What did YOU do today?

[scotts90ranger]

Spent most of the day with a headache from driving between Sacramento and Modesto, which took three hours due to the heavy rain and people driving erratically in the rain. Someone got impatient, cut in front of another car and hydroplaned off the freeway. Another car took the exit too fast and couldn't navigate the curve in the exit. And a third slid into a concrete barrier. So, I had a headache from eyestrain because the visibility was down to about 50 feet at times with the fog, rain, and spray coming up from tires and the level of concentration I had to maintain in case one of those idiots decided to cut in front of me and stop abruptly, which happened a few times.

I hate people, that's a pain in the rear... I understand completely as even though I'm in the land of the rain people are still dumb where they'll either drive too cautious and piss everyone around them off or will just slam on their brakes after cutting you off... I try to counter that by adding some following distance but people think I made that space for them and makes it worse and makes me want to tailgate which is a hard urge to fight sometimes...

 

[Rick W]

Spent most of the day with a headache from driving between Sacramento and Modesto, which took three hours due to the heavy rain and people driving erratically in the rain. Someone got impatient, cut in front of another car and hydroplaned off the freeway. Another car took the exit too fast and couldn't navigate the curve in the exit. And a third slid into a concrete barrier. So, I had a headache from eyestrain because the visibility was down to about 50 feet at times with the fog, rain, and spray coming up from tires and the level of concentration I had to maintain in case one of those idiots decided to cut in front of me and stop abruptly, which happened a few times.

The first vehicle I ever purchased personally was a 1962 3-wheel drive Chevy C-10. It started life as a 4WD, but had a busted hub when I got it. $135 but I had to fix the rear brakes which was about $10 back then. I got it because I was in the snow country in New Jersey, and then in school in upstate New York, where it snowed all the time from the lake effect like Buffalo.

So I always dreamed of having the big nice four-wheel-drive for the winter. When my Silverado dually got flattened like a pancake in the 98 Dunwoody tornado, I bought the 96 F250 diesel four-wheel-drive. After the headaches of the tornado, I was in seventh heaven dreaming of the first time it snowed.

Then we had a big snowstorm, and I thought about it, and I just stayed home. I’m sure that F250 would’ve been fabulous, but nobody else in the south knows how to drive in the snow and I wouldn’t risk someone slamming into me.

In a way, that’s where the Missing Linc came from, I wanted a four-wheel-drive beater in case it ever snowed. I bought it four years ago and it hasn’t snowed since.

 

[scotts90ranger]

So far today I walked out the house and saw the gutter overflowing so that started the 2 hour process of cleaning the gutters for the house except for the ones over the porch and sweeping the moss off the garage roof and cleaning it's gutters, while there trimmed the tree branches that were touching the roof that I've been meaning to trim but haven't been up on the roof so hadn't done (they're too high without a ladder or being on the roof even with a pole saw).

So now I'm in the house drying off since it's been drizzling while I was doing that...

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Yesterday I got to put a tie rod end on Lisa’s car and start rebuilding the passenger side rocker panels. Fun times. I need a box/pan break and my garage up for this crap. She couldn’t find anyone willing to do it though.

 

[holyford86]

Today my friend and I pulled a broken 170 out of a 1970 bronco and put a less broken 170 in it's place, then made it run decently, while spending zero dollars. Some slight radiator repair, some clutch adjustment, some brake line repair, and some carb work and it'll be good to drive around here and there.

 

[jballard81]

Fixed the pop up drain plug rod thing on my bathroom sink. Took maybe 5 minutes... Only took me 2 weeks to get to the hardware store to buy the part

Then got my junkyard kit together for a run after work tomorrow. This seems to be the best working system for me currently:

Metric socket set on left with some extras added in (12mm 12pt and torx for instance)
Backpack holds the 1/4 impact and the 1/2 impact, some extensions, pliers, pry bar, picks etc.
I have wrenches in my trunk that I still haven't needed to leave the JY to grab. So there they stay.

I keep eyeing those fancy pack out systems but they just seem like they would be a hassle comparatively since I always grab a wheelbarrow when I get to the yard.

 

[Rick W]

The first vehicle I ever purchased personally was a 1962 3-wheel drive Chevy C-10. It started life as a 4WD, but had a busted hub when I got it. $135 but I had to fix the rear brakes which was about $10 back then. I got it because I was in the snow country in New Jersey, and then in school in upstate New York, where it snowed all the time from the lake effect like Buffalo.

So I always dreamed of having the big nice four-wheel-drive for the winter. When my Silverado dually got flattened like a pancake in the 98 Dunwoody tornado, I bought the 96 F250 diesel four-wheel-drive. After the headaches of the tornado, I was in seventh heaven dreaming of the first time it snowed.

Then we had a big snowstorm, and I thought about it, and I just stayed home. I’m sure that F250 would’ve been fabulous, but nobody else in the south knows how to drive in the snow and I wouldn’t risk someone slamming into me.

In a way, that’s where the Missing Linc came from, I wanted a four-wheel-drive beater in case it ever snowed. I bought it four years ago and it hasn’t snowed since.

afterthought just for clarity. I didn’t pay $135 to fix the wheel hub, I paid $135 for the whole truck! They were locking hubs, so I had 3WD for a while. I don’t remember what I paid, but I got the repair parts for the hub out of a scrapyard, and then sold the truck a short while after for $75 when the rear end started whining (actually roaring). I replaced it with a 1956 Dodge three-quarter ton with a service bed, former Bell telephone company truck. 6 V. Even though it wasn’t four-wheel-drive, if you could ever start it in the winter, it did fine in the snow with that heavier bed.

and for @jballard81, The pullaparts down here rent golf carts for five dollars an hour with five dollars up front. Best $10 or $15 I’ve ever spent each time. When I was building my trucks, I used to go with a locker full of tools. Not so much anymore, but I still get the cart

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

and for @jballard81, The pullaparts down here rent golf carts for five dollars an hour with five dollars up front. Best $10 or $15 I’ve ever spent each time. When I was building my trucks, I used to go with a locker full of tools. Not so much anymore, but I still get the cart

A golf cart in a junkyard would be deluxe. Some places rent carts or wheelbarrows, some have them free, some let you bring your own cart or wheelbarrow and some don’t let anything but tools in. Some don’t even let you in the yard anymore, you tell the counter guy what you want and someone goes and gets it. Some yards you have a 50/50 shot that whatever the yard guy brings back is actually useable because some are particularly careless. Most yards have yard guys even if you can get your own parts so I try to be friendly with the yard guys. More than once that’s got me a ride out of the yard or parts and tools hauled to the office for me or them to torch something off for no charge.

 

[holyford86]

A golf cart in a junkyard would be deluxe. Some places rent carts or wheelbarrows, some have them free, some let you bring your own cart or wheelbarrow and some don’t let anything but tools in. Some don’t even let you in the yard anymore, you tell the counter guy what you want and someone goes and gets it. Some yards you have a 50/50 shot that whatever the yard guy brings back is actually useable because some are particularly careless. Most yards have yard guys even if you can get your own parts so I try to be friendly with the yard guys. More than once that’s got me a ride out of the yard or parts and tools hauled to the office for me or them to torch something off for no charge.

Being friends with the owners of the only junkyard in the county has ruined me, apparently. I just drive my truck right to the car I'm grabbing parts off of and get what I need. No fees or anything, just parts cost.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Being friends with the owners of the only junkyard in the county has ruined me, apparently. I just drive my truck right to the car I'm grabbing parts off of and get what I need. No fees or anything, just parts cost.

When I was off at college I made friends with the owner of a junkyard and got to drive to what I wanted, use the shop and the lifts when they weren’t (there was enough lifts for all of the yard guys but usually not all of them were there so an open lift happened frequently), and I often made deals with the owner rather than paying any particular price. I definitely miss that.

For awhile I was pretty friendly with the guy running the one local junkyard to the point where I drank beer in the office with them after work a few times but now that yard has new ownership and the dude running it is a jerk.

 

[19Walt93]

I hated to do it but I emailed my insurance agent to drop everyting but comp off my truck for the winter. We got rain and freezing rain overnight and there are cars off the road so I'm sure they salted. I miss it already.

 

[97RangerXLT]

reorganized the Shed of Wonders so that I can put the zero turn mower in the shed for the winter. brought out the snowblower and put gas in and started it up. runs pretty good, put it in the garage in front of the Ranger so I have easy access. Need to give the lawn mower its end of season and break in oil change so I can put it in the Shed of Wonders for the winter.

 

[Rick W]

Since I spent so long building those two trucks, I got to know the yard guys pretty well. It’s never a bad idea to be friendly with anybody you do business with, right?

As regards driving in, that’s a total fantasy down here. And way back when, I would’ve been afraid of driving in to a junkyard, because they may not have let me leave with the rusty trucks I was driving!

 

[Curious Hound]

Too many "tires pokey thingies" in the yards I go to. Wouldn't drive my trucks in there.

 

[jballard81]

Speed ran my JY during lunch yesterday. Grabbed a 95 Explorer 4.0 throttle cable, 2 near mint 3-light domes and the plastic throttle cover trim piece thing.

My dome light works but most of the tabs are broken and I've resorted to super glue and plastic weld to keep it together.