What did you do today

General Discussion about almost anything Teardrop or camping related

Re: What did you do today

Postby dbhosttexas » Fri Sep 03, 2021 7:33 pm

Spent some time tracing wires in that AC, unless the GFCI itself is bad, I have no idea what is causing it to throw the GFCI.
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Re: What did you do today

Postby tony.latham » Fri Sep 03, 2021 8:53 pm

We camped. It was a nice evening.

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:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

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Re: What did you do today

Postby noseoil » Sat Sep 04, 2021 8:34 am

Here's a bit more detail on making a spear shaft. It's a fun bit of wood work making a hollow & tapered shaft. This is the process I use for these things. Doing a "run" of 4, just because. It would be the same process for spar making on your sail boat, but Spruce would be better than oak in that application since oak is pretty heavy.

First thing is to make 2 pieces the right size (5/8" X 1 1/4" X 6') out of red oak for strength & flex, then route a groove in each one. 3/8" router bit, 1/4" deep.
167093

Next, the halves are clamped together & set on the bench top so they're straight
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Once it's out of the clamps, shaping happens & it becomes a tapered octagon. I use the table saw, band saw (no joiner in the shop now) block plane & then the belt sander to finish out the rough shape. The shaft itself is very light & springy at this point, since so much wood is removed & the hollow takes off more weight than it seems possible for red oak.
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Here's the shaft ready for the epoxy. The mount is ground to match the inside of the socket for a snug fit. Epoxy is used for the bond (West System G-Flex, thickened a bit) to make a tight attachment, along with the screws. I run a piece of sandpaper on an aluminum shaft to scratch up the inner surface & give the epoxy a place to key into for the bond.
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Screw holes are located & drilled, dry fit is done to check the mount & make sure everything will fit tightly.
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Here's the point attached & screwed in place with the epoxy setting. I left it in the sun after "bumping" it a little with the heat gun, since the epoxy is a slow cure & will move around a bit if it sits in the cold. With the heat it's a much faster cure, otherwise, it will take 24 hours to cure completely.
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The final finish is done with sanding & Danish oil to protect the wood. Not sure I will ever use this type of weapon, but it's handy if there's ever a wild boar chasing me around the yard.
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Re: What did you do today

Postby tony.latham » Sat Sep 04, 2021 9:56 am

It's a fun bit of wood work making a hollow & tapered shaft.


I had no idea you could make a hollow-shafted spear. Is that a common thing with the spear hunting crowd?

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Re: What did you do today

Postby noseoil » Sat Sep 04, 2021 11:26 am

Tony, I really have no idea about the hollowing, it just seemed like a good idea, since I was using some left-over wood & red oak is pretty heavy in general. Figured I could reduce weight & maintain strength with this method. This was the last board left over from our build. I was using oak for the "hard points" to take fasteners better than soft wood. It's around the hatch, solar panel, fan I in another couple of places where I didn't want the screws to loosen over time. So far, so good.

The red oak is strong, tough & fairly stringy, so having it a bit less in weight makes the thrown velocity higher. I guess you could say tapering helps with the ballistic coefficient, but hollowing lessens sectional density of the projectile. Not so sure my shoulder is up to a hard throw now, but you never know.

Fortunately, we don't have a "big" hog problem here where we live, at least not like this. Must be too cold up here, better in the low lands & bottoms of greener areas in the states.
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Re: What did you do today

Postby tony.latham » Sat Sep 04, 2021 1:31 pm

Fortunately, we don't have a "big" hog problem here where we live, at least not like this. Must be too cold up here, better in the low lands & bottoms of greener areas in the states.


Sheeeesh. That's a pig.


Tony

p.s. Now you need to make an atlatl. ;)
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Re: What did you do today

Postby dbhosttexas » Sun Sep 05, 2021 1:04 pm

noseoil wrote:Tony, I really have no idea about the hollowing, it just seemed like a good idea, since I was using some left-over wood & red oak is pretty heavy in general. Figured I could reduce weight & maintain strength with this method. This was the last board left over from our build. I was using oak for the "hard points" to take fasteners better than soft wood. It's around the hatch, solar panel, fan I in another couple of places where I didn't want the screws to loosen over time. So far, so good.

The red oak is strong, tough & fairly stringy, so having it a bit less in weight makes the thrown velocity higher. I guess you could say tapering helps with the ballistic coefficient, but hollowing lessens sectional density of the projectile. Not so sure my shoulder is up to a hard throw now, but you never know.

Fortunately, we don't have a "big" hog problem here where we live, at least not like this. Must be too cold up here, better in the low lands & bottoms of greener areas in the states.
167099


That's a big fella there...

Last time I had a chace to go boar hunting a friend had about 4 of us come and set up in his hay field. Every time they harvest / make the roll bales, the hogs come out and root out the field really badly. We set up on top of the rolls by one end of the field and wait, not long after sunup the hogs come strolling out to root around in the field... We each bagged 2 except for one guy that is quite quick with his Remmingon 300, he dropped 3. Hauled in to the processor. There was at the time, been about 10 years so not sure now, but back then, the food banks would pay for processing in exchange for hog meat. Just haul it to the processor, I know they still do it for deer. I think it is called Hunters for the Hungry or something like that...

Honestly don't care for boar meat, but they are such a big problem here that I have no qualms harvesting as many as I can and donating them.

Vennison on the other hand, yum!
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Re: What did you do today

Postby dbhosttexas » Mon Sep 06, 2021 7:17 am

The replacement ECU tracking shows it is in Houston, so it should be delivered tomorrow. Pulled the original and am ready for install. Things needed to do... It should be noted the lead from the ECU to the alternator / voltage regulator did meter out with good continuity, and the data socket has the scent of ozone. Given that and the 18+ codes it threw, I am convinced the ECU itself is problematic, although may not be the sole remaining problem.

#1. Finish soldering / sealing the new fusible link to the alternator main lead. The original one WAS bad but I still had continuity.
#2. Finish degreasing around the starter. LOTS of Foamy Engine Brite, soak time, and rinse. I want the whole area as clean as possible.
#3. Reassemble starter end leads, re-wrap the wiring harness that was diesemboweled, clip back in place.
#4. Reassemble leads on alternator ends.

With that done, I should be ready to install the new ECU.

Camper related, looking into the wiring / electrical concerns. I REALLY need to accelerate the engine overhaul. Man too much going on there...

From a tenting perspective, I have everyting sorted. Power, generation, storage and distribution. Fuel, Regular Unleaded Gasoline storage, distribution, Propane (for hot water heater) storage. No need to distrubute. Propane for full system, storage, and distribution.

Plumbing. Water intake, sanitization, filtration, storage, pumping, and distribution.

Ongoing work:

Continued work on finalizing camper. Pending...
#1. Charging circuit design for camper. Need to integrate charging from shore / generator power, alternator, and solar.
#2. Set up pickup rigging for quick connect pickup from AquaTainers. And figure out pass through to exterior of camper where water will be used. Figure out mounting location for pump.
#3. Design integrated above bed shelf / box / panel for CPAP, 12V outlets, USB charger, and switches for 12V and USB outlets, and a separate switch for the pump.
#4. Finish separator plate. This is the divider that holds the Aquatainers and power box against the front wall of the truck bed. I have the 2x6 cut and fitted. My hole saw broke (OLD Harbor Freight POS). Need a new one, or use the adjustable hole cutter that I hate using... foam is cut. Once holes are done, and edges routed, foam will be glued with Gorilla Glue, then PMF covering the entire assembly.

Another day, another two steps forward, one step back, at least the momentum is forward.

Measured distance from tailgate to rearmost bed 2x socket . Intend to build a divider wall to restrain portable toilet at back of the truck bed. I fully intend to wrap the toilet in a large heavy guage trash bag in transit just in case of leakage.

It might be paranoia, but I am terrified of leaking propane, one of the reasons I am so leery of it. Too much experience with 16.4oz propane cylinders blowing propane upon disconnection from the appliance. So if for no other reason my own sanity, I ordered a set of brass sealing caps for the propane bottles in transit. So there is that. EVERY single time I make a propane connection, every point in the connection chain gets thoroughly leak tested. Probably overkill, but I just don't want to blow up... Anyway, the pack of caps arrived today...

Updated in the evening. Winding down with a first in months, but I just wanted a Jack & Coke.. So sipping a jack and coke and winding down for the night...
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Re: What did you do today

Postby dbhosttexas » Wed Sep 08, 2021 7:32 am

The programmed ECU arrived, and per the documentation included, it is not exactly 100% programmed. Gee thanks Flashmasters.

I can make it work IF it is as they claim though. But I need to take it to a shop and have the final programming dropped in...
Most notably Crankshaft Variation Relearn. Bleh...

Alternator cable / fusible link is done, and I cleaned up the original cable, cleaned up the corrosion on the terminal ends.

I need to move on and start reassembly, not in a huge hurry.

Sister in law came accross the Metro area for a visit. Made my wifes day. COVID has kept the family apart, this soon after her Dads passing has not been good for my wife, or her siblings.

Looked at some more cars / mid size SUVs, body on frame only being considered, to replace the Malibu.

FWIW, I have 3 vehicles. An 01 Saturn SL2 I despise. Too small, too low to the ground. Painful to get in and out of for me. '04 F150 engine rebuild in progress. Suffered from the typical 5.4L 3V Variable Timing System had massively failed, oil pump failed. '06 Chevy Malibu 3.5L with the ECT / Charging system failure.

Planning on selling the Saturn as is for cheap. It needs work but can be made a decent car for not a lot of money. It would be a good High School / College car for someone.

Will get the Malibu up and running again, once we get a replacement vehicle, will put it up for sale. I've put on 100K + since I bought it and I am tired of it...

Not much else. Not feeling it today.
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Re: What did you do today

Postby working on it » Wed Sep 08, 2021 9:18 am

dbhosttexas wrote:
...FWIW, I have 3 vehicles:

1) An 01 Saturn SL2 I despise. Too small, too low to the ground. Painful to get in and out of for me.Planning on selling the Saturn as is for cheap. It needs work but can be made a decent car for not a lot of money. It would be a good High School / College car for someone.

2) '04 F150 engine rebuild in progress. Suffered from the typical 5.4L 3V Variable Timing System had massively failed, oil pump failed.

3) '06 Chevy Malibu 3.5L with the ECT / Charging system failure. Will get the Malibu up and running again, once we get a replacement vehicle, will put it up for sale. I've put on 100K + since I bought it and I am tired of it....


* I've got some vehicles somewhat akin to your collection, and share similar feelings towards a couple, and lately they've taken all my time maintaining/servicing/modifying them, instead of working on or using my trailer. I thought my fleet was set and stable for my post-retirement years, since they were put in great shape as soon as I had time to actually work on them, once retired. My much-younger wife may not agree with my viewpoint, but so it goes. My current fleet consists of:

  • 1) '08 Cobalt coupe, with 120k miles, my wife's car, which I (like you) despise and can't get in and out easily. Recently developed ABS/Master cylinder problem, which I haven't resolved yet (new pads & rotors done, brakes bled & adjusted, brake pedal spongy and sinks: car on stands awaiting cooler weather to replace MC and power-bleed the ABS (after pulling the fusebox). I have the parts & tools, but not the desire to do the work.
    I am tired of it... Not feeling it today.

  • 2) '98 GMC Sierra extended cab, with 190k miles, my wife's truck (though we both use it for transporting extra passengers in the rear seat...which the Cobalt has but it's too cramped, my truck and HHR Panel only have two seats), in great running condition after replacing A/C controls, starter, distributor, alternator, headlights in the last five years since retirement. I don't want to sell it, but the wife wants a new one, w/o the big$$ for one. I can fix this one more easily than the others, too.

  • 3) '04 Chevy 2500HD regular cab, my truck, with 130k miles, perfect running condition, beefed-up for towing/hauling/camping. I've got it set-up as my camp truck, with the bed filled with gear year-'round (just in case); I need to empty the bed so it can be used more than 3-4 times a year, if I'm going to keep it (with her approval). I love this truck.

  • 4) '09 HHR Panel, my old daily driver, now used by the wife for her "flitting-about", 170k miles, great condition, super-versatile (grocery-shopping, light hauling in the rain), but only a two-seater. The wife wants to replace it with a bigger truck, as stated before, but I say keep it as it has little trade value, and saves gas while doing so. 34 degree A/C, too.

  • 5) '01 BMW X5 SAV, my vehicle (I swapped my old Chevelle for it, so it's MINE), 210k miles. It has been rebuilt/restored/refreshed in most all respects prior to the swap, by my neighbor, who bought it specifically for the swap, at my request. I've modified the interior, replaced the mechanical fan (with a high-powered electric fan), and built a roof rack for it in the 3 months I've had it, and haven't driven it but 35 miles, so far. It will be my bad weather/all-purpose/back-up vehicle from here forward, since everything works and it has more seating than the other vehicles. The wife didn't approve of it, thinking that I should've parted-out my Chevelle for more $$, but I wanted my (much younger) friend/neighbor to put it back on the street.

* Since my income is <20% what it was, I think maintaining my fleet is my best choice until my last years (at 71 this month, it's probably in my near future, as my family rarely gets to their late 70's), and paring down the fleet of five will be cheaper than a massive loss to depreciation getting a new vehicle. I plan to reduce the fleet to three, and once I can't drive, to two. After that, my wife can do what she wants.
2013 HHRv "squareback/squaredrop", rugged, 4x8 TTT, 2225 lbs
  • *3500 lb Dexter EZ-Lube braked axle, 3000 lb.springs, active-progressive bumpstop suspension
  • *27 x 8.5-14LT AT tires (x 3) *Weight Distribution system for single-beam tongue
  • *100% LED's & GFCI outlets, 3x fans, AM/FM/CD/Aux. *A/C & heat, Optima AGM, inverter & charger(s)
  • *extended-run, on-board, 2500w generator *Coleman dual-fuel stove & lantern, Ikea grill, vintage skillet
  • *zinc/stainless front & side racks *98"L x 6" diameter rod & reel carrier tube on roof
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Re: What did you do today

Postby twisted lines » Wed Sep 08, 2021 11:40 am

My new truck, today! :lol:
Belt came off in the driveway weeks ago and still stranded; these jobs are very slow ;)
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Re: What did you do today

Postby dbhosttexas » Thu Sep 09, 2021 6:30 am

working on it wrote:
dbhosttexas wrote:
...FWIW, I have 3 vehicles:

1) An 01 Saturn SL2 I despise. Too small, too low to the ground. Painful to get in and out of for me.Planning on selling the Saturn as is for cheap. It needs work but can be made a decent car for not a lot of money. It would be a good High School / College car for someone.

2) '04 F150 engine rebuild in progress. Suffered from the typical 5.4L 3V Variable Timing System had massively failed, oil pump failed.

3) '06 Chevy Malibu 3.5L with the ECT / Charging system failure. Will get the Malibu up and running again, once we get a replacement vehicle, will put it up for sale. I've put on 100K + since I bought it and I am tired of it....


* I've got some vehicles somewhat akin to your collection, and share similar feelings towards a couple, and lately they've taken all my time maintaining/servicing/modifying them, instead of working on or using my trailer. I thought my fleet was set and stable for my post-retirement years, since they were put in great shape as soon as I had time to actually work on them, once retired. My much-younger wife may not agree with my viewpoint, but so it goes. My current fleet consists of:

  • 1) '08 Cobalt coupe, with 120k miles, my wife's car, which I (like you) despise and can't get in and out easily. Recently developed ABS/Master cylinder problem, which I haven't resolved yet (new pads & rotors done, brakes bled & adjusted, brake pedal spongy and sinks: car on stands awaiting cooler weather to replace MC and power-bleed the ABS (after pulling the fusebox). I have the parts & tools, but not the desire to do the work.
    I am tired of it... Not feeling it today.

  • 2) '98 GMC Sierra extended cab, with 190k miles, my wife's truck (though we both use it for transporting extra passengers in the rear seat...which the Cobalt has but it's too cramped, my truck and HHR Panel only have two seats), in great running condition after replacing A/C controls, starter, distributor, alternator, headlights in the last five years since retirement. I don't want to sell it, but the wife wants a new one, w/o the big$$ for one. I can fix this one more easily than the others, too.

  • 3) '04 Chevy 2500HD regular cab, my truck, with 130k miles, perfect running condition, beefed-up for towing/hauling/camping. I've got it set-up as my camp truck, with the bed filled with gear year-'round (just in case); I need to empty the bed so it can be used more than 3-4 times a year, if I'm going to keep it (with her approval). I love this truck.

  • 4) '09 HHR Panel, my old daily driver, now used by the wife for her "flitting-about", 170k miles, great condition, super-versatile (grocery-shopping, light hauling in the rain), but only a two-seater. The wife wants to replace it with a bigger truck, as stated before, but I say keep it as it has little trade value, and saves gas while doing so. 34 degree A/C, too.

  • 5) '01 BMW X5 SAV, my vehicle (I swapped my old Chevelle for it, so it's MINE), 210k miles. It has been rebuilt/restored/refreshed in most all respects prior to the swap, by my neighbor, who bought it specifically for the swap, at my request. I've modified the interior, replaced the mechanical fan (with a high-powered electric fan), and built a roof rack for it in the 3 months I've had it, and haven't driven it but 35 miles, so far. It will be my bad weather/all-purpose/back-up vehicle from here forward, since everything works and it has more seating than the other vehicles. The wife didn't approve of it, thinking that I should've parted-out my Chevelle for more $$, but I wanted my (much younger) friend/neighbor to put it back on the street.

* Since my income is <20% what it was, I think maintaining my fleet is my best choice until my last years (at 71 this month, it's probably in my near future, as my family rarely gets to their late 70's), and paring down the fleet of five will be cheaper than a massive loss to depreciation getting a new vehicle. I plan to reduce the fleet to three, and once I can't drive, to two. After that, my wife can do what she wants.


The Malibu is technically the wifes car. The charging system suddenly stopped working, and I got a slew of codes all at once. Like 18. While I am a good 20 years your junior, and I work in IT, I still hate working on computerized cars... But here I am. Slogging through this in the Texas summer heat. Bleh... Once this gets sorted out, I need to replace the drivers seat as a bracket broke, and wrecking yard seats are WAY cheaper than trying to dig up dealer parts on this old car... It's sitting at 176K miles.

The Saturn I got back in '06 as payment from a former roomate that caused a good bit of damage to my house... The AC had faulted. I have it mostly reassembled but what a pain in the tail. Need to get it going again but the car is so low and painful to get in / out of I don't want to. It also needs rear wheel cylinders... Like you, I have the tools, and the parts, but not the desire to do it. I believe I have 106K on this car... Pretty sure that Cobalt is more or less the same kind of car. Too small, too low, but good on gas.

Oh, and that HHR, my BIL had one of them. Pretty cool little rig. Same drivetrain as my Malibu if you have the V6. Decent mileage, fair enough capacity for what it is, and in panel configuration gets a lot of looks around town... He uses it as a courier truck for his shop. Long story, but his shop rarely does work on my vehicles.

The F150 had a failed Variable Cam Timing system failure that is all too common on these engines. I ran full synthetic on it, and changed the oil ahead of schedule from day 1, and the engine still sludged up something bad. Not a clue why. I am working with a Ford specialist on an as available basis and carefully stepping through a full rebuild / bulletproofing. At least as much as this flawed engine design can be. This engine was designed during the time Ford was involved with Jaguar and you can tell. When it run correctly, it is absolutely a fantastic truck. As a 4x4 it is nowhere near as capable as my old 84 Jeep CJ7 was, but then again, it is a completely civilized drive. Honestly, after the rebuild is done, I plan on holding on to this truck as long as physically possible, into and through my retirement years I am hoping... So I am going slow, and doing it as right as physcially possible.

The Saturn and Malibu need to go, I can't really swing a new rig, but we are looking for a mid to full size SUV for the wife. Again due to back issues for me, and comfort issues for her. She got scared crazy during Hurricane Harvey, and desperately wants a high clearance vehicle for both of us... Literally if we could swing it, a mildly lifted Tahoe or Escalade would be ideal but costs being what they are...
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Re: What did you do today

Postby dbhosttexas » Fri Sep 10, 2021 1:02 pm

Finished screwing the Malibu back together. Put the battery charger back on, currently charging. Need to run through the relearn procedure, pressure test the cooling system and then retest the charging system...

Since they are finally back in stock, ordered the Flame King 1lb bottles and refill kit so that I don't have to lug the 20lb propane tank around everywhere...
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Re: What did you do today

Postby dbhosttexas » Sat Sep 11, 2021 11:18 am

Grabbed a slice of cold pizza, and a coffee for breakfast, started looking for my cooling system tester in the garage when my wife wandered out to remind me her brother and his wife are coming by today. This is a good thing, and problematic. I need time to do the security relearn procedure on the new ECU, basically program it to the key so the car will actually start.

Finished my pizza, mowed down the weeks growth of beard to stubble with the trimmer, not gonna shave, just wanted a bit neater appearance. Not super tidy, but don't care today.

Honestly feeling kind of sh*tty because of the significance of today and recent events. Tryin gto stay positive, but I lost friends in that dam*#$ war.

I should probably stay off of the forums and social media for a couple of days.

Oh, FWIW, I did finally grab the cooling system testing kit. No leaks, held 15PSI for 15 minutes. Issue is either sudden failed T-stat, or just air pockets that I am still figthing to get out of the cooling system... Not familiar enough with the GM 3.5L V6, but this seems like the sort of service issue that put Triumph out of business with the Stagg...

I want to wait until sundown to start the relearn procedure. That is about an hour that I have to babysit the car outside with the key on.
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Re: What did you do today

Postby twisted lines » Sat Sep 11, 2021 3:14 pm

Ugly old scrap of really hard aluminum and Still at it.
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