Above 1200 Sq/FT The Warthog Hidey Hole

[jbmatth]

JB: in case your girls want to drive that cart (or will they know how to start it?) are you building a roll cage cause i'd bet that baby will burn some dirt so to speak?

sorry to hear the cobra engine had an issue and sounds like it might be fixable so best of luck with that.

stay warm!!

Drives,
There is "brush cage" for it, we did test it out and it does function as a roll cage but 20 compared to 60 might change how strong it actually is. Also they won't be tall enough to reach the pedals for some time still so no real worries there for now.

Sadly it happens but nothing that can't be solved with enough time and money. I'll do my best, it'll be over 40 here today.

JB

 

[mybigwarwagon]

It'll probably just get stuck and make a mess of things. Ya'll getting much rain?

JB

Yes we are. Roads washing out all over. More rain expected tomorrow.

 

[Pressingonward]

That Festiva looks awesome on those knobbies! I'd totally drive that; reminds me of some nice lifted Subaru Justys I've seen.

 

[Redwolf947]

Well the main reason for asking, for me anyway, is if I ever do rebuild an engine what i should do. Thank you for sharing what happened..

Mike

 

[jbmatth]

Yes we are. Roads washing out all over. More rain expected tomorrow.

I said that slightly tongue in cheek, which increases the likelihood of biting my tongue. Hopefully things dry out soon, I'm ready for some warm dry weather as well.

That Festiva looks awesome on those knobbies! I'd totally drive that; reminds me of some nice lifted Subaru Justys I've seen.

It has been a little fun so far, but doesn't run very well at all at this point. I'll get it there eventually, either run much better, or much worse.

Well the main reason for asking, for me anyway, is if I ever do rebuild an engine what i should do. Thank you for sharing what happened..

Mike

Glad to share Mike, if you do ever rebuild one take your time and measure everything multiple times, then write it all down.

All,
A few developments, I believe I discovered why the brake seized on The Lemon. When trying to bleed the brakes after installing the new parts I wasn't getting anything out of that bleeder, or very very little, pulled the hose off of the caliper and same story. Ended up disconnecting the hose from the hard line and fluid flowed just fine. Not sure what happened, but the hose is shot and acting almost like a check valve, letting a small amount of fluid build up pressure behind the piston but not really letting it retract. Looking back this is the same pad I had wear completely out last year when I replaced them all. I suspect this problem has gotten progressively worse in the mean time.

Next up I received the new fuel pump for the Festiva, I was working on The Lemon so no progress there. Lastly I also received the sprocket so I'll be able to install that and put the chain on for some potential test drives if I can get everything else put back together in time.

JB

 

[Pressingonward]

Your brake hose issue is pretty common. I haven't cut a hose open to verify for myself (hmm, I should do that), but I was taught that the rubber starts to come apart internally and makes a flap that acts as a one-way valve (like a trap door).

I always replace the rubber brake lines when I do calipers (or even when I do a brake fluid flush, which I typically do right after buying a vehicle. Most of my vehicles are pushing 200k miles and 30 years old when I get them, so they're due for new hoses.) for this very reason. Glad you got it figured out.

 

[jbmatth]

Your brake hose issue is pretty common. I haven't cut a hose open to verify for myself (hmm, I should do that), but I was taught that the rubber starts to come apart internally and makes a flap that acts as a one-way valve (like a trap door).

I always replace the rubber brake lines when I do calipers (or even when I do a brake fluid flush, which I typically do right after buying a vehicle. Most of my vehicles are pushing 200k miles and 30 years old when I get them, so they're due for new hoses.) for this very reason. Glad you got it figured out.

Very interesting, I'd actually never heard about this before, may be time to start looking into getting a few on order.

JB

 

[realvc]

That can happen on almost any rubber line, gas, brakes and even air.
I started an old Chevy van with a 350 that had been sitting for years.
It would idle but not rev up like it was starving for gas. I found a rubber hose that was dripping gas along it's whole length back by the gas tank. Replacing that hose fixed the problem. I don't know for sure if the hose was collapsing inside or not. When I would attempt to rev up the engine the hose would quit dripping as the it starved for gas.

 

[jbmatth]

That can happen on almost any rubber line, gas, brakes and even air.
I started an old Chevy van with a 350 that had been sitting for years.
It would idle but not rev up like it was starving for gas. I found a rubber hose that was dripping gas along it's whole length back by the gas tank. Replacing that hose fixed the problem. I don't know for sure if the hose was collapsing inside or not. When I would attempt to rev up the engine the hose would quit dripping as the it starved for gas.

Realvc,
I've seen it happen similarly to gas, oil, and low pressure hydraulic line. I'd assumed (incorrectly) the construction of the high pressure of the hydraulic system in the brake lines would not be a concern. Live and learn.

I suspect the problem with that fuel line and subsequent starving was from sucking air. I've heard of problems with diesel trucks that will loose prime because they pull air in under a vacuum but wont drip fuel when setting making diagnosis very tough.

JB

 

[mybigwarwagon]

Eh brakes are overrated.

 

[Nlped]

My favorite line I ever heard was, “Brakes are for quitters”. However, not my mentality.


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[Bob Heine]

JB, I had that rubber brake hose problem once on a Fiat X1/9. Had to drive it 250 miles with it pulling to the left. After that I replace the flex lines with braided stainless lines. Some of those lines are not DOT "approved" so I always check before buying. Not sure what happens if they aren't DOT approved -- is there a DOT jail?

 

[Bighead38]

JB, I had that rubber brake hose problem once on a Fiat X1/9. Had to drive it 250 miles with it pulling to the left. After that I replace the flex lines with braided stainless lines. Some of those lines are not DOT "approved" so I always check before buying. Not sure what happens if they aren't DOT approved -- is there a DOT jail?

DOT jail is no fun. NY DOT stops are no fun when your driving a truck, they are ruthless. Doesn’t matter how good you think everything is, your almost guaranteed to get a ticket. They can put you out of service, tow the truck, impound the truck. All depends what Dot officer you get.

 

[Growlertdi]

so glad that this issue came up. My son texted me yesterday and his 2001 golf with 330k miles on it just ate its rear brakes. we recently replaced both rear calipers because one of them seemed to be stuck on.

I for sure know what I will be replacing this time, all of the rubber hoses to the back brakes. in addition to getting new calipers and pads under warranty...

Good luck JB

 

[jbmatth]

Eh brakes are overrated.

You only really need brakes when you all of a sudden don't have them.

My favorite line I ever heard was, “Brakes are for quitters”. However, not my mentality.


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And my mama didn't raise no quitters!

JB, I had that rubber brake hose problem once on a Fiat X1/9. Had to drive it 250 miles with it pulling to the left. After that I replace the flex lines with braided stainless lines. Some of those lines are not DOT "approved" so I always check before buying. Not sure what happens if they aren't DOT approved -- is there a DOT jail?

I'd wonder how hard it would be to just write DOT on them and drive away fat dumb and happy. For all of the questionable modifications I've had on vehicles purchased and done and still never had a DOT inspection I think I'm okay. Now if I had a commercial license that would be another story.

DOT jail is no fun. NY DOT stops are no fun when your driving a truck, they are ruthless. Doesn’t matter how good you think everything is, your almost guaranteed to get a ticket. They can put you out of service, tow the truck, impound the truck. All depends what Dot officer you get.

I hope that is not anything I ever have to experience. I do have some completely stock vehicles that may pass, but I'm sure there is something on them that is not up to the inspection they would give it.

so glad that this issue came up. My son texted me yesterday and his 2001 golf with 330k miles on it just ate its rear brakes. we recently replaced both rear calipers because one of them seemed to be stuck on.

I for sure know what I will be replacing this time, all of the rubber hoses to the back brakes. in addition to getting new calipers and pads under warranty...

Good luck JB

This was a timely development for you then. Hope all goes well, it is never fun to have to replace the same parts so soon after replacing them the first time.


All,
I did get the new line in last night but haven't had a chance to install it...no I'm not lazy and scared to work in the cold, why would you accuse me of that?

JB

 

[jbmatth]

Brakes are back together in The Lemon, and while I was at it I installed 4 ga. wire for the amplifier. It is not really needed, but I felt it prudent to upgrade from the 8 ga. with the amount of noise the setup is now capable of producing. Nothing much else to report, it has been cool and I've been working a little late and helping a buddy out with some projects.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

Well all in all it was a productive weekend. It started off with this:

If you can't tell that is the cobra engine in the bed of the S10 headed home from the machine shop. All in all it cost $1,075 for revision 2 of the engine rebuild which could have been completely avoided if I'd have done a what I knew was right and didn't cut corners. That is behind me now though so I just have to keep moving forward.

I didn't waste any time getting it into the garage to continue reassembly:

Sadly I didn't get much further before realizing I was missing a part of the oil pan gasket and I'm stuck until I can get one. So I moved on to the next project, getting the JD 4010 running. I replaced all of the ignition components inside the distributor, and installed new spark plugs and wires. Cranked it over and it actually ran for around 6 seconds...then didn't start again for a while. It smells like terrible old gas, I drained all I could out of the tank and added new, but I may have to pull the carb off and clean it out.

I didn't want to get into that so I moved on to the Festiva. Fuel pump arrived so I replaced it and it would start but still didn't run great. On to troubleshooting and what I eventually came up with was I still wasn't getting good fuel pressure. I'm pretty sure it was the fuel pressure regulator as I could easily build pressure if I pinched the return line shut. One is now on order.

Next move was back to the go cart, I started off tackling the throttle cable, it ended up being pretty simple, pull the ones off from the bike, use the cable from the go cart and it all went back together just fine and I have full travel on the throttle with the existing peddle:

I need to get some parts on order for the brake line and I'm pretty sure I know what I need now. The tough one is going to be the clutch and shifter, I'm pretty sure I have an idea I just need to fiddle with it for a few hours and see what will end up working...or not working. I decided to get a little motivation back so I put on the gas tank, connected a few wires and fired it up, I have video, but haven't posted it yet. Things are getting exciting, I just really need to finish some projects sooner than later. I think I'll take a week off here coming up to knock a few things out.

JB

 

[Nlped]

If you haven’t seen it, look up ‘Cleetus McFarland Build Wars’. They build a couple of golf carts with crotch rocket engines and did a cool method on their clutch/shifter setups.


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[jbmatth]

Thanks for the tip Nlped, I'll have to check it out, I knew he'd built them but haven't watched his movies.

JB

*EDIT* I skipped ahead until that part and funny enough that is exactly what I had in mind but using materials I have on hand rather than ordering much of anything. Thanks for the tip and it helps to validate what I'm planning.

JB

 

[Nlped]

Thanks for the tip Nlped, I'll have to check it out, I knew he'd built them but haven't watched his movies.

JB

*EDIT* I skipped ahead until that part and funny enough that is exactly what I had in mind but using materials I have on hand rather than ordering much of anything. Thanks for the tip and it helps to validate what I'm planning.

JB

Cool!!! I figure if those guys can make them work, you’ll make it a lot shmmoootha.


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[bowtiguy]

Looking good! I got the harness(s) out today before I left town. No “safety third” excuses allowed on this project.

 

[jbmatth]

Cool!!! I figure if those guys can make them work, you’ll make it a lot shmmoootha.


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Nlped,
I started to mock things up an get an idea on what should be mounted where, I think I'll need to get the C4 seats mounted before I get much beyond the first bell crank mount though.

Looking good! I got the harness(s) out today before I left town. No “safety third” excuses allowed on this project.

Bowtiguy,
Thank you for that, I didn't make it to the post office, but will dig the plates out tonight to get in the mail this week.

JB

 

[Growlertdi]

JB, you seem to be a pretty good problem solver/fabricator, I would love to have your opinion on a little issue I am having with my low rise lift. Photos on the last few posts in my Garage thread in my signature.

Really have been enjoying your thread with all of the different projects you have going on. make me want to get out and up my garage game more..

Thanks for your time!

Aaron

 

[jbmatth]

JB, you seem to be a pretty good problem solver/fabricator, I would love to have your opinion on a little issue I am having with my low rise lift. Photos on the last few posts in my Garage thread in my signature.

Really have been enjoying your thread with all of the different projects you have going on. make me want to get out and up my garage game more..

Thanks for your time!

Aaron

I'll have a look and see what if I can help out any. Thanks for following along and I'm glad and scared I'm inspiring others to get out and work on something.

JB

 

[drivesitfar]

JB: hard to believe you get all this done and work at your job all the hours you do. do you have the theory that you can SLEEP WHEN YOU'RE DEAD or did you get a few well deserved days off of work to play/work on your own stuff?

i've never rebuilt an engine or removed one so just watching, reading and learning and maybe one day I might give it a try. until that day comes i'll just try to keep doing a few other DIY things and maybe keep exercising so I can hit a golf ball 400 yards when i'm 70 years old.

carry on!!

 

[jbmatth]

JB: hard to believe you get all this done and work at your job all the hours you do. do you have the theory that you can SLEEP WHEN YOU'RE DEAD or did you get a few well deserved days off of work to play/work on your own stuff?

i've never rebuilt an engine or removed one so just watching, reading and learning and maybe one day I might give it a try. until that day comes i'll just try to keep doing a few other DIY things and maybe keep exercising so I can hit a golf ball 400 yards when i'm 70 years old.

carry on!!

I do wish I could get by on less sleep Drives, but I have a minimum of around 6-7 hours average. On the weekends I get a little more free time because I still wake up at 4am and the girls don't get moving until around 8 so I get a full 8 hour days worth every weekend. I also don't watch TV or stay on the couch long, maybe an average of an hour a week total.

I should really trade some time to doing more exercise, I do still run but I need more iron in my life, maybe start picking up and moving tractors by hand will help.

Perhaps start with a lawn mower engine, many of the principles and components are the same and when you are done you have a rebuilt lawn mower that costs $500 to rebuild that is worth $100 to sell.

JB

 

[dchance]

With all the projects you have you should not have any down time. There is always another to work on so progress is made, just not what you wanted at the time.

You only have a few months till you will want the Cobra up and going.

Dwight

 

[jbmatth]

With all the projects you have you should not have any down time. There is always another to work on so progress is made, just not what you wanted at the time.

You only have a few months till you will want the Cobra up and going.

Dwight

You are very correct, I have been bouncing around like a golf ball in a tile bathroom as of late. I do need to get the cobra up and going again, I think I have most of what I need but still need a couple of tools I loaned my brother to get much further.

Actually I want to drive it any chance I get soon so I can get a little shakedown time on it.

JB

 

[drivesitfar]

JB: yep fixing my small engines will probably be the way i learn. my lawn mower has me for a motor, but i do have a Wacker stomper, honda pressure washer, honda weed wacker that all need a tune up and probably the carbs taken off and cleaned up.

you might seem like you are bouncing around, but when one projects stops and waits for new parts you are not stopping and working on something else so you are making the best use of your time.

in my book that is just good sense. that said you might want to get a scrap book and write down details on where you are when you stop a certain job so you'll be able to review it before starting again so your memory as you get my age when we don't remember everything will have a back up.

good luck!!

 

[jbmatth]

Drives,
In that case you might want to keep your current lawn mower engine in great shape, rebuilds on those are not usually successful if attempted DIY.

I have a scrap book, I'm currently on page 182 if viewed 20 posts at a time.

JB

All,
I'm tinkering with the shifter and clutch mechanism right now, with the current clutch cable it won't be ideal but if I splurge for a longer cable I can adjust it in the future.

JB

 

[drivesitfar]

JB: that's why I started the GET HEALTHY THREAD in FREE PARKING and it's as much MENTAL HEALTH as PHYSICAL that we all need to keep in good shape. stop in there for a visit if you have time and lend a few of your ideas or maybe learn one or two.

just an FYI. if you go in your GJ personal profile there is a box you can check that will let you view 100 posts per page which is sometimes a great way to keep up with fast moving threads that you haven't had time to read daily or just to read a nice long good ongoing one like yours.

also in case you haven't already done this you can also set it up so when you click on a thread it comes up to the most recent posts.

i'm guessing you already have sunshine while mine is still behind the Rockies, but I heard it's coming and it's supposed to be 57 degrees today and dry which is a nice change from 40's and drizzling rain.

cheers and have a great day.

 

[jbmatth]

I agree, we can all stand to be in better shape both physical and mental, I'll see if I can stop by for a visit.

I prefer 20 as then the pages load quicker and they are not as daunting. I had a page load like that one time and I was so confused about what went on I couldn't keep up.

We were 31°F (-.7°C) this morning, really looking forward to warmer weather soon though.

JB

 

[Growlertdi]

I have mine set on 40 posts per page. its a nice compromise.

 

[jbmatth]

All,
I'm helping Alex put a new center section in his mustang going from open 2.7x gears to limited slip 3.55 gears. I decided to replace the bearings as they looked very old and didn't feel great. I decided to try to use my press to get them off rather than cutting them as is the norm...

I ended up cutting them after several failed attempts at cobbled together devices to press it out. I stayed off to the side as I was attempting this and had on goggles if that helps in the least.

JB

 

[drivesitfar]

JB: i'm not sure if you could have pressed it out, but putting tractor weights or steel in place of the 2 by's might have at least kept the wood from being the weak point and making it a bit more dangerous.

good luck and nice to see you are helping change a friend's set up that I'm sure he needed your wisdom and skills to do.

have a great day and stay warm.

 

[jbmatth]

JB: i'm not sure if you could have pressed it out, but putting tractor weights or steel in place of the 2 by's might have at least kept the wood from being the weak point and making it a bit more dangerous.

good luck and nice to see you are helping change a friend's set up that I'm sure he needed your wisdom and skills to do.

have a great day and stay warm.

Drives,
With the configuration I needed and the materials available that was about all I could come up with. No weights or steel configured the way I needed for this job. I was careful not to put enough force on it where I was concerned about deadly failures, oh well though.

JB

 

[Nlped]

Heat is the only way to go when trying to press off an old bearing. Without heat, the Bearing inner race “welds” itself in place and is damn near impossible to remove. Otherwise a cutoff wheel is the other option.


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[jbmatth]

Heat is the only way to go when trying to press off an old bearing. Without heat, the Bearing inner race “welds” itself in place and is damn near impossible to remove. Otherwise a cutoff wheel is the other option.


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I'm going to mention something here I haven't said very often on this forum...I don't own a torch setup. I know. I need to get one but have made due without one this long. Some day I'm sure I will go ahead and splurge but for now I'm taking the long way around.

JB

 

[mybigwarwagon]

I'm going to mention something here I haven't said very often on this forum...I don't own a torch setup. I know. I need to get one but have made due without one this long. Some day I'm sure I will go ahead and splurge but for now I'm taking the long way around.

JB

My torch setup came out of a junk car we hauled. Worked out really good for me. Three time I have found full tanks in a scrap car. One set was the huge bottles. I used them up and then took them back and traded them for smaller tanks for free.

 

[jbmatth]

My torch setup came out of a junk car we hauled. Worked out really good for me. Three time I have found full tanks in a scrap car. One set was the huge bottles. I used them up and then took them back and traded them for smaller tanks for free.

Not a bad way to get a torch setup, maybe I need to scrap cars for people. I do now have a torch and some nozzles, but no hoses, bottles, or gauges yet.

JB