What are you doing today?

[Charlie Chops 1940]

Charlie, I like the sound of all that. What grille shell are you planning on?

Probably the ever popular '32 channeled over a shorter radiator to match the '28/29 cowl.

I'm also planning an x-member that will be 4" tall so that the floor can be sunken 2" below the frame rails, which will be about 3" lower than a stock A roadster floor. The floor and transmission/drive shaft tunnel will be sheet metal; removable but attached to the frame itself.

Although the track roadster pick-up was a huge success on almost all fronts it suffered from lack of leg room and less than chair-like seating. Lessons were learned and I want to try it again in what I consider to be the best possible configuration - a roadster and a pick up.

[enjenjo]

Today I made a bushing for a Honda that is here for a transmission. and a spacer/adapter to put an S10 shifter on a Jeep housing.

[WZ JUNK]

My wife and I left yesterday morning and drove to North Dakota to look at a 1954 Chevy we thought we would buy.  When we saw the car, we decided to pass on the deal.  Today we drove home.  Over 1500 miles, in a 19 year old pickup, in two days.  Not bad for old retired people.

As a side note, somewhere north of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the pin came out of my receiver hitch and safety chains on the car dolly did their job.  I have used that pin for over 20 years.  I do not know why it failed today.  My wife refused to walk back along the interstate to look for it.  We limped to the next town and bought a new pin.  I am so glad the dolly was empty.

John

[Beck]

My wife and I left yesterday morning and drove to North Dakota to look at a 1954 Chevy we thought we would buy.  When we saw the car, we decided to pass on the deal.  Today we drove home.  Over 1500 miles, in a 19 year old pickup, in two days.  Not bad for old retired people.

John

If it is over an hour drive I can't get my wife to go along. Then she tells me I need to find someone to go with me.  I'm thinking,,, Yea a new wife.

[PeterR]

As a side note, somewhere north of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the pin came out of my receiver hitch and safety chains on the car dolly did their job.  I have used that pin for over 20 years.  I do not know why it failed today.  My wife refused to walk back along the interstate to look for it.  We limped to the next town and bought a new pin.  I am so glad the dolly was empty.

John

Same thing occurred here with the factory supplied receiver hitch on a popular import pickup.

The sharp end of the hairpin caught against the chassis mounting plate welded to the receiver socket tube.   As the inner tube joggled and the cross pin moved in the clearance hole, the end of the hairpin walked down the face of the mounting plate until the hairpin was pushed back just far enough to jump out of the cross pin.  



There was a recall notice on these.  The modification was to weld a thick plate to the rear of the chassis mount plate so it filled the space almost to the edge of the cross pin hole.   This forced the hairpin to stay near vertical and prevented the end of the hairpin catching against the plate.

[enjenjo]

I picked up the steel to build a 5 by 10 enclosed trailer today. Over $400. All new steel.

[58 Yeoman]

I'd finally gotten the bottom seat cover for the 63 Ford, and installed it yesterday.  I got the seat remounted in the car today, then adjusted the brakes a bit tighter.  My new shocks came in today for the Ranger, so i installed those this afternoon.  I can't believe they came off so easy; 10 year old truck with 108,000 miles.  

I also balanced the rear tires with my little bubble balancer. Seems the local Costco people don't know how to balance tires.  I had new tires installed in August, and the rears kept shaking.  I took it back and they rebalanced all the tires, saying that only one rear was out.  It still shook. They had 3 1/2 ounces split between the outside and inside.  I put 3 on the inside only.  Seems this truck likes the weights only on the inside.  I never had this problem with the previous Coopers; the weights were always inside, and never had to keep re-balancing them.  I think I will just do it myself from now on.

[Beck]

I picked up the steel to build a 5 by 10 enclosed trailer today. Over $400. All new steel.

Are you using alumininum for the exterior sheeting? How do you attach it? I have been reading about the 3M double sided tape. It is expensive but it seems to work well for the aluminum to steel bond on the walls.

I am going to need an enclosed trailer soon. 14 ft tandem axle seems right for me. I didn't know if it was cost effective to build one over buying one.

[Beck]

I have been spending some time transporting my parents to medical appointments. They have been on me to check out my persistent cough. I had a chest x-ray and pulmonary test, then the Dr. follow-up. Unlike my father's, all of my test have been good. Monday I go for a colonoscopy. If that turns out well I know I am sucking and blowing out of the right places.

[enjenjo]

I picked up the steel to build a 5 by 10 enclosed trailer today. Over $400. All new steel.

Are you using alumininum for the exterior sheeting? How do you attach it? I have been reading about the 3M double sided tape. It is expensive but it seems to work well for the aluminum to steel bond on the walls.

I am going to need an enclosed trailer soon. 14 ft tandem axle seems right for me. I didn't know if it was cost effective to build one over buying one.

Yes, we are using an aluminum skin. Likely it will be riveted with blind rivets.

This trailer is kind of a special case, even though it is only 5 by 10 it will have tandem axles for a 5000 lb capacity. Plus some of the material is stuff I have on hand.

[Beck]

Are you not worried about the aluminum to steel contact causing corrosion? I thought there was supposed to be a barrier between them.

[enjenjo]

Are you not worried about the aluminum to steel contact causing corrosion? I thought there was supposed to be a barrier between them.

Packing tape. It's done on commercial trailers all the time. Cellophane tape prevents galvanic corrosion.

[58 Yeoman]

Are you not worried about the aluminum to steel contact causing corrosion? I thought there was supposed to be a barrier between them.

Packing tape. It's done on commercial trailers all the time. Cellophane tape prevents galvanic corrosion.

What! No duck tape?

[Bruce Dorsi]

Are you not worried about the aluminum to steel contact causing corrosion? I thought there was supposed to be a barrier between them.

Packing tape. It's done on commercial trailers all the time. Cellophane tape prevents galvanic corrosion.

Are the rivets steel or aluminum?  .....Won't they conduct the electrolysis?

[enjenjo]

Are you not worried about the aluminum to steel contact causing corrosion? I thought there was supposed to be a barrier between them.

Packing tape. It's done on commercial trailers all the time. Cellophane tape prevents galvanic corrosion.

Are the rivets steel or aluminum?  .....Won't they conduct the electrolysis?

Aluminum rivets. They don't seem to be a problem.