Junkyard 101 - how to

Last week I hinted at an inevitable return 

to the local junkyard,

baited by a big 40% off weekend special.

You bet I went back...

conveniently landing on a sunny valentines day.

The first step is preparation,

getting your chit together saves time and energy.

The last venture I had spied a simple trick.

Always learn from the locals!

This involves a simple antifreeze jug.

Why the heck 

do I have so many to choose from?!

This is the perfect vintage,

and white, 

or at least not black,

so you know when it is greasy.

Yellow would be good,

to wave around in case of emergency.

Some strategic cutting...

You guys figure it out yet?

Good old liars club candidate here!

For those in the know...

a handy portable tool box!

Helps to have an idea of what you'll need.

My eye was on a particular prize,

I wanted a stash of ignition coils for backup.

After further searching,

I found an even better jackpot.

A once babied p-71 police interceptor.

Drilled and slotted rotors!

At Oreilly's these are $145 a pop!

Stock solid ones below are $50 each.

Your thinking...

Wow...

Cheap skate...

Hey it was $37 for all 4 rotors!

Even after $30 to turn them,

that leaves $330 for fun stuff!

It's not hard to discern worn out rotors.

These were nice and smooth.

I had one side off in 5 minutes.

The other side was almost a bust,

the wheel locked too hard to the side,

no room for a socket.

Fortunately the column was dropped,

and the u-joint could be quickly disconnected.

Another trick,

using a fan belt to carry these heavy mothers!

The tool jug worked great!

I didn't really need to spill it,

but if you do,

find a floor mat...

These guys used the good old bucket method,

great for big jobs.

Also the milk crate w/dolly is easy.

Many guys use man-bags.

Not a fan.

Ammo containers are great too,

but long tools don't fit.

I'm sticking with the jug!

Light, good volume,

and easy to bring two.

On the way out,

a guy was dragging a transmission,

on a plastic door panel,

tied with a seat belt.

Who needs wheels?!

Good times...

TP

Skimmer - more Klipsch fortes!

If you click on the "audiophile" tab 

on the far right or very bottom,

I've definitely become a sound snob

in the past 5+ years.

Search patterns have become more refined.

I'll pass on things that used to seem like deals.

The underlying variable is cost.

As tastes become more refined,

prices naturally follow.

The other evening I found this sweetheart deal.

A score ad posted for 8 hours 

is gonna be a 50/50,

especially with smart phone search apps,

which I've resisted so far.

I emailed the guy and tried to forget about it.

An early morning email reply 

was a definite surprise.

I called and we set a midday time.

Tough!

This is when higher offers derail plans.

He kept his word,

and even sweetened the pot,

with a late 70's Tandberg TR-2030 receiver,

made in Norway!

Weird thing used DIN plugs instead of RCA.

The tuner worked but no way to test the tape.

Not bad sound for how dirty it was inside.

I contemplated a cleaning project...

Nah...

This was an obvious flipper opportunity,

I've got enough chit to do...

Now you can see why I have so much stuff!

Keep what I like,

get rid of the fluff.

It's like getting awesome stuff for free!

Not including the time it takes to wrap.

A hoarder keeps everything right?

This is more of a skimmer...

These new klipsch fortes are in the best condition

of all (cough) four pair we have.

The grilles and drivers are perfect.

The walnut is gonna gleam after a little floor wax.

Now where to put them?

TP

shoe whore heresy

For most guys,

there's a loyalty that goes with shoes.

Certain brands fit certain foot types,

and for people that don't have time for uncomfortable surprises,

and wasted purchases,

we'll traditionally rebuy the same shoe.

I've gravitated to Adidas Stan Smith's 

for at least 25+ years,

sometimes dipping into the Rod Lavers.

The SS's are durable leather,

and hold up to metalwork - welding & grinding,

for a really long time.

Two months ago I took a detour,

and tried out the revamped suede skate versions,

 with the gum sole

Wow.

It was like a custom made shoe for my feet,

getting more comfortable with each step.

I  was leery about the construction,

The thin suede reinforced with "sprint skin",

a thin plastic skeleton.

The wife was so enthusiastic at the new styling,

she scored a white soled pair.

The difficulty is knowing these would flame up with serious metal work,

the reason I stopped wearing the Rod Lavers.

The plastic-y tongue will not hold up.

Besides the suede isn't nearly as durable as the shiny leather.

I'd limit my work to not destroy the shoe.

Hey,

it's endless summer here,

and no big work boots with shorts...

The tough part is ruining new white stan smiths.

They'll look good for about an hour,

although looking good in bright white shoes,

only works for senior citizens in track suits.

Yeah I know this is my OCD secret stash.

My problem is venturing out of the Adidas lines.

Even my rarely worn dress shoes have Adidas soles.

Which made me realize,

I should have just got a shiny black pair of stan smiths for dress up...

Dang it.

Which comes to the heresy.

Someone ditched these Nike's on us years ago,

probably some dead old guy's,

 I don't know.

They're obviously wannabe stan smiths,

with the green bottom.

They've been shuffled under the couch,

in my closet,

under Jaxons bed...

Time to give them them a workout.

Let's see how they hold up.

Definitely not as comfortable...

Yeah yeah yeah...

Waaa was waaa...

TP

Train Wreck - part 1 - Sansui 2000a

Any long time readers will know I'm a train wreck 

when it comes to old stereo equipment.

This is a 3 part disaster!

The good thing is I can be happy with cheap quality.

This 1972 Sansui 2000a receiver was bouncing around CL for weeks.

I was surprised it didn't get snatched up.

At 30 or 35 watts per channel,

it's not a desireable monster,

unless you've got a plan.

This one was supposedly from an old Sansui rep from up north.

I am still surprised how clean it is.

On craigslist it is common to use a canned photo,

misleading the actual condition until purchase.

No surprises here this one was a peach.

Jaxon had tagged along,

and the drive home was a perfect father & son moment.

Since we were near little Mexico,

why not do a little off-roading in the 40...

Holey chit...

Then I wonder why my hair is turning silver.

Safely home,

the receiver was thoroughly inspected.

No need for cleaning here.

The sound was crisp and warm as expected.

The wife loves coming home to this kinda stuff.

So now for the master plan.

The beauty of this piece 

wasn't only the cheap price or the sweet sound.

This model,

(Like the QR-6500 from last year)

was designed as a modular piece to an upgradeable system.

While the 30wpc is really sufficient and undervalued,

these have the capability to act as a preamplifier.

A Mcintosh preamp is financially out of my range.

Why spend $600-$1000,

when a fun system can be built for under $100!?

(Ok not including the amp..)

At least now I can hear if the extra money is needed.

Stay tuned for the sequel...

TP

GNRS consolation prize

This past weekend was one of the biggest car shows on the west coast.
You'd think living only 100 miles away,
we'd have rallied up to see the GNRS.
The deadline of countless work hours of like minded hot rodders.
Nope.
Instead I had big plans.
Working on the chopped 40,
getting that model A running,
get the steering on my uncles roadster finished...

klipsch kg4

Usually I'll re-prioritize that time and money of going to a car show,
and use it to work on my own project.
You figure a good day and a $100 can go a long way.
I did try.
Not to say nothing was done,
just not in the capacity I had imagined.

Klipsch KG4 speakers

However there was a consolation prize.
One early morning during the week,
wednesday maybe,
I had found a craigslist ad for some klipsch kg4 speakers for cheap.
After a couple texts,
it seemed like the guy had second thoughts about giving them away.
No biggie it's not like I need another pair.
On Saturday night I received a text asking if I was still interested.
Sure!
The kids were packed up,
and we went on a short trek east.

freebie drum set

The speakers were hooked up and sounded great.
The guy (john) was super cool,
and we made the deal while the kids played WWF in the van.
On the way out,
he asked us if we wanted a drum set,
for free!
How could we pass this up?
Sure it's just an entry level set,
but hey better than the one we don't have right?

mini wall of sound

Suffice it to say,
the last thing we need is another set of speakers.
Right now I'm up to 6 pair.
Yikes.
What better excuse to clean up,
then to camouflage a new set of speakers into the living room!
Now to make space for that drum set.

TP

big pimpin

I've been a little light on the craigslist hunting lately.
There are only a couple things I'm looking for,
and well they are a little out of my price range if they're found.

1968 cadillac

That doesn't mean I don't do the occasional search,
as deals are always popping up.
The problem is if you search,
you will find,
and it's usually not the stuff that you're searching for.

BLK PL8

First things first.
This time I was lucky enough to score a deal,
and in addition met a gearhead that makes us look entry level.

1964 ford thunderbird convertible

Ok I take that back.
This guy wasn't really a gearhead,
he just liked cars,
stylish shiny cars.

1964 ford thunderbird

I knew this after about a minute on the phone.
There was no faked info or pushed sale,
just the simple truth, "I don't know much about the parts..."
This is usually a sign that the parts will be in really good shape,
not all worn out like the stuff I get rid of!

ford FE 390 - 1964 t-bird

The kids and I walked into this guys hidden collection.
I've always appreciated mile-long sheetmetal,
especially when all the shiny work is done.
There was some crazy stuff coming out during the 60's.

automatic convertible top - 1964 ford t-bird

Barry even showed us the retractable top on his T-bird.
I've never seen one in action.
I guess this is one of 50 built back in 1964.


These were only 2 of 8 of his prized possessions!
Always good to know someone with a passion for these old rides.

edelbrock performer 289 + holley 4180

Careful not to wear out our welcome,

we dragged home our score of the day.

I've been looking for a cheap 4-barrel intake,

to replace the stock 60's 2-barrel in the green 40.

Now the money is where my mouth is!

TP