Above 1200 Sq/FT The Salvage Garage

[bimmer1980]

Great deal on the mortar mixer!!!

However, it will not work for traditional concrete mix with aggregate in it. It will work well for mortar or plaster.

Due to how the paddles scrape the inside of the hopper, the stones in concrete will bind it up.

I have a similar mortar mixer and you can really hear it when a random stone gets into the mix.

If you have bricks or block to lay, the mixer is hard to beat!!!

Let me know if you have any questions on mixing mortar...there is a method to loading the mixer...

 

[Strouty]

I looked at the clearances and it has large gaps between the paddles and the outside of the hopper, I am thinking thick rubber might allow for mixing with aggregate. I don’t have any need for mixing mortar, so if I can’t make it work, I will have to sell it, I suspect it would be really, really easy to triple my investment.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

Cement mixer and pressure washer. Sounds like you are planning on cleaning up a murder.

"Yes officer, that's a new patio. No, I haven't seen so-n-so lately. And thanks, the garage floor does look nice and clean..."

Hummm....where did the ex employee go?

 

[1Garageman]

Hummm....where did the ex employee go?

 

[Strouty]

I am already to blame for the "employee" being an "ex employee", might as well make it worth it. The dock project is turning into a big game that my Dad has to "win", Monday Dad, my Cousin, and I sat down and had a meeting about how we were going to move forward, it was good, calm discussion, reasonable thought process. Then Dad says "You're not going to like this" (directed at me), then he proceeds to tell us that he is going to use the cutoff ends of the tower sections for the dock, keep in mind that these are not symmetrical so you have to fabricate custom brackets to bolt the new custom length x braces into place, then they need to be hot dip galvanized so they don't rust. It is easily going to add another week to the process, but it is pretty clear that he really doesn't want to finish the dock, he just wants to prove that he can work 12 hour days 7 days a week.

 

[jakemac]

An extra week on the island, is an extra week that he’s not on the hill getting in your way.


Sent from my iPad using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Strouty]

He will always be in my way.

I can’t take much more of the BS, I just want to go back to simpler times. Maybe I need to become a hermit.

 

[Bob Heine]

Maybe I need to become a hermit.

Strouty, does this mean you are going to build your own Hermitage? There's a nice one in St. Petersburg (the cold one).

 

[Strouty]

The biggest issue I have is stuff, I know we have been over this many times, my stuff owns me, I am a prisoner of my stuff, I don't have control.

I would like to get a handle on things and maybe it would truly just be better to dump almost everything and come out the other side stuffless? I go over that scenario in my head, but I can't fathom it, I don't think I could get rid of my tools, I feel I would need trucks and equipment, but then I see the future with more and more stuff. I am trying to understand the vicious cycle of stuff, seems that if I didn't have stuff, I wouldn't need other stuff, I wouldn't need time to fix stuff, I wouldn't spend money on registering and insuring stuff, but then what would I do??? Maybe this could be a process to get to where I have the least amount of stuff possible. Or at least an amount that is manageable, I don't want to end up like my Dad where he has so much stuff and so much infrastructure that he has to have an employee just to keep up with the basics. I guess now would be a good time to start looking at things like this, I am at about "half life" with maybe 30 years of decent ability left, then I will be struggling to deal with the heavy lifting.

So what would this less stuff future look like??? I need to do some soul searching and thinking. I am struggling with it all right now, I am scared that I won't be able to "make it" now that I have essentially shut my business down. I am scared that I will lose things that I worked so hard to create, it is just a tough thought process. I am going to need to start hustling again, need to create some capital while digging out of the mess I call life.

 

[Strouty]

It isn't hard to get overwhelmed, today has been one of those days. I think I need to go back to basics, right now I need to have a fully functioning truck, one that doesn't leak oil, smoke, this is going to be tough, since everything I own seems to fit one of those criteria. I like the idea of Perk, but the standard transmission is not what I want for the future, between my back and other issues, I just think the automatic is the way to go. The good thing with that is I already own the transmission, that is one piece of the puzzle for sure. If I do travel long distances, I will need a truck that has a sleeper, OMO was supposed to become that, not sure if I truly want that. I may be better off finding a truck that needs an engine and taking the power plant from OMO to use for that (this was the original purpose). I have way too many irons in the fire and now I can't keep track of them, everything gets delayed to the point where I can't schedule anything, so everything happens on a whim or last minute with little or no notice. I don't remember my life being as out of control as it used to be pre working for my Dad, maybe it was and I just don't remember?

To top all this off, I went to check on the robins in the nest and there were two babies still in there, well they both got scared and flew off, now the parents are screaming and flying around and I can't find the babies anywhere. I feel awful, worse is I haven't moved OMO in something like 6 weeks just because of them, I hope since they can fly that they have enough ability to survive.

 

[Strouty]

Going over my lists of trucks and trailers, I think the end goal would be to have more trailers than trucks, also the trailers should be the heavy duty larger truck type trailers, these seem to hold up much better to sitting more than being used and in the end, that is what will happen. I will still need at least one smaller trailer to use with the burb, I was thinking one tilt deck and one "landscape" type trailer, those would get used quite a bit, also might want a small dump trailer, thinking single axle.

As for the bigger trailers, definitely want a four of five place car hauler, an extendable flatbed (I already own), a shorter box trailer with lift gate, a heavy duty dump trailer, a heavy duty tilt trailer (landoll style), and a general equipment style trailer (like the one I already own), I think most of these would be fifth wheel style trailers, but having a couple gooseneck trailers could be useful when it comes to "off road" usage, the gooseneck flexes much easier than a fifth wheel style.

In Maine, trailers are very cheap to register and cost almost nothing to insure, so this allows versatility without owning lots of trucks. Originally I had wanted a hook lift truck for essentially the same reason, not sure if that is ideal or not. I plan on having a knucklebone on my trucks, so they could be used to swap any bodies around fairly easily.

Trucks would be a different story, in theory I can get away with one big truck, one medium truck, and the burb. In practice I would prefer two big trucks, two medium trucks, and a couple burbs. One big truck would be for long distance driving, the other for short distances and tighter spots (Perk would fit this bill), then I would want something like Bev to keep as a medium duty (under 26k) hotshot the hauler using a gooseneck hitch, then I would have the F-550 as a service type truck that is 4x4 (that is an important factor), then the burbs would be one for year round use, one for only summer use.

So how crazy does all that sound????

 

[legenddc]

...but then what would I do???

Work on paying jobs!

Totally get it though, I feel overwhelmed right now too.

 

[Strouty]

I am not sure how to get paid anymore.......

I forgot about Buck, can't get rid of Buck.

 

[XJSuperman]

Im getting a migraine reading this, but I think you are making more sense than usual. A realistic, practical approach to an equipment fleet.

Since we don't really know what you will be doing, its hard to say exactly what you'll need, but I think we can rule out the need for a sleeper. With your back, you'll be in a hotel for the few long distance trips I see you doing. You keep mentioning a single Suburban but don't you have like 5 chevy trucks of that size for parts and such?

I think you can get away with having a few less trailers than you listed above. You don't need a heavy and a light dump trailer. If you really want a heavy one, itll do the same jobs as the light one. A normal 16-22ft bumper hitch equipment trailer or carhauler is a good versatile choice. A lot of random stuff can be loaded on easily, and cars, small tractors, etc all fit. The burb can pull it along with the service truck or even a heavier truck. The multiple-car hauler is only ok if you actually are going to make money with it. An enclosed van trailer is great for some things, but can easily become a storage unit like you already have if you aren't careful. A rolloff type truck (this is what I imagine when you said "hook truck") is useless for you. Stick with a normal tractor-trailer setup since you have already taken that path. Obviously one truck of each makes sense. You have several of each now and can't keep them straight, and since you can only drive one at a time, skip the duplicates and save maintenance, insurance, registration, etc. Having one truck will force you to fix it before parking and switching or buying more parts trucks, or further distractions from the problem.

 

[Strouty]

The point about the sleeper is probably more true than I would like to admit and until the hours of service rules change, you can't drive more than 11 hours regardless of the sleeper anyways. I was thinking it is easier to just park at a truck stop than it is to get the truck into a hotel parking lot.

As for the car carrier, I agree that it would need to make money, I can also justify it if the trailer saves money. Been talking about hauling back rust free cars for years now, this would allow me to do it without a huge expense to start with. The end goal is to have rust free vehicles and take care of them so that they continue to be rust free.

When I say hook lift, they are different from a roll off style truck.

With the two size dump trailers, loading the big one with brush from the house would be a real chore, but I suppose I could rent one twice a year and call it a win.

 

[Strouty]

I am changing the coolant tank on the F-550, the coolant definitely has oil in it, but I can't tell if it is oil from when it failed and was repaired. From what I have seen, if the oil cooler has failed, you will have sludge in the tank, not just a bit of discoloration. I am thinking they may not have flushed the engine properly, looks like it is quite a procedure. One step at a time, going to swap the tank anyways, then see what happens. If it doesn't get worse, then I will probably do a flush and see where that goes. I am also going to add a coolant filter to it, that should help keep things cleaner. I hate learning new engines.............

 

[mybigwarwagon]

The point about the sleeper is probably more true than I would like to admit and until the hours of service rules change, you can't drive more than 11 hours regardless of the sleeper anyways. I was thinking it is easier to just park at a truck stop than it is to get the truck into a hotel parking lot.

As for the car carrier, I agree that it would need to make money, I can also justify it if the trailer saves money. Been talking about hauling back rust free cars for years now, this would allow me to do it without a huge expense to start with. The end goal is to have rust free vehicles and take care of them so that they continue to be rust free.

When I say hook lift, they are different from a roll off style truck.

With the two size dump trailers, loading the big one with brush from the house would be a real chore, but I suppose I could rent one twice a year and call it a win.

When I bought my dump trailer I thought I would use it a couple of times a year. I use it several times a month. One of the handiest tools I have.

 

[Strouty]

I am sure I would use it more than I currently do. The dump trailer I have is swiss cheese due to rust.

I have found a burb that is from the south and is a good candidate to be my new rust free truck. The maroon burb needs so many things repaired right now and since the only truck I have as back up is Perk, I have been neglecting them. I think I mentioned this before, I hate rust. If I got a running and driving, rust free burb, that would make me feel better, plus the maroon burb could become the back up truck. The rust always discourages me, having one without it would be a welcome change for sure. I am waiting on some more pictures, but I think I may go and get it next week.

 

[steaks&anvils]

I hate learning new engines.............

Admit it, you like learning new things. You just get annoyed being pressured to have to learn new things or when you have to fix some lame-*** other persons crappy fix. Just to get what you wanted done.

Glad you took truck and trailer inventory. It's always good to step back and take an honest look at our stuff. Decide what is too heavy on the soul and what can be thinned and why it can go. Today is not the same day as when you got the stuff, priorities change and so does where we stand in our lives.

Question is, where do we want to go and what we are taking with us or using to get there?

I need to do that all the time. Right now for me, I have 20 hammers in different states of repair:

need handles
need customize handles
need stain finished handles
mount handles
customize hammer heads
polish customized faces/heads
BLO or paint heads
mount heads
make bigger hammer rack
20 more waiting to decide what to do with them

Not one is finished. I "plan" on getting them all to the staining stage and do a group staining for them all. I don't want to pull out the stain stuff just for one handle...

Meanwhile, I feel like I haven't gotten any of them done. Because I haven't.

I plan on using them for silversmithing/jewelry making. But I'm in a funk because I have a cloud over my head by not finishing any of them. And then, when I do do a little jewelry making, I use the little $1.95 chicom cross peen hammer I have had for decades. Then I feel bad that I've spent so much time on the other hammers when I don't really "need" them.

What a crazy feedback loop huh?

I will defend myself by saying the hammers are used, vintage and inexpensive. I sat and watched movies while I custom filed/rasped/sanded the handles and heads. Rarely do I use the grinder. So I wasn't wasting time just watching movies This just kills my hands too, arthritis, but the hands on feel is what makes these so nice to hold...

I also have the satisfaction that I made them. The handles fit my hand and arm length, well balanced. The faces are shiny and blemish free. I will have returned a vintage $5 stanley tin smithing/riveting hammer into a useful tool.

You do the same thing, just with trucks and bigger stuff.

Don't get me wrong, it's still a crazy self defeating ride, sometimes we ride, sometimes we drive. But it's our ride.

 

[Strouty]

All I need to do is replace your hammers with my trucks and that entire statement fits perfectly. I will also concede that I do enjoy learning about things, but like you said, not when I feel like I am under the gun. I am feeling like the rust free thing is the perfectionist in me, but then I also feel like it just makes sense to have vehicles that are not rusty, they are easier to work on and generally have less problems. You are also very correct on the feedback loop, it is definitely self defeating. The burb that I am looking at may just give me that cushion, I just remember when I pulled the OGMC into the shop and put it on the lift so I could change the ball joints, before I knew it, I had to change the brake lines, the fuel line, the sending unit, two fenders, inner fenders, doors, rear quarter panel, rocker panel, front and rear bumper, and at least one of the rear spring shackle mounts. It totally ruined the experience and I gave up before the parts even arrived, I knew there would be something else waiting when I pulled off the fender or started working not he fuel lines. Rust just *****, if my GF wasn't so good to me, I would leave this state in a heartbeat and live somewhere that a dusting of snow shuts down the entire state.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

I am feeling like the rust free thing is the perfectionist in me, but then I also feel like it just makes sense to have vehicles that are not rusty, they are easier to work on and generally have less problems.

You would probably cry over some of the rust free trucks that I have taken to the scrap yard. At one point I had about 15 of them in the yard. Too bad not many had a title.

 

[neverdone]

I agree you don’t need a sleeper unless you are traveling a lot... and it takes a lot of hotel rentals to match a truck price. And for the Suburbans, would it be better to buy one newer rust free one and get rid of the rest? There’s a lot to be said of being able to drive something without always having to fix it.

 

[Strouty]

The biggest issue with newer suburbans is that they aren't the older ones.........

I am kind of stuck on my style, would a newer one be bad, probably not, but I don't mind working on something, especially when doing a "quick" repair won't turn into three more repairs due to rust issues.

As for the sleeper, I agree, but it would still be nice to have a place to take a break and store things that you don't want outside the cab. OMO may still be the way to go, I just need to get centered a bit more, having one vehicle that is to drive and not to constantly repair would be pretty nice. My friend just told me he had to do a repair to his truck, got started, it turned into a mess, so he bought a brand new truck and sold the old one. I am not in a position where I would buy a new truck, but I could upgrade to a much newer truck, I just don't know if that would help very much. Regardless of what year truck (or car) I buy, it would have to come from a rust free area to be worth it to me. This is why I think the southern burb would be a good move in the scheme of things.

 

[legenddc]

If you added up what you've spent on all your suburbans and parts plus the costs to drive all around and acquire them you could probably have a new Suburban and a 2500 diesel Silverado.

Take inventory of how much you've spent on things to make the "perfect" trucks and I bet you could have bought some nice newer already working trucks and not have had the hassles.

 

[Strouty]

We don't discuss that here................

 

[racer-john]

We don't discuss that here................

Nice one Strouty.

 

[legenddc]

Sorry, I just reread that and I hope it didn't come across as rude. I was rushing to comment before I had to put the kids to bed.

There's certainly nothing wrong with a few projects but when you're constantly fixing your daily driver those projects become a lot less fun.

 

[Strouty]

I agree with you, just don’t like thinking about it.

 

[Strouty]

I took the F-550 home, used the scan tool to record data, looks like temps are stable and where they should be. I am a little low on coolant, so I will top it off tomorrow and do some more driving. I need to pick up some windshield wipers and I can hear something going on with the rear brakes, will need to investigate that for sure.

 

[impala4speed]

We don't discuss that here................

Hi Strouty. I have not commented on your thread previously but I have followed it from the beginning as I find it to be very interesting. And I'm probably not really qualified to comment BUT............................
I believe the statement you made above is the real problem. You have so many things going on in your life, some that are very stressful, that I am amazed that you accomplish what you do. You definitely have the gift for finding what at first appear to be some extremely good deals and know what needs to be done to them. You can see how all of this 'stuff' is going to work out in your Big Picture Vision. I really do admire you for that; most people are not able to do this. But it certainly seems that most, if not all, of these good deals need a fair amount of work to be fully operational. And yes, I realize that you are more than capable of the repairs needed. And I think that in itself would be extremely overwhelming. For example, that pressure washer you just bought appears to need a lot of work; maybe I'm wrong about that. But so many of your purchases seem to be like this. I'm not saying that you should buy everything new but maybe some of the big ticket items that you really need to accomplish a job should be bought new, or nearly new. If you didn't have to work on so many projects that all seem to need repaired you'd have some time to concentrate and focus on the things you really want to do. You wouldn't have to worry about a tool or machine operating when you need it most. I can't speak for the trucks and trailers you have as I know nothing about them and you seem to know what you want to accomplish in the Big Picture Thing. Things and tools that you already have and use and are in good shape, keep. All the ones that need so much repair work get rid of and replace with new or nearly new. I know you said some of these items don't need a whole lot of work but, you have so many of them!
Believe me when I say I am not criticizing you in any way. And I could be way off base here. But I believe that we can all feel the stress you're dealing with. And some of that stress such as your business dealings and with your Dad I can't even imagine how deep that all goes. You're a hard worker, you need a little fun time too.
Sorry for the long post Strouty. I don't know if any of this is helpful or not but just thought I'd offer it up. Good luck to you.

 

[Strouty]

You are not off base much at all, most of my things that need repairs are not things that make me money, some in some regards I don’t care if or when they get done. The things that make me money are, well, I am not even sure anything that I own actually makes me money anymore, maybe my computer and my brain, I am definitely neglecting my brain. Some of the things that seem like a stressful mess are actually, in a weird way, fun. Let’s take the pressure washer as an example, I don’t need it to make money, it works, I thought it was cheap enough, but I couldn’t justify spending a couple thousand to buy a pretty looking used one. It only needs a couple little things to make it better, then I have some ideas to make it much better, but those don’t have to happen right away. I always try to modify things, it is just in my nature, I usually know what I want and rarely can I find what I want ready to go. Sometimes I can, but generally it is cost prohibitive. Most of what I want right now is not to have to deal with rusty vehicles. Perk is pretty clean, the F-550 is great, OMO is really in good shape, Buck is half rusty and half not, Bev is pretty rusty, and all the burbs (except the long term project I brought back from Virginia) are very rusty. The plan had always been to sell Bev, but I need to remove the rear body, then install a flatbed, just haven’t had time with Perk and all the **** going on with Dad. In the end, not one piece of my equipment is currently making me money, in the future I see that changing, but for now I am slowly bringing this back to good condition, I just do it as I have time. It is very frustrating for me when I have people that are going to help, yet they never seem to be there when I need them, that seems to be a common theme at this point in my life.

I have always wanted to go to auctions down south and haul back equipment and other vehicles to try and turn a profit, that is what I am setting myself up for, I am just on the slow path, you know the one where you bang your head against the wall a lot?

 

[Strouty]

If I added up all the money I have ******* in “projects” it would exceed $100k easily, actually that may be a very low estimate considering last year I spent about $40k on three project trucks and a knuckle boom crane, at least I have Perk to show for that, not that I think Perk is worth $40k to anyone, but long term Perk will be a very valuable asset to me and what I want to do. I still want to do the following things to Perk:

Change rear suspension to air ride
Add air suspension to cab
Change engine
Change transmission to automatic
Add receiver hitch to rear
Add gooseneck ball
Crest a quick attach bed for the rear
Make the fifth wheel removable using the quick attach
Add front winch
Install power and heated mirrors
Install radio with upgraded speakers
Install power windows
Install power locks and add keyless entry
Change front and rear axles to hub piloted wheels and disc brakes
Add air locker to rear
Add ABS system to the air brakes

I am willing to bet I have missed a bunch of things, but you get the idea. I don’t want to say that nothing is ever to my satisfaction, but that might be how it appears. I have reasons for all these things and they all revolve around making a unique truck that someone looking at it would scratch their head in amazement that someone would ever take that much time to upgrade an old truck in these ways.

The other thing is that I currently own all the pieces and parts to make everything on that list happen except the correct air locking rear (not sure what ratio I need yet), the winch, and the parts to make the quick attach bed (I have figured out what I need, I just haven’t ordered it yet).

 

[1Garageman]

Step back and look how talented and knowledgeable you are to be able to do all of these jobs/projects you have done!

I don't think you give yourself enough credit as to how many awesome jobs you have done to fix one thing, then find five other things that need fixed, and you FIX THEM.

 

[impala4speed]

Step back and look how talented and knowledgeable you are to be able to do all of these jobs/projects you have done!

I don't think you give yourself enough credit as to how many awesome jobs you have done to fix one thing, then find five other things that need fixed, and you FIX THEM.

I agree completely with this. I guess I was trying to put myself in your shoes. The problem with this idea is that I know how I am; I seem to be able to focus only on one project at a time. You, on the other hand, get much more accomplished.
On the rusty vehicle thing, I just finished a 5-year restoration on my project car which started out as a rusted out basket case. Just a few odds and ends left to do but it's on the road. What a learning experience: if I ever do this again I would head to the Southwest US to find a car. Might be more money up front but it would sure be worth it to not have to deal with all the rust that I had with my Northeast Ohio car. I realize that you may not have the time to realistically to do this

 

[Strouty]

I have been fixing rusted cars since I was 14, I don't want to fix anymore, ever. I can get behind abandoning my rusted projects in favor of ones that are in better condition. I will say that when it comes to big trucks, a little rust is OK, but not if the frames or brackets are all rust jacked, that is when it gets to the point I do't want to deal with them, a lot of times the cabs are in good condition because the battery boxes and fuel tanks take the salt instead. It is unrealistic for me to think that I can get rid of all my rusty projects, but the burbs are fairly easy to get down south and right now the market for the vintage that I like is not crazy, I suspect in another ten years the price will go up substantially.

 

[xtremek]

There is something to be said for having "it" just the way you want it, and "it" can't be bought the way you want it. That's why I'm building my next/last truck from the ground up. But at the same time, I'm cutting back on the rate of new project intakes. I'm still trying to find the balance. I will say any of my new house property projects (except the nature trail) are geared toward making our lives easier as we get older. Anyone who says finding that balance is easy is lying.

 

[Strouty]

When trying to find the balance point, it can be easy to stumble on the tipping point, then you over correct and head down the other direction. I definitely could use a few less "projects", but for now I have the space to store things, so no sense in getting rid of them too quickly. I do think that what I need to do is get some more of my current projects done. Sometimes I get overwhelmed looking at things, sometimes I look at things and get excited for the future. "Good deal" are usually the way I get derailed, I think once I start flipping things again, that will change, just need to get myself back into that mode.

 

[Strouty]

Back at the SG, drove the F-550 over with the scan tool monitoring oil and coolant temps, seem to be in normal range and don’t deviate more than five or six degrees from each other. From my research, these 6.0 Powerstroke engines generally have issues with coolant getting gunked, this leads to a failed EGR or oil cooler, then this leads to head gasket issues. I know that the ex employee replaced the EGR cooler a few years back, probably did the oil cooler too, they are not expensive, just time consuming to replace. I want to top off my coolant, then take the truck on a road trip tomorrow to make sure things are ok, once I feel comfortable with the engine, I will start fixing all the little things that it needs, plus I will start to modify things to fit my needs.

Today is a great day to test the cooling system, it is really warm out, the longer road trip will be nice as a final confirmation, but at this point it looks like the truck just needed the degas bottle and a new cap, not a head gasket. If this is the case, I spent $50 on the combustion gas tester, $4 on some distilled water, $120 on the degas bottle, and $35 on three caps for the degas bottle (wasn’t sure if I damaged the first one, plus they seem to be a common failure point). Total of $209 and about 8 hours of time researching and testing the truck out. I know I need to do some work to the rear brakes, but I am not touching that until I feel comfortable that I don’t have to drop another $3k doing head gaskets. All in I should be under $6k for the truck fixed and ready to go, not bad considering the $4,800 Dad paid for the remote control setup for the crane a couple years back.

Just so you guys know, I have kept Dad up to date all along, he didn’t care if it was or wasn’t a head gasket, he just wanted the headache gone, I was torn about this originally, but when he offered it to other people for the same price and they weren’t interested, I decided to take a gamble. Even if I have to do head gaskets, it is still worth it to me in the long run.

 

[Strouty]

I am not winning the F-550 battle yet, temps spike once you get into the boost pretty quickly, so there is something wrong for sure. I am not convinced that it is a head gasket, EGR cooler, or oil cooler yet. There are still a few less expensive things to try before going all in, these are things that I would do if I was doing the head gasket anyways, plus there are not redundant work.

 

[Strouty]

I am ordering a fan clutch and water pump, the water pumps are known to have issues and the fan did not seem to be engaging correctly, there are a couple companies that make adapters to use mechanical fan clutches and nice aluminum fin water pumps, rather than the factory plastic ones. I think doing this, flushing the engine, and adding the coolant filter should allow me to fix things. If this doesn't do it, at least I got one step closer to knowing what is going on without wasting much time and effort.