What did you do in your shop today?

[94touring]

A few hours later the skies open up the flood gates.  My ditch worked.   Other things accomplished today was cleaning up the shop and organizing  suspension parts to start a couple subframe builds. 

[BruceK]

Well, if this whole airline pilot thing doesn't work out, you've got successful ditch digging experience to fall back on!   ;D

[94touring]

Well, if this whole airline pilot thing doesn't work out, you've got successful ditch digging experience to fall back on!   ;D

[BruceK]

Sorry, I was totally distracted.  Did they say something?

[94touring]

Sorry, I was totally distracted.  Did they say something?

Say what?

[MiniDave]

Finished replacing the bushings and pins in a set of rear control arms, a local Mini guy loaned me his reamer and adjustable finish hone since I haven't gotten mine built yet so I could get them done. They turned out nicely, so now the owner can get on with building his subframes.

I'll be building him an engine and rod change transmission at some point, he's already gotten his pistons and a new cylinder head from Calver ST, and a bunch of other parts he'll need like a light flywheel and clutch assembly..

I also finished building the Sprite gearbox with straight cut gears, next up it's back on the Sprite race motor....

[MPlayle]

Finally got around to replacing the wimpy horn on Miss Ruby.  Now I should be more easily heard when someone cuts me off in traffic.

And yes, I put the new dual tone horns on a fused relay arrangement.

[BruceK]

Always a worthy upgrade on a small vehicle!    Especially with the interiors of modern cars being so isolated and with many distractions.

[MiniDave]

I don't bother any more....they don't care.  ::)

If I had a really loud horn they might do something even stupider, like brake check me.  :(

[BruceK]

I don't bother any more....they don't care.  ::)

If I had a really loud horn they might do something even stupider, like brake check me.  :(

Or... they might notice you are there and not run you over!

But I get your point.  I don't honk unless I really need to. 

[MPlayle]

I also don't honk unless I really need to - such as when someone I can see is busy on their phone starts to drift right into me.

[jeff10049]

I looked into ordering some new rubber bulbs for the horns on the 1919 today they are getting a little crispy.

[ADRay]

that thing is awesome

[BruceK]

Wow. That is very cool!  More pictures please. And tell us about it please.  It's a depot hack, right? 

[MiniDave]

Gotta be able to warn people when you're racing along at 30 mph!!!

I put in yet another order for parts at MiniSpares, and find I miss Vicky Brits more and more....it's not just the convenience of being able to drive 15 min and get what I needed vs ordering and waiting a week - it's also the prices!

Moss is pretty good about having stuff in stock between their two warehouses, and I find it interesting that stuff gets here on the same day even tho some of it comes from California and some from Virginia, but compared to Spares - well, they're not as bad as Mania or 7 Ent, but they're not far off.

I ordered a Verto clutch kit - from Moss it was $250, from Spares it was £87. I don't know what the exchange rate is these days, but even at 1.4 that would still be 1/2 the cost Moss wanted, and shipping seems to cost the same!

I know you all know all this so I won't belabor the point, but it sure adds up over time! I think the last I checked I'd ordered more than $10K so far from Spares.

Also topped up my bolt bins - $75 from Bolt Depot!

[94touring]

Not so much of what I did in the shop, but rental property this week.  Tenant moved out and it's time to redo, fix, and remodel some things.  First thing was to tackle the blower motor in the 50 year old unit that was making bearing noises.  New motor in but the shaft has play, so the fan hits on shut down as the shaft shifts. Need to pull that back out and dremel these brackets it barely clips.  This mornings objective was replace the toilet with new.  Got the old off, opened up the box to the new one, and it's busted in 100 pieces.  :-[   I'll try again on Wednesday when the new couch gets delivered.  In the bathroom I'm adding a new vanity and putting in a ventless washer dryer combo.  It's the original 1970 vanity with some updates and none of these units had washer and dryers.  Went to turn off the water at the valves to begin to tear out the old vanity and both knobs to the valves broken off immediately.  To turn the water off to replace the valves requires turning off the entire 20 story building on that riser section.  I'll deal with that Wednesday too.

[jedduh01]

Its been an awesome Spring = = Spring has sprung...   Finally!

For my Garage = finally in April my ' drainage project is wrapping up. I Couldn't touch it until like 2 weeks ago because of Temperatures + RAIN   wet winter...
    For now, I Have parged the wall  with two coats rubber coating. Dug deeper to the footings.  Filled with Drainage Pipe + gravel .. I think just by the Block sealing  and my neighbor dug a trench and re-directed the water kindly away from me .I wont see any more water in my wall issues again.   Now im still leveling+ making a spare "mini' Parking spot.    Will be a' mini carport eventually.




In My garage !   

I have  a Volvo Buddy = we both LOVE 90's 850 Volvos.   He picked up a 96  -  850 R Sedan,    Clean but needed ALL The Maintenance = but the goal was to keep it stock.  Nearly a full refurbishment,   Seals = Gaskets = Timing belts= filters= suspension ( whole thing) he brought this car back to top top. GREAT car now ... will come back for some AC Work when it warms up.  Headliner refurbish . Dash is next ( volvo plastic is very brittle by these days)
    He picked that up = and traded me his Hot wagon!    Simpler service . suspension work = tune up too. 

In the meanwhile =  A pickup came for a full hose, fluid  service  update. New coil = wires = plugs... just needed a good going over
   
My formerly owned 94 -SPI = Tuneup + CV Boot replacement + Mani flow Exhaust replacement (great update) and a new Alternator

Also = another NC Guy brought me his power plant = A+1275 -   he described as 1st gear not working = and LOTS of noise on other gears... Well, stop driving it.
     Somehow the keeper for the lay shaft  broke / loosened... (perhaps was installed wrong) Layshaft walked out = and the lay gear was, only held on the big end...
  With that damage= couldn't risk the engine integrity,  turned into a motor rebuild.   +.020 pistons = whole head refresh = get that power plant clean.
  Luckily his car came with a whole second transmission .  We installed a new CWP for better highway . and re assembled that...   He picked up that power plant yesterday.
      While his motor was out, he headed down the restoration wormhole.. FULL strip = its getting a paint job + interior now too!   Will expect in a few months to go help visit him for the first motor startup!


And one afternoon i got My pickup in a Professional Photo shoot for Rack Room Shoes Advertisements + commersicals 
   Now thats an easy way for CASH!   Being the 'DRIVER"  to park your car for a few hours an afternoon!


Finishing up most things this week =  Vacation NEXT week!



   







 

[MiniDave]

Cracking work!

Love the wagon, just what you need - more cars!

Still have the big Benz too?

[jedduh01]

Cracking work!

Love the wagon, just what you need - more cars!

Still have the big Benz too?

:)
I Actually  Downsized the fleet by 2 this year !!!   the Big Benz was a cruzer but not a 'driver'.

    I sold the "big Benz" back in Feb .. After a LONG history to get a title in my hand ( thanks North Carolina).   I had a buyer lined up after listing it for sale without a title. We both held to our word. and he was ready to pick it up when i got the title.... Well =  I got the title = and was preparing to sell, Iwas driving it over to clean it up one last time . and it died in the main road. Tow hook it home  started learning about vintage Benz'es.   Had Fuel pumping withMechanical fuel injection  but NO spark..   Learned a bit about Bosch Ignition = and found... A Ballast resistor is crucial to running.( it has 3 Critical to ignition)  and
     23$ and a new resistor- it ran again = Called buyer it moved on. Pete Happily owns the vintage 280SE.

Second let go was the wife's BMW =  2006 BMW 530i =  Without a doubt a solid good Car: which is hard to say about any kind of Modern BMW.. but - simple Inline 6 engine + Manual trans.. that car gave us SOME greif, but not too much = I was very conflicted on letting it go.   Wife's work has gone 100% remote..w ork from home so she doesnt need a  good commuter car = and us having a   15 year old BMW @ 156K miles.. Sell it while we can easily.,  I was surprised . I got alot of interest in it  in listing it for 3 days = First to come look... took it at full asking...   Cant ask for much better than that.

My Volvo wagon still is a work horse = Haul more things than the SUV....!!!

[Red Riley]

Made a cupholder. This is part of a plastic truck bed rail cover that I picked up out of my ditch and been in the scrap pile for a few years. I like the diamond tread pattern. Recycling!

[MiniDave]

I don't care about diamond plate, but I sure like the idea!   77.gif

[Willie_B]

Take care of a few fix it list items, the least fun things to do of course.

Replace the choke cable. Till I got tired of laying on the minis floor with me head under the dash trying to get the little screw  tabs back through the holes that when you can really only see one of. So took a break to swap the water pump pullet. I tried the medium size but the mini overheats in about 10 minutes of slow/stopped traffic. So back to the smallest size.

[Willie_B]

Just WOW. I bought a brake flare tool from a seller in Germany on ebay June 2020. He could not ship the item till the middle of Sept. due to restrictions from covld. It finally arrived yesterday.

[MiniDave]

I completely don't understand that - why couldn't he ship it? Other parts have been shipped thru that time period - thru Germany too - everything that comes DHL comes thru Germany.

so, how's the tool look?

[94touring]

Germany has been rather strict so it doesn't surprise me.