ZMotorsports Shop Projects 2.0

[zmotorsports]

as always, topnotch work mike

Thank you and thanks for following along.

 

[macgyver]

Mike, That is probably one of the nicest and cleanest WJ's I have ever seen!

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike, That is probably one of the nicest and cleanest WJ's I have ever seen!

Thank you Quinn. He's pretty proud of it. I'm getting used to it but I still really miss his LJ that we built. He likes the WJ better and I guess that's what is important.

 

[zmotorsports]

I didn’t get anything done in the shop last night due to a hard freeze warning for tonight. I thought it would be more prudent to get my sprinkler system winterized and cover my A/C condenser. Overnight temps along the Wasatch Front are supposed to be around 23 degrees over the next couple of nights which is a bit too cold this early in the year.

Air hoses ran out front to my inlet/filter to pressurize the system.


Blowing out the system zone by zone.


As you can see in the picture we've already had a dusting of snow in the Wasatch mountains which came a bit earlier than normal this year.


I then ran over to my son’s house and helped him winterize/blow out his system for the year seeing as how this was his first time.

Not exactly what I wanted to do last night but it’s done now and we’re ready for winter, which can take its sweet time coming.

 

[LXCam]

I'm pretty sure it was Enco. .

Thanks and I know I'm not the only one here that misses Enco. It was always a great source for reasonably priced tooling as long as you didn't need to hold it to a tenth.

 

[rattle_snake]

Freeze? It's 95 today...

I did plant my garden this week, so yes it's cooling off. Perfect motorcycle weather for next 8 months.

Lawn and whole place looks very nice, we all know you wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[zmotorsports]

Thanks and I know I'm not the only one here that misses Enco. It was always a great source for reasonably priced tooling as long as you didn't need to hold it to a tenth.

Yeah, I know MSC was supposed to fill the gap when Enco went away but my experience has been they are much more expensive and really didn't fill the gap. Enco had cheap stuff (almost garbage at times) but they also had some inexpensive decent products to choose from but I don't see that now with MSC.

 

[zmotorsports]

Freeze? It's 95 today...

I did plant my garden this week, so yes it's cooling off. Perfect motorcycle weather for next 8 months.

Lawn and whole place looks very nice, we all know you wouldn't have it any other way.

Go ahead Justin, rub it in.

We had 72-degrees yesterday and I was in shorts working in the yard. Today driving to work it was 62-degrees at 5:30am and now at lunch hour it was cold at 48-degrees and the wind is blowing like crazy. Hello cold front.

I'm still optimistic we'll have some decent weather before the end of the year. Many years we will get a quick snow storm at or near the end of October then it's melted in a day or two then nicer weather and temps until at least after Thanksgiving but this is a bit earlier than most years so I hope it doesn't decide to stick around.

 

[zmotorsports]

Freeze? It's 95 today...

I did plant my garden this week, so yes it's cooling off. Perfect motorcycle weather for next 8 months.

Lawn and whole place looks very nice, we all know you wouldn't have it any other way.

Go ahead Justin, rub it in.

We had 72-degrees yesterday and I was in shorts working in the yard. Today driving to work it was 62-degrees at 5:30am and now at lunch hour it was cold at 48-degrees and the wind is blowing like crazy. Hello cold front.

I'm still optimistic we'll have some decent weather before the end of the year. Many years we will get a quick snow storm at or near the end of October then it's melted in a day or two then nicer weather and temps until at least after Thanksgiving but this is a bit earlier than most years so I hope it doesn't decide to stick around.

Thanks for following along and the comments on my yard. I'm very proud of what it now looks like.

 

[lilscorpion]

We had 72-degrees yesterday and I was in shorts working in the yard. Today driving to work it was 62-degrees at 5:30am and now at lunch hour it was cold at 48-degrees and the wind is blowing like crazy. Hello cold front.

We must be under the same front. Yesterday in Denver it was mid 80’s, today mid-20’s. Had to do an emergency blow-out of the sprinklers last night. Proof I’m not ready for this ****. [emoji3063]

 

[zmotorsports]

We must be under the same front. Yesterday in Denver it was mid 80’s, today mid-20’s. Had to do an emergency blow-out of the sprinklers last night. Proof I’m not ready for this ****. [emoji3063]

At 3:00am this morning driving to work it was 25 degrees and I am already tired of the cold. I think we are supposed to be back up to near normal within the next day or two so I hope you are as well Matt. I guess I am least ready as far as yard goes, just not mentally.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

It hit Eastern KS yesterday @ 5pm. Back to 60 degree temps tommorow.

 

[JCQuick]

wow I never knew you had to "winterize" an irrigation system and I will not mention that here it is 10:30am and 80* with very little clouds

 

[gearhead1960]

wow I never knew you had to "winterize" an irrigation system and I will not mention that here it is 10:30am and 80* with very little clouds

If you leave water in underground lines above the frost line (which is where most irrigation systems are installed), it will expand as it freezes and blow the lines up! Winterizing means clearing the lines so there is no water inside to expand and destroy the system. I know Mike hates to dig holes, so this is a very important chore!

 

[protegeV]

If you leave water in underground lines above the frost line (which is where most irrigation systems are installed), it will expand as it freezes and blow the lines up! Winterizing means clearing the lines so there is no water inside to expand and destroy the system. I know Mike hates to dig holes, so this is a very important chore!

He's in FL. I think he laid the sarcasm on sufficiently thick.

 

[JCQuick]

He's in FL. I think he laid the sarcasm on sufficiently thick.

ME why sir you could be right

 

[gearhead1960]

ME why sir you could be right

OK, so I missed the sarcasm, but let's be clear...there are some Dumb A**e** out there that probably don't winterize their irrigation systems....

 

[zr52002]

If you leave water in underground lines above the frost line (which is where most irrigation systems are installed), it will expand as it freezes and blow the lines up! Winterizing means clearing the lines so there is no water inside to expand and destroy the system. I know Mike hates to dig holes, so this is a very important chore!

Speaking from experience fixing them - technically it's usually not the lines that blow up, but rather the sprinkler heads. Most sprinklers are done with "funny pipe" and it will flex and tolerate freezing. The sprinkler heads are made from hard plastic and don't have the same tolerance for freezing.

Which is also a good reason not to install sprinklers with PVC pipe. I've seen people do that thinking it's more "high end", but it just makes the system more prone to freeze blowouts if for, whatever reason, the system is not completely dry (and it rarely is).

 

[don long]

I don't understand the term winterize, Must not be a So. Cal term
I'm coming up to SLC in a couple of weeks to visit some of my kids. Hope to bring some warmer air with me.

 

[jalbrecht55]

OK, so I missed the sarcasm, but let's be clear...there are some Dumb A**e** out there that probably don't winterize their irrigation systems....

Not to derail this too much but I had hired a landscape company to help me out with some grading work and when I asked about winterizing my system (blowing the lines out) he said it’s not necessary with the modern heads (or at least the ones I have, just the generic rainbird? ones they sell at Home Depot). He said they drain down automatically when there is no water pressure, same as the modern hose bibs. I did shut off the water and then gravity drain the line feeding the solenoid box anyway but left the rest of the system alone and I dunno I think it survived just fine. Not that it gets “cold” here in the PNW but it certainly gets below freezing for awhile.

Curious if I got bad advice and/or if blowing the system out is necessary. Seems like good practice but I dunno.

 

[lilscorpion]

Curious if I got bad advice and/or if blowing the system out is necessary. Seems like good practice but I dunno.

I think it’s bad advice. The backflow and valve manifold are pressurized even if the rest of the system could bleed down. All of that is above ground and typically freezes first. That’s where you’ll break if you don’t winterize soon enough. As the ground freezes, so do the buried lines.

I’d probably get another guy.

 

[purplezr2]

Not to derail this too much but I had hired a landscape company to help me out with some grading work and when I asked about winterizing my system (blowing the lines out) he said it’s not necessary with the modern heads (or at least the ones I have, just the generic rainbird? ones they sell at Home Depot). He said they drain down automatically when there is no water pressure, same as the modern hose bibs. I did shut off the water and then gravity drain the line feeding the solenoid box anyway but left the rest of the system alone and I dunno I think it survived just fine. Not that it gets “cold” here in the PNW but it certainly gets below freezing for awhile.

Curious if I got bad advice and/or if blowing the system out is necessary. Seems like good practice but I dunno.

Bad advice, IMO. I have done both residential and golf course irrigation. I have seen what happens when they don't get blown out. Blowing it out is cheap insurance!

 

[duc916]

Depends on where you live and the layout of the irrigation system. Here in NC I do not blow out my lines, when I lived in MT I had to blow them out since the frost line was too deep. If all your lines are level the heads cannot drain since the head is higher than the supply line. There will not be enough head pressure to force the water out. Sorry for hijacking your thread.

 

[Finallygotit]

Bad advice, IMO. I have done both residential and golf course irrigation. I have seen what happens when they don't get blown out. Blowing it out is cheap insurance!

^^^^^


This is spot on.

 

[zmotorsports]

Thought I would post up some pictures from last week’s trip to Moab.

The wife and I wheeled with some friends from the FMCA 4-Wheelers club that we belong to the first part of the week. This wasn’t a club sanctioned event, just some friends getting together prior to the St. George rally that commenced yesterday.

Then on Wednesday evening, my son and DIL drove down to join us and we wheeled Thursday and Friday with them. We were able to test out his suspension and he was grinning from ear to ear. Not only because of how well his Jeep WJ did but also because his sweet wife had a great time as this was her first ever off-roading experience.

Airing down on day one.


Lunch spot near the Cameo Cliffs.


We ran Metal Masher on day # 2.




Next to Tombstone Mesa heading towards Secret Spire and Dellenbaugh Tunnel.








All in all a great week. Best part is my daughter-in-law is hooked on off-roading and already wanting to go again. My heart was full all week being able to spend time with family and friends doing what we love with those we love.

 

[Nlped]

My dad was there until midweek, last week. His ‘17 rubicon lost the rear locker (not even on a ride, it just quit working) and then it started throwing codes for #3 injector/misfire, so he just loaded it up and went on to Suprise AZ for there winter hiatus. The dealership in Phoenix replaced the locker and the injector, but now he’s getting a code related to his steering wheel. I’m trying like h3ll to get him interested in your LS swap.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[zmotorsports]

My dad was there until midweek, last week. His ‘17 rubicon lost the rear locker (not even on a ride, it just quit working) and then it started throwing codes for #3 injector/misfire, so he just loaded it up and went on to Suprise AZ for there winter hiatus. The dealership in Phoenix replaced the locker and the injector, but now he’s getting a code related to his steering wheel. I’m trying like h3ll to get him interested in your LS swap.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sorry we didn't get a chance to meet him and sorry to hear he had issues. We arrived at OK RV Park on Saturday October 12th and were there until the 19th.

Being UEA weekend, the town of Moab was over-run from mid-week on. It was nice however that on the trails we only ever ran into anyone else on Friday out near Hidden Canyon/Tusher Tunnel area after running the 3D trail.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Glad it was a fun trip with family/friends! Always nice when it works out like that!

 

[zmotorsports]

Glad it was a fun trip with family/friends! Always nice when it works out like that!

Thank you. My son came over to the shop tonight and he informed me that they had a blast and ready to go again.

 

[Finallygotit]

Sounds like really good fun. And now you have one more who's going to enjoy crawling.

 

[zmotorsports]

Last week on the night before my son and DIL met us in Moab, my son called to tell me his truck broke a coolant fitting and dumped coolant everywhere. He wasn’t far from our shop so he clamped off the heater hoses and nursed it into the shop.

Tonight we replaced the broken fitting, pulled a vacuum on the cooling system and refilled it before sending him on his way home.

Broken connector as well as the other one removed. May as well replace both of them while we’re at it. If one broke the other probably isn’t far behind it. These are quite common to break once they get some age on them anyways.




New connectors installed and hoses connected before pulling a vacuum to ensure no leaks.


Thanks for looking.

 

[TTMotorsports]

GM quick disconnects that love to disconnect even when you dont want them too.

 

[zmotorsports]

Sounds like really good fun. And now you have one more who's going to enjoy crawling.

Agreed Dan. She's fitting into our little family perfectly. They are happy and enjoy our family activities so life is good.

 

[zmotorsports]

GM quick disconnects that love to disconnect even when you dont want them too.

I actually haven't had any issues with them prematurely disconnecting, just had a few break over the years on customer vehicles. This was the first on any of our own stuff and to be honest, I probably should have changed them when I did the injectors and had the cooling system open but they weren't leaking and looked fine from the outside so I didn't bother them. Lessen learned there.

 

[shortykorte]

Looks like a wonderful week in the beautiful outdoors.


Shorty Korte
Always remember quality in QST

Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal

 

[zmotorsports]

Looks like a wonderful week in the beautiful outdoors.


Shorty Korte
Always remember quality in QST

Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal

Thanks Shorty. It sure was. I have a couple slight mods I'm going to do to mine then wire up my son's front locker and transmission temperature gauge then I think we'll have to find a local trail for a day trip as a stress relief, hopefully before snow flies.

Thanks for following along.

 

[rattle_snake]

Mike,
That's great that your DIL likes to go wheelin'. That said it's more fun and less scary for someone not familiar to it in a capable vehicle.

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike,
That's great that your DIL likes to go wheelin'. That said it's more fun and less scary for someone not familiar to it in a capable vehicle.

Thanks Justin.

While sitting and eating lunch one day on the trail I tried to explain that it is just as important that the passenger gets a feel for the capabilities of the vehicle as much as the driver because the passenger can make the driver anxious or nervous by their reactions to various scenarios. If she knows what feels normal on a particular obstacle then she's less likely to over-react and both will enjoy the overall trail more.

As for being less scary in a capable vehicle, I completely agree. Even my wife, who usually walks on nearly every obstacle, stayed in our Jeep on every single obstacle with the exception of the Intimidator obstacle on Flat Iron Mesa which I insisted she get out and walk. When we were on Metal Masher she had commented that she didn't seem to think most of the obstacles were as bad as last year. I simply explained that it isn't the same Jeep as last year and the larger tires alone smooth out the trail. Don't get me wrong though, on all of the trails no matter the difficulty scale I drive our Jeep like a baby carriage so I don't go rock-bouncing over any of the obstacles. I'm more of a slow and steady driver with emphasis on tire placement and finesse as opposed to using the skinny pedal and "sending it".

 

[zmotorsports]

Tonight after work I pressure washed the undercarriage of the Jeep to remove the red Moab dirt, then washed the body, blew out the engine bay, blew out the interior and vacuumed & wiped down the interior.


My son came over and we started to fabricate some rear mud flap brackets for quick release flaps. Nothing too high tech, just to appease the law.

Drilled a couple of holes in each side of his rear bumper brackets.








Completed, cooling then ready for beadblasting and paint before installation.


Thanks for looking.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Nice job stacking dimes there sir!