Above 1200 Sq/FT The Warthog Hidey Hole

[jbmatth]

Nklamerus,
There are plenty of them on truck around here as well. It is still a shock to me that 10 years ago when I was still in school in Missouri there were some diesel trucks running around but most were for farming or a business. When I moved to Oklahoma 7 years ago everyone and their brother has to have one. I was skeptical at first, but it sure is nice when I have to pull a heavy load. When towing B.B.B. back with B.P. 2.0 the truck only downshifted once on the 140 mile (224 km) trip and I could set the cruise at 70 and just go.
P.S. The picture you posted has vanished for some reason.

All,
I have all of the concrete out of the Warthog Hidey Hole, all of the bigger chunks are loaded into B.P. 2.0 for disposal and all of smaller pieces are scattered around my yard in holes. I was also able to break up the top layer of dirt in lift area and will continue carting it to the yard to fill holes.

The concrete company has a minimum of 4 yards per delivery so it looks like I need to get busy digging out in front of some of the doors. I might have to call in a favor and borrow a tractor with a loader.
JB

 

[jbmatth]

I shared this story on another thread and thought some of you might get a kick out of it:

Sometimes I think if it weren't for dumb luck I'd have no luck at all...

Speaking of dumb luck, I shouldn't have survived childhood, or at least not had full function of all of my extremities. I am one of six boys and have no sisters, to say that we made trouble and gave our parents a heart attack a few times would be an understatement. About 5 years ago when most of us were in our early to mid 20's we were home for Thanksgiving. We were pecking around in old boxes of stuff and found a small bow and arrow. Well one thing led to another and we ended up playing catch with the arrow. One of my more athletic brothers actually shot two arrows in the air and caught both of them.

Then last week my youngest brother who is 17 and planning to go to college to be an engineer as well sent my dad a text basically saying he had done one of the stupidest things he had ever done. (Turned out to be an understatement.) He had set some cardboard boxes by the door and shot them with a crossbow. Well the bolt (arrow) went through the boxes, door, and the glass on the screen door. We all got a kick out of that one.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

Ok some progress to report and show, YEAH PICTURES!! In order to get to the proper depth I obviously have to dig out the hole a bit deeper. Under the concrete there is a layer of about 6" (15 cm) of sand or more accurately sandstone! It was a bear to break this all up and I had one heck of a workout from doing it:
View media item 63751
Next was hauling it out to fill holes in the yard. Oh what fun, if I had a bucket on the G.J.D.B. I could have used that, or if my truck wasn't so tall, or I had a wheel barrel, or or or... Ok I'll stop pi$$ing and moaning. I used 5 gallon (19 liter) buckets for about 3 trips when I remembered I had this wagon and a ~25 gallon (95 liter) feeder bucket. The trailer is rated to 1,000 pounds (453 kg), hahahaha yeah right, I'm overloading it and it is now where near that. Oh well it works but is hard work. With all of that out of the way:
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I needed a break from moving all of that actual work that I'm not used to doing any longer. I knew I needed to run the conduit from the center hole to the outer holes for the lights. But how to drill ~4' (1.2 m) to them?
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I guess you just need a 4' drill bit, but I didn't have one, it was too hard to just pound into submission so I grabbed a piece or rebar left over from our wedding. I just KNEW it would come in handy some day! I flattened the end on the anvil until it was square then put a little twist on it, viola drill bit!
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I chucked it up into my cordless drill and went at it, it was slow going and lots of to and fro but eventually I got them all drilled. As you can tell the rebar is no longer square, I lost a lot of material drilling these out. Next up will be to set the conduit.

I then changed gears again as I didn't want to set the conduit until the hole was full depth at a minimum of 12" (30.5 cm). This is where I am now:
View media item 63755
About 1/3 of the way done and it is going pretty quick now with the dirt rather than sandstone. I have concrete scheduled for Wednesday the 21st so I better get a move on if I want to get this ready before then, no time to waste.
Keep moving forward,
JB

 

[JohnnieMo]

But how to drill ~4' (1.2 m) to them?
View media item 63752
I guess you just need a 4' drill bit, but I didn't have one, it was too hard to just pound into submission so I grabbed a piece or rebar left over from our wedding. I just KNEW it would come in handy some day!
JB

This begs the question - why did you need rebar for your wedding?!?!

I love it!

My body hurt thinking about moving all that sandstone.

Are you going to be drilling some rebar into the existing slab to tie it all together? That is what my engineer demanded when I added to be existing slab.

 

[jbmatth]

This begs the question - why did you need rebar for your wedding?!?!

I love it!

My body hurt thinking about moving all that sandstone.

Are you going to be drilling some rebar into the existing slab to tie it all together? That is what my engineer demanded when I added to be existing slab.

JohnnieMo,
Going down the isle there are usually flowers tied to the chairs or what not, I decided to use rebar knowing that I would find a use for it later. Quick and simple, beat it into the ground (Outdoor wedding) and wire the flowers on. I just didn't realize it was going to take 5 years to find a use.

I say sandstone, but it was just really well compacted sand and I had to either take small bites with the shovel or use the pick to break it up.

I do plan to drill into the existing slab 3" (7.6 cm) on 18" (45 cm) centers around the perimeter. I also undercut the existing slab to key in the new concrete below the old. It can be seen in this photo:
View media item 63754
I'm not a civil engineer but have seen plenty of drawings and found this information
on the Mohawk Lift site which is what I used in designing the pad.

JB

 

[BUGTHUG]

Hey JB, you still alive? Hows the concrete going on your shop? I take it is done by now? Waiting on pictures to see what you done

 

[JohnnieMo]

Ditto!!

 

[sean Buick 76]

Nice work, we need new pics!!!

 

[jbmatth]

Sorry for the delay Herb and Johnnie, I've been around just very busy both at home and at work, we had to bring one of my units down unexpectedly and I didn't enjoy that one bit.

Aaaaannnnyyyyway, first order of business is I made a trip with my family back to my home town to celebrate my grandmothers 90th birthday, as you can imagine it was a real treat to help her celebrate this day. My parents had her a special cake made, if you can't tell she is an avid seamstress:

We also had a race in town that day (4,000 people in the town and only 1 race a year), my older brother won the 5k, I was second, and a younger brother ran the 10k and won. In the history of that race (5 years) one of my brothers or myself have won every event, 5k (3.1 miles), 10k (6.2 miles), or half-marathon (13.1 miles, 21k). (not to brag because they are faster than I am.)

When I got back it was a mad dash to keep up on work and get ready for concrete last Wednesday. First order of business was to take a sheet of 16 gauge metal and turn it into the boxes for the in floor lights, marked out the design and cut, cut, cut:
View media item 63994
I then rolled the lips up using a hammer and vise:
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I realized this was taking way too long so I decided to make a metal brake rather than make an hour drive one way to buy one. I used 2" x 2" x .25" (50mm x 50mm x 6.35mm) angle iron, some old hinges I had in the drawer, and some 1/2" (12.7mm) bolts:
View media item 63996
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It worked, but more rolled the edge than actually bend it so I caved and went to buy a brake:
View media item 63998
It worked much better, but 16 gauge was all it wanted and couldn't bend the lips so I was stuck with the vise. To make the last bends to create a box I had to use a hammer and the Hay Budden anvil yielding:
View media item 63999
Boom a box, now to just weld it up, and the frames created earlier, drill some conduit holes, and drill and tap 1/4-20 holes for mounting:
View media item 64000
Now to just repeat 5 more times, at this point I realized this was taking way too long and I didn't have the time I needed to finish. I called in some favors and was able to take a bit of time off of work to finish.

You are asking, well how about the concrete dummy, is it in the right place? Well you are just not going to find out if my lack of time, tools, and skill will play out.

More to come, but not today.
JB

 

[jbmatth]

Nice work, we need new pics!!!

Satisfied? I know you aren't, but this coming from someone who knows what I'm dealing with on lack of time at times. Even though you get lots more done than I do in your "spare" time. Hah what is spare time, I think that was back in college when I didn't have any... wait now I've confused myself in an attempt to be humorous, or is that just a bone I broke trying to pour concrete? Tune in to our next episode to fine out.
JB

 

[oldironfarmer]

I've missed a few pages. Looks like you've been busy. I hope you were ready for the concrete. Very inventive on your light boxes. I think I would just have cut out squares and welded them together. Are you going to put some zinc rich paint on them?

I liked your fabbed drill. Do you have a forge to heat in?

And, lastly, you were very lucky to get the minerals on your purchase. When I sell land that I have minerals and the buyer asks about minerals, I tell them honestly "the minerals are not available".

 

[oldironfarmer]

Oh, and my comment about drilling holes and letting them freeze was meant for Don, as it never freezes where he lives.

Reminds me of a joke a Russian told me.

During the Six Day War, the Russians were advising the Egyptians as the Israelis overran them. The Russian advisors told the Egyptian generals "We'll beat them like we beat the Germans. Just fall back, fall back, and wait for the frost".

 

[shortykorte]

I feel your pain on digging the hole for the lift. Luckily, I had a wheel burrow and only had to go to the back door to dump the sand. I great way to drill horizontal holes especially those that will have conduit in it is to water jet. When I installed our sprinkler system, I drilled a small hole in a cap, placed it on the end of a 20ft PVC pipe and pushed it under a 8 ft. wide concrete drive. Worked like a charm. I left the pipe in place as part of the system.
Look forward to seeing how the up lights work out. Interesting idea.

Congratulations on your grandma's 90th birthday.

 

[jbmatth]

I've missed a few pages. Looks like you've been busy. I hope you were ready for the concrete. Very inventive on your light boxes. I think I would just have cut out squares and welded them together. Are you going to put some zinc rich paint on them?

I liked your fabbed drill. Do you have a forge to heat in?

And, lastly, you were very lucky to get the minerals on your purchase. When I sell land that I have minerals and the buyer asks about minerals, I tell them honestly "the minerals are not available".

The light box design kind of came out of a nessessity, I'm not the best welder in the word, especially on anything thinner than 1/4" that I don't have a chance at blowing a hole in. I didn't mention it before but I did end up cleaning up the slag and grinding the welds smooth before tossing on some primer, but ran out of time to paint fully. I should have used more than self etching primer, but didn't have anything and sadly no time for research either.

I do not have a forge, I will eventually get or build one, but for now I get to work on building Popeye forearms.

The owner really didn't want to keep the minerals for some reason, I know I won't ever sell them especially if I start making a profit off of them. On that same note we close today at 10:00.

Oh, and my comment about drilling holes and letting them freeze was meant for Don, as it never freezes where he lives.

Reminds me of a joke a Russian told me.

During the Six Day War, the Russians were advising the Egyptians as the Israelis overran them. The Russian advisors told the Egyptian generals "We'll beat them like we beat the Germans. Just fall back, fall back, and wait for the frost".

It surely does get cold here at times, and hot too. Within the first year of my wife moving to Oklahoma from Missouri it hit -25°F (-31°C) then that summer it was 114°F (45.5°C) and 100°F (37.8°C) or more 50 days.

I feel your pain on digging the hole for the lift. Luckily, I had a wheel burrow and only had to go to the back door to dump the sand. I great way to drill horizontal holes especially those that will have conduit in it is to water jet. When I installed our sprinkler system, I drilled a small hole in a cap, placed it on the end of a 20ft PVC pipe and pushed it under a 8 ft. wide concrete drive. Worked like a charm. I left the pipe in place as part of the system.
Look forward to seeing how the up lights work out. Interesting idea.

Congratulations on your grandma's 90th birthday.

Shorty,
I need to buy a wheelbarrow and could use one from time to time, but haven't ever had to have one so for now I make due and keep that $100 in my pocket. Now if I run across one at a yard sale for a decent price I'll ****** it up. I considered using the water jet method but with the sand hard pack I was afraid I'd get it too wet and create a void under the slab. For this reason I elected to do this the "brute force and dumb way". That quote came from my water jet professor in college, my school was a pioneer in waterjet technology and created a few cool pieces early on in the waterjet life such as UMR Stonehenge as well as the Millennium Arch.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

On with the tale of to tails, or is that too many tails wagging to tell the tale of trial and terror. I digress, I now had the boxes ready and needed to install the conduit, rebar, boxes and wiring prior to concrete coming and that time was fast approaching. I was running around like a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs let me tell you!

I started off by installing the conduit under the slab, then began to drill the holes in the existing slab to key in with rebar set in epoxy something or another I'd picked up. (I'll try to remember to get the info off of the tube when I get a chance, but no promises unless someone realllllllyyyy wants to know.) I learned two key things here:

1) Even though I have a decent drill with a switch to select the "hammer" function for use with masonry bits, that function is really intended for grout, mortar, or very small holes in concrete. I learned this after trying to drill 5/8" (16 mm) holes. I had 22 (actually 23 because I can't math and left my real information at work where I can math.) holes to drill to set all of the required rebar on 18" (45 cm) centers. I drilled 5 holes to a depth of 3" (75mm) with my regular drill on the "hammer" function and I was hammered and beat after it took over an hour to make these holes. That led to learning #2:

2) An SDS or Rotary Hammer Drill is the bees knees for drilling in concrete. I'll let Popular Mechanics explain it better than I could, I mean those guys and gals get paid to inform us mere mortals. While picking up the break I also picked up the smaller of the Harbor Freight Hammer Drills and was impressed. I usually don't like to buy much of their equipment like this but I've only needed a hammer drill 2 times in my life, but now that I have one... However, it worked great and I was able to get the other 18 holes drilled in about 45 minutes, that is -45 minutes for those reading in the other hemisphere.

I cleaned out the dust and set them in epoxy to set over night, the next day was concrete day and I started here:
View media item 64001
I installed the light boxes with the 1/4-20 tapped holes onto some 2x4 material I had and TapCon'd them down. I then trimmed the conduit, ran the wire and installed the takeoff leg that will come up just outside of the eastern most lift post. Made the rebar mat, set it on chairs, watered it a little and waited for the concrete truck:
View media item 64002
Kai agrees we are ready, that is my wife's dog that is half Jack Russel Terrier and half Shih Tzu, (Jack Shih-t) she has been with us for 5 years now and is a great dog but doesn't usually help out with the chores.

View media item 64003
I decided now was the time to research (read that as YouTube) how to finish concrete. I came to the conclusion I wasn't going to be able to do it myself. Well ****, I chose the phone a friend lifeline and had Alex skip out of work early to be there at 4:30 to help with the concrete that was arriving at 4. Great to have friends that are willing to lend a hand, I lent him a beer or two. I also realized that the rubber trowel I picked up wasn't what I needed, but didn't have time to run to town and get one. What I did have was a tile trowel with grooves, nope, or some scrap metal. YEP

Glad I didn't put the welder away, I cut out a shape that made sense:
View media item 64004Turns out I was wrong.

Not knowing that at the time I use a piece or 1/4" (6mm) rod and and a 1/2" (12.7mm) schedule 160 ******, this is what I ended up with:
View media item 64005
It was now 4:00 and I had just enough time to grab some water and realize how much of a mess I'd made:
View media item 64006
View media item 64007
You'll notice the boxes were not complete, that is because I didn't have time to make the 4 that go under the ends of the vehicle, I ended up mixing sackcrete for those the next day. At about 4:15 I get a call from the concrete company saying their truck with my name on it had broken down and the driver said forget it and went home...

Will I ever get concrete, will Kai take over the house and make me a slave, and what was that about getting a broken humerus? Tune in later to find out...
JB

 

[oldironfarmer]

I've always been told I don't know Jack Sh!t, so I need to come meet your dog

And, you forgot to take a picture of your mess. That's the way my bench looks when I get it cleaned up...

Did you tie your dowels to your mat?

Nice trowel you made. For the work you were doing a wooden float would have worked nicely as well. Was the trowel flat enough or did you wind up sanding the surface?

Keep it up!

 

[jbmatth]

Okay that was long enough, I can't take the pressure you all are putting on me to get this out there. In fact yes I did get concrete delivered, and he was only 2 hours late. They sent another truck after it returned from another run. I didn't get any in progress pictures but here you go:
View media item 64052
As you can see it isn't the smoothest surface because I hadn't ever finished concrete before, Alex even being a civil engineer hadn't either. As he put it "In theory I know what I'm doing, in reality I don't have the skill or experience.". So with the blind leading the blind we did the best we could and it turned out usable but not as smooth as I'd wanted it to but will function just fine. Note to self, "Self next time you do more than a small job, this isn't a small job remember that self, hire someone who knows what they heck they are doing and has the skill to do it. Thanks self, noted and filed away for future use."

I calculated I needed 2.4 yards before the light boxes and the undercut on the existing slab. I ordered 3 an planned to pour a little ramp coming into the back side of the Warthog Hidey Hole. We ended up using closer to 2.6 yards which works out with the math I didn't do but knew would work. See math works sometimes even for a lowly engineer in Oklahoma from Missouri which puts me at a distinct disadvantage to everyone except those in Arkansas and Mississippi. (No offence intended to Bib Overalls as he is probably about 7.6 rungs above me on the knowledge ladder.)

To make this ramp I needed to allow access for the sliding doors to still close, I rummaged through the scrap wood pile and made a form with a layer of particle boar, 2x4 and 2x6, then another layer of particle board. It worked and I had the beginnings of a ramp. I couldn't get the form off though, I managed to even do this to my crowbar:
View media item 64053
It is okay I fixed it, I turned it over:
View media item 64054
I was able to pull the first half, but not the the other half, that is how I bent the crowbar. Turns out that concrete and particle board don't mix, or rather do mix and lock together really well. I used an angle cut 2x4 and a small sledge to try to pry it up, this worked until the initial piece got wedged with the other shorter pieces I was driving it with, the aftermath:
View media item 64058
So I came up with this:
View media item 64057
View media item 64055
I used some I bolts with course threads and some 1/4" (6mm) rod, chain, other bolts, and my hi-lift jack, it worked until the board split because the I bolts weren't long enough to go all the way through the board. Moved down to clean wood and tried again to the same results, then beat on it with the sledge again and used the crowbar to eventually get it out, took almost 2 hours and I was shot.

All is well now and everything just has to cure for 22 more days until I can set the lift.
JB

P.S. More to come, but first I have to go to closing.

 

[jbmatth]

I've always been told I don't know Jack Sh!t, so I need to come meet your dog

And, you forgot to take a picture of your mess. That's the way my bench looks when I get it cleaned up...

Did you tie your dowels to your mat?

Nice trowel you made. For the work you were doing a wooden float would have worked nicely as well. Was the trowel flat enough or did you wind up sanding the surface?

Keep it up!

Andy,
Come on over and bring Bob the Builder Bobcat when he is operational.

It usually isn't that dirty, but is never "clean". I didn't tie them together as the specs I followed didn't call for it. I thought about doing that before hand but didn't remember it until now. I guess you can bring Bob over and we can bust it out and try again.

It was as flat as it needed to be, but with the rounded corners I couldn't get close enough to the 2x4's holding the light boxes to make a clean corner.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

***WARNING CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES***

Okay last of the updates from this past week, that will get us pretty well up to date. But first we are now the owners of 35 more acres of land. Well we have the payments to make on those 35 acres for the next few years anyway. First things first I woke up Sunday morning to the sound of rain beating down outside of the window. As per the usual The Warthog Hidey Hole was leaking, but not very bad at all, it was a northerly rain and those are much easier on the roof so I only had a few small puddles to deal with. If I had gotten Big Baby Blue into the shop ahead of time I would have been mostly dry all day. But I didn't. The batteries didn't have enough juice to start the truck. So I towed it back, lined it up with the door and started pushing. Not by hand mine you I'm not an ox. I found out what those spikes are for on the front of the RanchHand bumper, they are for holding a tire:
View media item 64093
Other than getting soaked from going back and fourth turning the wheel in Blue it wouldn't have been bad at all. A few more pictures before the destruction begins:
View media item 64094
View media item 64095
or is that deconstruction? Either way parts are about to fly, and perhaps the occational hand tool and maybe some bone fragments, is this humerus yet? Pun?

This is where I was when I should have called it quits for the morning, I might not have ended up in such bad shape:
View media item 64096
But no I pressed on, removing everything I could easily or not so easily remove on my own. I drained all of the fluids, all 1 quart (1L) of coolant and 4 gallons (15L) of oil There was supposed to be 4-5 gallons (15-19L) of coolant and 2.5 gallons (9.5L) of oil. There is your problem right there! I also turned the crank over by hand and discovered there was compression coming out of the water jackets in the block where the coolant crossover is bolted on, but it sure turned over easy. Well easy for a 6.6L diesel engine at least. This is where I was when I decided to take the wheels off:
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View media item 64098
Wheels came off without incident, but the day wasn't over yet, I started on the driveshafts and transfer case. The transfer case is a New Process 263 eXtra Heavy Duty or NP263XHD, it weights about 60-70 pounds (27-32 kg) as a guess. As I was pulling it out of the truck I was on my back wearing goggles and ear plugs. (It wasn't loud but with the dirt and junk falling on my it helped to keep my ears clean, yep that is me Mr. Hygiene) I digress, as I was rotating it down it started to drip some fluid on me and I rotated it again when...I removed it with no issues. Yep that was humerus wasn't it. I don't have a picture of it in the current state, but will get one tomorrow to post up for y'all, thanks for sticking with me.
JB

P.S. See they were a bit graphic, I mean how else could you see them if they weren't then they would just be blank.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Why are you waiting 22 days to install your lift?

I would install it now. Just don't load it for 22 days. It is possible it will take you 19 days to install it

I see your concrete finishing skills on your ramp. Good news! You can get better, lots better, you've left yourself plenty of room for improvement. If you start out too good it's hard to get better.

Bob is really sick.

 

[taumac]

Man I have no idea what happen but having been getting updates on your thread. I just got done catching up and man I missed a lot. When the hell did the blast cabinet get that damn big? I really like the idea of the floor lights. Congrats on more acreage. Sad to hear about the truck. Lift is coming along. I must admit man you been posting some funny **** lately. I definitely got a few laughs at your expense. Don't worry we always poke more than effort jokes at ourselves. LOL. I'm all caught up and can't wait to see lift all finished with the light.

 

[jbmatth]

Why are you waiting 22 days to install your lift?

I would install it now. Just don't load it for 22 days. It is possible it will take you 19 days to install it

I see your concrete finishing skills on your ramp. Good news! You can get better, lots better, you've left yourself plenty of room for improvement. If you start out too good it's hard to get better.

Bob is really sick.

The reason I'm waiting until mid October is because the anchors are a Hilti friction style anchor that has to be torqued to 85 ft-lbs of torque and I want to give the concrete plenty of time to cure before stressing it as the manufacturer recommends.

The ramp is really bad and wasn't supposed to turn out. I just tossed the leftover there in hope no one would ever see it, darn I told on myself. The lift pad is much better but still not great, I'm excited about the fact that I can only improve though, well hopefully.

Sorry to hear about Bob, I'm sure you will be able to mend him, all it takes is time and money and anything can be fixed. But if you plan to toss him into the tractor pasture let me know. ;-)
JB

Sent from my bag phone.

 

[jbmatth]

Man I have no idea what happen but having been getting updates on your thread. I just got done catching up and man I missed a lot. When the hell did the blast cabinet get that damn big? I really like the idea of the floor lights. Congrats on more acreage. Sad to hear about the truck. Lift is coming along. I must admit man you been posting some funny **** lately. I definitely got a few laughs at your expense. Don't worry we always poke more than effort jokes at ourselves. LOL. I'm all caught up and can't wait to see lift all finished with the light.

What I have been funny, darn I was trying to be serious! I like to have fun in life and joke a lot, but that doesn't come across very well when I type sadly but I'm learning from the Bob's and Andy's on the board. It has always been that big, sadly I can only blast an area about 2'x2' (61cmx61cm) at a time so it hasn't panned out all that well. Maybe with version 2.0 in a few months or years. We are thrilled by the amount of land, think of all the shops or old cars I could store out there! I laugh at myself a lot, sometimes scream, talk to myself, confuse myself, and even once in a while pat myself on the back, but that is usually because of a mesquito.
JB

Sent from my bag phone.

 

[don long]

JB
I'm back up to date and that truck is the uglyest thing I;ve seen in a while
Good luck with that.
Is your lift standing yet???
Floor lights are a great idea but a pita to put in

 

[oldironfarmer]

I reread my post and think I came across a little too strong. We love seeing your work, and the ramp is fully fit for purpose. I have a habit of "encouraging" young engineers, usually to their dismay. But after an engineering education some serious realignment is usually in order to make a truly productive individual. However, I recognize I don't really know you that well - and I am impressed by your mechanical skills

 

[jbmatth]

JB
I'm back up to date and that truck is the uglyest thing I;ve seen in a while
Good luck with that.
Is your lift standing yet???
Floor lights are a great idea but a pita to put in

Don,
I agree that Big Baby Blue isn't the best looking in the world, I've gotten mixed reviews on it though, some people absolutely love the welding bed, others disdain it with all of their body. Go figure. It will all end up as part of other vehicles in the end and the rest will become a new vehicle as part of my recycling program.

No lift standing yet, I will work toward that goal in the coming weeks but am also a bit hesitant because if I stand it and don't bolt it down I would guarantee that Oklahoma will have another earthquake and that lift would end up on Herb's Hearse.

Now that I'm over the hump on the lights it should be too bad, just connect the wires, put the lights in, install the bullet proof glass, and presto done.

I reread my post and think I came across a little too strong. We love seeing your work, and the ramp is fully fit for purpose. I have a habit of "encouraging" young engineers, usually to their dismay. But after an engineering education some serious realignment is usually in order to make a truly productive individual. However, I recognize I don't really know you that well - and I am impressed by your mechanical skills

Andy,
No offense taken, I had 5 brothers and lived in a fraternity in college, now I work in a refinery so as you probably could expect I have very thick skin and gave up on "feelings" a long time ago. I definitely was one of those engineers that required some "realignment" upon entering the work force, but like to think I caught on quick enough. It really helps that I do so much mechanical and repair work on the side that I at least have a bit of experience outside of school. However, I don't think I would say I have mechanical skill so much as I know how to remove bolts and put them back in. Now why do I have so many extra pieces floating around and why aren't they the ones I need to fix the problem??? I know get a bigger hammer, if that doesn't fix it you sir have an electrical problem!


All,
As the truck sits as of last night:
View media item 64107
As you can see I had a little helper that insisted we have the wrenches lined up, she did this all on her own:
View media item 64108
JB

 

[hpw]

you sir are a one man wrecking crew

 

[MacTexas]

Be sure to enjoy every minute of your helper. My little helper got married this year so now she gets to help someone else. It goes by fast.

 

[jbmatth]

you sir are a one man wrecking crew

HPW,
If you are trying to say I can sure tear stuff up, yep I can do that! Now fixing it well, that is another story sometimes. My father used to say we (brothers and I) could bend a crowbar in a sand pile or tear up a tin man. I did bend a crowbar, and it was in a sand mixture. However as you can see I had a helper last night, we only went out to take pictures of some parts though.

Be sure to enjoy every minute of your helper. My little helper got married this year so now she gets to help someone else. It goes by fast.

Mac,
I surely do, I'll be more inclined to let her help in a greater capacity when she learns to wear closed toe shoes and work cloths! Mom gets upset with me when she can't get the grease out of the pretty new dresses. Who knew! I will have big sis out there this weekend helping pull the engine and trans if all goes well.

JB

 

[hpw]

Be sure to enjoy every minute of your helper. My little helper got married this year so now she gets to help someone else. It goes by fast.

x1000, no truer words have ever been spoken...it'll be gone in a flash and you will look back and say where did the years go.

 

[FlyOverStateFarmboy]

So you got me...I really thought you were gonna have more bad luck, with a crushed and broken arm. Glad to hear the transfer case came out easy and you didn't get hurt!

Also, I must say, catching up on your posts after being away from garagejournal all summer has given me a much needed kick in the pants to get my stuff together and get some stuff done. I have no idea where you find the time, especially with your family. I'm gonna have to start figuring that out, myself, very soon.

 

[jbmatth]

So you got me...I really thought you were gonna have more bad luck, with a crushed and broken arm. Glad to hear the transfer case came out easy and you didn't get hurt!

Also, I must say, catching up on your posts after being away from garagejournal all summer has given me a much needed kick in the pants to get my stuff together and get some stuff done. I have no idea where you find the time, especially with your family. I'm gonna have to start figuring that out, myself, very soon.

F.O.S.F.,
I'm reading that last line as you have a little one on the way, or just getting married I can't remember if you are. Either case congratulations!

The T.C. wasn't that hard at all, it is pretty heavy and I was pretty well stuck having to be directly under it to get it out. Luckily it went without incident and I don't have more injuries to show off.

So yes, harvest is over hopefully for just about everything but beans so you should have plenty of time right? The biggest amount of time I get other than taking time off of work comes from waking up before most sane people would. I've been getting up by 3:45 and in the shop by 4 that way I get an hour and a half before heading off to work. We do put our daughters to bed at 8 so we call it a night shortly thereafter. Looking forward to more updates from you in the near future.
JB

 

[FlyOverStateFarmboy]

F.O.S.F.,
I'm reading that last line as you have a little one on the way, or just getting married I can't remember if you are. Either case congratulations!

The T.C. wasn't that hard at all, it is pretty heavy and I was pretty well stuck having to be directly under it to get it out. Luckily it went without incident and I don't have more injuries to show off.

So yes, harvest is over hopefully for just about everything but beans so you should have plenty of time right? The biggest amount of time I get other than taking time off of work comes from waking up before most sane people would. I've been getting up by 3:45 and in the shop by 4 that way I get an hour and a half before heading off to work. We do put our daughters to bed at 8 so we call it a night shortly thereafter. Looking forward to more updates from you in the near future.
JB

Haha you're good! Yup, we found out we're having a little girl, due in early January.

We're actually right in the middle of harvest, so it'll be very busy for the next 3 or 4 weeks. I like the idea of getting up early and getting some stuff done, but I also love sleep... I guess I'll learn how to live on no sleep like you do.

 

[BUGTHUG]

where did the ole hurst go? I didn't see it in any pictures. Looks like you been busy, should of called could help you do something? Well I got to mow the yard one last time I hope, so their goes a good day of work.

 

[ODIS]

Two years of information on your most enjoyable thread. You and the fellows that have been following your exploits have made me smile, laugh outright, and of course, feel the heart pangs because of a loved pet has gone to the next level in their short life with us.

Clearly, you are one busy person, but then again, the busy person has time for everything.

Thank you for sharing a bit of your life here and will be following along for the rest of the story.

 

[jon72vega]

jbmatth,
I've been following your thread even thou I haven't posted on it in a long time.
You are a very busy person.
I still admire you for your energy doing all the projects you take on.

 

[jbmatth]

Haha you're good! Yup, we found out we're having a little girl, due in early January.

We're actually right in the middle of harvest, so it'll be very busy for the next 3 or 4 weeks. I like the idea of getting up early and getting some stuff done, but I also love sleep... I guess I'll learn how to live on no sleep like you do.

F.O.S.F.,
Congratulations on the little girl, our youngest, in the pictures above, was due I think around the 7th and she decided to come a little early. She was coming on the 1st late at night but then stopped to smell the roses and didn't show up until the next day. Somehow she still managed to be the new years baby and has been great and a holy terror ever since.

Okay, I guess y'all are a little behind us as far as harvest goes, everything around here is out mostly other than the beans, and there aren't many of them. I like sleep too, and even managed to get about a 2 hour nap yesterday on the couch to help catch up. I've just found if I don't wake up early and get things done they don't get done on their own. I can function pretty well on 6 hours a day for a week or so but end up needing a nap at least once in there.

where did the ole hurst go? I didn't see it in any pictures. Looks like you been busy, should of called could help you do something? Well I got to mow the yard one last time I hope, so their goes a good day of work.

Herb,
Don't worry, the hearse is still there, it is hiding between the lift foundation and the truck I'm tearing apart. Every time I go out there it is just staring at me telling me he (she?) wants some attention. Soon, very soon, it will be the first vehicle on the lift and won't move until I get him (her?) running.

Two years of information on your most enjoyable thread. You and the fellows that have been following your exploits have made me smile, laugh outright, and of course, feel the heart pangs because of a loved pet has gone to the next level in their short life with us.

Clearly, you are one busy person, but then again, the busy person has time for everything.

Thank you for sharing a bit of your life here and will be following along for the rest of the story.

Odis,
Thank you very much for taking the time to read through my ramblings and for even finding it a bit of a joy. I don't have a Never Ending Retirement Garage, but I do have a never ending task list! Actually check that, the garage will be as done as I will ever get it either when I take a long dirt nap, or my company tells me I need to move to greener pastures. We do dearly miss our Bubba and Koda, some of the best dogs I've ever owned. We haven't picked up any to help fill that gap just yet but we will probably around spring time.

I try not to let grass grow under my feet and so far I have succeeded in that requard. Well now to start my workday, only 12 short hours to try to accomplish 8,342 hours or work.

jbmatth,
I've been following your thread even thou I haven't posted on it in a long time.
You are a very busy person.
I still admire you for your energy doing all the projects you take on.

Jon,
Thanks for checking in, it is always nice to hear from you and take a look at that beautiful "Camaro" you have. That still makes me laugh whenever I think about it. On the flip side my daughters have a Powerwheels Cobra that is red with white stripes. This past Saturday we took them to a race we were running in and a red car with white stripe pulled up. The youngest said hey dad look a car like my Cobra and the older replied that no that wasn't the same, that one had a roof. It was a Miata.


All,

I got a lot done over the weekend and need to get the pictures compiled for a write-up, but no time right now.
JB

 

[1/2 Cup]

All,

I got a lot done over the weekend and need to get the pictures compiled for a write-up, but no time right now.
JB

JB, Looking forward to your update

I know what you mean when it come to getting spare time to do a write up..

 

[jbmatth]

JB, Looking forward to your update

I know what you mean when it come to getting spare time to do a write up..

1/2,
I hope I don't disappoint, I ended up not having nearly as many pictures as I'd planned to have. Time is of the essence as they say, so no time to waste.

All,
I managed to get some more parts sold and stripped out the interior of the truck one more time. I pulled just about everything back out to sell the interior plastics, that took a bit of time and I only made $100 off of the plastic panels, but that is $100 closer than I was before to breaking even. I have a commitment from someone to buy the rear axle so I'm working on removing that as well, and let me tell you how much I LOVE the big U-bolts on these trucks especially when they have more thread than a deep socket will reach and are held on with nylock nuts. It'll come off eventually though.

I did manage to finely get the engine and trans removed this weekend and it was also a fun adventure, the engine and trans are not meant to come out as a unit I've discovered. Lots of interference to work through, but it is out:
View media item 64249
Lastly I got to have some QST myself, but this isn't 1/2 Cup's Quality Shed Time, this was Quality Shovel Time. When we have big rains, gully washers, the sand and gravel from the road washes into the ditches and fills them up, my culverts were just barely visible over the top of this so out came the shovels. All better now, but not perfect still. It looks like rain over the next few days so we will see if it helps the drainage around the driveways.

JB

 

[tncumminsguy]

FYI: 5" exhaust has become the normal in the performance diesel world, gotta let these motors breath. Honestly most people buy the 5" for the depth of the exhaust tone vs a 4". The stock 3.5 Is just too small for these modern diesels.


Nice garage project