Starting Out Young

[a_thiel24]

I came across some old truck pictures when looking for the pictures of the pulling truck.

My first truck was a 1985 Chevy Custom Deluxe K10 with a 6" lift and 35" tires. It got a whole 6 mpg and less than 150 miles on a tank of gas. Not all that practical, but my dad let me learn that lesson on my own. Less than a month after getting my license, the 350 threw a rod through the oil pan. Previous owner had done a hack job at replacing the 305 that was in in. It was replaced a few months later after saving some money with a 400 bored 0.030 over that was destined for a drag car. Sold it about a year and a half later.



So since my dad let me buy the first truck, he wanted me to also buy something as a daily driver. Enter the 1988 Dodge Dakota that was bought for $350. Added a Mack bulldog to the hood and a 5" stack and it became known as the Mackota. I had a lot of fun times in that truck and wish I still had it to be honest. It took every bit of abuse my teenage brain could throw at it and it never let me down. Sold it for $1000 to buy parts for the first Powerstroke.



Then came the Powerstrokes, so here are a few more cool pictures. Just before a huge storm.



Great start to a bonfire and a pretty easy way to get your EGT's to go through the roof.



Custom made Eaton shifter.




A day at the drag strip with a couch on top of the gooseneck trailer. Best seats in the house.



Frame painting.



After stack install. Sounded sweet when the wastegate opened between shifts but was terrible for highway driving. Never again...



Just before selling the Red Powerstroke. Bought the Jetta to commute to school with. It's a gasser but still is going strong at 236k.



First pull.



A pallet load of cinder blocks.



The pulling truck when we started.




My dad's 1992 Dodge Cummins



And this is why I will never be able to sell this truck.



Sorry for some of the small and crappy pictures. Those were pre smart phone days.

 

[a_thiel24]

And this is where it all started.... 2002 Tomos Targa LX. I put over 9,000 miles on that thing in about 2 years time between the ages of 14-16. It had an aftermarket exhaust and a sprocket combination that could get me up around 46 mph (Moped speed limit was 20 ). That thing went through hell and back. Lots of broken plastic and turn signals, one set of broken forks and another bent, ran it out of 2 cycle oil and rebuilt the motor. I rode this thing more like a dirt bike than a motorcycle and loved every minute of it.



Also had this 1997 Polaris Indy 500 for a few years in high school. Great way to spend a lot of money in a short period and never recoup it...



i hope you guys don't mind all the rambling. Seeing all these old (relative term for a 22 year old) pictures brought back quite a few fond memories.

 

[Grumblebum]

Nice score on the desks Alex, thanks for the truck pics.

GB.

 

[jbmatth]

First of all it seems like you lived the life I wanted to live in high school with all of the cool trucks you had, that is great! Secondly, great job on working toward the ME degree, I have had mine for 7 years now. (Wow how time has flown by.) Just like you I hated circuits and didn't have much use for it. Hopefully you get a good job that'll allow enough play money we can see this thread keep going well into the future. I really like the effort you are putting into a lot of your projects and the wood storage is a great use of otherwise wasted space! You have a great work ethic and appreciate what you have and what you have been able to do without the monitary support of your parents in a big way. I was raised with 5 brothers and I'm right there with you on that one.

One quick note on the wiring in the switch box, I've always been tought to use wire nuts for home type wiring and some even use the tape after.

Also, the farm jack, or as I've also called them is a handyman jack, but another common name is high lift jack. Either way they are very useful but a little unweildy.
JB

 

[1/2 Cup]

Done well and thanks for sharing..

Regards

 

[metalhead140]

Very cool, as above, thanks for sharing. Mechanical engineering would be my choice if I wasn't already in an electrical career (I'm doing my EE part time atm, and work's footing the bill), but my youngest brother's in his final year of ME now. I'm wondering if work will spit chips if I change my degree to a dual Electrical/Mechanical...

Great score on the desks!

 

[a_thiel24]

Grumblebum - Thanks! I really like these old desks.

jbmatth - Thank you very much for the kind comments. It's comments like yours that keep me motivated. I'm really hoping that this degree will help me afford a few of the finer things in life.

1/2 Cup -

metalhead140 - I'm definitely more mechanically inclined and have not been able to wrap my head around that sparky stuff. I would have loved to have found an employer to pay for my degree. The school I'm going to isn't very cheap, but I have worked my **** of to earn my scholarships. The opportunities would be limitless with a dual ME/EE major. I know the University of Toledo has recently started something similar to that but it's not quite the same as having a bachelors in one or the other.

No pictures today. I was able to get a few large wooden spools for some upcoming wedding reception decorations. Gonna need to sand them a little smoother and seal them up. I'm not exactly in a rush for that. Worked on storing some more lumber I had stashed in the barn and burnt a lot of unneeded stuff. I took the carburetor off of my tractor to let it soak in some cleaner before I rebuild it. I hit a bump at full speed the other day and it just died on me. It has fuel pressure, spark, and will run with the choke fully on. So hopefully that will take care of the issue. I also took one desk apart and got it into the basement. A lot of the joints were loose so it is currently glued and clamped for the night. Might take a few days since I don't have a vast array of clamps.

 

[a_thiel24]

I got the desk all squared away and a few things moved around. I'm going to refer to this area as "Kennedy Korner".



The area was a little dim so I added this little light rather hastily and it turned out pretty good. It will only be temporary as it will come with me when I move out. The extension cord is just hanging there, that's not how its plugged in.



Finally got the router bit I needed to cut a rabbet in the jointer base I was making. I made the frame to fit around the jointer based on using 1.5" lumber (an assumption I made since it was a normal 2x8). Well it turned out to be 1.625" for some weird reason. Since my box was too small I would have had to start over completely. So I took the opportunity to buy a new tool. I got this rabbet router bit that has 6 different bearing so you can cut 6 different sized rabbets.





Last on the list was to get some lumber back from the fallen barn for wedding decorations. I have been tasked with building some sort of trellis to walk through as you enter the reception venue. So will be one project coming up shortly.

 

[APEowner]

.. I'm really hoping that this degree will help me afford a few of the finer things in life...

..I'm definitely more mechanically inclined and have not been able to wrap my head around that sparky stuff. I would have loved to have found an employer to pay for my degree. The school I'm going to isn't very cheap, but I have worked my **** of to earn my scholarships. The opportunities would be limitless with a dual ME/EE major. I know the University of Toledo has recently started something similar to that but it's not quite the same as having a bachelors in one or the other.

More important than being able to afford the finer things in life is the ability to work at a job that gives you satisfaction. You'll spend the majority of your adult life at work and you'll be happier overall if you actually look forward to going to work most days. You certainly need to be responsible and working at a job you dislike to earn for your family is very honorable but you have the opportunity now at your age to both be responsible and happy and it sounds like you're positioning yourself to do just that.

In today's world more and more mechanical applications have an electronics component and even though it doesn't come naturally to you it'll be worth it for you to get a firm grasp on the sparky side of things. I've got MEs and EEs working for me and the ones that are best at their jobs are the ones with some cross discipline capabilities. I also am more inclined to hire someone who's got at least a basic skill set in the other discipline. It doesn't sound like a ME/EE dual degree is a good fit for you but making the effort to fully understand the electronics stuff and not just passing the classes will serve you well.

Wow, I'm feeling old and preachy today...

 

[1/2 Cup]

a_thiel24 that is one nice desk and chair.

Looking forward to seeing how you go with the trellis.

Regards

 

[a_thiel24]

APEowner - Preach all you want man because I am all ears and will take any advice anyone on this forum has to offer. I should have worded that better because I do hope to have some finer things in life provided that they come from a job that I mostly enjoy. Liking what I do is an important thing to me when it comes to a job. Which is probably why I haven't found one yet that blows me away. I'm slowly learning the EE stuff, having a few friends who are EE's definitely help. I grasp the basics and google normally fills in the rest.

1/2 Cup - I've got a few ideas in my head but will ultimately have to run them by the fiance first. It should be rather simple but I hope to have it done before school starts back up. In the meantime we hope to rent it out to other people for the same use and make a little cash for the wedding. Man that is fast approaching....

I was feeling super lazy today. The heat just takes it out of me. So I didn't do anything mind blowing but 2 simple projects instead. First I made a little holder for a power strip and then mounted it. I know I could have mounted it right to the brick but this was made with scraps that didn't require any cutting so I took the easy way out.



So it runs the new light, a fan, the jointer, and radial arm saw. The jointer and radial arm saw ran from extension cords when needed previously.

I had this old fan which was nice but took up my precious work area. It no longer rotated because the worm gear was worn out. So I had previously made it so it is solid and didn't flop around. So I decided to hang it upside down from the ceiling. It is still loose enough that I can rotate it depending on where I want it.



I think tomorrow's plan will be to start de-nailing all of the barn wood. Not looking forward to that...

 

[jbmatth]

APEowner said it very well, and I couldn't agree more on having a job you enjoy. I enjoy mine most of the time and it is a nice gig, but there are those days that don't fit that mold. I don't ever have to deal with the EE side of things directly, but having a little background in basic electrician type work has really helped me in the past few years. Much of that knowledge I've gained from this site. My circuits course was worthless with what I'm doing now, ME in an oil refinery.

Once again I really enjoy your work and look forward to what will eventually come out of everything even if that will be a few years before you have your own place.
JB

 

[a_thiel24]

jbmatth - Thanks for stopping in and for the advice! I'll get there eventually, just gotta get through school and the wedding. Might be 2-3 years before we get in to a forever home but then the real shop build will begin.

Not a lot of motivation today either. Changed up my nuts and bolts storage to better fit my rack and to make things easier to find. Nothing earth shattering here...



So my birthday is coming up in about a week and a half so I decided I wanted to get myself a few things. The first 2 things rolled in tonight. New Bionic face shield to protect my ugly mug. It's very comfortable and fog resistant.



I also got this Wilton vise. It was on eBay and I threw a bid in at the end that I didn't think would get the job done, but it did. $27.47 shipped.





Needs a new retaining clip. Is that what its called?



It's pretty ugly but the terrible secondhand paint job should clean up pretty decent.

 

[oholto]

Man I feel like we're twins I'm 22, going for ME, and am interested in mechanics/woodworking (although I am much more into mechanics). Love the Powerstroke, especially with a regular cab. Still trying to find a regular cab first gen Cummins around here..

 

[a_thiel24]

oholto - That's awesome man. I like the mechanics side of things too. Just haven't had a whole lot of it since starting the thread. Last summer was the summer of mechanics when I did the 4x4 swap on my maroon truck. You mean a truck like this???



This belongs to my dad. 1992 Dodge W250 Cummins 4x4 with 180k. We think that it was redone at some point. Still looks pretty decent but has a few bumps and bruises. Both trucks are in great shape considering we are in the rust belt. I'm sure you know all about that being in Wisconsin. Good luck finding one. Take your time and don't settle for anything other than what you want (unless you can make it into what you want).

 

[gearhead1]

Keep up the good work! That degree coupled with your hands on ability will serve you well in many ways throughout your life. Doors will be opened for you that you never imagined.

I have no regrets being a gear head and having the degree on top of it. Attack life! You're off to a great start!

 

[oholto]

Yea exactly like your dad's, which is awesome might I add. I hate dealing with the salt but all the snow drifting makes up for it. When I do find the right Cummins, I don't think I could ever bring myself to drive it in the snow haha

 

[a_thiel24]

gearhead1 - Thanks for the advice! I definitely am willing to tackle just about anything. It's all a learning process but I tend to pick up on most things quickly.

oholto - I know what you mean about the salt. My truck is almost 18 years old and doesn't have a spot of rust on the body. I'd rather put my Jetta in the ditch than drive my truck in the salt.

Sorry for the lack of updates guys. Been busy with some things. Did a bunch of yard work for my pastor on Saturday. Spent some time with the family on Sunday. Yesterday, my lease started for my apartment in Ada. So I took a load of stuff over there as everything had started to get in the way. Cleaned up a few things today and basically set myself up to start on my next project for tomorrow.

I have also got 2 more items from my birthday wishlist.

Ratcheting Crimper



Milwaukee M18 LED Flashlight. I was pretty skeptical about this but I was tired of running through AA batteries in the other one I used in the basement. This is bright and the batteries last a long time and are obviously rechargeable. I'm honestly debating on getting another one to keep in the garage.

 

[1/2 Cup]

a_thiel24

Crimpers and a torch, done well.

You won' t know your self..

Regards

 

[jbmatth]

You will really enjoy that ratcheting crimper, and I'm sure the light will be handy as well. I haven't bought one yet but could see how I could use one when working under a vehicle and don't want to drag my drop light around.
JB

 

[a_thiel24]

1/2 Cup - So if a flashlight is a torch than what would you call this?



jbmatth - I haven't needed the crimper but the light is great and for $30 you just can't beat it (I already had the batteries).

Sorry for the lack of updates guys. Things have been a little hectic with my upcoming move. And I just don't seem to get much done on the weekends when my fiance is home. Weekends are the only time I get to see her, so I will gladly work my **** off during the week to be able to spend time with her on the weekends.

My birthday is tomorrow (23) so the last of the presents I splurged on arrived this past week.

3M Respirator with pads for dust. May get different pads for fumes later.



Milwaukee heat gun. Mostly because it was on sale at Acme, but it should be useful on a few things with my truck.



16 oz Glue-Bot. It came with 10+ tips to use. The most annoying thing about any regular bottle it comes in is that it dries up on the tip after every use. And this will allow me to buy wood glue by the gallon.



The main project I worked on last week was a bookshelf type thing to sit on my new desk. Each divider is for a book and a binder for each class I am in. I have one built into a wall in my bedroom at home and it is great to use. So this is what I came up with.



It started out as a sideboard to a very old hay wagon. The wagon floor had rotted out and was replaced but the sideboards were never put back on and have been stored in the rafters of the barn for at least 10 years. It's not perfect by any means, but it looks pretty darn good considering how warped the piece I started out with was.

 

[1/2 Cup]

1/2 Cup - So if a flashlight is a torch than what would you call this?



.

a_thiel24

Out this neck of the woods a torch (flashlight )is something that you see by.

See below.

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=...Ph4bDOAhURtJQKHaBICZoQsAQIMQ&biw=1344&bih=785

The picture of your torch would be translated into a gas burner torch.



https://www.google.com.au/search?q=...QKHbQWDvsQsAQIhAE#tbm=isch&q=gas+burner+torch

We are a little different out here...

 

[jbmatth]

I like that Glue-Bot, I'd never seen one of those before, and will have to pick one up. Great idea on the shelf as well, I may just steal that one as well and use it for owners manuals. Lastly the half face you have with the P100 filters is a really good all around filter some info from 3M:
P100 particulate filter helps provide respiratory protection in environments containing certain oil and non-oil based particles. 3M recommended for nuisance level organic vapor relief

We use those a lot a work and unless we are trying to protect against organic vapors in high concentrations or Benzene that is what we use.

best of luck in the upcoming school year, it is just around the corner.
JB

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Awesome thread.

 

[a_thiel24]

1/2 Cup - Thanks for the explanation.

jbmatth - Great news on the mask knowing that it can be used for more than just dust. When I was resawing boards the dust was terrible and made me cough and still managed to get in my nose with a cheap white mask. I got the Glue-Bot from Zoro, best price I found. Only 2 weeks left of summer...not looking forward to losing the paychecks from my summer internship.

GLTHFJ60 - Thanks!

So my fiance gave me my gifts yesterday before going back to South Bend. Dewalt magnetic levels. I have had a cheap Stanley 2 foot level for about 5 years and just make do but this are so nice. And the Porter Cable forstner bits. I've wanted a set for a long time but could never justify the cost.



Another thing I've been working on. I found this Lawson chart from August of 1989 at work. It was kinda rough so I cleaned it up and had it laminated to preserve it.



It has decimal equivalents, drill/tap chart, NPT sizing, fastener grading, drill/mill speeds, and some other things I have never seen before. I though it was pretty cool and would come in handy often. Didn't have much for wall space so here is where it will reside for now.

 

[Grumblebum]

Happy birthday mate, I stopped counting at 23. Wife and kids seem to be able to count still though.

Getting a nice range of tools going now they will serve you well. I like that heat gun and glue bottle. Heat gun looks good for doing heat shrink on electrical cables in your truck - nice and small by the look of it in the photo.

Cheers GB.

 

[a_thiel24]

Grumblebum - Thanks for the birthday wishes! There definitely is no reason to keep counting at this point .

Well not a lot of progress to warrant any pictures. I have gotten another truckload of old barn wood to build the trellis. And it was decided that since I have access to all of the wood that I might as well build a couple trellises (trelli?) and try to sell them. I feel like I could easily find a couple people to pay $150-$200. Only time will tell. I have enough wood for two at the moment and have started cutting some of it to length. It looks like I've got a trellis assembly line going on. I'm hoping to finish the first one tomorrow.

 

[a_thiel24]

Well the first trellis is done and it's huge and HEAVY! Here are a few in progress pics.









And finished.



The part you walk through is 7'6" tall and 6' wide. Overall dimensions are 8'2" tall x 9' wide x 18" deep.

I also picked up these saws for a whopping $40! Can't even touch the 2 man saw for double that normally.



I thought it would look pretty good on top of the trellis but that got shot down pretty quick .



Going to South Bend for the weekend so no more progress on trellis number 2 until next week. Planning on doing the Lincoln Highway garage sales on Saturday in search of some new tools .

 

[1/2 Cup]

Wow, that looks fantastic.

Regards

 

[BiTurbo228]

Nice work what's the plan with the trellis(')

I like the use of the reclaimed wood

 

[a_thiel24]

1/2 Cup - Thanks I only wish that I could accomplish what you do in a weekend.

BiTurbo228 - One trellis will be for the entrance for my future wedding reception (October 2017). I had two size variations so I decided to build both and let me fiance decide which one to keep. The other one will be sold. Hoping I can make a good deal from it and maybe have the demand for a few more. I absolutely love reclaimed wood but hate seeing how much it goes for price wise. But it works out great because all of the stuff I have been using has been free from a family barn that blew down in 2012. Nothing substantial has rotted yet and the sun has given all of the inside wood a nice gray weathered color.

Well the US 30 garage sales in Indiana turned out to be a bust. I spent $1 on a 25 ft, 16 gauge extension cord. So I started working on trellis number 2 today. First, I got all of the wood denailed. I then got every cut, pockethole, and pre-drilled hole done so that I can hopefully knock out final assembly tomorrow.

 

[a_thiel24]

So Tuesday night I finished up trellis number 2.







I also have been trying to save some other things when looking for the wood. I have found part of the original lightning rod/ground.



Also found these bubble style pulleys. 2 per door and I'm still looking for the 4th. Have about 12 feet of track for it. I saved about 20 feet of the regular style track also but no rollers for that yet.



My brother brought home a pile of wood from a house getting a renovation about 3 months ago. I have been tripping over them since then and had no idea what to use them for. I had been on a roll with the trellises so I figured why not try a third variation. Denailed and cut everything Wednesday and then assembled today.

Trying to get some tight miters.







And finished.





I feel like Goldilocks right now. One is too big, one is too small, but the third is just right.

 

[ajohno]

They look great.
Thanks for sharing.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I started to check out your thread but I'll finish reading it later. Quite impressive so far for a young one in these times. Keep hard at it.

 

[a_thiel24]

ajohno - Thanks

NUTTSGT - Thanks for stopping in and thanks for the compliments

So I had one last tool purchase to make before school started. I am enrolled in the Snap On Student Excellence Program and get a super hefty discount. They were also doing a back to school sale in addition to the regular discount. So here we go...





I won't say how much it cost but I could buy almost 3 at my price compared to retail.

With school starting tomorrow I cleaned up the workshop and basically shut it down for the school year. I may get to a few things on weekends but nothing major anytime soon. So here it is all cleaned up.

 

[1/2 Cup]

a_thiel24, Looking great and all the best with your school year..

 

[JimRB]

I read you mentioning planer rollers not working. There are companies that recoat poly rollers. Kind of pricey if the planer is not worth much. I had my Makita 2030 rollers done and it works great. I think it was a few hundred for the pair. Not a good investment for a low cost planer.

 

[60 weight]

Good luck in your finale year! My daughter also had a rustic style wedding and we constructed a lot of the furnishings from old wood and used tin.One thing that made a lot of difference on the woodwork was we stained the fresh cuts (ends) so you could not tell it was recently made.just took scrapes and tried oils,stains anything that matched up to our(her) satisfaction.Future SIL caught on quick,lol,there'll do fine.Also, you might consider saving/designing/making a lot of you guys furniture tables,nightstands.book cases etc. from that beautiful and familyrich history wood your stashing away.I remember when the wife and I got married telephone cable spindels were about the only wood we had.

 

[a_thiel24]

1/2 Cup - Only 265 days until graduation

JimRB - Thanks for the suggestion. I'll keep that in mind for when I get a floor model. Can't really justify that cost for the one I have now.

60 weight - Thank you and thanks for the suggestions on the wood finish. What did you find worked best? I plan on leaving them outside to weather since the wedding is still over a year away. I think that should be long enough to take the fresh cut look away. I am definitely hoarding all of the good wood for future furniture.

Last first day of school done and in the books.

 

[NUTTSGT]

That Snap-on torque wrench will come in handy over the years.