ZMotorsports Shop Projects 2.0

[LXCam]

Mike we had two days in a row here






But it sure beats a buck twenty for 3 months of the year

 

[zmotorsports]

Yeah, I shouldn't complain Cam. I was getting tired of the triple digit heat we had here this year breaking multiple records as far as overall days above a 100 degrees as well as consecutive days over 90 and 100-degrees.

I just hate having to deal with the **** at work and I worry about my wife and kids driving in it, or maybe more specifically the way many people are driving these days and my family being on the roads with them is what worries me. I can see myself mellowing a bit after retirement as far as snow but it's hard to enjoy these days. My neighbor stopped me at the mailbox yesterday and said "it sure beats mowing the lawn". Well I COMPLETELY disagreed. Personally, I enjoy mowing my lawn, I enjoy the time to be with my thoughts and make something look beautiful. With the white ****, it's merely clearing it off the concrete and doesn't look "beautiful" by any stretch of the word and maybe more importantly is that I can juggle my schedule and agenda around lawn mowing whereas snow removal I am at mother nature's beckoning call.

Oh well, maybe at least with all this **** falling from the sky we'll be out of our drought situation next year. Although in my mind I don't think the local government will ever admit that even if there were rivers flowing in the streets right past city hall. Once they introduce a policy and put behaviors and procedure in place to enforce them, they sure as hell will never go back and say this is no longer a concern, even when it isn't. Doing away with policies and government simply do not belong in the same sentence.

 

[LXCam]

And speaking of driving in it. I’ve lived in it before plus traveled all over this country during winter so I know what I’m doing. But last night the wife and I decided to go out and she was driving her new ride. What never occurred to me until this white knuckle experience is she’s never driven in snow and icy conditions. And after several times of reaching for an oh **** handle that doesn’t exist decided she needed to learn a thing or two. So we swung into an empty parking lot that was completely iced up from the previous nights snow n melt n refreeze and I told her step on it and see how your car handles.

Well apparently her instincts to let off the gas before it gets totally bisserk are a litttlllle bit slower then mine. Thank god that car has enough brains not to allow itself to collect the trash enclosure that was rapidly approaching.

the moral of this story being I’ll be taking her out this evening for some more practice and how to handle the ice ⛸

 

[zmotorsports]

And speaking of driving in it. I’ve lived in it before plus traveled all over this country during winter so I know what I’m doing. But last night the wife and I decided to go out and she was driving her new ride. What never occurred to me until this white knuckle experience is she’s never driven in snow and icy conditions. And after several times of reaching for an oh **** handle that doesn’t exist decided she needed to learn a thing or two. So we swung into an empty parking lot that was completely iced up from the previous nights snow n melt n refreeze and I told her step on it and see how your car handles.

Well apparently her instincts to let off the gas before it gets totally bisserk are a litttlllle bit slower then mine. Thank god that car has enough brains not to allow itself to collect the trash enclosure that was rapidly approaching.

the moral of this story being I’ll be taking her out this evening for some more practice and how to handle the ice ⛸

That's a good move Cam. Luckily my son was driving when he was around 12~ish, off-road of course, but he took to it very well and seemed to be very cautious. When he was older and preparing for his driver's license we spent more than a few nights in the church parking lots after a snow storm having him get out of sort, so he could recover and learn what the vehicle does and what you want it to do in those situations. As a result I feel he is a very safe and cautious driver, but I still worry about the idiots on the road with him.

I learned to drive in the winter with good ole' American automobiles and rear wheel drive ones at that so things were a bit different with rear wheel drive and no ABS. I'm still amazed when I see people blow past me on the interstates driving like it's 70 degrees and clear. The clueless ones are the ones in the big lifted four wheel drive trucks around here that think they're not subject to physics like the rest of us. Having both axles driving is great for forward movement but doesn't help much when trying to stop a 6-8 thousand pound truck. Also, I'm frustrated at the ones passing everyone on the freeway and they only have a small section cleared on the driver's window and maybe the windshield. Those are the ones I want to see piled up off the side of the road but unfortunately, they usually take someone else out with them.

 

[signcrafter]

I've driven in this stuff since I was about 12 out on the lakes. First car was an 85 mercury marquis rear wheel drive so i had good learning experience from the start. Grandpa took me into parking lots in his oldsmobile when he was teaching me how to drive and had me do doughnuts to learn. Had about 2 hours of **** roads last weekend around madison pulling a trailer and so many idiots flying by with phone in their hand. Was foggy and visability was very low. Crazy how many accidents there are nowadays. Not sure if it's just me or if it's because of social media making things more public but it sure seems like there are WAY more accidents now then there were 20 years ago. Especially the big multi vehicle ones. I live right off i80 in iowa and half an inch of snow and there are cars and trucks everywhere in the ditches. The safety cables are all tore up in the winter. Maybe it's just me but sure seems like a lot more accidents out there these days.

 

[zmotorsports]

I've driven in this stuff since I was about 12 out on the lakes. First car was an 85 mercury marquis rear wheel drive so i had good learning experience from the start. Grandpa took me into parking lots in his oldsmobile when he was teaching me how to drive and had me do doughnuts to learn. Had about 2 hours of **** roads last weekend around madison pulling a trailer and so many idiots flying by with phone in their hand. Was foggy and visability was very low. Crazy how many accidents there are nowadays. Not sure if it's just me or if it's because of social media making things more public but it sure seems like there are WAY more accidents now then there were 20 years ago. Especially the big multi vehicle ones. I live right off i80 in iowa and half an inch of snow and there are cars and trucks everywhere in the ditches. The safety cables are all tore up in the winter. Maybe it's just me but sure seems like a lot more accidents out there these days.

Seems the same to me as well Scott. I don't have the data to support it but it just feels like many more slide-offs and accidents than when I was young and in High School even. I remember on heavy snow days driving to school and then to work afterwards and there would hardly be anyone off the side of the road. Last week on Tuesday we had about 2 inches of snow and I must have seen 20+ vehicles off the side of the road just in my short 16-mile commute, and I took the backroads, not even the interstate.

Granted there may be more cars on the roads nowadays than back in the early/mid 80's but I don't recall seeing so many people out of control of their vehicles right in front of me like I do these days. This morning wasn't too bad, roads mainly just wet with maybe just a little slush between the lanes but otherwise wet roads. I was going with "most" of the flow about 55-60 MPH on the interstate and there's the idiots flying by at 70+ weaving through traffic. I kept telling myself they're going to hit that slush along the hash marks and lose control. I did see a few get a little squirrely but no one went off the road in my field of vision this morning, surprisingly enough.

 

[Ohmthis]

Mike thanks for taking the time to post the photos of your small engine tools. I am amazed at the level of tools you’ve acquired. I think of them as investments, they always seem to pay me back by not hiring someone to do the work I do. The snow looks beautiful. I enjoy looking at it and a few snowflakes a year are fine. I really don’t want anything more though.

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike thanks for taking the time to post the photos of your small engine tools. I am amazed at the level of tools you’ve acquired. I think of them as investments, they always seem to pay me back by not hiring someone to do the work I do. The snow looks beautiful. I enjoy looking at it and a few snowflakes a year are fine. I really don’t want anything more though.

Thanks for continuing to follow along and glad you enjoyed those pictures. Some of those tools haven't been used much in the past few years but in the day they were heavily used as I insisted on having the correct tools to do the jobs properly. My wonderful wife was also very supportive in the fact that when I needed a specific tool to do a job she didn't put up a fuss about it. It was a joint effort through and through even though she wasn't the one behind the wrench.

 

[Ohmthis]

Thanks for continuing to follow along and glad you enjoyed those pictures. Some of those tools haven't been used much in the past few years but in the day they were heavily used as I insisted on having the correct tools to do the jobs properly. My wonderful wife was also very supportive in the fact that when I needed a specific tool to do a job she didn't put up a fuss about it. It was a joint effort through and through even though she wasn't the one behind the wrench.

I too am blessed with a wife that understands my need (some may call it an obsession) for good tools. I earn a living with tools and they better work as hard as I do. She has supported me and we both get to reap the benefits.

 

[Kiwi Canuck]

Hey Mike, is it too late to install a heated driveway system, haha.

Wouldn't that be nice, flip a switch and 2 hrs later the driveway is clear of snow, or an app that you can turn on the driveway heaters from work and it's clear when you arrive home.

BTW Mike, thanks for keeping up the posts, whenever I need a boost of motivation to get out to my shop or to tackle some stuff around my house, I link to your forum page and read your latest posts, it always motivates me to get off my **** and take on a few items on my "List"

David.

 

[Bob Heine]

Mike, I spent a week in the Washington DC area in the January 1996 blizzard. Every TV station had wall-to-wall coverage and 90% of the vehicles in the ditches were AWD or 4WD SUVs and Pickups. Drove from my motel to the office every day that week and I was the only one there. My two-wheel-drive rental plowed its way into the parking lot in the morning and back to the motel at night. Sometimes I had to make two or three attempts to get rolling but never got stuck. Did have to buy a $3 snow shovel to open a hole in the drifts at the motel.

There were flip phones back then but very few people drove around looking at them -- they just glued the open phone to the side of their face. These days, driving in snow in places that rarely see it is a suicide mission.

 

[zmotorsports]

I too am blessed with a wife that understands my need (some may call it an obsession) for good tools. I earn a living with tools and they better work as hard as I do. She has supported me and we both get to reap the benefits.

That's good to hear. I think women like ours are the exception rather than the rule, especially these days so be sure to continue to treasure her and treat her good so you both can continue to reap the benefits.

Hey Mike, is it too late to install a heated driveway system, haha.

Wouldn't that be nice, flip a switch and 2 hrs later the driveway is clear of snow, or an app that you can turn on the driveway heaters from work and it's clear when you arrive home.

BTW Mike, thanks for keeping up the posts, whenever I need a boost of motivation to get out to my shop or to tackle some stuff around my house, I link to your forum page and read your latest posts, it always motivates me to get off my **** and take on a few items on my "List"

David.

Thanks for the comments David. I'm glad to have you following along and glad you enjoy my thread.

Mike, I spent a week in the Washington DC area in the January 1996 blizzard. Every TV station had wall-to-wall coverage and 90% of the vehicles in the ditches were AWD or 4WD SUVs and Pickups. Drove from my motel to the office every day that week and I was the only one there. My two-wheel-drive rental plowed its way into the parking lot in the morning and back to the motel at night. Sometimes I had to make two or three attempts to get rolling but never got stuck. Did have to buy a $3 snow shovel to open a hole in the drifts at the motel.

There were flip phones back then but very few people drove around looking at them -- they just glued the open phone to the side of their face. These days, driving in snow in places that rarely see it is a suicide mission.

I don't know what it is Bob, last night as the wife and I had the news on while getting ready for bed, they mentioned that UHP (Utah Highway Patrol) had reported 156 separate accidents along the Wasatch Front alone, not the entire state, and that was just for yesterday's storm. They said speed and weather were the contributing factors which I would argue that speed is the main driver because everyone can see what the weather is doing it's just that some choose not to alter their speeds. They mentioned one incident specifically that the driver was clocked going 102 MPH. WTF are people thinking.

This morning driving in the roads were actually clear other than a bit wet even though we received another inch or so overnight and there was a multi-car pileup on the interstate bringing traffic nearly to a standstill for about 6 miles. I don't know if these people are looking at their phones like many days of the week or just simply don't change their driving habits for winter driving conditions.

 

[zmotorsports]

Arrived home last night and had to remove about 3.5"-4" of snow from the side and backyard. I shoveled about 2" from the drive in front of my attached garage before work yesterday so I only had about 1.5-2 inches to throw there as it continued snowing much of the day yesterday.

This is standing at the back door of the house garage looking towards the shop after bumping the temperature up in the shop and bringing some parts into the shop, hence the footprints.


Another shot from the back of the house garage.


After clearing the front drive and one throw in the back yard.


After the second and third throw from the back yard and it started snowing again.


As I closed up the shop for the night we had another skiff of snow.



I shoveled another inch of snow off the main drive this morning before work and as I was leaving it started snowing again, huge flakes today so I'm sure it will be a repeat of last night when I arrive home this evening.

I was at least able to get a couple of hours in the shop working last night so that was nice.

 

[Mr. Roboto]

Yeah, I shouldn't complain Cam. I was getting tired of the triple digit heat we had here this year breaking multiple records as far as overall days above a 100 degrees as well as consecutive days over 90 and 100-degrees.

I just hate having to deal with the **** at work and I worry about my wife and kids driving in it, or maybe more specifically the way many people are driving these days and my family being on the roads with them is what worries me. I can see myself mellowing a bit after retirement as far as snow but it's hard to enjoy these days. My neighbor stopped me at the mailbox yesterday and said "it sure beats mowing the lawn". Well I COMPLETELY disagreed. Personally, I enjoy mowing my lawn, I enjoy the time to be with my thoughts and make something look beautiful. With the white ****, it's merely clearing it off the concrete and doesn't look "beautiful" by any stretch of the word and maybe more importantly is that I can juggle my schedule and agenda around lawn mowing whereas snow removal I am at mother nature's beckoning call.

Oh well, maybe at least with all this **** falling from the sky we'll be out of our drought situation next year. Although in my mind I don't think the local government will ever admit that even if there were rivers flowing in the streets right past city hall. Once they introduce a policy and put behaviors and procedure in place to enforce them, they sure as hell will never go back and say this is no longer a concern, even when it isn't. Doing away with policies and government simply do not belong in the same sentence.

I hear ya on this one. Driving in just about any amount of snow doesn’t phase me anymore, I get in my truck and trudge to work without thinking twice. My wife, on the other hand, has extreme anxiety about driving in it. And her anxiety becomes mine. Any distance and any amount of snow does not give her the warm and fuzzies. Since covid, she works from home 3 days per week now, and if it snows, she just plain doesn’t have to go in. So, if the kids have school I just bring them in and get to work a little late, and everyone is happy.

 

[zmotorsports]

I hear ya on this one. Driving in just about any amount of snow doesn’t phase me anymore, I get in my truck and trudge to work without thinking twice. My wife, on the other hand, has extreme anxiety about driving in it. And her anxiety becomes mine. Any distance and any amount of snow does not give her the warm and fuzzies. Since covid, she works from home 3 days per week now, and if it snows, she just plain doesn’t have to go in. So, if the kids have school I just bring them in and get to work a little late, and everyone is happy.

I actually wish my loved ones had the option of working from home, then maybe I'd relax a bit. I don't have a problem driving in it myself as I've done so my entire life, but I get so stressed until my wife, son and DIL get to work and let me know they've arrived safely. It's not even that I don't trust them because each of them individually are very safe and conscientious drivers, but the mass of idiots on the roads is my concern.

 

[TimeWarpF100]

Friday night after arriving home I thought I'd knock out a small aerosol tray for my new Sunex tool cart. I have been looking for either a MAC or Matco aerosol tray to keep with the whole "vintage" theme of my tool cart but one was not to be had, even from either tool supplier. Even if so, I doubt I'd pay the $75 or so for one. That being said, I dug through some sheet metal and grabbed a piece of 19-gauge P&O in which to made my tray out of.

I copied the measurements of the MAC one on my Snap-on tool cart with the exception that I would make the back just a little taller so the aerosol cans could be just below the handle when sitting in the tray rather than at or slightly above the handle on my Snap-on cart.


After deburring the edges I made the first bend. The Di-Acro pan brake sure makes nice bends and I sure enjoy the few times I get to use it.


Making the second bend for the front or short side.


Wiped down and sanded with some 180-grit on the DA.


Mocked up for size and mounting comparison.


Next I measured, marked, cut and bent up the two end caps.


End caps mocked up.




Deburring and adding a very slight radius to the corners.


Saturday morning my son was bringing his wife's Subaru over to address an issue with the struts so I thought I'd roll the cover back a little on the Camaro and toss the charger on for a few hours at low amperage. It's been a couple of weeks since we drove the car and although I'm sure I will put a new battery in it in the spring, I want to get through the winter months with the battery in the event we are able to take it for a drive or 10 on nice weekend days.



Stay tuned for the completion of the tray and Saturday's work.

Good stuff! That is exactly the kind of stuff I want to do once I retire and slow down a bit!

 

[TimeWarpF100]

Arrived home last night and had to remove about 3.5"-4" of snow from the side and backyard. I shoveled about 2" from the drive in front of my attached garage before work yesterday so I only had about 1.5-2 inches to throw there as it continued snowing much of the day yesterday.

This is standing at the back door of the house garage looking towards the shop after bumping the temperature up in the shop and bringing some parts into the shop, hence the footprints.


Another shot from the back of the house garage.


After clearing the front drive and one throw in the back yard.


After the second and third throw from the back yard and it started snowing again.


As I closed up the shop for the night we had another skiff of snow.



I shoveled another inch of snow off the main drive this morning before work and as I was leaving it started snowing again, huge flakes today so I'm sure it will be a repeat of last night when I arrive home this evening.

I was at least able to get a couple of hours in the shop working last night so that was nice.

Ground here was white this morning here but only heavy frost.

 

[zmotorsports]

Good stuff! That is exactly the kind of stuff I want to do once I retire and slow down a bit!

Thanks Randy, but I'm kind of looking at things in the opposite order. I feel that by spending the time now to get the shop organized for proficient work flow will allow me to work on things and bring in money once I retire.

 

[TimeWarpF100]

Thanks Randy, but I'm kind of looking at things in the opposite order. I feel that by spending the time now to get the shop organized for proficient work flow will allow me to work on things and bring in money once I retire.

That is how I would have liked to do it but my issue is way too many HUGE projects! Like a dozen that are all 1000+ hours each at a minimum. I have recently attempted to sell a few but zero luck. Few of current projects are well on the way but they all need paint. The painter is so lazy and seldom shows up . . Probably because he was seldom paid and lost $ on each. I do hope next year I will finally be able to do a few jobs for pay. It's been years since I had a job that paid.

 

[zmotorsports]

That is how I would have liked to do it but my issue is way too many HUGE projects! Like a dozen that are all 1000+ hours each at a minimum. I have recently attempted to sell a few but zero luck. Few of current projects are well on the way but they all need paint. The painter is so lazy and seldom shows up . . Probably because he was seldom paid and lost $ on each. I do hope next year I will finally be able to do a few jobs for pay. It's been years since I had a job that paid.

I still have the hot rod blood running through my veins and would like to build one or five more before I'm done, but at this point I don't want to pull money out of the bank but rather keep dumping it in for retirement. Once I retire my plan is to do the side jobs to bankroll the hot rod builds and maybe even with a grandchild about that time. My thinking is that way I won't have to touch as much of our principal retirement funds and will have more time to wrench, doing what I enjoy.

 

[TimeWarpF100]

I still have the hot rod blood running through my veins and would like to build one or five more before I'm done, but at this point I don't want to pull money out of the bank but rather keep dumping it in for retirement. Once I retire my plan is to do the side jobs to bankroll the hot rod builds and maybe even with a grandchild about that time. My thinking is that way I won't have to touch as much of our principal retirement funds and will have more time to wrench, doing what I enjoy.

I wasn't paying attention and old age got here too fast. I did not plan for retirement a total failure on me. My "retirement plan" now is actually all these trucks. If I do not finish them I simply have zero retirement. Not much left to pay on house but that will not help for cash just less to pay out.

 

[zmotorsports]

I wasn't paying attention and old age got here too fast. I did not plan for retirement a total failure on me. My "retirement plan" now is actually all these trucks. If I do not finish them I simply have zero retirement. Not much left to pay on house but that will not help for cash just less to pay out.

I think I was one of the fortunate ones who looked deep into my life about 16 years ago and realized that building cars and racing was not going to net me the results I wanted for my family. I was at a precipice and needed to decide if I was going to take the next step in racing, which would have been a BIG step financially, or just say the hell with it and get out before I got in any deeper. It was a very hard decision but looking back now I think it was the right decision. I had many friends that I was racing and working with building cars at the time and although I've lost touch with many of them, the ones that I am still in contact with are not any better off than they were back then, worse actually.

 

[TimeWarpF100]

I think I was one of the fortunate ones who looked deep into my life about 16 years ago and realized that building cars and racing was not going to net me the results I wanted for my family. I was at a precipice and needed to decide if I was going to take the next step in racing, which would have been a BIG step financially, or just say the hell with it and get out before I got in any deeper. It was a very hard decision but looking back now I think it was the right decision. I had many friends that I was racing and working with building cars at the time and although I've lost touch with many of them, the ones that I am still in contact with are not any better off than they were back then, worse actually.

I was doing ok until my health took major nose dive 10yrs ago. Now everything takes 10x longer to do.
Good for you! Really enjoy following along.

 

[zmotorsports]

I was doing ok until my health took major nose dive 10yrs ago. Now everything takes 10x longer to do.
Good for you! Really enjoy following along.

Thanks Randy and best of luck. I don't have the degree of health issues that you've been dealing with but the minor issue I had earlier in the year scared the hell out of me. Made me realize that I'm not 10' tall and bulletproof, like I thought I was.

I appreciate you taking the time to follow along Randy, I enjoy your thread immensely myself.

 

[Finallygotit]

I do not miss this AT ALL.

 

[zmotorsports]

Last night after arriving home from work I had a little remaining snow to clear in front of the shop as we had temps in the mid-30's so much of it had melted before I got home. Luckily I shoveled the main drive off before work so it was basically dry when I got home. I had about 35' path the entire width of the shop but I just pushed it off with a shovel and only took me about 25 minutes.

I was then able to get to work in the shop. I brought the wife's Acura TL into the shop after she arrived home to do a full LOF service as well as replaced the battery. It was borderline due to an oil change but I wanted to get it done before the Christmas holiday and then it should be good until around March~ish. Also after reviewing the records I noticed I put a new battery in it back in November 2017 and with the harsh winter weather we've been having I wanted her to have a fresh battery in the car so I picked one up yesterday and installed it last night.

Car sat back down on the ground, wheels being torqued, fresh oil being added and windshield washer fluid topped off.


Last item was to replace the battery with a fresh Deka/East Penn from NAPA. The 5-year old one still tested good but with the weather we've been having it was cheap insurance that she wouldn't come out from work with a car that wouldn't start resulting in me having to make a 45-mile trip to rescue her. WOW! That engine bay needs a detailing in a bad way after the weather clears this next spring.


Opened the garage door to find this before leaving for work this morning.


Three plus inches fell overnight.


I generally push the first few feet back away from my garage doors to give space to maneuver my snowblower without risk of contacting a door.


After about 25-minutes the main drive and sidewalks were cleared. I still have the side driveway and the backyard to clear tonight.



I hope my neighbors weren't too pissed that I was running my snowblower @ 5:30 this morning, but it's actually fairly quiet. If I don't get the maid drive cleared before work it's an ice skating rink come nightfall.

I actually think once retirement rolls around and I can get out and clear the snow after my morning coffee and before heading into the shop it won't be so bad. I can generally have the entire yard cleared in about 2-2.5 hours which isn't ideal but not terrible with a full day to be home and still get out into the shop. I also won't have to worry about the wife driving 45 miles to work in it which will be a stress relief and my son and DIL both have relatively short commutes and local.

 

[MadeByMiller]

I was just talking with my wife this morning that I noticed the battery in the Dakota is from 2018, and with the frigid temps we've had lately and the several days it's been sitting outside without starting, today will be a good test to see if it's still any good.

Something I've been thinking of, and I apologize if you've shown it before, but could I request a photo sample of the content of one of your service records books you keep on your vehicles? I'd like to do the same, and I know it's not rocket science, but I'd like to get it started on the right foot by following your lead.

Again, I'm over here jealous of your snowfall and total accumulation...I was also curious about your morning schedule, do you always get up early enough year round, or do you set your alarm earlier in the winter in the case of an emergency morning driveway snow removal?

 

[zmotorsports]

I was just talking with my wife this morning that I noticed the battery in the Dakota is from 2018, and with the frigid temps we've had lately and the several days it's been sitting outside without starting, today will be a good test to see if it's still any good.

Something I've been thinking of, and I apologize if you've shown it before, but could I request a photo sample of the content of one of your service records books you keep on your vehicles? I'd like to do the same, and I know it's not rocket science, but I'd like to get it started on the right foot by following your lead.

Again, I'm over here jealous of your snowfall and total accumulation...I was also curious about your morning schedule, do you always get up early enough year round, or do you set your alarm earlier in the winter in the case of an emergency morning driveway snow removal?

Austin, I would be happy to snap a picture of my record book(s). The ones in the vehicles are just a small pocket size wire bound notebook with key information in the cover and then dates and miles for each task as accomplished after that. For receipts and other literature or information I keep a file specific to each vehicle in my filing cabinet in the shop. The exception would be for our coach which all receipts and information are kept in one of those expanding files in a cupboard in the coach. For my Jeep, I actually have a separate folder just for the receipts and information pertaining to the LS swap and then the main one is for everything else Jeep. I actually also started a new (second) small notepad that stays in the Jeep when I did the LS swap as the first one was nearly full being 8+ years and 90k miles at the time of the swap. My records are nothing special and I am sure there are many who use an excel type spreadsheet and much more organized than mine, as mine are just hand written and contain mileage, dates and then specifics as to what was actually done. Whether it be a full LOF service, a battery replacement, transfer case service or wiper blades, I try to keep all part numbers along with dates and miles to determine lifespan of parts and when I need a part # I can browse back through the notebook.

I am certain the battery replacement was a bit premature in the wife's car as it is not uncommon for batteries to last more than 5 years but seeing as how she travels so far daily and away from my immediate attention if there is a problem, I opt to over-maintain her car so she feels safe and has less to worry about, which means I have less to worry about. Just adds to the overall cost of maintenance and therefore cost of ownership a bit but I feel it is a good tradeoff for reliability.

As for snow removal in the mornings, I generally set our alarm about 45-minutes earlier for mornings where we are projected for snow. This gives me about half an hour to clear the main drive plus it adds a little bit of cushion for my morning commute. I just clear the main driveway in front of the attached 3-car garage in the mornings as well as the front steps leading up to the door and my sidewalks. The downside to having a corner lot is I have nearly 400 linear feet of sidewalk in addition to the driveway. Then once arriving home I will attack the side driveway leading back through my gates to the backyard as well as the backyard between the house and the shop.

 

[MadeByMiller]

Austin, I would be happy to snap a picture of my record book(s). The ones in the vehicles are just a small pocket size wire bound notebook with key information in the cover and then dates and miles for each task as accomplished after that. For receipts and other literature or information I keep a file specific to each vehicle in my filing cabinet in the shop. The exception would be for our coach which all receipts and information are kept in one of those expanding files in a cupboard in the coach. For my Jeep, I actually have a separate folder just for the receipts and information pertaining to the LS swap and then the main one is for everything else Jeep. I actually also started a new (second) small notepad that stays in the Jeep when I did the LS swap as the first one was nearly full being 8+ years and 90k miles at the time of the swap. My records are nothing special and I am sure there are many who use an excel type spreadsheet and much more organized than mine, as mine are just hand written and contain mileage, dates and then specifics as to what was actually done. Whether it be a full LOF service, a battery replacement, transfer case service or wiper blades, I try to keep all part numbers along with dates and miles to determine lifespan of parts and when I need a part # I can browse back through the notebook.

I am certain the battery replacement was a bit premature in the wife's car as it is not uncommon for batteries to last more than 5 years but seeing as how she travels so far daily and away from my immediate attention if there is a problem, I opt to over-maintain her car so she feels safe and has less to worry about, which means I have less to worry about. Just adds to the overall cost of maintenance and therefore cost of ownership a bit but I feel it is a good tradeoff for reliability.

As for snow removal in the mornings, I generally set our alarm about 45-minutes earlier for mornings where we are projected for snow. This gives me about half an hour to clear the main drive plus it adds a little bit of cushion for my morning commute. I just clear the main driveway in front of the attached 3-car garage in the mornings as well as the front steps leading up to the door and my sidewalks. The downside to having a corner lot is I have nearly 400 linear feet of sidewalk in addition to the driveway. Then once arriving home I will attack the side driveway leading back through my gates to the backyard as well as the backyard between the house and the shop.

Thank you for the detailed response. I'm looking forward to seeing the record book images. I really like the detail of adding in part numbers if you need a replacement down the road, it's virtually impossible to trust parts houses these days (at least the one's I deal with here).

A bit of a continuation of the records books, but I've been thinking lately about the Journal aspect of this board, also in my mind as an online, public diary of sorts. The value that is added not only to the community, but especially to us individual posters reflecting back on our own threads, is quite significant. I feel similarly about my Instagram page, mostly in reference to how I've grown in my skillset.

I just want to say that I appreciate your organization and self responsibility. To me, it harkens back to days long gone where excuses simply weren't acceptable and pride in excellence was an expectation. Kudos to you Mike!

 

[zmotorsports]

Thanks Austin. The part numbers was mainly due to my way back days when I was in High School, then just out of High School and first married. Most all my vehicles back then were modded to some degree or another from engine and/or transmission swaps to odd axle combinations, etc. and it took much more time to research and source the correct parts for a project back then than it does these days with the internet and Google. I wrote the part numbers in my notebooks so that when we traveled if I needed parts out of town I at least had the correct part #.

I remember the first time I went to Moab was my senior year in High School with my friend and his brother. His brother was also one of my mentors that I looked up to in my early days as a mechanic. He is a true Ford guy so he has his quirks, but overall a great mechanic, despite liking Fords. My friend's brother had a 1978 shortbed Ford that he had built and swapped a 460cid/C6 into from the OG 351/manual transmission. He also installed a Dana 70 in the rear with 8-lug knuckles on the Dana 44 front axle with a few inches of lift. He still has this truck and keeps talking about "freshening" it up. It was a headturned in its day being all original body but built heavily under the hood and drivetrain. He also did very similar to my friends 1979 Bronco which had a 400cid engine/C6 transmission and similar axles stuffed under it. We had decided to do a quick trip to Moab which was not a first for them but a first for me and I was honored to have been invited.

At the time I had my 1984 GMC shortbed that I had a 400cid small block and a TH400 transmission that I swapped out from a 1967 Vette at the time. I have posted a few pictures of the truck earlier in my thread but the pictures were taken after I build my 396 big block taken out to 402 cubic inches with the same TH400 transmission. The transmission needed a different tailshaft but other than that a pretty straight-forward swap. Boy, there are days I wish I had that truck back and would like to build it again with my current skillset.

Anyways, we were in Moab and I developed an ignition issue with my truck. My MSD box had began to fail so I went to a couple of local parts places with part numbers in hand to try and locate one. Unfortunately, no one had one and all said they were about a week out. I ended up grabbing an OEM HEI distributor and installing that in lieu of the Unilite distributor and MSD box to finish out the trip and get back home but that trip taught me two invaluable lessons that have stuck with me to this day.

Lesson #1 was to have part numbers available whenever possible to save time and headache. I was a parts counterman in an earlier life and I realize that not all counterman were or are the same. Some go out of their way to locate the part for the customer and others if they can't find it staring at a screen they must not be available. Maybe that's where I acceled was because this was long before computers and internet. I was from the age of looking everything up using a row of catalogs for OEM and another row or two for aftermarket parts/accessories. I became quite proficient at finding the parts needed and it when it was a challenge it was more enjoyable. Walking into a parts store with part #'s in hand usually insured I could get the correct parts first trip and get back on the road sooner rather than relying on a counterman's substandard skills.

Lesson #2 was presented to me via a harsh reality that aftermarket parts are even harder to acquire and less abundant then OEM parts. This is why even to this day I try to keep as many of my builds using OEM parts as possible. If not OEM at least aftermarket to OE spec's. Finding a distributor cap for a stock GM HEI distributor was much easier to find than a cap for a Mallory Unilite or even worse, an MSD ignition box. When I did the big block EFI engine swap into my 1986 Suburban back in the early 90's I kept as many of the original trucks parts as possible in use for the project. The donor truck was a 1991 Chevy 1-ton with the throttle body EFI 454cid engine. It was a fairly easy swap but the wiring and connectors really challenged me at the time. I not only wanted a solid engine swap but also I wanted it as OE as possible even way back then.

Fast forward to 2018 when I was prepping for my LS swap into my Jeep and the same rules applied, keep everything at the OE level with repairability in mind no matter how remote of a town we were in.

Granted my race cars and street rods were a different story as they were purpose built projects and not daily drivers nor driven cross country so a little more leniency was given when building those cars pertaining to using OE parts.

Sorry for the long diatribe, just went off on a tangent as to my experiences and why I like to have part numbers on hand.

 

[zmotorsports]

Well, yeah, last night after work was the usual. You know the drill, more snow clearing.

No pictures as they're all starting to look the same other than the snow piles are getting bigger on the lawns.

This is the first morning of no snow all week so that's good for a change.

 

[zmotorsports]

I was just talking with my wife this morning that I noticed the battery in the Dakota is from 2018, and with the frigid temps we've had lately and the several days it's been sitting outside without starting, today will be a good test to see if it's still any good.

Something I've been thinking of, and I apologize if you've shown it before, but could I request a photo sample of the content of one of your service records books you keep on your vehicles? I'd like to do the same, and I know it's not rocket science, but I'd like to get it started on the right foot by following your lead.

Again, I'm over here jealous of your snowfall and total accumulation...I was also curious about your morning schedule, do you always get up early enough year round, or do you set your alarm earlier in the winter in the case of an emergency morning driveway snow removal?

Okay Austin, these are for you. Keep in mind my records are nothing special, just hand written notes in a small notebook and not some elaborate spreadsheet like I'm sure many on the forum use, so go easy on me.

Here are my two notebooks for the Jeep. The green one on the left was the original one from the time of purchase in 2011 up to the engine swap in 2019.


Inside the main flap of the notebook I write down the most pertinent information such as oil, filters, belts and other most used parts as well as main torque values such as oil drain plug and wheel torque. Then the history begins on the next page(s).


I just flipped open to a page somewhere around the latter part showing a glimpse with mileage, dates and descriptions along with part #'s where applicable.


Then at 92,500 miles at the first of 2019 I started the second notebook with all of the major components/parts for the LS swap. Again, inside the main flap of the notebook are the common items/notes.


The major records as far as receipts and any other important literature is kept in my filing cabinets in the shop. Front of the drawer is common paperwork such as my vehicles, OPE and other more frequently used folders and towards the rear are tools and equipment information/literature.


Jeep folders seem to be the most dense.


Cars and truck folders.



I hope this is kind of what you were looking for Austin. Like I mentioned, nothing exciting, just hand written notes and receipts kept in hanging files, very old school. Probably not important to anyone but me though.

As I was typing this however, it reminds me of a few literature/repair books that have no meaning to anyone but me. An older gentleman that I was fortunate to be able to meet many, many years ago through my cousin had a small shop. My cousins would bring all of their A/C work to him because that seemed to be his specialty, although after meeting him and spending time talking to him I think he was one of those guys that was great at everything he touched. Yes he did a lot of A/C work but it seemed whenever I would visit him he always seemed to have either an engine or a transmission that he was building for someone. By the time I got to know him he was in quite bad health and had some spinal issues due to his stature but it sure didn't seem to slow him down. I think this is why he preferred to work on things on a stand like engines or transmissions where he didn't have to work under a car. Anyways, as I would inquire about A/C issues and such when I was first starting out, he went to his bookshelf and handed me several old issues of Motor magazine, many of you may not remember those but the Motor Manuals used to be the Gold Standard in automotive repair and in many cases were actually better than the FSM's. They also published a monthly magazine that contained highlighted topics such as A/C work as well as certain common issues, repairs and fixes for a variety of makes and models.

This gentleman handed me several old Motor Magazines pertaining to A/C work and they are dear to me because he had his hand written notes all throughout the magazines. I showed them to my son a few years back when we were looking for some information on something and he then remembered my old Harley Davidson Ultra FSM from my long time friend and mentor. When I bought my 2004 Ultra Classic from my good friend Rich, he also gave me his Factory Service Manual for the bike along with all of the receipts and paperwork as he had owned the bike since new and built the engine over the years. In the FSM as well as throughout the receipts were his hand written notes. I still have those manuals as I didn't let them go with the bike and will treasure them throughout my years.

Sorry to go off on another tangent, just thought of those few memories as I was writing this.

Thanks for following along.

 

[zmotorsports]

Another kind of interesting conversation was one I had with a gentleman I had done some work for a few years ago. He had stopped by asking about some information on his Duramax. I didn't have the answer he was looking for off the top of my head but told him to hold on while I grabbed the FSM and we'd find the information he was looking for.

As I grabbed my service manuals and started flipping through them he kind of scoffed or snickered. I asked what that was about. He said I had shocked him because the way I keep my home, vehicles and shop he thought my service manuals would have the fancy plastic covers and be in mint condition and have to wear white gloves to read through them. I simply explained that I purchase service manuals to be used, not kept in mint condition. I don't toss them around willy nilly, but I don't necessarily baby them either. They are a tool and I use them as such.

I found that interesting because I guess that is how I am viewed by some so maybe people really don't know me all that well. I had almost forgotten about that conversation until I wrote the above pertaining to service manuals and notes written in them.

 

[MadeByMiller]

Thank you very much Mike, I really appreciate you taking the time and effort to produce this information for me! There's nothing at all to be ashamed of with how you've chosen to keep your records, in fact, it makes a lot of sense. I certainly appreciate computers and use them every day, but some things are just better analog. I think of this both in regards to your records books as well as the FSM's and other literature that you refer to in your posts. It's a fairly trivial procedure to pull out your records books and take down your service notes and then replace the book when done. Logging the same info into a spreadsheet is a more involved process that I don't see as being much, if any value added. Ease of use trumps hyper organization in this case I believe.

When it comes to manuals and other shop literature, I do still prefer paper copies as well. There's something about the ease of navigation that a book allows that a webpage or computer document just can't match. Navigation aside, the ability to highlight, bookmark, and jot down notes as you say are all things that are valuable when working in the shop. A note on the FSM's that you recently taught me about, I think I'm going to invest in a set for my Dakota. Using the Haynes manual recently definitely left a lot to be desired, lacking specifics and even clear instruction.

Again, thank you for sharing. I've now got this information tucked away so I can soon implement it. On a final note, I should have known that you would use that all caps engineering script handwriting that I'm so fond of! My messy scrawl is of course now second nature, but I should really retrain myself to write similarly.

 

[zmotorsports]

Thank you very much Mike, I really appreciate you taking the time and effort to produce this information for me! There's nothing at all to be ashamed of with how you've chosen to keep your records, in fact, it makes a lot of sense. I certainly appreciate computers and use them every day, but some things are just better analog. I think of this both in regards to your records books as well as the FSM's and other literature that you refer to in your posts. It's a fairly trivial procedure to pull out your records books and take down your service notes and then replace the book when done. Logging the same info into a spreadsheet is a more involved process that I don't see as being much, if any value added. Ease of use trumps hyper organization in this case I believe.

When it comes to manuals and other shop literature, I do still prefer paper copies as well. There's something about the ease of navigation that a book allows that a webpage or computer document just can't match. Navigation aside, the ability to highlight, bookmark, and jot down notes as you say are all things that are valuable when working in the shop. A note on the FSM's that you recently taught me about, I think I'm going to invest in a set for my Dakota. Using the Haynes manual recently definitely left a lot to be desired, lacking specifics and even clear instruction.

Again, thank you for sharing. I've now got this information tucked away so I can soon implement it. On a final note, I should have known that you would use that all caps engineering script handwriting that I'm so fond of! My messy scrawl is of course now second nature, but I should really retrain myself to write similarly.

Thanks for your comments Austin and glad I was of some help with the Factory Service Manuals.

As for my handwriting, I didn't realize there was an actual term for printing in all caps. I've just done it most of my life so it's all I know. In grade school they made us print properly as well as learning cursive but once I hit Jr. High and High School it was all caps for me. I think I picked it up from a science teacher in Jr. High actually. LOVED seeing his handwriting on the black board. Yes, BLACK board, not a white board or dry erase boards that are all used nowadays. Actually for those rare times when I am writing something down for someone, such as a passcode or something that is case sensitive, I actually have to stop and think about the letters whereas when I'm writing normally I just habitually print in all caps. I also very seldom write in cursive although there are a few times. I can just print faster than writing in cursive so I go that route.

I can tell you that as I've aged, especially over the past decade or so my handwriting has gotten worse. My son found one of my notebooks from High School and commented on my handwriting back then.

What I also find interesting is that my son prints in all caps as well. When he was over to the shop last weekend and writing in his notebook for his wife's Subaru, I noted that he was still using all caps. Not sure where he got that from.

 

[MadeByMiller]

Thanks for your comments Austin and glad I was of some help with the Factory Service Manuals.

As for my handwriting, I didn't realize there was an actual term for printing in all caps. I've just done it most of my life so it's all I know. In grade school they made us print properly as well as learning cursive but once I hit Jr. High and High School it was all caps for me. I think I picked it up from a science teacher in Jr. High actually. LOVED seeing his handwriting on the black board. Yes, BLACK board, not a white board or dry erase boards that are all used nowadays. Actually for those rare times when I am writing something down for someone, such as a passcode or something that is case sensitive, I actually have to stop and think about the letters whereas when I'm writing normally I just habitually print in all caps. I also very seldom write in cursive although there are a few times. I can just print faster than writing in cursive so I go that route.

I can tell you that as I've aged, especially over the past decade or so my handwriting has gotten worse. My son found one of my notebooks from High School and commented on my handwriting back then.

What I also find interesting is that my son prints in all caps as well. When he was over to the shop last weekend and writing in his notebook for his wife's Subaru, I noted that he was still using all caps. Not sure where he got that from.

There is currently a comprehensive FSM collection for my Dakota on Ebay that appears to be in good used condition. I don't know how to verify for certain that it's a complete collection, but it would be much more info than my Haynes manual provides anyway.

As far as an actual term for your style of handwriting, I have never looked it up until now. A brief search points towards the correct terminology being Technical Lettering or Engineering Lettering. I just really appreciate the aesthetic of it, but there are real benefits to that all caps style - apparently most importantly it reduces communication errors on drawings due to the clarity of capital letters. Makes sense to me!

Funny you mention your son's similarity to your handwriting, it reminds me of the fondness that I looked at my dad's penmanship as well. It certainly isn't neat, but his mishmash of cursive and print is distinctive and I always thought it had a nice charm, like a good signature. I wouldn't say my handwriting resembles his, but maybe there are hints of it.

 

[zmotorsports]

So the next few posts will be rather picture heavy as I've been working on a small project as a gift last week. This one had some critical dimensions that had to be hit, once I determined what those dimensions were of course. This project really tested my abilities in several aspects as there were multiple machining operations that had to take place and they had to take place in a certain order. That combined with the small size of the parts really tested me but that's a good thing as I learned a lot.

My cousin has been very good to me over the years as far as offering assistance and just being a good mechanic for me to look up to. As far back as when I was about 12 years old working on junk lawnmowers and snowblowers, my cousin and uncle would let me raid their "junkyard" at their shop for used parts. Their junkyard consisted of an old boxcar that had shelves installed inside and the used parts were sorted. When I would need a part for a small engine my dad would bring me to their shop to either order the part I needed or my cousin and uncle would let me dig through their boxcar to see if they had the used parts I needed. This was very generous and kind of them as they were running a business yet still took the time to answer this kid's questions and help him.

I wanted to do something especially nice for him this Christmas as I think he's feeling the season this year and I just wanted to let him know that I appreciated all of the help he's given me over the years and in many way, maybe helped pave the way for me in my career.

I started with some new ink cartridges that I sourced online and a spring from an old pen that was tossed in the garbage. I started measuring and making notes but not the best mechanical drawings, just good enough for following once the dimensions were established.


I chucked up a piece of 6061-T6 aluminum in a collet and commenced to single point turn a 3/8"-24 thread.


Thread completed and test fit.


Grip cut to length after the three internal dimensions were drilled and reamed. I then test fit the ink cartridge and spring. Cartridge in the retracted position.


Cartridge in the extended position. Perfect stickout. I'll leave the tip alone for the time being as a point of grasping in the collet for the next operation.


Moving on to the body of the pen, I drilled, reamed the body to depth and threaded for the mating point with the grip.


Moment of truth.


BINGO! Threads were a perfect match and snugged down firmly.


Next operation was clamping back in the collet at the tip and leaving the body just about a half inch long I center drilled and supported with a live center to turn the entire pen's length for uniformity.


The pen body and grip all one size and the parting line invisible.



Stay tuned for more pictures......

 

[zmotorsports]

Continuing on the with the pen machining.

Now to turn the pen around in the collet chuck and cut the point to a 14-degree taper.


After machining I ran some 400-grit emery paper followed by some Scotchbrite over it then some aluminum polish for a nice finish.


Now it's starting to take shape and look like a pen. But not quite.


Moving over to the milling machine I set up the rotary table and trued it up with the 3-jaw chuck installed using my shop made mounting fixture to mount the chuck to the rotary table.


The pen body placed in a collet block and clamped in the 3-jaw chuck. I cut the small .023" deep flat for the clip to reside.


After a little deburring.


I turned the rotary table 45-degrees from the clip flat and center drilled a hole in which to begin the next operation.


After the center drill I switched to a 1/8" end mill and plunged down into the body and cut the J notch feature.


After a little more deburring of the pen body.


Tapping the two holes for the clip with 2-56 threads.


More pictures to follow.....

 

[zmotorsports]

Continuing on.

After completing the machining on the grip and body I moved on to the bolt mechanism which was to be machined out of 410 stainless steel for its corrosive and wear characteristics.


Each time I use this lathe I have to smile to myself as it is so nice to run and hit dimensions with. I was aiming for .313" so I could file and sand the last thou and a half or so for a tight yet smooth fitment of the bolt inside the body. Landed exactly on .313".


A couple of passes with a mill file and some 280-grit then 400-grit emery paper and it's at .3117".


Test fitting inside the pen's body. I wanted there to be enough clearance to allow a smooth motion yet not so much clearance that the bolt would rattle inside the body when shaken. Inserting the bolt into the body it feels good.


A little tip and shake of the body and the bolt goes all the way to the top of the pen smoothly. I then gave it a few side to side shakes and it was nice and quiet with no clearance detected between the body and bolt.


Next was to make a knob from the same stainless steel in which to thread into the bold. I used my small radius tool to cut a nice transition from the stem to the head.


Then before parting off I went to the milling machine to insert it into the chuck on the rotary table and cut two flats 180-degrees apart. Then it was back to the lathe to part it off.


After parting off I flipped it around and used a 1/8" collet to face and chamfer the head.


Everything disassembled, cleaned and ready for final assembly.


Assembled and test operated. The bolt action is smooth as butter and the cartridge protrudes the perfect amount from the tip. Only one piece left to make.



Stay tuned for the last piece of the puzzle.....

 

[zmotorsports]

Final piece.

I took a small piece of stainless steel and peened the surface. This will give the stainless some rigidity by work hardening the material as well as nice contrasting finish.


A strip was cut to length and the end was blued and center punched for the screw holes.


Two 2-56 button head screws test fit.


A little trimming of the screw lengths and it's ready for the final touch.


Completed.


Wrapped in true gearhead fashion. I was using masking paper and was going to use masking tape when my son suggested I use zip-ties made into a bow. Awesome idea.


Now I just have to clean up the mess on the lathe, workbench.....


and milling machine.



Thanks for looking.