What are you doing today?

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Bolted the center chunk back into the 8 inch Diff under my Falcon.  Had the posi apart checking clutch packs.

Need to decide If I want to pull the C4 trans out of the Falcon... to install a rollerized gear train into the C4.

Fixed a new underfloor brake pedal assembly I bought off eBay for the  1948 Simca project. Fellow build this stuff, sells on eBay.  I Figure the pedal arm and rod should be in line with the master cylinder.  Not sure why I have to fix so many new parts I buy any more

[Carnut]

Not today, but back on Christmas day we had some gail force and bitterly cold winds going on.

So, a repaired area of my old roof decided to come up and blow in the wind. Lost one full shingle and what remained was bent up in such a way that with each wind gust they would bang down on the roof quite loudly.

I couldn't handle this, I don't know the first thing about roofing or shingling, but I figured I had to do something to either save a portion of my roof or at least stop the irritating noise.

So I got the ladder out and went up onto the roof. Now I didn't do this with much aplomb, I just happen to have quite a fear of heights so this wasn't just an easy excursion for me. I literally crawled my way up to the peak and then along the peak to the end of my roof and to where the shingles were blown up and flapping in the wind. Again I know nothing about how shingles work, but I didn't think I could get anyone out on Christmas Day to come work on my roof, so I went at it.

When I got to the shingles i moved them around and nudged things back in place and then sat on them to maybe get the gummy parts to stick and not blow up again.

I then moved back around and crawled back along the roof and very gingerly got myself back on the ladder. This was tremendously scary to me, all the time I was thinking how my healing broken wrist was gonna handle the situation. It hurt but it held up and I managed to get back down and back into the house out of the wind and sub 20 temps.

Feeling all flushed at the success of my activity, and warming up in my warm house, it only lasted for about 5mins and the banging started again.

Now what to do? I was almost too scared to get back up, but in my feeble mind I just had to get back up there and fix it. So i gather up what little courage I had left and took a powered drill driver, put a box of screws in my coat pocket and went and grabbed the ladder and climbed my way back onto the roof. For some reason with the drill driver along for the trip crawling my way back along the roof seemed ever scarier. I don't have much balance ability left in my body so I didn't trust myself to get off all fours, or maybe that should be all six as I was using hands, knees and feet to hold on.

Anyhow I made it back to the repair area and determined that I would have to remove my gloves to be able to handle the screws and driver together. Surprisingly I managed to get some screws and out, connect to the driver and get some screwed into the shingles which then helped my hands to really get frozen. Think I got enough in to hold them down for the rest of the weather. I know there are probably many engineering reasons why I shouldn't have done what I did with  the screws. Hopefully I can get someone to do a correct repair some day, but so fat they are still holding.

I managed to get myself back across the roof and down the ladder successfully without losing or damaging anything and to this day the repair is still holding. Heh, heh, but my poor bare hands really took a beating in that cold blowing wind.

Also one of the reasons I remembered this episode and decided to post about it is because I'm now recovering from the worlds worst rug burns' on my knees from my crawling across the roof. I bet I was a quite a site up there on that roof hugging it with all my might.

I've never been known for having any common sense.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Modified - fixed brake pedal assembly.  master cyl is a unit I bought some time back for the Simca Project.

A few photos with notes on the corrections I made

[enjenjo]

I spent the last couple of days working on the seat in the 32. I'm still a beginner at this and blind and senile. The previous version was white vinyl and black suede. I wasn't satisfied with what I had done or the way the suede was working. I bought ultraleather and went to work. It was really different to work with than the previous material so I got educated some. I'm not planning on another redo soon. There's some things that aren't perfect but I'm ready to drive my hot rod.

I find leather much harder to work with than vinyl. You seat looks good from here.

[enjenjo]

So I got the ladder out and went up onto the roof. Now I didn't do this with much aplomb, I just happen to have quite a fear of heights so this wasn't just an easy excursion for me. I literally crawled my way up to the peak and then along the peak to the end of my roof and to where the shingles were blown up and flapping in the wind. Again I know nothing about how shingles work, but I didn't think I could get anyone out on Christmas Day to come work on my roof, so I went at it.

I find that the older I get, the more fear of heights I have. I guess because I am not as nimble as I once was.

[kb426]

enjenjo, thank you.

[Mikej]

So I got the ladder out and went up onto the roof. Now I didn't do this with much aplomb, I just happen to have quite a fear of heights so this wasn't just an easy excursion for me. I literally crawled my way up to the peak and then along the peak to the end of my roof and to where the shingles were blown up and flapping in the wind. Again I know nothing about how shingles work, but I didn't think I could get anyone out on Christmas Day to come work on my roof, so I went at it.

I find that the older I get, the more fear of heights I have. I guess because I am not as nimble as I once was.

I know a 12' drop is not enough to start flying but maybe 25' would do it. Get back up there..........

[sirstude]

I absoulutley agree  on the heights.  Today I am up in Great Falls seeing my grandson.  He just had lunch and drank from a bottle for the first time.  He shouldn't be able to do that for 3 to 4 more weeks, so is doing great!  I did manage to get the fuel line build and installed in the Oldsmobile last weekend, just need a couple of clamps that I was out of.  Should be able to finish putting the original air bags back in  the rear tomorrow.  I have to quit changing my mind.  Happy New Year to all

Doug

[enjenjo]

I put up a coat rack today that the wife got for Christmas. I needed a stud finder for the screws that hold it up. It wasn't much help, it would only go off when I pointed it at myself

[phat46]

I put up a coat rack today that the wife got for Christmas. I needed a stud finder for the screws that hold it up. It wasn't much help, it would only go off when I pointed it at myself

I'd take that stud finder back, it's obviously broken!   As a side note I have a lot better luck just tapping on a wall with my knuckles to find studs.

[purplepickup]

I spent the last couple of days working on the seat in the 32.........

It looks real good to me too.  The diversity of the projects you take on is always impressive.

If I'm going to keep my truck much longer into my senior years I've got to change my seating to something more like you've got with the back as far back as possible with the bench part angled to fit me and long enough, front to rear.  It looks like you built in some lumbar support too.  Is that seat frame a modified frame from something like a minivan or something?  Did I miss a post you made when you originally made it?

[Charlie Chops 1940]

I think those battery powered stud finders work best when you remove the drywall/plaster/whatever in the way....

[kb426]

Purplepickup, the seat is one of those lovely Chrysler mini van seats. When I went looking I found some at around 38" wide and then some at about 45" wide. I had to shave most of the foam off at the top of the back. It was the same thickness from top to bottom on the back. Way comfy, way thick. Not working in our trucks. I used 2" medium density foam for the lumbar and then shaved from the peak back to a taper both directions. When I recovered it the first time a year ago, I added almost 2" to the bottom also. My right knee was up off the seat in normal driving position. Because most shows are 200 miles one way for me, I wanted some more support. I tapered it back towards the rear of the cab down to just a little bit. Now with the ultraleather, I'm really looking forward to warming weather. The original build was back in 2007. I drove it until a year ago with that god awful stock mini van upholstery. It served it's purpose but it sure is a buzz kill to sit on a seat just like the soccer kids.  

[wayne petty]

made a local tire shop owner smile HUGE...

today i got to fine tune the 77 quadrajet on his 71 GMC shop truck..

i had rebuilt it last week but the truck was not driven until yesterday... and it had a huge bog...

i had him back up across the parking lot.. accelerate with some decent throttle.. it accelerated, bogged hard then picked up hard again... i pulled the air cleaner.. took out the APT tool in my pocket.. and gave it a whole turn upward.. counter clockwise.. it was   set at 2 1/2 turns up from the lowest limit. when i took it apart i found it bottomed out..  he backed it up and hammered down again. the bog was almost completely gone.. i turned it up 1/4 turn more.. had him try it again...   he got rubber on that attempt and had a huge smile..    i sent him around the block this time.. said no bog.. but i gave it another 1/4 turn up.. sent him again around the block.. had to go back down 1/4 turn.. man .. was he happy..  he had no idea that truck would run like that...

some time soon.. i am going to throw together a group of images and put it up about quadrajet APT adjustments..
i managed to overwrite the ones i had taken of the carb when it was apart..  darn cell phone cameras...

[purplepickup]

Purplepickup, the seat is one of those lovely Chrysler mini van seats.

Thanks for the helpful info.  I'm still looking at options.  Just got a Pontiac Vibe interior for another project and tried buckets and reat seats in the truck...some potential but still need mucho reworko.