Back in Black - google vs iphone

Wow this is like walking back into a dusty old shop after a long vacation!!
Here’s one of the main excuses for my absence...


During the early iPhone era,
The blogger app made it so easy to write,
upload pictures and edit.


I could pre-write or pre-load pics to multiple articles,
write stuff while the ideas were fresh.
Some withered while others flourished.


Then by chance there was an article about the IOS update not supporting the Blogger app,
or was it Blogger unwilling to conform to the new IOS platform?
The article concerned a huge elementary/middle school student logging  population
that would be forced to use the dreaded blogger y2k website.

I didn’t update my iPhone for over a year,
which resulted in Ebay and credit card apps being unusable also!
Boy how I suffered...

Then late last year the inevitable happened.
The iPhone 6 battery was frying out.
(I didn’t mention losing the 5C on the fender of the 40 one night...)
Verizon sharks upselled 2 XR’s to us,
and the dreaded moment happened...


I’ve kept the blogger click button just in case
they make a deal with apple again.
Why are they so hard-headed?
Just to sell more google based phones?
Fools...

Now I’m stuck with the old website,
the same one I used with the Mac mini and a mouse.
The iPhone XR screen seemed huge until writing this.
I am at reading glasses age now...

Well there’s another reason for my hiatus I’ll talk about later,
until then hopefully some of you are still out there!!
TP!

The screech

It's been 4-5 years 

since wedging the 302/5.0

into the green 40.

Long enough I can't pinpoint within a year!!

Holey chit...

This time period has been a battle.

Long term readers may remember,

custom brackets were fabbed up

to fit in a mopar alternator.

I had mistakenly bought the newer regulator type,

not the old points style,

which is larger and uglier than the early 60's radial housing.

From a distance still looks better than a ford or chevy.

The mistake ended up being the correct choice,

as a '76-'78 distributor was modified with an 80's Chevy electronic ignition module,

which pairs up best with the higher output

and the solid state regulator.

"Where's the battle?" you ask.

The battle emanated 

from an occasional piercing belt screech.

Over the years I've changed the alignment,

at least 3 different times.

The main bracket was off a hair,

long studs allowed adjustment as well,

and a new belts would be quiet til they weren't.

The temporary fix was having extra belts,

about one a year.

Was it 5 or 6?

The permanent solution was so easy

it's embarrassing to admit.

Basically the little inside bracket would pivot under force,

allowing the alternator to swing crooked,

resulting in el screecho.

All that was needed,

was a second hole,

which wouldn't allow the twist.

Less than 2 hours total time,

lifted a half decade weight.

Doh...

Now that we had a solid running rig,

the goal was to make it a snow car.

After months and years of searching,

a budget trac-loc/posi/limited slip center 

was scored on eBay.

The 8" rear had a street perfect 3.00 ratio,

so I was picky to not want dragstrip gearing.

Since Jaxon was back from his summer so-cal stay,

he was volunteered to focus all those years 

of push-ups and junk moving,

installing his first pumpkin.

Ahhh child labor has its benefits.

The gamble on an original 70's unit

seemed like a mistake the first.

Clunk ...clunk...clunk...

until oil additive and figure 8's 

finally soaked in.

The difference was significant.

Maybe no chains this year,

I found some old studded tires that look fun.

Now we're ready for winter!

Okay maybe windshield wipers 

and door windows would be nice...

TP

Splitting a kubota L3750 tractor and BF900 front loader

Holey Chit!!

It's been almost 3 months...

Let's not waste any more time!!

Two posts ago I wrote about this tractor.

Since then a half day was spent on it

to get the steering working.

We were planning on using it to pull an aerator,

the thing that makes holes in grass fields.

It didn't take long,

one weekend,

before the guys busted it yet again.

I realized at that moment,

my job here at PIR is fixing wounded soldiers,

sending them back on the battlefield 

to fight against hack equipment operators.

My coworkers are an interesting bunch,

good guys just not mechanical.

I've had to show them what a temperature gauge does,

how to read an oil dipstick,

why not to put gas in a diesel mower,

how to drive a stick...

Yes.

These are the guys using our equipment!

It reminded me of an old friend that was a movie set painter.

He'd spend weeks/days/hours building and painting,

they'd shoot the scene(s),

and tear apart the set the next day.

Sadly frustrating.

The carrot on the stick 

is the check every 2 weeks,

and not having to pay for parts.

That's enough to overcome my personal issues!!

That fateful weekend resulted in a burnt out clutch.

It was running so good too.

To replace the clutch,

the front loader needs to be removed,

then the tractor is split in two.

Sounds like fun!!

Before the misplaced manual was found,

I watched videos and read forums on

"How to remove a front loader from a tractor".

Not surprising,

a ton of videos on the newer idiot-proof machinery,

with kick-stands that are permanently hinged.

No info on tinker-toy engineering from the  1980's.

Yes,

this post is for you internet mechanics.

Hopefully you find it on your Google searches!!

This procedure took two of us about an hour,

including not fully reading the manual.

(I just needed the one assembled picture

to steer me in the right direction.)

We had added the two vertical arms too early,

and the wedge pins didn't pop out easily.

Hey I didn't grow up on a farm...

I'm new to this tractor game!!

The next time will maybe take 20 minutes.

I'm hoping pictures are worth a thousand words,

cause I'm not writing a play by play...

But this guy did years ago!

Just one picture woulda been nice!

Thanks J.D.!!

So yea here's the start to hopefully more regular posting.

The race season was so crazy here,

lotsa pic-stories comin up,

and I got a couple more projects...

there's a bunch to write about.

Until next time...

TP

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

Kubota L3750 - gremlins

Unbelievably this is my second season

working at PIR - 

Portland International Raceway.

As recently as 2 years ago,

 I'da never expected my trajectory 

to be a union/government employee.

Honestly the exact opposite!!

Much less moving the entire family north.

What the heck happened!?

Well so far there are no major complaints or regrets,

luckily the wife and kids are adjusting to a seasonal life,

hot sun-rain-snow-cold... 

Not so-cal!

So working at a racetrack is about as glamorous

as building hot rods or fixing boats.

Not very!!

Fortunately I like this type of work.

Keeps ya busy,

and at the end of the day there's visible accomplishments.

Last year I fixed up the mangled grill,

and zip tied it into place.

It didn't last!

It didn't last long!

If you look in the above pics,

the grill lines up with the flatbed rails...

Doink!

The plastic grill was beyond any timely repair,

and it would've just been destroyed again.

The battery sits in the lower half,

but there is nothing above it.

May as well make a recessed screen grill.

Function before form...

Next was straightening the deformed bucket.

That left side dent stress-warped 

the bottom scraper edge.

I tried our leaky portapower,

and was left with an oily mess.

The easiest fix was my trusty clamps,

and a couple thru-bolts.

This clamp crate can do wonders that's for sure.

Ultimately the goal was only to straighten the bottom edge,

as the tractor basically acted like a bent dustpan,

always leaving a mess.

Next was a ten year electric glitch.

It would take a magic key twist to start,

and previous mechanics were stumped.

Once started,

the guys would just leave it running.

Nothing worse than getting stuck 

on the other side of the property.

After dismantling all the sheetmetal,

the problem was obvious.

A worn safety switch wire.

I made a guard to keep muddy boots from snagging it.

Now that it was working,

the last goal was to make it useful.

With no weight on the back end,

the tractor couldn't lift too much.

Rotors, flywheels and weights were scrounged at the auto swap meet in April,

and a simple post bracket welded to the rear.

Each change in weight made a huge difference.

I ended up cutting the hats off the rotors,

adding as much weight as possible for the height.

I'll make something out of those...

Gremlins are gone...

Now back to work!!

TP