bczygan
Well-known member
Now, now.......at least Strouty gets rid of stuff from time to time.
I keep everything forever!
Bill
I've been missing this thread. Glad it popped up again.
Above 1200 Sq/FT The Salvage Garage
- Thread starter Strouty
- Start date
Wokspaces above 1200 squarefeet.
Now, now.......at least Strouty gets rid of stuff from time to time.
I keep everything forever!
Bill
I've been missing this thread. Glad it popped up again.
bczygan
Well-known member
It works like this for me:
I have a desire.
Then I acquire.
I quickly tire.
This creates ire.
Then I'm mired.
And very tired.
Until I have a new desire!
Bill
Nice poetry Bill.
I am over at the family tower site, seems like the contractor that was doing the roadway, compound, and rain garden has forgotten that there are actual plans for the work. It will be a fun meeting, but it is going to wait until next week, I need time to go over everything again myself, that way I can address what I think are all the issues. I can see by my eye that they don’t have any real slope to the compound, then there is the culvert, it was supposed to have been extended and had rip rap around it.
All little details that are going to be a lot tougher if it stays cold.
I am over at the family tower site, seems like the contractor that was doing the roadway, compound, and rain garden has forgotten that there are actual plans for the work. It will be a fun meeting, but it is going to wait until next week, I need time to go over everything again myself, that way I can address what I think are all the issues. I can see by my eye that they don’t have any real slope to the compound, then there is the culvert, it was supposed to have been extended and had rip rap around it.
All little details that are going to be a lot tougher if it stays cold.
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xtremek
Well-known member
I feel your pain. The only way I can keep track of my stuff is to track it in an Excel and it has 7 sheets with a minimum of 6 pages on each sheet.
I am afraid to do that, but I think I might have to do something, I know once I see it all, it will “help me” rethink things.
I feel that everything is a priority, yet that really means that nothing is a priority, you just can’t have more than one true priority.
This week I need to get my lists in order for sure, I have to deal with the office work, but I can do some in between figuring.
I feel that everything is a priority, yet that really means that nothing is a priority, you just can’t have more than one true priority.
This week I need to get my lists in order for sure, I have to deal with the office work, but I can do some in between figuring.
BoilermakerFan
Well-known member
Happy New Year Strouty!
Orionrising
Well-known member
Yeah that's a bad culvert job.
Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk
Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk
Exactly why I am baffled by what you do all the time. You start something, get it all torn apart, then "Oh Look, a Squirrel", and it ends up halfassed or never finished. That is so far from being a perfectionist or "OCD", I wonder why you pretend to all that BS. You are just an average guy like the rest of us. What do average guys do? They work on it, realize they are not a pro and call it good enough because it is working. They then use it.
PelicanPines
ALLIANCE MEMBER
We really need a like button.
That said. Don't discount the option of "Letting Someone Else do it for you" Sometimes it's just worth it to get it off your list.
bczygan
Well-known member
For me, the most fun is imagining the project and then assembling everything needed.
Actually doing it is drudgery.
So it is easy to set it aside and start assembling stuff for the next one.
And having someone else do it is a non starter. Having control is the main feature of hoarding.
Sound familiar?
Bill
Actually doing it is drudgery.
So it is easy to set it aside and start assembling stuff for the next one.
And having someone else do it is a non starter. Having control is the main feature of hoarding.
Sound familiar?
Bill
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Hubscrub66
Well-known member
Yes, being right there will help, i do the 5 min thing alot. I'm 30sec from my shop now since i built one here. I used to keep my big projects at my parents shop so i would have to drive out there so most of the time i just didn't. Also i use a dry erase board with my "to do" list on it and tools/parts etc. I need to get or order for them. That helps me, also very satisfying to erase one when done.
Unfortunately Kev, being a perfectionist is not about finishing things perfectly, a true perfectionist rarely finishes anything because there is no point if it can't be done perfectly. In my case, I was made this way by being told that nothing was good enough except an "A", that you can't just swap out this part without painting everything and making it perfect, it was simpler then, there are lots more examples, but you should get the idea. Now I have a fear of failure, the perfectionist mindset says that if you don't finish, it can't ever be judged as perfect or not. My Dad has the same thought process as you do and we drive each other crazy. He will use a piece of half work out rope to tie a load down, a piece of rope that should break if the load shifts, it never does break, so he sees it as the way things are. I see all the ramifications in one instant, I see the mother and child getting killed by the load shifting and falling off the truck when the rope breaks, I see me going to jail for manslaughter due to negligence, I see me not being able to live with myself. So I either use a rugged strap or chain or I don't do it at all. The rugged strap or chain costs ten times what the rope costs, in my father's eyes, I have just wasted money, in my eyes I have saved a life. Seems silly, doesn't it? Welcome to my daily existence, a decision you find simple and obvious can turn me upside down. It is a mental issue, I am working on it, but it is not an easy thing to just get over. There are lots of underlying issues involved, ones that I don't want to get into, but I will tell you that I wish I could be more like you, I wish I could be more like my Dad, but I am me and I have to learn to deal with things. I don't think you are being to harsh either, I am not typing this to make you feel bad for me, I am merely trying to help you understand things from a different perspective. When wires get crossed, it can be a tough thing to figure out, I feel that there may not be nearly as much progress as I would like to have seen, but understanding what the issues are and dealing with them as I go has been tedious with all the stresses that I have had over the last year and a half. In the end it is only a battle that I can fight, you guys (even you Kev) have been super helpful and I appreciate that.
I feel like this sometimes, but I have many projects that I love doing the actual work, for me the thing that gets me down is when I lose control of my schedule, when I am forced to change things that have already been carefully planned out, that is what takes me into the drudgery zone. I enjoy people helping, but when they don't show up or have to reschedule, it messes up everything and it is really tough to get back on track.
Yes, being right there will help, i do the 5 min thing alot. I'm 30sec from my shop now since i built one here. I used to keep my big projects at my parents shop so i would have to drive out there so most of the time i just didn't. Also i use a dry erase board with my "to do" list on it and tools/parts etc. I need to get or order for them. That helps me, also very satisfying to erase one when done.
I am looking forward to the transition to no commute, being completely honest with myself, I don't see it happening until next winter, but I do see it happening.
The "new" house needs some structural work done before I can even think about doing the cosmetic work, so that will be my first focus. I need to work from the basement up, that way I will have a solid frame to work on as I go. The basement is almost all cleaned out, there is a bit more trash, but most of it is wood that will go on the burn pile. Once I get a bathroom working, I will most likely setup a bed, that way I can chose to stay late or overnight if things are going well, this will not be until spring as right now the heating system is totally MIA.
OccupantRJ
Well-known member
Being close to the shop makes a helluva difference in activities. I only have to go about 90 feet from my recliner to be in the center of my shop. Being retired, I can be out there as much as I want, or none. I have been out there today for 3 work sessions, with a clearly defined goal each time. I only went out there after 2:30. I just came in for the last time. Do I get distracted? Sure, but I quickly rein it in and focus on what I came in to do. It is the analogy of the mule blinders I pointed out before. Got to have tunnel vision to survive in a nest of projects. I have learned to quickly turn off everything other than what I am working on, even though I keep several projects going simultaneously. It is nothing other than a form of self control.
I think you have me equated to a corner cutter. I am far from that.
The job I am in there for gets done, the rest gets inspected with more put on the to do list if I don't like something, then back out the door. Why? Because I don't have the parts and refuse to leave it in pieces in my only winter working space.
This is where we differ, I will get back to it in a timely manner if it is something I have to have, like a DD or plow truck. I would have had that alternator repaired on your plow truck within 7 days of it failing, including whatever bracket work needed done. You've ignored it for three years, I side with your Dad there; if the bracket is some kind of weird cobbled thing, but works, its good to plow snow.
PS: I strap things down gooood. I don't think I would lose my load if the trailer flipped!
The job I am in there for gets done, the rest gets inspected with more put on the to do list if I don't like something, then back out the door. Why? Because I don't have the parts and refuse to leave it in pieces in my only winter working space.
This is where we differ, I will get back to it in a timely manner if it is something I have to have, like a DD or plow truck. I would have had that alternator repaired on your plow truck within 7 days of it failing, including whatever bracket work needed done. You've ignored it for three years, I side with your Dad there; if the bracket is some kind of weird cobbled thing, but works, its good to plow snow.
PS: I strap things down gooood. I don't think I would lose my load if the trailer flipped!
Not at all, my point was that when you strive for perfection, you have essentially beaten yourself the second anything goes wrong. The only analogy I can think of right now would be having a lego set, getting part way through and finding out there is a special two tone blue brick that is missing. You have ten of the same size in different colors, but you try to find the "perfect" one, then try and buy it, but find out it is no longer available. So at this point you think of ten ways to make it work, but never consider using another color brick of the same size, you go back to the beginning and try and build it a bit different to keep the perfect color scheme, then when you finally get to that point, you find there is another brick missing. I feel that you or my Dad, or my Brother for that matter, would just assemble it with the brick that fits and enjoy the end result, in most instances, my mind won't let me do this. I am working on it and I am getting better at it, it will take me a lot more time to accomplish some things due to this issue, then other things, well they just don't matter and I can get them done.
As for the alternator, I hate FORDs and I had a chevy that was working, so I really didn't need it to work. As for the starter, I would have changed it out already, except the knuckle boom truck was more in the way and it took priority. The next time I was at the shop, the weather and conditions were almost the same as the last time, so I didn't want to change another starter in a puddle, especially when the truck is tucked out of the way. I don't think that is an irrational thought process. You also have to remember that I do not need my shop, it doesn't make me any money, I don't need the plows, they are only for the shop, when things get me down, I will neglect the shop, no sense in making things worse.
Prospecter
Well-known member
Hey Strouty,
Not too far north of you. I've enjoyed following your thread for quite a while. I roll much like you do, and know plenty of folks around me who do likewise. I enjoy your set up, and projects. Love the pictures of your compound and projects.
Not too far north of you. I've enjoyed following your thread for quite a while. I roll much like you do, and know plenty of folks around me who do likewise. I enjoy your set up, and projects. Love the pictures of your compound and projects.
xtremek
Well-known member
You can send some of that fluffy white stuff my way. I'm so sick of the rain and mud. At least with the snow, if you clear a spot on the ground to lay, you don't end up soaking wet. The mud is just plain depressing.
I agree the mud *****, but it is supposed to be warm for the next three days and rain this weekend, so I suspect, I will be right back to mud again.
The snow has stopped, about 5” of really fluffy stuff. I have cleared off the trucks and cleaned up a bit in the shop, probably going to go out to do some errands and get lunch, then come back and hook the plow up. I know how to trick the controller into working without completely having it hooked up, at least this way I don’t have to undo something when I finally get my plugs in, I tried to order them last night but couldn’t find the right setup. I think that what I need is metri pack 280 series, that will allow for up to 10 gauge wires if needed.
The snow has stopped, about 5” of really fluffy stuff. I have cleared off the trucks and cleaned up a bit in the shop, probably going to go out to do some errands and get lunch, then come back and hook the plow up. I know how to trick the controller into working without completely having it hooked up, at least this way I don’t have to undo something when I finally get my plugs in, I tried to order them last night but couldn’t find the right setup. I think that what I need is metri pack 280 series, that will allow for up to 10 gauge wires if needed.
jakemac
Well-known member
Screw finding matching connectors of the correct gender.
Buy a full set of the most common type that do the job and replace them all.
That way if you have an issue later, it will be easier to get the replacements.
Use the same for the other plow as well.
Strouty,
At times I am like you, such a perfectionist that my place is a mess because I don't know the perfect place to put something. But I also can get into a mode to get something done. That usually happens when I can focus and there is a deadline.
Probably why I did well in the film industry, once a job comes up I could focus on it - but I then drop everything else. Once off the job I could focus on stuff at home.
I definitely have to learn to let go and let (pay) others do things that I am not getting done myself.
At times I am like you, such a perfectionist that my place is a mess because I don't know the perfect place to put something. But I also can get into a mode to get something done. That usually happens when I can focus and there is a deadline.
Probably why I did well in the film industry, once a job comes up I could focus on it - but I then drop everything else. Once off the job I could focus on stuff at home.
I definitely have to learn to let go and let (pay) others do things that I am not getting done myself.
Jake, the issue is to have it clean (probably read as perfect) I need 11 pins, that means I need a 12 way plug and there are two wires that need to be 14 gauge. Only one style connector has the capacity to deal with 14 gauge wire and 12 ports. It seems to be a standard size, I just need to call a couple places and see if they can help me so I don't mess up what I am ordering.
The only plugs I really would like to use the factory equivalent of are the main headlight harness and the one that goes to the fly by wire throttle. I think these should stay as factory as possible.
Lane, I can get laser focused on certain things, but I can easily mess up my priorities and spend way too much time on something that doesn't even matter in the big picture. I probably spend more time on that stuff than anything else, at least that is the way my posting looks.
I had to go home this afternoon to clean up the driveway at home, glad I did as the slushy stuff was a chore for the snowblower and I really didn't feel like trying to shovel it. Got that all cleaned up, then decided to head up to the office for a bit, had to shovel the stairs there, then no one fixed the light over the stairs, so it is dark as can be, so I need to do that soon too. I think it is really funny that my Dad wants me to do the important office/legal stuff to keep the company moving, yet doesn't have his actual employee do the the stupid tasks, seems like a real waste of my valuable time.
The only plugs I really would like to use the factory equivalent of are the main headlight harness and the one that goes to the fly by wire throttle. I think these should stay as factory as possible.
Lane, I can get laser focused on certain things, but I can easily mess up my priorities and spend way too much time on something that doesn't even matter in the big picture. I probably spend more time on that stuff than anything else, at least that is the way my posting looks.
I had to go home this afternoon to clean up the driveway at home, glad I did as the slushy stuff was a chore for the snowblower and I really didn't feel like trying to shovel it. Got that all cleaned up, then decided to head up to the office for a bit, had to shovel the stairs there, then no one fixed the light over the stairs, so it is dark as can be, so I need to do that soon too. I think it is really funny that my Dad wants me to do the important office/legal stuff to keep the company moving, yet doesn't have his actual employee do the the stupid tasks, seems like a real waste of my valuable time.
Earlier today I slipped on the ice out back of the shop and I did a number on my wrist, it is tightening up like crazy, going to have to take some ibuprofen for sure, probably should ice it too. I can feel it all the way into my shoulder, I kind of fell forward, so it was a hyperextension type motion.
lilscorpion
Well-known member
Earlier today I slipped on the ice out back of the shop and I did a number on my wrist, it is tightening up like crazy, going to have to take some ibuprofen for sure, probably should ice it too. I can feel it all the way into my shoulder, I kind of fell forward, so it was a hyperextension type motion.
Having a spell of back issues at the moment (they come and go). When I read “slipping on the ice” I wince as if it just happened to me. Hope your wrist recovers quick, nothing seems to for me anymore.
rmalkow2
Well-known member
I like the list you made as it give more clarity to the major projects and now you can begin to see how to prioritize. I would also take this list and add columns for cost to accomplish and, time to accomplish for each item. When you look at this whole list it's easy to see 2 years or more to complete but if you prioritize it some more you might see a big time improvement. For example, the items you have listed as sell or scrap (except the small trailer) do that now, next week if possible as quick as possible. Don't wait for highest possible price, cut your losses and decrease yard and shop clutter. It will greatly reduce the list, give you the instant boost of accomplishment and free up space, your valuable time and resources for better things.
Suburbans, think about how long you've been wrenching on these just trying to get one good one. Maybe its time to cut them both loose and go find one that is running and in better shape, that does not need major mechanical work. This might be your first trip south to find a vehicle.
Clark seems like a worthy project to tackle in your shop. You've done a lot of good work to him already and it seems you benefit greatly from having a working outdoor forklift. Plus the repair items you listed don't seem too large compared to other vehicles. This would be of good value to you to get completed first.
The other projects seem longer term for sure but once you knock down the easier items from that list then you can work on the longer term projects with better planning and not so much pressure from a long list.
I know I have no claims on how you spend your time and money. What ever you decide decide, keep the list going and modify it as you see fit to show progress and keep your plan in front of you.
Now that I've done all this preaching I see in the mirror that I need to be speaking to myself. I'm going to make my own project list like yours and see what it takes to get myself more organized. Good idea!!!
Bob
xtremek
Well-known member
I'm guessing the wrist is still hurting? I hope it feels better soon, if it does. I "TRY" to do exactly what Bob says as far as tracking my "to do" stuff, that's why I use Excel. It helps a little.
Will be analyzing things deeper soon, we are supposed to have a decent snow storm next week, I would like to be better prepared.
Wrist is sore, but icing it helped, I think if I fall on it again, I will be in some serious pain, right now I can use it (left hand luckily) but it reminds me it is there. The back seems to be OK and that is a good thing.
I got the plow hooked up and working temporarily, no lights though, so I will need to take the plow off the truck when I am done. I am not putting it back inside until I have my plugs in hand, that way I will not have a plow to trip over for a week or more.
My GFs old car is inside, it has an issue with the all wheel drive, so no traction in the snow. I want to see if it is something dumb, if I can figure it out, I will swap some better tires onto it as well.
Currently I am cleaning up the snow, where the back forty got rutted, it was terrible. I am getting ready to hook Bev up to the trailer, then I can get the snow in front of the shop taken care of.
Wrist is sore, but icing it helped, I think if I fall on it again, I will be in some serious pain, right now I can use it (left hand luckily) but it reminds me it is there. The back seems to be OK and that is a good thing.
I got the plow hooked up and working temporarily, no lights though, so I will need to take the plow off the truck when I am done. I am not putting it back inside until I have my plugs in hand, that way I will not have a plow to trip over for a week or more.
My GFs old car is inside, it has an issue with the all wheel drive, so no traction in the snow. I want to see if it is something dumb, if I can figure it out, I will swap some better tires onto it as well.
Currently I am cleaning up the snow, where the back forty got rutted, it was terrible. I am getting ready to hook Bev up to the trailer, then I can get the snow in front of the shop taken care of.
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I forgot to mention, the frost has been crazy this year, things have heaved a lot. In the picture below, originally that was flat, I don’t even think I could hook up to this trailer now. Also the conex is almost inaccessible, the door opens just enough for me to get through. I will need to address that ASAP or I won’t be able to get into it at all.
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Getting the F350 out of the way, looks like it will be almost painless to get it inside, just need someone to steer it.
It is easier to grab from the rear, but I needed to grab it from the front so I could turn it around. We are getting rain tomorrow and still looks like 40s on Sunday. I am going to block the body up so I can at least let it drain.
It is easier to grab from the rear, but I needed to grab it from the front so I could turn it around. We are getting rain tomorrow and still looks like 40s on Sunday. I am going to block the body up so I can at least let it drain.
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RM, the maroon burb is that burb, at least for now. I am only waiting on one part so I can test things to make sure it is either the injection pump or PMD, once I confirm that, then I can continue on with the repairs. I just don’t want to spend a good day and $1000 changing the injection pump to find out it was the $150 PMD, I thought I had all the parts, but I couldn’t make the wiring harness reach. I ordered an extension the other day, should be here soon, then I will have a direction to go.
The dump truck wouldn’t lift up, then I remembered that the lines were tied together, so I figured it would have to go through the bypass of the ram, I decided to just lift the front and put blocks under the tires. Should be enough to let anything that melts out. I want it as dry as possible before I bring it into the shop. Then I am going to make Kev happy and fix a bunch of the stupid things that I have been putting off forever. It isn’t worth anything unless I fix it so you can start and drive it and the dump body works. Who knows, maybe I will keep it for a while, but I definitely think it should be sold next winter, that is when it will be worth the most since it is a plow truck.
The dump truck wouldn’t lift up, then I remembered that the lines were tied together, so I figured it would have to go through the bypass of the ram, I decided to just lift the front and put blocks under the tires. Should be enough to let anything that melts out. I want it as dry as possible before I bring it into the shop. Then I am going to make Kev happy and fix a bunch of the stupid things that I have been putting off forever. It isn’t worth anything unless I fix it so you can start and drive it and the dump body works. Who knows, maybe I will keep it for a while, but I definitely think it should be sold next winter, that is when it will be worth the most since it is a plow truck.
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The yard looks much better now.
This is how I tricked the plow into thinking it was all hooked up. All they do is use a ground to close a circuit, otherwise you can’t use the plow at all, Fisher has really made things difficult, I intend to change that though.
I made caps to keep the **** out of the connectors too.
This is how I tricked the plow into thinking it was all hooked up. All they do is use a ground to close a circuit, otherwise you can’t use the plow at all, Fisher has really made things difficult, I intend to change that though.
I made caps to keep the **** out of the connectors too.
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xtremek
Well-known member
Your place looks similar to mine. Too many half dead vehicles and projects. If someone would quit adding to my list, I might be able to catch up. I know you feel my pain. Good luck with the mud.
Yup, back issues are awful, it isn't the slipping that is the problem though, it is the quick movement my body makes trying not to fall. I sometimes get the same problem from a sneeze when I am in a funny position, usually my back is arched and that can really do a number on me.
Hope your back is doing better, GJ needs you to keep half of us motivated.
Xtremek, there are definitely too many half dead or more vehicles out there. I have to get the title squared away for the ambulance, then I have to unload the back, it has a bunch of things in it that I didn't want to get out to the weather, most of it will end up in the new house, I plan on setting up a room designed specifically for my ebay shipping/packing and sales/listing, it is going to have a dedicated space to take pictures of small items too, I never have a good spot and there is always junk in the background of the pictures or the lighting is awful.
rmalkow2
Well-known member
Nice work cleaning up the yard. You really have a lot more snow than we've even seen this year. But it's in the 40's today and tomorrow here then we send it on to your area so I guess you'll be in mudville before long. My dirt road is all mud right now. But I'm not complaining as I'm not looking forward to the first big snow fall.
I started making my project list today and it immediately got longer than I thought too quick. Yikes!!
Bob
I started making my project list today and it immediately got longer than I thought too quick. Yikes!!
Bob