Making do with what I have!

[cros13]

Awesome lift mate! hopefully i can have one in the future when i concrete down the side of my place.

Your one would work great for me too... you say your 5'7, i'm only 5'4!

Rudi.

 

[sean Buick 76]

Keeping busy! Removed the engine and trans from the SUV, trans was toast and engine is sold. Have a spare 5.3 and trans to swap in, but stick it in storage for now.

Trans went out on the Dakota is swapping that now. Pickup my trans jack in the morning.

 

[rixtrix1]

Looks like you have plenty to do to stay busy with. Hoping you and yours stay healthy!

Sent from my SM-J320V using Tapatalk

 

[sean Buick 76]

Got the trans swapped out in the Dakota, wasn’t too bad. I bought a trans jack, it’s not ideal but it was affordable. Was a hassle because it only has 2 feet of height change so it couldn’t go low enough to get the trans under the lift. So an engine hoist was used to grab the trans. Still better than working on my back. I’m thinking I may be able to cut and weld in another cylinder to let the lift lower down more.

 

[jbmatth]

Well done, of all jobs I've done on vehicles R&R a trans in that gen Dakota was near the bottom of the list. Don't throw away anything from the old one before installing the new one, some of the linkage and stuff was different from year to year.

JB

 

[OutlawDrifter]

LS swap the Dakota? Just saying...

 

[sean Buick 76]

Well done, of all jobs I've done on vehicles R&R a trans in that gen Dakota was near the bottom of the list. Don't throw away anything from the old one before installing the new one, some of the linkage and stuff was different from year to year.

JB

Thanks it’s up and running now, all good.

 

[sean Buick 76]

LS swap the Dakota? Just saying...

If it gets a V8 it will be a Buick 350, I have a few spares.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

If it gets a V8 it will be a Buick 350, I have a few spares.

I'm ok with that too

 

[sean Buick 76]

The boys having fun!

 

[rixtrix1]

If it gets a V8 it will be a Buick 350, I have a few spares.

That's Just so cool!

 

[sean Buick 76]

Lots going on, sorry for the lack of updates.

Helping my next door neighbor with some turbo swaps.

Riding the ATV a lot....

Spotted this awesome mud truck with an articulating frame.

 

[sean Buick 76]

Random pics

 

[sean Buick 76]

Ripped a shed down for a fellow... 45 min from start to finish. Used a ratchet strap onto a tree to pull it down after drop kicking the walls off lol!!

 

[sean Buick 76]

Landscaping! Over the past year I was attacking and killing the weeds, the lot had been empty for 5 years so it was overgrown badly. With enough work I got to a blank slate. I rented a skid steer, and dump trailer and went right after it! 9 days of work but I’m 90% done. Ready to plant grass seed after fertilizer. Next year we can plant some trees. All the rain water from our house and the neighbours all goes down this narrow gap between our driveways. So I did concrete re enforcement to keep it from getting undermined. Lots of rebar, now the water can’t get under the slab.

 

[sean Buick 76]

More

 

[sean Buick 76]

More. Used the atv to compact the topsoil. Ripped a fence down for a neighbor, easy $300!

 

[jon72vega]

Sean,
Good job on the landscaping!

 

[sean Buick 76]

I just wanted to say hello to my garage friends and I hope all is well with you! I will try to find time to check out all of your updates!

 

[jbmatth]

Check out ours, but also post up some of your own. I'm sure you are busy in turnaround (outage) mode up in the great white north.

JB

 

[sean Buick 76]

Hi guys, it’s been a crazy year but I landed on my feet!

I ended up landing a 4 year contract as the only client Safety on night shift at the largest project in my area. Lots of fun so far!

 

[metalhead140]

Merry Christmas Sean. Glad to hear things are going well with you and yours.

 

[jon72vega]

Hi guys, it’s been a crazy year but I landed on my feet!

I ended up landing a 4 year contract as the only client Safety on night shift at the largest project in my area. Lots of fun so far!

Sean,
The video is truly impressive.
Hope you and your family have a great New Year!

 

[Bob Heine]

Sean, a belated Merry Christmas and a bit early Happy New Year.

That's some project you signed up for! And that's one tough commute. Are you living on site for extended periods?

My mother spent several years of her childhood in Grande Prairie and Edmonton in the 1920s, before there was a road between them (there was a train and horseback). My grandfather visited farmers in the area, as far north as Dawson Creek. In June 1957, when I was 12, my parents took a little drive from Long Island, NY to Fairbanks, Fort Yukon (by plane) and Anchorage, Alaska, visiting relatives along the way, including my great aunt in Winnipeg.

On our way north in early July we crossed the Peace River Bridge (biggest suspension bridge that far north). Dad took lots of pictures on our trip, including a couple from the hill on the north side of the bridge. I stitched a couple together, showing our 1953 Oldsmobile towing our 15-foot family home behind.

We crossed the bridge again in late August, when it had been raining steady for weeks. We were back on Long Island by Labor Day and settled in to our routine. In October 1957 the Peace River suspension bridge collapsed. Here's some movie footage of the event:

Had I known you were going to be working in the neighborhood I would have buried a time capsule for you to dig up.

EDIT: I noticed the pipeline suspension bridge is still standing, right near the new Peace River Bridge.

 

[jbmatth]

That is one big project, congrats on landing the contract, looks to be a very interesting job.

JB

 

[PhantomEB]

Happy new year!

Thought you were on TMX....well Site C is nothing to sneeze at. That SUV needs to move to the top of the priority list for a guy of your Station on site.

 

[drivesitfar]

It's been a while since i checked in on you and it looks like you are due for an update on your garage thread. how's the frozen north treating you these days?

i hope all is well with you and your family. yes?

congrats on the new job/contract.

 

[sean Buick 76]

Thanks for checking in, things have been good just busy and not much going on in the garage these days. I need to spend a week or so organizing the garage and it’s -35 and no garage heater yet... so I dont spend much time out there at the moment. My current project is the 2004 Buick SUV, it’s getting a fresh 5.3 with a mild cam and a new used transmission. The plan is to rebuild the 5.3 in the next month or so then put the suv on the lift and put it back together.

Things are good, the boys are growing quickly and we are loving the house. We got a puppy last week!

I am really hoping things get better soon with this whole COVID thing because it’s a real mess worldwide. The US politics really effects us here in Canada big time, that’s been another issue. Fingers crossed for better things to come very soon!

 

[oldmxracer]

The deals You find and NO garage heater yet ! Just got to rib You a bit !! Life gets busy sometimes !

 

[sean Buick 76]

The deals You find and NO garage heater yet ! Just got to rib You a bit !! Life gets busy sometimes !

Well I could have found a nice used heater but I’m still trying to decide if I want two smaller heaters instead of one big one... I’m also not sure which style. I kind of want an infrared style by the lift and a forced in the Center. I think that wiiid be ideal but $$$$.

 

[drivesitfar]

that new puppy is WAY TOO CUTE!!

great sunset and snow covered pics too.

as far as heat is electric expensive up there in the far north like it is here or is it fairly reasonable? reason i'm asking is I only have a small garage to heat so I just picked up a couple nice almost new Cadet Hot One 4000w & 5000w 240v heaters and i'll only use one at a time so i can heat either side while i'm working on one side or the other. with a bit more insulation I bet i'll hardly have to spend much extra on our already big electric bill.

gas is our cheapest option, but piping is on other side of our home and these little heaters were a deal on Craigslist.

anyway if your electricity isn't too expensive having space heaters can work if you want to heat small areas, but i'd bet like me gas is a better option and your garage is quite a bit bigger so putting a decent size unit up in the corner probably would heat your space nicely.

some guys I know have pellet stoves in their big detached garages.

good luck cause with your garage being below 40 degrees for about 4 or so months a year I bet you'd like to use it and be warm.

good to see you are still up there kickin and just like you we are very worried that the USA is in for a very tough 4 years for the working guys and gals.

 

[sean Buick 76]

I am not sure if we're electricity is expensive here or not in the summer the electrical is about $65-$80 US per month. In the winter the natural gas bill is between twin 60 and $85 US per month. That is for a 2100 ft.² house Plus we use the 900 square-foot basement quite a bit too. Of course the kids don't shut the lights off all the time and my wife is a stay at home mom so the house is used quite a bit.

I only plan to heat the garage when I'm using it, or maybe when it's really cool just to keep the garage to a decent temperature. It's been quite cold here about -22 Fahrenheit with wind chills up to -40. So I'm not going in the garage right now I'm just going to hang out inside.

The usage cost isn't really a factor for my choice on heat in the garage it is plumbed for the natural gas and I think that is cheaper. The set up I want will be a little bit expensive initially but I think it'll be really nice. At the last house I had a decent sized forced air gas heater and it worked well but it was very noisy. My ideal set up would be Nice big oversized infrared heater near the lift and then also a forced air heater in the center bay. It is 1200 ft.² with nearly 12 foot ceiling so it is a pretty big space. My plan is to use oversize heaters so they don't have to come on and off as often and they can heat up the space quicker. It's a little more money to do it that way but I think it's better than having a smaller heater cranking all the time.

Yes it's a very scary time I know this isn't really the place for politics so I wont tell you how I really feel. However there's a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes and things can turn around very quickly for the better if my predictions are right so we just have to try to keep faith.

Thanks again for checking I'll do a better job of keeping you guys updated and I'll do a better job of looking on you guys pages as well super projects and things you guys have going on. Wish me luck with organizing my brushes it is a disaster at the moment. I miss placed two big tower speakers brand new in the box 4 feet tall so I think that's a sign that I need to get things sorted out!!!!

 

[PhantomEB]

My garage three hours south of you stays at +20 regardless if it’s -5 or -40. My girl loves me for it when I am working Medicine Hat during the week for this last polar vortex!

 

[drivesitfar]

I know you've got a lot on your plate so i'll wish you the best on your new heater cause I know it will be a game changer for working in your new garage.

STAY WARM!!!

 

[sean Buick 76]

Thanks!

I have been very active on social media sharing “truth information” that is being censored. Facebook gave me a lifetime ban for sharing links to the truth that doesn’t match the narrative. 90% of my family thinks I’m insane, that’s ok... They can stay “programmed” by mainstream media. I’ve had enough of the hypocrisy I just can’t stay silent anymore.

Our silence is our consent!

Then they came for me:

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

And in closing we need to accept other people’s opinions. That’s my big issue with the current censorship it’s only one sided. Either agree or be silenced.

This is how it should be:

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"

 

[Swanny1953]

Sean, I could not agree with your last sentence more!! Exactly my feelings, and we need to get more folks to come to the same realization!

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Sean, glad you're still kicking!

I think you left the door open on your southern border as it was -4*F (-20* windchill) on my way in to work this morning...and I'm a solid 10hrs/700miles south of the border.

New pup looks fun, I bet the boys love that!

What cam are you planning in the 5.3?

 

[Swanny1953]

Gents, that cold weather **** is making its way all the way down here. It's 22 now, but supposed to be in single digits Sunday and Monday mornings and not make it out of the low teens on Monday. We're not equipped for this **** down here in TX!! We had a 100 car pileup on I35W in Fort Worth - ice on elevated freeway after a rise no one could see over. Had semi trucks plowing into the last of the pile up at what looked like 40-50 mph - really tough to watch.

 

[sean Buick 76]

Sean, glad you're still kicking!

I think you left the door open on your southern border as it was -4*F (-20* windchill) on my way in to work this morning...and I'm a solid 10hrs/700miles south of the border.

New pup looks fun, I bet the boys love that!

What cam are you planning in the 5.3?

I’m using a sloppy stage 2 cam, good valve springs and a 3000 stall converter with triple disk lockup. I replaced the slipping 4L60E with a built up 65E, so I could keep the all wheel drive without major surgery 4L80E swap. The cammed 5.3 should be fine without killing too many drivetrain parts.

 

[sean Buick 76]

Sean, I could not agree with your last sentence more!! Exactly my feelings, and we need to get more folks to come to the same realization!

Thank you, much appreciated! I’m not saying I’m right but we deserve the right to be heard.