What did you do in your shop today?

[Willie_B]

Not sure of the brand but it was sold thru Northern Tool. I still have the other small lathe for more precision work when needed.

[MiniDave]

Similar one on their website now is just shy of $2K.

I picked this up today....140 total bins on both sides of the A frame, 70 on a side. I will fill it easily.....

[Willie_B]

Similar one on their website now is just shy of $2K.

I picked this up today....140 total bins on both sides of the A frame, 70 on a side. I will fill it easily.....

Very nice. Let the sorting and filling begin. Once you get in the zone it is kind of relaxing to just get into it.

[MiniDave]

I've got 40 years of accumulated "stuff" that I can fill these bins with......it will be nice to get it all sorted and in one location, but it will take a while. I figure it's the perfect way to fill some long snowy days.

[jedduh01]

Ive been doing the clean up / toss out routine... how many things have I held on to for years now that haven't been used and heck with it = wont be used.  Toss it out, ill finda  newer or better somthing when its need... Not tossing good carparts or TOOLS!  NEVER!

Stupid tossouts include
2 refrigerator shelves  - They're glass ./ they're heavy duty = but where will i ever use them  gone!
Padding set for a workout bench,  why... did  I Keep this stuff....

My scrap metal pile is getting weeded down.  Bucket of rusty gross fasteners .. get out of here.

Went thru my 'personal boxes'  of memories, cleaning out my loft. . well some memories have been sent on along.. pair'ed down from 3 boxes to 1....  Some Old toys kept = old momento cards and papers kept... but the 1981 Almanac  (my birth year )= Sorry its gone...

i haven't camped in YEARS  now pairing that down to 1 realistic box.

Many other toss outs... lighten the load! 
   Next is a run to the scrap yard.. Pile of brake rotors .  and other metals to 'Scrap!

[MiniDave]

Yes, I'm  committed to doing the same, weed thru all the old junk that hasn't been out of a box in 25 years and get rid of it....time to lighten the load.

As for tools, I have so many duplicates from having a full set of tools at work and another at home and another small setup out on my "country estate", but I just can't make myself get rid of them......some are slightly modified to do a certain job and every so often I find myself digging that oddball out and using it. I also have some cheezy cheap stuff that I have no idea how I got since I never would have bought such stuff.......but I still can't quite make myself throw it away.......it's a sickness, I know.

I also have a large wooden tool chest built by my great grandfather, full of his carpenter's tools from way back in the day (turn of the century - I mean 1900!), what the heck do I do with that? Nobody wants them anymore, and none of my grandson's seem to be into woodworking - if they are they'll buy modern stuff anyway. I can't just throw it away, and I can't give it to anyone or any organization......

But I am going to clean the basement once and for all.....somehow. The bride has agreed to get rid of the last remains of her parent's crap that wound up in our basement after her mom died and her dad remarried, and I'm going to support her efforts by getting rid of all my unused crap too.

We've seen the light when our next door neighbor had to move into assisted living, and had an estate sale. They spent 2 weeks cleaning just the unsellable/undonatable stuff out of the house so they could sell the rest....took truckloads of "stuff" out of the house to the dump.

Now that I have this bin thingy I can sort thru the good stuff and pitch the rest, then all I'll have is good clean usable fasteners and bits. The rest will go.......

Got a few things sorted and out away - now on the hunt for stick on labels to put over these.

[94touring]

Speaking of bins, I have a ton of random spare odds and ends bins that I think it may be time to toss most of it out.  I also have tons of scrap metal, old rusty bonnets, probably 5 pairs of doors, random suspension bits that are worthless.  Time to toss that stuff too.

[MiniDave]

I'd think the doors would have some value?

[94touring]

Some are rotten, some the frames are usable and can be skinned.  I'll keep those.

[MiniDave]

All MK3 and newer doors?

[94touring]

External and internal hinge doors.

[Willie_B]

I have a set a wheels that need a sleeved lugnut but have been unable to find ones that fit. I bought some flat bottom lugnuts and made steel inserts for the wheels. Started with steel pipe. Found a knurling attachment in the lathe tools so did that to roughen the outside. These will be glued in the wheels. Then cut to length. Still working to find the best way to do that cut.  I will use JBWeld to glue them in. It's not like they are going anywhere if they come loose. Will use a rear hub with the wheel studs to insure correct alignment. Have some S/S washers to go under the flat lugnuts.

[Willie_B]

Lathe #2 has room for 10" wheels. Now I can clean up curb rash. Took a bit to figure it out. Had to cut the rear side, luckily I can reverse the lathe direction

[MiniDave]

I love having new toys......erm TOOLS to play with in my shop!   77.gif

[jeff10049]

A while back I repainted the 2004 Mini and polished the headlights they quickly yellowed again I read about the uv protection only being on the surface so when you polish them it removes what little may have still been there after years.
So I pulled them back out and sanded with 320 until the yellow was gone the sanded out the 320 with 600.
After that I applied three coats of automotive clear coat they look great and the clear should have all the UV protection needed. I may have the clear 3m film put on the headlights to protect the clear coat I have been getting that stuff on all my newer cars and it really works if it gets beat up after years of use just remove and replace. It may offer some UV protection as well.
Only cost two pieces of sandpaper and 30 minutes of time if you have clear around I didn't use but an ounce.

[BruceK]

 I definitely think headlight film is the way to go.   I'm the original owner of my '02 Cooper S and headlights are as clear as they were when I bought the car and they've never been restored.   They are that way because when I bought the car I applied XPEL headlight film right away.  The first application lasted about 14 years, then it was starting to kind of crack and peel up around the edges.  It was pretty simple to remove it and the headlights looked perfect underneath.  So I applied some new XPEL and it's doing great.

[MiniDave]

Wish I had known about this stuff for my Audi, the tops of the lenses are really turning yellow and getting grainy to the touch. I'll be working on them one day soon....

Today I modified my engine stand to take a Sprite engine. I'm building a 1275 now for a guy so I wanted to get it all set up before I strip the block and send it off to the machine shop. I have a feeling it will be gone for a month or so, they're SO busy. We're boring it 20 over, putting in high compression pistons, a nice cam, hardened seats and an electronic dizzy - he's running a Weber side draft now on his 948 and he'll take care of getting it jetted out correctly.

He's putting it into a Bugeye. He bought one of the Sprite transmissions I rebuilt a while back and the good news is he said it worked perfectly! Nice to know since I never got to even bench run them.

[jeff10049]

Did the trans we made synchros for ever get used?
If you sand those Audi headlights and clear them they will look great then add the film. If you don't have a way to clear them sand and polish then put the film on right away it should help preserve the polish job otherwise it'll last less than a year in my experience.

[MiniDave]

I don't think it has been sold or used yet, no. This trans was the second one I built for him.

I'll have to see if I can buy some precut lens covers, they'll fit better than any I might hand cut for them. Thanks for the tips, I'll follow them.

It turns out the Mini radiator bracket and motor mount still fit after I made my bracket for the Sprite engine, so I won't have to fab up some sort of mount for the rad, and since I have an electric fan mounted on it I don't have to worry about mounting the fan blade.

So far it's coming together nicely, but I may have to re-engineer the back mount as I don't think the flywheel will clear it. I won't know for sure till he brings it by at a later date.

[BruceK]

Wish I had known about this stuff for my Audi, the tops of the lenses are really turning yellow and getting grainy to the touch. I'll be working on them one day soon

If you're going the headlight film route, I recommend you restore them/polish them first before applying the film.    This stuff from Mother's is great. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GZLMEPM?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

[jeff10049]

Today in my shop I reached for my radiator hose cutters and grabbed the blade 4 stitches later my finger stopped leaking.

[MiniDave]

Crikeys! Don't do that......it hurts!    :-\

[jedduh01]

Sent the Lotus seven home this week. after a plethora of 'old car issues"
Leaky intake gasket
Replaced fuel pipe from tank to carbs
Re Cleaned Weber carbs AGAIN
  Realized the ignition timing on a  Ford Kent 109 engine is 1243 !!! after trying to get it to run as 1342 for a while.... Thanks ford..
Tidy'ed bulbs = turn signals etc.  All to return to customer and its the coldest is been in november and winter is here... He drove it home thank fullY!

Mountain bike service = New pads Front and rear + brake system bleeds too.

State inspection for family cars.
  Bulbs and 2 tires ( let the inspection shop handle that install
Wifes car needs brakes  thats next..
  My other Volvo has a suspension knock. found swaybar bushings slam worn out..  on the docket

Planning to get my Mercedes W123 in next... ( car was gifted to me)  time to fix it for its next life...(headgasket i think)
 

[jeff10049]

is your w123 a TD?

[MiniDave]

I used my grinder with a small cut off wheel, and as it was winding down after I let off the trigger I went to set it down and the cut off wheel nicked my finger, took out about a 1/2 long groove in the skin - stings!