Above 1200 Sq/FT The Salvage Garage

[Strouty]

^^^^^ This has been the story of my life. ^^^^^^^


Since it is so warm out and the rain really hadn’t started yet, I decided to grab some stuff from the SG to bring to the Hill and also a battery and booster pack so I can move the 1975 diamond reo cement truck. I didn’t get to the Hill until about 10:15 PM, truck didn’t want to start, but I got it going, then I had to move the army dump truck so I could fit them both in the spot that I wanted to. Also the employee has a trailer that he parked down there and I had to move it too, I put it so far back, he should be able to get to it next spring. It was a bit tough as the rain started, so the windows and mirrors were fogging, the cement truck has a power steering leak, so armstrong it was. Took me about 45 minutes, but both trucks are now out of the way for the winter.

 

[Strouty]

I am just dumping today’s pictures, might update them later.

 

[Strouty]

More




On top of everything, I think the computer in the Bridgeport CNC kicked the bucket, it worked when I drilled holes in the pipe for the trailer jack, but today I tried to use it and it kept saying CMOS date error, hit F1 to RESUME, except F1 does nothing. I was planning on upgrading it anyways, just another project to add to the list.

 

[kaymccampbell]

There's a little lithium battery on the board that wants replacing. Some of them refuse to start without that battery.

 

[Coolabah]

^^^^^ This has been the story of my life. ^^^^^^^


Since it is so warm out and the rain really hadn’t started yet, I decided to grab some stuff from the SG to bring to the Hill and also a battery and booster pack so I can move the 1975 diamond reo cement truck. I didn’t get to the Hill until about 10:15 PM, truck didn’t want to start, but I got it going, then I had to move the army dump truck so I could fit them both in the spot that I wanted to. Also the employee has a trailer that he parked down there and I had to move it too, I put it so far back, he should be able to get to it next spring. It was a bit tough as the rain started, so the windows and mirrors were fogging, the cement truck has a power steering leak, so armstrong it was. Took me about 45 minutes, but both trucks are now out of the way for the winter.

Strouty,I have been following your thread from the get-go and am astonished that I haven't posted yet!
You are a good person, and I do wish you well in this thing with your family...at the end of the day , for what its worth .........with family; it is my experience that no good deed goes unpunished
Look after your own interests , no-one else will

 

[xtremek]

Fire truck with the boom on it looks crazy. And it looks like everything JUST fits, nice.

 

[Strouty]

Thanks Coolbah, you are definitely correct on the good deeds.

Kay, I forgot about that, will have to take a look at that. Either way I will probably do some upgrades, the company offers some new features that would be helpful.

Office work this morning, then shop work this afternoon.

 

[legenddc]

I know you have the 2500 'burbs but now that there's a new 1500 'burb with a diesel engine coming out, any chance you upgrade and stop all the madness with trying to get one working 100%?

 

[Strouty]

Probably not, I think 2020 is going to have a big impact on my vehicle situation, in a good way, so I don’t expect to be buying more trucks, just fixing and building what I have now.

 

[legenddc]

Good. I think they're pretty ugly!

 

[xtremek]

I know you have the 2500 'burbs but now that there's a new 1500 'burb with a diesel engine coming out, any chance you upgrade and stop all the madness with trying to get one working 100%?

And they ain't cheap, starting at $50k for bare bones. Guessing the diesel adds $5k?

 

[pi_guy]

I have a 2500 Suburban I do not want to give it up. They don't sell 2500 to general public any more.
I like the towing capacity it had the biggest motor they put out.

 

[Strouty]

For a while I wanted to make a newer avalanche into a 2500 duramax diesel, but I really need to sit in some, after driving my Dad’s 2008, I hated it. It would take three trucks to make what I want, you need a 2500 suburban chassis, an avalanche body, and a 2500 pickup with a duramax. I like the idea of the power a duramax puts out, but damn are they expensive to repair. I can replace an entire motor for about the same price as changing 8 fuel injectors.

Tonight, we fixed the brake line, then another one broke while trying to bleed the first one, fixed that one and got things working. Then we tackled the 4x4, just cut a piece of pipe, slid it in and tightened the old actuator, it engaged, not sure if it needs to be longer, but also not sure if I can damage it by pushing things too far. I am going to try it for now and see what happens, also put the plow on it. Still need to hook up the lights, I hacked the harness up trying to avoid buying a new isolation module, I can make things work though and it will not cost any real money. Tomorrow I should be in the office for a while, might be able to do some messing around on OMO’s roof, try and remove a few more light bars. I also need to pick up the OGMC and bring it to the Hill, the stainless steel brake line kit arrived this afternoon and I would like to try and get that installed. It was a long day today, even with my late start.

 

[Strouty]

Now that the shop doesn't have a truck in the middle, I am probably going to pull Clark inside and get a few things figured out, I need to fix the starting issue for certain, also want to measure for windows and get the Lexan and rubber seals ordered. The door needs to be fixed so it latches as well. I should really see about making the lug nuts fit too, don't know if you remember, but the rims were thicker on the traction tires than the original ones and there was on a concave spot on one side, so when reversing the offset I had a flat surface, so the lug nuts are not threaded on as far as I would like, but it also means that the rims are not centered like they should be on two of the hubs, probably fine for the speed that I travel. Regardless, I would like to make it as safe and structurally sound as I can.

 

[xtremek]

It might have been long, but it sounds like it was productive. And I totally agree with you on the lugnuts. Don't take the Clark off-line because of it, but find a way to fix it properly.

 

[Strouty]

I only have one more thing to move that I need Clark for, then I can tear into it, the main ram needs to be rebuilt and I would like to do some more repairs and upgrades too. I have a lot of the parts already, I just haven’t had the time and Clark has been the most used piece of equipment I own.

 

[PelicanPines]

Windows for me would be a priority... door that latches too. That ram issue dates back to the spring?... or is this different?

Keep up the good work... you will be awarded eventually.

 

[Strouty]

The ram issue may even be last fall, it creeps down and is getting worse. I just didn't want to take it out of service unless I had to, now it isn't needed nearly as much so timing is good to have it down for a couple weeks. The windows and doors are from the day I bought it, said I was going to do it a dozen times over the years. I never ordered the rubber seals, so that is the priority, I have to measure them, once they are here, the Lexan is available locally and other than having to make a template, they are relatively painless to make. I do need to dig out the tools, heck I may use the woodshed on the Hill to do it, need to do a bit of cleanup, but all the tools should be up there already.

 

[PelicanPines]

Cough... don't look for trouble. The shortest trip to job completion is to not move everything to a different location.

 

[Strouty]

No issue using the shops at the Hill, I am paying electricity and heat for the winter. I am going to take advantage of the space for certain. I am not upgrading the house or shop, if I move things up there, it is a temporary thing until it is either permanent or I decide it isn't worth the hassle. I know it will be a few months before we have any real agreement, but you know what they say: don't look a two post gift horse in the mouth, especially when you have to change all the brake lines in a diesel burb.

 

[Strouty]

Since I borrowed the ramp truck again and I have help tomorrow, I figured I would bring the Yukon in so it can be stripped down, I need some parts from it anyways for the OGMC, going to pull the motor so it can be put in the conex. Tomorrow I am going to take the big drill press up to the Hill and stick it in the quonset hut, that will make me feel ten times better. I am about to load up the OGMC, then probably head to the Hill, unload it, then do some more office work.

 

[Strouty]

Unloaded the OGMC into the second bay of the Hill, have to figure out how to lift it, never used an asymmetric lift before, I think I am OK, I have the nose of the truck set for the short arms.

Forgot to post a picture, but my round stock vice arrived this morning, it is awesome, expensive, but awesome, will be a welcome addition to the process. Also ordered a new vise and bearing kit for the horizontal bandsaw, the old vise is this cam lock setup and it is not easy to get the stock tight, the new one is the "optional upgraded" screw type vise. They said it would ship today, so will probably see that next week.

 

[Strouty]

Going to be a busy few days, today is a bit of a rush to try and beat the rain, supposed to be late this afternoon through Saturday afternoon. Sunday will be dry, but they say 40 MPH wind gusts, so probably not good outdoor weather. Plan for today is to pull the hood from the Yukon, rip out the motor and get the truck back outside. Then I would like to pull the FL106 inside, get the hood off, cut the rear frame section off, load the frame chunk with air ride and rear onto the trailer that is headed for the Hill. I also would like to get the 55 gallon drum of used oil loaded and the big drill press, I have a few other things that would be nice to get up to the Hill as well, but it all depends on timing. My back feels a bit lousy, so I have to be careful not to take it out, that would make for a bad weekend.

Since Saturday is going to be warm, I want to fill the water tanks at the house on the Hill, there is a well at the bottom of the hill and it pumps water to storage tanks under the house during the winter months so the line doesn't freeze. Long term goal is to permanently burry the water line, but there is a bunch of ledge in the way, so might have to do some blasting. This is all conditioned on me actually striking a deal to buy the place, but right now I am hopeful.

 

[xtremek]

Having a lift, sigh. Totally jealous.

 

[xtremek]

Good luck with the teardown/logistics today

 

[Strouty]

I may have to change today's plan entirely, all I have done so far is drive to the shop and my back is awful. I am going to limp along for now, but I am not sure how things are going to progress. I know all the things that I would like to have done and everyone of them involves lift, bending, and twisting, all of which right now are my enemy. I have a list of items to gather and several are lighter things, so I will start collecting those, should allow me to walk around a bit, may end up having to do some extra stretches, this just stinks.

 

[xtremek]

Take care of the back first, wise move.

 

[PelicanPines]

Wait till you get old and the pain really starts. I hang out with old dried out people and we think it's cute when a youngin complains about pain.

That said... back pain is a *****... can it be sciatica? If yes feet up... heating pad BEFORE working... ICE when your done. Some prostitutes are trained in back massage.

 

[Strouty]

I have a couple discs I took out years ago, they act up when I do something stupid. I feel that even though I didn't get nearly as much as I would have liked to done, I still got enough done based on the fact that I was originally worried I would get nothing done, makes sense, right?

I just made a mess, must have broken the front differential on the Yukon when I was moving it with Clark, good trail of gear oil and slow drip under the truck, figures, oh well. I got the big drill to the Hill, unloaded at the quonset hut, brought the cowl induction hood up there too, then swapped the old hood onto the Yukon so I didn't have to worry about the engine being covered. No engine removal, no cutting of the FL106, but we did work through one of my electrical projects, also got Clark to start properly by changing out the push button switch. On a bad note, now the CNC Bridgeport doesn't even start up at all, will have to do some investigation on that for certain. I would do it now, but you need to be a bit contorted to get into the control panel and I am not going to do that.

 

[86turbodsl]

Well that *****. Sorry to hear it.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

Back pain sux. I had to have 2 discs removed a few years back. I have titanium discs. At least I have scrap value now.

 

[Strouty]

I may end up converting the Bridgeport to a 3 axis CNC, would be more useful overall, seems like a good excuse, but I am going to investigate it a bit more, I haven’t checked the battery on the motherboard, that will be my first step.

As for my back, feels a bit better now, going to take it easy tomorrow as best I can.

 

[Pressingonward]

We have an Anilam controller on our mill. When the CMOS battery dies we have to go into the bios after replacing the batt and set up the correct options for the hard drive, otherwise it won't boot. Just throwing that out there in case you run into a similar issue

 

[Strouty]

This time I got nothing, not even an attempt to boot, that seemed worse than the error code. I am certainly going to start at the battery.

 

[Strouty]

Back feels much better, especially considering it is raining and has been since last night.

The Hill ran out of heating oil yesterday, a tank that read 1/4 has a stuck gauge, so it is bone dry. Not sure if I can get a delivery before it snows again, the "hill" aspect of the Hill makes getting an oil truck up there tough. Good thing is that I have two trucks with almost full diesel fuel tanks, both of which need to be drained, that will give me close to 100 gallons, I just need to get a pump and some fuel cans. The best part of this is that it is about 50 degrees outside and won't be cold again until Sunday night, so perfect timing if there is a perfect time to run out of oil.

Today's mission is to gather some basic tools and bring them to the shop, need to buy a few more diesel cans, but other than that should not be an expensive day, fingers crossed, I have a budget I am trying to stick to and this holiday is messing with it for certain.

 

[Strouty]

I looked over the motherboard in the EZ Trak system for the mill, not seeing any battery, there is a large capacitor off to the side, but nothing that looks obvious. The manual for the MB says that the system needs to be booted up periodically or the rechargeable battery power is not enough to keep CMOS SETUP from losing data. The weird thing about this is that I used the machine, fully loading and functioning and less than 2 hours later it was giving the error for the BIOS, the next day is when it no longer boots at all. I checked some quick things, it has 110 volt power, but I didn't feel like really digging into this right now. The mill still functions 100%, just have no CNC or DRO now.

I have done a bit of research and it looks like there are a few companies that offer retrofit kits that utilize the servo motors that I already have, they do have to be retrofitted with new encoders and wiring, but it seems straight forward. I also found a company that makes a very nice Z axis setup for the quill, the plan would be if I upgrade, it is going to be 3 axis for certain. I am hopeful that it won't be too expensive to do, but it seems like all my projects tend to run a "bit" over budget.

As for the rain, we got inches and I can't remember the last time there was this much water in the yard, I am also sure that it was much worse as the rain had tapered off a few hours before I got here. Not even sure I can get to all the things I had planned on dealing with due to the water and mud.

 

[Strouty]

I am working on getting the hood off the FL106 so it won't be in my way when pulling the motor, it is a bit tougher without two people and since my back is not perfect, I think I am just going to wait, better safe than sorry in this situation. I have gathered up some of the stuff I need to get the diesel fuel transferred to the heating oil tank at the Hill, grabbing a few more tools, then I am headed that way. I know the tank on OMO is going to be a *****, it has some anti siphon thing in the way, so it may be slow going through a little tube.

Next thing I need to do is fix the big engine stand and order the bracket for the 50 series. Might transport it to The Hill (going to start using TH as an abbreviation) to save space at the SG, plus Perk is already there waiting for the heart transplant. I have not decided on the transmission yet, I am going to install the tilt/telescoping column, then take it for a road trip to see what it feels like. Might be that it allows me to be comfortable enough with the seat back, but I am not overly optimistic. I just want to swap the transmission at the same time as the engine, it will be much easier to do it that way, plus the driveshaft will most likely need to be adjusted, or I can adjust the rear axle when I do the air ride conversion for the rear.

 

[Strouty]

Well I was deceived on the what I thought was empty oil tank with bad gauge. Yesterday there was no visible condensation line on the tank, today it is clear as a bell, even opened it to confirm. I will say that taping in the tank, it sure had me convinced it was empty. The issue that I had created was turning off the air compressor, you need air with the waste oil furnace and I forgot that. Pretty sure that was what I heard for noises. Now I am trying to move stuff around so I can get to the reset switch that for some dumb reason is 10’ in the air.

 

[xtremek]

It's always something. I'll bet on our bad luck.

 

[Strouty]

This morning I need to concentrate on filling the water tanks, then I need to move some things around in the Quonset hut at TH to make room for Dad’s truck, going to move that in on Monday. Later this afternoon I am headed to the SG to swap tires on the maroon burb and wire the headlights up on the plow truck, then I am putting the FL106 inside to be torn down. Should be a fun day.