23 thoughts on “October 17th 2020: It’s Saturday!”
Now that I have confidence that the Santa Fe is completely roadworthy, I'll be digging into the daughter's Forester head gaskets on Monday. I've been cleaning out the garage and setting up my workbench this week in anticipation of the job. The Haynes manual arrived a few days ago so I have every spec and procedure I need in my hands. I made room on the workbench for the old Thinkpad so I can access the internet from the garage, the wifi signal is a little weak but it still streams video just fine so I can have a ballgame on while I work. I also added a little coffee maker to the workbench lineup. I was able to save about $75 on parts by using the Fel-Pro store on Amazon instead of Napa or O'Reilly's, but they won't be here until Thursday. Since the machine shop needs the gasket kit to rebuild the cylinder heads, that means I have several days to get the heads off. And that's good because it's always the teardown where you run into most of your problems and pitfalls - rust and more rust, frozen bolts, a tool you need that you don't have, etc. Later today I'll be picking up the stuff I need that I don't have, including a strap wrench for turning and holding camshaft/crankshaft pulleys, white paint pen for marking bolts and timing belt pulleys/sprockets, a 14mm 12 point 1/2 inch drive impact socket for the head bolts, and a bench grinder with a wire wheel for cleaning the rust off of parts and fasteners. Oh, and about three feet of steel pipe for extending the handle on the breaker bar. Give me a place to stand and a lever long enough and I will move the world. Or at least get that stubborn nut to turn.
Wish I were that handy. I have always spent more of my budget on vehicles than I would like due to: not handy.
However, the wife and I decided to splurge a bit this week. I found a 2018 Cadillac XT5 locally that only had 6700 miles on it. Price was $24,000 less than it was brand new. Spent more than we wanted to for her not new car, but it just seemed like a solid deal and she did need AWD which she hasn't had for way too long. 6700 miles in 2 1/2 years is crazy little use by the previous owner. What's the point?
Whoa, that is crazy. I thought it was nuts that the 2016 van we bought recently only had 37000 on it, but at least that is some driving.
Newbish entered a drawing into the Twins kids contest last month. He ended up being one of the hundred winners, and he received his prize pack today.
It consisted of a TC Bear backpack, a kids Twins hat, and a signed Luis Arraez picture. Pretty cool haul. He was pretty excited.
Awesome for Newbish! So, did he enter a drawing (name on a form and submit) or enter a drawing (drew something super cool, twins related). Glad the Twins are doing cool things like this!
He drew a picture of Nelson Cruz, DH.
Thats awesome!
Cool! Get a nice little frame for the Arraez and a nice spot on the wall
It begins!
That seat post is really, really f***in stuck.
(If someone would like to make that smaller, please do, I've never really figured that out)
You can try the torch, though it’ll eff up your paint job.
Also, are you rebuilding this as a trail bike or some such?
No, I'm keeping it as a road bike. It's a bad ass frame, an '88 Trek 400. My mom bought it new and I've had it since 2002. I haven't taken great care of it the last couple years, though, so I was looking at new bikes but decided I really like this one and it would be more fun and satisfying to refurbish it. Put some modern parts on it and convert to brifters.
There's also some rust on it, so I was planning on repainting it anyway. I've already attempted the torch and I'm gonna let er have it some more today.
Damn, I just gave away a set of really good brifters that I was never going to use..... timing.
That falls in love with the luck I was having on my last ride where I got a flat, then accidentally overinflated the next tube and had to call my wife to come get me.
But there's a decent chance they were at up for now gears then is be able to install anyway. Right now it's 3x6 and I'm looking at 2x8 or 2x9. I'm not sure I want to widen the frame any more than that.
My everyday rider is a 2 x 9, though in New Orleans I only ever use one gear (I shift up when riding with Dr. Chop as she's not into cruising as fast as I want to). I have long been thinking about a substantial ride from the head waters back home, but if I ever can cleave the time I'll need a long haul trucker style frame as the Surly Crosscheck is just a bit too compact (even for every day riding really).
I'm jelly of that frame. You'll have a superior bike on your hands when you're done.
If you don't mind sacrificing the seat post, you can drill a hole in it and then insert a rod/screwdriver through the hole to give you maximum rotational torquing power.
I'm planning on replacing it so that will likely be my next move with a pipe wrench being purchased per Twayn's suggestion after that. I'm hesitant to try it, but if all else fails I'll do the cut the post above the frame and cut a slit in it to fold it in on itself trick. I suppose I could probably also just leave it since its at the right height, too.
Penetrating oil and a pipe wrench, maybe.
I've dumped a load of liquid wrench into it. I've also got a rag soaked in rust remover wrapped around it right now as well since there were a bunch of rust spots on the frame near it. I'll get it out at some point.
Within a minute of reaching the headwaters of the Mississippi River, Honest Abe fell in and had a cartoonish amount of water in each of his show boots.
I’ll test the water in about 22 days to see if his foot fungus has propagated
That won't be his water; his should get there shortly into 2021.
I couldn't remember the length of time and winged it.
Now that I have confidence that the Santa Fe is completely roadworthy, I'll be digging into the daughter's Forester head gaskets on Monday. I've been cleaning out the garage and setting up my workbench this week in anticipation of the job. The Haynes manual arrived a few days ago so I have every spec and procedure I need in my hands. I made room on the workbench for the old Thinkpad so I can access the internet from the garage, the wifi signal is a little weak but it still streams video just fine so I can have a ballgame on while I work. I also added a little coffee maker to the workbench lineup. I was able to save about $75 on parts by using the Fel-Pro store on Amazon instead of Napa or O'Reilly's, but they won't be here until Thursday. Since the machine shop needs the gasket kit to rebuild the cylinder heads, that means I have several days to get the heads off. And that's good because it's always the teardown where you run into most of your problems and pitfalls - rust and more rust, frozen bolts, a tool you need that you don't have, etc. Later today I'll be picking up the stuff I need that I don't have, including a strap wrench for turning and holding camshaft/crankshaft pulleys, white paint pen for marking bolts and timing belt pulleys/sprockets, a 14mm 12 point 1/2 inch drive impact socket for the head bolts, and a bench grinder with a wire wheel for cleaning the rust off of parts and fasteners. Oh, and about three feet of steel pipe for extending the handle on the breaker bar. Give me a place to stand and a lever long enough and I will move the world. Or at least get that stubborn nut to turn.
Wish I were that handy. I have always spent more of my budget on vehicles than I would like due to: not handy.
However, the wife and I decided to splurge a bit this week. I found a 2018 Cadillac XT5 locally that only had 6700 miles on it. Price was $24,000 less than it was brand new. Spent more than we wanted to for her not new car, but it just seemed like a solid deal and she did need AWD which she hasn't had for way too long. 6700 miles in 2 1/2 years is crazy little use by the previous owner. What's the point?
Whoa, that is crazy. I thought it was nuts that the 2016 van we bought recently only had 37000 on it, but at least that is some driving.
Newbish entered a drawing into the Twins kids contest last month. He ended up being one of the hundred winners, and he received his prize pack today.
It consisted of a TC Bear backpack, a kids Twins hat, and a signed Luis Arraez picture. Pretty cool haul. He was pretty excited.
Awesome for Newbish! So, did he enter a drawing (name on a form and submit) or enter a drawing (drew something super cool, twins related). Glad the Twins are doing cool things like this!
He drew a picture of Nelson Cruz, DH.
Thats awesome!
Cool! Get a nice little frame for the Arraez and a nice spot on the wall
It begins!
That seat post is really, really f***in stuck.
(If someone would like to make that smaller, please do, I've never really figured that out)
You can try the torch, though it’ll eff up your paint job.
Also, are you rebuilding this as a trail bike or some such?
No, I'm keeping it as a road bike. It's a bad ass frame, an '88 Trek 400. My mom bought it new and I've had it since 2002. I haven't taken great care of it the last couple years, though, so I was looking at new bikes but decided I really like this one and it would be more fun and satisfying to refurbish it. Put some modern parts on it and convert to brifters.
There's also some rust on it, so I was planning on repainting it anyway. I've already attempted the torch and I'm gonna let er have it some more today.
Damn, I just gave away a set of really good brifters that I was never going to use..... timing.
That falls in love with the luck I was having on my last ride where I got a flat, then accidentally overinflated the next tube and had to call my wife to come get me.
But there's a decent chance they were at up for now gears then is be able to install anyway. Right now it's 3x6 and I'm looking at 2x8 or 2x9. I'm not sure I want to widen the frame any more than that.
My everyday rider is a 2 x 9, though in New Orleans I only ever use one gear (I shift up when riding with Dr. Chop as she's not into cruising as fast as I want to). I have long been thinking about a substantial ride from the head waters back home, but if I ever can cleave the time I'll need a long haul trucker style frame as the Surly Crosscheck is just a bit too compact (even for every day riding really).
I'm jelly of that frame. You'll have a superior bike on your hands when you're done.
If you don't mind sacrificing the seat post, you can drill a hole in it and then insert a rod/screwdriver through the hole to give you maximum rotational torquing power.
I'm planning on replacing it so that will likely be my next move with a pipe wrench being purchased per Twayn's suggestion after that. I'm hesitant to try it, but if all else fails I'll do the cut the post above the frame and cut a slit in it to fold it in on itself trick. I suppose I could probably also just leave it since its at the right height, too.
Penetrating oil and a pipe wrench, maybe.
I've dumped a load of liquid wrench into it. I've also got a rag soaked in rust remover wrapped around it right now as well since there were a bunch of rust spots on the frame near it. I'll get it out at some point.
Within a minute of reaching the headwaters of the Mississippi River, Honest Abe fell in and had a cartoonish amount of water in each of his show boots.
I’ll test the water in about 22 days to see if his foot fungus has propagated
That won't be his water; his should get there shortly into 2021.
I couldn't remember the length of time and winged it.