Quick fix - toro 4000d smacker

Here's a "day in the life" episode...

I was buzzing around in the smaller wing mower,

and smacked a hidden trap.

After all these hours 

you'd think I'd know every nook and cranny,..

But dirt moves and wadayado.

This gave me a good slam bang,

totally unexpected.

I wondered why it wasn't cutting grass anymore!!

But what a great excuse 

to pound out a quick metal patch,

while also brushing up my hack repair skills. 

This wood wedge 

is probably how Stonehenge was built.

Typical cardboard template 

and an old scrap bracket for donor steel.

It's been hot,

and getting showered with sparks wasn't happening,

so far welds were doubled up outside,

and only a few small beads inside.

I think it will hold.

The bracket had a handy outcrop piece, reutilized as a stiffener to the banged up inner vane.

Here's a re-enactment of the boom boom.

Even at 5-8 mph it was a jolt!

Smacking something hidden 

doesnt give much to talk chit about.

However when one of the other guys 

fills a diesel machine with gas,

that's another story...

Good times...

TP

Making a little monster - Daihatsu hijet

Here at an enclosed city park,

we make optimal use of these little unregisterable off-road only trucks.

This daihatsu hijet was from a power plant

somewhere in Southern California.

This is the lemon twin in the fleet,

the other one is a workhorse,

this one doesn't like to run.

I found a problem with a fuel safety shutoff,

deemed necessary on the cab-over configuration. 

The wire had been twisted flush.

This little piece was impossible to find,

so surgery was required.

After digging down into the insulation,

a new wire was soldered on.

JB Weld has saved the day 

on similar tedious projects.

This trick got it running for now.

There's still an ignition issue I'll get too later.

Now that it could move on its own,

it was time to make some modifications.

Green daihatsu #3 had some good things to copy.

The scrap pile was raided for a solid bumper.

These have a hi/lo transaxle perfect for towing.

Brackets were whittled out,

and welded directly to the frame.

No bolts here.

I needed a welding project,

it had been a while and I missed basic metalwork.

More scrap for the tow hitch.

The ball threads were wasted,

so it was welded on solid.

Tip - 

U-haul won't rent you a trailer if your ball is welded!

Next up was this box of goodies,

an almost complete lift kit.

The rear used long spring shackles,

the front used spring spacers.

The new bumper was tested with the jackstands.

No problem.

The original shackles were a symmetrical design,

with a connected bolt.

So the fuel tank had to be dropped to removed.

Fortunately the new shackles slid on quickly.

The pinion angle wasn't changed much.

The before shot had a tail stagger look.

The after shot had the nice stink bug look.

Like a truck should.

The front was held up with a coil over shock,

or something like a McPherson strut.

The cup basically pushed it all down.

At first I didn't like the 2-piece design,

but it allowed a rough alignment with the slotted holes.

The brake line bracket had to be cut 

and welded at a different angle,

otherwise it was a quick bolt in.

This raised the whole truck over 2"!

Makes the tires look even tinier.

The green daihatsu has spacers and quad wheels.

I'm thinking of a dually rear wheel setup.

The only issue was the front camber is really angled,

more than this pic shows.

I've got a few ideas to fix,

but only one can be used.

More on that later.

This drove for about a week,

then it started acting up again.

I swear some things are lemons!

Anyway I'll update soon.

TP

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

CAREG.com DMV registration scam

It's taken me years to figure out 

an easy way to save a couple bucks,

by paying car registration on time.

AAA made it quicker than the DMV,

but paying online is even faster.

I like the smaller registration cards they send out too,

cooler than the huge dot matrix printouts.

The iphone simplifies things even more,

especially on a Saturday evening.

I don't even have to go to the computer.

I googled DMV,

and clicked on a DMV website...

After clicking the registration tab,

the registration search had a new format.

Must be the mobile version.

After filling the license search form...

It was surprising to see a higher amount

then the renewal form in my hand!

What's this extra $34?

At first I got pissed.

Is CA so hard up they're charging online service fees?

$29 for a service fee,

$2 for a convenience fee,

$2-16 for shipping,

and $5 for an email!

I went to the computer and followed the same search pattern,

and realized my mistake.

I hit DMV.ORG/California,

the top hit on the google search,

which linked me to CAREG.COM,

who will happily take more money than your real renewal cost!

Granted it is an AD,

and there are warnings on the screen,

but who reads them!?

They must make a killing,

there's a dmv.org/everystate!!

Wonder how much that ad costs?

The real DMV.CA.GOV website set me at ease.

No wonder they're losing money,

they'll send me the registration for free!

TP