don long
Well-known member
Just stopped in to wish you a Merry Christmas Bob
Don
Don
2 Sluggo's Garage
- Thread starter rmalkow2
- Start date
Bob,
Looks like you are making good progress on the belly-tank hot rod.
Looks like we will be having a green Christmas here in Niles..... Not complaining a bit.
Like you said, we still have January and February.
Well, progress was actually stalled out for a long time because I could not decide on a solution for the engine and drive train. I’ve been looking at various setups with a conventional engine/trans,rear axle system and would be more traditional for this type of vehicle. But finding something to fit into this chassis has proved difficult. I also thought to go with VW engine and transaxle which fits the chassis but is not just a stock setup either. In Formula Vee the engine is turned around from conventional Bug mounting so you need a transaxle built special with the gears swapped to rotate in the correct direction.
So I’m game to try this 3 wheel version for now. At least I have seen this done before and know it can work. I met a guy at Speed Week last year who was also spectating and brought his 3 wheel belly tank replica powered by the rear section of a Gold Wing. It was pretty cool. As soon as I get the donor stripped down we’ll see if the two frames can be married together or if I have to do more cutting and welding.
One of the potential benefits of using this motorcycle is the title. Big if but, if I can fit the two frames together and retain the Honda head piece intact, it has the original VIN number which matches the title. In Michigan a 3 wheeler is still considered a motorcycle so I could register it under the original Honda title.
It would just be a slightly “different looking” Honda Gold Wing. There’s still a lot more problems than solutions yet to making this work but I will slowly tackle them one at a time.
Bob
xtremek
Well-known member
Merry Christmas, sir.
I just looked back and realized it’s been a long time since I posted anything here. Not that life has not been busy and, I have been lurking on many other GJ threads that I frequent trying to keep up on everyone else’s happenings.
Just getting through Christmas and the holidays with family visiting and then in addition to the daily work routine I’ve been traveling a bit which I will explain more in future posts.
I’m not one for traditional New Year resolutions but I did some reflection on the past year and took stock of some things that I did not accomplish. Like I did not drive my roadster very much and have that as a goal for 2020 to get it out more often and use it. I think I’ll actually get a regular plate for it in lieu of the historical one so I can drive it legally anywhere except for just car shows and events.
Another goal is to attend more car shows and visit more car/speed related museums. So far I’m off to a good start as follows:
Snooks Dream Cars - Ohio
Coker Museum - Tennessee
Muscle Car city - Florida
National Corvette Museum - Kentucky
Lone Star Throwdown - Texas
Autorama 2020 - Detroit
I’ll have more details and some pics about these places in future posts. All places I can recommend visiting.
I also bought another vehicle recently. Hardly a surprise if your keeping track of my past purchases. My friends just look at me and laugh now whenever I announce another new purchase. I was planning to drive my F150 all winter and then put up for sale in the spring now that I have the F350 for heavy pulling and all around truck duties. But, driving the F150 to work each day and one trip to Florida convinced me that cash was flowing from my wallet to the gas pump at a highly supercharged rate. Unbelievable how bad the mileage can be for daily driving that V8 Truck. So I went on a quest for an economy car at first looking for a good used Ford Focus. (I’m still a Ford guy, well mostly) That did not yield many good prospects as I didn’t want the little bubble hatch version and good used Focus wagons are harder to find. (Should have never sold the one I had). Plus I admit they are boring looking. So, I went the another direction to look for something more fun and still great on gas consumption. (No not Japanese or Korean)
I have always liked the Mini Cooper and have a friend that has owned a couple and loved his so after some FB Marketplace searching I’m now the proud owner of this 2006 Mini Cooper and loving it. It had 95,000 miles and is in really good shape but like any used car needs some maintenance items done. It had a good CarFax history and lived most of its life in the south. 29-30 mpg around town and 33-35 mpg average on the highway. (I drove it to I Texas and back recently which is another story) So I now have my first almost a BMW and, my first quirky British Sport Car.
It get twice the gas mileage of the F150, is surprisingly very comfortable inside especially for my big ****, great all around visibility from all the windows and will haul a fair amount of cargo with the back seats folded down. Fun to drive and gets plenty of smiles per mile and compliments. Time will tell if maintenance gets expensive but really, parts I’v bought so far have been similar pricing as my other vehicles. Nothing much is cheap these days.
So far I’m loving it.
Hope everyone is having a great start to the new year so far!
Bob
Just getting through Christmas and the holidays with family visiting and then in addition to the daily work routine I’ve been traveling a bit which I will explain more in future posts.
I’m not one for traditional New Year resolutions but I did some reflection on the past year and took stock of some things that I did not accomplish. Like I did not drive my roadster very much and have that as a goal for 2020 to get it out more often and use it. I think I’ll actually get a regular plate for it in lieu of the historical one so I can drive it legally anywhere except for just car shows and events.
Another goal is to attend more car shows and visit more car/speed related museums. So far I’m off to a good start as follows:
Snooks Dream Cars - Ohio
Coker Museum - Tennessee
Muscle Car city - Florida
National Corvette Museum - Kentucky
Lone Star Throwdown - Texas
Autorama 2020 - Detroit
I’ll have more details and some pics about these places in future posts. All places I can recommend visiting.
I also bought another vehicle recently. Hardly a surprise if your keeping track of my past purchases. My friends just look at me and laugh now whenever I announce another new purchase. I was planning to drive my F150 all winter and then put up for sale in the spring now that I have the F350 for heavy pulling and all around truck duties. But, driving the F150 to work each day and one trip to Florida convinced me that cash was flowing from my wallet to the gas pump at a highly supercharged rate. Unbelievable how bad the mileage can be for daily driving that V8 Truck. So I went on a quest for an economy car at first looking for a good used Ford Focus. (I’m still a Ford guy, well mostly) That did not yield many good prospects as I didn’t want the little bubble hatch version and good used Focus wagons are harder to find. (Should have never sold the one I had). Plus I admit they are boring looking. So, I went the another direction to look for something more fun and still great on gas consumption. (No not Japanese or Korean)
I have always liked the Mini Cooper and have a friend that has owned a couple and loved his so after some FB Marketplace searching I’m now the proud owner of this 2006 Mini Cooper and loving it. It had 95,000 miles and is in really good shape but like any used car needs some maintenance items done. It had a good CarFax history and lived most of its life in the south. 29-30 mpg around town and 33-35 mpg average on the highway. (I drove it to I Texas and back recently which is another story) So I now have my first almost a BMW and, my first quirky British Sport Car.
It get twice the gas mileage of the F150, is surprisingly very comfortable inside especially for my big ****, great all around visibility from all the windows and will haul a fair amount of cargo with the back seats folded down. Fun to drive and gets plenty of smiles per mile and compliments. Time will tell if maintenance gets expensive but really, parts I’v bought so far have been similar pricing as my other vehicles. Nothing much is cheap these days.
So far I’m loving it.
Hope everyone is having a great start to the new year so far!
Bob
Attachments
I just looked back and realized it’s been a long time since I posted anything here. Not that life has not been busy and, I have been lurking on many other GJ threads that I frequent trying to keep up on everyone else’s happenings.
Just getting through Christmas and the holidays with family visiting and then in addition to the daily work routine I’ve been traveling a bit which I will explain more in future posts.
I’m not one for traditional New Year resolutions but I did some reflection on the past year and took stock of some things that I did not accomplish. Like I did not drive my roadster very much and have that as a goal for 2020 to get it out more often and use it. I think I’ll actually get a regular plate for it in lieu of the historical one so I can drive it legally anywhere except for just car shows and events.
Another goal is to attend more car shows and visit more car/speed related museums. So far I’m off to a good start as follows:
Snooks Dream Cars - Ohio
Coker Museum - Tennessee
Muscle Car city - Florida
National Corvette Museum - Kentucky
Lone Star Throwdown - Texas
Autorama 2020 - Detroit
I’ll have more details and some pics about these places in future posts. All places I can recommend visiting.
I also bought another vehicle recently. Hardly a surprise if your keeping track of my past purchases. My friends just look at me and laugh now whenever I announce another new purchase. I was planning to drive my F150 all winter and then put up for sale in the spring now that I have the F350 for heavy pulling and all around truck duties. But, driving the F150 to work each day and one trip to Florida convinced me that cash was flowing from my wallet to the gas pump at a highly supercharged rate. Unbelievable how bad the mileage can be for daily driving that V8 Truck. So I went on a quest for an economy car at first looking for a good used Ford Focus. (I’m still a Ford guy, well mostly) That did not yield many good prospects as I didn’t want the little bubble hatch version and good used Focus wagons are harder to find. (Should have never sold the one I had). Plus I admit they are boring looking. So, I went the another direction to look for something more fun and still great on gas consumption. (No not Japanese or Korean)
I have always liked the Mini Cooper and have a friend that has owned a couple and loved his so after some FB Marketplace searching I’m now the proud owner of this 2006 Mini Cooper and loving it. It had 95,000 miles and is in really good shape but like any used car needs some maintenance items done. It had a good CarFax history and lived most of its life in the south. 29-30 mpg around town and 33-35 mpg average on the highway. (I drove it to I Texas and back recently which is another story) So I now have my first almost a BMW and, my first quirky British Sport Car.
It get twice the gas mileage of the F150, is surprisingly very comfortable inside especially for my big ****, great all around visibility from all the windows and will haul a fair amount of cargo with the back seats folded down. Fun to drive and gets plenty of smiles per mile and compliments. Time will tell if maintenance gets expensive but really, parts I’v bought so far have been similar pricing as my other vehicles. Nothing much is cheap these days.
So far I’m loving it.
Hope everyone is having a great start to the new year so far!
Bob
In my opinion this is a great car, it is a pity that in Russia it is very expensive. I would like to buy one for commuting to work and around the city.
I’m liking it very much. Only way I could afford one was to buy one that is 14 years old but it appears to have lived not too hard a life so far. I’m in the process of some needed replacements like suspension struts so it should ride a lot better after that job is done.
Thanks!
Warm Winter
This has really been a mild winter here in my area compared to some in the past years and I am not complaining. I’ve only had to use the snow blower twice and the snow shovel 3 times since Christmas.
This week has been most amazing and warm for early March. It’s still technically winter but this Monday it hit almost 50 degrees F at my house and I actually was able to back my Mustang out of the garage and hand wash it in the driveway. Even the garden hose was thawed out so I could spray it to rinse. I’ve been driving it all week to work since the weather is sunny and dry. Never ever able to do that in winter before.
March 3, 2020
I’m hoping this means we get an early spring this year.
This has really been a mild winter here in my area compared to some in the past years and I am not complaining. I’ve only had to use the snow blower twice and the snow shovel 3 times since Christmas.
This week has been most amazing and warm for early March. It’s still technically winter but this Monday it hit almost 50 degrees F at my house and I actually was able to back my Mustang out of the garage and hand wash it in the driveway. Even the garden hose was thawed out so I could spray it to rinse. I’ve been driving it all week to work since the weather is sunny and dry. Never ever able to do that in winter before.
March 3, 2020
I’m hoping this means we get an early spring this year.
Attachments
Jagmandave
Well-known member
Welcome to the MINI family!
Snooks Dream Cars
If your ever traveling up or down I-75 through Ohio I can highly recommend stopping to see this museum. It’s located just off the highway near Bowling Green Ohio, small but well laid out and with some great displays. I think is was $8 to get in, just avoid the lunch hour noon to 1pm as they usually close for that hour. In the front office area I found some of the best displays of typical gas station small items ever. If your old enough you’ll remember some of these items that were for sale in almost every station along the road. I’ve included a few pics so see if you remember.
A very well decorated car display area in what looks to be a simple metal building from the outside but when I asked about the decorating inside I learned that it was a class project from an interior design class from nearby Bowling Green State University. Pretty cool. Even the garage area (where they do maintenance and some restoration) is open to the public and part of the display. This is not typical in most museums but I enjoyed checking out the working garage area as a couple guys were fixing a 1936 Ford coupe.
The curator was very friendly and the place is neat and clean. All in all a very fun stop to break up my drive down to Florida this year to visit my sister.
Check it out!
If your ever traveling up or down I-75 through Ohio I can highly recommend stopping to see this museum. It’s located just off the highway near Bowling Green Ohio, small but well laid out and with some great displays. I think is was $8 to get in, just avoid the lunch hour noon to 1pm as they usually close for that hour. In the front office area I found some of the best displays of typical gas station small items ever. If your old enough you’ll remember some of these items that were for sale in almost every station along the road. I’ve included a few pics so see if you remember.
A very well decorated car display area in what looks to be a simple metal building from the outside but when I asked about the decorating inside I learned that it was a class project from an interior design class from nearby Bowling Green State University. Pretty cool. Even the garage area (where they do maintenance and some restoration) is open to the public and part of the display. This is not typical in most museums but I enjoyed checking out the working garage area as a couple guys were fixing a 1936 Ford coupe.
The curator was very friendly and the place is neat and clean. All in all a very fun stop to break up my drive down to Florida this year to visit my sister.
Check it out!
Project Mini
Well technically its not a project car but I’ve found that any used car I’ve ever bought always turned out to be a project on some level. This car runs great but does need some maintenance done to bring it back to OEM performance.
I initially went through all the oil and filter changing, air filter, checking fluids, replacement hood and lift struts, etc.
The next job was to restore the suspension. I initially thought the struts were ok but really they were shot. I’m just not used to driving this small a car with short suspension travel. So that is the current project and its now 1/2 done. I tackled the hard ones in front first. I bought some OEM style replacement struts with spring assemblies and after getting You Tube certified got busy and replaced them.
In addition to the strut assemblies I discovered my Mini has one of the typical issues of Gen 1 Minis in the form of shock towers that were deformed and mushroomed upward.
They should be flat across the tower top where the strut studs attach. I’ve read this is a known problem, and can be made worse by worn out struts. (Which mine definitely were)
A piece of wood 2x4 and some careful hammering with the BFH and I got them back to as straight as a straight edge ruler and my calibrated eyes could measure. (Remember I’m YouTube certified.)
To help prevent this issue from returning I then purchased and installed some shock tower stiffener pieces from CravenSpeed. Different brands are available but, after some research I decided on these and they are pretty beefy so hopefully no more mushroomed shock towers.
The car rides better already. Firm but dampened by the new shocks. Previously every bump was sharp and very harsh. Now onto the rear struts. I have new parts on order which should be here next week. The install should be easier also as there are only 3 bolts to remove and can be accessed in the wheel well area. ( I’ve been busy studying to get my next YouTube degree.)
I can’t say the job was fun but is satisfying after the fact.
Well technically its not a project car but I’ve found that any used car I’ve ever bought always turned out to be a project on some level. This car runs great but does need some maintenance done to bring it back to OEM performance.
I initially went through all the oil and filter changing, air filter, checking fluids, replacement hood and lift struts, etc.
The next job was to restore the suspension. I initially thought the struts were ok but really they were shot. I’m just not used to driving this small a car with short suspension travel. So that is the current project and its now 1/2 done. I tackled the hard ones in front first. I bought some OEM style replacement struts with spring assemblies and after getting You Tube certified got busy and replaced them.
In addition to the strut assemblies I discovered my Mini has one of the typical issues of Gen 1 Minis in the form of shock towers that were deformed and mushroomed upward.
They should be flat across the tower top where the strut studs attach. I’ve read this is a known problem, and can be made worse by worn out struts. (Which mine definitely were)
A piece of wood 2x4 and some careful hammering with the BFH and I got them back to as straight as a straight edge ruler and my calibrated eyes could measure. (Remember I’m YouTube certified.)
To help prevent this issue from returning I then purchased and installed some shock tower stiffener pieces from CravenSpeed. Different brands are available but, after some research I decided on these and they are pretty beefy so hopefully no more mushroomed shock towers.
The car rides better already. Firm but dampened by the new shocks. Previously every bump was sharp and very harsh. Now onto the rear struts. I have new parts on order which should be here next week. The install should be easier also as there are only 3 bolts to remove and can be accessed in the wheel well area. ( I’ve been busy studying to get my next YouTube degree.)
I can’t say the job was fun but is satisfying after the fact.
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In Life (and welding) We Must Be Well Grounded
No life coaching here today, just admitting that I sometimes overlook the simple things that need fixing.
I use my HF flux core wire welder for a lot of small jobs and lately I’ve noticed it getting harder to start an arc and get working. And flux core has its own issues I was not paying attention to my connections. Just blamed poor performance on the welder and my lack of experience.
Then I saw somewhere (Likely YouTube) to upgrade the ground clamp from this crappy thing that came with the welder.
To something with a much better connection. So back to Hazzard Freight (With 20% off coupon)to buy their upgraded ground clamp. This one has better copper plated jaws and more important a braided copper connection from one jaw to the other and the ground wire stud. This does not rely on the hinge point of the clamp to complete the ground.
I cut the old junk off, crimped and soldered a new ring terminal, added heat sharing covering and secured this to the stud on the new clamp.
The new connection was much better and provided a noticeable improvement in the welder to conduct current through my work pieces.
Next up someday will be to reverse the polarity on this someday and change to DC which seems to be a popular upgrade to these cheap welders and give much better performance.
No life coaching here today, just admitting that I sometimes overlook the simple things that need fixing.
I use my HF flux core wire welder for a lot of small jobs and lately I’ve noticed it getting harder to start an arc and get working. And flux core has its own issues I was not paying attention to my connections. Just blamed poor performance on the welder and my lack of experience.
Then I saw somewhere (Likely YouTube) to upgrade the ground clamp from this crappy thing that came with the welder.
To something with a much better connection. So back to Hazzard Freight (With 20% off coupon)to buy their upgraded ground clamp. This one has better copper plated jaws and more important a braided copper connection from one jaw to the other and the ground wire stud. This does not rely on the hinge point of the clamp to complete the ground.
I cut the old junk off, crimped and soldered a new ring terminal, added heat sharing covering and secured this to the stud on the new clamp.
The new connection was much better and provided a noticeable improvement in the welder to conduct current through my work pieces.
Next up someday will be to reverse the polarity on this someday and change to DC which seems to be a popular upgrade to these cheap welders and give much better performance.
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Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Bob, I suspect your Mini Cooper has better quality bump stops than my '04 PT Cruiser but you might want to check them. The sound of the suspension bottoming out when those Sponge Bobs are gone will really get your attention. I have been changing struts and shocks at ~50K miles and am still amazed at what a difference it makes.
Jagmandave
Well-known member
Those thin aluminum strut towers covers are a waste of money, they don't do anything - they can't. The problem comes from hitting potholes with large tires with short sidewalls. What you need are the ones that go under the tower, between top plate of the strut and the sheet metal - they're made out of steel and about 1/4" thick. CravenSpeed sells those too I think.
Edit: these... https://www.cravenspeed.com/under-tower-indurators-for-mini/
Any MINI/Mini questions you have just ask, I've been around and working on the newer ones since 2003 (I had a 2003 JCW before I got the Clubby), the old classic ones since the late 60's!
Dang, I was just over at HF today (I ordered an air compressor) and I need to do this on the ground clamp of my old cheap welder too - it gets warm after even a quick short weld or two.
Edit: these... https://www.cravenspeed.com/under-tower-indurators-for-mini/
Any MINI/Mini questions you have just ask, I've been around and working on the newer ones since 2003 (I had a 2003 JCW before I got the Clubby), the old classic ones since the late 60's!
Dang, I was just over at HF today (I ordered an air compressor) and I need to do this on the ground clamp of my old cheap welder too - it gets warm after even a quick short weld or two.
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Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Jagman, Bob upgraded to a better ground clamp but HF has one that I think works better than that. It's a pretty beefy copper alloy one that is a copy of the more expensive Tweco clamp (the one Mike [ZMotorsports] recommends).
https://www.harborfreight.com/400-a...p-63849.html?_br_psugg_q=welding+ground+clamp
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Jagman,
Someday I will likely have a question for you so thanks for being willing to share knowledge. I’m learning new things almost every time I drive the car and really loving it.
I had studied the CravenSpeed products and a couple other brands and CS says you can use either one of their designs and don’t really need both but some folks use both under and over plates. The set of top plates I bought from them is not thin. They are 1/2” thick and use much thicker studs to clamp with. We shall see how they hold up. So far the new struts feel good on the road. My rear struts just arrived so I’ll soon start replacing those.
Bob H is correct on the better style ground clamp. I actually bought one of those as well but to be used on my new MiG welder. I recently bought an HF MIG welder and decided to start from the beginning by getting rid of the cheap ground clamp from the beginning. Gotta install that yet as well but I highly recommend you upgrade your ground connection for the best performance.
xtremek
Well-known member
Nice looking Mini.
Coronavirus Do’s and Don’ts
No this is not another PSA to tell you how to wash your hands. Rather I’m hoping to give you better reason to wash your hands.
Get em dirty!
Don’t go out (unless you need supplies)
Don’t touch or get near other people. (Except maybe for that healthy good friend who can help you install the engine in your project car)
Don’t sneeze on fresh paint. ( its just a mess to fix)
Do get your hands dirty with long forgotten projects.
Do complete a bunch of those fixit jobs around the house you’ve been putting off.
Do tighten that loose faucet handle in the kitchen. (Speaking to myself here)
Do work with wood, metal, plastic. (Anything constructive.)
Do organize your tools for once. You know who you are.
Do put the snow blower away. Winter is done unless you love way north of me.
Do get the lawn mower ready while you have this time. (It won't be long, you’ve been warned)
What are you all doing to keep from going house crazy? Post up on your own threads your way of keeping sane while stuck at home. Or, you are always welcome to respond here and show us what Covid-19 projects you have going.
Here’s a few of my garage/workshop projects of late.
First I finished the last corner of my plastic tile garage floor. Unfortunately my original pattern tiles were no longer available and I’m had to settle for the same brand but more of a open top pattern. Not a big deal for me as this last corner is mostly covered by cabinets. But the whole floor is now covered and level. I really enjoyed having this floor over the winter. It made the surface just a little less cold than bare cement when working out there.
I also took care of a very important task and finally selected a spot to hang my prized Russian plate from Vieux. It will be easy to see for anyone walking in the open door.
I did add a new tool to the garage by putting together two coupons from HF (rare occurrence) and purchased one of these wheel dollies that you can jack up and down. My main purpose for this will be to line up heavy truck tires on my vehicle when necessary to take them on and off. I can’t lift those blasted things any more and they are heavy. So I’m gonna see of this will save my back. I’ll report back after trying it out.
And I’ve started cleaning up and restoring some old tools I had collected from various estate sales in the past. Some needed a soak in Evaporust then the wire wheel and some just the wire wheel treatment.
Here are some before pictures.
No this is not another PSA to tell you how to wash your hands. Rather I’m hoping to give you better reason to wash your hands.
Get em dirty!
Don’t go out (unless you need supplies)
Don’t touch or get near other people. (Except maybe for that healthy good friend who can help you install the engine in your project car)
Don’t sneeze on fresh paint. ( its just a mess to fix)
Do get your hands dirty with long forgotten projects.
Do complete a bunch of those fixit jobs around the house you’ve been putting off.
Do tighten that loose faucet handle in the kitchen. (Speaking to myself here)
Do work with wood, metal, plastic. (Anything constructive.)
Do organize your tools for once. You know who you are.
Do put the snow blower away. Winter is done unless you love way north of me.
Do get the lawn mower ready while you have this time. (It won't be long, you’ve been warned)
What are you all doing to keep from going house crazy? Post up on your own threads your way of keeping sane while stuck at home. Or, you are always welcome to respond here and show us what Covid-19 projects you have going.
Here’s a few of my garage/workshop projects of late.
First I finished the last corner of my plastic tile garage floor. Unfortunately my original pattern tiles were no longer available and I’m had to settle for the same brand but more of a open top pattern. Not a big deal for me as this last corner is mostly covered by cabinets. But the whole floor is now covered and level. I really enjoyed having this floor over the winter. It made the surface just a little less cold than bare cement when working out there.
I also took care of a very important task and finally selected a spot to hang my prized Russian plate from Vieux. It will be easy to see for anyone walking in the open door.
I did add a new tool to the garage by putting together two coupons from HF (rare occurrence) and purchased one of these wheel dollies that you can jack up and down. My main purpose for this will be to line up heavy truck tires on my vehicle when necessary to take them on and off. I can’t lift those blasted things any more and they are heavy. So I’m gonna see of this will save my back. I’ll report back after trying it out.
And I’ve started cleaning up and restoring some old tools I had collected from various estate sales in the past. Some needed a soak in Evaporust then the wire wheel and some just the wire wheel treatment.
Here are some before pictures.
Attachments
Coronavirus sanity projects
As I go through restoring one tool at a time it can be tedious but sometimes I find that concentrating on these tedious jobs is good therapy and I get my mind away from the outside world for awhile. And when finished I’ve done something more constructive than watching TV.
Here’s some after pictures of some of the tools that have their rust gone and a new lease on life.
Small but rewarding work for me.
One item I went completely too far on considering its size and condition and, that it could have still be “ok” with just the rust removed.
This little center punch had pretty heavy pitting on some of the knurled handle section so I polished the pointed end and the other end with emery cloth while chucked in my drill press. then, masked them off and gave the knurled part a quick coat of black paint. Totally unnecessary but makes me feel better and was a fun simple task.
Before:
After:
As I go through restoring one tool at a time it can be tedious but sometimes I find that concentrating on these tedious jobs is good therapy and I get my mind away from the outside world for awhile. And when finished I’ve done something more constructive than watching TV.
Here’s some after pictures of some of the tools that have their rust gone and a new lease on life.
Small but rewarding work for me.
One item I went completely too far on considering its size and condition and, that it could have still be “ok” with just the rust removed.
This little center punch had pretty heavy pitting on some of the knurled handle section so I polished the pointed end and the other end with emery cloth while chucked in my drill press. then, masked them off and gave the knurled part a quick coat of black paint. Totally unnecessary but makes me feel better and was a fun simple task.
Before:
After:
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jon72vega
Well-known member
Bob,
Glad you're staying safe and are making progress on your projects.
Lifting up truck tires with the jacking wheel dollies is a GREAT idea!
I have a pair of them, and sure wish I'd previously thought of using one to change out winter/summer tires on my truck.
I sure will now. Thanks for the idea!
Glad you're staying safe and are making progress on your projects.
Lifting up truck tires with the jacking wheel dollies is a GREAT idea!
I have a pair of them, and sure wish I'd previously thought of using one to change out winter/summer tires on my truck.
I sure will now. Thanks for the idea!
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Jagmandave
Well-known member
I'm following your example.....
Getting the lawn equipment up and running, and the stand by genset that I didn't use all winter.
Finishing up two Sprite transmission builds that I've had waiting for parts since last year - the last time I let the owner get his own parts!
Getting both of my Minis ready for the spring driving season.
Working on my shop extension with the architect - ****** nuisance - why the hell can't they listen to me and draw what I tell them to? Although he is my son in law, so I can't ***** too much, but it's not like he's doing it for free, I gave them a $5,000 tractor in exchange.
My new air compressor should be in soon, so I'll be wiring and plumbing it up.
Lots to do to keep busy.
Then there's the never ending Honey-do list!
Getting the lawn equipment up and running, and the stand by genset that I didn't use all winter.
Finishing up two Sprite transmission builds that I've had waiting for parts since last year - the last time I let the owner get his own parts!
Getting both of my Minis ready for the spring driving season.
Working on my shop extension with the architect - ****** nuisance - why the hell can't they listen to me and draw what I tell them to? Although he is my son in law, so I can't ***** too much, but it's not like he's doing it for free, I gave them a $5,000 tractor in exchange.
My new air compressor should be in soon, so I'll be wiring and plumbing it up.
Lots to do to keep busy.
Then there's the never ending Honey-do list!
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racer-john
Well-known member
On page 1383 can't see the pics.
xtremek
Well-known member
I'm finally following your example, and getting back to home/shop projects. Keep up the good work.
Bob,
Glad you're staying safe and are making progress on your projects.
Lifting up truck tires with the jacking wheel dollies is a GREAT idea!
I have a pair of them, and sure wish I'd previously thought of using one to change out winter/summer tires on my truck.
I sure will now. Thanks for the idea!
Let me know if it works for you. I have not tried it yet but somehow it makes sense ion my head.
sean Buick 76
Well-known member
Awesome work on the rust removal! What is your strategy?
Thanks.
For the lightly rusted tools I just use a wire wheel of the appropriate size to get into spaces larger and smaller.
For some items I give them a soak in Evaporust first. I have also used electrolosys but for smaller wrenches the Evaporust is quick, easy and safe to use indoors. then I rinse and dry them and polish on the wire wheel.
I find the black oxide finish that is left by Evaporust on some old tools yields a very nice polished metal surface after the wire wheel treatment.
Also sometimes I use a bit of hand sanding with sand paper or emery cloth if needed.
It can be tedious but sometimes I just enjoy that level of simple work to see a finished result.
Bob
Ok, I’m giving up on any more significant winter for this year. I made the decision and drained the gas from the snow blower and put it away in storage for the summer.
So if we get one more big snow storm in Michigan you can blame me for jinxing us and with Coronavirus I can’t go out anyway so who cares if the driveway has snow for a day or two.
I’m always so glad to I get that thing out of my garage each year.
Bob
So if we get one more big snow storm in Michigan you can blame me for jinxing us and with Coronavirus I can’t go out anyway so who cares if the driveway has snow for a day or two.
I’m always so glad to I get that thing out of my garage each year.
Bob
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xtremek
Well-known member
That punch looks amazing. And I love that roadster. GOt my gears churning, damn you! 
jon72vega
Well-known member
Bob,
Glad you're staying safe and are making progress on your projects.
Lifting up truck tires with the jacking wheel dollies is a GREAT idea!
I have a pair of them, and sure wish I'd previously thought of using one to change out winter/summer tires on my truck.
I sure will now. Thanks for the idea!
Bob,
I changed out my winter tires to summer tires a couple of days ago.
Your idea worked well.
Changing out tires by jon72vega, on FlickrBob,
I changed out my winter tires to summer tires a couple of days ago.
Your idea worked well.
Wow! That awesome Jon. Glad to know it worked and my back will be thankful the next time I R&R a heavy tire.
Bob
Mustang Cleanup
Today’s major garage task was a thorough cleaning of the Mustang interior. I discovered the old mouse motel was back in business under the rear seat bottom cushion over the winter. So after evicting that critter I cleaned the area completely and disinfected the floor pan and seat bottom. When I put it back in I will be lining the floor pan with dryer sheets which hopefully will deter any new attempts to occupy the space.
Then I scrubbed all the vinyl and used leather cleaner on all the seats. Also used the carpet cleaner machine on all the floor mats which produced some filthy water from last years driving. But it’s ready for a new summer of top down, good smelling, driving fun.
I also painted up two fifth wheel hitch brackets for my friends truck. After a little wire wheel work and some surface rust treatment they got a coat of black paint and weather permitting we will install them tomorrow.
Bob
Today’s major garage task was a thorough cleaning of the Mustang interior. I discovered the old mouse motel was back in business under the rear seat bottom cushion over the winter. So after evicting that critter I cleaned the area completely and disinfected the floor pan and seat bottom. When I put it back in I will be lining the floor pan with dryer sheets which hopefully will deter any new attempts to occupy the space.
Then I scrubbed all the vinyl and used leather cleaner on all the seats. Also used the carpet cleaner machine on all the floor mats which produced some filthy water from last years driving. But it’s ready for a new summer of top down, good smelling, driving fun.
I also painted up two fifth wheel hitch brackets for my friends truck. After a little wire wheel work and some surface rust treatment they got a coat of black paint and weather permitting we will install them tomorrow.
Bob
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Jagmandave
Well-known member
Up scaling considerably, from a small 30 year old horizontal to a big vertical!