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Took all the poo poo out of my trunk. Fishing rod and tackle boxes, axe, hatchet, rope, hiking boots etc. and got started on cleaning. Then got really lazy after about 15 minutes. Decided that since the car needs an oil change anyway, I'd call and book the oil change and a detailing job for it cause I'm a lazy pile of poo poo. Car stays dirty till tomorrow. But tthe trunk is empty for the first time in a decade.
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Dec 29, 2020 21:36
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I made a thing!  It started out as a scrap pipe spool  A grinder and metal cutoff wheel in the miter saw made short work of it, and only 1 small fire.  Tacking the base frame into place.  Getting excited and mocking it up  Adding angle iron to give some added space and rigidity.  Welding it all up, seriously loving welding, just sticking metal bits together and bzzzt and it's now one piece. Stupidly satisfying.  Final product with the main bar welded on, mesh floor added, and holes for straps to keep cargo in place.  Overall it turned out pretty good. Definitely solid and on the heavier side, but the max tongue weight is 600lb+ so even with its heft it'll be ok for a decent amount of cargo. Just have to get it powdercoated to protect it. A++, would recommend welding. It's fun and satisfying as hell.
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Dec 31, 2020 03:23
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You didn't mention the 4 wheeled fat bike at all. Quit blue ballin' and give us the real content.
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Dec 31, 2020 04:05
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The green thing is the NotAWheelchair "The Rig".  My wife has mobility issues so this is to help her get some freedom back to better enjoy the outdoors. The guy behind the JerryRigEverything YouTube channel partnered up with Utah Trikes and made a modified Quadra cycle without the cycle part and added a 1kw 48V motor to the thing. It looks pretty spiffy, max speed is supposedly 20kph. RWD, knobby tires, struts and springs suspending the rear and gas struts up front. So far we've only taken it onto plowed park trails but it seems pretty capable. See his promo video below for more info on it. https://youtu.be/vuMg0QwKAGI
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Dec 31, 2020 05:04
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That is all neat AF. Unless that quad is a lot lighter than it looks, I am somewhat concerned about the potential leverage force that could be exerted on that 2" tubing at the point it cantilevers, especially over a hard bump. Less concerned, but also about the moment of torque the hitch will be dealing with. It's not the same thing as a 600lb tongue weight. There's a reason those pre fab hitch mounted baskets are only like 24".  If you're an engineer and this is all sorted in a technical manner, sorry in advance for doubting you. I just want your very very awesome mobility quad to stay attached.
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Dec 31, 2020 05:25
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I am an engineer, but an electrical engineer with an honours physics background so not exactly my area of expertise. With that said, the largest commercial available one I was able to find was 33" wide by 50" long and rated for a 400lb load (although it does feature a foldable ramp which may detract from its weight rating), this one is 36" wide by 63" long. The main frame is constructed from 1.5" 1/8th square tubing, the angle iron is 2" 1/8th as well, and the 2" tube going into the hitch is 1/8th thickness as well. By my guestimation the frame weighs around 100lb, the rig weighs around 125lb with the battery iirc. The tube extends into the hitch the maximum amount (about 8-10" ish) and the tray starts about 3" off the end of the hitch so it's tight to the car. The 1.5" frame is seam welded throughout, and is seam welded along its entire length to the 2" tube. The angle iron is stitch welded about 2/3rds of its perimeter, both on top and from underneath. The hitch is a class III/IV receiver, tow rating of 7700lb and 618lb (iirc) tongue weight max. I can't say for certain if this will be adequate, but lacking experience here I went with "no kill like over kill" approach. It's also capable of lifting the rear of the car off the ground by jacking at the furthest point from the hitch (was an attempt to give it a bit of an upward rake, but just ended up being a strength test as it didn't change anything). I've also tried jumping my goony rear end on the end of the tray and there was no effect or strange noises. tldr:  hopefully strong enough. If some more knowledgeable goon feels like running some back of the napkin analysis, by all means, I'd appreciate the piece of mind, or pre-disaster warning.E: re: weight ratings - all of them are assuming evenly distributed, which isn't usually the case. Probably close enough in the case of the rig though. Bajaha fucked around with this message at 06:05 on Dec 31, 2020 |
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Dec 31, 2020 05:52
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It is lighter than it looks - I was thinking at least 200lbs if not more. It's probably fine.
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Dec 31, 2020 06:22
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Bajaha posted:I am an engineer, but an electrical engineer with an honours physics background so not exactly my area of expertise. With that said, the largest commercial available one I was able to find was 33" wide by 50" long and rated for a 400lb load (although it does feature a foldable ramp which may detract from its weight rating), this one is 36" wide by 63" long. The main frame is constructed from 1.5" 1/8th square tubing, the angle iron is 2" 1/8th as well, and the 2" tube going into the hitch is 1/8th thickness as well. By my guestimation the frame weighs around 100lb, the rig weighs around 125lb with the battery iirc. The tube extends into the hitch the maximum amount (about 8-10" ish) and the tray starts about 3" off the end of the hitch so it's tight to the car. The 1.5" frame is seam welded throughout, and is seam welded along its entire length to the 2" tube. The angle iron is stitch welded about 2/3rds of its perimeter, both on top and from underneath. The hitch is a class III/IV receiver, tow rating of 7700lb and 618lb (iirc) tongue weight max. Test drive it before you commit to a long drive. As someone who uses a 70lb steel hitch hauler for my 230lb dirt bike, it's definitely noticeable even on my 4runner. My hauler is pretty small but these home made cargo haulers get really heavy really fast. Most people think "overbuild it" to be on the safe side when too much weight can actually make things bad because it's too heavy ... and extended way over the back of the hitch. At high speed my car feels incredibly floaty in the front and wanders at highway speeds. Some people put rear airbags or helper springs on to prevent tow sag. Just drive it around to see how it handles before getting on the highway. Also be weary of driveways, rutted roads etc where you might hit on an incline. Plus be aware when you turn that it will swing out. The biggest thing I would look for is just find a point of the hauler to measure the gap between it and your rear bumper to make sure it's not bending down or away from the vehicle. As long as you trust your welds, it should be fine. Just check it periodically. That's too cool of a monster truck bike to lose on the highway. And yes, welding is awesome.
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Dec 31, 2020 06:49
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Use your engineering powers to overclock that quad and do some fuckin drifts ASAP
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Dec 31, 2020 07:48
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The rig is sweet. Thanks for sharing more about it. And the hitch tray is cool too. 
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Dec 31, 2020 13:22
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Darchangel posted:I don't even have the front plate bracket. My poo poo is screwed straight into the bumper cover. I'll pick one up when I get to a wrecking yard that has one intact. that and the roof rack crossbar. Oh mine isn't the factory bracket. It's a $7 Walmart piece that... screws into the bumper cover, but has some plastic to keep the plate flat. I was going to return it, but I need a new bumper cover anyway (along with a fog light). May as well keep it until I get around to that.
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Jan 1, 2021 08:18
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The Del Sol factory tape player head unit was looking and sounding pretty rough lately so my son picked out a new one (it’s in line to be his first car), and we teamed up to install it. I haven’t done a stereo install in a decade or more, and back in the day we didn’t have these awesome solder bead/heat shrink connectors. Made my life a breeze. We got some speakers as well because we figured they were also blown out but the head unit was just that far gone. We might wait til it warms up to install those.   Edit: Also put new dash speakers in my GMT400 Blazer because there was zero sound coming out of the front. Of course, both speaker grille mounting tabs broke so I epoxied the metal clips back on. Who’d have guessed that 26 years in the sun would be bad for GM plastic?  
Imperador do Brasil fucked around with this message at 17:55 on Jan 1, 2021 |
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Jan 1, 2021 14:58
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The Accord's starter decided it had had enough the other day, so we've switched to the Integra while waiting to get it swapped. The fun of old cars, I have found, has nothing to do with mechanicals. No, the worst aspect is all the plastic bits that have been heat cycled and pushed around a billion times and are now very brittle. So naturally the lever for the temperature slider snapped. The upside: the break was clean and the pieces fit back together nicely. The downside: The center stack of this car was meant to go together once twenty plus years ago and sit, undisturbed, until the car went to the crusher. So after watching a video and cursing and twisting and trying to not break anything I got it disassembled enough to get at the slider. I bought the strongest plastic epoxy JB Weld makes and got to work.  Looks like jizz, smells like poo poo. I'm not kidding either, it smells like a particularly acrid dump. If this doesn't hold nothing will.  The pile I had to extract and disassemble. So many inaccessible screws and clips.   Like I said, at least it was a clean break. I could only prep one mating surface so I hope it's enough, because I do not want to fool with it again. I'm dreading the starter swap less than reassembling that thing and getting it to sit properly in the dash. yes the car is filthy shut up
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Jan 2, 2021 19:05
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Panty Saluter posted:
any chance you could additionally brace it on the backside with an extra piece of plastic or a toothpick or similar?
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Jan 2, 2021 19:18
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I'll look into it, but everything is kinda snug and the lever is stiff enough from the factory. We don't need any more friction 
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Jan 2, 2021 19:45
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Panty Saluter posted:
Friend of the plasticy repair, i can suggest the Hot Stapler from your nearest chinese Import reseller to tremendously aid in such work.  
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Jan 2, 2021 20:27
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Does it melt the plastic together? I guess AliExpress has it?
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Jan 2, 2021 20:34
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Panty Saluter posted:Does it melt the plastic together? I guess AliExpress has it? it heats up metal staples that melt into the plastic pieces, across the crack. The staple remains as a reinforcement but the plastic also fuses together again. Its really good and has replaced almost all glue-on-plastic action for me. Also very satisfying to use.
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Jan 2, 2021 20:42
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Noticed the power steering pump would get whiny at >32F temps and the steering would feel a bit "gritty," so I spent 15-20 minutes changing (most of) the power steering fluid with a cheap hand-held syphon pump. Quickly realized that almost no one changes power steering fluid, hence the few ounces of black, goopy gunk I kept syphoning out. Added fresh Dextron like the owner's manual called for and....no more PS pump whine, plus the steering assist feels worlds better. Next up is a brake fluid flush, although I usually leave brake-related stuff to the pros.
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Jan 3, 2021 05:15
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90s Solo Cup posted:Noticed the power steering pump would get whiny at >32F temps and the steering would feel a bit "gritty," so I spent 15-20 minutes changing (most of) the power steering fluid with a cheap hand-held syphon pump. Quickly realized that almost no one changes power steering fluid, hence the few ounces of black, goopy gunk I kept syphoning out. Added fresh Dextron like the owner's manual called for and....no more PS pump whine, plus the steering assist feels worlds better. If you can get to it easily, remove the return line from the rack. The system will all drain out from there. Then with the engine off, spin the wheel all the way lock to lock a few times, that will pump all the fluid out of the assist cylinder.
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Jan 3, 2021 15:03
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I replaced all of the struts on the '95 Corolla and the ride difference is like a loving miracle. It was slamming every time I hit the slightest of bumps. Now I don't have to wince anymore at a dip in the road, yaaaaaay!
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Jan 3, 2021 21:38
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chrisgt posted:If you can get to it easily, remove the return line from the rack. The system will all drain out from there. Then with the engine off, spin the wheel all the way lock to lock a few times, that will pump all the fluid out of the assist cylinder. Next time, when it's warmer and I can be bothered with digging around and trying not to break PS reservoir in the process. 
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Jan 4, 2021 00:46
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Combat Theory posted:Friend of the plasticy repair, i can suggest the Hot Stapler from your nearest chinese Import reseller to tremendously aid in such work. Thank you for reminding me I need to get one of those.
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Jan 4, 2021 19:06
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Wow that would be pretty nice to have.
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Jan 4, 2021 19:41
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So, the Accord: new starter is here so let's get it done. I have a cheat code in the form of an aftermarket intake. Although the stock box is not hard to remove and time you don't have to fool with plastic clips is fine by me. Step one: battery out  Step two: battery tray out  Fun protip: the lower bolts don't actually need to be removed to get the tray out, just loosened   Wish I had known that before I pulled them all the way out. A deep 17mm socket and 3 inch extension fits just so  Two bolts, a nut, and one fiddly connector later (honestly the worst part of this process) the starter is out  There was a lot of grot and some sparkly residue on the underside of the old unit. Hopefully nothing is grinding itself up  Installation is the reverse of removal  In and out in less than an hour. Officially way less trouble than disassembling and removing the center stack in the Integra
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Jan 4, 2021 22:43
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Did a little budget audio upgrade. A little while back I installed the optional factory sub from a wrecked car. To get it working I also had to swap the factory amp for one that came from a car with a sub and the shaker audio system. It worked fine, but the shaker speakers are 2 ohm, and my base speakers are a mix of 4 and 8 ohm, so I lost a good bit of volume and the whole thing sounded kind of off. Picked up a full set of speakers from a shaker car on eBay for $50. Examining them side by side with mine there's a pretty dramatic difference in quality. The shaker ones weigh probably double, and are all rubber and nicer materials instead of paper. The rears are 2 way coaxials now too. I also disconnected the center channel speaker that lives up on the dash, general consensus is it does nothing worthwhile since it's so puny, and just muddles the soundstage since it bounces off the windshield and generally makes things sound weird. I'm really really pleased with how it sounds now. I know it's still an OEM system and nothing mind blowing, but I have much more volume, MUCH stronger bass from the doors, and everything is clearer all around. Those rear deck speakers were a nightmare though with how sloped the rear window is, my back is not happy with me. Otherwise it was easy enough outside of your typical annoyances when pulling door panels, breaking plastic clips and fiddling around with that sort of stuff.   
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Jan 17, 2021 23:05
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My trooper's alternator became a molded from RE7.  I think the power steering pump/hose vomited on it some time before I got it last year. No issues until a couple weeks ago. I was going down the road and heard a whine. Went away after idling a bit. Not sure if the whine was related but soon after I noticed my volt meter hovering between 9 and 12V. Thankfully no other symptoms and I was able to drive it home. I decided to replace things rather than get stranded at some inopportune time. The battery was around 5 years old (O'Reilly test machine indicated dead cell too) and I'm pretty sure this was the original alt. Got an optima yellow top and a reman Denso 75 amp alt. Alt installation was a minor PITA due to the cramped quarters and crusty black chips falling onto my face and eyes. Forgot to take after pics but I don't imagine it's that exciting. Reading 14+ volts now 
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Jan 18, 2021 19:41
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I hit an immature milestone in my car yesterday.
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Jan 19, 2021 15:01
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AFewBricksShy posted:I hit an immature milestone in my car yesterday. Nice! I'm only 497,920 miles from 800813... Maybe we'll see the day
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Jan 19, 2021 16:20
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I'm not far off 123456 but couldn't be arsed to figure out when to reset my odometer so I could get 123456 78.9
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Jan 19, 2021 18:20
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Resealed the oil pump on the outback, I hope it was the leak. The old rtv I could wipe off with a paper towel so most likely that was it. Also put a new crank seal in. I have a header so it was dripping right down onto the front of it and making so much annoying smoke plus contaminating the timing belt.
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Jan 19, 2021 19:30
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space chandeliers posted:I was going down the road and heard a whine. Went away after idling a bit. Not sure if the whine was related but soon after I noticed my volt meter hovering between 9 and 12V. Thankfully no other symptoms and I was able to drive it home FWIW, most of the times I've had alternators poo poo out, they started doing this weird whining. Not a bearing whine, it's a pretty distinct "your alternator is about to take a poo poo" whine, if that makes sense? Very faint, fairly high pitched, it kinda sounds like wind blowing through the cracks around windows/doors in an old house during a storm. You won't hear it inside the car unless the windows are down and you're idling next to another car. Last time it happened was on my Altima. Was on the highway and noticed the sound of the AC fan changed, then the radio started cutting out. Looked at the dash and had the brake, check engine, and alternator lights lit up (older Nissans will throw the brake and alternator light together, I assume to get your attention faster?) - CEL was semi-related (voltage was getting low enough that the ECU wasn't happy, it had a bucket of codes). Pulled over and a decent whine coming from under the hood plus that "let the magic smoke out" smell around the alternator. Said gently caress it, rolled the windows down, turned off the AC (on a 110 degree day, ughhhh) to reduce the load on the electrical system, drove the remaining 10 minutes home without drama aside from the radio shutting off every time I hit the brake pedal or the radiator fan kicked on.
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Jan 19, 2021 19:42
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Olympic Mathlete posted:I'm not far off 123456 but couldn't be arsed to figure out when to reset my odometer so I could get 123456 78.9 I totally missed 123456 in the panda last week  No actual progress on any vehicles from me today but I did finish 3 intense days of garage, shed and house tidying which has resulted in a much cleaner, tidier and emptier garage and also a 75% clear workbench that i can now actually use for working on or even putting stuff down. I am hoping that my garage being a much nicer place to be and work in will vastly improve car progress. 
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Jan 19, 2021 19:46
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Bought it      MY2007 45000 km Full history since original purchase. Combat Theory fucked around with this message at 14:04 on Jan 20, 2021 |
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Jan 19, 2021 21:00
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Combat Theory posted:Bought it M3s are cool and all, but does it have a top side?
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Jan 19, 2021 22:38
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It has the carbon roof if you are wondering. E: also in good bmw fashion it had the engine malfunction lamp on when I bought it. (it was on for low battery voltage due to storage)
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Jan 19, 2021 22:54
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Combat Theory posted:Bought it Extended leather!!!!!!!! My dream
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Jan 20, 2021 05:21
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Combat Theory posted:Bought it
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Jan 20, 2021 05:37
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Yep. The import fees, TÜV conformity and registration would have practically doubled the price of the Japanese auction, so I thought why not take that sum of money and buy something local.
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Jan 20, 2021 06:26
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Combat Theory posted:Yep. The import fees, TÜV conformity and registration would have practically doubled the price of the Japanese auction, so I thought why not take that sum of money and buy something local. Sorry, for some reason the first three links don't show on my desktop, but they do on my phone. Desktop must be blocking the host. Fox red is best interior and really pops with silver. Nice choice.
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Jan 20, 2021 13:23
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