And more junk.

Live and learn! I should have tried to find u joints with zirks in the cap ends instead of the center! No way to get a normal coupler on the zirks. I ended up putting the steel line on the gun and using a needle. Even then the needle required a little bend in it to hit the zirk hole square enough to seal on the zirk. Changing the angle of the u joint wouldn't have helped either. The steel line allowed me to push harder than the flex line. It did work and now I know how to do then next time! Finished the oil change and lubed all the front suspension components.

The truck should be good to go for awhile!

DAC

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Cvans said:
They do or did make them that way.
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I can see where that would be a great advantage. The center cross zirks took a small fitting for sure. I haven't greased one in probably 25 years or more. No hoist and don't do any under vehicle work anymore. Have taken my vehicle to WalMart service center and let them do it along with the responsibility. One time in the winter asked them to replace the DRL light. Should have come up from the bottom but the guy tried to remove the headlamp from the top and broke the retaining clips off. WalMart replace the whole assembly, no charge to me.
 
They were standard size fittings in these u-joints. Those inverted ones specifically for needles probably would have worked better, but now I know how to do it.

My mom had a bad experience with Walmart service 20 years ago. She had a Camry that used the pink coolant. They dumped green into it and the cooling system turned to mud. They wouldn't stand behind their screw up. That thing still needed frequent coolant flushing when we had the car after she died. I have trust issues and thin wallet issues. Loree's car goes to the dealer for service, but I do the rest of the vehicles.

DAC
 
Went from designing numbers 1/4" tall to ones that are 19" tall---LOL! Was running around with a couple of cousins today so didn't do any dirty work when I got home so late in the day. Sat at the computer and layed this out.

DAC
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The customer brought the body panels for that race car this afternoon. The lights in the lift are a big help for old eyes!
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Left door is done.
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A little twist on this driver's name.
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I run the MF1450 in and out to give more room and it seems to be charging fine.

DAC
 
Sawdust said:
Nice job Doug, any chance you can get a pic of the whole car when it’s done.
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Thank-you Jim. Yeah will get a pic, but don't know when. He will probably put the panels back on to store the car for winter. I lettered this guy's cars since 1985. He "retired" after the 2010 season. I was on his crew for 17 years. This year at 69 years old he went racing again! He will be 70 pretty soon!

Our son stopped by for a couple of hours mid day, then I got out to the shop and just finished the right door the slot car guy showed up and we shot the bull for another couple hours! He loved those Chevelles. The big slot car race is Oct. 22nd.

DAC
 
The racecar panels are done. Was able to get a few hours to finish them up this afternoon.

The roof.
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Both doors and the right Q-panel.
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The graphic on the Q-panels. I wanted both of the graphics to face the front of the car.
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First full racecar I have lettered since 2017. Digitally printed wraps have pretty much taken over.

DAC
 
cjet69 said:
Looks good, DAC. Reminds me of my first job in 1981 painting signs. The difference being we used One Shot paint and a really good brush.
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Thanks! That's what I did before the vinyl days, CJet, started around 1981 also. Still have a crapload of high dollar brushes, and painted everything from small signs to big billboards. My arthritic hands don't do well handing a brush anymore but still do a bit from time to time.

DAC
 
chieffan said:
Problem with the digital wraps is they can completely change the looks of the car from week to week. Hard to keep up with one driver on restarts or even in the race at times. Lose track of one and hard to find him again.
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Yeah that is a good point, Roger. It seems a lot of wrap printers make the graphics so busy with stipes and colors that the sponsor names and even numbers can be hard to read from the grandstands, especially at night. Nowadays all cars carry a transponder to count laps so a person isn't counting laps in the scoring booth. That has made readable numbers less important. I can't justify buying a digital printer doing this stuff basically for a hobby now.

DAC
 
Our local dirt track went to transponders a few years ago. I filled in a few times manually scoring late models. 4 people scoring, two with calculators and two of us writing down the numbers. One person taking the front half and the other the back half of the field, give or take a few cars as positions changed. Those were the days. Sometimes we would be trying to catch numbers half way thru turn 1.
 
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chieffan said:
Our local dirt track went to transponders a few years ago. I filled in a few times manually scoring late models. 4 people scoring, two with calculators and two of us writing down the numbers. One person taking the front half and the other the back half, give or take a few cars. Those were the days.
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It was very important for legible numbers back in those days, Roger! I was always in the pits so never got to do any officiating, except for enduros in 1985. I was told to throw rocks at cars to get the attention of a driver ignoring flags---LOL! I started racing enduros in 1986.

DAC
 
MFDAC said:
It was very important for legible numbers back in those days, Roger! I was always in the pits so never got to do any officiating, except for enduros in 1985. I was told to throw rocks at cars to get the attention of a driver ignoring flags---LOL! I started racing enduros in 1986.

DAC
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I was in the pits 99% of the time as a Modified Tech Inspector. If there was no claim in the pro street class, which ran ahead of the modifieds, the Pro Street inspector would weigh and do the carb check of whatever on the Mods and I would run up to the scoring tower quick. When we had the special LM races with 50 laps rather than 25 I would help out up on the flag stand, Flagman would watch the front stretch and turns 3&4 and I would watch turns 1&2 and the back stretch. Only wall was along the front stretch. Off 374 was the city water plant and fair buildings, back stretch, 1&2 was farmed basically soybeans. End of season we bought a lot of soybeans for that farmer, the only reason he planted crops there.
 
All the years I was on pit crews, there were sure times I threw some tantrums at the pit officials, but still managed to remain friends with them all these years. Thier decision was always final but would still try to defend our driver anyway!

Was that race track near where you live now, Roger?

Actually got some seat time on 2 tractors this afternoon! I felt pretty good after PT so grabbed lunch and headed for the shop. Fired up the MF1450 and went around back of the shop. The amp gauge still shows a charge! Hooked the crane to the tiller for the JD110. Brought it around the front and set it on the yard trailer upside down.
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Went around back again and picked up the blade for the JD too and brought it around.
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The tiller rotates well and it feels like the bearings are good. Sprayed lube on the thirsty chain, even though it was not frozen. The lift pivot still swivels fine too. Didn't pump grease in the zirk yet.
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This idler pulley bracket is bent but the flat pulley feels fine. Shouldn't be hard to straighten. The tiller may be useable, but no mule drive came with the tractor.
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I think the push blade is complete, and it seems to be in good shape.
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Will take another post for the next pictures.

DAC
 
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