When I got up Saturday morning, I was thinking the turn out would not be too good because of the weather
One reason why I did not go but also being I have been away from Mary for the other 2 outings I felt is best to stay close.
I was also going to weed Wack but everything was still too wet and I felt sprinkles when I went out.

Mary still not feeling well, cant bend over as it puts pressure on her head / brain, and it starts to hurt that then does not go away.
The other day when she went out for lunch with the girls later that day she said that she was hurting and maybe pushed it too soon?
Only reason she went to the trainer, at his house as he does this as a side gig, was she was getting tight and doing this helps loosen up.
I got to take her again today and I think she is getting cabin fever, so it helps to get her out.

She is starting to prepare the fur kids food on the counter but I still need to pick and put it down on the floor as you need bend over for that.
Thing is she is throwing me all off as I had a routine and just messes me all up
Dave ----

 

Well I hope she keeps improving, without overdoing it. I understand her feeling cabin fever and wanting to get out for at least a while.

Forgot to mention this about the HS car show. Instead of a DJ playing music, they had the West Johnston High School band Jazz Ensemble sitting out there playing. It was a nice change. They played old timey songs that you recognize like "The Girl From Ipanema" and then I heard them do a jazz interpretation of "Play That Funky Music White Boy". They had a girl student sing "Feeling Good" and did an amazing job.

I went by Dale's yesterday, he is midway on a project - repainting his engine bay. But he didn't want to pull the engine out, so he is going to remove some brackets and wiring looms but for the most part just mask everything off and paint. Looks like a daunting project as it is a 90's vehicle with lots and lots going on in the engine bay. I brought my little hand held steam cleaner to him because it seems like that would do a good for him to get into tight spots to clean. He figures this to be a 1 or 2 week project.

Bailey was at the car show Saturday, said he was going to tackle vacuum booster and m/c replacement on his Chevy pickup because he has a low brake pedal and doesn't feel like it has much stopping power. I told him I was available Sunday to lend a hand, but by 5pm Saturday he texted me and said the job was done. He tackled it after the car show and within an hour or two had the job done. But it didn't solve his problem, pedal still feels low. I asked if he adjusted the rear drums and he said yes, that was the first thing he did before deciding to replace the master & booster. So now he guesses maybe a bad wheel cylinder, he said one looked a little wet around the seals. Maybe it is letting a little pressure past.

 

Dave, Sorry the wife's recuperation is taking so long. Hope she starts feeling better soon.

It was a long, hot and wet weekend. I was pretty busy from Friday until Monday and lost steam. I spent most of yesterday hanging out with my neighbors in the covered shade. It was a nice change of pace.

Back to the grind today. Yall have a good week.

 

I haven't gotten much done recently, it feels like it's either raining, or a million percent humidity. I did finish getting the pool ready, I think Monday afternoon. Of course too late for Memorial Day weekend but with it being raining no one would have gone in anyway, and I am the only one who has gone in so far my wife is in the "in looks too cold" phase. But now I'm just in a maintain it phase for the rest of the season.

I want to run a new fuel line for the 83 pickup, the one that was in there I'm not too sure about, it's plastic for 3/4 of the way (with a snap connector at the sending unit end) and then transitions to metal line when it reaches the engine bay, but looks like it might have seen better days. The one on the parts truck is just plain metal all the way, use a short piece of 5/16 rubber to transition from the sending unit to the line, and another short piece to transition from the line to the fuel pump, so I like that style better. So I pulled it off but it was so rusty and nasty I just used it as a template to make new line. Just used two 5/16 hard line pieces from autozone and bent them to match as closely as I could.


In the past I have said that I had suspicions this vehicle spent some time buried in water, and this speedometer cable seems to support that. I have worked on lots of old cars but never encountered a speedo cable that looked like this. Initially I thought maybe it was burn damage from laying top of the header but after getting it out and seeing it's crumbling apart from rust changed my mind and makes me think it was submerged in water.

 

The wife is still feeling head acks and dizzy but she is doing more each day. I have to tell her not to push it as it makes it worst.
She must be feeling a little better as she is telling me more what I need to do and what I am doing wrong

That sounded pretty cool about the band playing at the show.
I was looking to weed Wack and stay close for Mary but as soon as I got outside it started to rain here at the house so I called that off LOL
The whole weekend was kind of a wash with the rain on & off and the heat / humidity it was just to nasty to do anything outside, even in the garage.
I thought about doing something to the DJ but my thought was the fiberglass would set up way too fast to work with it on the floors because of the weather.

I feel Baily's pain. THe pickup pedal has been low from the day I got it back on the road. a lot of bleeding, adjusting you name it and still low.
Being everything was new when I got it back on the road, booster / master, all hoses, calipers & wheel cylinders, pads & shoes I cant think of anything else but the pressure differential vavle.
You are to pull the nib when bleeding and have done that no change. I think the valve is stuck. I cant remember what truck it came from and the other one I think is in a bin as I did not see it on the shelf with the metal brake lines.
So I bought a new one just have to install it but that means opening the whole system and then bleeding it.
That nice new bleeder you used when the seal let go and it pushed out a qt of fluid and made a mess when I was trying to get a pedal before I bought the new valve.
With Mary still hurting and I may need the truck I did not want to try and start to swap it out just yet.
The heat / humidity dont help with me getting out to even try at this time but I will someday.

On the fuel line both of my trucks it is metal front to rear. I may still have the flare side line on the wall as I went with the long bed style said lines because of the duel tanks.
If I remember I just had to shorten the rear line to the valve as everything else was the same between the 2 trucks.
I had to run a new line for the Javelin about a year ago, rust on the inside filled the filter. I used 5/16 ALUM coil line I got from Summit. I did the same thing and used the old as a pattern. I had to use tie wraps to hold the new line next to the old as I bent it. Lot of fun when you are talking like 20 feet long But got to say it turned out pretty good only needed a little tweaking to fit right.

Son is planning on taking the Durango to FL to pick up a zero turn mower that is like brand new. Talk was to take Logan down so he could visit grandmom for a week and then back up but I dont know what all is going on now?
Today he it going down Thru and back Mon. Dont know if Logan is going, think so as Kendra still has to work at the school for a few weeks so who knows??
I feel they can stay till it gets cooler he would like to do the brake system on the Durango before he goes so he better get his *** here a few days before to help do them I as it can stay till it gets cooler

Tues I did a trash run and then went to TSC for hog rings for the DJ seats. I thought they came 100 to a box nope 1000! I have pliers that my dad had to install them but I have never done this so should be fun.
Yesterday being it was dry and smoe what cool in the morning little after 9am, I jumped on the tractor as the grass has grown with the rain and heat I backed the tractor in the shed little before 1pm
Nothing like working a new motor for 3.5 hours only stopping (me) for bathroom breaks. Then I wanted to see if the weed wacker would run and it did.
Did a little wacking, issues with the string a few times but worked thru that till the motor made a noise and locked up
I dont think it can be fixed and that is partly OK as I have another power unit. I can put different attachments on it like trimming, hedge trimming, edging and blower.
But the units are like 25 years old and you cant get parts for the power units, I was able to find things on Ebay to get them running again but now this.
If the other unit works and I think it does, I will give everything to my son, his week wacker does not start all the time. The owner left it & blower behind and I got them to run.
So I been looking at power units and attachments, my old ones dont fit the new units so may go looking Friday?

I also need to look into the back pack blower as I could not get it to start when we had the snow, wanted to blow the drive clean, and it would not start.
I found that on the side of the road and other than putting fuel in it I have not done a thing in 15+ years guess it is time?
Dave ----

 

I have a roll of 5/16 line, it's copper something mix. I mistakenly thought it was something that didn't rust but I was wrong, so I have at least 10 feet of it still rolled up and probably won't be using it any time soon. The hard line from the autoparts store I like, it has a good coating that lasts a long time. But aluminum would be a little softer and easier to bend and seal, I think next time I will buy a roll of that.

I'm confused about your sons trip to Florida, he left yesterday, or planning to leave next Thursday? Does not leave a lot of time for complete brake job.

It does sound like it might be time for new weed whacker and blower. I have a small hand-held blower, I bought it after seeing a late night TV commercial. It's battery operated, approximately the size & shape of a rechargeable drill, but it really blows hard. Bullseye blower I think. On a full charge it blows for 20-30 minutes.

The stray feral female cat had kittens a couple of months ago, yesterday was the first time I saw them & about following her around. I counted 4 of them. I don't know what to do, I'd be ok with feeding them but I don't want them breeding. I think my cat cost me around $400 for getting fixed and all the shots. Even if I found a place that only charged half that it would be $1000 for the 5 of them. I have to figure something out, sooner rather than later.

 

Shesh Dave, Sounds like your laundry list is piling up. When it rains it pours. Hope everything works out.

John, good luck with the kittens.

Yall have a good weekend.

 

Copper / nickel line is what the new brake lines are or I should say you can get, that are easier to bend and dont rust as fast LOL

If you think you are confused about my son you are right alongside me
I dont know when he is leaving but I think Thursday and heading back on Monday but who knows? Same with who is going down with him?
I thought Logam and was staying a week but not sure on that? Then there was talk of Kendra also going down, dont know if she is still working or not, and meeting up with here sister and going to Disney so who knows.
He has not come to get the Durango, he wants to use it because it has a frame mounted hitch where his pickup only has a bumper with a ball on it.
So I guess he has thought of using it and that makes on who all is going a bigger question
Oh if I did not say why he is going to FL and needs a hitch he was given a like new zero turn John Deere mower and going to trailer it back.
It has also been a long time since anyone (mom & her husband) down there has seen each other. The mower was given to them but they live in a HOA and it gets cut by a service so not needed.

For the Weed Wacker I have been looking at a Echo PAS-225VP. (Pro Attachment Series)
You can change attachments and this comes with the trimmer and edger. I also want the hedge trimer and I should be good. They do make a blower, I have one for the blown up Toro, and if I cant get the back pack blower running and I dont see why I cant, I will get it too.

On the Kittens talk to Wayne to see what he did for the ones he had. I will also check with Mary to see what she has up her sleeve but I know it is hard to get discounts to get them fixed
It is that time of the year for kittens. We have 4 that we are fostering. Mary only wanted to take in 2 because I am the one doing all the work,I could not separate the 4 of them at this time.
I know when old enough and they get a clean bill of health they will get fixed before they can be adopted.

Mary is still getting head acks and still cant do a lot so I have been doing everything. It seams to never stop from the time I get up till I go to bed
Dave ----
Dave ----

 

I'm sorry to hear Mary still getting headaches, hopefully as time goes by the surgery will prove itself. As for the cat & kittens, here are my problems as I see it.
1. How do I catch all 5 animals at the same time, the mama and 4 kittens?
2. How could I plan / schedule / arrange to have them fixed, without knowing ahead of time whether I could catch them on the morning of the appointment?
3. Where could I go for a decent price on having 5 feral animals fixed (actually thinking about it, I am not sure the kittens are old enough yet).

Got a new computer. I don't know if any of you have bought a new computer recently as it seems a tablet or a phone is the more common thing to use for internetting nowadays, but my old computer had Windows 10 which was no longer being supported and it was getting so frustratingly slow that I decided to get a new computer to replace it. Well new desktop model is smaller than a router or cable modem. But yet has double the RAM and double the hard drive disc space, plus being a faster processor.

The new one is tiny!

I bet the old one takes up enough space for 10 of the new ones.
Removing one of the hard drives, and still doing the slow process of making sure I copy over all my programs and data.

I took the wiring harness for the rear out of both trucks, the long segment that runs from underneath the steering column in the engine bay all the way to the back, and then the rear segment that connects for both tail lights. The one in the project truck was hacked up, but the one in the parts trucks looks to be in good condition, I just see one splice at the rear with duct tape wrapped around it, I'll correct that when I clean it up and reinstall it.

 

Dave: Noticed your wife is still getting headaches. Have you considered using acupuncture from a licensed facility? My niece broke her neck years ago in an ATV accident and had to have surgery. The headaches she was experiencing was horrible but the acupuncture helped to reduce them to tolerable, then finally gone. It did take awhile.

John: NC has several free/reduced fee organizations that spay/neuter feral cats. A friend that lived in Denver, NC used them. They provided safe catch containers and a lot of information to help with timing of catch. They clipped their ear tips to indicate to others that they were fixed. I don't remember if she had to agree to release them back to being ferals but I know she had one of them around as a mouser for her barn.

 

John, I found these three on google.

Operation Catnip, Five County Spay, SafeCare. It says all three will vaccinate, spay or neuter feral/strays for reduced fees and some offer relocation services. I'm sure there are more but those came up first on my search. As far as catching them, I have no clue. Maybe some cans of wet food and a box/crate/cage to start collecting them until you have all five. Good luck.

It was a long weekend of racing down in SC. The weather was nutty. Cooking hot with sporadic rain on Saturday. Much cooler with light, scattered sprinkles on Sunday. Lot of miles put on the car and some big races Sat and Sun. I'm wiped out.

Dave, Hope the wife has improved over the weekend. As far as combi-tools. Echo and Stihl both have a great line of power heads and attachments. I don't think you could go wrong with either. I know I love my Kombi system from Stihl. I have pretty much every attachment except the hedge trimmer which was a little awkward to use. My only advice would be to buy the most powerful power head they offer. Then you won't have to worry about certain attachments not performing to their max capacity.

 

James thanks for those, it looks like Operation Catnip and Five County Spay Neuter are the best options. And Dave I reached out to Wayne & Sue as you suggested and they said Safe Haven Cat Shelter. Currently I am trying to make friends with the cat and kittens but I had no luck yet today. If I can get them to come to me then it will be easier to arrange a time for taking them in.

I put the trim pieces over the shoulder belt mounts today, and in the parts truck I think I have the last of the dash connections removed and ready to go. I am sure though once I take the bolts out that hold the dash in I will find something else somewhere still connected.

 

I dont check in for a few days and I got a lot of catching up to do

Thanks, on the well wishes for the wife. I know she tried just about everything, including shots, before the operation to give the brain more room.
We hope its just going to take a little longer to recover because of her body not quite formed right and age.
She also pushes herself and doing things like bending over to pick up the food bowls, that she should not be doing.
Yesterday she was running around trying to get 1 of the cats in a carrier to take to the vet and she got all worked up to where she could not breath.
She really needs to just cill and heal.

John I sent you a text to call Mary as she knows more of who to reach out to around here than I do.
She started to tell me the mom cat had to be with kittens for xx of time before she could be fixed and how old the kittens had to be and i told her to talk to you as I could not keep it all straight LOL
She can also tell you how to trap, I dont know if we still have ours or we lent it out and never got it back? Dont remember how Wayne did it?

Son picked up the Durango yesterday to use pulling the trailer to Fl and back next weekend I think he said.
I still dont know who all it going. He did say Logan was going to stay down there for a week or so and they will go back down after him at some point.
On the Durango I told my son to check the spare tire and rear diff. level. He just sent me pictures from under the truck and that spare tire is not coming down and no way would I bolt on as the rust arounf the bolt holes is just too much.
I have never had the spare off the truck since I bought it new in 02 and it shows all the New England have done to it.
When we do the brakes it looks like I will be replacing lines also as the fittings look to be rusted in place. It looks to be a fun job when I get into it

James on the weed eater the Toro's I have I think have the same power as the one I am looking at.
I have seen a few Youtube video on the model I want they they said if getting into some heavy / tall weeds you may want the larger units.
But the large unit is $420 just for the head the you have to buy the attachments and what I found they go for $200 each x 4 = $600 + $420 = $1220+ tax
Where the kit is, powerhead and 2 attachments is $420 and add the 3rd for $200 come out to $600+ tax.
For a cheap home owner like me and if I stay on top of the weed eating the smaller unit should be good. Only place it may get wild is if I dont stay on top of it is the bank / ditch by the road that I cant cut with the tractor as it is too steep.
But I will also talk to them and see what the sales person has to say and go from there.
Dave ----

 

Didn't each out to Mary yet, but I saw I did already have her # in my phone, I think from when our dog was needing to find a 24hr vet on a Sunday evening. I figured I will wait until I can approach them, or at least I want to give it a good try first. I read somewhere the kittens need to be 6 weeks at least and I am not sure how old they are, I should have noted down when I first saw that the mama had had them but I didn't. I was guessing around 1 month, but seeing the kittens my immediate thought was "wow they look older than I thought, they should be able to eat cat food soon instead of nursing".

I'm sure it's frustrating for Mary to have tried so many things and still be having headaches and I know she shouldn't be doing as much but I am guessing she probably gets sick of sitting there doing nothing. Just more time to heal while taking it easy hopefully.

I made some good progress today on the parts truck; I was able to pull the dash out. I did find a couple of brackets it used that the blue truck did not have, and one of those got bent pretty bad. But I think when I transfer that bracket to the blue truck I can easily hammer that end back straight so it should go in and hold the dash correctly. I'll see if you can give me a hand moving it from the truck to the bench, I know I COULD do it myself but being kind of heavy and awkward and having several wires dragging behind it, I figure save my back, work smarter not harder if I can



My wife is going out of town tonight, staying in Hampstead with our daughter Tues night Weds and Weds night to help watch the kiddos, and then straight back to Raleigh Thursday morning as that is one of her work-from-the-office days. Then Friday she is taking the day off so her and Dale's wife can go to Charlotte and do quilting stuff for the weekend. It's called "Shop Hop" and you try to visit as many quilting shops as you can in each region. So this is the first time for both of them to go into that region. Don't ask my why it matters, there's good shops in Clayton, Wake Forest, Raleigh, Fuquay, and Fayetteville, but last year they went all down east practically to South Carolina and all the way back up to the OBX over one weekend. You get each store owner to stamp your booklet and then whoever is in charge does a podcast and gives prizes to people for the amount of shops they visited and regions they attended. But the important thing is, since she is going to be gone so much I have full access to the carport for several days, I think I will move the Foxbody out and pull the car trailer in, try to get the wiring done, get the painting done, and be at the point where I can start putting things back together.

Never had the Durango spare off in 24 years, well I am sure it's probably no good anyway! I know the NE salt can do a number on everything underneath.

 

Shesh John, Sounds like you're getting a mini vacation with the wife being gone for almost a week.

Always impressed with how much you and Dave know about restoration and making things work under less than ideal conditions.

Dave, I'm familiar with the Toro brand but didn't know they had a line of combi-equipment. I bet it is expensive. Their mowers are nice but expensive so I guess it makes sense any of their accessories would be as well.


And speaking on the versatility of the Stihl Kombi system: Yesterday after work I went down to my friends piece of property. It's a large waterfront area that we've slowly been cleaning up. Another friend of ours goes down and mows it frequently and has remarked that he wished one of the large trees by the waters edge was trimmed up so he could get his giant mower around it. I went down with my powerhead, pole saw, string trimmer and blade trimmer. I lopped off all the low branches and shrubs with the saw, swapped over to the blade to get the burley ground clutter, then finished up with the string trimmer. Very convenient to only have to swap out the attachments and not have to deal with three individual power tools.