Tanker Leak

Little pictures make everything look good.

This tanker truck was dripping water,

actually streaming water.

A small hole sidelined this thing for a week.

The leak was at the pump manifold,

a basic 4" pipe and elbow.

After years working on metal boats,

this was like old times.

Inside was about what I expected,

craters and pits.

Just like any rust cancer spot,

the outer damage is 1/10 of what's hidden behind.

Bring out the ole donkey dick... 

grind away.

If only it was a little longer.

The hole was mig welded in and out.

Crude but effective.

When I remember something like

"everything you learned got you to this point"...

Why didn't I learn how to just make a pile of cash?

Instead I get the dirty job no one else here can do!

My trusty can of epoxy primer.

Yea I actually brought this up from SD,

just in case a side job came up.

The paint fumes musta gave me a little flashback.

A couple partial coats and this was good to go.

If I repair stuff too bulletproof,

I won't have anything to do if I stick around here!

The anxiousness I had when we filled the tank up,

reminded me of all the boats dropped in the water.

Will the welds hold?

Will the seals leak?

Is everything put together correctly?

No problem...

Bring on the next project!

TP

The challenge- Kubota L3750 tractor

Ok remind me next time 

to take before and after shots.

This is an after-after shot!

Lower your light setting,

and squint your eyes,

and that's what this tractor looked like.

A power washing uncovered bright orange paint,

and multiple signs of age.

Everyone said this was in its last legs,

beyond its life expectancy.

Hyeeellll no...

Them's fightin' words!!

If the engine runs,

the transmission changes gears,

and the hydraulics hydraulic,

I'll keep this thing alive just for fun!

Actually it's more of a necessity.

Basically all the equipment here is either donated,

castaways or auctioned beaters.

The lifeblood is called

"Friends of PIR",

a local group which collects donations to acquire needed chit.

All handouts are welcome!

I'll have to edit a link in here...

This place works with the good ole shoestring budget,

and that's what makes it right up my alley.

Who wants to work on new chit?

This poor beast hadn't been serviced in years!

Besides the overdue fluid changes,

I tried to put as much lipstick on this pig as possible.

It's funny cause there's bits and pieces 

of experience years of experience here.

I've done the same fixits just not on a tractor.

Torch and clamps...

Grinding and welding...

Holes and zip ties...

Cheesy but strong brackets...

This canopy flapped like chicken wings,

it was like watching a cartoon character.

Lastly was the punch in the face mug.

Doesn't it look like a beat up transformer?

It's sayin "give it to me...

I can take it!!"

F

I removed the broken lights,

whipped out some bent screens,

and sewed the grille with zip ties.

Dirt and leaves had blocked half the radiator!

From 30 feet it looks 10 years younger,

and should last at least double that.

Good times....

TP

Child Labor - fuel pump swap

So if you haven't figured out,

I just finished my 3rd month

being 1000 miles away from my family,

chillin' in the PDX winter.

Surprisingly it's been smooth sailing,

no major issues, sickness or accidents...

Knock on wood!

The kids have really stepped it up,

the wife's handling it best she can.

It's almost like all I have to do is pay for stuff.

Thankfully there's FaceTime, phone and texting!

Well last week was the big test,

the wife's Merc wouldn't start.

Great.

I'd been warned of the issue beforehand,

the car would take a few key turns sometimes.

I planned for an ignition coil to burn out,

but not this.

Since the Grand Marquis is basically like the van,

we gambled that it was the fuel pump.

Now,

could the kids replace it?

This was their time to shine.

Let's see what they've learned all these years...

They studied the manual and said heck yea.

I ordered the fuel pump up here from Oreilly,

Jaxon rode his bike and picked it up.

They learned my late start and late stop,

pulling out the old drop light.

Everything went relatively smoothly,

we had texted and called a number of times.

Then the big WHABAMP...

Turns out the fasteners holding the tank straps

are special breakaway studs.

There was a 1/2-1" gap,

no way to get a nut back on!

Leave it to Jake for YouTube and web searching,

this was a common problem in all Panther based cars-

Lincoln Town Cars, Crown Vic's, Grand Marquis...

Some fixes we're extending the straps with bolt-on flatbar,

ordering the replacement breakaway studs from a ford dealer,

(Tough on a Sunday!)

or what the kids chose,

adding a u-bolt and replacing the hinge pin.

They added a strip of neoprene to really cinch it up.

Anyway super proud of them for pulling this off,

gettin their Mom back on the road.

Good job guys!!

TP

Where are they now - baywatch & silver bullet - v4

Let's see if this will jog your media memory.

Here's some pre-y2k icons,

ya may remember or may not.

I tried to find a Coors Light commercial 

with this 1999 Nissan Frontier.

Nothing quick on YouTube or google.

Supposedly they teamed up,

possibly for a Super Bowl ad.

Probably why I don't remember it!

I do remember this one!

Not sure if it's the same year.

Anyway,

now it's relegated to track duty.

This is the "silver bullet" banding truck,

used to band the tires together as safety bumpers.

I guess one of the first track managers invented the procedure,

and it is used worldwide.

More on that later...

The next is the Baywatch truck.

It's weird to realize marketers use TV shows 

to promote everything from clothes to cars.

By 1999 Baywatch was on for like 10 years,

so there's dozens of "baywatch trucks".

It looks like there was a competition between Toyota and Nissan.

I'm sure a lot of schmoozing goes on behind the scenes.

Interestingly the 98/99 model was a revamp,

so the show promoted a truck that wasn't available yet,

the move from the "Nissan Hardbody"

with the fender bulges,

to the more current styling.

Not cool enough to make a real model though!

This one is used as an emergency vehicle,

mainly during race days.

Since it was a pre-production prototype,

some important stuff is rigged,

probably cause they were only used for the show,

not 17 years later!

This one seemed to have the wrong driveshaft,

the carrier bearing was about 5/16" off.

Instead of resizing driveshafts,

easier to change the tab length.

Think like a welder not a mechanic!

Crude but effective!

I don't quite understand the reasoning for the bearing,

the transmission has the slip yoke,

the rear end moves up and down changing DS length,

and the carrier bearing seems useless.

Whatever, now it's fixed!

The perk was the following day,

test driving it on the track,

which includes the dragstrip!

Lastly,

this dance step to wipe out the check engine light

didnt work!

Yep this is like the "where are they now" graveyard.

Until next time...

TP