What did YOU do today?


Headlights on mom's 13 Fusion. The owners manual lies. It says H7 low beam and H11 high beam. They are all H7. You have to almost remove the front bumper cover/grille. Not too bad though. Just 7 screws and a handful of clips. I replaced the turn signal bulbs and running light bulbs while I had it apart.

Mowed the yard. I still have run the trimmer. Twice a year is fine, right?

Then took my uncle to get another generator and looked at his old one. It's a Honda 2000watt clone. The exhaust valve guide came out and jammed up the rocker causing the pushrod to make a nice "C" shape. Apparently parts are either not available or you have to buy Honda and hope the clone was good enough. Price for Honda parts is high enough to make replacing it about the same price.
 
Life ganged up on me. It’s been eating me alive since that young lady smacked into the Road Ranger a month ago, so I did the only thing reasonable for my sanity: I went to the pull-a-part even though I didn’t actually need anything. You have to know it was a sightseeing tour, because all I did was bring one little tote of hand tools and my 18v drill.

WOW, did I get some great stuff!
  1. I got a whole set of bed bolts and those heavy duty clip-on-the-frame threaded thingies.
  2. Two battery clamps, the kind with the wing nuts on top
  3. I got the caps that go over the top of the over the shoulder seatbelts in my interior color gray to replace the tan ones that came from who knows where
  4. I got a bunch of the plastic cap push in holders for the interior trim, a bunch of oval head screws, a bunch of pan head & flange head screws, & some bolts,
  5. I got one of those rare roughly 3 inch in diameter plug//cap things you stick in the bumper if you don’t have a trailer ball.
  6. I got two V6 emblems
  7. I got the passenger side AC vent outlet for the 97, and that little tiny vent thing that’s to the right of the radio. My old ones were bad with broken clips so they didn’t sit in the dashboard flat. Now that the cute little brunette sits over there once in a while, I had to make sure the vent kept her cool without messing up her hair
  8. I got new windshield washer nozzles for the 97 (needed)
  9. I got a replacement speaker for the 97 passenger door, +2 speakers with a flat face grill, +2 speakers with a slightly slanted wedge grill.
  10. Three radiator caps (the only other thing I needed, but I ordered a new one from rock auto yesterday)
  11. I got a half dozen of those big grommet plug things that go in the floor of the cab or whatever
  12. I got a chrome top, black face grill for the 97
  13. A small pile of power block, relays and rectifiers
  14. I got two big mirror glasses, the “things are closer than you think” side, that I think I can cut down to fit in the 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 (?) passenger side flip out mirrors on the 97
  15. Brake fluid reservoir to convert over for the 87 clutch fluid reservoir
  16. 50 or 75 fuses
And then I picked up one thing that’s a big experiment and a big surprise if it works right. I can’t give any details on that cause if it doesn’t work out, I don’t want to look like a donkey. Another customization of the Road Ranger.

I did it all in three hours with my hinged knee brace, pulling a two wheel wheelbarrow behind me, in the sun, and I didn’t pass out or die. I was home by noon, sorted it out, put some away, and did some work on the truck.

What did YOU do today?
What did YOU do today?
What did YOU do today?


Great therapy day. Didn’t get in trouble today, didn’t slide backwards.
 
Not today but Friday.. ordered 600$ worth of squarebody parts 👍🏻 wish I coulda waited til a bit later in the year but.. I gotta get this thing rolling ASAP so a cement truck can sneak through the part of the yard that it's currently occupying.

52" leaf long travel front spring hanger/body mount combo brackets, 52" long travel shackle hangers, 6" length 1/2" thick HD front shackles, and some leaf bushings. Gonna be looking at 12" of vertical travel up front once it's all together 🤠 kinda wasted on a truck that's changed direction from a wheeling rig into a tow rig but... Whatever. I suppose I'll be all set if I ever need to tow something through a boulder field 🤷🏻‍♀️ lmao.

Also bought the elusive longtube header for the 2.3 lima from @PlumCrazy... Suuuuuper excited about that. Gotta find a local place able to sandblast & ceramic coat it inside and out. If it were stainless id just wrap it but.. an unobtanium mild steel header needs a little different treatment.
 
I took the hardtop off on my 2005 TJ Jeep. I purchased a new soft top cover, and put it on today.


Screenshot_20260517_224400_Gallery.jpg
 
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Yesterday I was going to resume work on my green Ranger but a buddy called begging for help with the brakes on his 2023 Transit van.
I've been told that I read really fast. I've never looked into what the average speed is, but when I'm awake and paying attention I can usually do 350-400 words per minute or more at 90-100% comprehension on the harder online tests. When I'm tired or not paying enough attention I read at least as fast, but while missing or misreading words.

All of that is to say that I had to stop two sentences later to go back and figure out why your buddy called begging you for help with his transvestite.

I'm guessing you've either got it or missed it by now, but Precision is Dell's professional line. Like the P series from Lenovo. They are the top of the line laptops. Actually considered desktop replacements. Both have lesser models in the lineup nowadays though. If you want Intel processors, that H on the end of the part is the 45w TDP (Thermal Design Power). Anything with that is gonna be on the chunkier side because of the necessary cooling.

I actually just bought a Precision 7550 for my wife to use at home and me to use for Forscan and on the road. Almost identical specs.
Precision 7550 i5-10400H 2.60GHz 32GB Ram 512GB M2SSD UBUNTU Laptop +AC

I thought it included a GPU, but I got my listings mixed up. Apparently it is possible to add one, but not necessary for my use. Probably get better battery life without it.
He marked it as pending right after I sent him a question. Then I didn't hear anything so I stopped checking, but when I looked just now he marked it as available and then answered my question in the description without sending me a reply.
Anything on the chunkier side probably wouldn't be any worse than the 10 year old 4ish pound Latitude that I've been hauling to class for 5 years. But it's probably too late for me to go get it. I have to load up all of our stuff and then leave here by about 11:00 tomorrow to take my roommate's truck to the airport. I'm picking him up there, we're driving from there to Cody, WY because he has a job interview up there Tuesday, and then after that we're going camping until we either get bored, have to come back, or run out of the leftover money from the mileage that they're paying him to drive from here to there.


A friend of mine who lives in Aurora has been living in a couple's basement since they got married last May. Both couples are expecting babies now, so they're moving to an apartment. As the friends with trucks my roommate and I got called. My roommate is in Texas helping his girlfriend move into wherever she's living for the summer. His truck (1994 Chevy 2500, 8' bed) is here, but it's partially packed for camping and its starting mileage has already been documented. A nearly new queen mattress doesn't belong in my dirty, greasy bed and some of the other stuff flat out wouldn't fit under my camper shell, so I went and borrowed a 1995 F-250 from the lady that cooks for the college Sunday school class at the church that my roommate and I go to. The friends who are moving went there until they got married and moved across town, and they still come back to visit occasionally.

What did YOU do today?


I wouldn't say that it leaks oil, but when I first checked it in the spring of 2024 it was 4 quarts low. It was a quart and a half low this time, and I'm pretty sure it's had 3 or 4 quarts from a random jug of 15W-40 diesel oil that someone found added to it in the interim. That line on the underside of the hood is oil and/or ATF from the power steering. It also has an antifreeze leak that I can't track down. The radiator was 8 inches low in 2024, it was 6 inches low this time, and it's had a gallon or two added in the past couple of years and ~4k miles. I can sometimes smell it around the passenger side of the radiator but I've never located any wetness and antifreeze is about the only thing besides brake fluid that it doesn't drip.

What did YOU do today?


She doesn't drive it much and she likes when I borrow it because I work on it while I have it, so I picked it up Friday evening. The 460 was a quart and a half low and the windshield sticker said October of 2024 or 151k. It was at 151.8k and the oil was black, so I took the liberty of changing it for her. I also replaced the driver's side windshield wiper, greased the steering linkages, topped off the radiator that was 6 inches low, refilled the jug of antifreeze behind the seat, replaced both license plate bulbs, and filled up the power steering reservoir. I only did the driver's wiper since that's all I needed to see and I'm about the only person that drives it in inclement weather. I'm probably responsible for at least 500 of those miles from the past couple of years.

I took both belts off and checked everything before I took it back since the alternator/smog pump belt needed tightened anyway. The idler pulley on the AC/power steering belt is squeaking and has some play in it, but there's no play in the arm and it doesn't bounce when the engine is running. So my roommate and I are currently discussing whether that 152k mile truck that gets driven 2,000 miles or less per year needs a $30 tensioner pulley (my suggestion) or a $60 tensioner arm (his). Then again my opinion might not be the most valid. The tensioner on my Ranger is a well used aftermarket one that came from a junkyard. Come to think of it, so is the serpentine belt. I even stuck that belt up on the counter and Pull-A-Part refused to charge me for it last year.

It needs some more stuff that I might get around to later this summer. After driving one of the front hubs was consistently 15 degrees warmer than the other on my thermometer gun, topping out at 130* and 145* F after a stretch of interstate, so it probably needs the bearings repacked. The tires are from 2016 and it isn't stored inside. And I think something in the front brakes is beginning to grind like the fronts on my mom's Impala started doing once its factory pads got over 200k miles.


Finally, I'm looking for suggestions on this K&N filter on that F-250.

What did YOU do today?


As best as I can tell her dad put it on. It was his truck until he died in 2006 or 2007, but I dug through the bottles and cans stashed in her garage that date back to the late '70's and I couldn't find any oil for it. It definitely needs cleaned, and I wouldn't be surprised if it hasn't been touched in 20+ years, but for now I figured that as far as filtration goes a dirty filter is better for the engine than a wide open unoiled K&N since even when they're done right they let more dirt through. It never leaves the pavement for more than the occasional driveway and the hardest work that truck ever sees is filling the bed with a few hundred pounds of furniture donations for the church ministry for international students that fly over and rent unfurnished apartments. We usually distribute a 53' trailer load plus a 10x20 storage unit per year and that truck is used to pick up most of the donations and take them over to the trailer.

So, do y'all have any suggestions on what I should do about it beyond ignoring it like everyone else has been? The factory stuff is long gone, I haven't asked but the owner might be sentimental about the intake sound of her dad's truck, no one that I know has the little $17 can of K&N oil, and the washable oilless replacement filter that I found for that style of warm air intake is $65.

The sound and effortless power of the 460 is nice, but for regular use being able to almost see the gas gauge dropping on the interstate would drive me back to my 22+ MPG highway 4.0 pretty quickly.
 
I've been told that I read really fast. I've never looked into what the average speed is, but when I'm awake and paying attention I can usually do 350-400 words per minute or more at 90-100% comprehension on the harder online tests. When I'm tired or not paying enough attention I read at least as fast, but while missing or misreading words.

All of that is to say that I had to stop two sentences later to go back and figure out why your buddy called begging you for help with his transvestite.


He marked it as pending right after I sent him a question. Then I didn't hear anything so I stopped checking, but when I looked just now he marked it as available and then answered my question in the description without sending me a reply.
Anything on the chunkier side probably wouldn't be any worse than the 10 year old 4ish pound Latitude that I've been hauling to class for 5 years. But it's probably too late for me to go get it. I have to load up all of our stuff and then leave here by about 11:00 tomorrow to take my roommate's truck to the airport. I'm picking him up there, we're driving from there to Cody, WY because he has a job interview up there Tuesday, and then after that we're going camping until we either get bored, have to come back, or run out of the leftover money from the mileage that they're paying him to drive from here to there.


A friend of mine who lives in Aurora has been living in a couple's basement since they got married last May. Both couples are expecting babies now, so they're moving to an apartment. As the friends with trucks my roommate and I got called. My roommate is in Texas helping his girlfriend move into wherever she's living for the summer. His truck (1994 Chevy 2500, 8' bed) is here, but it's partially packed for camping and its starting mileage has already been documented. A nearly new queen mattress doesn't belong in my dirty, greasy bed and some of the other stuff flat out wouldn't fit under my camper shell, so I went and borrowed a 1995 F-250 from the lady that cooks for the college Sunday school class at the church that my roommate and I go to. The friends who are moving went there until they got married and moved across town, and they still come back to visit occasionally.

View attachment 142959

I wouldn't say that it leaks oil, but when I first checked it in the spring of 2024 it was 4 quarts low. It was a quart and a half low this time, and I'm pretty sure it's had 3 or 4 quarts from a random jug of 15W-40 diesel oil that someone found added to it in the interim. That line on the underside of the hood is oil and/or ATF from the power steering. It also has an antifreeze leak that I can't track down. The radiator was 8 inches low in 2024, it was 6 inches low this time, and it's had a gallon or two added in the past couple of years and ~4k miles. I can sometimes smell it around the passenger side of the radiator but I've never located any wetness and antifreeze is about the only thing besides brake fluid that it doesn't drip.

View attachment 142961

She doesn't drive it much and she likes when I borrow it because I work on it while I have it, so I picked it up Friday evening. The 460 was a quart and a half low and the windshield sticker said October of 2024 or 151k. It was at 151.8k and the oil was black, so I took the liberty of changing it for her. I also replaced the driver's side windshield wiper, greased the steering linkages, topped off the radiator that was 6 inches low, refilled the jug of antifreeze behind the seat, replaced both license plate bulbs, and filled up the power steering reservoir. I only did the driver's wiper since that's all I needed to see and I'm about the only person that drives it in inclement weather. I'm probably responsible for at least 500 of those miles from the past couple of years.

I took both belts off and checked everything before I took it back since the alternator/smog pump belt needed tightened anyway. The idler pulley on the AC/power steering belt is squeaking and has some play in it, but there's no play in the arm and it doesn't bounce when the engine is running. So my roommate and I are currently discussing whether that 152k mile truck that gets driven 2,000 miles or less per year needs a $30 tensioner pulley (my suggestion) or a $60 tensioner arm (his). Then again my opinion might not be the most valid. The tensioner on my Ranger is a well used aftermarket one that came from a junkyard. Come to think of it, so is the serpentine belt. I even stuck that belt up on the counter and Pull-A-Part refused to charge me for it last year.

It needs some more stuff that I might get around to later this summer. After driving one of the front hubs was consistently 15 degrees warmer than the other on my thermometer gun, topping out at 130* and 145* F after a stretch of interstate, so it probably needs the bearings repacked. The tires are from 2016 and it isn't stored inside. And I think something in the front brakes is beginning to grind like the fronts on my mom's Impala started doing once its factory pads got over 200k miles.


Finally, I'm looking for suggestions on this K&N filter on that F-250.

View attachment 142960

As best as I can tell her dad put it on. It was his truck until he died in 2006 or 2007, but I dug through the bottles and cans stashed in her garage that date back to the late '70's and I couldn't find any oil for it. It definitely needs cleaned, and I wouldn't be surprised if it hasn't been touched in 20+ years, but for now I figured that as far as filtration goes a dirty filter is better for the engine than a wide open unoiled K&N since even when they're done right they let more dirt through. It never leaves the pavement for more than the occasional driveway and the hardest work that truck ever sees is filling the bed with a few hundred pounds of furniture donations for the church ministry for international students that fly over and rent unfurnished apartments. We usually distribute a 53' trailer load plus a 10x20 storage unit per year and that truck is used to pick up most of the donations and take them over to the trailer.

So, do y'all have any suggestions on what I should do about it beyond ignoring it like everyone else has been? The factory stuff is long gone, I haven't asked but the owner might be sentimental about the intake sound of her dad's truck, no one that I know has the little $17 can of K&N oil, and the washable oilless replacement filter that I found for that style of warm air intake is $65.

The sound and effortless power of the 460 is nice, but for regular use being able to almost see the gas gauge dropping on the interstate would drive me back to my 22+ MPG highway 4.0 pretty quickly.

First, I’m no body, but I will thank you for your concern and efforts in His name. The saying goes, God helps those who help themselves. but certainly God blesses those who help others without seeking personal reward. There will no doubt be a special place in heaven for them.

Being handy and knowledgeable is a blessing and a curse. Over the years, I’ve had all kinds of friends who we’re “very close friends” because I knew how to fix their stuff. I didn’t mind, I love tinkering with these things, there’s only a few I ran off over the years.

I don’t actively seek out those in need, I hate to say that out loud, but when I cross their paths, I do what I can. With all modesty, I know how to organize things and get things done and work with people on projects. I can tell from the way you write and tell your story that you have some of those talents.

If there is a community around this woman who are capable, who care about her, it only takes one or two to do a little tiny bit of organization to take care of what you can for her. If you know how to do the work, but you don’t have the budget, talk to some other friends and simply say I can take care of this, but I can’t afford it, what do you think we should do? Notice I didn’t ask for money, but if she is loved, that money will always show up. It’s not everybody has to have money for the technical knowledge. I built the famous shed of miracles with a bunch of friends who knew very little about construction, we had a barnraising. Not belittling women, my particular friends were all office type people, but they brought food and drink and acted as cheerleaders. Everyone can help in their own way.

Trace down the parts you need in a scrapyard or inexpensive aftermarket. She may love the truck because it was her dad‘s, but it’s obvious she doesn’t love it enough to take the time and effort to keep it in good condition. If it dies, she’ll die with that loss of sentiment. If it has to be modified a little bit, so it lasts in her life for a long time, she will appreciate changes and upgrades that keep her connected to her dad. And just say that to her. I know you love the truck, but if we’re going to keep it running, we have to do this or that.

So network with that Sunday school class, talk to the guys at the salvage yard about her needs, maybe talk to her church. I don’t think you’re talking thousands or even hundreds of dollars. If someone sincere asks for help personally, it’s harder to find these days than when I was young. BUT, if someone sincere asks for help unselfishly for another, that help will flow.

Scratch up a list of what the truck needs right now, what should be checked out, and what it needs going forward. Work a little bit and the supplies you need will come to you. Talk to a couple service shops and salvage yards about her Grace and outreach and her need, and service assistance will come to you. I still like to believe if you take care of folks like that, you’ll be taken care of, but you need to be a little bit more careful in this day and age. Everybody on the Internet is famous for tearing down things, not collaboration and certainly not raising things up

And one last thought a lot of folks don’t think of today. Pray for her. Pray for the Lord to give you wisdom on how to proceed. Pray for the Lord to give you ability to act and to learn. Get others to pray with you. On a few of you get together to start a task, just take a moment and ask for His blessing and assistance over it. Thank Him for that at the end. It’s usually one or two or three simple sentences.

I never want to sound holier than thou, Lord knows I’m a great sinner and pain in the ass. It’s just solid advice for life and leadership and faith and success.

Good luck with it, with her, and with Him.
 
Sorry if this is a repeat, but I finished up the day yesterday, after my scrapyard haul, by putting in a fully functioning AC vent on the passenger side of the Road Ranger & that little tiny suction vent that’s right next to the radio so it’s not hanging out cockeyed. Finished up the inside by replacing the speaker in the passenger door with one that hopefully doesn’t buzz when the bass kicks in.

Outside, I put a better radiator cap on, hopefully no more dribbles. I replaced my totally worn out washer nozzles with nozzles that actually spray on the windshield instead of flipping a few drops up like camel spit. I had to put a little E 6000 underneath them, cover them with masking tape and paper and hold them in place with a the weight of a couple trailer hitches until the glue set. & I put the V6 emblems on. I finally found it said I liked. Woohoo

And it’s a low priority, but I started fiddling with an upgrade to my grill, that secret project I talked about. If it works, I’d like to have it for Ford nationals. I’ll write it up in my build thread.

What did YOU do today?



What did YOU do today?
What did YOU do today?
What did YOU do today?
 

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