Above 1200 Sq/FT The Warthog Hidey Hole

[jbmatth]

Pictures or it didn't happen.

Sadly this is the best I can do, I have a few videos that were sent to me but nothing worth uploading anywhere:

This weekend I was going to have a bit of help with a few things so I wanted to move the Lil' Blue Truck out of the way but the battery was DEAD. I tried hooking up a smart charger but no luck, it was too dead. Andy (OldIronFarmer) taught me a trick that has worked a few times to bring them back. Take a good battery and connect it to the dead battery with jumper cables and connect the charger. The good battery will put off enough voltage to let the charger work. I do this when I am not in a hurry, so I came back the next day:

Like a charm, and I didn't have to waste gas jump starting it.

I sent in for the title for the black Jeep Bo on Friday and it is officially registered to me now. I took it out for a spin where the girls joined me in their gray Jeep:

They didn't take the Pink Jeep as I was still working on it, I got them a new center console and carpet for Christmas and was finely able to complete the install this weekend:

A top tip, when you need to cut a hole for a bolt in the carpet. Get an old cheap and busted screwdriver and sharpen it to a point, find the hole from underneath and heat the screwdriver up with a small torch. Cuts like butter and melts the fibers to keep them from running.

Lever Action is in the shop now ready for a new water pump.

JB

 

[OutlawDrifter]

JB, another good method for cutting holes in carpet and jute is to take a section of 3/4" or 1" pipe or whatever size suits your needs best, and put a razor sharp edge on it. I generally sharpen the outside and then do the ID with a rat tail to make it extra sharp. Then all you have to do is locate the hole and twist it a few times to cut a quick hole for the bolt.

I will keep the screw driver method in mind , I like that it also "cauterizes the wound".

 

[jbmatth]

JB, another good method for cutting holes in carpet and jute is to take a section of 3/4" or 1" pipe or whatever size suits your needs best, and put a razor sharp edge on it. I generally sharpen the outside and then do the ID with a rat tail to make it extra sharp. Then all you have to do is locate the hole and twist it a few times to cut a quick hole for the bolt.

I will keep the screw driver method in mind , I like that it also "cauterizes the wound".

That is a good idea Marc, I've used similar style for hole punches but hadn't thought about using it on carpet. Hmm...

JB

 

[jbmatth]

I have a request if anyone is willing or able to help me, the electric fans I put on the Mustang have this connector:

The only match to it I've been able to find is part number PT303 like this one:

I like this style plug, but don't want to spend $20 for half of one set, does anyone know a better option for buying these? I have all the crimpers needed to make my own if I knew the parts to get.

In other news other than those two connections (currently I have spade connectors in place so the fan works and comes on at 185°F), and a bit of tuning on the timing and TV cable tension, the engine swap is done and feels great to drive:

JB

 

[OutlawDrifter]

JB, check with CE Auto Electric Supply

https://ceautoelectricsupply.com/

If anybody will have the parts, it's them. That is where I order the bulk of my wiring materials from.

 

[jbmatth]

JB, check with CE Auto Electric Supply

https://ceautoelectricsupply.com/

If anybody will have the parts, it's them. That is where I order the bulk of my wiring materials from.

And we have a winner! After 2 clicks I have the answer:
Electric Fan Plugs Seems so easy now.

JB

 

[mybigwarwagon]

I wish I could remember the name of the shop near here that has almost every automotive connector ever made. It was wild going in their warehouse.

 

[Nlped]

The underhood shot of the Mustang looks kinda like my 63 Falcon hardtop... at least the air cleaner [emoji1787]




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[loganb]

The engine swap is looking good.. nicely done!

Sent from The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[jbmatth]

I wish I could remember the name of the shop near here that has almost every automotive connector ever made. It was wild going in their warehouse.

I have a book I printed out with hundreds of connectors in it, the problem is that it isn't even close to complete even being 30 odd pages long.

The underhood shot of the Mustang looks kinda like my 63 Falcon hardtop... at least the air cleaner [emoji1787]


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It looks eerily similar and many of the things on this one were the same as my '67 Comet too. FoMoCo didn't seem to change much in that timeframe for this size vehicle. Here is the only shot I have of my '67, granted inline 6 but still close:

The engine swap is looking good.. nicely done!

Sent from The Garage Journal mobile app

Thank you, I'm happy about it and I know he has enjoyed it as well.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

Other than spending a few hours tweaking some final things on the Mustang, idle, timing, TV cable etc. I also helped install 3 lights on one of the barns at their house hear the horse arena. In other news I was also replacing the water pump on the Lever Action after it decided to leak on me, old out and new mostly complete:

Sadly after starting it up and working to purge the system it leaked a little, a drop every 20 seconds or so once warmed up. That is fun... After looking into it more it looks like it is coming from the gasket area between the thermostat housing and the water pump. Well I have it ready to go back together when I get home tonight with more coolant. I should have taken stock in a coolant company with how much I go through.

JB

 

[Nlped]

I have learned to do my initial start up with a couple of gallons of distilled water, at $1 a gallon versus coolant that is now sky high, due to just such issues. If all is well, I just drain what’ll drain and add full strength coolant back in.


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[jbmatth]

I have learned to do my initial start up with a couple of gallons of distilled water, at $1 a gallon versus coolant that is now sky high, due to just such issues. If all is well, I just drain what’ll drain and add full strength coolant back in.


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I have done just that in the past for the exact same reasons but chose poorly this time. I was buying coolant for this as well as the Mustang and the parts store didn't have enough of the concentrate so I went with the 50/50 mix for the first time ever. Now I paid more then and will pay more again. Oddly I typically don't have issues on LS engines as the gasket designs are so much more superior compared to previous engine designs. Oh well I'll be done soon enough.

JB

 

[Mr.zippy]

JB, I started reading this tread a month or so ago.......finally caught up. I must say, you impress the hell out of me with your resourcefulness and willing ability to jump in on, and take on, any kind of a project. I appreciate the "lows" on the outcomes, as well as the "highs". You strike me as someone I would be proud to call a friend. Well done sir, will done.......

 

[jbmatth]

Mr. Zippy,
I'm impressed you read the entire thing, there are so many great threads out there to try instead. I'm glad you enjoyed it and appreciate the kind comments. I know for some people and in some cultures showing failures is frowned upon. I see it as a growth opportunity, if you never fail you never tried anything new or out of your comfort zone. Plus if I didn't show my failures the thread would only be 20 pages long. If you are ever in the area the door is always open.

JB

 

[Mr.zippy]

Appreciate the comments and content. Thanks for the offer as well! Please continue to show us your great content, I enjoy your “adventures”!

 

[drivesitfar]

JB: you seem to do an engine change more often than I buy new shoes. GEESH do you really like doing it that much?

so my question to you is what is your favorite engine?

if you have any time to film more go cart videos or snap pics of the girls taking it for a spin i'm up for that cause it truly looks like a blast. has Andy driven it yet and did he let you drive his show truck?

cheers and hope you are having a great weekend.

 

[jbmatth]

Appreciate the comments and content. Thanks for the offer as well! Please continue to show us your great content, I enjoy your “adventures”!

Will do Mr.zippy, always busy, but sometimes there is more to show than other times. This weekend was one of those times.

JB: you seem to do an engine change more often than I buy new shoes. GEESH do you really like doing it that much?

so my question to you is what is your favorite engine?

if you have any time to film more go cart videos or snap pics of the girls taking it for a spin i'm up for that cause it truly looks like a blast. has Andy driven it yet and did he let you drive his show truck?

cheers and hope you are having a great weekend.

I don't know that I like doing engine swaps, but it isn't that hard once you've done a few. I just went through my spreadsheet of the 50 vehicles I've owned (Including motorcycles and wife's cars) and I have pulled and replaced an engine 11 times in them and twice in someone else's vehicles, I've also pulled the engine out of 7 other vehicles and all of that has been in the last 12 years, actually 18 have been in the last 5 years since getting the shop.

I don't think I could pick a favorite engine in all respects but would have to put the LS engine pretty high on the list as I've owned or worked on 16 of them and they are just dead nuts simple and reliable. I really want to get a 7.3L Godzilla engine out of the new Ford truck to play with though, they sure look promising but too much money right now.

The go cart is too much for the girls to drive and they don't particularly want to go for a ride for some reason.

Andy hasn't been for a ride, nor have I taken his show truck for a spin, maybe we need to set up a play date sometime.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

It was a fun and busy weekend in all respects and narrowly escaped from going to the ER.

To start off I worked on the Mustang a bit more to finish up some loose ends, we have the idle worked out, TV cable adjusted (Throttle Valve for the transmission which helps control shift points), and took it for a few test drives, works great now. All that is left is to change the PCV for a breather and install the rest of the wiring for the electric fans when the parts come in.

The leak on Lever Action was a bad gasket on the thermostat housing, fixed now and I put a hundred or so miles on it this weekend working around the house and to town.

I now had some breathing room in the shop so I made a quick coat rack for the girls out of some old horseshoes, no photos but it looks like this:

I spent most of Saturday cutting locust and osage orange trees near the fence line and stacking them to burn. I started the pile this summer with some older trees but the stack was too big so I tried to burn them. That was when I made a mistake, it wasn't burning so I put some gas on it and splashed my hand right as it lit. I don't recommend doing that, hurt like crazy and I have a couple of blisters to remind me to not do that again. The biggest blister is about the size of a quarter and a dime together.

Took it a little easy Sunday just running and cleaning a little around the house including cleaning a sink drain and P trap. All good now.

JB

 

[mybigwarwagon]

No self immolation!

 

[83VillageRepair]

JB
I know you know this but never use gasoline to start a fire for that very reason. A 50/50 mix of diesel fuel and used oil works well to start slash piles.

I really enjoy your thread! Not sure if I have ever commented before.

Wade

 

[jbmatth]

No self immolation!

No such luck Uncle Willie, I may have tried but not hard enough I guess.

JB
I know you know this but never use gasoline to start a fire for that very reason. A 50/50 mix of diesel fuel and used oil works well to start slash piles.

I really enjoy your thread! Not sure if I have ever commented before.

Wade

Wade,
Thank you for the comments, I don't remember you ever commenting before either but thank you for following along and I'm glad you enjoy my ramblings.

My typical plan is to throw a gallon of used oil onto the pile then splash diesel in the same area then a bit of gas making a path 5' (1.6m) or so away and set it off from there. Never an issue before but this one wouldn't catch mostly due to the way osage orange and locus stack. Well I didn't want to stop working so I put some evergreen limbs on it and tried to splash it with gas to get it going again. BAD MOVE! Live and learn, and in a few days the wounds will be healed.

JB

 

[83VillageRepair]

Wade,
Thank you for the comments, I don't remember you ever commenting before either but thank you for following along and I'm glad you enjoy my ramblings.

My typical plan is to throw a gallon of used oil onto the pile then splash diesel in the same area then a bit of gas making a path 5' (1.6m) or so away and set it off from there. Never an issue before but this one wouldn't catch mostly due to the way osage orange and locus stack. Well I didn't want to stop working so I put some evergreen limbs on it and tried to splash it with gas to get it going again. BAD MOVE! Live and learn, and in a few days the wounds will be healed.

JB

I truly enjoy your thread. We have similar places, although I am in Texas. I enjoy seeing the way you tackle things and the low budget aspect of your work. I need to resurrect my long dead shop thread instead of just lurking in the shadows.

Wade

 

[jbmatth]

This time of year I'd love to be in Texas, I don't do well in cold weather. I heard a saying a few years ago that I tend to go by without realizing it. "I've done so much with so little for so long I can do almost anything with almost nothing." Luckily funds have increased in since purchasing the place 6 years ago so I'm able to spend a bit more money on tools, equipment, etc. but I can't break the habit of being a bit thrifty when possible.

I scanned through your thread just glancing a photos and you have a lot of cool stuff and a good looking place with no shortage of stuff needing done. Don't be shy, I'll be around.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

A little update, I messed with the JD 4010 a bit more last night and had a touch of success. The first order of business was to pull the choke cable and try too free it up. I was surprised how tough it was to pull but it made it out and after liberal amounts of Kroll oil it moves smooth now and works great.

When pulling the carb to work it fuel dumped out of the carb for some reason. I replaced the needle and seat and the float moved freely in the housing when all assembled so not sure why it is flooding like it is. After draining the fuel and putting everything back together it fired to life for a short period of time before dying and wouldn't restart. This is frustrating to say the least. The battery went flat before I could get it going again so I'll let it set a bit and charge before trying again.

JB

 

[mybigwarwagon]

I hate it when they tease you then stop running.

 

[jbmatth]

I hate it when they tease you then stop running.

I completely agree, more testing to follow though I suppose.

In other news I made a huge bonehead mistake and it may have cost me a transmission. I drove the S10 to work yesterday because why not. It was 16°F (-8°C) and the truck didn't want to start moving, I didn't warm it up so just assumed it was cold, sure enough after a few feet it seemed to drive fine. After work it did the same thing but for longer.

I suspected the trans fluid may be low but knew to check it warm and I was parked on a hill do didn't want to trust it anyway. Drove 10 miles to a gas station and checked it there, barely on the dip stick. The way the dipstick tube is on this truck I couldn't fill it with funnels available at a gas station so I opted to drive home and fill it there with my flexible funnel.

I didn't make it, pulled off the interstate and it wouldn't move. I had someone in town tow me to a place I could leave it until my wife could tow me home. I really hope I didn't cook the trans. Turns out a fitting on the trans cooler is leaking in a place I can't see and in parking in grass/gravel driveway I couldn't see any drips. Worst part is to pull the trans I have to pull the engine which is easiest when the body is off. But the tractor is parked at the lift.

Sometimes I can't seem to win for loosing.

Keep moving forward,
JB

 

[OutlawDrifter]

JB, I feel your pain, fingers crossed for ya!

 

[drivesitfar]

JB: sorry to hear of your BAD LUCK!! best of luck and let's hope all of the issues mentioned are fixable without you having to spend too much of your time or fun funds.

have a great day!!

 

[jbmatth]

JB, I feel your pain, fingers crossed for ya!

Thank you Outlaw, I really don't have the time to mess with it right now which makes it even more of a pain. I'm about 5 weeks away from a 2 month outage where I'll be working 14 hour days.

JB: sorry to hear of your BAD LUCK!! best of luck and let's hope all of the issues mentioned are fixable without you having to spend too much of your time or fun funds.

have a great day!!

Thanks Drives, fingers crossed here as well, it will hopefully just need a fitting tightened and more fluid.

JB

 

[BUGTHUG]

I bet you shook your hand trying to get the fire out, thats never good but always your first instinct.
glad it didn't catch your coat on fire, that material burns real fast even without accelerant. Glad your okay, burns hurt and get infected really easy.
I was at a demolition derby at the county fair. My cousin and I had a car in it. After the first heat was over, he did ok but the radiator leaked all the coolant. He took the cap off, and must of had some in the block. That boiling anti freeze came puking up like a volcano. I was on the side of the fender and just turned my head. The anti freeze burnt the side of my neck, and my whole back. I went to the ambulance that was there and they took me to the ER. My T shirt was melted to my skin, they had to cut the material off my back. I had 3rd degree burns on my whole back and side of my neck. Oh the pain, I spent the nite in the hospital. Had to miss 2 weeks of work, and when I did go to work the first day oooooomy, I worked at Rubbermaid and in August it was 102* inside the factory. The sweat was going down on my fresh new skin and it was like pouring salt on a wound.
Anyway man you gotta be careful.

 

[jbmatth]

I bet you shook your hand trying to get the fire out, thats never good but always your first instinct.
glad it didn't catch your coat on fire, that material burns real fast even without accelerant. Glad your okay, burns hurt and get infected really easy.

Herb,
When I do burns I wear "old" clothing that work provides and they provide Fire Retardant or FR clothes so it is less likely to burn and conduct heat. Mostly designed for flash fires but does okay for short term fires as well. Sadly not the first time I've been on fire, usually it involves a grinder throwing sparks on my shirt. Glad it turned out okay, the blisters are all popped now but the skin is intact so they seem to be healing well. Could have been much worse for certain.

I was at a demolition derby at the county fair. My cousin and I had a car in it. After the first heat was over, he did ok but the radiator leaked all the coolant. He took the cap off, and must of had some in the block. That boiling anti freeze came puking up like a volcano. I was on the side of the fender and just turned my head. The anti freeze burnt the side of my neck, and my whole back. I went to the ambulance that was there and they took me to the ER. My T shirt was melted to my skin, they had to cut the material off my back. I had 3rd degree burns on my whole back and side of my neck. Oh the pain, I spent the nite in the hospital. Had to miss 2 weeks of work, and when I did go to work the first day oooooomy, I worked at Rubbermaid and in August it was 102* inside the factory. The sweat was going down on my fresh new skin and it was like pouring salt on a wound.
Anyway man you gotta be careful.

Coolant burns or any liquid burns like that are terrible, I've never had any that big before and feel for you man. I know the first couple of showers I took after that were no fun at all! Here is to not getting burned again.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

Another busy weekend and luckily it was a productive one. To start off I filled the S10 with ATF after tightening the offending fitting, sadly that didn't fix the issues and I'm fairly certain the trans is toasted. Dumb move on my part and a lesson to learn from for sure. Good news is the tow hitch worked out great I installed to to it from the shop to a parking spot it'll be in for a while:

Next up on the list was to work on the throttle on the mini bike, it had very little throttle movement which made it a trick to drive without doing a wheelie. I took the bracket off I was using and made some modifications, welding and cutting on a piece to change the throw of the throttle cable vs the carb. After building and a few test fits and a bit of bending it got a coat of paint and is all back together:

Much better now, but sadly it was raining cats and dogs while I was working on it so I didn't get a chance to test it out other than in the shop. Next up was to do a LOF change on my wife's Jeep, I pulled the engine cover and found this:

Under the air filter:

Stinking rats again. I cleaned it all up and replaced all of the dryer sheets in hopes that'll solve the problem and keep them away. I don't know if it is just dumb luck but since using them in all of the vehicles this is the first time I've seen evidence they have been in them. Fingers crossed this will solve the problem.

Next I pulled Lil' Bo Jeep into work on installing the new fenders to fix this little issue:

I chose some flat tube fenders with a built in 3" flare and went about installing them. Wow what a pain, the first one took almost 4 hours after all the cutting, test fitting etc. Yes cutting, I didn't realize when I bought them you have to cut into the factory fender and use part of it to mount the new flared fenders to as well as bolt to the body and grill. But eventually I got it all back together and I like the look:

Another view:

More to come,
JB

 

[jbmatth]

Lastly I pulled the Chitbox into the shop to install a skid plate and give it a once over before the next event coming up. I noticed a car had wrecked on one of my routes home and took out a speed limit sign. Well they are just scrapped by the county so I was able to get it and make a free skid plate. I now have a torch set I picked up used last week and this was a good place to use to to shape the sign:

Not my best work but it should do the job. I tried using aluminum nutserts but they didn't seem strong enough so I switched to left over roofing screws. Just a bit barbaric, don't judge me:

Productive weekend all in all,
JB

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Busy weekend JB!

Bummer about the trans.

Rats are no bueno, at least they didn't destroy the wiring harness. I noticed my wife's Tacoma had mice in the engine bay at one time...same left behind food you found.

Jeep fenders look great!

 

[jbmatth]

Busy weekend JB!

Bummer about the trans.

Rats are no bueno, at least they didn't destroy the wiring harness. I noticed my wife's Tacoma had mice in the engine bay at one time...same left behind food you found.

Jeep fenders look great!

I even snuck one in on you Outlaw, it was certainly a busy weekend but productive so a win all around. The trans can be fixed, but it is a lot of work and a pain, not to mention not cheap.

I have a feeling I'll be fighting rats until I move from here, I just really don't want to get cats, they jump on vehicles and scratch the paint, I can't have that.

JB

 

[drivesitfar]

JB: nice work on the fender. probably would have been nice if the person or company selling it to you had mentioned it was a custom fit so good thing you have the skills and made time to do it right.

I still think you need a few cats. might not solve the entire problem, but might send a few to the neighbors that didn't die at your place.

sorry to hear you caught on fire, but happy you are healing and i'm guessing you learned a valuable lesson too.

cheers and have a great day!!

 

[XJSuperman]

Very nice!

 

[OutlawDrifter]

...I just really don't want to get cats, they jump on vehicles and scratch the paint, I can't have that.

JB

100% why there are no cats on our place.

Told the wife she wouldn't like the outcome of paw prints on my hood!

 

[XJSuperman]

Its almost impossible to find one deliberately, but every once in a blue moon you find a great cat that doesn't jump on cars or tractors. Check with your neighbors, maybe they have one they can loan you lol.