Breakin' Bolts Build

Realized last weekend that I'll have to cut holes into the SSO slimline bumper bottom mounting brackets for the FBRB to be mounted properly...oh joy!

 

So I finally got to use my Krazy Beaver shovel this morning...the wife and I got a fun surprise while moving trash cans into the trailer. This guy chose the wrong trash can to hangout under...made quick work of it, no messing around with the dog and toddler running around these parts!

Also got 3.36 inches of this evening in less than 2 hours...we so need twenty loads of dirt to fix this and get the grade fixed.

 

Whoooohooo Taco trip to Flag Pole Knob!!

So I got an unexpected showering from the interstate repair concrete sprayer dude, must'a sneezed or just really hates Yotas, so in addition to the 20 minute delay, I ended up detouring to wash and wipe this off, since there wasn't a quick car wash option on top of Afton Mtn. on I-64.


Did the trail with @bronco290 via the Union Springs route. He's rocking this 2005 AC OR

So after airing down we were put on alert, Safety First folks ...safety rocks representing (should've known karma would strike)!!

We had a great and nearly solitude trip up... granted having a dude on a vespa passing you coming down the trail certainly "knocks some wind out of the sails."

Anyways we trekked all the way up and past the knob, hit the puddle and flexy spot for a little bit. We then turned around and ran it backwards! Although there was a bit more traffic coming up as we went down, it was going well. Then I took a BAD line and POP went the front passenger tire, dang stabby pointy rock!

Got through swapping in the spare, all while sadly holding up a group of 1st and 3rd Tacos from MD (and a Ram and Jeep), fortunately three of the tacos with HC rear bumpers went over the ledge drop just as I finished off putting on the lug nuts and screwing on a tire deflator!

I won't lie the remaining drive out I was eagle eyeing every slightly angled rock along the trail!!!
Made it out and home safe and sound! Thanks again @bronco290 for the fun ride, the spotting and assistance, not to mention the photos!

Here's some more photos






@Rome604 the can'o air still going strong!

 

Nice pictures sir!

 

Thanks man, hopefully I'll be running/offering use of a GoPro hero 4...so no fancy Randy leveling horizon level GoPro, but one nonetheless!

 

But on another note not taco related...finally ran down a rental mini skid power rake for the road bumps and divit work that it needs.

 

Pictures please! I too need something like this but not sure what to look for

edit: never mind. Just realized that’s a link. Awesome

 

so I am not techy enough to know how to make the video thumbnail thing work, so I just hyperlinked it...but here's some photos
They make power rakes for PTO setups...not sure if United or Sunbelt Rentals have them vs. the skid and dingo type interface (also not fully versed on if your front loader quick attach works with universal skid steer attachments, or if you'd need an adapter plate. FYI I have an adapter to take any Universal mini skid steer mount (essentially anything but mini bobcat).

I'll try to get some photos, but 3 of 4 other neighbors either drove by and thanked me or texted to thank me. Hell, one that drove by thought I had a load of gravel tailgated!

The mini skid power rakes are like $3 to 5K more than the fullsize skid steer ones, and like many attachments the pto ones are usually the cheapest option. For my needs (not making a business out of it) I figure 100-130 bucks for a weekend rental one or three times a year is a lot easier than thowing down $7K and then having to worry about wear and tear on something used infrequently.

EDIT: For perspective it seems to pull up a bit more gravel than the land tine rake (spelling?) The neighbors brother was using a few times last year, however your road and drive don't have many undesired or unplanned waves, bumps or big recurring depressions from my times out there.

I should've done a drone flight as low as possible to show the big mounds we drove down or up to come or go, as well as some other constantly low spots I was able to run the rake the opposite direction of the skid and it digs or cuts down and pulls all the dirt and gravel.

 

That thing did an awesome job! It does look like fresh gravel! I want/need one!

 

https://www.sunbeltrentals.com/equipment/detail/1403/0510014/harley-power-rake-landscape-tractor/

FYI EDIT: Also the gravel in the shots with the rake is gravel I just got in the spring for a little driveway/trailer extension...

 

So I got a decent start today, and while grabbing the grease gun I stumbled on a large wasp nest that was up in the peak of the gable, sprayed and killed 8+ wasps on/in the nest.

Then I knew the remaining "family members" were too high for the spray can, turned out the 8ft on the utility trailer worked just enough.
However, I got soaked with the over and falling spray thanks to the wind that picked up while spraying...oh well.

Finally got to getting the skid greased up and also grease the power rake zerks and went to working the driveway a bit, then on the side area we cleared last year, and where I plan to extend a driving gravel path to the shed and (future) covered parking area.
Well the power rake went down with a blast...one of the hoses blew right out from the coupler crimp at the skid interface/fitting , which began spraying me with hot hydraulic fluid (SOOOOO GLAD it wasn't yesterday after using it for nearly 5 hours!!!!!) As it flung forward and down onto the rake! I was wearing theseand only had some minor richoette get in the eye, but no issues post flushing the eyes

 

Nothing to see here...just breaking more things, just not Taco related!!


Of course I bolted it together yesterday and tested it out immediately...well my luck, I "found" a subterranean stump on the second pass. I guess it's BFH time. Hopefully it can be "massaged" back to true, along with some reinforcements (via neighbor).

 

What exactly is that device?

 

Land planer or Land Leveler. It's equivalent to a box grader, also can carry things like a pallet fork/platform...

Or you can grow up to be just like me (and break shit!)

 

Appears I have figured out why there was this vibration/rattling on the driver's front wheel well, mostly noticed on our gravel country road.

 

Finally got out to work over some stumps Monday at my dad's...couldn't bring myself to tell him how crazy he was to think we could pull both of these out in a 6hr. day, so I just let him see it in person. It basically was about 4 hours of machine use and 6 hours of digging, hacking, cutting, sawing, etc. through the line of roots running under the fence.

Talk about being tippy
Initial finished "path to the blueberry bushes"
Final resting place!

 

Well after 194k+ on my 14+ year old daily beater Civic with original suspension and control arms, etc. I began to experience erratic handling and irregular, but pretty rythmic when occuring, "whommmppps", vibrations, and shaking (at various highways speeds in the front end).

Also, not long after the above started, I noticed irregular wear in the tires ahead of tire rotation, so I got my tires rotated/balanced, and then an alignment, but it was to no avail.

So, I picked up a new set of shocks and coilovers for all 4 corners, as well as replacement front control arms with bushings and ball joints (originals were shot) as were the tie rod ends (I know the driver was replaced like 11 years ago and passenger was like 8 years ago). All the ball joints had seen better days...

I went ahead and got new front rotors and brake pads (original rotors were good at 80+k disc pad change). Went ahead and checked on the rear drums, which still have plenty left.

So replacing the orginal rear shocks went pretty smooth, just had a hiccup with the passenger top shock bolt has a 5mm recessed Allen to prevent loosening. Well it stripped out the first attempt to break torque. Vice grips to the rescue!

Front Driver coilovers, lower control arm and tie rod end on driver's side came out easily enough, but the cv axle seemed to slip out 1.5-2 inches, but is still engaged.
Here you can see the (clean) extended area, aka not covered in dust/mud section of the inner CV

Went ahead and put in the Coilover, but pulled off/back everything except the axle nut, so today the CV can get reseated, and I can reassembly/resecure the new parts.​

Front Passenger Coilover swap went Flawless! CV axle didn't slip out, but of course the lower control arm rubber ball joint sleeve was seized to the bolt, we couldn't even get it to with a 3/4" pneumatic impact wrench, so my FiL and I used the breaker bar + big ass cheater bar, for 45mins. until it finally was unthreaded, but still seized to the ball joint sleeve, but the bolt was out of the captured nut!

Got the bolt soaking overnight with penetrating oil and put vice grips clamped on and will try tackling it this Sunday and then swap the control arm out and move to putting on the rotors and pads.
​

Speaking of rotors, had to drill out both front rotor retention screws (ph3 bits snapped off trying to unscrew them)...but the new rotors and pads will go on once all the above stuff is finished up.

Got the lifetime alignment scheduled for later this work week.

Sunday Update:

First thing after I got to the in-laws was the front passenger control arm bolt seized to the ball joint sleeve, today the 3/4" pneumatic impact wrench got it done! Still had to be coaxed out with a pry bar.
Went to install the control arm and turns out, surprise surprise, I stripped out/gnarled up the initial 2 or 3 threads on the captured nut. So I pulled out my FiL's tap set, and of course it didn't have a m14x1.5 tap, so after my BiL showed up, I decided to go ahead and grab the tap, as he was going to check on the CV axle slippage on the driverside.

So while running to the auto parts store my BiL and FiL went ahead and pulled the drivers CV to inspect and reseat...wish I had done that Saturday, or at least stuck around for 5 minutes longer...since I got a call while at the parts store, and was told I needed to get a front left/driver cv axle and seal for the cv to transmission. Turns out it also had/has water penetration issues based on the milky grease we found in the busted joint.


This is when having a hybrid model has started to become a PIA, turns out one of the four auto stores "had" one in stock, of course it wasn't the one that I was at/getting the tap from...but I went ahead and ran down and grabbed it...well turns out it was for a standard (sans SI and hybrid) axle, which aside from the missing dampener on the OE once, is too long. Downside of the in-laws spot is little to no cell service and their wifi was pretty much down all weekend.


Also had some damage to the output seal. Hit up the four auto parts stores around the in-laws, one claimed to have one (I was still at the parts store picking up a m14x1.5 tap for the gnarled thread for control arm when my BiL called and said see if they've got a driver front CV axle and inner axle seal, yours is busted).


Also found out that none of 4 could even find the output seal in their systems (or so I was told).

Got home last night and found the correct output seal, and the correct cv axle, with dampener. Also awaiting a pack of m6x14x1.5 JIS stainless steel screws to replace the drilled out ones on the OE rotors. I read that these aren't necessary to replace, but who doesn't want to harness their inner @y=mx+b and get that high quality JIS hardware!

Hopefully the parts arrive this week so I can put this project to bed and get it all aligned.

 

Shout out to McMaster-Carr...got my replacement JIS screws for the honda rotors, but the shipping package and the actual screw baggie were busted open. I got 4 of the 10 screws, updated MC on the damaged order, they issued a full refund and reshipped the screws, should be arriving today.

I told them I received the total I needed for the project at hand, and didn't even ask for refund or replacement, but then again 10 screws for $35 shipped...I certainly don't mind their great customer service!

 

I officially hate end link/ball joint/shock style 5mm recessed Allen head bolts...yep, ended up stripping out the new front sway bar link ends one trying to just get the nut on beyond finger tight (no power or pneumatic tools used).

So close...last thing I did last night was put the stock ones back on and only put the nuts on finger tight...might try rethreading the new ones...but now I'm questioning me replacing these front ones!



Saturday update:
Civic scrap pile is mostly complete now:
I got the OE link ends back on and tightened up, got the new pads and new rotors installed on both sides. Also, turned out the transmission output seal I ordered was the wrong one...axle however seems spot on minus the dampener.

Once I get these parts (of course they're 50 miles from my in-laws garage)

Hopefully I can button up the civic and get it back on the road!

 

Well I finally got the civic all pieced together yesterday (President's Day/Monday)...she's sitting at Firestone awaiting an alignment (and they said they'd do a multipoint inspection given all my "handy work").

Once I got it down and on the road driving to Firestone, the brake pads/rotors were doing a bit of rubbing/high pitch squealing, so a bit of adjustment might be needed...ugh I just roll up to the shop with all heads turning as I squealed my way into the parking lot

It was fun getting the new output seal all the way in flush



Then got the axle seated in pretty easily once the seal was in flush



Ran through the Honda dealer for 4 qts of CVT fluid...baby seat works great for keeping them from shifting and rolling side to side!!!


Took a full quart of cvtf to bring the level back up to within spec.

Wednesday Update:
Hadn't heard from Firestone and was busy all day with work, turns out the new driver front tie rod end was defective and wouldn't hold alignment adjustment, so I ordered a new one via warranty process and it should be here Friday/tomorrow...so hopefully the alignment can get done Saturday