What did you do "IN" your garage today?

[PhantomEB]

My current 3-blade 52" ceiling fans in my shop are over 10 years old now and they just ain't getting it done. My buddy knew I wanted to upgrade so when he found these on sale he sent me a link. The price was right at $99 for a 72" fan with a 6-speed remote, so I pulled the trigger on one to test.




We got it installed last night and there was quite a difference between the amount of air being moved from before. Being very satisfied with this one, I pulled the trigger on two more that I should get installed by this weekend.

I would love a 72 in my garage but it probably would hit the bronco hood when open no matter what. I’d be better off to put a fan in each bay.

 

[PhantomEB]

Found the proper length belt and belts ain’t being fired off my 351 any more.

time to do some measurements for mockup spacers before taking a measurement to my machinist for a double spigoted crank pulley spacer. Hope the temporary ones will let me run the 351 long enough at times to bleed brake more and tackle leaks tomorrow.

 

[ecotec]

The weather is nice today, so I made some coffee and headed into my garage. I cleaned off the majority of what accumulated on my workbench and cart over the winter. When it is freezing out there or 100 degrees, not everything gets put away in the right place.

I got the workbench and cart nice enough to work off of. Next is my assembly table.

 

[cannuck]

A good friend of mine is a BMW guy to the core. The guy he takes his stuff to (who's now retiring) also says "I wouldn't buy any current BMW unless it has a full warranty, and I'd sell it before the warranty is up". He also says leasing is the way to go on the all the German stuff.

We are coming up on extended dieselgate emissions warranty this summer (will time out, still 20k kms left) and have to think seriously about how long VW will support this car (Q7 tdi) - as we seldom sell anything. May delete it and keep on driving or do something I have never in my life done and trade in for newer - probably VW, not Audi. Other option that is VERY tempting is to follow many friends in just building up an older, simple, very popular vehicle that is simple and cheap to support and repair. I am not ready to go back to air cooled but possibly stick with ALH cars (have one) but with rust free Southern body.

 

[JohnX14]

I've purchased (3) German cars in the past 2 years, all pre-2019, and my daughter just purchased 'our' 4th.. I won't even consider a newer one. These are all proven drivetrains. No electric assist, no 4 cyl turbos. (and,of course, no loans, although that was not the driving factor)

 

[PhantomEB]

My brother has a Subaru WRX that he don’t like to drive when winter comes around unless he has to. ******* up and down hates having to be on Premium gas all the time.

I told him today that he really needs something that he can jump into any day of the week, hit up any cheap gas station to fill that gap between the monster Sprinter Van he has for jobs but most of the jobs dont require, the WRX, the mint 2006 Ram3500 and his offroad Tundra.

he goes like a little Toyota Tacoma?

Damn rights, bro. He knows my next vehicle to DD will be a Tacoma On mud terrains and Method rims. All I need is a good stereo system and room to put the dogs and luggage. BakFlip tonneau cover and deep tint to keep the lookee loos out.

Momma is good with a newer CRV or RAV4. I dont ever see the need to need Premium….I rather run Race gas if the vehicle REQUIRES it.

 

[niget2002]

Anyone else rebuild a trash can today?

It works a lot better now.

I found a lot of worn out broken plastic pieces. I replaced what I could. I had to replace a few bolts with longer ones where the plastic was stripped out from age. I also replaced a few broken plastic clips with screws where I felt the clips were really needed.

There was also a lot of grunge built up inside it from age.

To be fair, we bought this can in 2018 when we moved in. The fact the electronics still works is kinda amazing.

This trash can is one of those where it has the sensor to open, or you can say "open can" and it will open.

It's overkill, but it's convenient. We'll put it back into service and see how it goes. If it still causes issues at this point, I'll just toss it.



Right outside the shop, I replaced the battery on the travel trailer. I f'ed up and accidentally cross threaded one of the bolts. I noticed soon enough I was able to correct it.

Also, the son and I pulled the refrigerator on the travel trailer. It hasn't been cooling and some idiot designed it with a separate compressor fuse on the back. We tested it and the compressor has the 12v it's supposed to have, so I'm assuming the compressor is broke. We accidentally left it plugged in last winter and when we camped last summer it wasn't cooling. When we got home I discovered the coil was a solid block of ice. I'm assuming no air flow over the coil burned up the compressor.

I stopped for lunch, but I have other small projects for when I'm done eating.

 

[Mr. Tool]

Just assembled a new chair for my workbench!
It was delivered by FedEx this morning, left at my front door.
I’m happy with it…..beats sitting on that darn metal stool that I was previously using that’s for sure!…..huge improvement!

 

[dwasifar]

Modified a couple of strap hinges to fix the broken hinges on this Kobalt socket set case:




This is a brand new tool set that my wife brought home for fifteen bucks because of the broken hinges. With the case repaired, it can go to a good cause. I reinforced the hinge mounts with a bit of epoxy.

 

[glider]

Getting ready for that season. Spent a couple days on leaks, cleaning and maintenance stuff. Bought used in 2015 with 40 hrs. Now has 472 hrs. There is about eight small hose clamps for hydraulic fluid. Some of them you have to dig for.

 

[Outlawmws]

This trash can is one of those where it has the sensor to open, or you can say "open can" and it will open.

My auto open trash can has zero hi-tech. You step on a pedal and it opens; and it doesn't slam shut as it has a damper.

 

[Beerhippie]

Spent the day getting most of my camping gear sorted and securely stowed in the Brick. Hung the awning back up--I really need to try it out sometime.





Still got some work to do. Camera, daypack, food storage, kitchen tools, etc.

 

[Beerhippie]

Closer:





Lots of room for anything else I need, plus the roof rack is still empty. Spare fuel is going up there, for sure.

 

[niget2002]

My auto open trash can has zero hi-tech. You step on a pedal and it opens; and it doesn't slam shut as it has a damper.

That's what our backup trash can is. It works well, but I still catch myself yelling "open can" at it.

 

[Beerhippie]

That's what our backup trash can is. It works well, but I still catch myself yelling "open can" at it.

Mine's a sawed-off thirty-five gallon poly drum. Yelling at it doesn't make it any easier to hit when I throw stuff at it from across the shop. I still yell at it, but, then, I yell at clouds.

 

[nadogail]

I have been well served by 5 gallon plastic buckets.
Free ones are always better.

 

[slomaro3.4]

Swapped motor mounts in the 996

 

[M.Brane]

Got Play Girl™ on the Skylift, and took her rear end apart. Cleaned things, and started fabbing up a new heat shield. This one is going a lot smoother than the one for Work Girl™. Funny how that works.

So much easier when you can wheel the stool right up close to where your legs are right under the swingarm.

 

[Beerhippie]

I have been well served by 5 gallon plastic buckets.
Free ones are always better.

Look behind any restaurant. That's where the free ones are. Smell of dill pickles or mayo goes away after a while.

 

[Dusten]

House garage not shop

The garage door opener in the house we bought is 435 years old. One of the safety sensors has failed and there are no remotes. So I decided to install a new one, only to realize most new openers won't fit with my limited clearance. So I opted for a wall mount. Except where the wall mount go was a junction box for the over head lights. So I moved the junction box. Added an outlet for the opener and install the opener. Works great. Pretty happy overall.

 

[Outlawmws]

The garage door opener in the house we bought is 435 years old.

WOW! where do you live, and are you a time traveler?

 

[Dusten]

WOW! where do you live, and are you a time traveler?

Even more mysterious where did they have electricity back then lol.

 

[Outlawmws]

Even more mysterious where did they have electricity back then lol.

That was the time travel part of the Q!

 

[2001ZR2]

Rolled this Facebook marketplace find out and did the first step of cleaning it by using dish soap to degrease it. If I can work around the rain and other chores then steel wool and mineral spirits today.

 

[2001ZR2]

Gonna look to match patina with this box

 

[Bessy]

Unloaded the top of this box, pulled it off, then added some Husky mid boxes in the middle:



I don't know what they cost in the USA, but they're $138 CAD each but online/delivery only from the HomoDepot. They were by far the best deal for a mid box I could find, and they fit perfectly with that Cambodian Tire special box. Quality is comparable. Too bad the drawer fronts aren't black, but I don't care enough to do anything about it. I did make 1/4" ply shims for the top of them so the upper box would sit nicely. Now I just need to add some fasteners to ensure they stay put and then rearrange the whole toolbox. The hutch is also now the "right" height as it was fairly low before.

I ordered two more in black for my other 53" box. It might wind up with the hutch a little too high, I will see, if it does I can use them elsewhere.

What the heck do you put in the giant cavernous bottom right drawer?!

 

[larry4406]

What the heck do you put in the giant cavernous bottom right drawer?!

Tools that come in blow molded cases?

 

[bugnut]

Worked on the brakes of the Ford 2000. Left side fine, right side clevis will not turn even with many applications of pb blaster and heat. Before ruining it I decide to remove in its entirety. Took off foot board to find top clevis pin stuck more heat and blaster finally got it off. Over to the vise still stuck, more heat and blaster. Still stuck, will try again later. Frustrating to say the least, I'll win eventually...

 

[niget2002]

I have been well served by 5 gallon plastic buckets.
Free ones are always better.

We can't use anything without a lid or the dogs get in them.

 

[Mike65]

I have been well served by 5 gallon plastic buckets.
Free ones are always better.

I have a couple 55-gallon drums from my new car dealership days (1978-2003) that once they were emptied, I grabbed them for my garage. One is for garbage, the other is for clean rag storage.

 

[Outlawmws]

I have a couple 55-gallon drums from my new car dealership days (1978-2003) that once they were emptied, I grabbed them for my garage. One is for garbage, the other is for clean rag storage.

55's are too big for my small place, and too big to handle emptying, so I have 2 steel 20's that once held dry cleaning solution. one for garbage and one for cuttoffs/stock. I used a beater but sharp wood chisel to "can opener" the tops out , then hammered flat.

Did the same to a 5 gallon for a "wastebasket"

 

[bmwrd0]

We have one of the sensor type garbage cans in our kitchen, as it was the only thing at HD when the old, foot peddle type gave up the ghost, that didn't look super cheap and would pass the wife's inspection. She hates the sensor, while I find it no problem.

Spent last night getting everything timed and working smoothly on the lathe, as I wait for the last parts to arrive. I want to run it, but I also want to make sure that nothing will break when I do.

 

[Old Man Roger]

WOW! where do you live, and are you a time traveler?

Even more mysterious where did they have electricity back then lol.

 

[67CarGuy]

T'was yesterday, but still:
Moved some scrap lumber, the wheelbarrow, and assorted others bits out of the way so we could get to the "fire-proof" (in quotes because while it's lined with firebrick, I'm not going to test it) filing cabinet. It likely weighs more than I do, but with a handtruck and a loose understanding of physics, we got it down to the basement and set up in it's (hopefully!) permanent home.

Then went back and put all the other stuff back where it was, only a little neater, because now there isn't a filing cabinet in the way.

 

[Beerhippie]

Even more mysterious where did they have electricity back then lol.

Ours were powered by oxen.

 

[jblnut]

Grabbed 5 of the pipes I cut up yesterday. This was about all the lawnmower wanted lol.


Set in place. Gotta drill holes and bolt em together now.

 

[Nofries]

Played with the plasma cutter. Cut out the basic shape "half moon" for my offset smoker, scoop to push the heat up. Also played around with sheetmetal cutting.

 

[cody1325]

First of all, I hadn't used the mower lift in quite some time, but when I dragged it out from beside the shop, the metal legs that lock it in place had bent. It took a 24" pipe wrench (held by the ground and my foot) and 15" Crescent wrench with me on the other end to straighten it crudely, then my 2 lb blacksmith's hammer to pound it where it needed to go. On another note, I'm switching to blacksmith hammers as my shop hammers. They seem to hit harder, and have more surface area than a comparable ball peen hammer. My good one's an old Plumb, but I'm grabbing a couple cheap ones next Harbor Freight run.


Grabbed a putty knife and cleaned under my mower deck on the LX277AWS. Gonna need to replace the blades--they're pretty beat up. I then noticed that there was a golf-ball sized rust hole in the deck by the discharge chute. Looks like I'm going to have to call a buddy of mine who knows how to weld to do it. The IdealArc 250 should be more than adequate.


So, looks like "oil change, new air filter, new fuel filter, and grease job" turned into a weekend's work and some new skills I'll be learning. I'll pick up a new welding hood from Harbor Freight--I hate the cheap ones in the shop.

You know, I'm now kind of curious how long that's been there. We've had it a little over a decade. My Dad bought it new in 2000, and then sold it to my Granddad for like $2K (who really should've A: NOT bought it or B: at least inspected it better). The repairs over the years from my Dad's lack of maintenance have totaled up well past what a new, comparable model would've been from Deere in 2015 or so (or heck, even now).

 

[jblnut]

Looks like I'm going to have to call a buddy of mine who knows how to weld to do it.

The expected GJ reply is “time to buy a welder and learn a new skill!!” So there it is lol. I love weldering. The world opens up to you but you gotta have the space for a decent fab area and storage for all the stuff. Annnnnnnd then you could build a massive shop to keep it all in lol.

 

[jblnut]

Gotta mix feed for the food. I thought I had enough until Monday but nope. Both bins were empty so I ended up mixing four batches.


******** top, bolts all the way through and it’s a bridge !!


Two of eight done. Only two more need to be done before spring field work begins so another solid afternoon and I’ll have them ready.