Above 1200 Sq/FT The Warthog Hidey Hole

[jbmatth]

Late Sunday is good, might be a little cooler
What time is too late? I'm thinking I'll try to get there around 6:00, don't want to interfere with your rituals. Yes I do have your#, I will call you in a couple of days to make sure "all systems are a go"

Sounds good to me, 6 would be about perfect, much later and it could cut into my rituals as you say. I have to have time to ward off evil spirits before bedtime.

All,
I would like to add that I am very tired of rats, on the yellow car I washed it off under the hood around the 1st of July then went to move it for the above photo on the 5th. I noticed it wasn't running right but didn't have time to worry too much. I pulled it into the shop earlier this week to fix a sloppy shifter only to find a huge rat nest on the valve cover. A rat had chewed one spark plug wire completely off for about 6" (150mm) and chewed on 2 others.

Here is what I replaced:

The old bushings were very sloppy so I replaced them with bronze (brass?) bushings from a kit I found, 3 in total. That helped but another issue was the rubber connecting the two pieces in this photo:

I asked around and looked as best I could but couldn't find anyone selling what I needed so I decided to weld them together and eliminate the bushing, for now very small tack welds to allow it to break if it is ever over stressed indicating I need to find a way to make a compliant bushing.

Wish me luck,
JB

 

[BUGTHUG]

OK, I have the trailer, will load today and head on down to the Indian Nation. If all goes well , I'll see ya around 6m. BUG

 

[jbmatth]

OK, I have the trailer, will load today and head on down to the Indian Nation. If all goes well , I'll see ya around 6m. BUG

Herb,
Sorry it ended up not working out yesterday, turns out guessing I'd make it home by 6 was even optimistic. We shall try again Tuesday.


All,
Saturday was spent getting the lawn into shape again, lots of trimming then mowing and it is back into shape. The weather was nice so we took the white Jeep out for a little cruise on some back roads, well more back than we live at least. Sunday was a Zoo day that was a blast, I couldn't ever seem to get them to smile at the same time but here was the one we took on the way out after a very long day:

I had the white Jeep in town and noticed some squealing before I left the house, appeared to be coming from the idler pulley so I planned to pick one up on my way home, it had other plans:

A mile from the parts store I lost power steering, I just limped it to a close parking lot and called in a favor:

Good as new, and surprisingly it didn't take out the belt which is pretty close to new.

I have a few other things I've been working on in the background that I'll post about in short order.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

Well that was a fun week, I am pretty behind on what I planned to post but here goes. After the wreck in the Green Dragon I've decided to get The Lemon ready for daily driver duties, I outlined a few things previously such as the shift linkage repair and new tires we now was time for struts, the lift was occupied waiting on parts for BP 2.0 so I was back to a jack and jack stands:

I opted to buy loaded struts and avoid having to deal with the spring and the cost difference was minimal, overall not too hard to swap at all:

I did a coolant flush as well and determined the AC clutch may be bad, it won't engage even when running power directly to it.

BP 2.0 was on the lift to receive a few new parts, the steering had been loosey goosey but everything had been replaced with new parts less than 12,000 miles on any of it. After a bit of digging I noticed the idler arm and pitman arm were allowing the drag link to rotate which changed alignment dynamically while driving. The parts weren't bad from what I could tell and decided to install the Cognito support kit. Went on pretty easy:

Sadly it didn't solve all of the problems, the inner tie rod on the drivers side is on its way out, and the lifetime warranty steering box feels a little loose as well. Gotta run but more to come,

JB

 

[jbmatth]

To continue on I received a package in the mail I wasn't expecting, I was pretty out of it and didn't notice the to part of the address had jbmatth. This is what I found:

I finely put it all together and would like to thank Duker for a bunch of tool rolls and my very own QST sticker, now I just need to find an appropriate place for it.

Two of my brothers and a nephew came up this past Saturday to drop off some wiring parts I'd loaned them and to pick up some stuff they loaned me. I was stuck at work so I took the opportunity to get a photo with my nephew and give him a few hard hat stickers:

I had really been enjoying the AC in the S10 this summer then all of a sudden it stopped working. I found the problem pretty easy, one of the lines on the low pressure side of the compressor had come loose. I tightened it back down and tested all of the other connections to find every single one a bit loose except the two behind the grill. I had gotten tired of paying someone else to recharge my AC systems so I picked up a gauge set and vacuum pump and took care of business. I'd say it is working now:

Lastly Herb stopped by to bring me his Hearse for a little R and R, I have glanced over it but haven't done anything on it just yet. The things on the list are to repair a brake leak, replace the exhaust, lubricate the shift linkage, and frame repair where it was stretched:

After getting it on the lift the frame seems fine to me, there is only surface rust and nothing I'd consider needing repair.

Wish me luck,
JB

 

[bj383ss]

Awesome update. Love cheap A/C fixes. My 95' just needed a low pressure switch and some Freon and it is an Iceburg now.

Bret

 

[jbmatth]

Awesome update. Love cheap A/C fixes. My 95' just needed a low pressure switch and some Freon and it is an Iceburg now.

Bret

I'm a little concerned about my '95, it was is like The Lemon, I can't get the compressor to kick on when jumping the clutch to battery. I didn't get much time to work on it though so time will tell.

JB

 

[oldironfarmer]

You've been busy.

Nice to see the hearse back. It's about the opposite of my '48 coupe.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

I got to do the AC in the wife's Tahoe twice in the last 5 days. I changed the compressor and orifice tube last week and got it down to 40 degrees. Went out today and no AC. Searched for a leak forever finally put two cans in it and lo and behold the orifice tube connection was leaking under pressure. Easy fix. Back down to 40. Sweaty wifes are no fun. Well, most of the time anyway.

 

[BUGTHUG]

Nice picture of you and the nephew.
Nice to hear the frame might not need repair. I miss the ole girl, but I know she's in good hands and we're getting excited to get it back on the road. I really can't wait to drive it around. I really appreciate your help JB, I'm going to be a happy camper
I will try and get a battery bought, and maybe meet up with you in Ponca when you get off work to give it to you. Will see.

 

[jbmatth]

You've been busy.

Nice to see the hearse back. It's about the opposite of my '48 coupe.

Yeah the troubles at work had me put in about 60 hours in 4 days plus a little weekend work to round it out. It seems like I got more done at home than I did but that was all because I was behind in posting.

It is nice to have it back, I think for the most part it is in really good shape and should all be easy fixes but I'll need an extra hand when it comes to bleeding the brakes. Wife will help on some but refuses to get in a hearse until it is her last time.

I got to do the AC in the wife's Tahoe twice in the last 5 days. I changed the compressor and orifice tube last week and got it down to 40 degrees. Went out today and no AC. Searched for a leak forever finally put two cans in it and lo and behold the orifice tube connection was leaking under pressure. Easy fix. Back down to 40. Sweaty wifes are no fun. Well, most of the time anyway.

This is my first try really playing with AC to this extent so I YouTube mechanic'd it and was able to get 1 of the 3 working, after I get Herb's Hearse done or waiting on parts I'll fiddle with them again. The first car my wife had when we were together was the Green Dragon and the AC and electric fan didn't work the entire time she owned it. One day I tried to diagnose the problem, turns out the relays for them were moved over one slot. Moved them back and she had AC, worked for another 100k miles too. I was able to help her not get sweaty and she thanked me greatly.

Nice picture of you and the nephew.
Nice to hear the frame might not need repair. I miss the ole girl, but I know she's in good hands and we're getting excited to get it back on the road. I really can't wait to drive it around. I really appreciate your help JB, I'm going to be a happy camper
I will try and get a battery bought, and maybe meet up with you in Ponca when you get off work to give it to you. Will see.

The frame is fine, the rocker panel may have been what you saw, it is in bad shape and I wouldn't drive it in the rain until you fix it or find a tin bender to fix it up. The shift linkage isn't bad when disconnected from the transmission, I bet it would be much easier when the car is running and the vacuum shift mechanism is in operation. A video for your viewing pleasure, the vacuum shift mechanism starts at about 6 minutes. Vacuum Shift Mechanism

I have the brake line out and have started building a new one to get rid of the residual pressure check valve thing to test a theory. I also removed the exhaust this morning to get some work done on that as well. I'll get photos eventually.

JB

 

[Grumblebum]

You have been busy JB. I just spent a good 3 days using the jack stand method, need to look into a lift.

take care and don't let too many more airbags off

GB

 

[oldironfarmer]

I'm a little concerned about my '95, it was is like The Lemon, I can't get the compressor to kick on when jumping the clutch to battery. I didn't get much time to work on it though so time will tell.

JB

Checking the ground is of course the first item on a clutch. Sometimes the ground wire to the compressor is good but the compressor bolts have a film keeping it from grounding to the engine.

I trust you enjoyed 55F this morning!

 

[jbmatth]

You have been busy JB. I just spent a good 3 days using the jack stand method, need to look into a lift.

take care and don't let too many more airbags off

GB

The jack and jack stand method are tried and true but it gets old quick. Even with a lift I find myself using a jack and stands with it at times. I actually did set an airbag off this past weekend when Herb was there dropping off his Hearse. He said he hadn't ever seen one go off so I used one of my spares, always a hoot to see, not so much to feel.

Checking the ground is of course the first item on a clutch. Sometimes the ground wire to the compressor is good but the compressor bolts have a film keeping it from grounding to the engine.

I trust you enjoyed 55F this morning!

Thanks for the tip on the ground Andy, I'll check those before going too deep into it. The temp was great this morning for getting stuff done, I installed two brake fittings and flared the lines but ran out of time before I could verify the test fit was correct.

JB

 

[BUGTHUG]

JB did set the air bag off, and it was cool. I see why people get hurt or worse with one of those blasting around your face and body. KA BOOM
If you need assistance with the brakes, let me know I can probably help you out. Glad to hear the shifting mechanism is good, hate to have the column dis assembled.
For the muffler end, I kind of like the one that is kind of wide, not quite square, but looks like the back side of a sea shell. If that makes sense.

 

[jbmatth]

JB did set the air bag off, and it was cool. I see why people get hurt or worse with one of those blasting around your face and body. KA BOOM
If you need assistance with the brakes, let me know I can probably help you out. Glad to hear the shifting mechanism is good, hate to have the column dis assembled.
For the muffler end, I kind of like the one that is kind of wide, not quite square, but looks like the back side of a sea shell. If that makes sense.

I will need some assistance when it comes to bleeding the brakes, and hope once you get me a battery the shifting will be easy but time will tell there. I installed the brake line this morning and it seems to be just about perfect, here it was before installation compared to the old one:

I think this is the exhaust tip you are referring to: Ebay Link

I'm working on trying to find exhaust pipe and haven't really had much luck finding it for a reasonable price. I'll ask a few muffler shops if they'd be willing to sell some and go from there.

**EDIT**
I ended up ordering everything I think I'll need from Summit other than the tip/cap/cover thing pictured above.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

For now I'm waiting on exhaust parts for Herb's Hearse and for him to drop off a battery and help me bleed the brakes so I'm at a bit of a stand still for a few days there.

I tried to take The Lemon in for an alignment after the strut change earlier this week but the lower ball joints were not happy so I canceled it for the time being. They had to be ordered and came in yesterday. Funny thing was one came with all new hardware, the other did not. Either way all changed and ready to schedule another one.

While at the parts store I picked up another inner tie rod end for BP 2.0 as it was every so slightly showing wear. Replaced it and now will have to at some point take the ~$300 steering gear box back to have it replaced under the lifetime warranty. I replaced it last September and it only has 5,200 miles (8,300 km) since then. To be fair it was a "re-manufactured" one and was a little loose from the get go. It is just frustrating having to replace the same parts over and over.

JB

 

[Duker]

JB, you have been a busy guy.... I finally had a chance to catch up with the thread as I took the day off as like you work has been out of control for awhile.

Glad, the tool rolls and sticker made it. Hopefully you can use them or trade for something you can use!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[jbmatth]

JB, you have been a busy guy.... I finally had a chance to catch up with the thread as I took the day off as like you work has been out of control for awhile.

Glad, the tool rolls and sticker made it. Hopefully you can use them or trade for something you can use!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Duker,
Yeah I've had more going on than I particulaly care for but it keeps me from being bored. I greatly appreciate them and will use a couple and give a couple to my buddy who is setting up his first shop and gathering a ton of tools.

JB

 

[oldironfarmer]

I think this is the exhaust tip you are referring to: Ebay Link

I'm working on trying to find exhaust pipe and haven't really had much luck finding it for a reasonable price. I'll ask a few muffler shops if they'd be willing to sell some and go from there.

**EDIT**
I ended up ordering everything I think I'll need from Summit other than the tip/cap/cover thing pictured above.

JB

I thought the tail pipe tip looked familiar. This is one on my '48, not the same, though.

I haven't looked at why the car has dual exhausts but when it was running today they both are hooked up.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

I think this is the exhaust tip you are referring to: Ebay Link

My phone froze and for a minute I thought that was some odd nose protector.

 

[realvc]

Your 48 has duals because duals are cool!!!!
Do you have pictures of the dual setup at the manifold side of the engine? Back in the day people were very creative with home made split manifolds. You may have a real hot rod with Speed Shop after market parts.
Vince

 

[BUGTHUG]

Yes that is the tip, like it better if it was just plain. The hearse was apparently a less expensive model , with no thrills. I guess they figured once your'e in the back, the Thrill Is Gone.
When do you want me to come down?
So was one of the Ferrell ends leaking?

 

[jbmatth]

I thought the tail pipe tip looked familiar. This is one on my '48, not the same, though.

I haven't looked at why the car has dual exhausts but when it was running today they both are hooked up.

Interesting it has dual exhaust Andy, I wonder if the front three and rear three have their own pipe or if the have a common merge then split just for looks?

My phone froze and for a minute I thought that was some odd nose protector.

It is the start to a helmet for a big guy!

Your 48 has duals because duals are cool!!!!
Do you have pictures of the dual setup at the manifold side of the engine? Back in the day people were very creative with home made split manifolds. You may have a real hot rod with Speed Shop after market parts.
Vince

Maybe it is making a full 100 hp now.

Yes that is the tip, like it better if it was just plain. The hearse was apparently a less expensive model , with no thrills. I guess they figured once your'e in the back, the Thrill Is Gone.
When do you want me to come down?
So was one of the Ferrell ends leaking?

I think I can find a plain one for you, I'll have a look around. No need to be fancy when all you can see is a box anyway.

We are having a birthday party for my daughter on Saturday so Sunday would be better. Yeah it was leaking right at the RPV. I sure hope this fixes it with a good bleed but having the aftermarket (?) brake booster I'm not sure. I'm ready to hear it run and hope to get most of the exhaust done this week if it all shows up.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

I did a little more digging in on the AC system in The Lemon this weekend and sure enough the clutch still wouldn't kick in when jumped to the battery. I tested the resistance of the coil (?) inside the clutch and it tested fine as did the spare compressor from the other yellow car.

(Yes time to clean the work bench, I did that later in the weekend.)

I didn't have a way to pull the clutch off of the compressor still attached to the car but decided to put the plate from that one onto the the good one on the spare and to my surprise it failed to engaged.

Well time to put the plate from the spare onto the car and see what happens, it worked. Re-installed the belt and fired it up with the compressor now running intermittently I needed to finish charging the AC. This looks promising:

So all in all the AC that hasn't worked for 4 years plus cost me $10 in freon and a bit of time and has worked like a champ for 3 days now.

With that success I decided to try to get Grandpa's red truck to have working AC. The clutch would engage when carefully jumping it with some fancy jumper wires I made up using alligator clips and back-probes. Skipping ahead there is a leak somewhere and I didn't have any dye so I'm on hold for a day or two.

I ended up selling some parts off of the spare yellow car and am pretty much even on it now so I don't feel bad about that failed repair attempt.

I also made a quick trip to Springfield, Mo. to pick up some parts I bought a couple weeks ago. Eventually this happened:

No hood...outside...what could it be?!

JB

 

[oldironfarmer]

Your 48 has duals because duals are cool!!!!
Do you have pictures of the dual setup at the manifold side of the engine? Back in the day people were very creative with home made split manifolds. You may have a real hot rod with Speed Shop after market parts.
Vince

Here in the "oldironfarmer II" thread.

I was surprised when I looked. Guess I had never looked. The engine looks like it has been out (gray paint) but the manifold has been altered.

It has an outlet added between 4-5 and 6 exhaust ports. Don't know if they are blanked from 1 and 2-3 ports. I'm afraid my thread is going to get filled up.

Simon's traveling so maybe we're safe using JB's thread. Not much happens here anyway.

 

[realvc]

That is one way it was done. Looks like real exhaust pipe was used and not flex pipe.
Shade tree hot rodding. It looks like you have the optional oil filter or an after market one installed. I used to sell filters kits at the auto parts store long ago and far away.

Vince

 

[jbmatth]

Not much happens here anyway.

Lately it seems that way...well lately as in the past 3-4 years anyway.

Here in the "oldironfarmer II" thread.

I was surprised when I looked. Guess I had never looked. The engine looks like it has been out (gray paint) but the manifold has been altered.

It has an outlet added between 4-5 and 6 exhaust ports. Don't know if they are blanked from 1 and 2-3 ports. I'm afraid my thread is going to get filled up.

Simon's traveling so maybe we're safe using JB's thread. Not much happens here anyway.

That is a very cool trick Andy, it would be cool to see/know how much of a difference that actually made.

That is one way it was done. Looks like real exhaust pipe was used and not flex pipe.
Shade tree hot rodding. It looks like you have the optional oil filter or an after market one installed. I used to sell filters kits at the auto parts store long ago and far away.

Vince

Neat oil filter, Herb's doesn't have one, he might be due for an oil change it has almost 20 miles on it now after 2 years, don't want to push it.

JB

 

[Grumblebum]

You are cutting a hole in the hood then to make it fit over new said accessory ?

GB

 

[oldironfarmer]

You are cutting a hole in the hood then to make it fit over new said accessory ?

GB

671 Turbo!!!!!

 

[jbmatth]

You are cutting a hole in the hood then to make it fit over new said accessory ?

GB

The potential is there.

671 Turbo!!!!!

6, only a 6. 14-71 on nitro methane!!!

 

[mybigwarwagon]

It is the start to a helmet for a big guy!

JB

Another head injury and I will need one.

 

[jbmatth]

I did start on the exhaust for Herb's Hearse this morning but mostly setting things up and getting a general layout for how I wanted it to be laid out.

To come clean on the hood of the Lil' Blue Truck, I hadn't liked the hood since I picked it up because of the clear coat falling off as seen here:

Well this is what I did:

I found someone selling the entire front end of an identical colored S10 so I arraigned to buy it and picked it up this weekend. I still need to change the drivers fender and at some point deal with the front bumper and fascia and as you can see I should have washed it. That shows how dusty everything gets at our house, the truck had 50 miles since the last wash about 2 weeks ago and 1.5 of that was on gravel at 25 mph.

I'm working myself up to buying a pressure washer to hopefully make cleaning everything more fun in the future.

JB

 

[BUGTHUG]

I can do Sunday, what time is good for you?

 

[jbmatth]

Herb,
The earlier the better to hopefully beat some of the heat. Do you want me to pick up the brake fluid or do you want to bring some down with you?

JB

 

[mybigwarwagon]

I'm working myself up to buying a pressure washer to hopefully make cleaning everything more fun in the future.

JB

Do yourself a favor and don't buy an elcheapo, unless you want to buy one every 6 months. Spend more for one with a good pump and a honda GX engine that will last for years.

 

[jbmatth]

Do yourself a favor and don't buy an elcheapo, unless you want to buy one every 6 months. Spend more for one with a good pump and a honda GX engine that will last for years.

Any recommendations from you or anyone else following along?

JB

 

[mybigwarwagon]

Stay away from the wobble pump type. I take about 50 of them for scrap a year. the are garbage.

The Honda GX engine is about the best in the industry. The GC isn't bad, but the GX will last forever with proper maintenance.

If you have the cash a hot water unit. The cats **** for cleaning engines. Nothing beats hot water for removing grease.

Read this for more info - ignore the ads.
https://www.pressurewasherclub.com/pressure-washer-pumps/

 

[jbmatth]

Stay away from the wobble pump type. I take about 50 of them for scrap a year. the are garbage.

The Honda GX engine is about the best in the industry. The GC isn't bad, but the GX will last forever with proper maintenance.

If you have the cash a hot water unit. The cats **** for cleaning engines. Nothing beats hot water for removing grease.

Read this for more info - ignore the ads.
https://www.pressurewasherclub.com/pressure-washer-pumps/

Looks like I have another rabbit hole to fall into, thanks for that.

I would love a hot water pressure washer, we use the Hotsy brand at work, but I'd have to sell a kidney to buy one.

JB

 

[Grizz1963]

Herb,
The earlier the better to hopefully beat some of the heat. Do you want me to pick up the brake fluid or do you want to bring some down with you?

JB

Earlier the better Herb......


I was chatting to JB at 03.00 this morning



Beating the heat makes sense too.