ZMotorsports Shop Projects 2.0

[zmotorsports]

Happy anniversary Mike!

Thanks Vincent.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Happy Anniversary to you both!

Nice when it is a simple repair like that.

 

[zmotorsports]

After screwing around with the sprinkler system and getting thrown off my schedule of tasks for the night, I was finally able to get back on track with what I needed to get accomplished before the wife came home.

I wanted to rack the Jeep and give it a very thorough inspection after running Hog Canyon a couple of weeks ago in Kanab. I know I really worked the suspension on the Jeep and more so than I probably have in the last year or so since I broke the rear upper link end while in Montana. Hog Canyon had really forced the Jeep to stretch and flex and get more crossed up front to rear than I think any trail I have run since repairing the rear suspension link, so I was anxious to put eyes and hands on each component under the Jeep for inspection.


Before lifting the Jeep I crawled around with a prybar testing each joint at ride height. Then again with the Jeep in the air as well as hit all of the suspension zerks with grease. Before leaving for Kanab, I had put a torque wrench on every suspension fastener and paint marked each one so I wanted to look closely at each head and nut of those fasteners again to ensure nothing had moved.


After a couple hours of checking everything over and then checking fluids, I lowered the Jeep just as the kids pulled in. This was an unsuspected surprise to see them and my grandson, so I was glad I was just finishing up.



My grandson came running over and wanted to dive in and help but I was nearly done. When his mother suggested they go in the house to see Grandma he was NOT happy and wanted to stay in the shop. That made me smile because I love that he loves being in the shop with Papa, but I also was about done in the shop so I asked if he would help me torque the wheels then we'd go in the house and see Grandma. He eagerly agreed and came running over to the toolbox to help me get the tools out for the job. The little stink knows he has to slide the lever under the drawer to open the drawers after only showing him one time. I thought my son was a little gearhead at a young age, but I think my grandson is like my son time a hundred. He just loves tools and everything that moves, especially with an engine. And he wants to play with the "real" tools, not the plastic ones we got him about a year ago.

 

[LXCam]

Ya happy anniversary Mike. We hit 37 on the 21st. Ya know it’s one thing to think you’re on the downslope side of hitting forty. What really hit that home was realizing our baby girl is too now

 

[zmotorsports]

Happy Anniversary to you both!

Nice when it is a simple repair like that.

Thanks Marc.

Agreed. I'll take a simple one for a change.

In all honesty, I am really trying to change my mindset and be more open minded when things don't go to plan. I have always struggled with this and had my eyes opened (again) over the weekend while working on my son's truck. It didn't go to plan, and I had nearly every minute of our day planned out in my head. I had looked forward to spending the day working in the shop with my son and when it didn't go exactly to my plan, I was less than pleased. Unfortunately, when I get like that I don't tend to think as clearly as I would like.

When I discovered the issue last night in the valve box and it NOT being in my "plan" for the evening, I had to force myself to see it as being "fortunate" to have found it when I did. It could have been worse had it let go while the wife and I were away for a week on vacation.

Fortunately, I have a very loving and understanding wife, as well as my son and his family. I just don't like any of them seeing me when I am not in my best frame of mind. I'm definitely a work in progress.

 

[ScepterToad]

Happy Anniversary Mike!

 

[Jgaz]

Happy anniversary Mike.
Must be a good week for marriages.
My wife and I celebrated 46 on June 1st. Hard to believe the number of years and that I got so lucky.

 

[larry4406]

Funny you mention that today of all days. I asked her that this morning as it is our 36th anniversary today.

Wishing you both a happy 36th anniversary Mike!

 

[zmotorsports]

Ya happy anniversary Mike. We hit 37 on the 21st. Ya know it’s one thing to think you’re on the downslope side of hitting forty. What really hit that home was realizing our baby girl is too now

Thanks Cam. I agree and a belated happy anniversary to you.

We took the kids out to dinner Saturday night to celebrate both our anniversaries as their 6th anniversary is in a couple of weeks. While sitting there enjoying dinner it hit me that I am closer to 60 than I am 50 now and my son is mid-30's already. Looking at my grandson and how fast he's growing I realized that when the wife and I hit the next phase of our life (retirement) he still won't be in the double digits. On one hand I think how great it is going to be to watch him grow and the wife and I not having to deal with the BS from work, but the next thought is that we also won't have as much time left as I would like to watch him grow. Kind of a sobering thought.

 

[zmotorsports]

Happy anniversary Mike.
Must be a good week for marriages.
My wife and I celebrated 46 on June 1st. Hard to believe the number of years and that I got so lucky.

Wishing you both a happy 36th anniversary Mike!

Thanks guys. I appreciate the thoughts. @Jgaz happy belated anniversary.

 

[LXCam]

Thanks Cam. I agree and a belated happy anniversary to you.

We took the kids out to dinner Saturday night to celebrate both our anniversaries as their 6th anniversary is in a couple of weeks. While sitting there enjoying dinner it hit me that I am closer to 60 than I am 50 now and my son is mid-30's already. Looking at my grandson and how fast he's growing I realized that when the wife and I hit the next phase of our life (retirement) he still won't be in the double digits. On one hand I think how great it is going to be to watch him grow and the wife and I not having to deal with the BS from work, but the next thought is that we also won't have as much time left as I would like to watch him grow. Kind of a sobering thought.

I understand but allow me to give you a different consideration.

The two things we are the most proud of as parents. Both our kids believed in Santa Claus until they were thirteen. And neither of them made us grandparents in their teens.

That may sound simple enough but considering all five of my wife’s sisters had kids in their teens and all the cousins are let’s say, a bit on the feral side. This was no simple task.

My god, it’s been 6 years already? Time flies when you’re not paying attention. It seems like it was just yesterday you were posting pictures of them.

 

[zmotorsports]

I understand but allow me to give you a different consideration.

The two things we are the most proud of as parents. Both our kids believed in Santa Claus until they were thirteen. And neither of them made us grandparents in their teens.

That may sound simple enough but considering all five of my wife’s sisters had kids in their teens and all the cousins are let’s say, a bit on the feral side. This was no simple task.

My god, it’s been 6 years already? Time flies when you’re not paying attention. It seems like it was just yesterday you were posting pictures of them.

Agreed on all accounts Cam.

I am so proud of my son and the choices he has made thus far in life. He got his education out of the way, had a good career going, not just a job, before he really started thinking about marriage or even searching for his spouse. He dated some, but that wasn't his focus until he was ready which I was very proud of him for. He was in his late 20's before getting married after he bought his home even.

My DIL's father passed away about 8 years prior to them meeting but I know if he were alive today he too would be proud of his daughter. I know I'm not her father, but I sure am proud of her and the person she has become, even moreso since becoming a mother. I don't think we could have picked a better spouse for our son if we had to.

In Utah in particular it seems that if you aren't married before you're 20 then you are viewed as being defective or something. I think my son was feeling a bit disappointed because by the time he was ready to start searching for a mate, many already had been married and had children to bring to the table. I know that wasn't something my son wanted to deal with, but he had almost come to grips that in our area, that was something he may have to face. I tried telling him that it's a Utah thing and in any other state it would be more normal to not be married until well into late 20's (or even 30's), but with the mentality we have here in Utah it seems like parents push their kids to be married and popping out kids shortly after high school. Unfortunately, we also see a high divorce rate amongst early 20 year olds that go right along with that mindset. Sad really. My wife and I have always considered ourselves "old souls" because even though we were young when we were married, we seemed to be older mentally and, in our actions, which made us a perfect match.

Fortunately, my son found a person who shared his same values, and it paid off to wait.

 

[Swanny1953]

Just now catching up this evening - Happy Anniversary, Mike!!

 

[PugetDude]

Happy 36th Anniversary to you and your bride, Mike! Got anything special planned?

 

[bugnut]

Mike, Happy Anniversary!

 

[zmotorsports]

Just now catching up this evening - Happy Anniversary, Mike!!

Thank you Gary.

Happy 36th Anniversary to you and your bride, Mike! Got anything special planned?

Thanks Scott. Nothing special, I ran around the lawns when I got home. The wife had a dentist appointment and when she arrived home we just ordered take out from one of our favorite restaurants then sat outside and admired the yard while we talked and enjoyed the cool night. Pretty nice evening actually.

Mike, Happy Anniversary!

Thanks Joel.

 

[fouckhest]

Happy Anniversary, Mike!

Trip looked amazing, always great to see you and the wives adventures, love that! It makes me look forward to all the adventures my wife have ahead of us!

Grass is looking fantastic, crazy how over a couple of weeks it all the sudden hits stride and now its 2x mow/week....realizing I am now at that point...guess its a good way to "get our steps up" LOL

 

[zmotorsports]

Happy Anniversary, Mike!

Trip looked amazing, always great to see you and the wives adventures, love that! It makes me look forward to all the adventures my wife have ahead of us!

Grass is looking fantastic, crazy how over a couple of weeks it all the sudden hits stride and now its 2x mow/week....realizing I am now at that point...guess its a good way to "get our steps up" LOL

Thank you Mike, I appreciate the well wishes. We had a great anniversary, even though the wife spent a couple hours in the dentist's chair, which I wish wasn't the case. But otherwise it was nice and we were able to enjoy our evening, sitting outside and talking, reminiscing and looking to the future.

The trip to Kanab was great. It was just the two of us and we saw some amazing scenery, ate some great food and just enjoyed our week together. We both commented on how it will be nice when we can take some extended vacations (longer than a week) once we retire, but we don't want to wish our lives away.

Your lawn looks great and you are right, in short order it jumps to a two times a week mow. I mowed mine last night and I just mowed it on Friday evening, so in 4 days I was still cutting off nearly 2 inches and it is so thick and I have to take the leaf blower to disperse the grass clumps from the turns after each mow. There is NO way I could let it go a full week between mows.

It is really doing well, but I'm anxious about tearing up the damaged grass and replacing it. Even though I feel like there is nothing growing and it is deader than dead, I worry that as soon as I replace it that the Bermuda grass will return. Everything I've read clearly states that it is not easy to kill and can lie dormant for years before returning. IF that happens then it will be like I did all of this for nothing.

 

[fouckhest]

Thank you Mike, I appreciate the well wishes. We had a great anniversary, even though the wife spent a couple hours in the dentist's chair, which I wish wasn't the case. But otherwise it was nice and we were able to enjoy our evening, sitting outside and talking, reminiscing and looking to the future.

The trip to Kanab was great. It was just the two of us and we saw some amazing scenery, ate some great food and just enjoyed our week together. We both commented on how it will be nice when we can take some extended vacations (longer than a week) once we retire, but we don't want to wish our lives away.

Your lawn looks great and you are right, in short order it jumps to a two times a week mow. I mowed mine last night and I just mowed it on Friday evening, so in 4 days I was still cutting off nearly 2 inches and it is so thick and I have to take the leaf blower to disperse the grass clumps from the turns after each mow. There is NO way I could let it go a full week between mows.

It is really doing well, but I'm anxious about tearing up the damaged grass and replacing it. Even though I feel like there is nothing growing and it is deader than dead, I worry that as soon as I replace it that the Bermuda grass will return. Everything I've read clearly states that it is not easy to kill and can lie dormant for years before returning. IF that happens then it will be like I did all of this for nothing.

Oh man, I hate that for her, but the dentist is one of those things, that the longer you kick that can down the road, the worse and more expensive it is going to be....ask me how I know

We often talk/dream about retirement, but like you said, no use in wishing time away, enjoy every moment for what you can! Seems you guys are doing just that and still seeing, experience and enjoying some amazing sights!

Lawns are crazy, I mowed Friday, May 23rd before we left for our trip across the pond, came back on Saturday 31st, it was CRAZY tall, mowed Sunday, then decided to mow again last night (one setting down to get back to normal heigh) so I can give it another trim Friday before I leave for a work trip on Sunday, to which I wont be back until Friday, so I'm sure its going to be a jungle again!

I feel your apprehension on tearing up and replanting, I guess you could wait this season out and give it another year to try and kill it off? But much like myself, I'm sure that would eat at you having to look at those spots all summer. Guess these are all first world problems though! LOL

 

[zmotorsports]

I feel your apprehension on tearing up and replanting, I guess you could wait this season out and give it another year to try and kill it off? But much like myself, I'm sure that would eat at you having to look at those spots all summer. Guess these are all first world problems though! LOL

I've given it more time than what I was initially told, and I've been keeping an eye on anything that may resemble Bermuda. I have had a few weeds pop up in the dead areas that I have hit with glyphosate, but so far nothing that looks like Bermuda. I talked with the guy who fertilizes my lawn and he said the other yards that he services that have Bermuda were just starting to have the Bermuda grass come alive, so he'd wait another week or two. That was 3 weeks ago, so I think I'll wait another week, maybe two, before proceeding to replace which will be much more time than recommended. There is no way I can wait it out the entire season. Just having it like this for the latter part of last fall and the first couple months of this season is killing me to see.

 

[fouckhest]

That was 3 weeks ago, so I think I'll wait another week, maybe two, before proceeding to replace which will be much more time than recommended. There is no way I can wait it out the entire season. Just having it like this for the latter part of last fall and the first couple months of this season is killing me to see.

Sounds like a solid plan, and I'd expect nothing less! Fingers crossed for you, I'm sure the lawn care gods will be watching out for you!

 

[PhantomEB]

Happy Anniversary.

Michelle and I hit 8 in January, now slowing down to smell the roses!

measuring out my lawn and prepping for sprinklers, decided it’s a losing battle until it can all be watered properly. Might cover up the base of the cedars out front with Mulch and a border around them to resod what I need to or cover with grass seed and dirt then go to town with the sprinklers every 4 hours, 15 min at a time!

 

[zmotorsports]

Happy Anniversary.

Michelle and I hit 8 in January, now slowing down to smell the roses!

Thank you. Please do slow down and don't forget to enjoy life. I know I'm not what I would call "old", but it's funny what your mind tells you vs. your body, but when we were younger and first married, all we could think about is "when we got to this point" or "when we acquired this or that", or "next year we'll slow down and not be so busy", well, before you know it your staring down the barrel of your final years of working and wondering where all the time went.

Slowing down once in a while and smelling the roses is not a bad thing, matter of fact I've been doing it more lately and it's quite enjoyable.

 

[ntsqd]

Any fiction readers here know of the Travis Mcgee series? I've long liked his author's take on retirement, do it in installments. Work some, retire, repeat.

 

[zanyad]

Happy anniversary, @zmotorsports, @Jgaz, and @LXCam!

 

[thebraken]

Thanks Vincent. Unfortunately, I didn't stay in touch with them afterwards other than to send them a very lengthy "thank you" note/card shortly afterwards.

I sat down to right that thank you card multiple times and kept coming back as I tried very hard to choose my words that would express just how much that their kindness had impacted me. However, I'm sure I fell terribly short in communicating just how much it meant.

I don't know how long I've had this account here on Garage Journal, now. Maybe two or three years? I signed up because your thread, Bob's, and a couple others had me hooked and I wanted to skip the ads. Life happened for a bit and I'm back to getting caught up on my favorite threads now, and I have to pause and make my own first post because something in this one struck a chord with me.

I'll lay you better than even odds that when you limped that Jimmy into the shop, that gentleman saw something of his own self however many decades ago. Maybe he was even "paying forward" a favor a previous shop had done for him in his youth.

By some stroke of luck, I've been lucky enough to be friends with professionals in various fields who will occasionally put their professional skills to work for free, be it for "sleep insurance" or simply the betterment of the world around them. One of them is a good friend of mine who takes care of my mother's taxes for free, since my father passed away - as he had always done their tax returns for the 36 years they were together on this earth - Whenever my mother asks "What's the bill?" the invoice arrives simply saying: "In Memoriam: $0.00"

This year (the second time he's done her taxes, at no cost to her) she asked me to deliver a Thank You card to him, with which I happily complied. As hard as I try to choose my words, it is impossible to express the sheer delight that poured out of the man as the gears turned and he processed "I did something that made someone take time out of their day to grab a pen, and write words to thank me... And my paycheck didn't even notice the difference!" - He immediately tacked it to his bulletin board, right next to a drawing from his little daughter, and spent several minutes gushing about how glad he was to be able to help someone out who was getting a real and tangible benefit from the help - not just saving a few hours or a few bucks.

I don't think it's because of the kindness that gentleman extended to you, though that may have reinforced what was already in your persona, but I am sure that if a quality youngster was limping his or her own car along through your neighborhood and asked, respectfully, "I don't know what happened, can you help?" you would find yourself stepping into shoes very similar to the ones that man wore on that day; And I think that gentleman would look down and smile on the exchange.

That's a lot of words to say: The words that you wrote didn't communicate as much as the fact that you wrote words to communicate thanks.

Having said all that, I'd like to join the chorus of folks thanking you for keeping this thread going. My own father, while a wonderful man in so many ways, was not keen to pass on much mechanical know-how - This thread, along with many others, are a way in which Garage Journal have functioned as sort of a "surrogate Uncle" to pass along countless little tips, tricks, and hard earned wisdom.

Thanks

Gary

 

[zmotorsports]

Happy anniversary, @zmotorsports, @Jgaz, and @LXCam!

Thank you @zanyad .

 

[zmotorsports]

I don't know how long I've had this account here on Garage Journal, now. Maybe two or three years? I signed up because your thread, Bob's, and a couple others had me hooked and I wanted to skip the ads. Life happened for a bit and I'm back to getting caught up on my favorite threads now, and I have to pause and make my own first post because something in this one struck a chord with me.

I'll lay you better than even odds that when you limped that Jimmy into the shop, that gentleman saw something of his own self however many decades ago. Maybe he was even "paying forward" a favor a previous shop had done for him in his youth.

By some stroke of luck, I've been lucky enough to be friends with professionals in various fields who will occasionally put their professional skills to work for free, be it for "sleep insurance" or simply the betterment of the world around them. One of them is a good friend of mine who takes care of my mother's taxes for free, since my father passed away - as he had always done their tax returns for the 36 years they were together on this earth - Whenever my mother asks "What's the bill?" the invoice arrives simply saying: "In Memoriam: $0.00"

This year (the second time he's done her taxes, at no cost to her) she asked me to deliver a Thank You card to him, with which I happily complied. As hard as I try to choose my words, it is impossible to express the sheer delight that poured out of the man as the gears turned and he processed "I did something that made someone take time out of their day to grab a pen, and write words to thank me... And my paycheck didn't even notice the difference!" - He immediately tacked it to his bulletin board, right next to a drawing from his little daughter, and spent several minutes gushing about how glad he was to be able to help someone out who was getting a real and tangible benefit from the help - not just saving a few hours or a few bucks.

I don't think it's because of the kindness that gentleman extended to you, though that may have reinforced what was already in your persona, but I am sure that if a quality youngster was limping his or her own car along through your neighborhood and asked, respectfully, "I don't know what happened, can you help?" you would find yourself stepping into shoes very similar to the ones that man wore on that day; And I think that gentleman would look down and smile on the exchange.

That's a lot of words to say: The words that you wrote didn't communicate as much as the fact that you wrote words to communicate thanks.

Having said all that, I'd like to join the chorus of folks thanking you for keeping this thread going. My own father, while a wonderful man in so many ways, was not keen to pass on much mechanical know-how - This thread, along with many others, are a way in which Garage Journal have functioned as sort of a "surrogate Uncle" to pass along countless little tips, tricks, and hard earned wisdom.

Thanks

Gary

Gary, first of all, thank you for taking the time to read through my thread, much of which is me just rambling, I'm sure. Secondly, thank you for making your first post here on Garage Journal so impactful. I am flattered that you took the time to share your thoughts and personal experiences, especially being your first post in the several years you have been a member of the forum.

I would hope that the couple that helped me could fully grasp the level of gratitude that I tried to express, although I am certain I fell short. But like you said, maybe they were just impressed and pleased that someone took the time to put pen to paper and at least try to pass along their gratitude.

I also echo your comments about what a great forum this is and not solely because of the mechanical knowledge that is shared, it is so much more than that for so many reason. I too have been impacted by the community feeling here along with the shared knowledge and wisdom.

Thank you very much for the kind words Gary and hope you will continue to follow along.

 

[bigdave_185]

Arrived home after work yesterday and after opening up the shop I was standing on the shop apron admiring my grass when I heard a "gurgling" sound. Fortunately, the school bus hadn't arrived yet so the neighborhood was deathly quiet so I wandered around searching for the sound when I discovered it was coming from my rear sprinkler valve box.


Well ****.


It has been exactly 8 years TODAY that I completed the sprinkler system at our home and I don't think I have had to touch anything inside this box since. But now I had a leaker. I had to think back to how I ran the supply side and then I remembered this box was branched off the main before it headed around the side of the house to the front valve box and this one had a cap on the end. Looks like the cap was leaking. Upon turning the main feed off at the street and bleeding the pressure off of the system by opening a spigot, I removed the cap and found the O-ring was intact, but a little flat. Before turning the water off, I took a pair of adjustable slip joint pliers and tried tightening the cap a little but I didn't want to break anything as it only turned a small amount barely slowing the leak down.


I grabbed my assortments of O-rings to see if I just might happen to have one of the size I need.


The original one measured right @ .100" cross section.


I found one that was slightly fatter @ .115" and still fit in the groove nice and snug.


Old (left) and new (right) with the groove in the plug thoroughly cleaned.


New O-ring installed and smeared with a little Sil-Glyde to hole it in place while I installed on the submerged valve manifold.


Plug snapped back into the threaded cap and ready for installation.


With the cap installed, I left the spigot opened at the back corner of the house and slowly turned the supply valve on at the street. Once the full flow of water was running, I slowly turned the back yard spigot off and everything seemed to be holding perfectly.


I left the lid off for the next couple of hours while I was working in the shop to keep an eye on it and the water level was dropping as it was dissipating into the sandy soil below the rock bed I placed in the valve box. Before the wife and I went to bed I ran out and took one last look and the water was gone with just the moisture remaining.



This morning the system ran normally so a successful repair. Although thinking back a few days ago it now makes sense. Friday morning I looked at the app to see what our water usage was for the season as I like to track it to ensure I have a little wiggle room for those warmer months of July and August. I noticed that it showed we used about 60-gallons on Friday which I immediately thought was odd because I don't run either the front or the rear sprinkler system on Fridays.

Upon arriving home from work and beginning my Friday ritual of trimming, edging and mowing the lawns, I paid particular attention to the yard wondering if I had a leak or if it may have been a carryover from one of the nights that it kicked on at 1:00am. I didn't see anything throughout the entire yard mow and even went and pulled the front valve box to check the filter to see if the leak I repaired at the first of the season had returned but it was dry as a bone.

I was stumped but chocked it up to an erroneous reading, until yesterday when all of the dots connected.

Another learning opportunity presented itself I guess. Oh well, at least it was an easy repair and I didn't have to dig up the box and all of the surrounding landscaping rocks.

I have the same manifolds as your, I promise them things can be over torqued the first year after winter turning the system on I think I had three or four broken, when I picked up new caps, I asked and they told me hand tight not channel locks tight. Haven’t had an issue yet

 

[ntsqd]

On paint:

A while back I posted here about how the "Steel-It" isn't holding up to my daily drive. On the suggestion of someone here I bit the bullet and bought a can of Eastwood's Extreme Chassis Black Satin Paint. It is NOT inexpensive, but I'm tired of paint that doesn't hold up. I have not given it the test that I inadvertently put the Steel-It thru, and now I can't. My employment has changed and I no longer have that drive.

However, I can say that it goes on like you'd always hoped for. Easy to get good coverage without too much risk of runs. Nozzle cleans out with just a short spray upside down and remains serviceable after multiple uses. I can't say enough good about what I have experienced so far. My only real complaint is that it is glossier than I'd like for some locations, so I've been looking into Eastwood's other offerings for a more matte finish.

Real life example, the paint on a power seat base mount that I've been working on:

 

[WoodsTruck]

On paint:

It is NOT inexpensive, but I'm tired of paint that doesn't hold up.

Does the paint have enough integrity/strength to hold up under fastener torque?

 

[OutlawDrifter]

On paint:

A while back I posted here about how the "Steel-It" isn't holding up to my daily drive. On the suggestion of someone here I bit the bullet and bought a can of Eastwood's Extreme Chassis Black Satin Paint. It is NOT inexpensive, but I'm tired of paint that doesn't hold up. I have not given it the test that I inadvertently put the Steel-It thru, and now I can't. My employment has changed and I no longer have that drive.

However, I can say that it goes on like you'd always hoped for. Easy to get good coverage without too much risk of runs. Nozzle cleans out with just a short spray upside down and remains serviceable after multiple uses. I can't say enough good about what I have experienced so far. My only real complaint is that it is glossier than I'd like for some locations, so I've been looking into Eastwood's other offerings for a more matte finish.

Real life example, the paint on a power seat base mount that I've been working on:

Stop at your local John Deere dealership and pick up a can of Blitz Black. Has all the attributes you're looking for.

 

[ntsqd]

So far, yes. I've run the bolts that hold the mount to the floor down several times and they have yet to even mark the paint.

I have a can of the JD Blitz Black, it is next on the list to try. It wasn't inexpensive either, but I don't recall it being quite as much as the Extreme Chassis Black.
Just in case you have any friends infected with the I-H bug, my local JD store also has the correct I-H red paint. I got MISF a can of it.

 

[ntsqd]

Update on the Eastwood paint, it does need some time to cure after it has dried to the touch. If you handle it during this period it will be damaged or scuffed. On the plus side handling it during the cure time does reduce the gloss.......

 

[zmotorsports]

On paint:

A while back I posted here about how the "Steel-It" isn't holding up to my daily drive. On the suggestion of someone here I bit the bullet and bought a can of Eastwood's Extreme Chassis Black Satin Paint. It is NOT inexpensive, but I'm tired of paint that doesn't hold up. I have not given it the test that I inadvertently put the Steel-It thru, and now I can't. My employment has changed and I no longer have that drive.

However, I can say that it goes on like you'd always hoped for. Easy to get good coverage without too much risk of runs. Nozzle cleans out with just a short spray upside down and remains serviceable after multiple uses. I can't say enough good about what I have experienced so far. My only real complaint is that it is glossier than I'd like for some locations, so I've been looking into Eastwood's other offerings for a more matte finish.

Real life example, the paint on a power seat base mount that I've been working on:

Update on the Eastwood paint, it does need some time to cure after it has dried to the touch. If you handle it during this period it will be damaged or scuffed. On the plus side handling it during the cure time does reduce the gloss.......

Thom, glad to hear your experience with the Eastwood Extreme Chassis Black has mirrored my experience. Pretty good for a rattle can in my opinion. I've used it a LOT over the past 12-15 years now and have had good results, usually buy a case at a time (12-cans) of each the semi-gloss and gloss as inventory is used.

That being said, I recently tried another that I had read about and so far I am pretty pleased with as far as coverage, spray-ability and sheen, but the jury is still out on the overall durability as I have only just recently tried it on my rear axle of my truck.

It is the Summit Racing Chassis Black. I purchased a few cans in each of the semi-gloss and gloss to try. It is about $7 a can less for a 16-oz can vs. the 14 oz. can of Eastwoods Extreme aerosol. Just thought I'd throw out another option to anyone wanting to give it a try.

 

[zmotorsports]

I hope everyone had a great Father's Day and was able to share it with your loved ones.

I've been away for a little over a week and I hope everyone likes pictures, because I have a ****-ton to share.

The wife and I took off for some much needed R&R last week and enjoyed one of our favorite destinations in south-central Utah. We enjoyed the area around Capitol Reef NP and did a LOT of exploring of the surrounding areas, much broader area than we had in the past and racked up about a thousand miles on the Jeep in areas south as far as Escalante, north to Fish Lake, east to Hanksville and west to Teasdale area and all of the dirt areas in between, with a little pavement thrown in there. We followed some forest service roads, both major as well as minor (two-tracks) and mapped them out using GAIAgps app on our tablet. We are really getting quite a library of trails built up.


We were at elevations as low as 4500' around the MDRS (Mars Desert Research Station) and as high as 11,400" going over the Boulder and Henry Mountains. We didn't see quite as much wildlife as we normally do in the areas, but we did see quite a few deer, pronghorn, marmots and even some wild turkeys. We ate some amazing food at a couple of our regular places and even tried a couple new ones. Keep in mind as you browse the pictures that the wife and I normally do not eat like this, but we tend to splurge a bit when we travel to enjoy the local cuisine. We opted to not eat lunches and only a light breakfast in order to fully enjoy the food of the area and we were not disappointed.

The campground owner really hooked us up with the nicest spot in the RV park, we had a HUGE grass area to the side of our coach. We had multiple people stop by and ask us how we got the nicest spot in the park, but I really had no idea. When we made the reservations in January the owner recognized my name and said he had to do some juggling around and would have to call me back. Upon returning my call he said he was able to "accommodate" us for the week, but I guess I didn't know the full meaning of "accommodate". The wife and I almost felt guilty having such a nice big area to enjoy for just the two of us. Emphasis on "almost" felt guilty.




We didn't get away too early on Saturday morning as we weren't in a hurry so by the time we got into our campsite it was mid-afternoon. We enjoyed our morning coffee and then a relaxing drive heading south after morning rush-hour. After checking in the park owner stopped by to visit and informed us a new burger place was in town. In the past we've stopped by for a burger @ Slackers, but the last two times we ate there we were NOT impressed as the quality has gone down. We thought we'd try out the new "burger joint" as in food truck. This was a fairly new experience for the wife and I as we are not frequent food truck fliers, but my son and DIL have informed us some of the best food they've had have been from food trucks.


They did NOT disappoint. They had a very limited menu of only about 6 or so burger choices and the wife usually doesn't care for burgers, but she knows how much I like them, so she took one for the team and had a regular cheeseburger with fries and I had their pastrami burger. We were going to split an order of fries but they were so stinkin' good I was glad we didn't afterwards. The burgers were absolutely amazing. So good in fact, that the wife suggested we go back there on our last night in the area and she tried their Mac & Cheese burger which she really liked.


Sunday morning we headed about 50-miles east towards Hanksville, UT. I had read about the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) about 7 or 8 miles west of Hanksville and about 10 miles north off of Highway 24 so we took a peak. Kinda cool actually.


The main enclosures were still there but the tubes or passages connecting them were not in place during our visit.


After leaving Mars at around 4500' elevation and it starting to get warm, we headed south towards the Henry Mountains south out of Hanksville and airing down. The road was a dirt highway for the first 15-miles or so but then as we climbed the road narrowed a bit. We then turned off the main dirt road to a lesser dirt road following the USFS maps that I downloaded to our tablet. The scenery changed dramatically as we climbed and crossed creek after creek.


Before long we were above 10k feet elevation and could see for miles and miles.







Stay tuned for many more pictures.

 

[zmotorsports]

Continuing on.

As we continued to climb and descend over about three mountain passes we came to a large section of snow. As we approached it the road narrowed into a shelf road with a dropoff on the right of a few hundred feet. As we rounded the curve I looked ahead and my stomach almost sunk because I couldn't tell if the snow crossed the road or had melted back leaving the trail exposed.


I'm glad we didn't have to turn around as the snow had melted back to just the side of the road allowing easy access past it. I would bet as little as a week or two earlier that the snow would have been across the trail though.


Another amazing view from the mountain top before dropping down onto Notom road and heading back into Torrey.


Once back at camp I got the fire ring out and the wife and I enjoyed our deluxe grass area.


The wife premade some cookies so we would have a snack each night. This being one of the nights we didn't gorge ourselves on local food, a hot cookie sounded good while sitting around the fire and watching the clouds roll into the valley.


Overnight we had a thunderstorm roll through with light rain but it was enjoyable sleeping. The next day we were going to hit a trail that departs Capitol Reef NP and heads south to Boulder. However, the road was closed a few miles before the turnoff in the park due to construction. I stopped to talk to the road crew to see if they would allow us to pass informing them that we were not there to go to the end of the paved road in Capitol Reef NP, but to turn off and cross the creek just past where they had the road closed. Unfortunately, they would not allow us to pass the barricade so we had to turn around, backtrack to Highway 24, then take Utah Scenic Highway 12 south to Boulder. By the time we arrived it was exactly 11am when another favorite eatery of ours was due to open. So we of course had to stop for lunch before hitting the dirt. Lunch at the Burr Trail Grill (BTG) in Boulder.


After continuing on towards Escalante, we found our turnoff heading back north just a couple miles west of Escalante. There is usually a pretty good little stream with waterfalls running here, but this year it was relatively dry and just a trickle of water. This was our air down spot for the day.


As we headed north up the road we encountered some grain storage facilities built into the caves across the canyon built by the native tribes in the area and they are in amazingly good condition still. Just past them the trail climbed and the dark clouds started forming.


Just prior to arriving at Posey Lake the rain started so we stopped at the lake to enjoy the sounds and views. There wasn't another person anywhere around us and we hadn't seen another vehicle since we left the pavement.


It rained just enough to create a little mud on the trail so the Jeep got covered in only a few miles. By the time we hit Hell's Backbone bridge the sun was out again. Here is the bridge as we dropped down to it.



Stay tuned for more.

 

[zmotorsports]

Continuing on.

A closer view of the Hell's Backbone Bridge. You can see remnants of earlier versions of the bridge under the new bridge that was constructed in 2005.


That bulldozer driver "Sixty" had some balls, that's for sure.


Standing on the bridge looking down.


As we wound our way back down to highway 24, we hit pavement just a few miles west of Boulder where we had lunch. With it only being a few miles to the turnoff, then about 15 miles more pavement to the dirt again, we didn't air up and just enjoyed the scenery down in the canyon as we began the Burr Trail heading south back towards Notom road and Torrey.

This little arch caught our eye as were driving under it and looking up with the top flipped back. Completely different weather later in the afternoon.


Back on the dirt a few miles before the Burr Trail switchbacks heading down into the valley floor. You can barely see the dirt road down below just to the right of the pole.


The first switchback looking at the next.


Upon hitting the pavement, we aired up and headed back towards Torrey. We went and had a nice dinner at the Broken Spur near our campground. One of the best chicken fried steaks we've had and it was just as good as I remembered.


The next morning we forded the Fremont River about 25 miles east of Torrey and turned north to the Cathedral Valley.


We soon found ourselves in the Bentonite area of the Cathedral Valley. The colors were so vibrant that the pictures really don't do this area justice.


We climbed again and was up on top looking down into the Cathedral Valley below.



Stay tuned for more.

 

[zmotorsports]

Continuing on.

At the bottom of Cathedral Valley. We picked up the pace a bit as there were some dark clouds forming and moving our way. With numerous low depressions in this valley it wasn't somewhere I would want to get trapped due to a flash flood. Not wanting to risk it we hurried out way to higher ground.


One side of the valley the sun was shining and really making the colors pop in the sandstone and rock.


The other side had dark skies forming. The wife was a bit anxious as I turned off to go out on an out and back scenic section to see Glass Mountain.....


...and Temple of the Sun and Temple of the Moon. But we hurried back to the main trail and continued on out of the Valley.


Continuing on with our food craving, we tried a small Mexican restaurant that we visited two years ago with my brother and his wife that we remembered being quite good. Another meal that didn't disappoint. Are you seeing a theme????


The next morning we headed west about 20 miles and then turned north on dirt heading towards Fish Lake. I remembered seeing the Oreo cows from years ago where my son stated "those cows are double stuffed". So I had to get a picture to send to him to show our grandson.


We stopped at a small reservoir to take in the views. I was surprised that we didn't see a single other person this whole time.


As we traveled the dirt road, I saw a couple lesser trails taking off the main and heading in the general direction of Fish Lake, so we took one to see where it would reconnect. I love these little two-track roads but they sure give one the feeling of being all alone out in the middle of nowhere.


We came across a grove of aspen trees and they got quite tight as we drove the trail.


After coming out the other side we found a "street sign".



Stay tuned for more..

 

[Grant Gunderson]

That hells backbone is one beautiful section of road. Been a few years since I was down that way but that entire area and Boulder is beautiful.