What did YOU do today?

[Rick W]

Stained glass installed in the Focus Moon roof.
View attachment 129510

I love it! And I thought I had too much time on my hands…

 

[Rick W]

I watched a documentary on the Titan, the carbon fiber deep submarine made and operated by Oceangate to go look at the Titanic. Last year, the founder, another principal, and three paid adventurers were killed when it imploded 2/3 of the way down.

Its the second documentary I’ve seen, but both say the same thing, that there was incredible negligence on the part of the creator and the upper management because they fully expected the carbon fiber vessel to fail from early results, and indications the carbon fiber hole was deteriorating. I won’t go into more depth, but both documentaries are very good.

But here’s my question for folks wiser than me who might know more about carbon fiber things. I know carbon fiber is very strong, but isn’t it mostly meant to be in tension and not in compression? The little bit I know about carbon fiber, it’s strong when you stretch it, but I don’t see how it would have any strength at all if you are compressing it along the line of the fibers.

Yes/no?

 

[holyford86]

Finally had enough time while the weather was good to prime all of the raw steel on the overland camper. Getting ready to go a few places during vacation, gotta make it look somewhat pretty.

 

[pjtoledo]

put the Harbor Freight bender to work making quick-release lock bars for a future project.
the first attempt did not go well, trying to "adjust" the results kind of failed.

 

[scotts90ranger]

Rearranged things, F350 out from in front of the shop, boat flooring between the two sheets of plywood for the deck since I'm out of floor to lay it flat then got the boat back in the shop. Annoyingly the wind has blown some leaves off the poplar tree it was parked near (I "might" have had a really hot fire near it which killed a bunch of leaves even 50' up) but no biggie. Then I moved to finishing work on the seats for my mom's Fiesta, added one layer of carpet pad and one layer of coroplast between that and the springs on the drivers side then just checked out the passenger side since it was fine. The seats were clanking so I investigated and found $1.90 in change mostly older somehow (2012 car...) like a couple '50-60ish quarters, didn't look too close at the dimes and pennies... Odd setup on those seats too, drivers side has height adjustment along with an arm rest and recline, passenger seat has a seat back pocket and only recline (both go forward and back obviously)

 

[MaicoDoug]

I have not jumped ship...............

Bought a new (used) Magnum 360 engine for my new to me 1984 Ramcharger. Sold my baby challenger to fund. No it doesn't have a straight axle, that was the old design a couple of years before No rust really, never any body work. It's unmolested. With a knock in the "LA" small block, so just picked up a new junk yard Magnum block w/ 107Kmi. Hardly anyone makes interior parts for these Dodges, but it's the "Royal SE". Just means more stuff to fix. Anyway just bragging. It's all there. Electric everything. I believe just the doors will require 40 hours each. Locks, window motors, wiring & switches. Glass & gaskets are good. Has wing windows too, say what?

She's a survivor. Almost ready for paint. Those aluminum turbine wheels are stock! Runs & drives. No leaks except a tiny tranny drip. Don't know why the previous owner R&R'ed the fenders & tailgate. So many of these were turned into mud buggies and completely ruined. This one however has never been exposed to any maniac mechanics. As you may say...not yet! No, she'll get refurbished as she stands. Clean up the interior, after going totally through the drivetrain, engine, etc. Will need some sort of overdrive eventually. I believe the diff's ratio is 3.7:1. No ECUs thank you. Will be running with a decent quality $500 carburetor. Prices today sheesh. Wish me luck. RCC Forum, not anywhere as good as this one. Crickets over there~

Still getting smiles with the Ranger. I will always have that rig. Underpowered, but a bunch O fun.

 

[sgtsandman]

I watched a documentary on the Titan, the carbon fiber deep submarine made and operated by Oceangate to go look at the Titanic. Last year, the founder, another principal, and three paid adventurers were killed when it imploded 2/3 of the way down.

Its the second documentary I’ve seen, but both say the same thing, that there was incredible negligence on the part of the creator and the upper management because they fully expected the carbon fiber vessel to fail from early results, and indications the carbon fiber hole was deteriorating. I won’t go into more depth, but both documentaries are very good.

But here’s my question for folks wiser than me who might know more about carbon fiber things. I know carbon fiber is very strong, but isn’t it mostly meant to be in tension and not in compression? The little bit I know about carbon fiber, it’s strong when you stretch it, but I don’t see how it would have any strength at all if you are compressing it along the line of the fibers.

Yes/no?

All of the applications I can think of are under tension.

Carbon fiber is light and strong but is known to fail suddenly and without warning. Ask bicycle riders about sudden frame failures.

 

[sgtsandman]

I managed to find a little bit of time to fenangle a mount for a waterproof first aid kit out of some left over brackets from one of the awnings. It still needs some fine tuning but it's now mounted to the rack.

 

[pjtoledo]

watched the Hot Rod Power Tour go thru Dundee Michigan.
my grandsons learned what carburetors smell like.
they tolerated the loud rods but Jake Brakes seemed to bother one of them. we were seated in front of a truck stop.
4 hours of watching cars, they had a good time.

 

[Rick W]

I got a lot of good fun comments on the Road Ranger when I went to Nationals, on the road and at the show, and a bunch of them were centered around Scary Baby. So, when I was riding home, almost 12 hours, I was thinking of the next enhancement of Scary Baby.

I had the thought that if I could get some cheap 12 V actuators, and tie them into my turn signals, I could make Scary Baby point in the direction I was going to turn. I started looking online, and realized that power door lock actuators might work, but I need something with an automatic spring return. Has to be small. Do you guys have any ideas from the scrapyard?

No, I haven’t discussed it with the therapist yet.

I also found this, but it’s pretty ambitious, considering my current schedule.

 

[scotts90ranger]

I got a lot of good fun comments on the Road Ranger when I went to Nationals, on the road and at the show, and a bunch of them were centered around Scary Baby. So, when I was riding home, almost 12 hours, I was thinking of the next enhancement of Scary Baby.

I had the thought that if I could get some cheap 12 V actuators, and tie them into my turn signals, I could make Scary Baby point in the direction I was going to turn. I started looking online, and realized that power door lock actuators might work, but I need something with an automatic spring return. Has to be small. Do you guys have any ideas from the scrapyard?

No, I haven’t discussed it with the therapist yet.

I also found this, but it’s pretty ambitious, considering my current schedule.

You do realize a 200 pack of random springs at Harbor Freight are only $5, but I do have a hard time believing you don't have a coffee can or 6 of random springs stashed somewhere...

 

[Rick W]

You do realize a 200 pack of random springs at Harbor Freight are only $5, but I do have a hard time believing you don't have a coffee can or 6 of random springs stashed somewhere...

I have a plastic toolbox thing, the size of a big cigar box, full of springs. In there, there are a couple of prescription bottles full of teeny tiny springs, and I have another big plastic bin of big springs. Of course. And then I have select spring in secret locations throughout the empire.

What I need is an actuator with an automatic return. The door locks power in one direction, and then you have to power them back in the other direction. I need something that will shoot out and automatically return on a single 12v signal. I was thinking of an automatic trunk release solenoid I had back on a 1970s Mopar, but I don’t know what other kind of car would have such a thing. It doesn’t need much travel or much power.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Mom’s Murano got a new oil pan… f them vehicles. The pan is relatively easy to get to. The bolts were rusted to crap, of course metric. The real fun was the factory used a ton of grey RTV. I dented the sides of the pan trying to knock it loose and I pried a corner down but I was afraid of damaging the aluminum engine. Ended up taking a torch to heat it until the RTV let go.

Of course my grey RTV was MIA. So back up to Paul’s to fetch my F-150 back (he came and got me, the truck is loaded with tree bits for my burn pile now). Parts store had some grey RTV that is supposed to set super fast so you can torque it right down and use it. Yup, I glued that bugger on. Hopefully it gets sold and replaced before I have to deal with that again.

When I got the F-150 back, I also replaced the passenger interior door handle. Having to wind down the window to open it from the outside was irritating.

Also finally screwed the trans shifter boot down in the Choptop so I don’t have to listen to it squeak.

Taking it to JeepFest this weekend, lol

 

[scotts90ranger]

The "bilge paint" I got for the boat showed up from Amazon, of course they broke the bottom of the can so it's seeping slowly but they did put it in a plastic bag so it could be worse... It's expensive stuff, I'll take a picture tomorrow and send it to them to see if they'll help me out with the $5 of paint that's now outside the can... It's WAY too windy tonight to get crazy painting that and I have to work in the morning... tomorrow I'll give less F's and be in a go mood hopefully. Screws for the floor won't be in until Monday I don't think... I still have enough work to do, have to drill bigger holes in the transom for the exhaust, going from 3" to 4"...

I drug a 55 gallon drum to the fire pit and pulled out as many nails I had energy for, pretty sure it was about 30 pounds, used the rolling magnet which conveniently had a magnet unglue from it's plate so I had to take an end off and put back, I'll fix it right one of these days (I skipped gluing it back down). I think I'm about done for the night, probably get the sploder out of the shop driveway and call it...

 

[Bill]

After working for a few days in LA I headed out for the drive home. I got off 101 somewhere north of Downtown LA near Dodger Stadium, came arcross a Mexican restaurant with an outdoor patio. The weather was in the mid-70s. I ate so much Mexican food for lunch that I thought I wasn't going to be able to walk back to the car. Then I headed north, stopped in Bakersfield because gas is $1.00 a gallon less in Bakersfield than it is in LA. Then headed the rest of the way home. I now have a hangover from driving for 7 hours. I'm supposed to be at work at 8. I'm going to wander in late because I feel like it. I'm also not going to do a thing at work that requires any amount of physical effort.