What did you do today

[MickinOz]

#8. Measured, double checked.................My math with fractions still stinks

The metric system shines for this sort of thing.
You take your tape measure to whatever you want to measure and measure it in mm.
The tape is marked in 1mm intervals. With your eye glasses on, you can generally pick the measurement to the nearest 0.5 mm.
0.5 mm is 20 thou. If only you could the point of your marking out sharpie that fine,

No other fractions required
You don't add, say, 3/8 inch to a 2 foot 1/4 inch measurement to get 24 and 5/8 inches.
You add, say, 9 mm to 616mm and get 625mm.

[MickinOz]

#7. Spent a little bit of time practicing aluminum welding / brazing for the truck camper. build. Tested joint strength.

4' segment of square tubing, brazed at 90 degrees, with simple triangle gussets, attached to 3' segment, that is anchored to the ground via sliding it under a floor jack and applying light lift pressure to subframe of the car. Then apply a 350lb human weight to the end of the 4' segment, and lean into it.... The result? 3' segment bent, joint unfazed

More info please. I don't have a mig welder and can't currently justify the cost of buying one. Would love to be able to stick aluminium together though.

[dbhosttexas]

#7. Spent a little bit of time practicing aluminum welding / brazing for the truck camper. build. Tested joint strength.

4' segment of square tubing, brazed at 90 degrees, with simple triangle gussets, attached to 3' segment, that is anchored to the ground via sliding it under a floor jack and applying light lift pressure to subframe of the car. Then apply a 350lb human weight to the end of the 4' segment, and lean into it.... The result? 3' segment bent, joint unfazed

More info please. I don't have a mig welder and can't currently justify the cost of buying one. Would love to be able to stick aluminium together though.

https://youtu.be/xR5UyoLxofo

I am talking about a solder / brazing process using Alumiweld rods and a propane plumbers propane torch.

It's not "As good as real welding" but from the testing I am doing, it seems to be sufficient for my purposes... I would not use it for a trailer frame per se, but for camper walls / roof yeah, seems to be quite reasonable...

[RJ Howell]

#7. Spent a little bit of time practicing aluminum welding / brazing for the truck camper. build. Tested joint strength.

4' segment of square tubing, brazed at 90 degrees, with simple triangle gussets, attached to 3' segment, that is anchored to the ground via sliding it under a floor jack and applying light lift pressure to subframe of the car. Then apply a 350lb human weight to the end of the 4' segment, and lean into it.... The result? 3' segment bent, joint unfazed

More info please. I don't have a mig welder and can't currently justify the cost of buying one. Would love to be able to stick aluminium together though.

https://youtu.be/xR5UyoLxofo

I am talking about a solder / brazing process using Alumiweld rods and a propane plumbers propane torch.

It's not "As good as real welding" but from the testing I am doing, it seems to be sufficient for my purposes... I would not use it for a trailer frame per se, but for camper walls / roof yeah, seems to be quite reasonable...

I made some shelves doing this.. even that was weak. Honestly, I still think riveting is better! I have a riveted support on the side of the camper that has yet to fail..
Just MHO..

[dbhosttexas]

#7. Spent a little bit of time practicing aluminum welding / brazing for the truck camper. build. Tested joint strength.

4' segment of square tubing, brazed at 90 degrees, with simple triangle gussets, attached to 3' segment, that is anchored to the ground via sliding it under a floor jack and applying light lift pressure to subframe of the car. Then apply a 350lb human weight to the end of the 4' segment, and lean into it.... The result? 3' segment bent, joint unfazed

More info please. I don't have a mig welder and can't currently justify the cost of buying one. Would love to be able to stick aluminium together though.

https://youtu.be/xR5UyoLxofo

I am talking about a solder / brazing process using Alumiweld rods and a propane plumbers propane torch.

It's not "As good as real welding" but from the testing I am doing, it seems to be sufficient for my purposes... I would not use it for a trailer frame per se, but for camper walls / roof yeah, seems to be quite reasonable...

I made some shelves doing this.. even that was weak. Honestly, I still think riveting is better! I have a riveted support on the side of the camper that has yet to fail..
Just MHO..

The joint process I am using is braze / solder the joint, reinforce with a cut to size aluminum L bracket that is riveted and brazed. I believe I linked the video with the young guy that was building his topper with this method, but he was also riveting and brazing diamond plate skinning on it. I want to do PMF to take advantage of light weight and insulation value.

Still figuring the pmf / foam in combination with the brazed and braced aluminum frame should be good to go.

Like I said, I was able to put my more than considerable weight on a long lever to try to break it and I managed to just bend the tubing...

And again, the cabover that may, or may not happen, would ONLY be for lighter gear storage such as sleeping bags, clothes, jackets etc... The heavier stuff should be as low as possible...

FYI, saw your last video. Looks great but your audio drops out when you do your panoramic shots outside of the truck. If you are using an Android phone for your video, try Cinema FV-5 and your favorite bluetooth mic / headset to use as a mic. REALLY helped mine out... Until I blew out my last headset that is...

[dbhosttexas]

So today I more or less finished the HOTTAP NOMAD kit copy setup.

The red quick connects, okay Orange but they were supposed to be red, came in, as did the Y splitter with ball valves on each side.

I went lazy.

10' 1/2" potable water hose, and adjustable stream garden hose sprayer.

I know it will be far less than spectactular performance, but it WILL be sufficent for washing dishes at the collapsible wash basin.

Once stowed it DOES take more space than what I beleive the Joolca HOTTAP NOMAD kit does, but I am including a 25' potable water hose, pressure regulator, and filter the Joolca does NOT include. Barring those items I would think I am actually using less space... And given the Steak Saver and 1lb propane cylinders, I am using FAR less space for fuel.

And yes I am still searching for a good, affordable 5lb tank, or a better way to haul a 20lb BBQ tank...

Pretty sure I rarrowed down the charging system issue on the Malibu and the fusible link absolutely tests bad. Now the fun part. How the heck do I get the right size fusible link? AC Delco no longer lists the part number, or even any of the harness pieces in that area. Gee thanks... Might call Painless Wiring and see what they can offer...

Had a freind text me saying he found a decent price on a first gen Xterra with just around 100K miles. He's a big Nissan guy and apparently knows the family this thing came from. Basically Dad had the car, passed away from COVID, Wife nor the kids wants it and looking to unload it...

I need to see what they are thinking money wise. Last car he pointed out to me was nice, but the owner wanted twice the book value for it...

[dbhosttexas]

So far... busting my hump @ work. Looked at the Xterra. Close, but no cigar. Manual trans. My left leg / sciatica won't allow for me to drive a stick any more...

Too bad it isn't an auto, it is a nice rig...

And to top it off, wife liked it.

Cruised Facebook marketplace looking for an automatic Xterra first gen with under 100K. Slim pickins. Some real nice ones but too high cost... Keep looking...

Giving herculean effort into resisting the urge to buy a Sportsman 1000 inverter generator. I would suit my needs, but leave pretty much zero overhead for secondary uses. I want to be able to run run fridge and a window unit AC in case of hurricane / extended power outage...

[twisted lines]

Looked for that one thing to hide and do today

[working on it]

...Had a friend text me saying he found a decent price on a first gen Xterra with just around 100K miles. He's a big Nissan guy and apparently knows the family this thing came from. Basically Dad had the car, passed away from COVID, Wife nor the kids wants it and looking to unload it...

I need to see what they are thinking money wise. Last car he pointed out to me was nice, but the owner wanted twice the book value for it...

... Looked at the Xterra. Close, but no cigar. Manual trans. My left leg / sciatica won't allow for me to drive a stick any more...

Too bad it isn't an auto, it is a nice rig...

And to top it off, wife liked it.

Cruised Facebook marketplace looking for an automatic Xterra first gen with under 100K. Slim pickins. Some real nice ones but too high cost... Keep looking....

* Good luck on your search for a good Xterra; I looked intermittently for several years, but not too seriously, before and following my retirement 5.5 years ago. I liked a co-worker's 2010 manual trans model, but like you, my bad knee(s) and sciatica made getting an auto a must. And, every automatic Xterra I looked at, in the age/price range I desired (could afford, also), was in poor shape, had suffered the SMOD fate (Strawberry Milkshake of Death = transmission cooler failed, mixing radiator coolant with transmission fluid), or was ridiculously over-valued by the owner (who had saved it from SMOD, or had had to replace the transmission, and added that cost into the asking price).

* My wife said we already had too many vehicles & trailers, and saw no need for another, while I had hoped for a 4WD to try overlanding, and as a backup for our aging fleet of 2WD pickups ('98 GMC-extended cab, '04 Chevy 2500HD-regular cab), and FWD small daily drivers ('08 Cobalt coupe, '09 HHR Panel-with only two seats). And because I thought we needed a 4-door, since we needed to be able to take her octogenarian parents places more comfortably. An Xterra would've fit the bill.

* Eventually, I quit looking, turned my '04 Chevy into a dedicated camping truck (I hardly use it anymore, as it's always filled with my camping/emergency/get out of town gear), and quit hoping to go overlanding. At 70, my knees, back, and other age-related problems made me realize that solo expeditions weren't to be. But, now I've sorta got a vehicle that will fill the other requirements I had for the Xterra (or later Jeep) search: a mostly restored/rebuilt/remanufactured '01 BMW X5.

* It's AWD, not 4WD, but capable of travelling on dirt/gravel roads...which is enough, for my diminished travel expectations. I swapped my retired Chevelle drag racing car for it, with a neighbor that had specifically bought and rebuilt this car over 3.5 years, just for the swap. He will restore the Chevelle to give it another chance of life (after 13 years of sitting in the garage), and I get one of my favorite (but never bought) brands and model vehicle (I nearly bought a 2002 BMW when new, and always loved the X5 after just one drive, twenty years ago.

* Find some other vehicle you like, add your personal touch to it, and maybe you'll forget the Xterra-wish altogether. I did.

[noseoil]

Out in the shop again, made a spear shaft for a spear point. First, I split a 6' length of 4/4 red oak into two pieces 1 1/4" wide X 3/4" thick, then set up the router to whittle out a 1/2" groove in the center of each length. I left about 4"-5" of solid wood on each end, then glued it up with Titebond & clamps. Once it was dry, I cut a taper on the trailing end starting from about half of the way forward, so the stick went from about 1 3/6" on the tip end down to about 3/4". Then I set the saw at a 45 degree bevel & knocked down the corners, so it ended up being a 6' long tapered octagon with hard edges & corners.

Once this was done, the belt sander was run along each facet to knock down the saw marks & smooth out the lines a bit to soften the transitions in the taper & fair the lines. I set up the belt grinder with a coarse belt to do the taper for the socket end of the point. Basically, it ground a taper which matched the inside of the "handle" part of the blade. They form this part by wrapping the steel around a mandrel for the shape when it still red hot, then quench, temper & grind the blade. A bit of trial & error was needed to match the taper, but it's a good snug fit. Once everything was done on the actual wood shaping, I finish-sanded the entire shaft to ease the edges, polished the shaft a bit more then prepped it for a Danish oil finish. After 2 coats of oil, it looks good enough & has a nice warm feel.

Mixed up a batch of "G-Flex" epoxy (the stuff I use for fastening the grips to knife blades), thickened it a little, then slathered it on the stump, inside the hollow grip & set it in place. There's a small screw hole in the grip part of the spear point, which acts as a lock to keep the point in place, but with the epoxy it mostly for show. I've ordered a different type of point & will make another spear once it arrives. Will take a few more pictures of the process, but here's how it looks now with the point glued on & the oil on the wood.

Total length is 6' 8" & about 2 1/2# with everything in place. I may add a wrapping of para-cord at the grip area for better friction, but it feels pretty good with just the bare shaft as it is.

[dbhosttexas]

...Had a friend text me saying he found a decent price on a first gen Xterra with just around 100K miles. He's a big Nissan guy and apparently knows the family this thing came from. Basically Dad had the car, passed away from COVID, Wife nor the kids wants it and looking to unload it...

I need to see what they are thinking money wise. Last car he pointed out to me was nice, but the owner wanted twice the book value for it...

... Looked at the Xterra. Close, but no cigar. Manual trans. My left leg / sciatica won't allow for me to drive a stick any more...

Too bad it isn't an auto, it is a nice rig...

And to top it off, wife liked it.

Cruised Facebook marketplace looking for an automatic Xterra first gen with under 100K. Slim pickins. Some real nice ones but too high cost... Keep looking....

* Good luck on your search for a good Xterra; I looked intermittently for several years, but not too seriously, before and following my retirement 5.5 years ago. I liked a co-worker's 2010 manual trans model, but like you, my bad knee(s) and sciatica made getting an auto a must. And, every automatic Xterra I looked at, in the age/price range I desired (could afford, also), was in poor shape, had suffered the SMOD fate (Strawberry Milkshake of Death = transmission cooler failed, mixing radiator coolant with transmission fluid), or was ridiculously over-valued by the owner (who had saved it from SMOD, or had had to replace the transmission, and added that cost into the asking price).

* My wife said we already had too many vehicles & trailers, and saw no need for another, while I had hoped for a 4WD to try overlanding, and as a backup for our aging fleet of 2WD pickups ('98 GMC-extended cab, '04 Chevy 2500HD-regular cab), and FWD small daily drivers ('08 Cobalt coupe, '09 HHR Panel-with only two seats). And because I thought we needed a 4-door, since we needed to be able to take her octogenarian parents places more comfortably. An Xterra would've fit the bill.

* Eventually, I quit looking, turned my '04 Chevy into a dedicated camping truck (I hardly use it anymore, as it's always filled with my camping/emergency/get out of town gear), and quit hoping to go overlanding. At 70, my knees, back, and other age-related problems made me realize that solo expeditions weren't to be. But, now I've sorta got a vehicle that will fill the other requirements I had for the Xterra (or later Jeep) search: a mostly restored/rebuilt/remanufactured '01 BMW X5.

* It's AWD, not 4WD, but capable of travelling on dirt/gravel roads...which is enough, for my diminished travel expectations. I swapped my retired Chevelle drag racing car for it, with a neighbor that had specifically bought and rebuilt this car over 3.5 years, just for the swap. He will restore the Chevelle to give it another chance of life (after 13 years of sitting in the garage), and I get one of my favorite (but never bought) brands and model vehicle (I nearly bought a 2002 BMW when new, and always loved the X5 after just one drive, twenty years ago.

* Find some other vehicle you like, add your personal touch to it, and maybe you'll forget the Xterra-wish altogether. I did.

Well, most notably, I am looking for a mid size body on frame 4x4 SUV, a true SUV, with an auto. I am NOT dedicated to tons of HP, I drove a 65 VW Westfalia for 4 years in college so....

My big issue is yea, good condition + 4x4 + automatic = overpriced. TONS of manual rigs out there in great shape for 3K... But slushboxes, not so much... Or they are trashed...

The big issue I have is I REALLY want a first gen, and honestly, if it is still good, one of the first things I would do is swap over a HD external tranny cooler. Whomever the imbecile is that thought integrating radiator and trans cooler is, they need to have their head looked at. My Chevy is the same way.

I have an 01 Saturn SL2 that needs to just go away. The 06 Malibu I need to fix, and I am thinking just make it go away. lots of abused miles by now. I have put 150K on it in 5 years. And the 04 F150. Engine rebuild in progress.

I am hoping for a proper body on frame SUV. Xterra, Mitsubishi Montero, Chevy Tahoe. As much as I love my F150, I am not going back to Ford. At least until I get an apology for the 5.4L 3v... What the heck was wrong with the 351 Cleveland?

[dbhosttexas]

Full workday. Sorry. FULL workday. LOTS of very confused users. Don't want to drop too big of a clue, but I work in IT for a large organization with software we build to support our business. Non IT technical staff is either VERY experienced people that asked for the features, or new hires that have no idea how to use the application.... The experienced folks are not an issue... The new hires seem to be having a collective meltdown... And they are kicking tickets up to my tier right off the bat... Ugh...

Fridge warranty sent a new company over to troubleshoot my icemakers. First service company spent less than 5 minutes troubleshooting. This new company spent 2.5 hours looking at EVERYTHING. Looks like the freezer might be staying below freezing, but not cold enough to produce ice fast. It would keep ice cream frozen somewhat soft so I can believe it.

The last junction of the wiring harness before the starter is right under the lower radiator hose on the Malibu. Oh boy is this fun to get to. I can't get tot he end of the tape to unravel it, and I do NOT want to go willy nilly with a knife there fearing I will unintentionally cut a wire in the bundle. Found the fusible link by breaking out the split loom. Don't need to meter this thing. OBVIOUSLY bad... Not sure about the gauge. Going to order an assortment of 10, 12, and 14.

Working on doing the "Nor Cal Mod" to my F150. NOT going to keep the 35s, but want clearance for wheel travel with 33s. Specifically planning on going back down to 285/70R17s. Need to decide between load range D and E tires.

Spent quality time with a bucket, greasy parts, and solvent. One at a time, then back into the baggies.

Looked at traction boards. I have 1 set, but wanted a second set that featured the Hi LIft jack pad. I think instead I am going tmake a jack pad that pins into my existing boards so I can use the factor scissor jack. Farm / Hi Lift jacks scare the snot out of me so not going that way...

I have been practicing with my junktastic disposable sewing machine and have been just patching / mending things that can otherwise be considered trash. Fixed several pairs of cheap basketball shorts with seams that were coming undone. Managed some realtively neat double rows of stitches. Happy with that. Prior attempts were wobbly and all over the place.

I am getting close to the point that I believe I am ready to do "presentable things" like curtains, and cushion covers. Very happy with that progress.

I am giving serious consideration to custom printed fabric. But I also want "blackout" curtains. I am thinking though, instead of curtains, using double fabric sided Reflectix panels with Velcro strips to attach to the windows. VERY interested in a custom old school "Coleman Lantern" pattern.

I am wanting something like.... viewtopic.php?t=41091&highlight=coleman+fabric but I want to do something like one row of latnerns, one row of maybe stoves, a third row of fishing poles and campfires, then begin again... Just a thought. Oh and over a wood grain background...

Lastly, seriously considering replacing my early 90s Realistic TRC-465 40 channel AM/SSB CB Radio plus Realistic Model 12-143B Weatherradio alert model. I want all 7 weather channels, and a more modern radio. Might have to wait until FM models get on the market now the FCC has approved FM on CB, but failing that, considering a Uniden Bearcat 980SSB. I know not a lot of TNTTT folks do CB, but it is something the 4x4 club requires, and I enjoy SSB.

So the weather should be cooling off for the next 2 days before thunderstorms roll in. Planning on finishing pulling out the alternator cable, and replacing the fusible link I need a heat gun though. I REALLY don't want to shrink heat shrink tubing using a lighter at a fusible link. Bleh...

[dbhosttexas]

An interesting day so far...

Neighbor was tossing a 5K BTU LG mechanical window unit. THey were carrying it to the curb while I walking the dog... Asked them about it, and apparently his wife didn't like the look of the "rusty slots" on the louvers after being left in the window a bit too long. I.E. there was a rusty brown color visible through the vents. According to the neighbor they bought it in the spring, maybe in April?

Went back home, grabbed my hand truck to save my back, and went back, grabbed the AC and took it home...

WIped at it with an alcohol wipe...

Not rust. Dirt.

Cleaned it up. with the garden hose and a nylon brush.

No rust. No age discoloration. And free.

Mind you, this specific AC is the model I had on my short list as it is the lowest peak AMP usage for a 5K BTU unit, 4.1 peak amps. Easy on the generator!

Speaking of generator. I've lost all trust in my Harbor Freight Tailgator, but still don't want a huge generator, nor to pay for gas to run a huge one. I probably jumped the gun, but had budget left over at the end of the month and ordere a Sportsman 1000w inverter generator. My electrical needs are modest, but vital, and I really need a generator that will not fight me on startup, nor sound like a chainsaw. Sadly the prices on these have been going up, and I was worried that Tractor Supply was going to end their sale on them, so I ordered mine at $169.00, sure beats the average of $269.00 and up they are going for everywhere else!

The fusible link wire is supposed to be here tomrorow, and the heat gun is supposed to be here today. I expect to have the Malibu road worthy this weekend... Yay fun!

Since we are in Hurricane season and the tropics are heating up, as soon as the car is happy again, I am heading over to the closest station that sells ethanol free gasoline with 4 5 gallon gas cans. Will add some Sta-Bil to the cans prior to filling so it mixes in fully so that we are stable for the rest of the season. Hope I don't need it... Oh and while I am there picking up a quart of 10w30 for the Sportsman generator. Probably order up an hour meter for this generator to allow me to keep up with proper maintenence intervals.

*UPDATE*. Too danged good to be true.... Something the neighbor didn't mention is that the AC doesn't work. Keeps tossing the GFCI. Not wanting to dig into it too deep, but will check it out a bit before giving up on it. Might just be a nicked wire finding ground on the metal box...

[dbhosttexas]

Started my build thread.

Did the measrements for the water and power storage. So far so good. It'll fit. Whew!

Waiting for my generator to show up.

[twisted lines]

Got the Q seal, From Vintage Technology's; No problem with Quote, Order Nada smoothe again!
Got what I wanted for the T Molding, looks like it's going to make that part eazy;
After spending the hole day making a mess