do exactly what Cam described above. There’s no other way in my book. My hope is the day job will let me work part time for all of my fifties. My trade will forever be undermanned, so they just might. In an ideal world, I’ll turn down spending and lifestyle enough to live on what my shop can reasonably, reliably bring in.

These conversations are what I value the most on GJ.

Have a great Fourth guys!!

Steven

Sorry I missed this earlier Steven but thanks for commenting and the I agree about these conversations being just one of the great things about this forum and the members.

I can't speak for others but these types of conversations make me feel more like a community of like mindedness vs. just a place to ***** and moan or criticize people like some forums I have seen.

I am going to probably expose myself for what I really am here but I want to be honest. I wish I could say I don't care about the money aspect but I can't, probably because we never had it growing up and I have developed some pretty expensive hobbies and tastes over the years. However, I can say that while money may not be my primary driver it is definitely towards the top of the list, but not at the expense of treating people poorly or cheating my way to acquire it. I want to earn it the old fashioned way and have it come about honestly. However, when jobs have a tendency to go south and I lose money on a job, while it pisses me off and hurts the bank account, I don't take it out on the owner or look at ways to cut corners, they get the same quality whether I am making money or something happened and I am losing money on the job.

I respect both you and Cam's outlook toward employees and the way you treated them or would treat them. I don't think I can say I would be the same if I was a business owner based on what I see running two maintenance shops. I am not what I would call a hard *** but if someone isn't pulling their weight or is not performing I feel less inclined to care if they stick around or not nor do I feel obligated to make sure they are taken care of. Now if they are good employees, work hard and perform their responsibilities honestly, ethically and morally I will go to bat for them every day all day, and have. I just don't feel the same way about "every" mechanic we have as they are not all the same nor do they contribute all the same. Something my dad beat into my head from my earliest memory was "you can't help those who won't help themselves". Some seem to skate along and expect to be treated the same as someone who busts their *** and continues to learn and grow. I'm going to be honest and say I find it hard to treat them the same even though in corporate America these days that seems to be a no-no.

Sorry for my rant, I'm off my soapbox now.

Thanks again for posting Steven and contributing to the conversation.

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy 4th of July. We should be proud of that flag, what it stands for and what was sacrificed so we can fly it freely.

Mike

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike, no criticism taken and I appreciate the comments. I also completely understand your points on doing a quality job and trying to find good help.

Cam, also appreciate the background story. It’s the different paths in life that makes us who we are... and yours is certainly more interesting than mine! [emoji3][emoji106]




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Thanks Duke. I just didn't want you to think I was criticizing.

I really appreciate the input and contribution to the discussions.

 

[sanddan]

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 if the Jeep and coach requiring about 6-hours of cleaning.





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

Mike,
any tips on the pressure washing of engine compartments and other compartments on the RV? I'd love to wash the battery compartment, propane compartment and engine compartment but I'm a bit worried about spraying the electrical components. I'd hate to have any issues as everything is working great right now.

 

[LXCam]

To all you faithful followers of Mike's follies, I swear this'll be the last of my rambling

Duker, thanks bud.

Mike, I couldn't agree more with regard to these "conversations". It is not the norm for this community and like you, enjoy them as well. Back in 05 when I joined my first forum it was these types of forays that have lead to life long friendships with folks all over the world in some cases. As much as I despise and stay clear of the social media craze, I'm a better person from what became a relationship in a few dozen instances.

As for being a hardass. Don't let my bleeding heart summary of caring for my crew fool ya. I'm a complete **** and have some lofty expectations of those whom I oversee. The difference with me however is I would never expect anything more then what I'm willing to do. It was a rare individual who could hack it and in 22yrs of contracting fired or burned out more then ill ever remember. But the ones that cut it I'd trust with my life and there isn't a single one of them I wouldn't help right now today if asked at the drop of a hat. But then again I'll do the same for a complete stranger that's in need too. Another lesson passed down from the old man, he was a giver and not a taker. My old man was highly respected by all and earned that thru ability, example and fairness.

At his funeral we arrived early and of course we were in the front row. I never turned around the entire time, just faced forward and spoke with those that came up. When it came time for me to deliver the eulogy I walked up to the podium, turned around and I swear damn near lost it. Ya see pops out lived most all of his friends and all though there's a fair amount of family, it ain't that much. Imagine the shock to see the church completely packed, standing room only and well over a couple hundred in attendance. I've always aspired to be the man he was but that really drove it home.

Mike,
any tips on the pressure washing of engine compartments and other compartments on the RV? I'd love to wash the battery compartment, propane compartment and engine compartment but I'm a bit worried about spraying the electrical components. I'd hate to have any issues as everything is working great right now.

Good let's get this back on track as I'd like to know too. I build a ton of show worthy engine bays and my trick is Wesley's bleach white - white wall cleaner. This stuff makes everything look like brand new without deterioration of the finish. Even a simple hose down, spray - hose and dry with compressed air does wonders.

 

[zmotorsports]

Cam, thanks for the comments. I agree that it sounds like a lot of our fathers, their stories and the impacts they had on us sound very familiar here. I think that is a good thing as the world definitely needs more GOOD fathers, not merely more fathers, I think there are enough of them. The good ones are few and far between anymore.

I pray every day that I can have the impact on my son that my father had on me and he will be proud to be my son.

Dan/Cam, as for the pressure washing of engine bays the best advice I can give is don't focus on electrical connections. Engine bay cleanliness has always been a pet peeve of mine no matter on an automobile, forklift or OTR truck. This all started back in the late 80's/early 90's when I became an industrial maintenance mechanic and had to deal with over-zealous mechanics who thought if a little grease is good a lot must be great. When I had a forklift come in the shop at work after diagnosing the issue the next place it went was the steam bay to clean it the best I could. I'm a mechanic but I don't like getting dirty.

That has carried over ten-fold into my personal vehicles. Again, I don't focus on anything electrical nor things like tensioners, idlers or anything that has bearings as water can be pushed past seals. There is no way to avoid getting water on electrical connectors or harnesses as they will get misted no matter how hard you try to avoid it. It is that direct pressure that really forces the water into them and can wreak havoc on electrical connections. Most of the connectors are weatherpack style and can take some misting without issues.

I seemed to have caught a lot of **** over the years for pressure washing engine bays but have had few if any issues directly related to such washing.

On a really filthy engine bay I will mix up some Purple Power concentrate as I have a small 1-gallon garden sprayer that I use to soak down the area then hit it with the pressure washer but generally, like I did on my Jeep the other day, I merely hit it with water and a wide pattern nozzle (read lower pressure) followed by a drying using compressed air and a wide dispersing air nozzle so again not to force water into connections or bearings.

Cam, your use of Wesley's tire cleaner sounds intriguing, I don't think I have ever heard of that nor have I tried it. Do you do anything special with it such as dilute it or just right out of the spray bottle, soak it down and then rinse it off?

Thanks guys.

 

[zmotorsports]

Also as a side note on engine bays, when I have a vehicle in that doesn't necessarily need an entire engine bay washing but the plastic is a bit dirty I use a product by ZEP called Power House. I have found that it does a very good job of cleaning the plastic covers, housings, hoses, etc. yet does not attract dirt or dust like some chemicals. I also use ZEP Power House on things like garden equipment, chain saws, snowblowers, etc. as it cleans well and doesn't leave a film or attract additional dirt.

Last night for example when I was servicing my truck the engine bay still looked good but I had leaned on the plastic radiator cover while filling with oil and got some of my sweat on the plastic. After completing the service and checking everything over, I simply sprayed some Power House on the plastic, let if foam up for a few seconds and wiped down the components. The engine bay looked like it just rolled off the showroom floor before closing the hood.

 

[LXCam]

Mike the wesleys doesn't need to be diluted more than to apply in a wet surface. Power purple works great except it will eat the polish and anodizing off in seconds. Funny sad story. I had just finished my 6.1 hemi build in my street car. Spent a grand just getting the manifold polished and several hundred on anodized rails, fittings, catchcan and a bit of other show pieces. So we do a track day on the big track at willow springs. So here I am at the top of third gear at around 130 in turn 8 setting up for 90 thru turn 9 when the power steering unit blows a seal......yeeee fn haaa! My fighter pilot buddy said that as I cleared turn 9 I looked like a jet breaking the sound barrier haha.

So here I am with a huge mess all over everything and a hundred miles from home. I head over to the local parts place and the only thing they had was PP which I had no experience with. So back to the track, find a hose, spray it down, spray the PP liberally and let it set, grab the hose and proceed to watch allllll those finishes go bye-bye. I was sick to my stomach.

So just keep that in mind. The wesleys won't do that but it does make all the plastic and rubber including metal look like new.

Edit, I'll have to try out that zep product Mike, that sounds like great stuff as well. Thanks for the tip.

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike the wesleys doesn't need to be diluted more than to apply in a wet surface. Power purple works great except it will eat the polish and anodizing off in seconds. Funny sad story. I had just finished my 6.1 hemi build in my street car. Spent a grand just getting the manifold polished and several hundred on anodized rails, fittings, catchcan and a bit of other show pieces. So we do a track day on the big track at willow springs. So here I am at the top of third gear at around 130 in turn 8 setting up for 90 thru turn 9 when the power steering unit blows a seal......yeeee fn haaa! My fighter pilot buddy said that as I cleared turn 9 I looked like a jet breaking the sound barrier haha.

So here I am with a huge mess all over everything and a hundred miles from home. I head over to the local parts place and the only thing they had was PP which I had no experience with. So back to the track, find a hose, spray it down, spray the PP liberally and let it set, grab the hose and proceed to watch allllll those finishes go bye-bye. I was sick to my stomach.

So just keep that in mind. The wesleys won't do that but it does make all the plastic and rubber including metal look like new.

Edit, I'll have to try out that zep product Mike, that sounds like great stuff as well. Thanks for the tip.

That ***** about all that finish going down the drain, literally. I too would be sick inside.

Thanks for the heads up on the Purple Power Cam. I have not used it on anything polished or anodized, merely OEM underhood on my daily drivers. I will definitely avoid it on any bright work and keep it away from the engine bay of our coach now that I have some polished aluminum and stainless steel. I will get the Whesley's cleaner and try that instead.

Thank you.

 

[zmotorsports]

This isn’t exactly shop related but what the hell.

My wife threw me an early 50th birthday party last night. We had family and a few friends over, many who had not seen our new home, yard or shop.

Party was a success as my lovely wife spoiled me once again. The only downside was we picked the hottest day of the year to have the party with the temperature hitting 103 in the afternoon while we were setting up. My son and his girlfriend were also a big help making it a success.

Food was catered by a local cafe that my wife and I frequent and they did an amazing job. My wife had ordered several different salads, mini sandwiches, boneless ribs, chicken skewers, meatballs and chicken wings along with some of their peanut butter bars to go along with the cake for dessert.




By about 4:30 in the afternoon the shop was providing enough shade and by the time guests were showing up by 5:00 nearly half the back yard was shaded.






The cake my wife had another local bakery make.


All in all a great 49-1/2 birthday and now that I got the yard and shop where I’m fairly happy with them I can get back to work in the shop wrenching on ****.

 

[LXCam]

Ok I'm gonna go there...



How'd you handle all that activity on the new lawn Mike. Lol


Seriously I'm happy for you bud. That cake is very cool (btw, what kind was it?) and once again happy half year Bday

 

[zmotorsports]

Ok I'm gonna go there...



How'd you handle all that activity on the new lawn Mike. Lol


Seriously I'm happy for you bud. That cake is very cool (btw, what kind was it?) and once again happy half year Bday

Thanks Cam. Evidently I have a perception out there because some of the smart asses that showed up asked if they needed to remove their shoes to walk on my grass.

I’m not a big cake person but the cake was awesome. It was a chocolate Carmel with buttermilk icing. My son’s girlfriend found the Jeep for the cake and got it to the bakery.

Thanks for the comments bud, I appreciate it.



Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Finallygotit]

Looks like a great time was had. I love that cake.

 

[zmotorsports]

Looks like a great time was had. I love that cake.

Thanks Dan. It was a great time and nice to just sit, enjoy the yard and relax knowing everything is finally done to my liking after the last year and a half of working my *** off on the shop and property.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Duker]

Ok I'm gonna go there...



How'd you handle all that activity on the new lawn Mike. Lol


Seriously I'm happy for you bud. That cake is very cool (btw, what kind was it?) and once again happy half year Bday

I thought you were going down the path to ask where our invites went??

Mike You had me at boneless ribs! [emoji51]

Tell your wife that the GJ crew says nicely done... it looked like a great party and menu. And... Happy Birthday!

And now for the bad news... welcome to the over 50 old farts club... Cam is a founding member!







Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[GRN96WS6]

Looks like a good time was had by all.

 

[zmotorsports]

I thought you were going down the path to ask where our invites went??

Mike You had me at boneless ribs! [emoji51]

Tell your wife that the GJ crew says nicely done... it looked like a great party and menu. And... Happy Birthday!

And now for the bad news... welcome to the over 50 old farts club... Cam is a founding member!







Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Thanks Duke. I believe Cam could be a founding member but I’m sure it’s still a pretty good club. [emoji12].






Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[zmotorsports]

Looks like a good time was had by all.

It sure was. I hope everyone who came had a good time despite the heat.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[zmotorsports]

I have had an inexpensive import set of transfer punches for the past ten years or so. Although they have held up well because I haven’t abused them I have wanted a set of Spellman mfg transfer punches for a few years. I finally broke down and bought a set.


I also purchased a set of 1/2”-1” transfer punches which I have not had before. These are an import set from Taiwan and seem to be of good quality although the stamped steel stand is a little weakly executed.


My sister was in town and asked that I give her car a once over so while I was waiting for her to bring it over today I decided to remove the glass lenses from my three coach lights on the house garage and one had the threads seized and I could not disassemble it easily.

I ended up finally getting it apart and had to remove the bottom cast aluminum nut but had to soak with some penetrating oil and even a little heat.

Once I got it apart I cleaned up the threads both internal and external before reassembling.




I have to say even though it was a simple home repair it was nice to be able to have bench space to work on and be able to walk to a drawer and grab a tap and die and have everything within reach and not have to dig through boxes to find the necessary tools.

Also on a side note, while I was working on my coach light project some people we knew from our old area stopped by for a visit and asked for a tour of our home and shop.

Evidently they were trying to get in touch with me to work on their motorhome and drove by our old home to see if we were home. When they saw the house and yard they contacted some other mutual friends of ours and asked if I was ok because the yard looked like **** and our home phone number had been disconnected. They were told we had moved and were given “rough” directions of how to find our new home.

Today they went for a drive in search of our home and they found it while I was in the shop working. It was nice to visit and catch up with them.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Finallygotit]

........I have to say even though it was a simple home repair it was nice to be able to have bench space to work on and be able to walk to a drawer and grab a tap and die and have everything within reach and not have to dig through boxes to find the necessary tools. .............

I know the feeling and it's a wonderful thing!!

 

[don long]

Nice party your wife threw for you.
Keeping bench space is a full time project in my garage.
Love peaking at your work

Don