2021: What are you doing today

[kb426]

Phil, that factor has something to do with me not being in the country. Wells are so deep here, that they range around 20 grand to drill and 5 grand to repair a pump. The farm I grew up on had a well that was 160' deep. Now they are between 4oo to 600 feet deep.

[58 Yeoman]

Our well is 80, and I asked one of the guys about deeper wells...would they be better. Not necessarily so. He said there is one area around here that if he drills too far, it turns salty. I grew up about 3 miles from a small town that had salty water, until (IIRC) the late 60's when they drilled a new well. My well casing is 4". This guy says he does 24" wells. Whoa! No getting a 4" pump stuck there.

[enjenjo]

No results on the MRI yet. I'll find out Monday.

I went over to my buddy's house today and he asked if I like morels. I told him yes so he told me where to find them on his place, and I picked about 4 lbs. of them. Third week in a row that I found a big batch of them. The other two times was right in my own yard.

[Rochie]

Frank, you are a lucky man.  Love morels. I used two find them all over but not anymore.  Maybe someone is beating me to them

[idrivejunk]

Alls I gots is:

Bill, maybe you can tell me what the stainless button head allen head machine screw obsession is about. I have puzzled over that for years. Everybody does it, I just can't figure out why. My only theory is that for some reason the additional hand pain and frustration is how folks get their jollies nowadays.  :?  Should anti sieze be used on stainless machine screws?  When used with nutserts they seem to be a one shot if you're lucky thing... single use ... might as well be rivets in my experience.

Frank, the only thing I have witnessed that seems more incredible than the successes with hip and knee replacements is shoulder replacements. Dad recently had both done and even being over 80 but never complaining, he was back at it doing work that should be reserved for teenagers so fast it made my head spin. So it was suprising to hear repair mentioned, thats all. Hope that works out for you in the best way possible.

I don't have a well story but the septic at the shop has become fairly inoperative. Used to be only when raining but it has gotten to a point where even if I get the gurgly gut grumble #2 urge, I'm an hour drive from a place where I can actually use the bathroom.

[Beck]

The house I grew up in had just a "point" driven into the ground (sand) through the basement floor. There was no drilling. The pump was sitting on the basement floor, but it was unlike the pumps in the deep wells. It looked more like an air compressor. There was never a water shortage there. When the Mississippi River got high there was plenty of seep water above ground.

[chimp koose]

fixing my fish pond

[phat46]

Had a frustrating but yet rewarding day today. I got my fan shroud remade, first attempt had to be redone, as is normal. Went to five parts places chasing a lower rad hose and two belts. Our local NAPA store was closed before 3:30 today, a Saturday! So I did the rounds of the AutoReillyZone places. Most just told me to go look myself. One gal had to go ask her manager how to look up fan belts by size, her male counterpart also had no idea. But, long story short, I got my water pump spacers I had ordered April 14 today! Put them on, cut the hole in the shroud for the fan and got that looking good, my measurements, taken from before I had the spacers came out correct, fan is half in and half out of the shroud. Now if I can only find a lower hose....

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Tony, any luck with the phone?  We use TracFone for ours and haven't had any real problems, other than one dying on me once years ago. Prepaid it costs me about ~$130 per year for more minutes/text/data that I can use. It costs my wife more because she keeps using up all her data and has to buy more. They're Androids.

Phil:  shhhhhh , quiet.    

So far this new phone is working waaaay better than the other "new " phone.   Not to jinx it I hope.  In a couple weeks I will know for sure.

The manager guy was very good to work with.  He seemed to understand I was not being a 'richard" about the situation.  If fact I paid a few more bucks difference for the upgraded phone.  BUT:  most of that is creditted back to us via another Master card cash card.     This phone was covered under a "different" promo.  

[kb426]

Matt, 2 thoughts: the septic tank probably needs pumped out. To maintain the proper balance in those, through in a can of active yeast from the grocery store occasionally. That creates the bacteria that eat the goodies. Hand cleaners and solvents kill those bacteria. Button head bolts serve 2 functions for me. The 1st being a clean and rust free appearance. I would rather use 12 point head fasteners but the gold iridation doesn't last long in everyday weather. Stainless is very ductile. Overtightening is usually what causes them to seize. Antiseize helps but isn't a cureall. I won't use stainless in any high stress application. Last, I keep a supply of those in my bolt cabinet. I don't in smaller sizes of steel fasteners.

[kb426]

I sold my Honda VFR yesterday. The buyer had truck trouble and was 4 hours behind schedule. He drove 350 miles to get the bike. I owned it for almost 21 years. There was some sadness in seeing it go. I may get a bike to replace it but that's not an immediate action on my part. That was my travel buddy for a long time. Lots of memories.

[idrivejunk]

Matt, 2 thoughts: the septic tank probably needs pumped out. To maintain the proper balance in those, through in a can of active yeast from the grocery store occasionally. That creates the bacteria that eat the goodies. Hand cleaners and solvents kill those bacteria. Button head bolts serve 2 functions for me. The 1st being a clean and rust free appearance. I would rather use 12 point head fasteners but the gold iridation doesn't last long in everyday weather. Stainless is very ductile. Overtightening is usually what causes them to seize. Antiseize helps but isn't a cureall. I won't use stainless in any high stress application. Last, I keep a supply of those in my bolt cabinet. I don't in smaller sizes of steel fasteners.

So do you still have a street bike left? You had that one as long as I've had the big GP so I get what you mean. Selling the 72 Cutlass Supreme that was in the family 22 years felt like outright sin.

They did come pump the septic but the issue didn't stay fixed long. One tank serves 3 bathrooms and more guys now, and eats a lot of Fast Orange and dish soap. That these hinder the bacterial action is news to me but makes sense. I had written it off as due to staff growth and percieved relative unimportance. Does the progressively worsening failure during rain provide a clue?

All valid and logical points on the fastener thing and thanks. Wasn't meaning to pick at you. Its the confounded allen head that eludes me. My fingers when I can feel them feel like bananas. Allen wrenches are torturous in that situation. Add to that the fact that so often they are used out of context such as with the Camaro's roll pan. I went in Monday needing to make short work of that deal and right off the bat discovered a large number of nutserts and tiny stainless button allen heads, many of which would not even unscrew and many misaligned with no screws in.

At that moment my heart sank because it meant destroying a weekend's healing efforts first thing in the week. It took over an hour just to remove 20 screws just to adjust fit and retry and that was not going to fly. Each hole was exactly only the size of the screw and the heads barely grab they are so small, so perfect alignment at each hole was required. Trying to use a ratchet and bit immediately destroys the screw head if the panel is against one side of the nutsert threads, and allen wrenches are pure torture to use, for me, due to their unforgiving and microscopic nature. So it has always eluded me how all other factors get disregarded in the name of a subjectively "better" look.

I thought it was laughable but have much respect for the guy who did it so promised myself I'd be sure to offer my assistance in future fab endeavors and perhaps be able to provide alternative suggestions. I am a big big believer in body bolts for body panels.

[58 Yeoman]

Back in the late 70's or early 80's, I stopped at a friends garage to talk with him, and he and his son were assembling their '51 Ford PU. The dad had SS Allen head knurled bolts for attaching the front fenders, in the drill press. He would put the bolt in the press and start it, then use a file to file off the knurl. It looked good, but was a lot of work (this truck was definitely NOT STOCK). I wish I had pix.

[kb426]

Matt, I have 2 bikes left. The dr650 is what gets ridden most. I bought it in 2004.

[idrivejunk]

Bikes get in a guy's blood for life.   Like with my brother.  I had big scares early on and shyed away from the danger but believe that fear has served a purpose in my career. I would enjoy tachs that wrap like tetherballs zipping thru gears and leaning into corners as much as the next guy, just the necessary safe feeling can't be had on our roads. Yours probably heck yeah, nice wide two lanes heckle you as if to say "How much throttle ya got, left, boy?"

Phil I'd say grinding knurls off is yeah pretty hardcore showmanship.  I've come to understand that the show car world has less to do with amazing expressions of the baddest ride and more to do with degree of willpower over minutia and detailing, along with of course bottomlessness of finances.

I always wondered why GM caliper bolts are allens.  :?:

Whiny GP took me out for breakfast... its 72, overcast and kinda still with light traffic. Storms on the way, neighbor already woke all with mower, gas in the car already... I see no reason not to go have me a good rip snort off the 455 while the getting's good. Art after, or nap.

I love my Mom something fierce. By the way. I am extremely fortunate to still have two great parents and unshakeable family unity.