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| Author |
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| 24 new of 848 responses total. |
scott
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response 825 of 848:
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Oct 25 23:13 UTC 2004 |
My brand-new 1995 Jetta is getting old, and the door locks are no exception.
Basically the driver-side lock has gotten 99.9% of the use, and it's
definitely gotten a bit tricky to use. And it freezes up pretty good in cold
weather, too.
So today I swapped the lock cylinders between left & right doors. Took about
1.5 hours, probably would have gone much faster if I'd known a couple
short-cuts I figured out while doing it. Anyway, I should be good for a
couple more winters without having lock problems.
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gull
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response 826 of 848:
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Dec 29 16:41 UTC 2004 |
I installed a Wheelskins leather steering wheel cover on my car. It was
somewhat time consuming (about an hour and a half) but the results are
worth it for the one part of the car I touch the most.
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rcurl
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response 827 of 848:
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Feb 15 23:22 UTC 2005 |
We were given a weather station with a remote transmitter for outside
temperature and humidity but our house has no sheltered north-facing side
for the transmitter, which is not waterproof. Therefore I built a housing
out of 4" PVC drain pipe and an end-cap top. It is attached to the house
siding with brackets bent from aluminum strap. It got a little complicated
as I had to be able to open it and remove the transmitter to replace
batteries, and I also added a screen across the open bottom to keep wasps
from building a nest in it.
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rcurl
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response 828 of 848:
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Sep 4 18:32 UTC 2005 |
Nobody has done anything since February?
I fixed the kitchen faucet because it was leaking (at least) around the
swiveling spout seals. This then got complicated in chasing down all the
parts. Lowes had the Moen 1225 Cartridge but not the 117 Seal Kit, which I
found at a plumbing store, but then on disassembly found that the
composition thingy in the Handle Adapter Assembly was worn so got that
from the Moen website, and after everything was reassembled found that the
Spray Head and Hose Assembly leaked and also had to be replaced. It was,
though, less expensive for parts than to replace the whole shebang...not
counting time and automobile wear, tear and fuel.
Recommendation: replace all the polymer sealing parts in these complicated
faucets at the same time. Repairing different components as they start to
leak will consume much more time overall - and get all the parts online to
eliminate the (often futile) search through stores.
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keesan
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response 829 of 848:
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Sep 5 02:29 UTC 2005 |
Jim has been doing lots of things but is too busy to report on them. This
week (having cleaned out the garage for two weeks to make space to work in)
he eventually got the two rear wheels of a car given to us taken apart and
the brakes cleaned of rust and reassambled. Now he is working on a front
wheel that is dragging and might need new bearings. Then he has to fill the
holes in the wheel wells so that the outside is separate from the inside of
the car and the trunk, including a hole in the floor in front. Apart from
all this rust, the rest of the car was taken care of by the neighbors whose
plumbing he keeps fixing. They gave it to us after a seatbelt stopped
working. That was a simple fix. He pointed out where the spare tire was
sitting in a puddle (until the floor under it rusted through) and now the
metal on it is too rusted and irregular for the tire to hold air, so that
needs fixing too, somehow. He has until Thursday to get it running, or we
could switch to the other car and improvise an exhaust system again for it.
It is 1987 and this one is 1986. THe library had the repair manual.
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rcurl
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response 830 of 848:
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Sep 5 05:35 UTC 2005 |
What's he filling the holes with? When a car I had rusted through the
space between the wheel well and the fender I filled the whole space with
polyurethane foam.
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n8nxf
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response 831 of 848:
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Oct 13 19:26 UTC 2005 |
I use canvas and roofing tar.
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keesan
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response 832 of 848:
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Oct 24 20:51 UTC 2005 |
Jim used polyurethane foam and then sprayed some black rubberized coating over
it. It looks nice but don't bump it. For the floors he used the stuff you
put on roofs to prevent ice dams, over two layers of stainless steel.
The car drove 3500 miles. He spent two days on the trip underneath it and
managed to patch the oil leaks with a 2-part epoxy compound and gave up on
the gas leak. It only leaked if you filled it over half full, so we would
put in 5 gal at a time when it was nearly empty, calculating when that was
(the fuel gauge only works when it is over half full) by counting miles and
assuming 40 mpg (35 in rush hour traffic, 45 on level highway). The trunk
was also leaking on the trip but he fixed it with rust treatment and we put
the piano onto the back seat instead (in pieces, just fit). The FM radio did
not work, AM is not worth much, but the tape player was fixable. It was too
noisy to hear much even with the windows shut (and then it was very hot).
We are thinking of selling the 1987 Dodge Colt that needs and exhaust system
- maybe for $300? It works apart from that. WE don't need both.
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arthurp
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response 833 of 848:
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Oct 25 04:00 UTC 2005 |
Recently gave my Mazda 626 (working well needs battery body mostly used
up from rust) to a friend when I moved to AZ. It's not much of a favor,
but he can use it more than I can. I hope it does as well for him as it
has for me these past many years.
Took apart the hand brake lever on my Subaru Legacy wagon as the lever
would not stay up. Turned out the button to release the lever had
broken (in a minor way) and the loose pieces were binding the button.
Now it works again although the button is a little deeper in the handle,
and it wiggles more. Sometime I'll get to a yard and get a new old
lever for it. Gotta say I just love that Subi wagon. Great car. It
moved my whole life to AZ from MI, and it moved one of my friend's whole
life from MI to San Diego. Both fun trips. As well as several other
trans continental flights. Really no other way to describe MI to AZ in
under 30 hours. :)
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n8nxf
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response 834 of 848:
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Jul 27 19:08 UTC 2006 |
Wow, I'm still working on the BMW that I was working on in item 734. Got a
solo seat and rack coming in from Germany. Engine is back together but I've
not run it yet. I wonder how much longer this project will take?
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rcurl
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response 835 of 848:
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Dec 20 06:54 UTC 2006 |
Built a remote on/off control for the cable modem and wireless base
station, to be operated from near the computers in another part of the
house. I used (powerline) X-10 control. The X-10 signal would not pass the
filtered UPS that provided the power for the modem/base, so I used an X-10
Universal Module at the wall outlet, which is a switch for low voltage
service, to operate a 12V relay that switches the power to the modem/base.
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rcurl
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response 836 of 848:
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Dec 20 21:04 UTC 2006 |
This past couple of years I contributed to building a "Caver's Choice
Ballot Box", which can be seen as the last item shown on
http://tinyurl.com/y7w3h8
My wife did the side mosaics, my daughter the top one, and I designed and
constructed the box so that it is easily assembled and disassembled for
transport. My daughter also carved the lettering in wax and I made the RTV
silicone rubber molds from them and cast the letters in pewter.
Besides the "Honorable Mention" in the NSS Fine Arts Salon, the ballot box
won the "Caver's Choice" Award itself, for which the box was made to receive
the ballots.
The left-hand mosaic is the logo of the NSS Fine Arts Salon, and the
right-hand mosaic is from a photo I took of a friend in a Michigan cave.
(Opposite that one is a mosaic of me in a cave in California.)
This was a fun project, for all of the new design and techniques
challenges faced and met.
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n8nxf
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response 837 of 848:
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Mar 2 22:32 UTC 2007 |
I built a boat shed, rebuilt a CX650C, merged the parts from a '54 Gravely
L1 with those of a '64 L8 (Can't do that with stuff these days!) and use it
to till a 40' x 40' gagden, maintain 1/2 mile of trails and plow two LONG
driveways. That's enough for now.
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cmcgee
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response 838 of 848:
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Mar 2 23:46 UTC 2007 |
Klaus! good to see you. It's been ages and ages.
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rcurl
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response 839 of 848:
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Mar 3 06:04 UTC 2007 |
Re #384: is that project finished, klaus?
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n8nxf
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response 840 of 848:
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Apr 13 19:33 UTC 2007 |
I come by here every now and then to clean out my mailbox. Rane, #384 is not
my project so I can't answer your question.
I put new brake pads on my CX650C and new stainless steel mufflers on a BMW
R75/5. Nice bike, that!
I rebuilt the hi/lo planatray on my '69 Commercial 12 Gravely 2-wheel tractor
and then discovered that the differential had big problems. Parts are on
order to repair that and bring it up to the more recent configuration.
I'm kicking around ideas on building an electric motorbike. Something with
a 40 mile range and top speed of around 50 MPH so that I don't become a road
hazzard on some of the roads out by me. I met a fellow who did one who lives
close by. Anyone with a doner bike out there by chance?
I bought and built up a new commuter bicycle last spring. I dissed the front
shifter and chain ring. I figured out what gears I needed and set up the 9
remaining gears to meet those needs. I did over 2K miles last year just
riding to and from work. This winter I laced a Shimano Nexus dyno-hub into
the front wheel for a little 3W halogen headlight. Wasn't bright enough so
I got sone Luxeon Emitter III LED's and after collecting some data on the
dyno-hub, built up a dual-LED headlight. MUCH better than the halogen unit
and I was able to coax another watt out of the dyno.
Did I mention that we put up ten 10' X 4' solar hot water panels a couple
years ago to preheat the water going into our hot water tank and to dump heat
into our basement radiant floor slab? Works great, when the sun comes out...
I see my spelling hasn't improved. And I forgot how to use the editor. Oh
well, some things don't change ;o)
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keesan
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response 841 of 848:
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Apr 13 22:07 UTC 2007 |
How much supplementary heat do you still need during Michigan overcast
winters?
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rcurl
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response 842 of 848:
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Apr 14 04:12 UTC 2007 |
I sure didn't mean to write "384" - but now don't remember what I asked about.
So it goes.
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n8nxf
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response 843 of 848:
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Apr 16 16:17 UTC 2007 |
We reduced our propane consumption from about 800 gallons per year to about
500. Solar heating for Michigan winters is difficult, though taking passive
solar it into consideration during the design phase does help. Active solar
is the only type of solar heating that will give you a meaningful net gain.
In these sorts of overcast winter climates you are probably better off,
heating & cooling wise, inside of a windowless Styrofoam box with a candle
for warmth and a air-to-air heat exchanger for fresh air ;o)
Rane, I think it was item 834 you were inquiring about. It's together and
I've ridden it to break it in. I need to move the seat back a bit and then
insure and license it. You can see it at:
http://webpages.charter.net/n8nxf/R60slash2.jpg
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gull
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response 844 of 848:
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Apr 17 19:51 UTC 2007 |
Re resp:840:
An electric motorbike would be overkill for me, but I'd kind of like an
electric moped. A top speed of 30-35 mph would let me travel on most
arterials in the town I live in without being a hazard to navigation.
There isn't much out there, though; most commercial ones top out at 20
mph.
This did catch my interest:
http://www.electricrider.com/crystalyte/phoenix.htm
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drew
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response 845 of 848:
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Apr 18 19:43 UTC 2007 |
I'm thinking I'd like a Cheetah <http://www-eng.lbl.gov/~osborn/cheetah/
cheetah.html>. With regenerative braking if possible, but I think I could
do without if necessary. Combustion speeds without combustion *costs*.
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gull
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response 846 of 848:
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Apr 20 18:31 UTC 2007 |
One reason I'm more interested in electric mopeds than electric cars is
I have no electrical outlet near my parking space, but I could park a
moped on my patio, where I do have power.
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tod
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response 847 of 848:
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Apr 20 20:52 UTC 2007 |
What if you could wear a big coil on your helmet and pass inductors on your
route which would transmit the power to you through your helmet? ;)
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gull
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response 848 of 848:
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Nov 11 02:44 UTC 2007 |
I took my Ranger RCI-2950 10 meter band radio out of my car for repairs,
today. It had two problems: First, the power connector was flimsy and
intermittent. Secondly, the memory backup battery had gone dead,
causing the radio to lose its settings every time it was powered off.
This might have been only a minor annoyance, except that the radio would
sometimes power on in a confused, non-functional state.
The first problem was fairly easy to solve. I bought a pigtail with a
much heavier-duty connector on it. I removed the original connector and
put a grommet in the hole, using that for the cable for the new power
pigtail. I installed a terminal lug inside the radio to hold the
components that were formerly attached to the old power connector -- a
couple of filter capacitors and RF chokes. A zip tie pulled tight
around the cable just inside the grommet provided strain relief.
The second problem required more disassembly. I found the
display/control board had a soldered-in lithium battery on it. I
couldn't find lithium batteries with solder tabs locally, so I installed
a holder for a common CR-2032 lithium coin cell instead. This will make
future battery changes much easier; I feel it really should have been
the original design.
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