Above 1200 Sq/FT Harley Jim's place

[harley jim]

I finished up the grinder/polisher this morning!

I cut the old plate off of this grinder base and cleaned it up.

Cut a new plate to hold both pieces.

I made a short drop cord and welded it under the wheel.

Reassembled the grinder.

Run the corded down the pipe and plug into the drop cord.

This grinder is only for sharpening things, drill bits, blades and such.

Ready to polish something!

 

[harley jim]

Then this afternoon I helped Roy with the tank on his trike.

Roy bought this from us this summer, he had us do several custom things to it, and he had someone lined up to help him finish it, But! That fell through so He came and asked for some help.

The guy cut the top off of the tank, apparently he didn't understand geometry or compound angles. The top now will fall inside the bottom!

Fortunately at least it was cut straight, sort of! I cut ½" wedge out of both sides and pinched the bottom in and welded it.

I added 1½" of metal back into the bottom, this allowed me to move the top forward ¾" and now I have an overhang around the whole top.

Ground and cleaned all of the welds.

After a couple of hours with a hammer and dolly it looks ok, he wants to put a chrome door edge guard around the bottom lip of the top, then the top gets painted orange and the bottom is black.

Should be just enough room to add the chrome strip.

I am going to sand, and dolly a bit more tomorrow, I'll shoot it black inside and out before I give it back, he has the orange so that's on him.

 

[Grizz1963]

Looking good Jim.

 

[xtremek]

Very nice job on the tank.

 

[larry4406]

Jim - wishing you a great New Year!

Like your thread and congrats on the takeoff for the Freedom Trikes!

 

[harley jim]

Thanks Grizz,

Kirk, it was a mess, it still is really, it needs to be stripped to bare metal and a skim coat put on it. It's one of the roughest aftermarket tanks I have seen.

Larry, thank you and happy new year to you. And yes Freedom trikes seems to have taken on a life for sure, not what I had planned but I'll ride for a while!

Happy new year to all my friends here!

 

[Lou's Garage]

Happy New Year!

 

[shortykorte]

Happy New Year!

Nice restore on the grinder and stand. I like the hidden outlet.
Is the tank glove storage?

 

[harley jim]

Happy new year Lou!

Shorty, Happy new year.
Yes he wanted a place to put his keys and phone. It was a rough one!

 

[Bob Heine]

And yes Freedom trikes seems to have taken on a life for sure, not what I had planned but I'll ride for a while!

Jim, if I were a better great grandfather I would have given our oldest great granddaughter an electric Freedom Trike . At least the 32-year-old barely used beach cruiser I cleaned up isn't a Christmas or birthday gift, just a hand-off to a sweet 15 YO so she has her own ride. I hope she likes it.

 

[harley jim]

Looks good Bob.
You need the freedom trike, I now use mine as a mobility scooter, I've checked into it and it qualified, I won't go to an outside event without it now.
And yes, the controls will work for you.

 

[harley jim]

The bil and I went to Niota today, picked up my sleeper!

Picked up a few other things!

2000 for the gmc, bad motor.

6000 for the square body 4x4, drive it home.

There are corvettes and buicks hiding in there!
Alvin is 83 and in failing health, his shop behind me burnt several years ago, he lost 30 cars and parts plus 22 snapon tool boxes. He has already sold over 30 cars, and more to go.

 

[pistnbroke]

Hey Jim glad to see you are still at it, I remember one of those T-Bucket bodies hanging in your garage attic some 48 years ago.
Hope all is well, I'll have to look you up if we travel that way this summer.
Tell Pat Hi take care.

M. King

 

[harley jim]

Hey Marv! It's been a while. Yes that TBucket came from Bill Rowland. It eventually made it on the road.
Let me know if your headed my way,

I'm building a tiny house (cabin) out back, would love to see you and Shirley!

 

[harley jim]

I finished Roy's trike today! I don't agree with how he wanted it but it is his so I got right to work.

Headlight!

Tailights!

When he brought the tank back to me he had mounted these switches, I had a horn button to put on the handlebars but I didn't say anything, It's done now.

He is completely happy with how it came out and I'm happy for him.
On to the next one!

 

[Mr.zippy]

Well he definitely customized it for himself. Tank horn button does not look good......

 

[harley jim]

I know! I had another red button just like the one on his left hand control, there was room on the right control for it.

I worked in my shop today.



I took these two shutters apart, and cut them down from 18"× 60" to 13¼"× 45". They are going on the coal room door in the basement. I still have to install a sill in the opening so the final length will change, but that's why they have such a wide bottom plate. One done one more to go.

 

[harley jim]

Went grocery shopping with Pat yesterday, it was our regular shopping trip, Pat was low on canned veggies so we went to save a lot and got 10 cases of different items, stopped at walmart on the way home and picked up 50lbs of sugar, stopped at food city down by the house and got 50lbs of russet taters!

She stocks most of her stash on the back porch and just keeps a few essential in the pantry.

Yes, they had a sale on Dukes mayo! No true self respecting southern wouldn't be caught with less than three jars, just saying!

Getting a little low on sweet taters! That could be a problem, the tater man won't be back until October- November!
Anyway got that done for the month.

Got back to my shop today,

Finished the second shutter.

Next I'll sand and prep them and add the hinges, then take them to the basement for a test fit. I'm sure there will be some planing and fitting before I'm done.

I was looking for an easier way to sand the slats, so I took a couple of used oscillating saw blades and glued these felt pads to them,

They need to set for 24 hours to dry. I still have some 3M DA sander glue, (for you kids, back in the day you had to actually apply glue to your sandpaper to make it stick to your sander) so Im going to cut some sandpaper and glue it to these blades and see if it will work.
That won't be tomorrow, Im supposed to go to the world of wheels in Chattanooga! Well It's supposed to snow tomorrow so if that happens I will be trying out the sandpaper tomorrow.

 

[kaymccampbell]

was looking for an easier way to sand the slats, so I took a couple of used oscillating saw blades and glued these felt pads to them, they need to set for 24 hours to dry. I still have some 3M DA sander glue, (for you kids, back in the day you had to actually apply glue to your sandpaper to make it stick to your sander) sort Im going to cut some sandpaper and glue it to these blades and see if it will work.
That won't be tomorrow, Im supposed to go to the world of wheels in Chattanooga! Well It's supposed to snow tomorrow so if that happens I will be trying out the sandpaper tomorrow.

The sandpaper thing will work just fine. I do that for nasty corners in drywall.

 

[xtremek]

You guys sure do like tomatoes, don't you?

 

[harley jim]

Yes, lots of chili and pasta!
That top shelf is for macaroni and tomatos and for drinking!

 

[Jayman17]

Won't those potatoes go bad before you two can go through that many? How do you store them? Looks like you are all stocked up on food supplies now!

 

[kaymccampbell]

Won't those potatoes go bad before you two can go through that many? How do you store them? Looks like you are all stocked up on food supplies now!

If he puts them in that little room under the patio they'd last much longer

 

[harley jim]

Jayman, we eat a lot of them and Pat makes dishes for other folks, so they don't really have a good survival rate here, lol.
Saturday night she will make a pan of fried taters for our lodge meeting as one of the sides.
But the thing is the 50lb bag is 18 dollars, the 8lb bag is 7 dollars. At 36cents per lb if I were to loose a few I'm still money ahead.
And Kay is correct, when it gets hot, I move them to the basement and they keep very well. I only buy the sweet taters one time per year, late October, early November, they keep all year.
Were not survivalist, but we practice the ways that our parents and grandparents taught us to live.
We could comfortably stay home for 4 to 6 weeks and not miss having a good meal, or want for anything.
I'm like Euell Gibbons, I can walk out the back door and pick up a meal in the woods.
Remember him Kay?

Well we did something silly today!

We went to Chattanooga to the world of wheels car show!

There was about 10 wrecks, and dozens in the ditch, we even got sideways two times. Some poor guy in front of us on I 75 did two full spins in traffic, he got lucky and didn't hit anyone else.



There were several new cars there, and a bunch of T buckets, I guess they are making a comeback!

Roy was there representing Freedom-trikes.com, he was having a blast, and passing out my business cards!
Dude is going back tomorrow, to work the show, Im staying home!

 

[kaymccampbell]

I'm like Euell Gibbons, I can walk out the back door and pick up a meal in the woods.
Remember him Kay?

IIRC he was a drifter, a Communist, a Quaker and foraged food enthusiast. Didn't he do a Grape Nuts commercial?

 

[Mr.zippy]

IIRC he was a drifter, a Communist, a Quaker and foraged food enthusiast. Didn't he do a Grape Nuts commercial?

Yep.....that was a popular juvenile joke when I was young.

 

[38 Dodge Coupe]

Yep.....that was a popular juvenile joke when I was young.

“Ever eat a pine tree? Many parts are edible.”

 

[Mr.zippy]

“Ever eat a pine tree? Many parts are edible.”

He wears purple shorts, because he has grape nuts!

 

[harley jim]

Yes he did Kay
His favorite catch phrase was,
Tast like wild hickory nuts.
Died at 64 from arterolsclorosis!

 

[Bob Heine]

Changing Perspective: I was 30 when Euell died and I thought he was an old man. Now I think he was struck down in the prime of his life.

 

[kaymccampbell]

Changing Perspective: I was 30 when Euell died and I thought he was an old man. Now I think he was struck down in the prime of his life.

I was a touch younger than you. I've long outlived him. I've determined that you go when you go, not too early, not too late, just when it's your time.

 

[harley jim]

I agree! And I believe you can shorten your days, but no matter how healthy you try to live, when it's your time, it's your time. Nothing you can do about it.

I played mechanic today! I put a rear end in my recliner! It was just to cold to go outside.

 

[harley jim]

The BIL bought 50 tons of driveway gravel on monday, he used my truck and trailer to haul it in from the pit while I spread it with Donnies tractor.
Didn't do much on Tuesday, did some running, went out for dinner with the neighbors.
We had a coyote or a fox after the other neighbors ducks last night around 3:00 am, there dogs were going crazy which caused Hefe to get us up, first thought he had to do his business, but he only wanted to go help Grit run off the offending critters. So needless to say I've been mostly up since three! Moving slow but still in the shop trying to do something. I did build a shelf and cleaned up my mess, hauled all of the trash to the dumpster, went to Jeff's and picked up some parts, went to Donnies and inventoried trikes and parts, called Jay and ordered flat parts. Now I'm trying to sand shutters, Im about to quit and go find my recliner

 

[harley jim]

I had a fun one today!

The rear door quit opening, From what I gather it's another constant problem with these trucks! The plastic end on the door cable fails. I had to take the door panel off while it was closed to determine if it was the top or bottom cable, lucky for me it was the top, I was able to remove two torex screws and it released the door.

I devised a plan, I needed this tiny piece tacked into the end of the lock mechanism.

Once it was tacked in place, I ground it clean and tapped the hole with an ⅛" pipe tap.

Then I split a metal cap and drilled a hole in it.

Yes those are lamp parts, I have a collection of old lamp hardware and didn't have a motercycle cable adjustment end!

It actually took as long to post this as it did to make the repair.
I called the parts store, it's not a stock item, and you have to buy the whole assembly for 72 dollars and half of it is riveted in so no Bueno on buying a new part today!
I'm going to clean up some tools and go in for the day.
Were supposed to have good weather til Saturday, it was 54°. today, then it is going to go sub zero for a few days, I'll not get out of my recliner until it's above 35°!

 

[larry4406]

I had a fun one today!

The rear door quit opening, From what I gather it's another constant problem with these trucks! The plastic end on the door cable fails. I had to take the door panel off while it was closed to determine if it was the top or bottom cable, lucky for me it was the top, I was able to remove two torex screws and it released the door.

I devised a plan, I needed this tiny piece tacked into the end of the lock mechanism.

Once it was tacked in place, I ground it clean and tapped the hole with an ⅛" pipe tap.

Then I split a metal cap and drilled a hole in it.

Yes those are lamp parts, I have a collection of old lamp hardware and didn't have a motercycle cable adjustment end!

It actually took as long to post this as it did to make the repair.
I called the parts store, it's not a stock item, and you have to buy the whole assembly for 72 dollars and half of it is riveted in so no Bueno on buying a new part today!
I'm going to clean up some tools and go in for the day.
Were supposed to have good weather til Saturday, it was 54°. today, then it is going to go sub zero for a few days, I'll not get out of my recliner until it's above 35°!

Very Clever Jim!

 

[harley jim]

Thanks Larry, I couldn't see spending all of that money because a piece of plastic failed.

This is what I was looking for!

 

[xtremek]

Nice piece of shade tree engineering.

Around here anything over 30*F and we're headed to the beach. Seriously though, I'm hoping to get a lot done outside today and tomorrow because next week is supposed to get COLD!!! Daytime highs in the mid-single digits.

 

[harley jim]

Thanks Kirk,
Same here, 55° today, rain after 10:00 tonight, rain Saturday, then deep freeze comes in Sunday

 

[harley jim]

First show of the year!

Emerald Coast Cruizin': Panama City Beach Classic Car Show

Emerald Coast Cruizin' is Panama City Beach's premier classic car and hot rod show. The car show is proud to be and Official Visit Panama City Beach event.

emeraldcoastcruizin.com

The second show! 24 days later.

Spring Rod Run 2025 - Pigeon Forge Rod Runs

Calling all the automotive enthusiasts out there! The Pigeon Forge Rod Run car event is the area’s largest automotive gathering, and it’s coming back to

www.pigeonforgerodruns.com

 

[kaymccampbell]

Thanks Larry, I couldn't see spending all of that money because a piece of plastic failed.

This is what I was looking for!

That looks like a motorcycle brake or clutch cable adjuster.