ZMotorsports Shop Projects 2.0

[Strouty]

Looks like a very disappointing start to 2021......

 

[zmotorsports]

I thought we were going to see another lathe project and some new gears... but NOooooooo you go to NAPA.

Looks like a very disappointing start to 2021......

Sorry guys, I took the easy way out on this one.

 

[komalakustoms]

Thank you for the comments and for following along Alex. Congrats on your new shop, hope the build goes well and you can get everything you want out of it.

My full-time job is in the Industrial Maintenance industry, followed by my second job that was running my speed shop for 20 years out of our previous home's shop.

I started as an Apprentice Industrial Maintenance Mechanic back in 1988 at the ripe 'ole age of 19 and worked up to Master Mechanic by around 1992. Then continued wrenching throughout my career up to lead and then Supervisor. I finally brought my tools home in 2015 when I stepped to a Maintenance Manager's position and stopped wrenching at my full-time job but still continue to wrench at my home shop. I am heavily involved in all aspects of Maintenance in my current position but on a larger scale in terms of projects.

My wife, son and I had a speed shop/business at our home shop from 1997 through the beginning of 2017 when I closed it down after moving.

Basically I am a mechanic who learned how to fabricate/weld and do some machining, still learning actually.

Thanks Mike. I'm hoping to document on here and start YouTube for documentation sake and for in hopes that maybe it will help someone when they decide to build their shop. I didn't realize how much work it was until I actually pulled the trigger and started planning the actual build.

I love the hearing success stories of people grinding and being successful. Its not easy, cheap, or fast. You truly have a blessed life and congrats to you for keeping strong.

I am indeed a gearhead (have been since a little boy, thanks to Dad) and have gotten to view some of your videos over the past week or so (we've spoken on there a couple times as well). Looking forward to watching your projects continue there and the wealth of knowledge that you share with the rest of us.

Thanks for sharing Mike!

Alex

 

[zmotorsports]

Thanks Mike. I'm hoping to document on here and start YouTube for documentation sake and for in hopes that maybe it will help someone when they decide to build their shop. I didn't realize how much work it was until I actually pulled the trigger and started planning the actual build.

I love the hearing success stories of people grinding and being successful. Its not easy, cheap, or fast. You truly have a blessed life and congrats to you for keeping strong.

I am indeed a gearhead (have been since a little boy, thanks to Dad) and have gotten to view some of your videos over the past week or so (we've spoken on there a couple times as well). Looking forward to watching your projects continue there and the wealth of knowledge that you share with the rest of us.

Thanks for sharing Mike!

Alex

Thank you for the kind words Alex.

Glad to see you will document your shop build to help others. That is the reason I recorded much of my build process. I built my first shop back in early 90's and although for the 26 years I worked in that shop it worked out well and we did a LOT of work out of that shop, I had in my head some ideas if I ever got the chance to do it again. For the longest time I thought that would be my forever home and last shop but things happened in our old neighborhood that forced the wife and I to begin searching for another home. It ended up pushing our retirement off a few years from plan but now I feel like it was all worth it to get out of the previous neighborhood and create what we have now.

I'm glad I didn't buy a house with an existing shop because this way I could incorporate all of my ideas that had been bouncing around in my head for the past couple of decades into my own "dream shop" in the back yard of my "dream home". The ideas worked out well for me and I've been told some people have adapted them into their builds and other ideas I have gotten some criticism over but that's what is so nice, we all have choices and not a one size fits all.

Thanks for following along Alex.

 

[Mr.zippy]

I have not had much to "contribute" on this forum. I have been following you Mike, and a few others for awhile. I just registered a few months ago just so I could ask if you were doing okay, as you went "dark" for awhile.
That being said, some of the folks that make posts are extremely critical and condescending.
What's wrong with just being kind (and silent) and thinking to yourself, not the way I would do it, but it seems to work well for you.
I think you have a top notch shop and life/style, not to mention your skillset is steller. If is obvious to me you have worked your *** off for all of it.........Well done!

 

[zmotorsports]

I have not had much to "contribute" on this forum. I have been following you Mike, and a few others for awhile. I just registered a few months ago just so I could ask if you were doing okay, as you went "dark" for awhile.
That being said, some of the folks that make posts are extremely critical and condescending.
What's wrong with just being kind (and silent) and thinking to yourself, not the way I would do it, but it seems to work well for you.
I think you have a top notch shop and life/style, not to mention your skillset is steller. If is obvious to me you have worked your *** off for all of it.........Well done!

Thank you very much for the kind words and for continuing to follow along on my various projects.

This year in particular I've noticed that people have gotten snarkier and more brazen with their comments and I have tried to refrain from commenting but it does get to a person after a while. I realize everyone is dealing with things differently during this past year in particular but I get the impression some people find a way to feel better about themselves or their situation by talking down to someone else or belittling them. I try not to respond to those comments because it turns into an argument and like my wife told me, never wrestle with a pig, you just get dirty and the pig enjoys it. Some people just want to get your goat and when you respond in a sour manner it just gives them energy and control.

I've tried to help others and provide insightful information in my videos and posts but I don't know everything and the information I give is just based on my experiences, others may have different experiences and therefore different beliefs. I give my suggestions and/or thoughts and if someone disagrees, that's fine, whatever works for them.

I feel much of my youth was spent with a chip on my shoulder daring someone to knock it off looking to be offended and as I've aged I haven't particularly liked the person staring back at me in the mirror so a few years ago I decided something needed to change. I have been so blessed throughout my life and I feel that being able to give back has allowed me to grow as a person and become truly grateful and humble. I have lost some great mentors in my life whom I will never truly measure up to but I feel as though I owe them to try my best in honor of them.

I am not going to wax poetic and make you believe I don't have my faults as I have plenty still. I used to be a very critical and cynical person but have tried to look beyond that over the past several years and overcome those tendencies. It hasn't been easy and every once in a while I can feel myself slip back to old habits but I feel I am a better person for at least trying and making small steps.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

I have not had much to "contribute" on this forum. I have been following you Mike, and a few others for awhile. I just registered a few months ago just so I could ask if you were doing okay, as you went "dark" for awhile.
That being said, some of the folks that make posts are extremely critical and condescending.
What's wrong with just being kind (and silent) and thinking to yourself, not the way I would do it, but it seems to work well for you.
I think you have a top notch shop and life/style, not to mention your skillset is steller. If is obvious to me you have worked your *** off for all of it.........Well done!

Mike's a good guy and helpful to boot. There are a few of us in here that rib him (and others we regularly thread post to) intentionally with tongue in cheek.

I've called others out in threads where they have stepped out of line, this is one of the few forums I've found without too many big egos behind the keyboards. It's great when someone learning a new skill or showing off a new project can gain praise and get excited about doing it better the next time and building those talents.

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike's a good guy and helpful to boot. There are a few of us in here that rib him (and others we regularly thread post to) intentionally with tongue in cheek.

I've called others out in threads where they have stepped out of line, this is one of the few forums I've found without too many big egos behind the keyboards. It's great when someone learning a new skill or showing off a new project can gain praise and get excited about doing it better the next time and building those talents.

Thanks Marc, I appreciate the comments.

I agree with this forum in particular about how helpful people are and there is nothing wrong with a little ribbing or harassment in fun, I'm just as guilty. I should probably clarify, based on Mr. Zippy's comment and how he reached out to me a few months back, I was referring more to negative comments in general and on YouTube. I really haven't had any issues on my thread to speak of.

That being said, I guess I've missed out on quite a bit after reading the thread about all of the long time members who have been banned over the last week or two. It kind of makes me wonder if people have reached their breaking point or if something else is going on but at the same time it makes me glad I wasn't involved in any of the drama pertaining to those members or threads.

I don't get the whole drama thing. My wife and I have both about had it with either friends or relatives who seem to thrive on the whole drama thing. I feel life is tricky enough to navigate through without adding more drama to the mix but it seems some need that in their lives. I feel that **** just attracts more negative **** into ones life and I don't need that negativity in mine so I try to avoid it. I have a few co-workers who thrive on the drama as well and it gets exhausting to listen to so I generally walk away and don't get drawn into it.

 

[Mr.zippy]

Thanks for clearing that up Mr. Mike.........when I mentioned you went "dark", my point was that you had not updated for some time. My concern was that something serious had happened in your life with either you, or family.

 

[zmotorsports]

Thanks for clearing that up Mr. Mike.........when I mentioned you went "dark", my point was that you had not updated for some time. My concern was that something serious had happened in your life with either you, or family.

I appreciate you reaching out to me. I had just entered a time when I was on negativity overload and went silent for a bit.

I think if I hadn't gone silent I may have been one of those banned.

 

[aka Larry]

I don't get the whole drama thing. My wife and I have both about had it with either friends or relatives who seem to thrive on the whole drama thing. I feel life is tricky enough to navigate through without adding more drama to the mix but it seems some need that in their lives. I feel that **** just attracts more negative **** into ones life and I don't need that negativity in mine so I try to avoid it. I have a few co-workers who thrive on the drama as well and it gets exhausting to listen to so I generally walk away and don't get drawn into it.

I know what you mean. I call some of these "Springer People" as in people who watch, or might even be guests on, the TV show.

I have good friend (builder of the "Hot Rod Lincoln" if you followed my build thread) who's family has constant drama. Seriously, you name it, they have it. 99.9% of the time it's his family, not him, but he gets sucked into it.

Have you ever heard the saying "If you are feeling bad about yourself or your life situation, go to Wal-Mart and look around." You'll feel better when you get back home. When I'm having a situation I often say "Well, at least I'm not "Bob".

BTW, I wanna be, wanna be like Mike!

 

[Bob Heine]

"Well, at least I'm not "Bob".

BTW, I wanna be, wanna be like Mike!

Larry, you're lucky. And yes, that was me at Walmart.


A lot of us want to be like Mike but have to settle for being Bob.

 

[gearhead1960]

BTW, I wanna be, wanna be like Mike!

or Gregor!

 

[Gwrench]

Hello Mike,
Happy 2021...!
I'm in the market for a rotating engine stand and looked back at one of your shop videos and see that you have one, but I'm unable to see what brand it is. It looks to be from NAPA since it's blue and I know that you frequently purchase items from them. If you have a chance could you verify the brand and possibly let me know if you feel it was a good buy or not. Currently NAPA sells one for about $250 but I could get $50 off with the 20% coupon they have periodically.
Thanks Mike.... I appreciate your time and value your opinion.
Best regards,
Rick

 

[zmotorsports]

I know what you mean. I call some of these "Springer People" as in people who watch, or might even be guests on, the TV show.

I have good friend (builder of the "Hot Rod Lincoln" if you followed my build thread) who's family has constant drama. Seriously, you name it, they have it. 99.9% of the time it's his family, not him, but he gets sucked into it.

Have you ever heard the saying "If you are feeling bad about yourself or your life situation, go to Wal-Mart and look around." You'll feel better when you get back home. When I'm having a situation I often say "Well, at least I'm not "Bob".

BTW, I wanna be, wanna be like Mike!

Larry, you're lucky. And yes, that was me at Walmart.


A lot of us want to be like Mike but have to settle for being Bob.

or Gregor!

Thanks guys and while I'm flattered I think you're giving me just a little too much credit.

I do appreciate everyone following along and participating in the conversation as well as projects.

 

[zmotorsports]

Hello Mike,
Happy 2021...!
I'm in the market for a rotating engine stand and looked back at one of your shop videos and see that you have one, but I'm unable to see what brand it is. It looks to be from NAPA since it's blue and I know that you frequently purchase items from them. If you have a chance could you verify the brand and possibly let me know if you feel it was a good buy or not. Currently NAPA sells one for about $250 but I could get $50 off with the 20% coupon they have periodically.
Thanks Mike.... I appreciate your time and value your opinion.
Best regards,
Rick

Happy New Year to you as well Rick.

You are correct, my engine stand is the NAPA geared head 1k pound capacity model. I cannot remember the actual model # but it has been a great piece of equipment.

Thanks for following along on my projects Rick.

 

[Monza Harry]

I appreciate you reaching out to me. I had just entered a time when I was on negativity overload and went silent for a bit.

I think if I hadn't gone silent I may have been one of those banned.

Happy New Year to you as well Rick.

You are correct, my engine stand is the NAPA geared head 1k pound capacity model. I cannot remember the actual model # but it has been a great piece of equipment.

Thanks for following along on my projects Rick.

While I like to think of myself as better than the average in behavior and motive, we are all affected by the scares of our lives, coupled with an often misunderstood sense of humor, (live in real time, exasperated in print) many people will take offense, with that stated I agree that the very large majority here are well meaning good spirted group, that I am happy to "chat" with! Now could someone fill me in on the above aforementioned "drama" I only get enough time to keep up with the "fab" section, others are sporadically visited, so I must have missed it. Those gear heads [engine stands] look like a nice feature, I already had my stand when I first seen them and financially couldn't chase the parts for retrofit and haven't seen them since, I hope I see them available again, (I may even look again, since I'm thinking about it again) Mike Thanx for participating/sharing! Harry

 

[Duker]

Thanks Marc, I appreciate the comments.



I agree with this forum in particular about how helpful people are and there is nothing wrong with a little ribbing or harassment in fun, I'm just as guilty. I should probably clarify, based on Mr. Zippy's comment and how he reached out to me a few months back, I was referring more to negative comments in general and on YouTube. I really haven't had any issues on my thread to speak of.



That being said, I guess I've missed out on quite a bit after reading the thread about all of the long time members who have been banned over the last week or two. It kind of makes me wonder if people have reached their breaking point or if something else is going on but at the same time it makes me glad I wasn't involved in any of the drama pertaining to those members or threads.



I don't get the whole drama thing. My wife and I have both about had it with either friends or relatives who seem to thrive on the whole drama thing. I feel life is tricky enough to navigate through without adding more drama to the mix but it seems some need that in their lives. I feel that **** just attracts more negative **** into ones life and I don't need that negativity in mine so I try to avoid it. I have a few co-workers who thrive on the drama as well and it gets exhausting to listen to so I generally walk away and don't get drawn into it.

I can understand (well I don’t understand the propensity for YouTube negativity but I can certainly relate to it...) as I have had some strange comments on my YouTube channel which sort of turned me off of posting anything since I wasn’t trying to monetize the channel. I hope that the negativity wasn’t felt here in his thread as we like to tease Mike about his OCD of perfection. Those comments by and far stem from our admiration of Mike’ dedication, quality and pride of work as well as his work ethic.

I had a mentor early on in life tell me find the people who have the knowledge, skill and demeanor you wish to have and follow their guidance as you make your own path.

Hell Mike is younger than me but I learn something new almost every time I open this thread! [emoji106]


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[zmotorsports]

While I like to think of myself as better than the average in behavior and motive, we are all affected by the scares of our lives, coupled with an often misunderstood sense of humor, (live in real time, exasperated in print) many people will take offense, with that stated I agree that the very large majority here are well meaning good spirted group, that I am happy to "chat" with! Now could someone fill me in on the above aforementioned "drama" I only get enough time to keep up with the "fab" section, others are sporadically visited, so I must have missed it. Those gear heads [engine stands] look like a nice feature, I already had my stand when I first seen them and financially couldn't chase the parts for retrofit and haven't seen them since, I hope I see them available again, (I may even look again, since I'm thinking about it again) Mike Thanx for participating/sharing! Harry

Harry, I appreciate the comments.

In order to not bring any of that drama into my thread rather than reference the couple I am aware of, if you are interested in reading more just check out the Free Parking sub-category and browse the threads. Some have been locked and I'm sure others will jump out at you. I am not familiar with most as I didn't follow nor participate but have read about all of the bannings within the past couple of weeks.

 

[zmotorsports]

I can understand (well I don’t understand the propensity for YouTube negativity but I can certainly relate to it...) as I have had some strange comments on my YouTube channel which sort of turned me off of posting anything since I wasn’t trying to monetize the channel. I hope that the negativity wasn’t felt here in his thread as we like to tease Mike about his OCD of perfection. Those comments by and far stem from our admiration of Mike’ dedication, quality and pride of work as well as his work ethic.

I had a mentor early on in life tell me find the people who have the knowledge, skill and demeanor you wish to have and follow their guidance as you make your own path.

Hell Mike is younger than me but I learn something new almost every time I open this thread! [emoji106]


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Duke, I greatly appreciate your comments and kind words.

Your mentor and mine sound familiar in the manner of whom they suggested we spend our time with. My mentor suggested that if I wanted to learn and continually grow as a person and my skillset to surround myself with not only like minded people but people whom you aspire to and make you want to be a better person. He suggested avoiding those who would drag you down to their level but those who would lift you up in spirit and skill.

I have tried to instill that into my son and I feel he has some great friends, although fewer than most they are good quality friends.

I watch others around me who may have some good knowledge and things to share but the people they hang around with drag them down and stump their growth and in my opinion limiting their ability to learn and grow not only in their profession but as a person.

Thanks for following along Duke and I really appreciate the insight and comments that you share.

 

[signcrafter]

Kind of an off topic question and hope you don't mind. And you can PM me if you want instead of cluttering up your shop thread.

But what is your video making process? I've been thinking about making a few youtube videos on random stuff but don't know squat about videoing and editing and posting on yourtube. Just wondering what all you use for recording and what you do for editing? How long does editing take you usually? I like your videos, they come across as simple yet very informative. Basically wondering how much effort you have to put into making a video to see if I have the time to do a few here and there. Probably just do simple repairs and other little shop projects in the videos. Probably already videos on there of everything I do but thought it might be fun and I can learn something new and maybe help a person or two.

 

[TTMotorsports]

I edit my own YouTube videos. All I have to say is 10 hours of video will make a 20min video. And about 30 min of editing and finding clips for every minute of video. Unless you talk a lot on it than it's a bit less BUT I find talking videos aren't as good.

Youtube.com/ttmotorsports

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[mfg0772]

Duke, I greatly appreciate your comments and kind words.

Your mentor and mine sound familiar in the manner of whom they suggested we spend our time with. My mentor suggested that if I wanted to learn and continually grow as a person and my skillset to surround myself with not only like minded people but people whom you aspire to and make you want to be a better person. He suggested avoiding those who would drag you down to their level but those who would lift you up in spirit and skill.

I have tried to instill that into my son and I feel he has some great friends, although fewer than most they are good quality friends.

I watch others around me who may have some good knowledge and things to share but the people they hang around with drag them down and stump their growth and in my opinion limiting their ability to learn and grow not only in their profession but as a person.

Thanks for following along Duke and I really appreciate the insight and comments that you share.

Mike - it was to see your shop build that brought be to your threads but it is what you just wrote about that keeps me here. Much of what you talk about is way outside my wheelhouse but I'm always trying to learn and you provide great information. I still don't find myself using much from your thread but there are instances where a topic comes up and I am at least a bit more informed because what I have learned here.

Going full circle, my Dad was recently looking up snowblower info on YouTube. When he was showing me which videos he watched, I saw one from you and he said it was good. I recommend he watch more of your stuff and let him know you know what your talking about. He said it was pretty obvious you were knowledgeable.

 

[zmotorsports]

Kind of an off topic question and hope you don't mind. And you can PM me if you want instead of cluttering up your shop thread.

But what is your video making process? I've been thinking about making a few youtube videos on random stuff but don't know squat about videoing and editing and posting on yourtube. Just wondering what all you use for recording and what you do for editing? How long does editing take you usually? I like your videos, they come across as simple yet very informative. Basically wondering how much effort you have to put into making a video to see if I have the time to do a few here and there. Probably just do simple repairs and other little shop projects in the videos. Probably already videos on there of everything I do but thought it might be fun and I can learn something new and maybe help a person or two.

For nearly all of my shop videos I use a Canon VIXIA HF R700 video camera. It's nothing special but seems to work well. Audio is handled by a Sony wireless mic system that really helped the audio in my videos vs. relying on the mic on the camera. For the few off-road videos that I've done and on occasion in the shop I will use my Go Pro Black 7. The gimble in that camera is awesome and really smooths out the bouncing around especially when mounted to the dash of the Jeep.

For editing I just use the videomaker program that came with Windows 10. It works well and I really can't compare it to there editing formats as this is the only one I've used. Editing goes a little quicker than it used to because I'm getting a little more used to it but it doesn't take too awfully long. I think adding music and voiceover is more of an art that I haven't experimented with. I'm not out to make a living on YouTube nor just trying to knock out videos to pad my channel. I do the videos because they are fun to do and I enjoy demonstrating how I do various jobs and if I feel I have something useful to provide. Some YouTubers throw out videos just to throw out videos and that's just not me.

I edit my own YouTube videos. All I have to say is 10 hours of video will make a 20min video. And about 30 min of editing and finding clips for every minute of video. Unless you talk a lot on it than it's a bit less BUT I find talking videos aren't as good.

Youtube.com/ttmotorsports

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

I get mixed reviews on the talking. There are those that criticize me for talking too much but then there are others who compliment me on the depth to which I explain things so you can't please everyone. Basically people get what they're paying for.

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike - it was to see your shop build that brought be to your threads but it is what you just wrote about that keeps me here. Much of what you talk about is way outside my wheelhouse but I'm always trying to learn and you provide great information. I still don't find myself using much from your thread but there are instances where a topic comes up and I am at least a bit more informed because what I have learned here.

Going full circle, my Dad was recently looking up snowblower info on YouTube. When he was showing me which videos he watched, I saw one from you and he said it was good. I recommend he watch more of your stuff and let him know you know what your talking about. He said it was pretty obvious you were knowledgeable.

Thank you for the kind words Mike. I am glad you are following along and checking in on my projects. I'm happy to hear my snowblower video and others are informative and helpful. Glad to hear your dad stumbled across that one.

 

[zmotorsports]

Stopped by my local brewery supply tonight and filled my empty Powertank.


I then racked the Jeep in order to give the suspension and undercarriage a once over.

 

[WoodsTruck]

PowerGrowler!

I like it.

 

[zmotorsports]

PowerGrowler!

I like it.

Thanks. And thanks for stopping by my projects thread.

 

[zmotorsports]

Also last night I finally found my small noise that I have been trying to locate for the past couple of months. My wife said she couldn't hear anything but it was driving me bat **** crazy. It was kind of a tinny rattle but only under certain conditions.

My Mac's Black Box toolbox in the rear of the Jeep is packed pretty full and tight but I was convinced the noise was originating in my toolbox somewhere. I have all of my tools such as sockets, screwdrivers, pliers, etc. in soft sided bags and my wrenches are in soft wrench rolls that I keep very tightly wrapped. My torque wrenches are wrapped in towels as are my prybars. I have my brake wash and lube aerosols stored with shop towels or soft bags between them to keep them from rattling together but this noise was driving me bonkers. Last weekend the wife and I went for a drive and I pulled over at a gas station just to get out and move a few things around in my toolbox but there was no change.

Well last night after replacing my Powertank back in its mounting bracket I opened my toolbox drawer and as I stood there staring at it I started moving things around and bumping areas with my hand and BINGO! Found it. The hydraulic jack that I carry has a built in jackstand with a ratcheting locking handle for safety to lock into the jack as it is raised. There is a hitch pin style of pin that goes through the inner part to set the rough height before using the hydraulic jack to raise the vehicle. That hitch pin was the rattle or noise maker. I grabbed a zip-tie and wrapped it around the hitch pin and the insert preloading everything together and no more noise.

This morning driving to work it was sooooooo nice and quiet with absolutely no noise. SUCCESS!

 

[casmurbax]

Glad you figured out the noise. I hate when I am the only one that hears certain noises, drives me crazy as well.

I have watched several of your videos, and your explanations are very much appreciated by me, I could miss something in the video. Like mfg0772 stated lots of things are outside my wheelhouse but my take away is that when you share your thought process, your diagnostic techniques and repair process I can use that same process on a something similar.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Chasing noises is a passion of mine. I can't stand rattles/squeaks/etc, and have been known to pull a receipt from my wallet fold it up and "fix" a rattle in someone else's dash while riding with them.

Did you happen to pick up any libations while you were filling your tank, I mean, you were there anyways

 

[C91x]

Mike, like the others i'm with you. I wish I wasn't that way but it seems I always hear something when no one else does and it will drive me crazy. I get an odd amount of satisfaction when I find it, even if I can't fix it at the time, just knowing what it is, is such a relief.

Same goes for vibrations. More than handful of times my wife or buddies have wondered what the hell i'm doing when I get a weird look, start getting on and off the gas, increasing and decreasing speed, shifting to neutral etc to isolate what i'm feeling.

 

[zmotorsports]

Glad you figured out the noise. I hate when I am the only one that hears certain noises, drives me crazy as well.

I have watched several of your videos, and your explanations are very much appreciated by me, I could miss something in the video. Like mfg0772 stated lots of things are outside my wheelhouse but my take away is that when you share your thought process, your diagnostic techniques and repair process I can use that same process on a something similar.

Thank you very much for the comments. I get a lot of comments that I talk too much on my videos and I should just get to the "meat & potatoes" of the video but I feel by explaining the "why" behind what I'm doing may help someone more than just showing the "what" I'm doing.

As for the noises, yes, I hate it when I'm the only one that hears them. There's enough of that going on my head already and when someone else can't hear them it doesn't help me decipher what's real and what is just going on in my head.

Chasing noises is a passion of mine. I can't stand rattles/squeaks/etc, and have been known to pull a receipt from my wallet fold it up and "fix" a rattle in someone else's dash while riding with them.

Did you happen to pick up any libations while you were filling your tank, I mean, you were there anyways

Well Marc, I can't say chasing noises is a passion but I like a quiet vehicle going down the road. I'm happy if the vehicle is happy and being noise helps me relax, it's almost calming to me.

As for picking up anything else at the brewery supply, no, I didn't purchase anything else but I don't drink so nothing there would benefit me.

Now thinking about it, maybe if I drank I wouldn't be so worried about noises so that's something to consider.

Mike, like the others i'm with you. I wish I wasn't that way but it seems I always hear something when no one else does and it will drive me crazy. I get an odd amount of satisfaction when I find it, even if I can't fix it at the time, just knowing what it is, is such a relief.

Same goes for vibrations. More than handful of times my wife or buddies have wondered what the hell i'm doing when I get a weird look, start getting on and off the gas, increasing and decreasing speed, shifting to neutral etc to isolate what i'm feeling.

Funny you mentioned that. I have spent a lot of time over the years in not only the automotive field but in the industrial maintenance field and remedying NVH (Noise, Vibration & Harshness) issues can be a pain in the **** to track down and diagnose, but they can be rewarding when found.

The funny story now. My wife and I were watching a show the other night called RUSH. She saw it on the TV one day and because it dealt with racing, and an Austrian racer at that because my family heritage is part Austrian and part Italian, she thought I would enjoy it so she recorded it for us to watch together. It is actually a good show if you can get past the Hollywood-ization of the story itself. It is about racing legend Niki Lauda who was Austrian and his rival with British driver James Hunt during their F1 racing in the mid to late 70's.

There is a part in the show where Niki Lauda was leaving a party and hitched a ride with a woman who was leaving the party. The woman is listening to radio and singing along while Niki Lauda is watching her and has a perplexed look on his face. He reaches over and turns off the radio and asks the woman about her car's brakes and tires. The woman explains that the car was just serviced and it is perfect and asks how Niki knows what he's talking about. He explains that God gave him a great ***. He gave him an ok mind but a really good *** and can feel everything going on with the car. My wife laughed her *** off and told me that's me to a tee. I didn't know how to take that.

The car broke down right after that......

 

[zmotorsports]

I was able to get my Snap-on CTR768 warranted today. I recently traded my older standard length CTR761 for the extended length high torque ratchet and it developed an ugly noise so my rep replaced it today.

While I was it it I purchased a new pitman arm puller that I’ve wanted for a while.






I also bribed him for another calendar so I could give one to my son for his garage.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

I also bribed him for another calendar so I could give one to my son for his garage.

I'm sure you own enough Snap-On branded tools, you've earned more than one extra!


One of my friends had purchased one of the wall sized tool cart/workspace/blender/tool chest/box/coat closet/etc, last time I was at his diesel shop. He informed me when the Snap-On truck shows up, his wife helps herself to whatever freebies/promotional items she wants out of the truck

 

[zmotorsports]

I'm sure you own enough Snap-On branded tools, you've earned more than one extra!


One of my friends had purchased one of the wall sized tool cart/workspace/blender/tool chest/box/coat closet/etc, last time I was at his diesel shop. He informed me when the Snap-On truck shows up, his wife helps herself to whatever freebies/promotional items she wants out of the truck

I've got a pretty decent relationship with my Snap-on rep but I have had most of my tools for quite some time now and don't purchase many these days compared to 20 years ago so I don't think I spend enough to get many freebies. I do get an occasional coffee mug from him but that's about it.

He came by my shop last fall as he was building a new home and was having a detached garage built to park his tool truck in and have some inventory on-site at his home. He wanted to look at my shop in person and pick my brain about the construction before he began his build. He and his wife stopped by one evening after work before my wife arrived home. When my wife arrived home she came out to the shop and I introduced my wife to them. As soon as I told my wife "this is my Snap-on rep", she looked at him and pointed to the door and said "get out". We laughed our asses off.

Another thing that I thought was pretty cool was today when I went out to his truck to exchange my faulty cordless ratchet he had my shop tour video playing on his truck. One of my mechanics turned to me and said "I didn't know you had a YouTube channel". I told him by the small amount of subscribers it appears not many do.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Haha, sounds like my wife, thanks for the laugh!

Well, from what I understand about youtube channels, if you don't unbox things or play video games, its not mainstream

 

[casmurbax]

How long did you have the torque wrench prior? I am just curious because I didn't think that was a warranty tool usually, maybe a 1 year only, obviously I could be wrong on that.

In your quest to find the noise in the Jeep, you stated "My torque wrenches are wrapped in towels", how many do you carry? I get why you would carry at least one for on the road replacement/repair flat tire, etc I am sure once you answer I will be like duh makes sense.

EDIT seeing your response about your rep meeting your wife reminded me of a similar experience I had when the Mac tool rep stopped at my house to drop off a tool. My G/F was there and she said to him, so you are the reason he can't afford to bring me to the Bahamas.

 

[zmotorsports]

Haha, sounds like my wife, thanks for the laugh!

Well, from what I understand about youtube channels, if you don't unbox things or play video games, its not mainstream

Agreed Marc. I didn't start my YouTube channel to see how many subscribers I could get or to make a living off of, I just wanted to show off some of my work and help others perform quality repairs when I possibly can. That being said, I am absolutely dumbfounded by the ridiculous content I see where people post a video about every thought that goes through their head and they have a **** ton of subscribers.

 

[zmotorsports]

How long did you have the torque wrench prior? I am just curious because I didn't think that was a warranty tool usually, maybe a 1 year only, obviously I could be wrong on that.

In your quest to find the noise in the Jeep, you stated "My torque wrenches are wrapped in towels", how many do you carry? I get why you would carry at least one for on the road replacement/repair flat tire, etc I am sure once you answer I will be like duh makes sense.

EDIT seeing your response about your rep meeting your wife reminded me of a similar experience I had when the Mac tool rep stopped at my house to drop off a tool. My G/F was there and she said to him, so you are the reason he can't afford to bring me to the Bahamas.

I'm assuming you're talking about my cordless ratchet that I warranted and not a torque wrench, correct?

I only had my extended length cordless ratchet a couple of weeks and never did like the way it sounded. It didn't sound happy so I contacted my rep and he said he would get another in and we'd swap it out. It arrived today so he replaced it for me. You are correct that the Snap-on CTR's only have a 1-year warranty, which is the least amount of any on the market currently in the cordless ratchet lines.

While I was on his truck and I demonstrated the sound and how I felt like it was something in the gear reduction for the higher torque. He asked if I had taken it apart and I said no because I didn't want to jack up my warranty but now that I'm here let's tear it apart and see what's going on. As soon as we separated the body from the shank portion one of the pinion gears fell out of the planetary assembly. He then stuck a magnet in and pulled the others out. That's when I noticed the shafts and said they didn't put the gears on the shafts. Sure enough, they missed the shafts when they assembled the pinion gears so they were not rotating on anything stationary and merely bouncing around in the planetary assembly. That's when I was glad I had it warranted and didn't continue to use it.

I would have thought they would bench test them but I guess this one slipped through the cracks. Oh well, I'm happy and now have a quiet and smooth cordless ratchet again.

As for my torque wrenches that I carry in my Jeep. Yes, I do carry two and yes, it's probably overkill. Both are older torque wrenches that I purchased many, many years ago when I first started wrenching. As I have upgraded I kept these to carry in our coaches and then for the past several years they've been carried in the Jeep as the Jeep is always with us on vacation with the coach. I have an old KD Tools 1/2" that goes from 50-250 ft/lbs. and then a 3/8" Central Tools that goes from 15-100 ft/lbs. I keep both wrapped up in a large towel to keep them from contacting each other or anything else in my toolbox. I'm sure I carry way too many tools in the Jeep but it's also support for the coach when we travel.