Projects: The Current “Big Three”

May 23, 2013

Not in any particular order, but they all need to get done and soon.

Note: there are more projects but the others my wife is heading up and I just help on.

Finish repairing the holes in Isaac’s motorcycle tank.  This involves soldering 22gauge sheet steel patches onto the tank after forming them to match the contour of the tank.

Build pantry area in kitchen.  I’ve started this but have only done the destruction portion…I think Tasha might appreciate me doing some of the “building” part soon.

Finish getting firewood.  We need 5 cords of wood total for this coming season (2013/14), currently we have gathered 2.5.  This weekend it looks like I will be picking up some cheap wood locally, probably 2 cord for about $100.  Then over the summer I will scrounge the other 1/2 cord via mill scraps.  Hopefully we can get it all split by end of June so it has plenty of time to season.  Luckily Tasha has ok’d renting a splitter to speed the process (we normally split by hand).  After that hopefully we can start building up the 2014/15 woodpile.

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It’s that time of year again

April 29, 2013

Spring time is here and my allergies are back in full force.  Evidently I am allergic to Birch tree pollen.  It bothers my sinuses and all things connected.  While it is a bother, I wouldn’t have it any other way.  I love the weather this time of year.  So, even though I feel groggy and sometimes nautious, I’ll be outside as much as possible.  Enjoying the sun and getting things done – outside, the way life should be.

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Motivation…

April 19, 2013

…i’m out.

I am ready for the weekend.  So many things I need to get done on the homestead and I really want to get crackin’.  Consequently, I really don’t want to be stuck inside at work and it’s hard to get motivated to get “desk work” done when you have “outside things” you’d rather be working on.

Back to (desk) work.

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Vehicle repairs

April 18, 2013

When it rains it pours.  In the last couple months this is what we’ve had to do to our vehicles.

Focus:
Air filter
Fuel filter
PCV
Spark plugs and wires
Valve cover gasket
Serpentine belt
Catalytic converter

Ranger:
Air filter
Dash lights
Alternator

Plus we’ve done new wiper blades, oil changes and fluid checking etc.  Also I need to install the motor mount I picked up for the Focus.  The liquid filled one has blown again.  This time we went with OEM Motorcraft instead of cheapy Dorman.

Posted in Cars, Trucks and Tractors | Comments Off on Vehicle repairs

Electronic transfer case no more, convert it to manual

April 11, 2013

Last fall my electronic transfer case decided not to allow me into 4-Low.  Normally this isn’t an issue, but I was needing to pull some trees around after felling them and didn’t want to burn out my clutch.  I’ve always hated the electronically activated portion of my 4wd system, so I decided to get rid of it.  I installed The Shiftster.  A neat little device that takes the place of the electronic shift motor.  It is designed and built right here in the USA which is great and only cost me $60, a new shift motor was 2-3 times that.  I then disconnected the 4wd controller and made an access panel in my floor so I didn’t have to crawl under the truck during inclimate weather to put the truck into 4wd.

This is a picture of the Shiftster the day I installed it. You can kind of see the make-shift access panel I had above it.

This is a picture of the Shiftster the day I installed it. You can see the make-shift access panel I had above it.

My first attempt at an access panel was quick and dirty.  I cut the hole in my floor, then used that piece as the “door”.  I siliconed on some rubber fuel line around the hole to “seal” it while closed – it leaked horribly.  It stayed closed via 2 eyelets that 2 rods slid into and then a homemade latch using a hitchpin.  I had to physically remove the panel to gain access and put the truck into 4wd.  It took just under a minute to open the panel, take it in or out of 4wd and remount the panel.  Not bad, but pretty bothersome.

Now that better weather is here and I can weld outside again, I’ve fabricated a better solution.

This is a picture of the new access panel closed.

This is a picture of the new access panel closed.

Using 1/8″ thick 1×1 angle iron I made a “frame” for the door, this gave me a flat surface to work with. The hole measures 4″ x 4″. I used a scrap piece of Lexan (polycarbonate sheet) that I picked up from Portland Glass in Farmington for the new door. Then I used a hinge to attatch it, vinyl door seal to seal it and two harddrive magnets to pull the door down and give a positive seal. Works great and now I can check what mode the truck is in just by looking down (dash lights don’t work for 4wd since I disconnected the controller).

This is the new access open.

This is the new access panel opened up.

Posted in Cars, Trucks and Tractors, Made in the USA | 1 Comment