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

The Invaders - part 0 - plates

So we are the invaders...

The dreaded influx that have clogged Portland,

jamming up traffic,

stealing the good jobs,

raising up housing costs...

Born from a community in San Diego,

Point Loma,

that kinda prides itself on localism,

I'm aware of the importance (to me) of blending in.

Nothing's worse than the out of state plate guy,

driving like an idiot,

taking up valuable space.

When I was a kid,

we visited Oregon.

I remember seeing a bunch of these bumper stickers.

In the 70's and 80's Oregonism was very strong,

and about 10 years ago the new wave created another push back.

Now it seems like the invaders are winning.

The locals are retreating to Washington and the outer regions,

the city locals are like the French in WWII.

I've written a "how to" before about this blending in,

and acquired a couple old trucks,

which really fake deep Oregon roots.

Coffee and craft beer drinking newbs 

are most likely to drive the subaru line...

In October the van brought up its last load north,

and it was here to stay,

or that's the plan.

It was time to do the out of state registration dance.

Oregon has a bevy of plate styles,

the extra fees partially go to the representative need.

Bike riders, 

fisherman,

environmentalists

wine-o's...

How to choose?

One of the cooler versions is the original Pacific Wonderland plates,

and similar to California's black plates,

they did a reissue.

Of course there's a $100 gift fee to the historical society,

but what do you do for self consciousness.

While I was blowing our hard earned money

on frivolous vanity,

the DMV clerk said to make sure you use special fasteners.

Thieves steal plates and sell or transfer them.

What?

Well in Oregon the plates are not state owned.

You don't turn them in,

they are the owners property.

You can sell your car,

and keep the tags.

There's no plate # check to transfer either,

for a $7 transfer you can bring in a pair and register them.

"Write your legislator to change it" she said...

At that moment I realized I just blew $100 for nothing.

Instead of fixing a leak,

I'd rather reap the benefits!

The coolest Oregon plates are the old yellow ones,

with the embossed month.

I found the month we needed on eBay,

and pushed my luck on a DMV transfer.

The plate # was from a discontinued # series,

but these were from a 1966 VW that was still in the computer.

The wild card being they were still a live plate.

Luckily the transfer completed!!

Now the van looks like an local snow beaten work truck...

A huge giveaway are our two SoCal dogs.

These thin-skinned pups aren't too fond of the cold...

TP

Marantz Model 112 Tuner - LED wow

Gotta start purging some posts I've got stockpiled.

Here's a boring how-to mini-project 

I just finished.

Portland craigslist is addicting.

There are some great deals,

that would be scooped up in seconds in San Diego.

Here they linger for days,

and it's still possible to lowball a better deal.

This seller was interesting.

Willing to give up a Harley restoration shop,

in trade for a life busking a$$,

singing on the streets for money.

Really!!

He was gonna start taking voice lessons even.

We had an interesting conversation,

paralleling shop stories of projects done for chump change.

I went to a life as an indentured government servant,

he was looking for freedom.

Ahh getting old...

Well we needed a tuner,

as the sansui au-717 is just an amp,

and recently I've been hooked 

on the local jazz station KMHD 89.1fm.

It's a great backdrop to life.

Stream it sometime 7-10am and 3-6pm.

Good chit.

This is the first Marantz piece I've scored.

Many love the brand,

but they're a rare bird in SD.

This Model 112 tuner had good reviews,

even though it's a bit simple.

The little machine pulled in radio stations

with the shortest of antennas.

The only issue being some burnt "fuse" bulbs.

LED upgrades were found on eBay,

and the install was about 3 long songs,

with one shot of whiskey.

Wow what a difference!

I'll definitely stick with the hi-tech upgrade

for future projects.

They use less energy,

don't create melting heat,

and supposedly last forever.

Way more rambling audio fixes in store.

Our new place has the perfect repair bar,

and I've been hunting craigslist like a madman.

Now time to crank some tunes...

TP