What are you currently working on??

I can't cut wood like I used to and buying it is a bit pricy also. Decided it was time to quit burning wood. Put all the wood related items down in the storage container. Bought an electric log that was on sale on Amazon and put that in. 24" wide fit just right. This one had the bottom "coals" all red and burning also. Has a heater built in but with the front decorative glass the heart would not get out so probably won't use the heat part. Closed the chimney up with thick insulation so no draft wither way.

Yesterday I put 2 coats of polyurethane varnish on my new doors for inside the house, we bought them a while ago and stained them, (solid wood doors not typical hollow ones). and put a thermostat in my older (we've had longest) Durango. Check engine light has been on, code says it's been complaining it doesn't warm up fast enough but being summer time and we've used it to pull the camper I figured that to actually be a "plus" this time of year.

Had a neighbor drive by and ask why I had so many sets of sawhorses (only 4 sets) and I bought them when Ive seen them at garage sales a couple of bucks each exactly for this job.
I needed 2 more sets so garbage cans flipped upside down worked for the other 2 doors I had to do.
My wife aggravated me in doing this, she has been saying if I get them outside she'd varnish them
Yet she kept calling me away from my thermostat job so making that take all day (should have been an hour) and I ended up doing more staining than her... And she claims she used to paint alot of figurines etc growing up (I've never once seen it being married to her 34 years) and kept telling me she knows what she's doing but yet I kept having to tell her not to brush against the grain... Yeah she knows alright. And when I put tape on the edges on the side we weren't working on so any drips that ran down would settle on the tape and not on the underside of doors (saving me time in sanding that the tape would keep me from having to do) she didn't "get" that either...

Today so far we ("I" again) flipped them and put 2 coats on the other side of the doors. Am I the only one who asks and asks and asks again for others to at least help me with something and then has to do it myself anyway? I get so tired of that, and I definitely don't ask just to hear myself talk....that gets SO old...

and I just got done putting the new spring on the camper awning
I wasn't happy having to buy a whole spring assy to get a release knob which isn't sold separately but then when I got into it that spring was busted anyway.... The one on the other end seems alright, still has tension on it but seeing this one being busted I'm thinking of replacing it too is as it's probably the same age and I have no idea how many times that spring has had to do the job of both.... The company sure likes being vague with any instructions either the sheet that came with the new spring or on their website....

@dodge trucker , does that thermostat sit under the water pump?

Nope. Right on top of the intake, it's the 360/5.9.
My other Durango with the 4.7 is how you say.
It just took me so long because I kept getting called away. Had that not been the case I would have had it done much sooner. I've done thermostats on these engines more times than I care to remember between my work and as many 3.9/ 318/ 360 magnums as I have owned over the years

dodge trucker said:

Nope. Right on top of the intake, it's the 360/5.9.
My other Durango with the 4.7 is how you say.
It just took me so long because I kept getting called away. Had that not been the case I would have had it done much sooner. I've done thermostats on these engines more times than I care to remember between my work and as many 3.9/ 318/ 360 magnums as I have owned over the years

Click to expand...

Thanks, I need to do one on my 4.7, I read it was underneath.

I did one on the 4.7 in my 12 truck last summer.
Wasn't "bad" but original and I was in there doing a water pump and all new hoses anyway so "might as well". I have 2, 4.7s after going out of my way to avoid them as long as I could. As I remember the thermostat is on the front face of the block but down low on the passenger side, they are positioned vertical and retained by the thick o ring that also seals it. As I remember it wasn't too bad access.

I do have another water pump and thermostat on the shelf for when my 03 Durango needs one...
I have 2 Durango's. An 01 with the 360 and the 03 with the 4.7. I tend to stock up on "consumables" like that when I'm ordering from rock auto "anyway" for other reasons....

I have to sometimes haul water for the animals since we have a bad well. I finally broke down and made an anti roll rack for the bed to sit the drums in. I've broken off more valves from drums rolling even with ratchet straps. Hopefully this will keep them in place.

Thought I should finish up on posting this project before I forgot all together.
Replaced the rear mountimg plate with a piece of c channel. Made up a set of brackets off the front of the tractor to keep the blade aligned. Cut off the excess of the vertical c channel and it doesn’t interfere with opening the hood. Even with the blade up. This blade is heavy to lift. So I installed helper springs under the frame.
Also removed the 6-12 bar tread rear tires and the 3.50-6 front tri ribs. Installed 23x10.50 tru-powers on the rear and 16x6.50-tri-ribs on the front.

Working on the Satoh Beaver yesterday. Oil and filter change, which is real pain with the loader and its framework in the way for everything. I need to get a funnel about 16-18" long to reach the fill hole. Between the oil filter, hydraulic lines, exhaust muffler and the loader frame just about cannot get to it. Wont' think of the funnel again till I need it next time probably. The right brake has been out of adjustment ever since I got the tractor so decided it was time to take care of that. After 2 hours trying to get the cotter pin out, the clevis pin out and adjusted some, then trying to get that pin back in through 3 holes, all while trying to hold the brake band actuating lever with tension on it when you cannot see any of it for the loader frame, rear tractor tire while laying on my back and trying to look down past the end of my nose to see something, I decided it might work better tomorrow. Put the 3 - qt. of oil in the engine and got all that buttoned up, still had the tools laying on the carpet from the brake adjustment fiasco. The pin had a square end on it which made it much harder to get it to go back together. Took it to the grinder and ground a good taper on the end, went back at the mission at hand. Took a board and wedged it against the brake lever and the axle housing and up against he back corner of the fender to hold it in place. Got the clevis lined up and the pin went right in first try. Slipped the washer on and a R clip to keep things together. Adjustment is just a bit tight but it is going to work the way it is as I am not about to go through all that again. Only option to fighting it like I did would be to remover the rear weight and wheel.

Some time back I posted that my Cub 1862 would not run on a left side low slope. Any other posi9tion was fine but not the left side low. found out what the problem was the other day. Plastic float in the carb had a hole in it and was filling very slowly with fuel. The way it was hinged with the main needle and seat it would flood the engine out. Put a new float in and it runs like a new machine once again.

See anything wrong with these pix? Taken in my garage 10 minutes ago....
Hey I could a taken one 30 minutes ago while I was standing underneath with it on my 2 post lift haha
Wonder how many here have never seen or used what's in the pix.... At least not the way it's packaged

dodge trucker said:

See anything wrong with these pix? Taken in my garage 10 minutes ago....
Hey I could a taken one 30 minutes ago while I was standing underneath with it on my 2 post lift haha
Wonder how many here have never seen or used what's in the pix.... At least not the way it's packaged

Click to expand...

Misplaced your punch in spout? My uncle still has a couple cans of motor oil with graphite in it, when was the last time you seen that?

Nope. Just found this first....
And now listening to "Let it Be"...
Last time I saw arco graphite?
A few months ago when we cleaned out mom and dads garage..

Perfect song for this "tech crap " thread.. "What a fool believes" just came on... Love the Doobies too... Actually I have seen them live like 4-5 times
I'm done but can't go in the radio out here is sounding too good
Now onto "Ventura highway"....

dodge trucker said:

See anything wrong with these pix? Taken in my garage 10 minutes ago....
Hey I could a taken one 30 minutes ago while I was standing underneath with it on my 2 post lift haha
Wonder how many here have never seen or used what's in the pix.... At least not the way it's packaged

Click to expand...

dodge trucker said:

See anything wrong with these pix? Taken in my garage 10 minutes ago....
Hey I could a taken one 30 minutes ago while I was standing underneath with it on my 2 post lift haha
Wonder how many here have never seen or used what's in the pix.... At least not the way it's packaged

Click to expand...

Used pme pf them many time for both engine oil and transmission fluid. Hated it when they went to the cardboard can and still had to use that tool.

Those were cardboard cans....
I have a couple of cases of other weights in all metal cans...

Currently sitting at a town's "fall fest" about 20 miles from home. Grant park IL not the "park" in Chicago but a farm town 2 counties south.
Been wanting to see this band for a while but they usually play out of the area.
The keyboard player used to be a part of a band we used to go see but aren't together anymore and comes by my wife's work often and asking when we're gonna come see them...
Glad we did... it's gonna be hard not to stay til they're done.
Went to a local pizza place a couple of blocks away first, we e been to before but tonight's the first time we had their pizza.... I like their lake perch.... Man their pizza IS good ... Ate more than I usually do where we normally go for pizza.
Earlier today though I usually avoid HF like a plague I have a paint job to do and want to try an HVLP type gun, bought one from there to experiment with.... If or don't go that good at least it's a frame of a truck that won't often be seen, and the gun can go out in the trash and I won't be out much...
Then I went to the local junkyard where they take all the wheels off and lay the cars on their bellies so you can't get under them... Sucks when you need parts from that side.... I had (luckily) a forklift operator come by and I talked him into setting the truck I was picking from onto the next 2 cars behind it so I could get underneath.
I needed the gussets for the gas tank cross member (or at least one) for mine, as I ground the rivets off and thought I was gonna reinforce it from behind with welding a plate in but once I blasted it there wasn't enough left to do that. This is the one on the gas tank side that (doesn't help it's hidden behind the tank) collects all the dirt mud and crap which stays wet like a sponge and rots out.... took my Milwaukee cordless grinder a hammer a few chisels and a flat punch, didn't take long.. while under there I got a Bell housing and flywheel out from behind its slant 6 since the trans was already missing, along with the clutch and brake pedals so now I have all I need to put the 4 speed I have in the shed in my other truck...
I came home and spent the afternoon replacing a tube in my grandsons 50cc dirt bike since his dad tried twice and pinched the new tube twice.... So he brought it to me for the 3rd try.
That being done I went back to the blast cabinet for a couple of hours blasting my newly gotten parts to make sure they're good... They are.
Wondering if I oughta include them in the 2 milk crates worth of parts for the powder coater or to just paint them with the frame when I go to paint that tomorrow...
Also test fired my gas powered compressor to make sure it would go since it was so cantankerous when I had it out at John's barn for when I went out there to mow... Started first pull today. Great, because wrapping that rope for every pull gets old ... This is a 1972 Binks compressor with an 8hp cast iron Briggs. Found out why I kept losing spark every other time I went to use it.... The wire from the points up inside to the coil had lost some of its coating..
Getting stuff ready and loaded to head to my kid's house to paint the truck frame so I can bring it home and start building it back up...
Body is at the sandblaster, should be ready for body shop Monday or Tuesday...

Speaking of painting my truck frame..
When did paint prices get THAT insane?
The guy who blasted my frame uses all Sherwin Williams industrial paints. He sprayed my frame with their macro poxy epoxy primer and when I went to the SW store and asked the "expert" (who floats between a few stores) he suggested their high solids poly to coat that primer with. It's a 4:1 mix 2 part epoxy paint.
I have a neighbor that uses to work at the local SW plant but is still in the system as an "employee" so can get stuff at half off. Good thing as a gallon of the recommended paint and a quart of the hardener were $270 AT HALF OFF!!! ITS $539 "off the street".
I had to go there and get their recommended thinner and THAT was $60 per gallon.... Yikes.
Even with the neighbors help (I didn't have his help for the thinner) it's costing me more for the paint than I was charged to completely sandblast and prime the frame..... who'd a thunk that?
Not a big truck either... This is an 83 Dodge D250 3/4 ton 2wd regular cab long bed.
No wonder I got quoted what I did to have the body painted

Got a new printer hooked up and going first yesterday morning. Had a couple rifles to clean the barrels up in. Took them out and got the one single shot sighted in good. The other, a M15 copy in .22 cal. need more work out to the 50 and then 100 yd. range. Right now it is shooting a nice group at about 4" low using the peep sight at 30 yds. That might be real close at 100 yds. but will depend on which ammo I am using too. Normally I use the CCI Mini mags in it. Seems to function better with a little hotter shells.

@dodge trucker , there has been alot of YouTube videos of guys painting cars with the new electric paint guns, seems crazy, but some of them are putting down a 50 ft daily driver paint job with them.

Prices are crazy, I need to paint my house, 1 gal of exterior Sherwin Williams is like $90, just nuts.