ZMotorsports Shop Projects 2.0

[SilverJimmy]

My mentor who passed gave me all the drops and material in his home machine shop. I just need to learn how to turn all of it into something more than a pile! Hopefully @LXCam knows how and has as much patience as you do Mike! Maybe on your next trip to sunny Arizona you could stop by and grab a few chunks!

 

[zmotorsports]

My mentor who passed gave me all the drops and material in his home machine shop. I just need to learn how to turn all of it into something more than a pile! Hopefully @LXCam knows how and has as much patience as you do Mike! Maybe on your next trip to sunny Arizona you could stop by and grab a few chunks!

Hell yeah Sterling. That's a winning lottery ticket right there as far as I'm concerned.

 

[signcrafter]

Just trying to keep you from forgetting about the driver set Scott. It's just what I do.....you're welcome...


I often joke around with the wife about having $20k- $30k in machining tools and equipment and another $15k plus in welding equipment just to fix a $20 part, but like the old saying goes, if the only tool you own is a hammer, then everything is a nail.


The wife and I were reflecting the other night sitting on the deck about what we wanted our life to look when we first started dating in the 80's. I remembered going to a friend's older brother's home shop one night and then telling my wife (girlfriend then) about someday after we're married and before retirement, I wanted to have a fully equipped shop in our backyard with all of the tools and equipment I would ever need to fix about anything. Now that we have our dream home and dream shop, I wonder if we sometimes forget about all of the hard work and sacrifice that went into achieving our dream.

I also need to remember that "our" dream is not everyone's dream and I need to keep my opinions and thoughts to myself. Seems like today most people just want to complain about not being able to do this or that and they don't want to hear other people's opinions on how they got to where they are at.

I have a saying I used to say that said "if you aren't willing to work for it, don't complain about not having it". Although I don't think that is the philosophy of most people these days as most just want to complain and don't realize that hard work and sacrifice is something people have been doing for many, many years and were able to get ahead in life but in our instant gratification society, that mindset is less popular these days.


As for the mower repair, I felt "fairly" confident when I commenced the repair that if I could save the pulley, the other parts were a no brainer. When I first began cutting the pulley apart, I still had some reservations. My wife mentioned that maybe this was the straw that broke the camel's back and I may have to break down and buy a new mower. I tackled the pulley first because if that wasn't to be then I may have to go down that path, but once I got into it, my confidence of saving it grew. I actually quite enjoy projects like this and maybe it was what I needed after the mindset I've been in for the past few weeks.






Thanks Mike.

It's been a hell of a past few weeks. Kind of had the wind knocked out of my sails where I really didn't feel like doing much of anything. I just puttered around the house maintaining the yard and vehicles but not much more than that.

We watched our grandson a few weeks back and he "helped" me do some work on the Wheel Horse and it got me excited, but then I haven't touched it since. I looked up an engine kit for it but don't dare order any parts until I get it torn down to determine wear and exactly which kit I want to go with. I was pleased to find engine parts readily available. I have some welding and machining work to do on the chassis of the tractor as well as a few links and one spindle, but those are actually fun tasks and I'm not too worried about them. I am more worried about missing my window of opportunity to paint the tractor however as that needs to be done outside.

I backed my car trailer up to the shop last week and started working on it, but then put it on the back burner again as my head wasn't in the game. My phone has been blowing up the past week or so with side jobs, but I have so many personal projects to get done before that white **** falls and I'm losing my window.

I often have similar thoughts Mike. My whole life I've taken on extra work for one main reason, to get money to be able to afford the tools. I started out needing to fix my own stuff because I was poor. Which required tools, and more tools to be able to do things correctly and easier with the right tools and being poor meant doing work for others and getting paid was the way I could get the tools I needed. I often look back and wonder if it was the correct path to take or not when I look at all the money in tools and nowadays it seems like you constantly need more and more to do repairs on newer vehicles. So have to work more and more to afford all these tools and justify having them. But in the end they are all paid for by hard work and have served their purpose. Also like you said it's just nice to know you can fix almost anything that comes your way and don't have to rely on others.

For the longest time the wife could never understand my logic when we met. I remember times when I would make a larger tool purchase that didn't really make sense to most because I could hire the job out or rent a tool for less then what I was spending on new tools. But then I have the tool to use in the future, either for myself or on paying jobs. This was harder to justify back when we didn't have a lot of spending money but a little easier now. One tool was a carpet stretcher when we replaced the carpet. It was 600 new but somewhere around 50-60 bucks to rent it for a week. We talked about it and I rented when we replaced our carpet and rented when I replaced a couple bedrooms for a guy. The next time I needed one I bought my own and she wasn't the happiest when she found out. But I have used it enough now to justify the purchase and every time I use it I make sure to let her know I'm going out to the garage to grab the stretcher to install her new carpet. LOL. I stopped running things by her a long time ago just because she didn't understand the logic the same way I did. She has become more understanding of why I buy so many tools since everything in the house and on the cars is just taken care of without her having to worry about a thing.

Just like the tire machines she didn't really approve of them either. But now they have paid for themselves over the years and she never has to worry about new tires or a flat or TPMS sensor not working. It's just nice to be able to fix whatever life throws at you, even if it costs 10 times what it would paying someone else to do it for you.

 

[LXCam]

My mentor who passed gave me all the drops and material in his home machine shop. I just need to learn how to turn all of it into something more than a pile! Hopefully @LXCam knows how and has as much patience as you do Mike! Maybe on your next trip to sunny Arizona you could stop by and grab a few chunks!

Chip making party at sterling’s house


Back when I was making stand alone drive systems for Kennebell / modern Hemi applications I had to machine my own pulleys. I’ve still got a decent selection of 7075 10” down to 3”” diameter. It was pricey back then, I don’t even want to think about how much it costs now.

 

[fouckhest]

We watched our grandson a few weeks back and he "helped" me do some work on the Wheel Horse and it got me excited, but then I haven't touched it since. I looked up an engine kit for it but don't dare order any parts until I get it torn down to determine wear and exactly which kit I want to go with. I was pleased to find engine parts readily available. I have some welding and machining work to do on the chassis of the tractor as well as a few links and one spindle, but those are actually fun tasks and I'm not too worried about them. I am more worried about missing my window of opportunity to paint the tractor however as that needs to be done outside.

I backed my car trailer up to the shop last week and started working on it, but then put it on the back burner again as my head wasn't in the game. My phone has been blowing up the past week or so with side jobs, but I have so many personal projects to get done before that white **** falls and I'm losing my window.

Hate to hear that you've been in a rut, but I get that, however, its good to hear that your grandson has got you excited! I feel you on not getting ahead of yourself on parts, I know that story!

I'm sure when the fire gets lit to tackle the tractor it will all work itself out!

 

[zmotorsports]

I often have similar thoughts Mike. My whole life I've taken on extra work for one main reason, to get money to be able to afford the tools. I started out needing to fix my own stuff because I was poor. Which required tools, and more tools to be able to do things correctly and easier with the right tools and being poor meant doing work for others and getting paid was the way I could get the tools I needed. I often look back and wonder if it was the correct path to take or not when I look at all the money in tools and nowadays it seems like you constantly need more and more to do repairs on newer vehicles. So have to work more and more to afford all these tools and justify having them. But in the end they are all paid for by hard work and have served their purpose. Also like you said it's just nice to know you can fix almost anything that comes your way and don't have to rely on others.

For the longest time the wife could never understand my logic when we met. I remember times when I would make a larger tool purchase that didn't really make sense to most because I could hire the job out or rent a tool for less then what I was spending on new tools. But then I have the tool to use in the future, either for myself or on paying jobs. This was harder to justify back when we didn't have a lot of spending money but a little easier now. One tool was a carpet stretcher when we replaced the carpet. It was 600 new but somewhere around 50-60 bucks to rent it for a week. We talked about it and I rented when we replaced our carpet and rented when I replaced a couple bedrooms for a guy. The next time I needed one I bought my own and she wasn't the happiest when she found out. But I have used it enough now to justify the purchase and every time I use it I make sure to let her know I'm going out to the garage to grab the stretcher to install her new carpet. LOL. I stopped running things by her a long time ago just because she didn't understand the logic the same way I did. She has become more understanding of why I buy so many tools since everything in the house and on the cars is just taken care of without her having to worry about a thing.

Just like the tire machines she didn't really approve of them either. But now they have paid for themselves over the years and she never has to worry about new tires or a flat or TPMS sensor not working. It's just nice to be able to fix whatever life throws at you, even if it costs 10 times what it would paying someone else to do it for you.

Our paths appear to have been very similar Scott.

While I don't particularly consider my wife and I poor nowadays, those habits of living below our means and trying to take care of things and make them last is imbedded in both of us and something I don't think we will ever stray from.

I would joke with my wife about mechanics not being the smartest breed because we would buy more tools in order to take on more work, then have to take on more work to justify the cost of the additional tools we just bought. It's a vicious circle my friend. And the manufacturers are ALL in on the scam, because they make new fasteners and bury components in deep spaces than both need newer tools to overcome, and so on and so on. I used to think I was done buying tools and then something else comes along that requires a specialty tool that I don't currently have.

Fortunately my wife is very understanding, and patient.

 

[zmotorsports]

Hate to hear that you've been in a rut, but I get that, however, its good to hear that your grandson has got you excited! I feel you on not getting ahead of yourself on parts, I know that story!

I'm sure when the fire gets lit to tackle the tractor it will all work itself out!

Thanks Mike.

 

[madison069]

I hear you on the whole rut thing. For me it's the fact I just turned 44 and now starting over again with another house to make it a final home. My parents died at 61-62 and so I'm basically a little concerned about that since it's only 18 years from now. Nothing that worrying about it can fix it, but it still gets to me.

 

[signcrafter]

Our paths appear to have been very similar Scott.

While I don't particularly consider my wife and I poor nowadays, those habits of living below our means and trying to take care of things and make them last is imbedded in both of us and something I don't think we will ever stray from.

I would joke with my wife about mechanics not being the smartest breed because we would buy more tools in order to take on more work, then have to take on more work to justify the cost of the additional tools we just bought. It's a vicious circle my friend. And the manufacturers are ALL in on the scam, because they make new fasteners and bury components in deep spaces than both need newer tools to overcome, and so on and so on. I used to think I was done buying tools and then something else comes along that requires a specialty tool that I don't currently have.

Fortunately my wife is very understanding, and patient.

Sounds like it Mike, maybe why I respect your opinions and knowledge so much. I am pretty frugal on most things also so that I can splurge on other things, like an expensive press adapter kit that is highly regarded from what I've been told! I would say I'm in the middle of the journey, not laying on my back in the driveway on the freezing cold concrete fixing mine or somebody else's vehicle with basic hand tools getting the **** kicked out of me with rusted fasteners and no way to deal with them besides some spray. Fortunate enough to have a heated garage with some of the luxury(essential) tools like bolt buster, threading tools, air hammer, welder, etc that I only dreamed about when younger and a repair went sideways and no way to deal with it.

It is a vicious circle that ***** us in. I'm at the point where I have most of the essential stuff and can afford and justify some of the tools to start making things easier. But then like you said they come out with new fasteners or parts that require new tools to deal with them.

My wife is usually pretty understanding since she has seen and learned that the tools are paid for by the extra work I do and the tools are needed. Another example I thought of was when I spent several hundred dollars on windshield chip repair kit after our car got a chip. She wanted to just get the windshield replaced since it was roughly the same cost if I remember right. But I bought the kit so I had it for future use. A few months ago I was putting in a new LVP floor at the new house and there were a few places where the subfloor had raised at the joints that I wanted to fix but my corded porter cable belt sander was at the old house. I didn't want to spend the money on another corded belt sander since I already have one that works good. I looked into the cordless milwaukee one but it was around 340 dollars before taxes. When I need a duplicate tool I try to buy something that has a benefit that my current one doesn't. Cordless would be handy in a lot of situations but I also don't use one enough to justify that much. She could tell I was struggling with what to do and told me to just go get one. Think she's coming around, or just wanted the floor done!

 

[zmotorsports]

I hear you on the whole rut thing. For me it's the fact I just turned 44 and now starting over again with another house to make it a final home. My parents died at 61-62 and so I'm basically a little concerned about that since it's only 18 years from now. Nothing that worrying about it can fix it, but it still gets to me.

I've got a few years on ya Cody, but lately I think my "give a ****" tank is running on fumes. I am to the point where other people's problems are becoming less and less of a concern of mine. Not sure if that's something to worry about or not at this point.

For the past 4-decades I have tried to really be accommodating and understanding to the point of trying to get other people's stuff in the shop and help them out, and yes, even make a little money, but not to the point of overcharging or taking advantage of people. Unfortunately, lately people have become so self-centered and demanding that an emergency on their part is less and less a concern of mine.

I saw things through a different set of eyes here recently as witnessing changes amongst family after my sister passed and how irrelevant I really am, unless someone has something broken or needs fixing. It's made me take a step back and realize that I am on the downhill side of life and the time I have left to spend with my wife and grandchildren is of much more value than any monetary value I will gain from a few nights worth of work. I am also learning that I need to quit putting off my own projects to accommodate everyone else. IF I have time and I'm caught up then I will work on about anything for someone else, but pushing my stuff off just to get someone else's in has been getting the better of me lately. I need to learn that "NO" is a reasonable answer and/or response, no explanation required.

I am pretty frugal on most things also so that I can splurge on other things, like an expensive press adapter kit that is highly regarded from what I've been told!

I'm not sure what you are referring to Scott.

 

[signcrafter]

I saw things through a different set of eyes here recently as witnessing changes amongst family after my sister passed and how irrelevant I really am, unless someone has something broken or needs fixing. It's made me take a step back and realize that I am on the downhill side of life and the time I have left to spend with my wife and grandchildren is of much more value than any monetary value I will gain from a few nights worth of work. I am also learning that I need to quit putting off my own projects to accommodate everyone else. IF I have time and I'm caught up then I will work on about anything for someone else, but pushing my stuff off just to get someone else's in has been getting the better of me lately. I need to learn that "NO" is a reasonable answer and/or response, no explanation required.

Amen to that Mike. I learned a while back that it's alright to say no and to fire someone. When you really think about it most of those people actually need you more then you need them. In a lot of ways I was putting other people before my family. Don't get me wrong, my family was taken care of and if they needed something they came first. But I would put off maintenance and time with family to get stuff done for other people. And I always put myself last. Projects at my house were always half finished and my own vehicle maintenance was always behind schedule because I was chasing the next dollar and not getting paid to do my own stuff. One day it hit me and I've been changing since then. Started telling people I will get to it when I can and the ones that couldn't wait can find someone else. I also started charging what I should. I used to be happy to make a few bucks to get some spending money. But that was probably half what I should have been and once I started charging closer to what I should I was still making about the same but not working as much. Also the people that are just looking for the cheapest price ended up somebody else's problem. That improved my life drastically and got rid of a lot of the stress and headaches and the work I do is more enjoyable and worth doing. I don't get burned out as much anymore.

I like your No is an acceptable answer saying.

 

[signcrafter]

Mike, I have a pinion seal to do on a silverado 8.625 this weekend. I like to watch videos of repairs to wind down at night to see if there's anything special I need to do or tools for the repair. Watching a video on youtube and in the suggested videos on the side was your video on your son's truck with the AAM axle so I watched that. I realize that it's a different axle but man was that a great and detailed video. Also wanted to say that when tightening that pinion nut you and your son worked really well together. It might not be the most challenging job but the way you two worked together to get to the right preload with no communication stuck out to me.
Guessing it wasn't the first time you two have done that together.

What were those 2 prybars you had to remove that speedy sleeve? They don't look like anything I've seen before.

 

[PugetDude]

I've had two strangers stop and ask me where I bought the steel and stone address marker at our summer place. Told them I made it. Both asked how much I would charge to make something similar. Told them I don't do any commissioned work, only for myself famiy, or close friends. (If I charged for my work I would be competing for hourly wages with a 9-year old a Indonesian kid sewing sneakers, and would lose creative control...)
First guy understood, thanked me and left. The second lady couldn't understand why I wouldn't give her a price to make another one. She eventually just shook her head and left in a bit of a huff, which certainly helped validate my decision.

I retired so I could have the time to do these kinds of projects, not because I wanted a second career.

 

[madison069]

I've got a few years on ya Cody, but lately I think my "give a ****" tank is running on fumes. I am to the point where other people's problems are becoming less and less of a concern of mine. Not sure if that's something to worry about or not at this point.

Oh is that the rut? That’s been going on too, but I’ve started getting better at saying no. I’ve had relatives that I don’t see and they just randomly started calling me the past 2 weeks, I thought it was because of my birthday and they remembered. I was wrong, they asked for money around my birthday and asking me to come to the south and help them move. I’ve helped these folks out in the past but it’s been so long ago and they never paid me back or they just disappeared. When I’ve gave them advice they just seemed to do the opposite of what I told them and so I just don’t feel that bad about their situation. Only one I feel bad about and it’s my cousin that my parents raised. She single has a baby now and it breaks my heart on what’s happening but I tried to guide her and helped her financially but she just won’t do anything I’ve told her to do. I offered to pay for a bus or train ticket to help her and the baby move to Dallas and I haven’t heard anything since that conversation. I’m worried that if I go down there to move her, she’s going to put me in a situation where I’m guilt into moving them up here with me and I don’t want that to happen.

So to help me feel better, I am trying my best to make sure I raise my daughters to never get in those situations and hope I can teach them how to survive on their own in this world.

As for helping others, I’ve started being selective on who I help. I try not to let the bad experiences ruin my character as a helping person.

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike, I have a pinion seal to do on a silverado 8.625 this weekend. I like to watch videos of repairs to wind down at night to see if there's anything special I need to do or tools for the repair. Watching a video on youtube and in the suggested videos on the side was your video on your son's truck with the AAM axle so I watched that. I realize that it's a different axle but man was that a great and detailed video. Also wanted to say that when tightening that pinion nut you and your son worked really well together. It might not be the most challenging job but the way you two worked together to get to the right preload with no communication stuck out to me.
Guessing it wasn't the first time you two have done that together.

What were those 2 prybars you had to remove that speedy sleeve? They don't look like anything I've seen before.

Thank you Scott. Glad the video was helpful, that is EXACTLY why I enjoy making the few YouTube videos I've made. I don't do it to drum up business, I do them to show other people the quality of work to shoot for and if they aren't going to tackle the job, at least a good idea of what is involved to perform jobs properly so they can go into a repair shop armed with some knowledge of what the job entails. That way they can ask the correct questions and be involved in the process rather than drop their cars off and say "call me when it's done". Even when I had my business I despised those types of clients, which fortunately, I had very few. Most of my clients were actively engaged in the care and maintenance of their assets and I ran my business like a "partnership" in the care and maintenance of their assets rather than just somewhere to drop off their problems and return when their done. I enjoyed that kind of engagement with my clients actually as it felt like we had a mutual interest in their asset's long-term care. It just seems like lately, maybe the past 8 or so years, that those types of vehicle owners are fewer and fewer. Most people these days want something done the cheapest way possible, which includes using the cheapest parts and processes available, but they want it warranted and returned to them in the highest degree of reliability possible. Those requirements simply do not align and you won't convince people otherwise. It's a different world.


I really enjoy working with my son in the shop, but I have to admit, it is different now compared to what it was like when he was a teenager. Most of that was on me as I was working a full time job and trying to run a part-time business so when we had client's projects we were working on it was all about that balance of time spent vs. highest quality of work to keep the billable hours under control for them. At that time I may have been more of a dictator telling him what needed to be done and maybe pushed him a bit when I thought he was taking too long on something. I regret that now, but I hope he took away what I was trying to teach him in terms of the actual work.

I feel like I'm different with my grandson as I am not under the same time constraints or pressures that I was 20-30 years ago. I want to be able to spend the time teaching my grandson (and hopefully granddaughter) when they start showing interest so I can not only spend quality time with them, but also pass along a little of myself that maybe they will hold on to and cherish when I'm gone. My son and I work together much better these days and I wish I would have been more patient all those years ago with him and maybe he would enjoy it more today. The best thing that came out of all that work back then is the fact that we were able to put him through college so he got a start in life with zero college debt and only has to work one job which allows him to spend his afternoon and evenings with his family rather than working a second job to enjoy a few luxuries in life. I can at least look at that and feel like I helped to contribute to that.

As for the two prybars, I had to go back and look at what I used as I couldn't remember. Those are made by MAC Tools and are a set of heel bars specifically for pulling heavy truck diesel injectors from heads.

 

[zmotorsports]

I've had two strangers stop and ask me where I bought the steel and stone address marker at our summer place. Told them I made it. Both asked how much I would charge to make something similar. Told them I don't do any commissioned work, only for myself famiy, or close friends. (If I charged for my work I would be competing for hourly wages with a 9-year old a Indonesian kid sewing sneakers, and would lose creative control...)
First guy understood, thanked me and left. The second lady couldn't understand why I wouldn't give her a price to make another one. She eventually just shook her head and left in a bit of a huff, which certainly helped validate my decision.

I retired so I could have the time to fo these kinds of projects, not because I wanted a second career.

Thanks for sharing Scott. I had a similar situation at our last home. I thought the store-bought post style mailboxes like I had installed at our home and had for several years looked cheap and "unclassy" whereas I thought those matching brick ones really added a level of class to the homes that I saw when the wife and I were driving around. I had always admired those brick mailboxes people had in front of their homes as it was the first thing I saw as curb appeal and character that it added to any home. I called around and stopped and asked people who made theirs and after getting a couple of names I began calling until I found a guy who was still making them AND willing to make another. I was NOT a brick layer and at that point wished I would have paid closer attention to my dad as he was awesome at bricking. He had bricked his home, both of my brother's homes (which were all brick homes) and the motel and restaurant that he had built from the ground up in the late 70's. I helped but really didn't pay as close attention as I should have.

I had this gentleman build the wife and I a really nice matching brick mailbox which matched our home perfectly and tied it all together. About 8 years later a neighbor girl ran the stop sign across from our home and destroyed the mailbox, as well as her car. I got a call from my wife who was getting ready to leave for work when she heard the commotion. I left work and ran home to find brick littering the street and about halfway up my driveway. After getting the insurance money for the mailbox I called the guy back but he was no longer doing mailboxes and I could find no one else willing to make me another one.

I went to the library and grabbed a book on brick work and gave myself a crash course. I ordered the materials and went about one weekend building a new mailbox. I had at least a dozen people stop while I was working on it asking if I'd make one for them. Many I thought were nice people as most were immediate neighbors but found out they were quite ugly people when told no. They couldn't understand why I wouldn't make one for them. I told them I hated brick work and the ONLY reason I was doing mine was because it was destroyed by the neighbor and I couldn't find anyone to build me another one.


Similar situation with a guy who has a Monaco coach who wanted me to build him a set of stainless steel cooling tubes like I did on mine. He wouldn't take no for an answer and even after he had a shop somewhat local to him build him a set of tubes, when they leaked and the welds looked bad he called me to complain, like it was my fault he had to live with inferior cooling tubes just because I wouldn't make a set for him. Some people are understanding, but I'm finding more and more lately are not. When things have become so readily available for people and they can have items delivered right to their doorstep with a click of a button, they think everything should work the exact same way and they should be able to buy whatever they want. Had another scenario when I put the 6.2 liter LS in my Jeep. All of a sudden I had people wanting me to do LS swaps. I told them no because I did mine as a personal challenge and so I could drive something unique and made it personally to my taste and didn't want nor need to do another. One guy just could not understand why I wouldn't put an LS in his Jeep and got quite upset with me after repeatedly telling him no. THOSE are the people I hate to do work for and refuse to these days.

 

[signcrafter]

Thank you Scott. Glad the video was helpful, that is EXACTLY why I enjoy making the few YouTube videos I've made. I don't do it to drum up business, I do them to show other people the quality of work to shoot for and if they aren't going to tackle the job, at least a good idea of what is involved to perform jobs properly so they can go into a repair shop armed with some knowledge of what the job entails. That way they can ask the correct questions and be involved in the process rather than drop their cars off and say "call me when it's done". Even when I had my business I despised those types of clients, which fortunately, I had very few. Most of my clients were actively engaged in the care and maintenance of their assets and I ran my business like a "partnership" in the care and maintenance of their assets rather than just somewhere to drop off their problems and return when their done. I enjoyed that kind of engagement with my clients actually as it felt like we had a mutual interest in their asset's long-term care. It just seems like lately, maybe the past 8 or so years, that those types of vehicle owners are fewer and fewer. Most people these days want something done the cheapest way possible, which includes using the cheapest parts and processes available, but they want it warranted and returned to them in the highest degree of reliability possible. Those requirements simply do not align and you won't convince people otherwise. It's a different world.


I really enjoy working with my son in the shop, but I have to admit, it is different now compared to what it was like when he was a teenager. Most of that was on me as I was working a full time job and trying to run a part-time business so when we had client's projects we were working on it was all about that balance of time spent vs. highest quality of work to keep the billable hours under control for them. At that time I may have been more of a dictator telling him what needed to be done and maybe pushed him a bit when I thought he was taking too long on something. I regret that now, but I hope he took away what I was trying to teach him in terms of the actual work.

I feel like I'm different with my grandson as I am not under the same time constraints or pressures that I was 20-30 years ago. I want to be able to spend the time teaching my grandson (and hopefully granddaughter) when they start showing interest so I can not only spend quality time with them, but also pass along a little of myself that maybe they will hold on to and cherish when I'm gone. My son and I work together much better these days and I wish I would have been more patient all those years ago with him and maybe he would enjoy it more today. The best thing that came out of all that work back then is the fact that we were able to put him through college so he got a start in life with zero college debt and only has to work one job which allows him to spend his afternoon and evenings with his family rather than working a second job to enjoy a few luxuries in life. I can at least look at that and feel like I helped to contribute to that.

As for the two prybars, I had to go back and look at what I used as I couldn't remember. Those are made by MAC Tools and are a set of heel bars specifically for pulling heavy truck diesel injectors from heads.

I've done a handful of pinion seals over the years and have read your posts on here about doing them. I always try to learn as much as I can and do things the correct way. But really glad I found that video because there were so many little details you shared that I really learned a lot. I appreciate you taking the time to make that video sharing those details, Thank You.

I get what you mean about your son learning in a business setting vs hanging out in a relaxed environment in the shop. But in my opinion that probably also had some real world learning benefit to it. I'm guessing he learned some work ethic and how to work under pressure to get things done. Just a guess since I wasn't there. In my opinion I think it's good for kids to see how real life works and too often they are shielded from those things. I'm sure growing up on a farm you got to see real life when your Dad was getting things done and I would guess that played into your work ethic. Would guess your son picked up some of that drive to get jobs done from you just working in the shop.

Thanks for the info on the pry bars. The shape of it looked useful and had never seen one with that particular shape to it before. Lots similar but not one with the exact shape to the foot. Did a quick google search after you said injector puller and looks like CAT makes one similar. Will have to look into them more later.

 

[aka Larry]

I've had two strangers stop and ask me where I bought the steel and stone address marker at our summer place. Told them I made it. Both asked how much I would charge to make something similar. Told them I don't do any commissioned work, only for myself famiy, or close friends. (If I charged for my work I would be competing for hourly wages with a 9-year old a Indonesian kid sewing sneakers, and would lose creative control...)

Same for me.

When people see some of the stuff I've built (steel mailbox post, headboard for our bed, camper drying rack, etc) others have wanted me to build them something similar, but I told them they couldn't afford me. Not because I'm anywhere near Mike's level of craftmanship, but I'm just too slow to make any money doing it.

Also I have a friend who's been pestering me to put a set of rock lights on her Jeep, and I her told it's all day job for me. Reason being, I'm pretty **** about how any wiring I'm doing. I'm pretty picky about how is routed and how it looks after the fact, so to do it faster would result in a half-@ssed job. She wouldn't care as long as it worked, but I just can't bring myself to work like that, AND...she never has offered to pay me either. She mentioned she was going to get a local shop to do it, and there is no doubt I'd 100% do a better job, likely for less $$$, but she's never asked for a price from me. She's a real 'needy' type person in general, but she makes more than twice my salary, thus I ain't doing it for free.

 

[zmotorsports]

Oh is that the rut? That’s been going on too, but I’ve started getting better at saying no. I’ve had relatives that I don’t see and they just randomly started calling me the past 2 weeks, I thought it was because of my birthday and they remembered. I was wrong, they asked for money around my birthday and asking me to come to the south and help them move. I’ve helped these folks out in the past but it’s been so long ago and they never paid me back or they just disappeared. When I’ve gave them advice they just seemed to do the opposite of what I told them and so I just don’t feel that bad about their situation. Only one I feel bad about and it’s my cousin that my parents raised. She single has a baby now and it breaks my heart on what’s happening but I tried to guide her and helped her financially but she just won’t do anything I’ve told her to do. I offered to pay for a bus or train ticket to help her and the baby move to Dallas and I haven’t heard anything since that conversation. I’m worried that if I go down there to move her, she’s going to put me in a situation where I’m guilt into moving them up here with me and I don’t want that to happen.

So to help me feel better, I am trying my best to make sure I raise my daughters to never get in those situations and hope I can teach them how to survive on their own in this world.

As for helping others, I’ve started being selective on who I help. I try not to let the bad experiences ruin my character as a helping person.

That's part of the rut Cody, but only partly. Dealing with side work and telling people no is becoming easier. I no longer feel as though I have to justify or explain why I can't get to it "right now". I make it clear that IF I have time, I'll gladly take on their job, but only IF I have time and right now our stuff is taking a priority so I simply don't have time for a bit. I have had a couple people say they are in no hurry so I've added them to my list with no guarantee of "when" I will get to them.

Funny, I remember being in awe of my two mentors early on when I began my career with how they had so much knowledge and were so good at what they did that people would come out of the woodwork to have them work on their stuff. It didn't matter what it was, people wanted them to wrench on their stuff so they knew it would be done correctly. I admired that so much and hoped that if I applied myself and held my standards to a certain level that someday I would be "that good", to have people want my opinion on things and actually to work on their vehicles. Thinking about it, I think I may be to that point now in my life and it matters less to me now than it did back then.

I'm flattered when people want me to work on their stuff, but I don't think it directs me or has nearly as much influence in the way I do things as it once did. I think I made my mind up so long ago on what I wanted my standard work to be that it has now become part of my DNA. My wife and I talked about this recently that I used to maintain our stuff so that it would get noticed and people would see my quality of work and want me to work on their stuff. The exact opposite of the old saying that "you can spot a good mechanic because his stuff is always having issues because he's in demand working on everyone else's vehicles", or something along those lines. However, I never liked that phrase. I became a mechanic because I wanted nice things and I could only afford the older stuff and I wanted my older vehicles to be kept in pristine condition, period. My philosophy was like my mentor's, keep your stuff in tip top condition and others will notice and want you to do the same for them, but these days I don't think I do things for anyone else but me. I perform tasks the way I do for nothing other than my own sanity. I mow my lawn a certain way, I maintain our assets a certain way and everything else only because I can't do things half-assed and live with them. I'm the one who has to look at the lines in the lawn going the wrong direction, or the wiring in one of our vehicles looking a mess, no one else. I want to be able to pull in the driveway, pop the hood of the Jeep or truck or the wife's car, or pull the coach into a campground and have everything just so for no one other than me. It's taken me a while to feel that way as I have always felt like I have had to justify me career choice or the way I do things and I no longer feel like any explanation is required. It's just the way I'm wired I guess and I am ok with that.



The bigger part of the "rut" is lately the wife and I have been feeling very irrelevant and have just decided to step away from a lot of the BS or noise that there has been in our lives for so long it has started to become "normal". I've come to terms with the fact that no one wants our advice nor cares to hear it, although that's been hard for the wife to accept here lately. I've told the wife that you are not going to prevent someone from making poor choices, they aren't listening so just stand back and let them go about their lives because they will despise you more for trying to help, they already know everything and you are not going to tell them anything useful, just let them be the victim that they want to be. You can show them how we've gotten through life, give them specific examples even, but they don't care nor will they think it can apply to their life because their life is "hard" and we know nothing about that, so it just isn't worth trying to intervene. I think part of it is that whenever the wife and I have dealt with something in our life, and there's been plenty, we haven't made it public to our entire families, we've just handled it silently and dealt with the issue that is right in front of us. That is not the norm with my family and certainly not the wife's family. EVERYTHING is out in the open and shared amongst the families and then the sympathy starts and it plays into the victim mentality, which I have to exclude myself from or I'll say something wrong. I already know I'm not very well liked and I've lived with being ignored most of my life (unless people need something) so to me it's no big deal, but the wife is struggling with family issues right now. There have been some things transpire over the past several months that have confirmed her feelings and so we've stepped back from a lot of interactions and groups that we've been engaged with. Started with the wife's family reunion a couple months back, then an annual trip we go on where people invited themselves and began to dictate our schedule (on OUR vacation) until about day 3 when I kind of went off we just did our own thing the remainder of the week. Doubtful we'll ever see those people again, but I got my point across and we enjoyed the remainder of our vacation, whereas in the past we would bend and turn ourselves inside out to please the others and then feel like we wasted our vacation. Probably why we don't host rallies or gatherings any longer. Then lastly my family reunion this past weekend where we just sat and observed rather than engaged and it was kind of a surreal feeling.

We've taken a step away from many things over the past several weeks to really try and clear our heads and focus on the path ahead of us and what we want that to look like as our lives come to a close. It has been quite eye opening when one steps back and just observes rather than participates in things. When you focus on watching people rather than engaging in conversations you really see that people's actions often do not align with their words. People claim to be one way and will do everything in their power to "tell" you what they want you to hear, however, when sitting back and observing you see that most of their words are empty and the actions are what really demonstrate a person's core values, morales and character. Actions speak louder than words.


I have usually been the one at my family reunions that talked a lot about our dad and how impactful he was even though he's been gone 25 years now. His actions spoke louder than words and I learned so much from that man, but it has been obvious over the past several years that my dad (our dad) had a larger impact on me than I think he did any of my siblings. Not sure if that's just because I overanalyze everything and think things to death until I can't think any more or what, but I look at my dad and my wife's grandfather and how much influence they really had to my character and therefore my life. I have tried to model various aspects of my life in their image as well as the couple of mentors whom I have been fortunate to have in my life and it doesn't seem like people are sitting back and really even acknowledging anyone before them in their own lives. They are so self-centered and think they are the only ones on the face of the earth and everything they did was solely their doing. Granted the wife and I feel self-made in terms of where we are at in life because of our humble and poor beginnings, but those behaviors and traits that allowed us to be successful came from somewhere and I believe in giving credit where credit is due. The Lord has blessed me and my family with so much that it is immeasurable, up to and including placing those strong male figures whom I have looked up to and admired in my life so I could learn from how they conducted themselves and studied them to the point of figuring out which aspects I could adopt into my life. That was no accident they were in my life at the time I needed guidance and direction.

It hit my wife and I a few weeks ago how irrelevant we really are, that generally speaking we are one or maybe two generations from being totally erased from this earth, that was a sobering reality. My dad who was such a great man and so impactful to my life, but he passed when I was 34-years old and my son only knew his grandfather for 10-years is all. My dad died when I was my son's age now so my grandson never knew him and my grandchildren's children will more than likely never know me. A harder lesson came from me realizing that I am only a small chapter in my son's life, but he has been the entire book in my life, and it will more than likely be the same with his children. Kids are our entire reason for existing for so many years and then one day, in the blink of an eye it seems, that they have their own families and their kids are the entire book in their lives. That is the way it is supposed to be, but sometimes hard to accept. I look at the father that my son is to his son and daughter and I am so proud because I feel like maybe, just maybe, I had something to do with that. But at the same time I no longer have that relationship with my son that he has with his children because they are his entire book and I am merely a small chapter. That's just the way life works and is by design, but hard to wrap one's head around sometimes.


Our children's main focus should be on their children, that is the way I think life was designed. However, when I see the games my FIL plays with my wife and her siblings and how counterproductive that is to a having a healthy relationship, I get angry because of the missed opportunities that will never come around again. I would give anything to have one more conversation with my dad. To really LISTEN to what he has to say and be able to introduce him to his great-grandchildren, his great-DIL and show how him how awesome his grandson has turned out, but I will never get that opportunity. I remember sitting and listening to my wife's grandfather telling stories about his time in WWII and I was enthralled by the words and the weight they carried. He only started speaking about that chapter of his life in his later years, but I think my wife and I were the only ones listening as none of her siblings know anything about these stories when we bring them up, they were too busy telling everyone about what they were doing. My wife's siblings have that opportunity right now to have real conversations about real things and are ******* it away. They are so emotionally immature in their pining for their dad's attention, which he gives conditionally and only when he feels like it, that no one is really listening to one another nor engaging in any kind of meaningful conversations or dialogue. It is just noise whenever more than one of them is in the room because they talk over one another one-upping each other trying to sound "cool" all while trying to gain a foothold for their dad's attention span. Get the whole family together and my head feels like it's going to explode because of the immaturity being displayed. I see what it does to their behaviors and in many instances, the poor life decisions they have made and continue to make, and we want nothing to do with it. We try to visit him when we know no one else is there just so the wife can check on him and see if we can do anything, but if someone else walks in, it's game time and we leave.

In some ways the last several months have been good for the wife and I because it has revealed a lot about our life, what we want for our future, what we want for our grandchildren and how we want to be remembered. It has also allowed the wife and I to be more vulnerable with each other than I think we've ever been in terms of emotion and directness. Taking a step back from the noise of life has been good for us.


Sorry for the long diatribe. Long answer to a short question I guess.

 

[CGohring]

Mike, - I don't have a gift for expressing myself in words like you just did, but I wanted you to know that you are absolutely not alone in what you are currently observing. My wife and I are slowly becoming more and more detached from both our families because of the drama. There is so much going on that is either plain dumb, very immature, self-serving or just plain rude that it's just not where we want to spend our energy. - Stepping away from that unfortunately comes with its own cost and does lead to some serious conversations about how we want to spend our later years....

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike, - I don't have a gift for expressing myself in words like you just did, but I wanted you to know that you are absolutely not alone in what you are currently observing. My wife and I are slowly becoming more and more detached from both our families because of the drama. There is so much going on that is either plain dumb, very immature, self-serving or just plain rude that it's just not where we want to spend our energy. - Stepping away from that unfortunately comes with its own cost and does lead to some serious conversations about how we want to spend our later years....

Thanks Claus. Glad to hear I'm not alone in my thinking, as I often feel that I am.

Unfortunately, I feel like mine and my wife's "circle" is getting smaller with each passing year, month and day. I used to feel like I had a lot of friends who shared similar values and goals. Then life circumstances happen and people go about their lives and some take different paths or do things that went against their former self's beliefs and that caused us to regroup, or rethink, our priorities and when we saw our values and goals remain true and differ from those we had surrounded ourselves with, we stepped back and our circle shrunk. Then again and again over the course of mine and my wife's nearly 40 years together and that circle is quite small now. The good news is that even if that circle ends at our doorstep, at least the two of us are still in alignment. That is the important part.


Thank you for following along and I appreciate you sharing your thoughts.

 

[M.Brane]

I would much rather have a small circle of good friends. Unfortunately we can't choose our families. I have a long standing zero tolerance policy for drama. Misery not only loves company it demands it.

 

[PhantomEB]

Pretty much Vincent. When the wife mentioned a new mower, I cringed and thought "new mower my ***"!

my next mower will just be my moms Ryobi since my sister only seems to use it twice a year…..

just waiting for my sister to move out of that house she’s squatting in.

 

[zmotorsports]

I have another very interesting project that I am using as a proof of concept.

For anyone with a Jeep JK/JKU, the rear brakes have small anti-rattle clips that fit into the abutments on the caliper brackets. For most "standard" Jeeps I have not really seen too awfully many issues, just a few where these clips see to have an expedited wear rate. HOWEVER, for those running big brakes with the rear caliper brackets that move the caliper mounting outboard, I have noticed an increased rate in which these need attention. From my experience it is something that most owners just seem to live with and tolerate when the wear gets to the point that the clips are worn enough or compressed enough that the calipers start making a slight rattle or clunking noise. The noise is almost always only detectable at very low speeds as the friction causes the caliper to rise slightly and then fall back down on the brake caliper abutment. At faster speeds the caliper must "load" itself against the upper abutment point thus causing the caliper to stay in one place.

During this low-speed clunk or rattle, just ever so slightly breathing on the brake pedal instantly causes the noise to stop as it causes the caliper to grab just enough that it loads up against the upper abutment point on the caliper bracket. I have noticed on my Jeep JKUR with the Teraflex Big Brake kit that I seem to go through anti-rattle clips at an accelerated rate, like nearly every 5k-7k miles I'm tearing the calipers off and replacing the anti-rattle clips. I have tried several aftermarket brands and even the Mopar OEM ones to no avail.

Last year during mine and the wife's last season trip to the San Rafael Swell, on about the second or third last day I noticed this ever so slight rattle sound that would instantly stop with a very slight application of the brake pedal. I mentioned to the wife that it was those dang anti-rattle clips again even though she could not hear the noise. On the last day we happened to be driving through a very sandy wash with a tall ledge on the wife's side and she was able to hear the noise. Upon returning home, I pulled the brakes apart, again, and replaced the anti-rattle clips. No issues the last of the year, even on the couple of local off-road day trips that the wife and I went on.

Fast forward to this season and they've been quiet, up until the last day of our central Idaho trip a few weeks ago when the noise returned and again, instantly quit with a very slight application of the brakes.

I have been racking my brain trying to come up with a permanent solution as this is getting ridiculous. After reading a lot of Jeep forums I have also found that others have experienced similar issues but no permanent solution other than people replacing the anti-rattle clips at an alarming rate.


I decided to tear my rear brakes apart and do some in-depth measuring and try to come up with a plan.


Dial indicator with stem adapter in order to accurately measure movement.


DTI zero'd out with the brake pads pushed all the way towards one abutment.


Then pulled the opposite direction to reveal more than .032" of travel. Well hell, that's enough to make a rattling or clunking noise at low speed. Even before pulling the caliper brackets off the rear end, I grabbed the pads and shifted them up and down and was able to easily get a resulting noise as metal on metal from the ears on the brake pads.


I measured the distance in the brake caliper bracket to see if it had worn, although it didn't look like it was showing signs of wear. I measured both caliper brackets and even dug out my old OEM brackets to ensure there were no discrepancies, and they were all within +/- .003" of each other. I even called a friend who recently was putting a new rear end under his JKU and had purchased all brand new brake components and his brand new OEM caliper brackets measured the same as mine.








So then last week I went to my local NAPA store where I could measure several sets of brake pads and look to see if there was maybe some discrepancies between manufacturers. It was a long shot, but things happen and I've been running the same NAPA Ultra-Premiums for the last while.

The NAPA store didn't have their Ultra Premium, but they had their SG (Severe Grade) so I measured them. I then measured a set of Brembo and Akebono they had on the shelf and all were within +/- .004". It was worth a try, but it appears the pads aren't the issue. In my head I keep thinking it has more to do with the larger rotors requiring the calipers to be further outboard and therefore putting more leverage and stresses on the abutments which in turn result in excessive clearance much sooner than a Jeep with factory brakes installed.


With not really any findings that jumped out at me, I thought I would try to add a little material to my brake pads and tighten up the gap right from the beginning so maybe they wouldn't move as much and create this excessive clearance. It's a thought and one I thought I'd test out.


Wet rag wrapped around brake pad to prevent overheating and a little weld added to one ear of each pad.


I had run several calculations/measurements and decided I would try to shoot for somewhere around .010" clearance as a beginning point. Hopefully that will be the beginning AND ending point.


After adding some weld to one ear of each pad, I kept sneaking up on the overall dimension until I felt comfortable with enough clearance to where the shoe would move in the abutments, but not so much as to have "slop".


With my old pads I used them as the test bed and then added some welds to the new Akebono pads and took them to size.


With the newly sized pads in the brake caliper bracket and DTI zero'd out pulled in one direction as hard as I could.


I then pushed hard the other direction and saw that it netted me a good .009"-.010" of overall clearance. Much, much less than the >.032" I began with.


Now it was time to reassemble everything and give begin testing.







With everything back together and some test miles on it over the weekend so far it is fine. But the real test will be over time. My notes kept for the next time I need to replace brake pads so I don't have to go through this again.



Thanks for looking.

 

[zmotorsports]

Also during our trip to central Idaho a few weeks ago, it was down into the mid-30's one morning and after my morning ritual of checking fluids on the Jeep, I started it to then go back and lock up the coach and get the wife settled into a warm Jeep, I detected a very, very slight "chirp" noise that sounded belt-train related. I immediately thought an idler or tensioner pulley as that's what it sounded like, especially when it quieted down immediately after being run for a minute or so.

Upon returning to the coach that afternoon and looking through my notes I saw that I had never replaced the idler or tensioner pulleys since I put the LS engine into the Jeep 85k miles ago and that seems to be a normal interval for pulleys. My local NAPA had the pulleys so I have had them on my bench for the past week or so but just haven't dove into the replacement yet.

Yesterday I swapped out the pulleys and sure enough, I found one that was dry and just starting to make some noise.


Old pulleys removed and new pulleys ready to be installed.


Pulleys removed.


New ones installed.


Intake duct and engine cover cleaned and ready for reinstallation.



The wife and I took it for a nice drive yesterday and all seems good again. Now it's ready to head to the hills and see the leaves changing before we miss it.

Thanks for looking.

 

[madison069]

I wonder if those pads clearance are there to compensate for rust in my area?

I think you would be driven mad in my cars, I’m sure they put out a lot of noise but nothing I can hear or any complaints from the wife and kids.

 

[zmotorsports]

I wonder if those pads clearance are there to compensate for rust in my area?

I think you would be driven mad in my cars, I’m sure they put out a lot of noise but nothing I can hear or any complaints from the wife and kids.

Yeah, I hate any noises Cody. Don't even listen to the radio most of the time.

Not sure why so much clearance is designed into these things. When doing brake jobs I always clean out the abutment areas and even apply a little silicone brake grease before installing any anti-rattle hardware to prevent such rust-jacking.