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

Klunker nope Bomber #33

Let's welcome the new two wheeled addition

to the Perich quiver.

Yes Houston we have a problem...

These things multiply like rabbits!

It all started with a chance Ebay score.

Okay it wasn't really by chance.

With the rainy season dwindling early,

it's possible to explore the local paths.

With two older kids,

we don't need to be fighting over rides!

What a great excuse...

So I hunted and scrounged,

scoring this bitchin 1936 Schwinn C model frame,

80's gold wheels and a truss fork.

Of course a budget frame will have issues...

The rear axle dropouts were seriously splayed out.

Good thing I know a welder!

This is quality 80 year old metal,

TIG rod beefed up the deadened space.

The worst were the fender crosspieces,

mangled by over tightening fasteners through the years.

The tubular steel was replaced with stronger solid rod,

sourced from a couple of long bolts.

A little heat and coercion,

the curves were matched better than original.

Most important was filing and sanding

the leftover braze,

allowing a clean weld.

Lotsa splatter and holes if you don't.

Since fenders aren't in the future,

no holes were drilled yet.

There's a possibility for BMX style brakes,

then the overbuild will be needed.

A couple seat posts welder from some shop scrap,

ready to roll...

But let's throw some paint on there first.

We went hog wild with the patina.

And beyond hog wild on the badge.

Can't ride it without an overpriced one of those...

Fortunately there are cheap-ish badges around,

even if you go Gucci with an Excelsior or Ace.

Beaters shine up sweet with some paint and time.

The gold BMX wheels needed hand brakes.

Decisions of drums, cantilevers, welding pivots...

Too much thinking.

For now a set of coaster brake rims will do,

changing the klunker build to a bomber.

Back in the 70's,

klunkers had gears and hand brakes,

bombers used more simple foot brakes.

The aluminum cranks and wheels make this super light,

resulting in a quick and fun ride.

The old road bike Brooks saddle is softer than it looks!

T

G

G

Bomba

Holey Chit!!

It's been almost 3 months!!!

Had a few hiccups this year,

writing had some difficulty flowing.

However pics and projects haven't stopped.

Let's start with a semi-recent work project...

This was a super-leaky and almost seized 

berkeley water pump.

A dozen years ago they simply replaced it,

but the not-too-local shop wanted almost $2800!!

I'm sure a rebuild woulda been cheaper,

if it wasn't for the "lets hit it with a hammer to loosen it" situation.

The broken packing gland/housing is cast iron.

I tried stick welding with the special rod,

but access was limited.

The easiest solution was brazing.

Not the prettiest but it's dang strong.

The previous dissassembly was a pita.

I ended up cutting the shaft in pieces,

welded a bolt to the impeller section,

and used an impact gun to twist it out.

I couldn't resist some rattlecan wonder.

At the time it was in the 30's,

so the stockroom was heated up as a spray booth.

The assembly was a piece of cake.

The new shaft is stainless steel,

so it should last forever compared to the original.

The rebuild kit was about $600,

after time and materials,

this saved over half the rebuild estimate.

And I was able to fix a broken impact gun

while the paint dried.

The guys at work will never get new equipment!

The worst was yet to come.

Before installation,

a 5-gallon bucket of rust was scooped out of the tank.

I was trying to get out of this type of work,

by going to a cushy city job.

Oh well!

The plate shield had deteriorated to dust.

I hammered out a bolt-in screen,

hopefully this keeps the pump healthy.

The tank already had some rust through holes,

the thickness probably half in most places.

An experiment with a couple boat zincs

may stall any electrolysis from the mineral rich well water.

All wrapped up!

Let's see how long it lasts...

More soon!

TP