mybigwarwagon
Well-known member
Awesome news! Hopefully the work from home gig works out for her.
And Mother Nature has sure been off her meds lately
And Mother Nature has sure been off her meds lately
Above 1200 Sq/FT The Warthog Hidey Hole
- Thread starter jbmatth
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Wokspaces above 1200 squarefeet.
iced98lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Awesome news for your family! Be safe driving through the floodlands, never know what you'll "discover" on a flooded road.
Great news JB!!
Now, drive safe and get back to the wife and kids.
Thank you all, they have been enjoying some relaxing time at home after on the go for so long.
Turns out there wasn't any issues getting home, all the roads had opened I normally take. The gravel roads are a bit rough right now but dry again. There was some major flooding and even washed out about 1/4 mile of railroad track along my route home.
I have some updates on stuff I've been up to but sadly no real time to post about them right now.
JB
I've had way more going on lately than I realized by looking at my photos, I'll start off with this:
The S10 door seal has been terrible since owning this truck, I know why now. I didn't realize these were so worn out but ordered a couple of sets and got them replaced in 30 minutes or so, it is much quieter at speed now. The test drive was very fun as this truck usually is.
Next up the grass has really greened up here lately with all of the rain we have had and I had to mow this past weekend. I started by trimming with the weed eater, but it wouldn't start, is 8 years old and is really under powered so I broke down and said screw it and bought a new one:
After 1.5 hours I will say I should have done this sooner as this thing will tear up some grass in a hurry! On to mowing I got the mower stuck and with the cars arranged as they were the Lemon was my first choice to tow it out, it worked but then it sunk and was stuck as well. I pulled out the BP 2.0 and all is well:
Since my brother returned the Lemon I decided to join a couple of ZX2 facebook groups and low and behold there was a guy that had one with a rod knock that he wanted to get rid of and said the first person that wanted to pick it up could have it. Haha okay! I had a buddy in St. Louis hop over and pick it up:
I'll fix or replace the engine and send it down the road to a new owner but I won't complain about a free car ever.
The girls decided they wanted to color their hair for the last week of school, Bear chose pint and Cat chose blue. They matched my wife's Jeep and my cobra so we too a quick photo op:
More to come,
JB
The S10 door seal has been terrible since owning this truck, I know why now. I didn't realize these were so worn out but ordered a couple of sets and got them replaced in 30 minutes or so, it is much quieter at speed now. The test drive was very fun as this truck usually is.
Next up the grass has really greened up here lately with all of the rain we have had and I had to mow this past weekend. I started by trimming with the weed eater, but it wouldn't start, is 8 years old and is really under powered so I broke down and said screw it and bought a new one:
After 1.5 hours I will say I should have done this sooner as this thing will tear up some grass in a hurry! On to mowing I got the mower stuck and with the cars arranged as they were the Lemon was my first choice to tow it out, it worked but then it sunk and was stuck as well. I pulled out the BP 2.0 and all is well:
Since my brother returned the Lemon I decided to join a couple of ZX2 facebook groups and low and behold there was a guy that had one with a rod knock that he wanted to get rid of and said the first person that wanted to pick it up could have it. Haha okay! I had a buddy in St. Louis hop over and pick it up:
I'll fix or replace the engine and send it down the road to a new owner but I won't complain about a free car ever.
The girls decided they wanted to color their hair for the last week of school, Bear chose pint and Cat chose blue. They matched my wife's Jeep and my cobra so we too a quick photo op:
More to come,
JB
Attachments
The Hot Rod Power Tour is coming up in less than a month and a my friend with the '68 Mustang really wanted to install an overdrive trans to help with fuel mileage to get more than 120 miles on a tank. He picked up a "complete kit" with a Ford AOD. We wanted to work on it together but our schedules aren't lining up so I decided to just get it done on my own in the mornings. Fluids drained and ready to pull:
Out with the old:
New ready to go in:
It all went pretty well until I realized I should have used thread sealant on the bolts that hold the flexplate to the crank so I had to pull it back out, do that and back in. I want to say though that Ford was mean when they put studs on their torque converters. That is because you now not only have to line up the dowels on the engine with the bell housing but you also have to line these studs up at the same time. Working alone was a pain and took lots of up and down trips to make it happen...both times I installed it.
I said "complete kit" when I should have said "almost complete kit".
It did have many parts that would have taken lots of time to research to find so that was helpful but it didn't come with shift linkage that is required to be able to shift it, the wiring needed to make the neutral safety switch and reverse lights work, the lines needed to connect the trans cooler. All are ordered and it should be complete by the end of next week for our annual Cruisin' Grand and car show that weekend.
The other part is the driveshaft, the trans came with the "long" output shaft which meant we needed to have the driveshaft cut down by 1". His driveshaft wasn't going to cut it though, turns out it was not only dented but was also curved.
New parts are on order and we will build him an all new 3" driveshaft.
That is it for now,
JB
Out with the old:
New ready to go in:
It all went pretty well until I realized I should have used thread sealant on the bolts that hold the flexplate to the crank so I had to pull it back out, do that and back in. I want to say though that Ford was mean when they put studs on their torque converters. That is because you now not only have to line up the dowels on the engine with the bell housing but you also have to line these studs up at the same time. Working alone was a pain and took lots of up and down trips to make it happen...both times I installed it.
I said "complete kit" when I should have said "almost complete kit".
It did have many parts that would have taken lots of time to research to find so that was helpful but it didn't come with shift linkage that is required to be able to shift it, the wiring needed to make the neutral safety switch and reverse lights work, the lines needed to connect the trans cooler. All are ordered and it should be complete by the end of next week for our annual Cruisin' Grand and car show that weekend.The other part is the driveshaft, the trans came with the "long" output shaft which meant we needed to have the driveshaft cut down by 1". His driveshaft wasn't going to cut it though, turns out it was not only dented but was also curved.
New parts are on order and we will build him an all new 3" driveshaft.That is it for now,
JB
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oldironfarmer
Well-known member
Great new nephew news!
fnieto
Well-known member
JB,
Still catching up on your thread, but wanted to pay you a compliment on all your cool projects and personal family triumphs.
God bless your nephew and family.
Still catching up on your thread, but wanted to pay you a compliment on all your cool projects and personal family triumphs.
God bless your nephew and family.
Thank you for coming around fnieto, I can assure you the projects are not getting any more standard after what showed up this weekend. Sadly I don't have any photos to show just yet though.
I appreciate the thoughts on my nephew, he is back in Memphis for a couple of days for his planned chemo but so far all is going in his favor.
JB
I appreciate the thoughts on my nephew, he is back in Memphis for a couple of days for his planned chemo but so far all is going in his favor.
JB
I've heard there were some strong storms in Ok. yesterday but we had a bit of wind and a good bit of rain, my back yard when I arrived home yesterday:
About normal for a good hard rain we had 5.5" in the last 24 hours so it was a good bit. The rain gauge will hold more so it wasn't terrible.
I've been working on Alex's Mustang some more as parts arrive, the trans lines are installed after a bit of tweaking to get them to fit nicely:
His old driveshaft was an inch too long so he took it in to have it shortened, turns out it was not only dented but also bent. I spec'd out a new 3" driveshaft and 1310 U joints to match his old ones and the parts arrived in 2 days, yesterday a local shop put it all together and boom it fits like a glove:
Now for another odd ball project that showed up this weekend, I get a call a couple months ago from a fraternity brother asking if I could install a good engine in his wife's first car. Yeah not a problem, what is it? Here is a hint:
Slightly bigger hint but still small enough I can carry it without much effort:
Okay it is a 1978 Mazda RX-7 with a 1.2 liter rotary engine. I used to own a '91 RX-7 so I'm at least familiar with them but haven't ever really worked on one other than an oil change. A couple of other photos:
What I thought was a simple engine swap is a bit more involved. There is no engine installed, all of the parts are in boxes or in the trunk of the car, there is no engine wiring harness, and the engine had been on fire at one point. I'm starting to wonder what I got myself into.
JB
About normal for a good hard rain we had 5.5" in the last 24 hours so it was a good bit. The rain gauge will hold more so it wasn't terrible.
I've been working on Alex's Mustang some more as parts arrive, the trans lines are installed after a bit of tweaking to get them to fit nicely:
His old driveshaft was an inch too long so he took it in to have it shortened, turns out it was not only dented but also bent.
I spec'd out a new 3" driveshaft and 1310 U joints to match his old ones and the parts arrived in 2 days, yesterday a local shop put it all together and boom it fits like a glove:Now for another odd ball project that showed up this weekend, I get a call a couple months ago from a fraternity brother asking if I could install a good engine in his wife's first car. Yeah not a problem, what is it? Here is a hint:
Slightly bigger hint but still small enough I can carry it without much effort:
Okay it is a 1978 Mazda RX-7 with a 1.2 liter rotary engine. I used to own a '91 RX-7 so I'm at least familiar with them but haven't ever really worked on one other than an oil change. A couple of other photos:
What I thought was a simple engine swap is a bit more involved. There is no engine installed, all of the parts are in boxes or in the trunk of the car, there is no engine wiring harness, and the engine had been on fire at one point. I'm starting to wonder what I got myself into.
JB
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oldironfarmer
Well-known member
Looks like you're still making progress!
No water running into the shop? Floor looks dry. I think it's been tested.
I hope you're getting paid to wankel the car...
No water running into the shop? Floor looks dry. I think it's been tested.
I hope you're getting paid to wankel the car...
Mike.ASC
Well-known member
Hi JB, I just wanted to give you something to think about. I had a rx-7 towed in that had a under hood fire, if my memory is correct a high pressure rubber fuel line had sprung a leak. After I replaced all the burned wiring etc. the car started and ran fine for about 2 weeks. The customer called and said the car would not start and had it towed in. After diagnosing the problem which was total loss of compression the customer was very disappointed after spending the money to repair all the fire damage. These motors are susceptible to apex seal problems and chrome flaking off the rotor housing. I am not trying to discourage you from anything but simply to make you aware of this if you don't know for sure the motor is good.
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OutlawDrifter
Well-known member
LS swap the RX-7, you're welcome!
We are having the rain up here too, I have the Bobcat on standbye in case my back yard decides to turn itself into a swimming pool. I have seen what an egress window looks like with 8" of water over the top of the opening, I now know what it's like to sink in a submarine!
We are having the rain up here too, I have the Bobcat on standbye in case my back yard decides to turn itself into a swimming pool. I have seen what an egress window looks like with 8" of water over the top of the opening, I now know what it's like to sink in a submarine!
Looks like you're still making progress!
No water running into the shop? Floor looks dry. I think it's been tested.
I hope you're getting paid to wankel the car...
Andy,
Progress is slow but steady, just waiting on parts but they are getting here little by little.
No water running in the shop from the bottom, but plenty from the roof. I don't think there is any fixing the leaks without a complete replacement and good thick coating of sealer at all of the seams.
I guess I haven't ever been paid to Wankel a car, but in short order I will.
Mike,
Thanks for chiming in, they know this is a money loosing battle but they really want to have it running again. The engine they picked up was running the week before when the guy pulled it. I don't know when that was though, but will oil it down through the spark plug holes to hopefully save the apex seal. These are very finicky engines and my older brother learned the hard way with his that you can't just start it for a short period of time, that will kill the seals as well. I'll do as they wish but know it'll be a lot more work in the long run to keep this engine than replace it with something more fun.
I agree Outlaw, I even recommended it to them but they weren't having any of it sadly. Hopefully the water goes down and you don't sink the bobcat too. Luckily our house really isn't in any danger of flooding and reports I've heard say it hasn't at least back to the 70's but there is a first time for everything.
JB
I didn't know they caught me on camera.
That is an Oklahoma pastime isn't it? Tornado sirens go off you grab your lawn chairs and a cooler to watch the action. I'm pretty sure you have to sign the acknowledgement form when you transfer to an Ok. license.
Seriously, dchance, thank you for thinking of us, sadly nothing new though. Whereabouts are you in OKC? I have a brother in Edmond that was enjoying the sunshine while I couldn't see the road if I went over 20.
JB
JB
Dwight,
Oh yes, y'all have had more than your fair share of terrible weather. As always I wish you and yours the best in all situations, if something happens and you need a hand don't hesitate to get in touch with me.
All,
I have continued to progress a bit more on Alex's Mustang, I'll show the list when I remember to take the photo, at this point if it doesn't ship today I'll attempt to make one from some 1/4" round bar and see how it goes.
JB
Oh yes, y'all have had more than your fair share of terrible weather. As always I wish you and yours the best in all situations, if something happens and you need a hand don't hesitate to get in touch with me.
All,
I have continued to progress a bit more on Alex's Mustang, I'll show the list when I remember to take the photo, at this point if it doesn't ship today I'll attempt to make one from some 1/4" round bar and see how it goes.
JB
don long
Well-known member
JB
Just checking in. happy to hear that the water level is under control
If I got 5 to 7 inches of rain here in So Cal We would be washed out to sea.
The power tour is something I'd like to do some day. It sounds like a lot of fun.
Like Andy, I to noticed a bit of dampness in your shop!!!
Just checking in. happy to hear that the water level is under control
If I got 5 to 7 inches of rain here in So Cal We would be washed out to sea.
The power tour is something I'd like to do some day. It sounds like a lot of fun.
Like Andy, I to noticed a bit of dampness in your shop!!!
Don,
Thanks for checking in, always good to hear from you. We aren't flooded just yet but as Andy mentioned on his page there is a lot of water and a lot of flooded land. I don't think we are at much risk at my house, but it does make getting to work tough sometimes. Since last Monday we have gotten about 10.5" of rain and over by Andy they are around 13".
I don't know what is happening but it seems like the roof is leaking more than previously. The best course of action would be a complete replacement but that is a tough pill to swallow at this 10 seconds.
All,
I have continued to work on Alex's Mustang and I'm proud to say everything I can check off of the list is checked off now. The last piece of the puzzle was the shift linkage seen in the top of this photo is the original:
It interfered with a few things and wasn't going to work. I started off with both the trans and the shifter in park and made a template out of tig wire then this is what I came up with:
It is pretty much just a straight 3/8" (9.5mm) rod with the ends flattened, bolts cut to length and heads removed and welded on along with some tweaking of the angles to make it fit perfectly:
One other major change was installing a bigger aluminum radiator and overflow tank:
List is complete now as for what I can do:
Sadly our road it pretty muddy still and we haven't pulled it from my shop just yet. You can see on the bottom of the list it says bleed brakes under my cobra...This was going great for round 1 of bleeding, but as I started round 2 I noticed both rear brakes were leaking some fluid with the passenger side being the worst. Removed the caliper to get a rebuild kit:
After some digging online I found out this caliper was originally installed on an '85 Cadillac Seville, new seals are scheduled to arrive tomorrow. I'll install them immediately and try to bleed them. If that fails (there is a slight amount of rust on the piston that has cleaned up pretty well so far) I'll try to order new calipers and get them installed in time to leave on the power tour next Wednesday.
I'm bummed as I thought my car was fully sorted and ready to go but it doesn't seem to want to play along.
JB
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OutlawDrifter
Well-known member
JB, I seem to remember when my boys and I met you at power tour a few years ago, one of the brake lines was leaking.
Maybe it's time for some GIANT pig stoppers!
Maybe it's time for some GIANT pig stoppers!
Outlaw,
I may be misremembering, but I think that ended up being the treads leaking on a bolt that holds a brake line to the differential housing. That was cured with a bit of PTFE tape.
I'd love to get a giant set of brakes on this car but can't justify the cost of going from 11" to 12.2" diameter rotors that'll fit in the 15" wheels. I could maybe be talked into it after I get bigger wheels though. That'll happen eventually just like a better engine I just need to find some money laying around.
JB
Okay, I've been moving around more than a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. After thinking about it more I pulled the trigger on ordering new rear calipers for the cobra. They came in yesterday and I installed them, bled the brakes again with the help of my beautiful wife, best looking adult assistant I've had. 
I also had new tires installed on the rear of the cobra while it was out of commission. I took the Lil' Blue Truck in and had them replace the front tires as well as recharge the AC just in case the cobra decides to do something else dumb before the tour and the S10 has to fill in.
As I was doing that I received a call from Alex that his mustang wouldn't start:
Trouble shooting over the phone didn't resolve the issue so I headed over there this morning at 4:30 to give him a hand:
It ended up being the neutral safety switch on the trans that is brand new. We are going to try another new one and see if that fixes the issue, if not it is time for a hidden kill switch wired in it's place. Also the kickdown cable (TV cable) isn't adjusted right, the throw on the carb end isn't equal to the throw on the trans end (eg they are both at the idle position at the same time but at WOT on the carb the trans is at ~3/4) I'll probably end up fabricating a bracket of some sort to make it all work, at least I hope so as the way it is there is a potential for burning up his new trans.
Either way we plan to take off after work next Wednesday so time is running out.
Wish me luck,
JB
I also had new tires installed on the rear of the cobra while it was out of commission. I took the Lil' Blue Truck in and had them replace the front tires as well as recharge the AC just in case the cobra decides to do something else dumb before the tour and the S10 has to fill in.As I was doing that I received a call from Alex that his mustang wouldn't start:
Trouble shooting over the phone didn't resolve the issue so I headed over there this morning at 4:30 to give him a hand:
It ended up being the neutral safety switch on the trans that is brand new.
We are going to try another new one and see if that fixes the issue, if not it is time for a hidden kill switch wired in it's place. Also the kickdown cable (TV cable) isn't adjusted right, the throw on the carb end isn't equal to the throw on the trans end (eg they are both at the idle position at the same time but at WOT on the carb the trans is at ~3/4) I'll probably end up fabricating a bracket of some sort to make it all work, at least I hope so as the way it is there is a potential for burning up his new trans.Either way we plan to take off after work next Wednesday so time is running out.
Wish me luck,
JB
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Yes it is ready to go as far as I know, I haven't really changed anything since the last tour except for the coolant overflow tank and I built a battery hold down, so no real concerns there. The girls don't like long trips even in a nice comfy car with AC, dvd player, and game pads.
*Old Dad Voice* "You kids don't know what it was like driving 8 hours with no AC or entertainment other than the holes mom cut in my pockets so I'd have something to play with!"
Okay sorry about that visual, I don't think they enjoy cars enough to endure the trip just yet.
JB
*Old Dad Voice* "You kids don't know what it was like driving 8 hours with no AC or entertainment other than the holes mom cut in my pockets so I'd have something to play with!"
Okay sorry about that visual, I don't think they enjoy cars enough to endure the trip just yet.
JB
mybigwarwagon
Well-known member
I've heard there were some strong storms in Ok. yesterday but we had a bit of wind and a good bit of rain, my back yard when I arrived home yesterday:
Cool you can fish from your shop.
We had 4 months of nonstop rain. Now there is a burn ban.
mybigwarwagon
Well-known member
As I was doing that I received a call from Alex that his mustang wouldn't start:
JB
Working by candle light? Are things that bad?
It seems like things are either feast or famine around here, we are on opposite ends of that scale. No fish were caught, I didn't have the time to fish sadly.
They are sadly, he has had a shop with floors for 2 months now and hasn't had time to run the power out or even install lights. Eventually it'll happen though. Are you still planning to come out to the power tour next week when we are in your area?
All,
I was up at 2am again getting things hopefully squared away for the last time before our trip. I had to adjust the throw for the TV cable/kickdown cable on the trans end and it appears to have worked, car drives and shifts well now. At 80 by the math (no tach) his car is turning just shy of 2,000 RPM, before he would have been turning that RPM at 55. I'll call it a success, time will tell how it helps his fuel economy though but will certainly make his engine happier.
JB
Grumblebum
Well-known member
Just after midnight now, woke up and figured I'd read for a bit.
Nup, didn't need that visual JB
I told my two the other day as well they could look out the window in the car instead of needing a tablet screen to stare at.
GB
Nup, didn't need that visual JB
I told my two the other day as well they could look out the window in the car instead of needing a tablet screen to stare at.
GB
Just after midnight now, woke up and figured I'd read for a bit.
Nup, didn't need that visual JB
I told my two the other day as well they could look out the window in the car instead of needing a tablet screen to stare at.
GB
I'm sure it woke you up enough you didn't need any coffee to get you jump started. I still prefer to stay away from screens when I can...but there is something about GJ that keeps bringing me back, I believe it is the people, or the daily emails.
Thanks for checking in GB.JB
mybigwarwagon
Well-known member
Wow I forgot about it. I will do my best to be there. Look for the gorilla in a hat.
War Wagon, PM sent.
Haha, that reminds me of the Jeff Foxworthy bit where he is talking about how hairy a guys back is only to realize it is a woman then later notices it is his aunt.
I'll be in a plaid shirt with hoses hanging out of it. All,
What do I mean by the plaid shirt with hoses??? Well here is a photo:
It is an old shirt that I sewed an inner shirt to that has vertical passages in that I passed 1/4" vinyl tubing through then added quick disconnects to the tubing that connect to a cooler with a pump designed for the medical industry for post op. recovery for icing down body parts. So I made an ice water shirt to help with some of the crazy hot temps I'll face on the tour.
In prep for the tour I wanted to test Alex's Mustang in heavy traffic with other hot rods to see how it handles heat, we had our local cruise in on Friday night and I took his first to wait in line for 20-30 minutes:
I'm happy to say it went well and didn't have any overheating issues, now the real test will be in heavy traffic and higher temps but so far so good. He was gone on his weekend commitment for the Air Force so I was alone to do all of the testing. After testing his I traded it out for my cobra and went back, for only the second time there was another cobra at the event, sadly I never got to talk to the other owner and he didn't drive it all night after getting in and parking it:
Then I got to see the coolest thing, a home built...:
I didn't get to talk to the owner much but it was a 40 year project he had just completed, many many hours were put into it and he made it all pretty much from scratch. It was having overheating and vapor lock issues sadly. That is about it for now, we leave Wednesday after work so time is getting short.
JB
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shortykorte
Well-known member
Cool tank.
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oldironfarmer
Well-known member
Good luck on your little drive!
Wife put holes in your pockets?
Wife put holes in your pockets?
I thought so too, and it was an incredible amount of fabrication to build.
Thanks Andy, I need to get some time off so I can bring you some aluminum and brass, I wouldn't want you to get bored.
Not yet but I think by the end of this trip I'll feel like there are holes in my pockets, 3,500 miles, 14 mpg, ~$2.50/gal.
Not to mention hotels and food. 
JB
shortykorte
Well-known member
Mileage just reminded me of a movie I watched this weekend, Gunball Rally. Great movie and looking at the regular cars brought back a lot of memories from the 70’s
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I watched that movie a few months ago, always a good one to catch up on. It is crazy to think looking back now that those were all real cars they used. Speaking of cobra's I just saw the trailer for the new Ford V Ferrari movie, watch it HERE I may have to actually go to the movies to see this one.
JB
JB
rixtrix1
Well-known member
~$2.50/gal would be so nice. It's been $3.20 for the last month and at least $2.80 or more all winter. But what the heck, you're ON Tour! When it's empty, fill it back up and keep going. Don't really know how people plan for a trip like this, especially when there's 3,000 others vying for hotel rooms, etc. I guess that's what makes it an adventure! Safe travels, JB. I'll bet your self made "coolshirt" was cheaper than the racecar versions!
mybigwarwagon
Well-known member
War Wagon, PM sent.
Haha, that reminds me of the Jeff Foxworthy bit where he is talking about how hairy a guys back is only to realize it is a woman then later notices it is his aunt.
Hey man, don't talk about your *** life on a family forum.
I look just like my avitar. Best pic ever taken of me.
Rix,
It is currently $2.33 here, with some $2.20's to $2.40's along most of the route until we get into Indiana and Ohio then it gets expensive $2.80's.
Basically the way I plan is when they announce the cities I check to see if I have friends or family in the area that I could stay with a night to save on hotel costs then book hotels thirty minutes to an hour down the road toward the next venue. After that it is just keep moving and fill up the gas and oil when they get low. I'm looking forward to it, I started packing last night and it shouldn't be too bad to get everything I need in my car except a good jack, that will stay in Alex's car. Wheels up Wednesday, I'm getting excited.Haha, I'll keep it clean I promise. I'll keep a look out for you.
JB