Between 705 & 1200 SQ/FT Lodi Motors

[nicholam77]

Our house was listed as having cedar trim, which may not have been much better, but we found out that it really had rough cut pine.

Cedar would have been more weather-resistant than pine, but IMO since it's painted — the new synthetic stuff you're using is the way to go. I'm no construction expert either, by any means, but even with proper flashing windows sills and trim can be susceptible to water and rot. My dad's been replacing the (probably painted cedar) on his house with AZEK.

The new trim looks good.

 

[Trapps]

Looks great, Graham!

 

[fourmotioneer]

Cedar would have been more weather-resistant than pine, but IMO since it's painted — the new synthetic stuff you're using is the way to go. I'm no construction expert either, by any means, but even with proper flashing windows sills and trim can be susceptible to water and rot. My dad's been replacing the (probably painted cedar) on his house with AZEK.

The new trim looks good.

Thanks for some validation. I looked up AZEK and it seems that it’s a PVC material, which I would have preferred, but requires more consideration to thermal expansion than the poly-ash materials. That may be a good solution for soffits down the road.

Only a few windows left to do now. Great crew (we hired on communication and personality). Then we wait for paint.

When we toured this house in 2021, I knew that the 2000sqf of decking would need attention in the next 5-10 years. We are now at a point where we have accepted that composite is going to suit us best. Initial concerns were just that general flex and squeaky feeling, but we’re going to check out the thicker styles at a showroom and I’ve heard that some product lines perform well in that regard.

I’m curious if anyone has any ideas on a railing for composite decking. The off the shelf options seem to be pretty flimsy and thin. Our painted 2x4 With hollow rattling rods style is laughable as well. Will need to settle on this before we kick off, hopefully in spring.

The upside of all of this work is that we no longer have to guess on what to expect to spend getting our home in shape. That lets us plan for a shop knowing that the house is in good condition and less likely to need major work for some time

 

[fouckhest]

I had always been apprehensive of composite decking, just because of being old school at heart, but after we did our back deck last year, I have zero regrets. Now the topic of railings is interesting, we looked at composite, but it just never really made me feel like it was right for our application, we ended up going with a hardwood called Cumaru, not cheap, but looks great. Should you want to check it out, it was mid last summer, there is the link to where the deck build wrap up is: Deck Build

 

[fourmotioneer]

I had always been apprehensive of composite decking, just because of being old school at heart, but after we did our back deck last year, I have zero regrets. Now the topic of railings is interesting, we looked at composite, but it just never really made me feel like it was right for our application, we ended up going with a hardwood called Cumaru, not cheap, but looks great. Should you want to check it out, it was mid last summer, there is the link to where the deck build wrap up is: Deck Build

I certainly recall your deck build! Curious which composite products you considered for deck boards. We have a buddy who just built with Timbertech Vintage and we need to check his new deck out.

How would you say yours is for bowing and squeaking? Pretty solid?

Your railings turned out great. Step 1 for us is to visualize what our replacement would look like. I really like the steel cable look but suspect that we will go with something more old school in appearance.

 

[fouckhest]

I certainly recall your deck build! Curious which composite products you considered for deck boards. We have a buddy who just built with Timbertech Vintage and we need to check his new deck out.

How would you say yours is for bowing and squeaking? Pretty solid?

Your railings turned out great. Step 1 for us is to visualize what our replacement would look like. I really like the steel cable look but suspect that we will go with something more old school in appearance.

Okay, good!

We went with Trex, but that was strictly b/c of the colors that the boss wanted. Our deck was built with the intent of the composite decking, so its all 12" on center, and we've seen no sagging at all. Also, noteworthy, it see's very direct sunlight, so if it were to say, I expect we would have seen that by now. As for the squeak, also, nothing that I've heard/noticed, now we did apply the black tape to all the joists, which is supposed to eliminate noise along with water getting on the exposed area.

 

[fourmotioneer]

Crew has been slowing down in the trim work but hopefully will finish up this week. Then the caulk guy will come in and finally paint in a month or so.

The crew had found a number of areas of concern on the roof. The worst of it was a section of shingles that had too little overlap. They were thinking new roof, which wasn’t a happy thought given the 8 year age of the roof.

They recommended the roofer that they know and trust, and he drove 90 minutes to take a look. He said that 95% of the roof is great. Ventilation is done well, most is correctly installed. He just wants to fix the area with improper overlaps as preventative care, and then have his crew correct anything else that they see. We were prepared to hear that we needed to replace, so we are happy to pay for some maintenance.

With the trim replacement end in sight and the roof looking good, the desire to replace the porch decking next year is much higher. Visited a buddy’s deck and really liked the Timbertech Vintage product that he had chosen. No issues with bowing under foot or squeaking, and we have same joist spacing so we would expect something similar on the bowing.

All of this has been somewhat of a relief for my wife and me. I hated looking at the trim while mowing l, and we were both expecting to need a roof. I shared a garage concept earlier this year and got some quotes, but we will delay that while we focus on getting the house in great shape. The deck work will be the focus next year. And then, once we run out of things to repair, we can consider building a new garage.

 

[runit]

Thanks for all the updates! Love the house and the eclectic cars!

Hows the BUZZ treating you?

 

[fourmotioneer]

Thanks for all the updates! Love the house and the eclectic cars!

Hows the BUZZ treating you?

The Buzz is great! Three car seats across the middle row, and we can tilt the seats forward with car seats installed to get access to the rear seats.

Range is great and nothing has broken yet, surprisingly! We did one 6hr round trip beach trip this summer and had no problem with a single 25-30min fast charge.

In my mind, the alternative would have been a diesel Suburban. Resale would be way better on one of those, and the trunk space is way bigger on those, but I think we did alright

 

[zanyad]

The Buzz is great! Three car seats across the middle row, and we can tilt the seats forward with car seats installed to get access to the rear seats.

What a great feature!

Range is great and nothing has broken yet, surprisingly! We did one 6hr round trip beach trip this summer and had no problem with a single 25-30min fast charge.

Nice. Good to know that option exists!

 

[fourmotioneer]

Trim and caulking:

Crew seemed busy for longer than I had expected, so we were relieved to see that the work didn’t go much over the estimate.

Had the crew repair anything they saw and were willing to repair. Soffits got some attention to fix some wider openings, front door got straightened out, stuff like that.

Caulk guy (only one way to pronounce that) did his thing and took his due.

Roofer came and fixed the worst section of sloppy work. He agreed with the foreman that the work was sloppy but said only reason to replace was aesthetic. Doesn’t expect any leaks.

Paint is scheduled, and then we get to focus our attention on the deck.

Photos of the trim installed and waiting for paint. Zoom in on the top right former to see the new section of shingles. They start at the base of the dormer.

 

[fourmotioneer]

Trim replaced and painted:

Pretty happy with the work. It’s odd paying so much just to have the house look the same, but it feels so much better to not have to think about rotting trim

 

[nicholam77]

Looks great!

 

[Trapps]

Graham, your home looks great! Those little details all add up to the total picture. Nice sunset too!

 

[M-technik-3]

I can sure understand the suffering of NLA. As an E30 M3 owner we go through that as well. You need some more pain and suffering if you love the 200Q wagon how about a 4000CSQ? I added a Calloway unit to mine decades ago to just get it up to 200hp. Was super fun on dirt and gravel roads. Oh and Busso engines are one of the best sounding V6's ever!

 

[fourmotioneer]

I can sure understand the suffering of NLA. As an E30 M3 owner we go through that as well. You need some more pain and suffering if you love the 200Q wagon how about a 4000CSQ? I added a Calloway unit to mine decades ago to just get it up to 200hp. Was super fun on dirt and gravel roads. Oh and Busso engines are one of the best sounding V6's ever!

I think the M3 has survived with many examples in the $30-50k range which is key for reproduction parts. OEM NLA is expect but you really can’t find parts for e30 M3s?

I restored a MK1 VW and it was easy. Keeping an 80s Alfa running is easy. But finding every part I need takes creativity. Had to get a friend to carry an input shaft bearing home from Italy for me this week

 

[Just Puttering]

Had to get a friend to carry an input shaft bearing home from Italy for me this week

Wow, that’s some seriously creative parts sourcing!

 

[M-technik-3]

BMW no longer makes 2.3L blocks but still casts 2.5L blocks but no longer will they sell them to US market so most are left to import from a 2nd party . There are no heads available either. It's sad since this is the car that really put BMW in the light. Porsche when we know is far smaller but they support the 911 line very well.

 

[fourmotioneer]

Milano transaxle replacement:

I’ve been wary of my car hobby for the past couple of years since having kids. I’m not on instagram with its distractions and FOMO, and I don’t spend any time shopping for more cars or parts or projects.

What that leaves me with is time to think, and time for problems to creep up. The thinking has led me to set a scope for my current car hobby. I want my cars to feel safe and comfortable (no fumes) enough for my boys to enjoy with me. No need to spend a Saturday at the track for now. And it’s ok to let a good deal get away.

With that introduction, my Milano of ten years had been dripping gear oil, and a buddy was 6 years overdue on building me a new transaxle (I had built him an engine in 2019).

He put together a gearbox with lightened gears and swapped synchros around as necessary to freshen the box. He also service the LSD and replaced the input shaft bearing.

Yesterday I took a day off to enjoy swapping that transaxle in with a buddy. I replaced the clutch housing bearings, rebuilt the shift mechanism, and rebuilt the driveshaft while in there. Job took a pretty relaxed 8hrs with two people since I had pulled the exhaust and driveshaft the evening before.

Just need to install the exhaust, fill with gear oil and bleed the brakes / clutch now.

I enjoy this kind of work. Planned, with a buddy, and with everything I need waiting for me. It was nice to show the boys the various stages of disassembly, and I enjoyed seeing my 5y/o understand the drivetrain layout

From the trans build:


Assembly:

 

[fourmotioneer]

Transaxle tease:

So one of the shift linkage ball joints is a small and not really off the shelf size and there aren’t any replacements out there.

A guy who sells performance Alfa parts offers a solution in the form of a PLA socket and a ball stud.

PLA is brittle, creeps under constant load, and generally has crack initiation sites at each layer joint. It’s ok for some stuff but not a replacement for even a powdered metal part.

Complete waste of time, but I got a custom unit for the UK for $300 all said and done and car is back together in time for snow…

The PLA part cracked as soon as I installed circlip


Attempted a test drive relying on the press fit. That was dumb. Ran home 12 minutes and grabbed the VW for a tow home


A few of a new PLA unit


Original linkage above (ball joint pressed out) and new unit below




New unit installed without removing anything. Somewhat expert maneuvering required. Super glue is key. Stainless stud and nut meant no magnets to save me

 

[fourmotioneer]

Breakin stuff and mistakes



VW Alltracks with sunroofs are known for destroying headliners. Thought we had a good one, but noticed musty smell in the Alltrack and checked and cleaned the front drain tubes. Rained again and could see water dripping in the rear c pillars.

Opened trunk to check spare tire well and found a bunch of water to remove.




Put the front wheels on ramps and without first checking function of the rear drain tubes (like someone without four boys under 6 might be sane enough to remember) I ran trimmer string through them. They had little caps that keep bugs out that many VW people recommend to remove. Anyway, one released a nice plug and a lot of water, but not sure why the other side would be leaking.

Car has rear interior trim out to dry and a dehumidifier in the spare tire well. Dried nicely. I treated the drains with a deluge and they passed. Next step is to sit it out during a rainstorm this week.

I used to grumble to my wife about the au pair putting 1,000 miles on it per month, but now it just sits and we don’t notice issues. Rotors weren’t happy about sitting either and took 100mi or so to return to normal (replaced both sets with nice stuff within past 2 years). Will be taking it out once a week to keep on top of it






Had my 5 y/o outside with me to cut a shelf beam down and reweld. Next attempt I will clear off more of the original coating, but real issue was that I ran out of gas and didn’t realize it. Old 80cf tank won’t be welcome at welder supply so will need to find something certified. Will get some gas and strip the coating further back and try again

 

[fourmotioneer]

Mower service, Alltrack service, picnic table stain, parts cleaner cleaning

1.7qts of Kawasaki 10w-30 and a filter for the mower. Greased it too. No pics

Alltrack got all seasons, spark plugs, cabin air filter, and air filter. Will bleed the brakes this week and leave annual oil change for later this summer.




Sanded the picnic table with 120. Two coats of Ready-Seal. Love this dumb table

Cleaned out the parts washer by draining the tub. Changed the filter as well



Next up:

• Sand and stain playset
• Mulch front beds
• Pickup headliner repair
• Alfa timing belt, water pump
• Generator oil change
• Alfa and pickup oil change
• Water heaters maintenance

 

[fourmotioneer]

Let’s go

 

[fourmotioneer]

Front bed mulch

Before





After






Going to do the rear beds tomorrow

 

[Trapps]

Looking good, Graham!

 

[fourmotioneer]

Generator service and playset maintenance

1.1L into the generator. Cleaned the sediment bowl and replaced the o-ring. Ran it for 10min off hand start but will need to trickle charge battery once I get my tender back from a buddy





Sanded then stained the playset. Tightened up the screws. Will need to find a solution for the wood screws that are stripped



Mulch pile mostly gone. Need to finish up the rear beds that have been neglected the last 5 years

 

[fourmotioneer]

Playset stain and side beds

Second coat of stain on the playset. Nice to have maintenance stuff like this taken care of.



Brought home 3 dogwood bushes and two yews for the northwest / north beds on the side of the house. Did the best I was willing to do with pulling weed roots from the soil. Put down some permeable weed mat and mulched. Nice to have some neat beds instead of weeds. Will keep moving around the house and cleaning things up

 

[fourmotioneer]

Bel-Metric *****







As a reminder, Bel-Metric knew that their fuel hose leaks, but didn’t recall it or notify customers.



So today, I was reminded of where I had installed some of this (had same issue in 2023)

Only lost 10min but pretty insane. Please, send your business elsewhere

 

[Trapps]

Ethanol is bad for many things. I'm on my 4th fuel sending unit in the Multistrada. Known issue. 3 replaced under warranty. Not sure what it'll cost next time though.

The end of the mulch is near! Looking good!

 

[fourmotioneer]

At age 36 I learned of hot water heater anode rods. Ordered Corro-Protect powered anode rods to deal with some rotten egg / sulfur smell. Flushed the tanks as well. Takes a while with two 75 gallon tanks. Gunked up a T&P valve and have that ordered, but can run on one tank no problem

 

[fourmotioneer]

Odds and ends



Next fun(?) task will be to install this receiver on the minivan. Will let us install a bike rack

Ordered aluminum zinc anode rods. I think that with some tank peroxide treatment prior to installation, those could potentially alleviate the suspected bacterial smell. It’s a wet sponge smell, not rotten eggs, but it’s persistent. Cranked heat to 155F, drained tanks, but no relief.

 

[Zippercat]

Generator service and playset maintenance

Sanded then stained the playset. Tightened up the screws. Will need to find a solution for the wood screws that are stripped

Remove stripped screw. Fill hole with wood toothpicks or similar, trimmed flush with surface. Reinstall screw.

 

[boyboi]

i love that van

 

[kj_mustang]

Are you on well water? What does the inside of your toilet tanks look like?

 

[fourmotioneer]

Are you on well water? What does the inside of your toilet tanks look like?

Well through a softener for many of the lines. Inside of tanks are rusty. 2017 home

 

[kj_mustang]

I would get a full water mineral test done on a untreated sample from your well. You may need a different media filter before the softener. Smell and rust stains sounds like iron and other stuff that can be removed before the softner.

 

[zmotorsports]

That ***** about the Bel-Metric hose. I have not used their hose, but I love their other products, inventory and customer service, although most of what I order is fasteners and hose clamps.

I recently also installed a couple of Corro-Protect powered anodes. We've been using them for a while at work and they have performed well, so I also replaced them in my home water heaters. We had no odor or other issues, it was just time to replace the anode rods and I figured I would go with the powered at their first service interval.

 

[fourmotioneer]

Mudflap

Thought these would be done before dinner. 1/4 done, time to put boys to bed

 

[fourmotioneer]

Alfa prep and Buzz splash guards



The Optima yellow top in the Milano got an Interstate AGM replacement. The Optima was a 2015 unit and doing well but needs battery tender consistently now and I don’t want to run it to failure

Oil is fresh from last season. Bled the clutch out of curiosity and the slave seems to be pretty rusty. I’ll replace that soon enough for peace of mind. It was actually binding occasionally 11 years ago when I first bought the car but resolved itself on its own.





Finished the splash guards. Just nice to get something small done these days.

I’ve been trying to document my small wins here as I don’t get as much personal time as I used to with 4 sons under 6 right now. The around the house list is getting much smaller. Just some weeding and mulching left

 

[fourmotioneer]

Project planning:

1) the wrap around deck

We are working with the contractor who repaired our window trim again - this time, to plan deck repairs and decking replacement. We are 99% sold on replacing with Timbertech Vintage product. Quotes to restain the deck and railing come in at $10k, many of the stair treads and risers are looking sad, and the railing is just 2x4 with some metal spindles that rattle with every step or gust of wind.

The local Lowe’s who quoted the material said it’s the largest decking order they’ve seen. $70k for decking, fasteners, railing, and everything to finish the details. I think taking care of this will be a huge sigh of relief just like fixing the window trim was.

2) workshop build

The more we see how the kids play outside, the less I enjoy have my old cars and lift and tools in the garage where they keep their toys. They like to go in and out of the garage to get stuff to play with, we have a number of bikes…it makes sense to move the old cars and equipment out of their to make it an area to store more recreational stuff.

So I’m back to the detached garage idea. I got quoted on a 32x60’ 4 bay garage with 10’ overhangs on 3 sides last year. Hardiplank siding and stick construction with an asphalt roof. Just needed a concrete quote.




I’m thinking of moving forward with the same thing minus one bay, so closer to to 32’ deep by 45’ wide.

The idea would be to build it bare bones with ability to upgrade as time goes, just to spread the cost out a bit. At first it will be great to have the storage space. I can insulate and drywall and add the HVAC over time. I’ve said before that Michigan doesn’t get that hot or cold and I’ve never had an issue working in an uninsulated garage in the past

3) rear patio

The last big project we have in mind is some entertaining space in the back. Thinking stone patio set in sand and some walls for the grade. I have a model of the house and garage that I used to make an AI hallucination