ZMotorsports Shop Projects 2.0

[Bodj Built]

The failure on your link is not uncommon on prerunners, and the correct repair is the one you did. Nice job and execution looks great. In the future, you can make the bushing housing 0.250" wall thickness and you'll be good to go.

There was a company around 2012 that was making long travel kits for Tacomas, and they used seamed tubing for the bushing housing. However, they had the seam on the opposite side of the link, so it had no support and they'd rip

 

[zmotorsports]

The failure on your link is not uncommon on prerunners, and the correct repair is the one you did. Nice job and execution looks great. In the future, you can make the bushing housing 0.250" wall thickness and you'll be good to go.

There was a company around 2012 that was making long travel kits for Tacomas, and they used seamed tubing for the bushing housing. However, they had the seam on the opposite side of the link, so it had no support and they'd rip

Thank you for chiming in. I appreciate your input.

I hadn't seen this failure personally and worried it was something I had done incorrectly during the design phase. However, they have lasted nine years since I built them and I think if it would have been a major design flaw it would have happened much sooner, so I chalked it up to fatigue cracking after 9-years of flexing and twisting.

I also don't think I would push the suspension travel any further than I have it with the OEM style rubber encapsulated bushings. Being at almost 10 inches (9.875") of rear suspension travel I feel I am at the limit with these bushings. Luckily I built long arms otherwise if these were the short or mid-length then I don't think they'd have lasted this long. IF I were to go any additional travel I think I would need flexible joints at both ends where I have the Johnny Joints at just the frame ends now. The reason I didn't go Johnny Joints at both ends initially is to keep NVH at a minimum as I feared that I would have induced some road vibrations into the vehicle if I were to remove the rubber bushings, although it would probably be very minor.

As for the seamed tubing, that is why I had originally chosen to use DOM tubing, I feared failure at the welded seam. I thought about going thicker during the repair as I had adequate room around the axle mounting bracket, but then I would have had to cut apart the driver's side and machine a second one. To be honest, I was thinking of how to prevent that and wrapping the weld joint seemed like a relatively easy and less invasive repair than completely rebuilding the driver's side as well. I thought about the military wrap on leaf springs and wondered if it would work in this application. I hope it does.

As I was also explaining to the wife at the campsite when I discovered it, the lowers are actually being driven forward into the link so they would be less likely to fail, whereas the uppers are being pulled away from the link during acceleration and especially when all twisted up and binding this would be the point of greatest stress so it seems like a failure at that point would be when it would have been expected.

I hope this is a permanent repair but time will tell.

 

[Bodj Built]

Thank you for chiming in. I appreciate your input.

I hadn't seen this failure personally and worried it was something I had done incorrectly during the design phase. However, they have lasted nine years since I built them and I think if it would have been a major design flaw it would have happened much sooner, so I chalked it up to fatigue cracking after 9-years of flexing and twisting.

I also don't think I would push the suspension travel any further than I have it with the OEM style rubber encapsulated bushings. Being at almost 10 inches (9.875") of rear suspension travel I feel I am at the limit with these bushings. Luckily I built long arms otherwise if these were the short or mid-length then I don't think they'd have lasted this long. IF I were to go any additional travel I think I would need flexible joints at both ends where I have the Johnny Joints at just the frame ends now. The reason I didn't go Johnny Joints at both ends initially is to keep NVH at a minimum as I feared that I would have induced some road vibrations into the vehicle if I were to remove the rubber bushings, although it would probably be very minor.

As for the seamed tubing, that is why I had originally chosen to use DOM tubing, I feared failure at the welded seam. I thought about going thicker during the repair as I had adequate room around the axle mounting bracket, but then I would have had to cut apart the driver's side and machine a second one. To be honest, I was thinking of how to prevent that and wrapping the weld joint seemed like a relatively easy and less evasive repair than completely rebuilding the driver's side as well. I thought about the military wrap on leaf springs and wondered if it would work in this application. I hope it does.

As I was also explaining to the wife at the campsite when I discovered it, the lowers are actually being driven forward into the link so they would be less likely to fail, whereas the uppers are being pulled away from the link during acceleration and especially when all twisted up and binding this would be the point of greatest stress so it seems like a failure at that point would be when it would have been expected.

I hope this is a permanent repair but time will tell.

I wouldn't hesitate to say you shouldn't ever have a problem with those bushing housings ever again. The bushings may go, but that's a maintenance item. And yeah, the vulcanized bushings do have their limits on wheel travel. You could probably get more with standard bushings and a sleeve (depending on your shock setup)

 

[zmotorsports]

I wouldn't hesitate to say you shouldn't ever have a problem with those bushing housings ever again. The bushings may go, but that's a maintenance item. And yeah, the vulcanized bushings do have their limits on wheel travel. You could probably get more with standard bushings and a sleeve (depending on your shock setup)

Thanks. The shocks I chose to run based on my research of travel and rod length are pretty much maxxed out with this iteration of suspension. If memory serves my front travel is 10.5" with a shock travel length of 11.2" giving a bit of margin for error at each end. I have them bumped about a half inch before bottoming and strapped about the same before full extension. The rear travel is right at 9.875" of travel on a shock spec. of 10.6" stroke.

I ran some proprietary BDS joints that were sleeved bushings when I first built the Jeep but the bushings would deteriorate and allow slop into the suspension within a very short period of time/miles. The first two years of having that suspension netted me changing the bushings three times, at which point I said enough is enough and built my own suspension links. In my link design I incorporated the Johnny Joints into the frame ends and OEM style bushings into the axle ends. Those have lasted exceptionally well and have provided a nice on road manner as well as off-road flexibility but I think I am at the limits of that flexibility. Good thing I'm happy with the Jeep and don't want to shoot for any more travel or I'd be redesigning the suspension.

 

[zanyad]

I took the strap that I cut and heated a little to bend around a piece of bar stock close to the size I needed. I then placed it over the bushing housing and clamped it in the weld vise to tighten up the gap and proceeded to weld the wrap in place.

Mike, a question about your repair (and original fabrication) of that bushing housing: If you machine the ID then weld the housing on, does the heat from welding distort the bushing? I would have thought you'd get better results welding the housing and then finishing the ID to size/roundness. Or am I overthinking things?

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike, a question about your repair (and original fabrication) of that bushing housing: If you machine the ID then weld the housing on, does the heat from welding distort the bushing? I would have thought you'd get better results welding the housing and then finishing the ID to size/roundness. Or am I overthinking things?

I don't think you're overthinking it. Had this needed to be an exact dimension with absolutely no wiggle room I think I would have done just that, gotten it close on the lathe, welded the end and then bored on the mill to exact size. However, with the bushing being rubber and had some latitude on the ID this process worked perfectly. I did weld in small increments to allow the heat to dissipate but that probably wasn't necessary based on the bushings I used.

 

[zmotorsports]

Made some progress on my grandson's Radio Flyer wagon last night.

Started by making a template for the steering arms coming off the knuckles.


Cut out and a slight bend to accept the rod end and keep the tie rod below the framerail.


Tweaking the angle of the cut to make sure to have proper Ackermann angle built in.


I put the front tire/wheel on to ensure there would be no interferences.


After transferring the pattern over to some .125" P&O I drilled and reamed the holes for the 1/4" rod ends.


Then cut the arms out on the vertical bandsaw.


When making symmetrical brackets I like to bolt them together and then run them around the disc sander to ensure they are a perfect match.


One last little detail before separating the brackets is to run them parallel to the belt sander. This puts a bit nicer finish on the metal and just adds a nice finishing touch.


Here you can see how much nicer the finish is on the edges.



More pictures to follow....

 

[zmotorsports]

Continuing on with the steering components.

Once the edges are sanded I separate the brackets for final deburring. You can still see the hard edge present in this picture.


Here's another little tip for putting a nice edge on the freshly machined or fabricated parts.

I approach the belt with the piece at about a 45-degree angle to the belt's surface. Now tip it into the belt at the bottom just barely before the top and hold it momentarily where the entire length of the bracket is being sanded evenly. If you have a rounded edge then as you work that curvature around the belt don't spend as much time in contact with the belt as you did on the long side. Work the curved edge around the belt at a quicker pace in order to keep the chamfer even all the way around. Think of it as a ratio between time spent in contact with the belt vs. surface area. The shorter sides and curves just need to be briefly touched around the belt to remove the same amount of material that a longer delay on the long sides requires in order to remove the same amount of material.

Also, be very careful when sanding a hard 90-degree corner and try to keep them facing downward, if you have a rounded edge then approach the belt with it facing upward. If you don't have any rounded edges then definitely touch off on the lower corner ever so slightly before the top or the top corner will dig into the belt destroying the belt best case scenario and digging into or grabbing your hand worst case scenario. Hope that makes sense as this little detail really adds a nice finishing touch to the edges of metal parts and once you get the hang of it becomes second nature.


Here you can see the nice chamfered edge it leaves when done properly. You can also see the rounded end has the same amount of material removed and the size of the chamfered edge is consistent.


I then marked the same distance on each bracket to create a slight bend and clamped in the brake.


Bends done.


I rigged up a quick fixture in which would allow each steering knuckle to accept the steering arm at the same height and angle and proceeded with a quick blast tack on each corner. In this picture you can also see where I made the steering arm just long enough to also capture the small spacer in which I added to space the wheel out away the proper amount. By making the steering arm wide enough I was able to capture this all into the weld and incorporate the spacer into the knuckle.


Double checking to make sure both angles were identical.


Fully welded the steering arms onto the knuckles.


Both knuckles completed.


On the opposite side of the steering arm I ran a short stitch weld to tie the spacer into the main body of the knuckle. No real need to do this I just thought it would look better to have some weld opposite the steering arm to hold the spacer to the main body. I just did a short autogenous weld here.



That completed the steering knuckles for the Radio Flyer wagon.

Thanks for looking.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Getting closer! Nice work on the knuckles Mike!

 

[Blackbyrd]

I always enjoy your fabrication posts, gives me terrible ideas though....

look forward to the final results on the radio-Low-flier

 

[zmotorsports]

Getting closer! Nice work on the knuckles Mike!

Thanks Marc. The knuckles are very similar to what I used to fabricate for the sand drag quads that we built back in the 90's through 2000's and they held up extremely well for the pounding that they took on the dunes. These should be strong enough for a sidewalk cruiser.

Yeah, I need to get this done so it can be enjoyed. I've put it off long enough dicking around with other projects that are less important.

I always enjoy your fabrication posts, gives me terrible ideas though....

look forward to the final results on the radio-Low-flier

Thank you. While I love fabricating, I know there are much better fabricators on the forum and I love seeing what others are doing and what I can learn from them as well.

I appreciate the comments.

 

[4 FN 27]

Thanks Pat.

On the subject of vacationing, I am proud to say I am self-taught and need more practice as I am still learning.

In all honesty, I blame my dad for my vacationing habits. He was a workaholic and seldom ever took a vacation and when he did take us on a family vacation it was obvious he was more concerned about what was happening on the farm than on vacation. He kept saying he'd start taking more vacations when he retired. Well, he never made it and died at 72 years old. Granted, I knew money was tight and we were quite poor growing up but I swore when I had a family of my own we would practice some form of balance between working our asses off and relaxing to enjoy the fruits of our labor. I'm trying to uphold that promise to myself and my wife.

Good for you Mike. Sounds like we had the similar upbringing. The difference being my Dad's Farm raised Sheet Metal. He was always afraid to leave the "farm". Our first and only "real" family vacation was when I was 16. Mom took us kids to FL for a week. Dad showed up Thursday night and we all flew home on Sunday. So I guess you can say I learned well...and have not broke the cycle like you have.

Dad sold his company and retired at 55 in 1994. Since then he and my mother have traveled the world, saw the US via a Motorhome and he boarded an Aircraft Carrier (he was US Navy 1957-61, Sheet Metal Mechanic on the USS Essex) taking a 2 week Tiger Cruise from HI to WA with my cousins who are/were lifers in the US Navy. He did have a goal in mind when he was working 100+ hours a week. And he did it.

I also remember reading something years ago that struck a chord with me. It stated that if you wait until retirement to start enjoying life, you waited too long. While I'm proud of how hard the wife and I have worked to get where we're at, I don't hold the term "workaholic" as endearing or to some elevated stature as some.

Is there a difference between a "Workaholic" and "busy body"? I have to say yes. As the old saying goes "If you love what you do you'll never work a day in your life". I tend to agree and I think I can count on 2 hands minus a few fingers the actual days I spent working...when I really think about it.

If it is a passion of mine I can "work" on something relentlessly...which my employ offered that opportunity everyday. But one day in 2018 I decided to make a change and "work" on my projects being blessed with the opportunity to do so after "working" on things for others and building a business. My goal was to retire at 55 too but I was 4 years and 364 days late...and do what I am doing now playing in my Shop and learning new things and applying them to my projects.

My comment "Do you teach "Vacationing"? I would like to sign my wife and I up for a few lessons if you do. " was somewhat in jest. My wife and I talk about it and we agree we are somewhat reluctant because we both are busy bodies and get board. I get up early and she gets up later. I like to travel via the ground and she like the air. I like sleeping in a trailer and she likes a nice 5 Star Hotel...opposites attract I guess.

I play in the shop and she studies investments.

Maybe if we can find a Bed and Breakfast with a Pole Barn (shop) and an office we might be on to something.

 

[zmotorsports]

Pat, I meant no disrespect with my response and completely got your jousting in the "teaching vacationing" comment.

Like you we had role models for fathers that didn't understand the concept of relaxing or enjoying the fruits of one's labor. Your dad at least understood it enough to actually retire and did so at a young enough age to enjoy many years or vacationing. My dad was much harder headed I guess and never stopped until he couldn't go on and was then done at a relatively young age.

Fortunately for me, my wife and I have similar views of what we want our retirement to look like. However, I feel like I'm behind the gun on the funding phase and to be honest, I thought I had that balance thing figured out but over the past year I think I'm getting burned out on burning the candle at both ends and the ugliness is coming out in some of my comments. For that I am sorry if I offended you.

When I told my wife that I wanted to start taking on side jobs again a couple of years ago she made me promise that it wouldn't get out of hand. I assured her it wouldn't but yet here I am still working on my grandson's wagon that I started 9 months ago and I'm quickly reminded that it still is not completed. I thought I could control the workflow through the shop but unfortunately, I think it's getting out of hand again. I try to tell people that I don't know when I can get to their job hoping to somewhat control the waiting list but it just keeps growing and growing.

Last week while the wife and I had just begun our vacation, I had a guy call me for the third time asking me when I could get to his FJ40 build project. When he first contacted me a couple of months ago I think I was flattered when he told me I was referred by someone else speaking of my quality of work. I told him that was a big project and not something I could easily fit in somewhere between other projects in hopes he would say never mind and take it to someone else. However, he was insistent that he wanted ME to work on it. I think I let that flattery overcome my logical thinking so I told him I could try and work him in, but I couldn't promise when that would be. After his third time calling in about two months last week, I was just honest with him and told him I didn't think I was going to be able to perform the job to my satisfaction based on my busy schedule and lack of time and I would have to decline the job. He was NOT happy and let me know about it, so I guess that's what I get for being honest.

A few days later while still on vacation, my wife made a comment that she was worried that I was losing my love of working in the shop. I told her I wasn't losing my love of my shop, just feel like I'm losing myself, and forgetting why I've worked so hard for 35+ years to acquire the tools and equipment for working on my own projects.

I apologize if I offended you Pat, that was NOT my intention. I am just feeling a bit overwhelmed lately and trying to make too many people happy and worried even more about retirement the closer we get. I'm not trying to make excuses, I just wanted to apologize.

 

[SilverJimmy]

Mike, part of what happens when you say “NO“ to some people is that you don’t really appreciate how rare you are in the industry you’ve chosen to excel in. They get mad because they want you to do something for them and they know it will be done perfectly, and now they know that’s not going to happen! If you remember a couple months back I posted that my GMC had been attacked by the pack rats we have here in Flagstaff, chewed a bunch of wires on the engine and also the harness to the transmission. After you politely declined to have me bring it to you for repair (HA!) my insurance agent told me the damage was covered 100%, not even with any deductible required, just take it to the local dealer, they’ll fix it good as new! Well, it took over a month to get it repaired, the monkey that they had clean all the rat turds off the engine compartment managed to destroy the factory tags that are there for the A/C system service, and to top everything off, there’s a huge dent across the new cowl hood I had installed when I fixed all the pealing factory paint! The industry is in a death spiral, good thing the transportation that “they” want us to have in the future isn’t supposed to need maintenance! Hell, you won’t even need to know how to drive. Every time I see a TV ad where some neutered male lets his car parallel park itself, and his superior female is so happy they didn’t die in the process, I’m reminded that the end might be near!
Like I implied earlier, you are a rare person indeed! Thank you for showing us all how things “should” be done!

 

[4 FN 27]

Pat, I meant no disrespect with my response and completely got your jousting in the "teaching vacationing" comment.

Like you we had role models for fathers that didn't understand the concept of relaxing or enjoying the fruits of one's labor. Your dad at least understood it enough to actually retire and did so at a young enough age to enjoy many years or vacationing. My dad was much harder headed I guess and never stopped until he couldn't go on and was then done at a relatively young age.

Fortunately for me, my wife and I have similar views of what we want our retirement to look like. However, I feel like I'm behind the gun on the funding phase and to be honest, I thought I had that balance thing figured out but over the past year I think I'm getting burned out on burning the candle at both ends and the ugliness is coming out in some of my comments. For that I am sorry if I offended you.

When I told my wife that I wanted to start taking on side jobs again a couple of years ago she made me promise that it wouldn't get out of hand. I assured her it wouldn't but yet here I am still working on my grandson's wagon that I started 9 months ago and I'm quickly reminded that it still is not completed. I thought I could control the workflow through the shop but unfortunately, I think it's getting out of hand again. I try to tell people that I don't know when I can get to their job hoping to somewhat control the waiting list but it just keeps growing and growing.

Last week while the wife and I had just begun our vacation, I had a guy call me for the third time asking me when I could get to his FJ40 build project. When he first contacted me a couple of months ago I think I was flattered when he told me I was referred by someone else speaking of my quality of work. I told him that was a big project and not something I could easily fit in somewhere between other projects in hopes he would say never mind and take it to someone else. However, he was insistent that he wanted ME to work on it. I think I let that flattery overcome my logical thinking so I told him I could try and work him in, but I couldn't promise when that would be. After his third time calling in about two months last week, I was just honest with him and told him I didn't think I was going to be able to perform the job to my satisfaction based on my busy schedule and lack of time and I would have to decline the job. He was NOT happy and let me know about it, so I guess that's what I get for being honest.

A few days later while still on vacation, my wife made a comment that she was worried that I was losing my love of working in the shop. I told her I wasn't losing my love of my shop, just feel like I'm losing myself, and forgetting why I've worked so hard for 35+ years to acquire the tools and equipment for working on my own projects.

I apologize if I offended you Pat, that was NOT my intention. I am just feeling a bit overwhelmed lately and trying to make too many people happy and worried even more about retirement the closer we get. I'm not trying to make excuses, I just wanted to apologize.

LOL (@zmotorsports) Mike. I am offended at the thought you think you can offend me. No offense take what so ever.

I believe we are saying the same thing in different ways. People choose to be offended and I am not one to give that kind of power over me to others...nothing you typed is offending.

I am happy for you and your wife having alignment on retirement. We too, my wife and I have alignment just in a different sense otherwise I don't think we would be together.

Stress, anxiety and fear can cause lots of issues especially when we beat ourselves up as we aim at perfection and or goal setting and accomplishment. "Everyone has a plan until the get punched in the face." Mike Tyson. Work flow can add to the forementioned and double down on us. I don't need others to beat me up turning down a job...heck I am really good at beating myself up at not meeting my own expectations. Thus expectations are just premeditated resentment...like the guy with the FJ40. He had an expectation and now he has his resentment. If I was was you I'd ask him if he has a "Tough **** Card". I'd put a hole in it for him. I have a punch if you need to use it.

Since my retirement I cannot count how many people have the latest great idea for me to manufacture and do the work while they reap the reward. I put them to bed one at a time...you want my time?, the fewer days I have left with every rotation of the big and little hand? That time? You are going to have to pay...and that is if I decided to do it...and it will be on my schedule not yours.

On the flip side there are those who I cater too who have been there for me when I needed them. Mostly from the racing community and life long friends. Their little projects are more of an excuse to get together and have a beer and accomplish at least one thing...their project and share life experiences in the process.

Mike with the skillset and talent you have naturally or learned you are good friend to "USE"...note I did not say have. There is a difference. I weed the "users" out in a hurry. Friendship is a 2 way street and mutual. Some confuse business with friendship. My brother always comments about the relationships I develop with my customers (I did sales too). Yes we got along great. Lunches, laughing while getting a million dollar project off the ground, developing each other skillsets and so on. But what he is seeing is the mutual extortion of 2 people accomplishing something. They extort my talent and I extort payment in the simplest of terms. Of all the people I have worked with daily for years, my customers, I only stay in touch with a few of them...those were the relationships where we became friends based on mutual beliefs, goals, family value, work ethic and hobbies. The rest...they are extorting somebody else now while being extorted themselves all in a good way.

More and more I take time to smell the roses. For the last few weeks with the cooler weather moving in I shut down the shop just before sunset and watch the sun go down. Sitting in the chair in front of the building thinking I have to be the luckiest person in the world. And practice a little gratuity in the process knowing full well I have crawled through a few minefields covered in broken glass to get to where I am without regret. Well 1 regret: I should have bought the 2005 Ford GT at invoice when I had the chance on Dec 26, 2005.

We all go through the moments where we get wrapped around the axel...that is when it is time to grab a personal project and get it done. I find myself every time I finish something for myself...or a project for somebody else that I have to learn something new.

Funny my buddy Jerry and my buddy Tim, both are gone but their creations remain. Jerry's shop and Tim's scattered collections of cars and street rods continue on. Someday I'll be gone and all the Nuts and Bolts I restocked this week will still be here...scattered I am sure on projects accomplished or from the GJ Auction...LOL. It was an interesting conversation with myself while stocking the Hardware.

I read you post while eating lunch in the shop. You did not offend me Mike...not 1 ounce and felt the need to come up to the house (where we have internet, the shop doesn't by design) and set the record straight. I have the utmost respect for you! And throw in a little admiration too.

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike, part of what happens when you say “NO“ to some people is that you don’t really appreciate how rare you are in the industry you’ve chosen to excel in. They get mad because they want you to do something for them and they know it will be done perfectly, and now they know that’s not going to happen! If you remember a couple months back I posted that my GMC had been attacked by the pack rats we have here in Flagstaff, chewed a bunch of wires on the engine and also the harness to the transmission. After you politely declined to have me bring it to you for repair (HA!) my insurance agent told me the damage was covered 100%, not even with any deductible required, just take it to the local dealer, they’ll fix it good as new! Well, it took over a month to get it repaired, the monkey that they had clean all the rat turds off the engine compartment managed to destroy the factory tags that are there for the A/C system service, and to top everything off, there’s a huge dent across the new cowl hood I had installed when I fixed all the pealing factory paint! The industry is in a death spiral, good thing the transportation that “they” want us to have in the future isn’t supposed to need maintenance! Hell, you won’t even need to know how to drive. Every time I see a TV ad where some neutered male lets his car parallel park itself, and his superior female is so happy they didn’t die in the process, I’m reminded that the end might be near!
Like I implied earlier, you are a rare person indeed! Thank you for showing us all how things “should” be done!

Sterling, I very much appreciate the comments and accolades.

My wife made a similar comment last week after another person called needing work done. This was from a relative of a person I'd done work for recently. He had mentioned his BIL only trusted me to work on his **** and that he should give me a try. My wife not so politely informed me I was my own worst enemy in that when people bring stuff to me, they can't go somewhere else afterwards and will only want me to work on their stuff. Kind of what you so kindly pointed out.

To be honest, I think my wife, and even my son to some extent, are biased as they really don't know any different. Neither have ever had to deal with another shop or have anything repaired by a "professional" shop and for that I am happy and proud of, but it does skew their point of view a bit about my abilities vs. what the average mechanic does. My son is very smart about a lot of things, smarter than me in a lot of ways in fact. The wife and I made sure he had the opportunity to go to college and learn things correctly in school and then applied them to real world situations as neither of us had that opportunity growing up. However, when it comes to automotive my son pretty much only knows what he's seen me do and what I've told him, so I could be blowing smoke up his *** and he'd never know the difference.  In my mind I am a fair mechanic, welder, fabricator, painter, etc. but my wife thinks I'm something more. I tell her she's being biased and explain that I feel inferior at times because I have had no formal training or schooling in which to have learned the theory behind things and then apply them to real world scenarios.

Her argument is the exact opposite. She feels I have excelled purely because I am self-taught, or in spite of maybe. She states that I have not had the schooling and therefore don't take things at face value just because they were conveyed to me. I have to question everything because I have not had that theory taught to me and when I am presented with a real world problem, I then have to go and learn the theory and sequence of operation in which to learn where the process is breaking down and for that reason alone she feels it has made me a better mechanic. I can see her case, but we all know personally where our flaws are at and sometimes we can't see the forest for the trees.

As for the amount of side work lately, I increased my hourly shop rate about a year ago thinking it would help to thin out or decrease based on people not wanting to spend that amount of money which would kind of help balance the workflow to a comfortable and controllable level. However, it has actually had no effect and one could argue had even the opposite effect as I am busier than ever and busier than I want to be this past year. I realize that must sound like a good problem to have and if it I was solely driven by the money aspect I would be ecstatic over the list of work ahead of me. However, I feel with the arrival of our grandson this year I am in more emotional turmoil than ever before about making extra money to put towards retirement and my legacy that I want to leave behind and I feel as though I am neglecting my own stuff which I think is what has brought me to my breaking point now I'm afraid. As my grandson gets older I want to be able to spend "quality" time with him and my son in the shop doing fun projects and creating lasting memories and not have to worry about making money. I see my son being able to spend time in his home garage working on things that are truly bringing him enjoyment and to be honest, I'm a bit jealous.

Our financial advisor, and also a longtime friend, has been telling us that we are sitting in a good place and that I shouldn't need to do side work, and to only take on side work for enjoyment as all of his projections and calculations suggest we are right on track. However, for some reason I can't allow myself to believe him. I have this burning down inside that we are not on track and it is my responsibility to get us on track.

 

[gearhead1960]

Mike,

I share all your concerns, but you might need to learn to trust your financial advisor. Look at it this way....when you tell your customers that they need $$$$ amount of work on their vehicles, they are saying yes because they know you are the expert and TRUST your judgement. You will have to ask yourself if your financial advisor (and longtime friend) is trustworthy. If the answer is no, perhaps you need a second opinion if you are on track. If the answer is yes, you need to "let go" of that burning feeling. The shoe is now on the other foot so to speak. You need to figure out if it fits...... i.e. are you able to take some else's expert opinion and trust them? Don't get me wrong, we all have that self doubt we will ever have enough money to retire and do the things we want to do......

 

[zmotorsports]

LOL (@zmotorsports) Mike. I am offended at the thought you think you can offend me. No offense take what so ever.

I believe we are saying the same thing in different ways. People choose to be offended and I am not one to give that kind of power over me to others...nothing you typed is offending.

I am happy for you and your wife having alignment on retirement. We too, my wife and I have alignment just in a different sense otherwise I don't think we would be together.

Stress, anxiety and fear can cause lots of issues especially when we beat ourselves up as we aim at perfection and or goal setting and accomplishment. "Everyone has a plan until the get punched in the face." Mike Tyson. Work flow can add to the forementioned and double down on us. I don't need others to beat me up turning down a job...heck I am really good at beating myself up at not meeting my own expectations. Thus expectations are just premeditated resentment...like the guy with the FJ40. He had an expectation and now he has his resentment. If I was was you I'd ask him if he has a "Tough **** Card". I'd put a hole in it for him. I have a punch if you need to use it.

Since my retirement I cannot count how many people have the latest great idea for me to manufacture and do the work while they reap the reward. I put them to bed one at a time...you want my time?, the fewer days I have left with every rotation of the big and little hand? That time? You are going to have to pay...and that is if I decided to do it...and it will be on my schedule not yours.

On the flip side there are those who I cater too who have been there for me when I needed them. Mostly from the racing community and life long friends. Their little projects are more of an excuse to get together and have a beer and accomplish at least one thing...their project and share life experiences in the process.

Mike with the skillset and talent you have naturally or learned you are good friend to "USE"...note I did not say have. There is a difference. I weed the "users" out in a hurry. Friendship is a 2 way street and mutual. Some confuse business with friendship. My brother always comments about the relationships I develop with my customers (I did sales too). Yes we got along great. Lunches, laughing while getting a million dollar project off the ground, developing each other skillsets and so on. But what he is seeing is the mutual extortion of 2 people accomplishing something. They extort my talent and I extort payment in the simplest of terms. Of all the people I have worked with daily for years, my customers, I only stay in touch with a few of them...those were the relationships where we became friends based on mutual beliefs, goals, family value, work ethic and hobbies. The rest...they are extorting somebody else now while being extorted themselves all in a good way.

More and more I take time to smell the roses. For the last few weeks with the cooler weather moving in I shut down the shop just before sunset and watch the sun go down. Sitting in the chair in front of the building thinking I have to be the luckiest person in the world. And practice a little gratuity in the process knowing full well I have crawled through a few minefields covered in broken glass to get to where I am without regret. Well 1 regret: I should have bought the 2005 Ford GT at invoice when I had the chance on Dec 26, 2005.

We all go through the moments where we get wrapped around the axel...that is when it is time to grab a personal project and get it done. I find myself every time I finish something for myself...or a project for somebody else that I have to learn something new.

Funny my buddy Jerry and my buddy Tim, both are gone but their creations remain. Jerry's shop and Tim's scattered collections of cars and street rods continue on. Someday I'll be gone and all the Nuts and Bolts I restocked this week will still be here...scattered I am sure on projects accomplished or from the GJ Auction...LOL. It was an interesting conversation with myself while stocking the Hardware.

I read you post while eating lunch in the shop. You did not offend me Mike...not 1 ounce and felt the need to come up to the house (where we have internet, the shop doesn't by design) and set the record straight. I have the utmost respect for you! And throw in a little admiration too.

Pat, I appreciate the time you took to write that, and I am glad I didn't offend you. Trust me, I wasn't trying.

Last week after not spending any time in the shop for several days and just sitting on the deck watching a storm roll through was when the wife said she was worried about me and that I wasn't making an effort for shop time. She was sad that she thought I had lost interest and I told her I haven't lost interest but just felt overwhelmed and felt like I was getting further behind rather than caught up.

You said something that struck a chord with me, well actually quite a bit of what you said struck a chord. Specifically that you don't need someone beating you up about turning a job down because you are really good about beating yourself up about not meeting an expectation. I think that really nailed it. I have it in my head that I can get all of the work done that I promise out AND still make time to keep my own **** in perfect condition. However, in reality that just isn't the case. There is only so much time in a day and I don't know about you, but I feel it takes me longer to do things than it used to. I don't know if I have slowed down in general or that I am just taking my time more on various tasks than I used to OR I simply can't estimate tasks worth the **** anymore.

I told my wife again that the reason I became a mechanic is so that I could drive nice stuff without having to pay someone else to maintain it and I could maintain it to a higher quality. Now I feel that dream is being threatened because I can't say no and I may be using money as the excuse I am telling myself in order to justify my actions of taking or more side work than I can actually handle.

I don't have many people I would call friends as is seems most in the end just "USE" me for what I can do for them. It took me years to discover that and be okay with it. Being in several car clubs ended up bringing me to a brutal awakening in this matter. I have a few clients that I have done work for over the years that are great clients and understand that I work 8-10 hours a day and then do side jobs for enjoyment and they don't push me. On the other hand I have some that just want their **** fixed and don't give two shits about me or my well being. Last year when I had my health issue and had to inform people that their repairs were going to have to be delayed because I couldn't work in the shop for several weeks was really an eye opener to this.

I guess I need to do more sole searching and learn to be realistic with what I want to do vs. keeping others happy. I do feel blessed to have been able to work on things that I otherwise wouldn't have had the opportunity to but I don't need to do so at risk to my own state of mind. I look at some tools and even some cars and bikes that friends have built and used before they've passed and get a bit nostalgic when I think about them being gone. I hope someday when I'm gone that my son and grandson can look back and know that what I did, I did for them and that I want them to be proud of me. I also hope when they are in my shop and using the tools and equipment that they get enjoyment out of them and remember me in a kind way, not someone who worked their life away.

I appreciate the time you took to reply Pat. Thank you as I feel you made several good points.

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike,

I share all your concerns, but you might need to learn to trust your financial advisor. Look at it this way....when you tell your customers that they need $$$$ amount of work on their vehicles, they are saying yes because they know you are the expert and TRUST your judgement. You will have to ask yourself if your financial advisor (and longtime friend) is trustworthy. If the answer is no, perhaps you need a second opinion if you are on track. If the answer is yes, you need to "let go" of that burning feeling. The shoe is now on the other foot so to speak. You need to figure out if it fits...... i.e. are you able to take some else's expert opinion and trust them? Don't get me wrong, we all have that self doubt we will ever have enough money to retire and do the things we want to do......

That is a very insightful and helpful post Mark. I definitely did not look at it as they were the subject matter expert. There are things outside my wheelhouse, and I hate that feeling of having to rely on someone else, but it makes perfect sense. Thank you.

 

[gearhead1960]

That is a very insightful and helpful post Mark. I definitely did not look at it as they were the subject matter expert. There are things outside my wheelhouse, and I hate that feeling of having to rely on someone else, but it makes perfect sense. Thank you.

I agree about having to rely on someone else for something we are not experts on. That is one reason we are uncomfortable about making decisions on things we are not experts on or even familiar with. We can only try to educate ourselves as much as possible.....and hope we make the right decision.

 

[bigdave_185]

As usual ya dollar short and a day late to the most recent

I did happen across a small shop fab guy who had converted a cheapo rock tumbler to toss small fab parts into to knock off edges. It did add an extended work/finish time but just a random suggestion or idea.

I always seem to be the guy in the shop who can’t keep his fat sausage fingers into the belt sander

 

[4 FN 27]

Pat, I appreciate the time you took to write that, and I am glad I didn't offend you. Trust me, I wasn't trying.

Last week after not spending any time in the shop for several days and just sitting on the deck watching a storm roll through was when the wife said she was worried about me and that I wasn't making an effort for shop time. She was sad that she thought I had lost interest and I told her I haven't lost interest but just felt overwhelmed and felt like I was getting further behind rather than caught up.

You said something that struck a chord with me, well actually quite a bit of what you said struck a chord. Specifically that you don't need someone beating you up about turning a job down because you are really good about beating yourself up about not meeting an expectation. I think that really nailed it. I have it in my head that I can get all of the work done that I promise out AND still make time to keep my own **** in perfect condition. However, in reality that just isn't the case. There is only so much time in a day and I don't know about you, but I feel it takes me longer to do things than it used to. I don't know if I have slowed down in general or that I am just taking my time more on various tasks than I used to OR I simply can't estimate tasks worth the **** anymore.

I told my wife again that the reason I became a mechanic is so that I could drive nice stuff without having to pay someone else to maintain it and I could maintain it to a higher quality. Now I feel that dream is being threatened because I can't say no and I may be using money as the excuse I am telling myself in order to justify my actions of taking or more side work than I can actually handle.

I don't have many people I would call friends as is seems most in the end just "USE" me for what I can do for them. It took me years to discover that and be okay with it. Being in several car clubs ended up bringing me to a brutal awakening in this matter. I have a few clients that I have done work for over the years that are great clients and understand that I work 8-10 hours a day and then do side jobs for enjoyment and they don't push me. On the other hand I have some that just want their **** fixed and don't give two shits about me or my well being. Last year when I had my health issue and had to inform people that their repairs were going to have to be delayed because I couldn't work in the shop for several weeks was really an eye opener to this.

I guess I need to do more sole searching and learn to be realistic with what I want to do vs. keeping others happy. I do feel blessed to have been able to work on things that I otherwise wouldn't have had the opportunity to but I don't need to do so at risk to my own state of mind. I look at some tools and even some cars and bikes that friends have built and used before they've passed and get a bit nostalgic when I think about them being gone. I hope someday when I'm gone that my son and grandson can look back and know that what I did, I did for them and that I want them to be proud of me. I also hope when they are in my shop and using the tools and equipment that they get enjoyment out of them and remember me in a kind way, not someone who worked their life away.

I appreciate the time you took to reply Pat. Thank you as I feel you made several good points.

You are welcome Mike!!!

I don't know if we get slower. I think it is more we take the time to enjoy the craft. And me, I like to invest the time to make it just a little more than right recognizing your comment: "I hope someday when I'm gone that my son and grandson can look back and know that what I did, I did for them and that I want them to be proud of me."

Your name goes on everything you touch. I don't want to be known as a hack and the quality shows in your work. Everything you do shows that!!!

I guess I need to do more sole searching and learn to be realistic with what I want to do vs. keeping others happy.

Do what you do for yourself (and your family). Taking on another's happiness is a thankless task. Let them take charge of their happiness and you take care of yours. Thus why I carry the hole punch...and I have my own tough **** card too which has a few holes in it.

I am only responsible for myself and responsible to others not for them.

Put me in charge of your happiness and there will be certain disappointment...people choose to be happy or just pissed off at the world. Not saying we should not strive to be good humans...just saying expectations lead to resentment when those expectations are not met.

Can I expect the Wagon will be done by Sunday evening? You wouldn't want to disappoint me now would you?

 

[bowtiguy]

Mike with the skillset and talent you have naturally or learned you are good friend to "USE"...note I did not say have. There is a difference. I weed the "users" out in a hurry. Friendship is a 2 way street and mutual. Some confuse business with friendship. My brother always comments about the relationships I develop with my customers (I did sales too). Yes we got along great. Lunches, laughing while getting a million dollar project off the ground, developing each other skillsets and so on. But what he is seeing is the mutual extortion of 2 people accomplishing something. They extort my talent and I extort payment in the simplest of terms. Of all the people I have worked with daily for years, my customers, I only stay in touch with a few of them...those were the relationships where we became friends based on mutual beliefs, goals, family value, work ethic and hobbies. The rest...they are extorting somebody else now while being extorted themselves all in a good way.

THIS sums up the relationship I had w/ the ( dental) specialists i referred to over the last 20 years , labs too. My wife thought we were all great friends. To which i replied, “ until i stop sending them work”. She believes me now. My circle is a good one now….. just small.

 

[bugnut]

Mike, Pat and Mark, just reading and following along. But I note a few things.

Some folks have excess work cause they're good and perform high quality, doing it correctly. I mentally divide this into two camps, you can have it right or you can have it right now.

Friends, when the going get tough, your real friends are still right there.

Sidework, if you want to balance the amount of work you accept, let your better half make the decisions, whose and when. They are a better gate keeper of your time than you will be. And they can say no! It will also force you to talk to your spouse more, heaven forbid.

Mike, especially Mike, the reason you can fix a weld or build a cool wagon is you have the knowledge to do so. The reason you worry about money is lack of knowledge. Quit doing sidework for a while and get educated and improve your financial knowledge. Educate yourself about how much is needed to fund your future, when you have enough knowledge the fear and worry go away.

On a personal note we filed bankruptcy in 1990, I was involuntarily retired in 2015 a few days shy of my 60th bday. After filing bankruptcy in 1990 I decide to change my life as it was crushing going thru the process and had a terrible impact on my wife and children. I decided to educate myself about how others with money achieved that status and I educated myself and the results brought peace to me and my family. When the layoff came my wife and I had a calm rational discussion about life, me being retired and we never looked back. In the 25 years between events, major changes were made that brought us the contentment of knowing we were financially secure.


joel

 

[zmotorsports]

I don't know if we get slower. I think it is more we take the time to enjoy the craft. And me, I like to invest the time to make it just a little more than right

Thanks Pat. I couldn't agree more about taking the time to enjoy the craft, or as my wife says, the journey moreso than the destination. I want to make things or do jobs just a little bit better than the next guy. I don't want to settle for "ok" when doing something. I know you understand.

Your name goes on everything you touch. I don't want to be known as a hack



Do what you do for yourself (and your family). Taking on another's happiness is a thankless task.

Pat, this is probably why many of us push ourselves a bit excessively, because we take our names and reputations seriously and know that it is on everything we do. I found out recently that people are taking notice of our work whether we know it or not. I don't ever want to be ashamed or embarrassed of something I worked on and worst, I don't ever want to let my wife or son down and have them be ashamed or embarrassed of something I did. I think my biggest fear in life is being a disappointment to either my wife or son, and now DIL and grandson.

Obviously the biggest reason I take on side work is the money, but almost nearly as important to me is the challenge, especially when working on things that I am unfamiliar with. I want to understand as much as possible and I think working only on my own stuff limits my knowledge base which is why I have been fortunate to have been able to work on such a wide variety of things during my career which have all helped to better my knowledge and skillset.

Case in point, a few nights ago a friend in our RV group called me because he was having issues with the air suspension in his 2007 Tiffin Allegro Bus, still. He had originally called several months ago as he and his wife were heading to Alaska for their summer road trip. He said every once in a while the front will not raise up and be sitting on the deflated air springs. I told him they had internal bumpstops so the bags themselves wouldn't get damaged but it still wasn't good and he should get it to a shop as quickly as possible to have resolved and then I explained a couple things for him to check or to make sure to have the shop check.

After arriving at a truck shop they couldn't find anything wrong and sent him on his way. Several hours later he called me again saying it was doing the same thing. This went on for the better part of a week and included several phone calls but there was truly nothing I could do from a thousand miles away. However, I was fairly confident it was something in the HWH air leveling system based on the symptoms he was communicating to me. I didn't hear from him again so I assumed he found a competent shop and had it repaired.

Last weekend he called saying he still couldn't get it fixed correctly but he did find a shop that bypassed the air leveling system and just ran air straight through the air leveling valve and into the front air springs. He said they were able to complete their Alaska trip and that was the best it had rode for about a year, but he had no leveling abilities. I explained again how the HWH system worked and why I thought it was in the HWH system but he said he had it to 8 different shops in the past several months and no one could cure the problem. He then informed me that he and his wife just left the HWH Corporate Service Center in Iowa where they told him it was nothing in their system.

He went to another shop immediately after and they did find a bit of teflon tape in a PRV (Pressure Relief Valve) and they were confident that was the issue but after only being on the road a couple of hours the front end had continued to drop and the compressor could not keep up.

They were at some relative's place in their home state of Ohio and asked if they could come to our place and have me work on it. My wife immediately shot me a look. I really would have liked to have taken it on for nothing more than to fix it and prove to myself that I could as I still think it is something in the HWH system. However, I informed him that I didn't have time to look at it and it was a long way to come with an improperly operating system.

As much as I would have liked to have tackled it I just am not set up for working on large rigs in my driveway and with only a couple of hours a night to work they would be living in and staying in their coach until I fixed it which could be a week plus, depending on what I found.

I could tell by my wife's look that she was thinking the same thing and didn't think it was a good idea to have a coach in the driveway for an extended period of time as well as the fact that it was time I don't have right now. BUT, I would have loved to have been able to figure it out and add another feather to my cap, not because of the money but because of the experience and knowledge gained.

The more I thought about it I figured there was more risk of throwing turmoil into the mine and the wife's routine than there was reward, so it was probably a good idea I didn't accept the job. Also, as large a job as that could turn into would also detract from the time I could get to my own projects or even the side work I have already committed to.

 

[zmotorsports]

THIS sums up the relationship I had w/ the ( dental) specialists i referred to over the last 20 years , labs too. My wife thought we were all great friends. To which i replied, “ until i stop sending them work”. She believes me now. My circle is a good one now….. just small.

I know what you are referring to. I used to think it was good to have a pool of people in which to work from and ideas but I think that was quite naive thinking. Sending others work and getting decent jobs in return doesn't always work out. In my younger days I did some "trading" or did work thinking the favor(s) would be returned someday. However, I quickly realized a couple of things. First, people have very short memories and second, that most everyone else thinks their time is more important than yours. For those two reasons I think are why my friend pool is so small. Many people are "users" as Pat mentioned, not actual friends. Nothing wrong with that per se as long as we identify them in our lives and understand their role is nothing more than providing a paycheck when work is performed as they won't be someone who's there when times are tough like an actual true friend is. We have been fortunate to have true friends in our life, but they are few and far between.

For me, the straw that broke the camel's back as far as "trading" work came when I was getting ready to build my first shop back in the early 90's. I had a guy who's kids were contractors and he wanted his truck painted. I had suggested that he pay for supplies and when the time came I could use help building my shop. He eagerly agreed and I spent 6+ weeks cutting rust out of and doing a complete paint & body restoration of an old hi-boy Ford truck. Those were some late nights and long weekends but in the end I felt good knowing I would be able to knock my shop out quickly.

When the time came to have the favor returned, I could never get a committment from the guy because he said his kids were busy. I reminded him what our agreement was and if his kids weren't good with it he shouldn't have volunteered them. Well I secured a boom truck one Saturday to put the trusses up and lo and behold they showed up to help. However, when I asked if they could come back the next day to help sheath the roof and walls I was told that the work they just performed cost more than what their dad's paint job cost.  So obviously they made the call that their time was more valuable than mine and their part of the deal was done, after about 8 hours of work.

That was the last time I traded work and decided I will pay my own way through life and not rely on others to keep their word.

Mike, Pat and Mark, just reading and following along. But I note a few things.

Some folks have excess work cause they're good and perform high quality, doing it correctly. I mentally divide this into two camps, you can have it right or you can have it right now.

Friends, when the going get tough, your real friends are still right there.

Sidework, if you want to balance the amount of work you accept, let your better half make the decisions, whose and when. They are a better gate keeper of your time than you will be. And they can say no! It will also force you to talk to your spouse more, heaven forbid.

Mike, especially Mike, the reason you can fix a weld or build a cool wagon is you have the knowledge to do so. The reason you worry about money is lack of knowledge. Quit doing sidework for a while and get educated and improve your financial knowledge. Educate yourself about how much is needed to fund your future, when you have enough knowledge the fear and worry go away.

On a personal note we filed bankruptcy in 1990, I was involuntarily retired in 2015 a few days shy of my 60th bday. After filing bankruptcy in 1990 I decide to change my life as it was crushing going thru the process and had a terrible impact on my wife and children. I decided to educate myself about how others with money achieved that status and I educated myself and the results brought peace to me and my family. When the layoff came my wife and I had a calm rational discussion about life, me being retired and we never looked back. In the 25 years between events, major changes were made that brought us the contentment of knowing we were financially secure.


joel

Thank you Joel. I appreciate the comments.

I don't have any formal education after high school, but I like to think of myself as a continuous student of life. I have a thirst for knowledge, but it has to be something that interests me. Economics and finances are something I read and do quite a lot of research on and have for the past decade or so now. Much of mine and my wife's earlier years of marriage and managing our budget and finances were nothing more than a common sense approach. Spend less than you make, save for a rainy day, etc. Lessons we learned, or maybe I learned more specifically, from our first few years of marriage where I definitely didn't follow that mantra.

I feel I have a good grasp on our finances and how various aspects affect them and it's not necessarily that I don't trust our adviser, I just think he isn't as personally vested in our finances as I am and therefore I need to be in charge of them. I take what he says to heart but then I do my own research kind of a checks and balance approach. When he tells us we are on track I want to believe him, but I also know life has a way of throwing curveballs at us with unexpected life events. For those unknowns alone I don't want to be caught off-guard, so I think that is where my trepidation comes from and my feeling of not having enough.

Besides, is it ever truly enough????

 

[SilverJimmy]

Mike, when I was selling tools, I was sure I had over 300 really good friends. Every week I got to visit with them, see how things were, make sure all was good with their world! When I retired, it was a real eye opener, I think maybe 5-6 of my “friends” called or came by the house to make sure my wife and I were ok! Those that did are my true friends, I’ll do anything for them, and they’ll do anything for me and my wife. It has truly been sobering who you can count on when the **** hits the fan. My one buddy has promised me that I have a 1000 mile radius from his house where he will drop everything and come rescue me and my rig if needed! On trading, a long gone friend explained trades to me very simply, he said whom ever lets go first, he’s the one who gets screwed! You honestly allowed you to trust and let go first. And because you’re very good at learning, it never happened again!

 

[Mr.zippy]

So obviously they made the call that their time was more valuable than mine and their part of the deal was done, after about 8 hours of work.

Un-freaking believable………

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike, when I was selling tools, I was sure I had over 300 really good friends. Every week I got to visit with them, see how things were, make sure all was good with their world! When I retired, it was a real eye opener, I think maybe 5-6 of my “friends” called or came by the house to make sure my wife and I were ok! Those that did are my true friends, I’ll do anything for them, and they’ll do anything for me and my wife. It has truly been sobering who you can count on when the **** hits the fan. My one buddy has promised me that I have a 1000 mile radius from his house where he will drop everything and come rescue me and my rig if needed! On trading, a long gone friend explained trades to me very simply, he said whom ever lets go first, he’s the one who gets screwed! You honestly allowed you to trust and let go first. And because you’re very good at learning, it never happened again!

I completely agree about friends Sterling. I realized how few friends I had and how deeply they cared when my dad passed. We then experienced the same thing when my mother-in-law passed. Those few friends are the ones who showed up, called to check on us, came to the service and then checked back in later. They are definitely few and far between but cherished nonetheless.

Un-freaking believable………

Agreed. I was quite shocked but I was also a quick learner and never got burned like that again. Now when people speak to me about doing "trades" I just cringe and say hell no. If I need something that bad I will pay someone for their services and they mine, period.

 

[PugetDude]

I've learned (the hard way) over the years that whoever goes first on a trade usually gets the brown end of the stick.
YMMV

 

[bowtiguy]

Anymore. Im just happy to get work done right the first time. Im not looking for discounts or trades. I pay you full price for what your good at, you pay me full price for what im good at. If there is an issue w/ my work, ill back it up and i expect the same.

you get to learn alot about people when youve done 45k intra-oral exams & 16k fillings in 20 years. I can spot B.S. a mile away ……..98% of the time. I miss one every now and again. Then we implement a new “ office policy” for every one that slips through the cracks.

 

[zmotorsports]

Last night my son came by to check out his A/C system in his WJ. It appears he has a leak somewhere as we topped it off about 14-months ago but last week he mentioned it wasn't working properly.

He sure keeps this thing looking and running good. He mentioned that he recently clay barred the paint and polished it a bit and it shows.


He even keeps the engine bay looking good.


Looks pretty damn good for a 20-year-old vehicle.




He hung the gauges on it and sure enough, it was low. We added some refrigerant with die to hopefully locate the source of the leak.



After finishing up the A/C work it was nice to sit around and "bench race" with him for a bit. Haven't done that in a while but I sure needed it and enjoyed it.

 

[Jgaz]

Nice looking WJ.
Fingers crossed it’s not an evaporator leak

 

[zmotorsports]

Nice looking WJ.
Fingers crossed it’s not an evaporator leak

Thanks, he's pretty proud of his WJ and keeps it in pretty good condition.

Unfortunately, we are suspecting the evaporator. After about a half hour plus of running we were unable to locate anything in the engine bay that may be the source of the leak. That pretty much only leaves the evap or connections under the dash and these WJ's are known to have evaporator issues. We agreed that is not the best news or best case scenario but we just want to locate the leak so we correct it when we have it torn apart here in the near future.

 

[Monza Harry]

Mike I've been behind with my reading and I just finished catching up on your thread. The part about you not being "formally" trained in certain aspects isn't 100% correct. I taught my trade at the college for the upcoming apprentices, I told them hat we all learn by varying methods, 1st, they were shown/told, 2nd they observed how it was accomplished then try it out themselves, 3rd is what I consider the most long lasting the are given the room and time to figure it out themselves. Number 3 usually longest lasting with the widest understanding. This is sometimes the most expensive initially, but offers the widest rewards from a knowledge point of view. The 3rd option is only effective for the driven, some very notable board example are included in this latter group, you and Pat come to mind as well as some others [many here, as this site does attract this type as long time contributors]. So just get your @$$ in that darn college... uhm, garage and get learnin' [LOL! Just bustin' your man parts Mike! LOL!] Harry

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike I've been behind with my reading and I just finished catching up on your thread. The part about you not being "formally" trained in certain aspects isn't 100% correct. I taught my trade at the college for the upcoming apprentices, I told them hat we all learn by varying methods, 1st, they were shown/told, 2nd they observed how it was accomplished then try it out themselves, 3rd is what I consider the most long lasting the are given the room and time to figure it out themselves. Number 3 usually longest lasting with the widest understanding. This is sometimes the most expensive initially, but offers the widest rewards from a knowledge point of view. The 3rd option is only effective for the driven, some very notable board example are included in this latter group, you and Pat come to mind as well as some others [many here, as this site does attract this type as long time contributors]. So just get your @$$ in that darn college... uhm, garage and get learnin' [LOL! Just bustin' your man parts Mike! LOL!] Harry

Thanks Harry. Your comments are much appreciated. I agree that people learn in different ways and some of us are just hardheaded and don't learn as well by being told, only by doing.

 

[zmotorsports]

Late Saturday morning before the weather turned I hurried and trimmed, edged and mowed the lawns.

I'm pretty pleased with how the yard looks after 6+ years of nursing it and trying to get it looking like our last place's lawn. It's close and the best it's looked in nearly the 7 years we've been in this house now.

The leaves on the trees are just barely starting to turn so they are the best they'll look this year and after reviewing my water usage thus far this year I am very pleased with the results. The secondary water will be turned off in less that two weeks (Oct. 15th) and we are sitting at 66.4% of our allocated water. I am ecstatic at that because I have worked so hard to tweak my sprinkler heads to get the best coverage with the least amount of water.
















Yesterday the kids wanted to go for a drive and see the leaves changing. We took them on the same route that the wife and I went on the week before and it was amazing how much more vibrant the colors were in only a week's time.

We also got up into snow yesterday as the weather really settled down in on us.





I didn't take many pictures of the colors but we stopped on the way down off the mountain to let the grandson eat and we wandered around at a large pullout. We had dropped below the snow level and there were some sucker holes opening up but still quite chilly.

Off in the background you can see the colors on the hillside above the creekbed.


Thanks for looking.

 

[zmotorsports]

Now for several posts with a huge picture dump of Saturday's work on my grandson's Radio Flyer project.

The center crossmember was drilled slightly undersize until I married the plate to the pivot bearing housing. I then reamed them both at the same time to .500" before tacking in place.


Aligning and mocking into position.


Tacked in place.


Next was to begin designing the top steering plate.


And to design and fabricate the handle connector mechanism. This handle will be removable with a quick release pin. The first wagon I built 30 years ago did not have such an option and the handle would be in the way when transporting and I always worried it would smack the side of the truck bed so I opted to make this one quickly removable for transporting.


The plate was measured and cut out before drilling and reaming the .250" diameter pin holes. I had to make the plate wide enough to barely catch the ball detents on the pin yet not too wide.


Ears bent up on the pan brake.


Pin has a nice tight fitment and the detents just clear the other side.


Then a quick trip to the lathe in which to machine the center section and ream a .250" diameter bore through the middle.


Everything fits together very nicely.



Stay tuned for more.....

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Yard looks great, Mike!

Nice to be able to take a short roadtrip with the whole fam

 

[zmotorsports]

Continuing on with the Radio Flyer project.

Continuing on with the design of the steering plate and how the handle will connect. At first I thought I'd weld a couple of tabs onto the plate and have the center section as part of the handle. But then I changed my mind when I considered the hard edges from the tabs right where my son would be grabbing it to lift it into the truck so I figured the bored section would be better on the steering plate the and tabs on the removable handle.


After a few iterations and modifications and I was happy with the design, the pattern was transferred to some .125" plate.


After being cut out the radii were ground and smoothed out along with a slight chamfer on the edge.


Getting closer.


The center pilot hole was drilled and the holes for the tie rods were drilled and reamed. The rod is used as a placeholder for the tie rods as I have some .375" 6061 aluminum rod coming tomorrow. However, after looking at it I feel like I need to keep the tie rods on top of the steering plate so they match the outer knuckles.


So back to the brake to form a step in the rear of the steering plate.


Perfect. Now the tie rods will sit on top of the components and be level throughout the steering system.


And while I was at it I thought I'd make one more trip to the brake and create a small turn-down to the front where the pivot will be mated.


I have a .5" shoulder bolt coming tomorrow that has a .750" shoulder. I measured the stack of components at it lands right at .700" thickness. The Torrington bearing stands .010" proud of the housing so I should need to machine a .040" shim for the underside of the steering plate to bring it right to the clamping range of the shoulder bolt.


Pivot welded to the steering plate.



Stay tuned for more.....