60+ year old thread.

Morning all:
Hope you can match something up Mike, crazy that you can't get just the spring instead of having to buy the whole clutch unit.

 

Money money money

 

Good morning all. Visiting my lunch partner in Rehab this morning. Going out to an early dinner then of to look at a Christmas Light display after dinner.

 

Good Morning Porch Pals & Gals! Looking to get that door seal on the garage door today, and get stuff loaded up for a mod-day & brewery get together tomorrow. Naturally, after hitting 80* today, Saturday will be 50*, wet & windy. At least the lift is in a garage, and the brewery has a covered patio! Assuming we do any real work, I'm the only truck to be modded! Shocks & struts, u-joints and carrier? We shall see!

I feel you on those springs Mike - I do bet you can find something at McMaster Carr tho. I was trying to use up extra wire baskets from my door mount shelves, and I will be darned if I can find mounting brackets separately. Every other part....I finally wrote email to the MFG.

I think we'd really like a pic or two of that finished bridge Mark!

Oh, on the putz list was swap out my current SAE white cutoff fogs for the Diode Dynamics SS3 I finally broke down and bought on Black Friday sales. I got that done yesterday. The white worked, but yellow is better. In the photo, you have to ignore the aiming, as it's just how I was parked and adjusted at the time. I like YELLOW better!





Have a great Friday everyone!

 

Maybe have a relationship with a small engine shop? The local guy here has a scrap heap that he keeps so he has just such springs and other parts rather than buying $80 units. Just a thought. Good luck.

 

This is why I think we have the greatest hardware store on earth near here. It's an Ace Hardware but they stock so much more than the standard Ace lineup. I can go down there with that spring and see if I could match it up with one from their assortment. Might work, might not, but what a great option. In this case I might also try to find a small engine shop nearby and filch something from a dead unit.

 

We use to have one in town. I was actually thinking of going part time after I retired. He closed.

 

Yup. Not many of those around anymore. Friend of mine from work years ago went to work for his dad at one here in Lockhart. It became filled with cast off, unrepaired stuff that no one would approve the estimate on, probably because $80 stupid part, and their labor. Eventually, the charged for estimate, which would refund on actual repair. Still didn't help. Long had a policy that things left there would be sold. But who wants to buy a non working cheap thing? And $80 in parts + labor? "I'll buy a new" cheap thing. Only thing that would usually make it in and out were bigger riding mowers, and even those stopped. It's long gone. Family run place in San Marcos too.
It's a tough road.

 

80 bucks for the part only..

 

yup, grumpy guys work free.....

 

Mike, I've made my own spings. Use calipers to measure diameter, and piano wire is your friend (tempered steel).

I had a dowel with a hole, vise grips with leather pads (keep tension on the wire). I turned the dowel by using hand power on my old LeBlond lathe (mechanical advantage). Keep the number of coils the same plus two, bend the end two to make your loops.

The classic of neighbors with too much money. A year-old $800 Honda Mower sitting at the curb for trash. Trash didn't pick up (reeked of rancid fuel), by the time I got back from a run and went back around it was gone!

 

Use to…

 

I have enough brake springs. Can cut and shape if I absolutely have to. But a 3.00 worth of springs to save me 45 min of cussin is worth it..

 

I’m chasing the storm.
This is going back this morning.
Real nice guy
Not going to have him stranded if I can help it..

 

Good morning fellow Porchies!!

All you mechanically/electrically inclined guys make me jealous. I'm struggling just to get the courage to try to run the wiring and harness to hook up my MESO V5 Switchback DRLs and that's just really plug and play. I wish I had your skills.

Here are some shots of the bridge - old one and new. The old one was really in bad shape, new one looks to be much more well designed and wider - old one was single lane. They've talked about trying to widen our road to two lanes but there really isn't much possibility because of the locations of buildings and since there are only a few houses it isn't worth the investment....which is fine with us.

 

The price you pay for being a little isolated.
Not a bad thing

 

I was a small engine mechanic for many years, it was how I earned my living. I serviced golf course and city equipment for toro for a few years too. I worked in a home depot tool rental as their tech for many years, serviced everything. Did repairs on the side at home but I had to quit that as my house started to look like a junkyard and I had no space to move. It's nice to have the knowledge to fix my own things but I dont miss turning a wrench for a living. I have always said that mechanical aptitude is either in a person or it isn't, it's just a different way a person's brain works. But there are other things I cant do, I cant draw, I suck at math, and school was pure torture for me. But I've always been good working with my hands, it's what God gave me. So I can relate to all the things you show us that your working on, cool stuff.

 

Combine the small engine with fixing outboard motors and I'd bet you'd have too much work to bother with the small engine stuff. A guy that can fix outboard motors is always busy and worth their weight in gold.

 

I like the yellow pattern too.

I like ACE Hardware. I have found that they vary inventory from store to store. The one I go to the most is further away, but they carry the charcoal I like to use. Pay for it on-line and then just drive through to pick up. Both the ACE Hardwares I go to do propane tank refills. None of this 75% fill that you get with Blue Rino or American and it actually cost less.

Sounds like work to me Mike. Fixing a few things on the side might be more of a calling. Having to deal with licenses and insurance just does not seem worth it.

Nice progress pictures Mark. For electrical projects on the Tacoma, YouTube is your friend. Most of the time.

Going to visit my Neice and her husband's new home today. After that we are going to walk around at the National Christmas Tree in DC. Full day for sure.

 

Done
Blower delivered
Cleaned up
Packed and prepped
Bring it on