What did YOU do today?

[Maritime Drag Racing]

Got my Maritime Motorsports Hall of Fame 2024 Inductee "bling" today. Don't really feel like I deserve it but I will gladly take the recognition for the small part I play in this sport.

 

[racsan]

Last day of work before the holiday, Im not going to know what day it is for awhile, Im off tomorrow & wednesday, work thursday, off fri/sat/sun, work monday off tues /wed again, work thursday then off until monday. Crazy. Not that Id want 2 weeks straight off, sure its nice- until you go back to work & havent for awhile.
On a good note , since the wife was off I had her call tsc & see if the left-behind bird feeder was found & it was indeed, right where I forgot about it. So I did get that took care of, or rather she did. My nebulizor came today too, feels like I need to try that out. still coming out of last weeks flu & the coughing & asthma dont play together well.

 

[SenorNoob]

That sounds like my schedule. Unfortunately we got everything the boss wanted done for six days finished today. We were going to work Monday, Thursday, and Friday both weeks.

 

[scotts90ranger]

Just kinda screwed around tonight after work... I pulled the compressor head off the compressor that was hard to turn, after a little cleanup and draining the gross goo out of the crankcase I pulled the bottom cover off and I found the issue... the lack of oil screwed up the big end of one of the rods... it's just aluminum and it just looks like there's aluminum stuck to the crank, I found a rod on ebay for $40, I have some muriatic acid which apparently is the way to get the aluminum off the crank so I think I'm just gonna give it a shot... Aside from needing a pressure switch I think I can get this thing going for just over $100 so I can sell it off and get it out of my hair...

 

[scotts90ranger]

I took way too long to test the motor on the smaller compressor but it does work! Got the crankshaft out of the compressor head and it has less aluminum on it than I thought at first look, the rod is FRIED but the crank looks salvageable... I ordered more gaskets so I'll end up with an extra set for the top end, the one for the crank plate thing tore and I don't feel like making one and might as well change the one for the oil pan/plate while in there...

The wiring took a bit since I scrounged through my wiring pile and found an extension cord that had reasonable ends, on the molded end the ground wire had no continuity so glad I checked with the volt meter before trusting it... then had to steal the end I had put on the plasma cutter so I could plug into my welder plug... but once I move the good compressor to the shed I can use this cord to power the compressor so it's not for naught...

 

[Rick W]

A few days ago, I warmed up the Lincoln to figure out where the antifreeze was leaking out. It was the hose to the heater control valve. There was a pinhole right at the clamp, the clamp was one of those skinny cheap clamps, and I could tell it was tightened way too much. And I’m 99% sure I’m the idiot who did that!

Actually, not the heater control valve, it’s an incredibly poorly designed interlock that won’t turn the fan on inside the car till the antifreeze running through the system is hot enough. As the antifreeze heats up, that little valve works like a thermostat and starts to open. It doesn’t stop the antifreeze from circulating, it just pushes a bar as the antifreeze warms up. The bar has a little slot in it so that when it moves far enough, the bar will slide across the ends of two vacuum lines, allowing the vacuum to pass from one to the other. I would’ve done it the exact same way if I was hanging by my ankles upside down on the backside of the moon and I only had Martian parts to work with. It’s a constant source of leaking vacuum, so a couple years ago I just completely bypassed it and I just hold off flipping the fan on high till I drive a couple minutes.

I looked all around for two days for a replacement hose. I wanted the car for the Christmas holidays. Well, no new hose in the city of Atlanta, not even the big parts warehouse that’s down by the airport. The good news is, I could still order it online, but amazingly it will take over two weeks to get it. At 36 years old, it’s starting to happen more and more. I used to be able to get all the mechanical parts without issue, but God forbid you broke a window motor or something on the dashboard or such.

I did order the new hose. In the meantime, I reverted to my teenage street smarts, and I just cut about 3/4 of an inch off the end of the hose on the car, slid it up, and put a correct hose clamp on it. Worked like a charm.

Why do I suspect that the new hose will end up in the trunk of the car, for installation at a randomtime in the future…

Merry Christmas folks

 

[Maritime Drag Racing]

Spent the morning making a load of potato salad and cooking a enormous ham for the annual Christmas eve feast at our Grand-daughter's house and a visit with the great-grandkids.

 

[scotts90ranger]

So far I've picked up at least most of the lumber I should need to build the loft in the shop and it's now in the shop which is kinda annoying but it's raining so it would be best to keep dry...

 

[Robertmangrum.rm]

Well why I was at my dad's today I looked at the Areostar. It's actually a 98 awd. The 4.0 is locked up. It's probably been sitting for over 15 years. The frame is probably too gone to salvage. While I was there though. He has a 93 Ranger. It also has a 4.0 and a solid frame. It's been hit in the rear end and totaled. So I don't know if the frame is straight. Also I beleive it's the Cologne 4.0 and I think the Areostar is the Vulcan 4.0. OK question time. If the frame is straight on the Ranger (super cab) do you guys think it would be possible to swap the body off the Areostar to the Ranger? Or am I going down a rabbit hole that will never finish. With all that said. There is also a 84 turbo coupe and a 86 Cougar XR7 with a 5.0 ho. I think both ran when parked. I bought the Cougar for a parts car when I wrecked mine. It transmission was out so I picked it up back in the 90s for a couple hundred bucks. The Turbo Coupe was hit by a drunk driver in the passenger door when I was a kid. Probably be in the same boat as the van motor. But if you guys wete building the van which engine would you use?

 

[Uncle Gump]

All 4.0L were Colognes.

I would try to repair the Aerostar before i tried to swap body onto the Ranger frame.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I scared the hell out of my grand babies...

 

[racsan]

Did nothing today but lay around and watch christmas movies, eat cookies & check on the chickens for eggs every so often. Went out for supper, odd for christmas eve but just didn’t feel like cooking or dishes so went into town to a taco bell, looked at some lights on the way home. Tried out my new nebulizor, actually seems to help. Hate that its needed but guess thats life.

 

[sgtsandman]

Sent the rest of the shift back to their rooms after lunch for Christmas Eve. It's just me until shift change.

 

[Snoranger]

Well why I was at my dad's today I looked at the Areostar. It's actually a 98 awd. The 4.0 is locked up. It's probably been sitting for over 15 years. The frame is probably too gone to salvage. While I was there though. He has a 93 Ranger. It also has a 4.0 and a solid frame. It's been hit in the rear end and totaled. So I don't know if the frame is straight. Also I beleive it's the Cologne 4.0 and I think the Areostar is the Vulcan 4.0. OK question time. If the frame is straight on the Ranger (super cab) do you guys think it would be possible to swap the body off the Areostar to the Ranger? Or am I going down a rabbit hole that will never finish. With all that said. There is also a 84 turbo coupe and a 86 Cougar XR7 with a 5.0 ho. I think both ran when parked. I bought the Cougar for a parts car when I wrecked mine. It transmission was out so I picked it up back in the 90s for a couple hundred bucks. The Turbo Coupe was hit by a drunk driver in the passenger door when I was a kid. Probably be in the same boat as the van motor. But if you guys wete building the van which engine would you use?

The Aerostar was unibody.

 

[sgtsandman]

The Aerostar was unibody.