2021: What are you doing today

[idrivejunk]

Somebody must have had a tough row of stumps to pull, right next to some pavement.  

[enjenjo]

I mounted my old winch on a snowmobile trailer a couple weeks ago so it's time to put the new one on my big trailer. I decided to mount the fairlead to the front crossmember to the trailer, it took two brackets to do it. I fabricated the brackets, bolted them to the fairlead, and it came out 17.5" wide. I needed 14" so I re-figured, marked new holes, and got as far as drilling pilot holes, and it didn't look right, so I rechecked it. Now it was 13". So I moved the holes again, after two tries any idiot can do it. Now it was 15". :oops:  On the fourth try I got it right! If anyone asks about the extra holes, it was to save weight.

[phat46]

Been playing with a new painting the last few days. Red is my Achilles heel. I can do about six bars on the grille precession. There's no deadline so no need to rush it. About ten hours so far, probably another 6-8 left. It's 18" X 24"

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Watched a few more old TV shows recently.  Perry Mason, Lone Ranger, others

[Charlie Chops 1940]

Went to the Nationals for Thursday and Friday, returned home yesterday. Nice trip, but there was a LOT of road reconstruction and was wasn't under construction was half so-so and half really crappy.

The show was good, the exhibit building was pretty much mask free with a fair amount of empty spots. Looked at the new products display and had serious sticker shock, particularly a new, bare 55-57 Chevy frame for $8500. Swap meet was at about 80% with a lot of decent projects and parts. I bought a roll of black carpet that sorta looks like felt. I like how easy it cuts and glues down. Bought one event T-shirt...it was $28....divided by the 10 years or so since I bought one, it was a steal?

Travel went well other that "fast food" can be stricken from the list of things to engage in. Likewise it is harder to find potty places. I'm sick of the Covid excuse for lousy service and mediocre, at best, food. 15 minute waits inside a truck stop Mickey D's is ridiculous!

Home safe but it took 8 hours to transit what is usually a 6 hour drive.

The old '40 Chevy started thumping pretty hard on harsh bumps on the way down but nothing fell off. There are no smooth bridge approaches or departures between my house and Louisville. I'll look under it tomorrow.

None the less we had a good time and ran into a lot of old friends.

Today is an afternoon for celebrating the life of one of my best friends ever (John Bernard) who died of lung cancer in early February. We've lived about a mile and a half apart for the last 50 years and I'm still looking at the traffic light to be lit on the front of his home shop so I can stop and visit. I'll probably do that until I'm gone too. I understand and accept the purpose of what we will be doing but it will still have a sad part.

Charlie

[idrivejunk]

That deuce painting has some really nice effects in it.  The painstaking accuracy in places does tend to take the fun out though, I know thats true.

Today I put the last with-air spare on the GT. Overdid that maypop on the last outing although it started leaking last winter. Tossed the flat and another one on matching wheels in the GTP trunk for fresh rubber next time I get a chance. Topped up PSF on that one then. Fixing to spin Grape around the dance floor for a number or two then gravitate home again. The new old carb project might get assembled or some artwork started, day's young and wide open. To naps as well.  

[phat46]

This is pretty much finished, still a little detailing and highlights, but basically done.

[kb426]

^^^
Very good.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Gettin more rain here.  Its been a different year than 2020 for rain in Arizona.

And yet people still try to drive thru running water in normally dry river bed crossings on roads.

[sirstude]

Just loaded up the Impala and am headed out to Spokane for the Good Guys event in about an hour.

[kb426]

^^^^
Have a good and safe trip.

[idrivejunk]

Bought a pair of new tires for the GT yesterday. It bothers me that on no two days can you go buy the same tires. Each time, the only thing available are some unknown brand you'll never hear of again. Brand preference and loyalty are no longer allowed. Tried to get what I got last time because I liked them but no. :?

Yesterday, saw four SUVs pile up at a stop light then another wreck with the whole front of some little car smashed off to one side. That one was at one of those spots with deadly lay of the land... where hardcore devoted 3 ton speed limit doublers make it impossible to exit that neighborhood safely. In addition to a line of sight that only works for high-seat vehicles. I figure none of you guys probably still use modern cars but this time of year, overgrown ditches often make for blind entry onto highways.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Saturday 2:30am a storm rolled in.  Weather guessers were correct. light rain falls now at 4:30am  

Bought a new TV at Costco the other day. Works nice. As the TV powered up.. It tells  me to check the app on my mobile device. So I basically set the TV up using my phone. Seems weird.  All the while I am looking at my phone, then the TV , then the TV starts talking with instructions.  As I am muttering out loud: I just want the * TV to work with my SAT box And blue Ray device....  which it does now.  

Smart TVs....  meh

[phat46]

I finshed this painting yesterday, It's from a photo I took at a local car show a few weeks ago. '51 Merc that had been used as a parts car for a different owner. Acrylic on prepped hardboard, 16" X 20"

[idrivejunk]

Another neat one ^  

I put my new pair of generic car  tires on, they drive nice. It has taken awhile to deduce the unspoken new tire buying reality. One must abandon research and choice, leave brand selection to a stranger of unknown gender, age, nationality, and race in person at a dealer off the beaten path and pay medium price for bottom of the line products with names that seem to be custom tailored to appear indirectly anti-American to anyone over 50. Once an individual is willing to sacrifice all and accept these things, one may with good fortune... buy round tires. Amazing. I actually swapped three in the driveway with the stock jack, to shuffle the most tread onto the cars and the baldness into trunks as fullsize spares. Alas, the deep treaded Generals out back are ten years old. But I may not have to nurse a leaker this winter.

I'll have driven all 3 by end of today, making this a Grand Three Sunday which is not usual.

Yesterday, as happens more frequently now, I found myself in the 69 alarmed at the lengths people go to. Title this episode "Incident at Blind Spot":
So I'm sitting there with the tach stares as I modulate throttle for minimal racket / drone during the brief summer 455 warmup period. A half-yelled female "Hey!" comes from the blind spot. I've shown where I park a hunnert times so you know. Grass next to driveway. Its the neighbor's sister with her young son who looks terrified, is frozen and speechless. "Hey, hi. His Dad works on cars, he just wants to look at yours.". I feel awkward in my gym shorts with them suprise poking their heads in from the blind spot now staring. I asked the kid well uh is it loud enough for you and forced a smile. He forced a nod and was led away by hand with a thank you for letting him look at it. Yowzers, I thought. Cage=rattled. They done snuck up on me where I thought I was safe to maybe pick my nose anyway.

Up the road at the intersection to exit the neighborhood at the sprawling white trash corner estate, a guy with cast on leg is owning the street with wheelchair. This is the gent whose interest in my car has escalated in recent weeks. I pass by often, carefully inching around whatever two dozen cars trucks and box vans won't fit in the yard because all the appliances there. Friends in lawn chairs line the edge of the grass then theres the box van then dude. All that makes the intersection blind and dangerous so I snake through trying not to get hit at the stop sign by a corner cutter. "Nice car!" from my blind spot again. Thanks! Off I go, knowing he will eventually stop me and offer beer.

Only went that way cause I needed gas. Turned onto the five lane street, instant sticky black sedan locks into blind spot. At the light, window comes down but he can't get up next to me. Light turns, car in his way turns, he zips alongside and makes sure to achieve eye contact as we move away from the light. "Hey man! Nice car!" then he nails it. Some hell I dunno might have been some kinda Gwhiz Pontiac. He shows me how zoomy he can zoom, doubling the limit and cramming brakes for the next bumper. Meanwile I mope forward thinking is this really worth having since I don't want that?

Welcome to America I guess. Got gas in peace but had fussy hurry tailgater F150s box me in during the cruise and of course the one ahead pulls into my usual turnaround spot and just stops in the road while the other is breathing down my neck with a passion. I hook a turnaround at the next available spot and of course theres the deputy sitting at the 20 MPH bottleneck turn in the 45 MPH hwy. Jeez whiz, man. Sure, full stop and signal and look both ways carefully then creep away hush hush sir, yessir.  Who's a guy gotta boff around here to get a clear stretch where I can just cruise for a sec? I putted home tailed hotly by a blinding DRL SUV until the interstate onramp, past another lurking radar trapper at the spot where I saw a feisty swarm of late model pony and rice making all the noise last week.

I mean if theres no place left to even dodge the... I don't know what to call it but attention... is having that retro V8 vibe that important to me? Find me on the fence on that one, brethren.

Are these all reasons why seniors do everything at the crack of dawn? I tried that yesterday at the bank but it did not help to be there waiting when they opened. Half a dozen pushy push pushers pushed ahead within 30 seconds of the drive thru light turning green.


Busted out the carb project yesterday, discovered I was not done cleaning. So, did all the venturi booster thingys, missed the squirter housing dealy though but didn't notice until sitting down to assemble with instructions. Oh! I see you CAN use lacquer thinner on it. OK, well I can clean all of it better with that and have some. But it was time to mow by then so set that aside and barely beat the rain and well... maybe I'll have a better shot at getting some peaceful loud pedal action today.  Pardon me.