What are you currently working on??

Wife wanted to do some camping this year so I took my Yukon Denali to have the brake controller checked and it got replaced along with the socket to plug the trailer in. On the way home a couple semis passed going the other way a my mirror got slammed into my window from the wind but didn't break it. It also ripped the cover from the AC unit. And to top the week off we had to get a new refrigerator
 
Those AC covers are not cheep either. If it isn't busted up to bad may be worth your time to repair it.

I have never bought any new major appliance. Take to much of a beating on them after a few years. Have had real good luck with good used items and they are a LOT cheaper.
 
Yeah along the same line, (getting ready for camping season) I just finished adding a set of add on Auto Meter oil pressure, engine temp, and trans temp gauges to the Durango yesterday.
I bought a pillar pod to mount them in, and I don't have a huge wad of leftover copper tube bunched up under the hood like when you mount them under the edge of the dash.
The instructions said that it isn't a good idea to mount the water temp in a tee like I usually do, so I thought I had a better idea but, no. I wanted to screw it into the block drain plug, has a 1/4 NPT plug below the freeze plugs. Well as luck would have it, they moved the block drain on the driver side of a dodge 360 over the years, from in front of the motor mount to behind it.
I pulled the starter to put this in, and when I went to put the starter back I discovered that the big battery terminal lug on the starter just so happens to need that exact space next to the block drain plug. So I wound up putting it in the manifold, had to unscrew one of the heater hose nipples, and add a 3" straight pipe nipple in place of that, then a tee, then the heater hose nipple with the gauge bulb in the side of the tee, I wound up going to menards for some 3/8 pipe fittings to so it. Wanted brass but found out they had the fittings I needed in 304 stainless for about half the price of brass fittings.
 
Engine is in the bike and rode it around. Jetting is off. It's sputtering wide open. Need a bigger main jet and I don't have it. Rides real nice 1/4 to around 3/4 throttle. Since it's a legit mikuni carb ill stop at the honda shop and grab a couple jets.

Guy down the road stopped me and asked me if I'd build a bike for him and his older kids. I gave him a parts list and if he drops everything off to me I'll put it together for him
 
Was checking locally on just buying a tool to loosen that fuel pump ring in that "Freep". Decided I'm not paying the 50 to 100 bucks locals want for the same thing I can order for 17 bucks shipped. Almost ordered one then my wife came out to the shop with the new pump! Fedx delivers on Sunday! Still didn't make me pull for Denny Hamlin in the race though---LOL! Anyway I decided that building a tool would be the way to go rather than waiting to start this fuel pump replacement until next weekend. Got one done, and it was close right away. Needed to refine it a bit and then it fit right after some more little welds and grinding. Put it on the ring and even with a 1/2" drive breaker bar I couldn't get it to move. Then it was time for persuasion, put the 1/2" drive impact on it, sure enough it started moving! Figured worst could happen was breaking the ring then it would come out anyway---LOL! Stopped after I was sure it was coming off ok. I'll pull the fuel lines and cut the wires tomorrow. need to use the existing wires for a fish tape to pull the new harness through. May not get completed tomorrow as I have more errands to run into town for. Then it's back to the work grind Tuesday.

DAC

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So much for that idea. No power getting to the new pump. Better start studying the Haynes manual that came with this Freep. Engine still fires well when I squirt gas into the throttle body. There is a dash warning now, says there's no communication to the key and the gauges don't respond either. I'll try my wife's key when I can get it from her. Oh and the code reader says it can't communicate too! So much fun working on old beater computerized pieces of crap!

DAC
 
Fixin up the old deck for the JD 140H3. Stupidly left the deck outside for two years. But was standing up, not flat on the ground. This old deck and the worn out blades cut perfect. That’s the way the blades were when I bought the tractor and deck. I cut hay fields and residential yards with is. Worked perfect. I stopped using it because I was on a health kick and was using the lawnboy push mower for a year, at the house. Last year, no health kick, left the snowthrower on the JD and used the old Sears riding mower for grass cutting at my house.
Anyway, figured I’d fix the deck up a bit clean the rust off and give a paint job. Weld up a few broken things. This deck is made out of a oil barrel. Previous owner made it. Original deck rusted out, so he took all the parts off, bent up up a new deck. He made it in two pieces. Front and back, then welded it together, put all the other part on from the rusted deck. And like said, works perfect. Anyway, it won’t be used this year either, I don’t think, having troubles with the tractor, so that’s gunna take awhile to do, and still won’t know if the problem is fixed until the snowthrower goes back on and get into heavy snow and put a good load on the engine. Have been over a year trying to fix trouble. So only guessing now.

That needle descaler is quite a tool.
 

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Could have fooled me that is a home made deck housing Noel! Looks factory built! Maybe on the outer it looks a little more hand made? Those descalers do work great! Just need hearing and eye protection!

DAC
 
Used the JD 316 to bring in (hopefully) the last load of firewood for the year. Can't do much as when it dries enough to do something, more rain arrives! Such is Spring down here!
 
Last of snow tires are put away, everything is on the summer/all season program. On the plus side, all four vehicles have tire sets that are nearly new. I won’t have that expense for a while.
The tires on my truck and my daughter’s car should last forever. I put 3,220 miles on my truck in the last 12 months, my daughter has 900 miles on hers since she bought it last January. (2020)
 
There ain't many months, where I don't put at least 3000 miles a month on mine especially in warm weather months.
 
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I put on 25,000 miles a year for work. With a car that gets 37-42 mpg. The insurance/licensing vs the fuel savings is significant. $1,200 a year more expensive to drive something that gets 20 mpg, vs 35 mpg; with all costs figured in except depreciation. The current mpg difference between my truck and car is 14 vs 38 mpg.
I am/was considering going down to one vehicle when my youngest graduates. The math just doesn’t pencil out is the problem.
 
My truck gets 17-18 mpg, but it's mine, zero payments, don't have to pay full coverage, if I were to buy something for mileage, it would certainly mean a payment, which would guarantee I'd need full coverage. Both expenses I don't want or need. Gas mileage has never been super high ony priority list. As long as I can get the best I can out of what I drive for what it is I'm good. Not as crazy of a driver as I once was I do drive a bit fast/ I could possibly do a little better than I do. But I'm not buying a little roller skate of a car, no way,no how. Not driving something that I have to roll out of and not buying an unAmerican vehicle. I will never be without a truck. Just the way it is. I have 2 cars, one apart as a long term project/toy, a 43 year old low mile car that comes out after salt season leaves, 2 dakota's, a 85 1/2ton (nother project but runs and drives) and a Durango for my wife to drive.
 
I get the oil changed in my truck by the computer, 3000 miles intervals. Oil get changed about every 4-5 months. Truck is paid for so I really don't care about the mileage, I like the comfort and convenience of it. I can hook on to the 16' trailer and go any time I want to.
 
Got the Bolens 1256 out yesterday. Has seal that leeks out some through the winter and have to work the air out in the spring. This spring it wasn't working out like it normally does. Found the drive belt tensioner spring was unhooked. Morning project to put a cotter key back in to hook the one end of the spring on.
 
Finished my bike. Jetting dialed in and it flat out will rip. I took it down the old rail road tracks and did some hill climbs. Not little hills. Long and pretty darn steep. It flew up them. Accelerating the whole way. Pretty darn good for a motor that started its life at 6.5hp from China. Only stock part left is the head, block and tin work. The head will be replaced at some point with a port, polish and over sized valves.

I havent clocked the top speed but I will say its faster than I want to go.
 
As for mileage I put about 20000 a year on my car. 17000 for work and the other 3000 just random travel. My wifes vehicle sees all the miles for family trips.

I switched to my car because jeep was getting 14mpg and the car gets 31mpg.
 
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