Above 1200 Sq/FT Cody's 33'x62' Garage

[madison069]

Bummer on the camping trip Cody!

Thanks for the reminder on the mower, I've got new high lift blades at my dealership that need picked up. Your mower was probably made at the plant in Auburn, NE just north of me.

Found the tag from the Ariens riding mower.


Orangeburg, SC was the assembly plant.

Guess there are several plants for these mowers?

 

[madison069]

The garage was getting messy and out of control.



Let’s clean it all out. Got all of the customer’s equipment out of the garage, put stuff away, threw stuff away, and swept the floor.

That looks better.



I still got some more to clean up but I did get the table tops cleared off and cleaned.

Then the customer came and got his stuff and left me another mower to work on. Never worked on a time master before.


I’ll get to it soon, but first let’s piddle on my own projects.

Using goo gone to remove the adhesive off the camaro rim where past tire shops put stick on weights to balance the tire and rims. While trying to own the bottle the stupid child proof cap was ******* me off as it kept slipping and not turning. So I cut the black cap off the white one and presto, a non-child proof cap!


I also got all 4 rims polished, cleaned, and waxed before putting them back on the camaro.


I kept piddling on the camaro, cleaning up some wiring, and ordered some parts for it. When the weather warms up I’ll take it to the local messenger to get the car registered. But, the weather currently is just a snowy mess so I’ll wait to take it out.

Tomorrow is basketball tournament for the youngest so we will be spending the day at the tourney.

 

[zmotorsports]

Cody, have you used the Fluid Film under your mower deck in the past? If so, have you had issues with the grass packing up under it much sooner than without?

Reason I ask is because I tried it a few years ago under our new Toro ZTR riding mower and the grass packed up under it so badly within the first mow that I ended up pulling the deck, pressure washing it all off and going back to my old tried and true spritz with WD-40 that I had been doing for decades under our 21" walk-behind mower.

Curious about your results using it?

 

[madison069]

Cody, have you used the Fluid Film under your mower deck in the past? If so, have you had issues with the grass packing up under it much sooner than without?

Reason I ask is because I tried it a few years ago under our new Toro ZTR riding mower and the grass packed up under it so badly within the first mow that I ended up pulling the deck, pressure washing it all off and going back to my old tried and true spritz with WD-40 that I had been doing for decades under our 21" walk-behind mower.

Curious about your results using it?

I’ve sprayed the inside of decks, and snow blowers. Never have an issues with them holding more then normal cluster of grass or snow. But I’ve never done a zero turn and got to see the results first hand, but ones I’ve done for others didn’t complain. I will admit this is the first time I’ve brushed fluid film on a deck, so I’m curious to see how it acts with a thicker coat on the deck. My goal with fluid film is to keep the rust at bay. But, when I get the first cut in this spring, I’ll check the deck out to see how much it’s holding up.

Maybe the faster pace of a zero turn makes it worst then a slow crawling riding mower or push mower? So, slower pace allows the grass clipping to get knocked off before it gets to be too much?

 

[zmotorsports]

I’ve sprayed the inside of decks, and snow blowers. Never have an issues with them holding more then normal cluster of grass or snow. But I’ve never done a zero turn and got to see the results first hand, but ones I’ve done for others didn’t complain. I will admit this is the first time I’ve brushed fluid film on a deck, so I’m curious to see how it acts with a thicker coat on the deck. My goal with fluid film is to keep the rust at bay. But, when I get the first cut in this spring, I’ll check the deck out to see how much it’s holding up.

Maybe the faster pace of a zero turn makes it worst then a slow crawling riding mower or push mower? So, slower pace allows the grass clipping to get knocked off before it gets to be too much?

I'd be interested to hear your results Cody.

As for speed, I crawl with my ZTR. If I go at much of a brisk pace, I don't care for the way the grass cuts and I tend to get clumping at the turns, so it slow and steady for me.

 

[madison069]

When I was polishing the rims, I tried to use an air grinder but it was not working properly so I put it aside til I wanted to mess with it. Apparently the retainer nut had backed off on the angle part.

So I took it apart it inspect the gears and didn’t see any damage to anything.


Decided to clean it up and dab some red n tacky grease on the gears.


Back together after using a punch and hammer.


Floor mats came in for the camaro. I think it looks better with some of the tan carpet toned down some. Kinda looks like those high end cars with black and tan interiors now.



Ordered some parts for the toro and they sent me an ignitor for a stove I guess or dryer. Yet the label says it’s supposed to be a carburetor.



Sending it back for a carburetor this time I hope.

Another customer called me and said he found a lawnmower but it needed some work. So I picked it up since I was out already and just got done cleaning it and doing all of the maintenance work on it. Solid mower and runs good. Should be a good mower for a long time.


Other then that, it’s just been basketball for 5 days a week as the youngest goes through the pace of basketball traveling team.

 

[madison069]

Had an oil leak at the drain plug. Guess the crush washer was junk.


So using the vacuum trick I was able to remove the drain plug without draining the oil.


New oil plug washer installed. Now to watch it and see if that fix it.


Old beside new drain plug washer.


Got the torque converter cover back on. I thought it was hitting at one time but instead it wasn’t an issue.


Went to install the lock knob as they came in and I be damn if they are too short.



I might trim the lock rod some, but I rather not cut it with the door panels on. Guess I will roll the window down and cover everything so sparks don’t get on it.

Other then piddle with mowers and basketball games, that’s it for the day.

 

[Blackbyrd]

Hold up..... the vacuum can keep the oil from.coming out when you pull the plug??

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Fun story Cody...

So when I was in high school driving my old '79 K10 Bonanza...the passenger side lock knob pulled off(plastic). My "other dad" told me to go for a ride in someone else's square and steal the knob out of it...so I took one out of his as a joke

 

[madison069]

Hold up..... the vacuum can keep the oil from.coming out when you pull the plug??

Yep! It creates enough vacuum to hold the oil in the engine. Only oil that comes out is on the plug itself. I’ve done it on three vehicles so far, works like a charm!

 

[Blackbyrd]

Adding that to the book of tricks!!!!

 

[zmotorsports]

Hold up..... the vacuum can keep the oil from.coming out when you pull the plug??

Works great when replacing a coolant temp. sensor as well. Hardly lose any coolant, maybe a few drops.

 

[madison069]

Fella from church dropped his mower off for me to look at.


He said it would shut off on an incline when it was hot. So I cut the grass and got it warmed up and parked it on an incline. It shut off as he decribed and it wouldn’t start up. So I pulled the oil pressure switch wire off the switch and it fired up easily. Connected the wire to the sensor and it cut off. I push the mower to a level surface and it fired up with no issues.

I told him, I think the switch is just doing its job and it’s kicking in because the mower is on an incline with the sensor on the high side. He claimed it never done that the first 6 years he has owned it, so he asked me to replace the sensor. No problem, but I don’t think it’s an issue. Probably just need to mow with the left side on the high side so the sensor is on the low side of the incline.

Oh well, it’s a $20 sensor and was easy to remove. New sensor should be here in a day or two.

Old sensor.


I did trim the lock rods on the camaro and installed the lock knob. I just took a little off so the knob bottom is now below the trim ring.


Then I took a push mower apart to service. Seems a straight forward clean, maintenance, and clean fuel system out.


Pretty much a slow day.

 

[zmotorsports]

Fella from church dropped his mower off for me to look at.


He said it would shut off on an incline when it was hot. So I cut the grass and got it warmed up and parked it on an incline. It shut off as he decribed and it wouldn’t start up. So I pulled the oil pressure switch wire off the switch and it fired up easily. Connected the wire to the sensor and it cut off. I push the mower to a level surface and it fired up with no issues.

I told him, I think the switch is just doing its job and it’s kicking in because the mower is on an incline with the sensor on the high side. He claimed it never done that the first 6 years he has owned it, so he asked me to replace the sensor. No problem, but I don’t think it’s an issue. Probably just need to mow with the left side on the high side so the sensor is on the low side of the incline.

Oh well, it’s a $20 sensor and was easy to remove. New sensor should be here in a day or two.

Old sensor.

Cody, I had a client many years ago that ran a landscaping curbing business. He had a large flatbed trailer that he carried the curbing machine as well as raw material on the front and the cement mixer on the back of his trailer. He called me one day to tell me he was mixing concrete and the mixer just shut off and wouldn't restart shortly after arriving at their jobsite. He brought it by the shop and I fired it right up and it ran for over an hour without issue. I called him to go over the scenario and informed him I could find nothing wrong, so he came and picked it up. I demonstrated it starting and running before he took it. The next day he called me again saying the same thing. I told him to bring it back and I'd give it another look.

When the crew dropped it off at my shop, I had asked how the tow rig was running as I had just replaced the engine a few months prior. One of his crew mentioned how good it was running other than the steep streets they had to drag that heavy trailer up getting to the jobsite. I asked more details and it turns out they were up in the eastern slope of a local town where the streets are steep and winding. I asked more questions about how the trailer is positioned during this work. I reminded them that the cement mixer with the Honda engine had an oil level switch that cuts out the ignition if it thinks it is low on oil and being on an extreme angle can create a similar scenario as the engine being out of oil. After confirming the mixer fired up and ran for about 15-minutes at my shop, I suggested that they pull in from the opposite direction and give it another try. The owner called me back the next day and apologized for wasting my time and getting frustrated as it worked perfectly for several hours while they completed the job.

Those oil level switches can be finicky.

 

[madison069]

I haven't installed the oil switch yet, due to the nice weather and the outdoor projects going on. But I suspect it will start with no issues with the new switch. I'm going to suggest he cut the incline with the right side of the mower on the low side, so the oil sensor and oil filter is on the lower side of the engine.

With the rain coming tomorrow I should get some shop time.

 

[Xti04]

My landscaping buddy is known for his "fixes" and one that sticks out the most is that he would often unplug the oil pressure sensors on his equipment so it wouldnt shut off. His compactor had been that way for years. His just in case it was actually low on oil fix was to run it on the same premix his concrete saw and other power equipment ran on. It was practically used up when he bought it 10 years ago, and I have used it multiple times here, including building my shop and it just wont die. I also check the oil for him when its here just in case its low.

 

[madison069]

I haven't installed the oil switch yet, due to the nice weather and the outdoor projects going on. But I suspect it will start with no issues with the new switch. I'm going to suggest he cut the incline with the right side of the mower on the low side, so the oil sensor and oil filter is on the lower side of the engine.

With the rain coming tomorrow I should get some shop time.

Guess what folks, new oil pressure sensor works. I haven’t tested it on an incline, but I used a jack to jack the oil filter side up of the mower and it died after it got angled nicely.

Feel like I didn’t fix anything and it’s just operator error in this case.

 

[madison069]

As mentioned above, I swapped out the oil pressure sensor in the zero turn.




Then I finished up the craftsman push mower that was disassembled as saw in the few post back.


The yellow rear wheels does look out of place, but they are the best wheels I got in my stash for this mower. I doubt the person who buys this mower will care as most of the people I sell these mowers to just want the thing to run right and easy to push.


I did mess with the Toro 30" time Master. When they hit the mower and damaged the carburetor and broke the air cleaner, I think they also damaged the governor. I've adjusted the governor linkage several different ways and I'm not getting any results for them. I'm not feeling any pull or resistance in the linkage that indicates the weights are moving inside the block and are able to pull the throttle blade. I'm at the point of I'm going to have to pull the motor and disassemble it to inspect the governor weights and gear. Not a task I want to do, so for now I'm going to let it sit and come back to it later incase I'm missing something simple and I'm just too fustrated with it right now.


Then yesterday we finally had the youngest birthday as she turned 10 this year. With all of the lingos that today generation says, the middle daughter decided to write this in the birthday cookie

cake.



The youngest thought it was funny as she calls some of us "Roach" as that's a lingo they call each other these days.

Not a lot of shop time this weekend, but I should have some tonight since there's no basketball practice since school is out today for in-service day.

Oh and here's Garold chilling on the air mattress cause he was placed there by the girls and he's just staying out of the chaos for now.

 

[madison069]

Not much in the garage, but did sell a mower and got the wife’s outback oil changed. It’s a 2024 Outback and we got it December 2023. This is the second oil change as I prefer to change the oil every 3,000 miles in my cars. She doesn’t put alot of miles on the car so it’s gotten 2 oil changes since we’ve owned it.

Here I am pouring the oil in. I did install a new crush washer on the drain plug. I question if the dealer did an oil change on it. They supposedly did the first oil change at 3,500 miles. But the drain plug was still painted black and it was tight. When i got the plug off a little bit of the paint came off the plug. It was their free first oil change deal so I didn’t think to mark any of it. Shame on me for trusting them.

New WIX oil filter

Wrote the date and mileage when I changed it.

Then reset the oil change notification in the car.


Only other thing it needed was some windshield washer fluid and I blew all of the leaves and trigs I found in the engine bay. Before closing the hood I wiped the plastic down and made sure everything was in place.

 

[SilverJimmy]

I had a customer brag to me that the easiest money he ever made was the “free” oil change when he worked at the dealership. Wipe the oil filter off with a rag till it looked brandie new, give the air cleaner a quick wipe too, and then flag 1.5 flat rate! Take the oil and the filter home and sell it to his neighbor….. Man, those were the days!

 

[madison069]

I had a customer brag to me that the easiest money he ever made was the “free” oil change when he worked at the dealership. Wipe the oil filter off with a rag till it looked brandie new, give the air cleaner a quick wipe too, and then flag 1.5 flat rate! Take the oil and the filter home and sell it to his neighbor….. Man, those were the days!

I suspect that's what happened to us on this "free oil Change" as I also inspected the old drain crush ring, and it had black paint on the edge. It's looking more and more like the engine ran on its break in oil for 7,000 miles. This is starting to bug me as I used to change oil at a mom-and-pop mechanic shop, and I never skipped an oil change on a customer's vehicle. It ***** when you can't trust companies to do the job they said they would do. Hopefully running the engine on it's break in oil don't cause any issues in the future as we planned to keep this car as long as we can.

 

[zmotorsports]

I had a customer brag to me that the easiest money he ever made was the “free” oil change when he worked at the dealership. Wipe the oil filter off with a rag till it looked brandie new, give the air cleaner a quick wipe too, and then flag 1.5 flat rate! Take the oil and the filter home and sell it to his neighbor….. Man, those were the days!

Sterling, a friend of mine from high school got a job at a local Honda dealership right after returning from Pheonix Automotive Institute where we were both offered partial scholarships when we won state in the automotive contest back in 1986. I was unable to take advantage of the opportunity, but he grasped it immediately. looked up to him during our high school years because I knew that I didn't come from money, and his family was even worse off than mine at the time, so I was proud of him and admired him for taking the gamble to move out of state for his automotive education and then return home to find a good job.

I ran into him a couple years later while I was picking up some parts at the Honda dealership. I asked about him and the service manager informed me where he was and that I could go back and visit with him. As we exchanged pleasantries and got caught up with our lives, I asked how he was enjoying his career at the dealership. He mentioned that there are **** jobs and there are gravy jobs and the key is to know where to fudge to make up for the bad ones. He then grabbed a rag with solvent, wiped over the valve cover and ductwork and said, "there, that valve adjustment is done, and I killed book time." I was so appalled and disgusted I didn't even know what to say. I swore right then and there that if that is what working flat rate does to people I didn't want any part of it and swore I would never do such a thing.

It made a huge impact on me to always go above and beyond, whether I made money on a job or lost money, and I've lost my share of money on jobs and then some over the past nearly 40-years. But I'd also like to think I have made a very good living and have been honest with my clientele.

 

[SilverJimmy]

The worst part about these kinds of things that I saw when I was a tool dealer was that I had to behave like I was some kind of priest. I couldn’t say anything to anyone about the horrible and unethical **** that I saw on a daily basis because if I did, who would allow me the full access into their shops that I had to have to do my job. Trust me, these guys were and are a very small minority, but they are in a lot of shops. Most shop owners keep them under control, but some don’t. Human greed is very much a universal thing. The sad thing is that most of these people could be even more successful if they just applied their efforts in positive pursuits!

 

[zmotorsports]

The worst part about these kinds of things that I saw when I was a tool dealer was that I had to behave like I was some kind of priest. I couldn’t say anything to anyone about the horrible and unethical **** that I saw on a daily basis because if I did, who would allow me the full access into their shops that I had to have to do my job. Trust me, these guys were and are a very small minority, but they are in a lot of shops. Most shop owners keep them under control, but some don’t. Human greed is very much a universal thing. The sad thing is that most of these people could be even more successful if they just applied their efforts in positive pursuits!

Sterling, I agree that the mechanics that exhibit these behaviors are probably the minority, but they still hurt our industry and the overall image of mechanics. I also agree that if they would apply their skills in a positive manner, they could reap even higher rewards, but I doubt they see it that way. What bothered me more about my example above is that is not the behavior he had in high school and not what our auto instructor taught, so where did that behavior develop or come from? Had to be acquired between trade school or at the dealership and I highly doubt they taught that behavior in school. Yes, greed is a universal thing, and the outcome is not always good. I saw shortcuts being made by several friends who worked flat rate and that alone was probably the biggest reason I did not want to work flat rate and chose the path that I did.

 

[madison069]

A side project that’s going on, I’ll soon reveal the project, but I made a trip to Lowe’s for some PVC boards and brick molding for it.



That right there is $650 worth of material. I better not ever have to paint or treat those boards!!!! What they making those pvc boards out of, gold???

 

[Xti04]

Pvc trim is worth the price. I replaced all our brick molding around the front of the salon door with pvc after the sun baked the paint off the wood trim in only 1 year. Make sure you get the fancy screws with the plugs too.

 

[Blackbyrd]

Stories like this and my own experience is why none of my cars get worked on in local shops. No trust left sadly.

I've often thought could a shop that catered to folks like me that have some.pretty modified or hi HP stuff that can do with some basics from time to time. Be a place to be trusted not to joyride their nice toys that just need something they don't have time to do themselves. I'd have to be walking away from a healthy safety net to do it though.

 

[madison069]

Pvc trim is worth the price. I replaced all our brick molding around the front of the salon door with pvc after the sun baked the paint off the wood trim in only 1 year. Make sure you get the fancy screws with the plugs too.

Got it covered!

Got these from estate sales over the year and I’ll be using them before I buy more.

 

[Xti04]

Stories like this and my own experience is why none of my cars get worked on in local shops. No trust left sadly.

I've often thought could a shop that catered to folks like me that have some.pretty modified or hi HP stuff that can do with some basics from time to time. Be a place to be trusted not to joyride their nice toys that just need something they don't have time to do themselves. I'd be walking away from a healthy safety net to do it though.

I used to do some stuff like that, then the shop next door also did lots of stuff , guys didnt abuse or joy ride stuff, typically did great work. I also have seen multiple shops that apply a flat rate mentality to custom performance work. Thats how my old shop used to do stuff and I lost my *** on enough jobs that I quit offering to do them.

 

[madison069]

Cut this down out of a neighbor’s tree.



I want to install a motion sensor red light in it and hang it up in my office. When someone comes in my office the light will turn on and hopefully intimidate the person.

 

[madison069]

some may remember the toro time master a customer left at my shop. I’ve been piddling with it for awhile and it been giving me some challenges as it was a mess. It appeared his kid must of crashed the mower into something and caused a lot of damage. I fixed everything on the outside of the motor regarding the carburetor and linkages. But it still wanted to rev too high and it seems the governor wasn’t doing anything. I finally broke down and took the motor apart as I was out of tricks on setting the governor and lo and behold the governor was damaged. I suspected this was the issue but just didn’t want to split the motor open incase I was missing something simple. Should have listen to my guts and I would have saved a couple of hours.
Motor off,

Motor split open,


That’s not what it’s supposed to look like…

This is what it’s supposed to look like.


I got a new one and the case gasket sitting on my bench right now. Just haven’t had time to put it back together.

Maybe this weekend.
But I need to cut my grass and clean the flower beds!!!

 

[madison069]

Still working on this time master,

Motor back together and runs good, but when the blades are engaged, it bogs down and dies. Almost seems like a spindle is hard to turn. I need to remove the belts and see how all of the spindles and pulleys spin.

But, good news is these two mowers are good to test out soon. If nothing pops up while cutting, then I’ll give them back to the owner.

They both got new wheels and a tune up. Seems the old wheels were worn out at the spindles and caused the drive wheels to lock up. Along with they were bald, so no traction on hills and so on.

 

[madison069]

Just a few updates.

Went to an estate sale last Saturday and picked up these small vises for $5 each. They are nice so I’ll figure something out to do with them.

One is a Colombian and the other is a Craftsman.


Today I took the camaro to a buddy’s shop to get the stripes painted. I spent 5 hours laying down these stripes. Measuring and eyeballing, it was probably my inexperience but I’m happy with how it turned out.



Plan is to paint it tomorrow and touch up some of the missed red places.

 

[Xti04]

Those cars have really grown on me as I have gotten older. I used to hate 70s Camaros , always had a soft spot for a and the Bandit Trans am though. Stripes look good!

 

[madison069]

Those cars have really grown on me as I have gotten older. I used to hate 70s Camaros , always had a soft spot for an and the Bandit Trans am though. Stripes look good!

The mid and late second generation Camaro are the red headed step child in the Camaro world. My dad used to own a black 81 camaro he bought off the show room floor. Had to sell the 81 cause my mom kept getting speeding tickets, .

Here lately they have increased in value. Used to buy part cars for $500 all day long, but now you’re lucky if you get one for $3,000.

 

[madison069]

Got there early and started cleaning the surface and began sanding the stripe surface.




Then it was into the paint booth to tape off the rest of the car and clean the stripe area. Then it was time for sealer, GM 8555, and then clear cost.



Need to bake alittle bit in the paint booth but here is the black paint.




Might go back over tomorrow for a couple of hours to finish up the red parts in between Easter events.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Hell yeah!

 

[madison069]

It’s home for the week with its new stripes!








It changes the look of the car and I can’t be any happier with the way the stripes came out!

Hopefully next weekend we get a chance to do the red parts, but will have to wait and see what his schedule is like.

 

[Xti04]

It’s home for the week with its new stripes!








It changes the look of the car and I can’t be any happier with the way the stripes came out!

Hopefully next weekend we get a chance to do the red parts, but will have to wait and see what his schedule is like.

Damn right it changes the look! Car looks great. Excellent job!

 

[Blackbyrd]

Sucker for black and red!

Looks great