What are you working on today?

[OVERKILL]

Cheating a bit, because I had the dealership do the work, but was able to snap some pics while it was being done. Vehicle has recently rolled over 50,000km, which is when they recommend getting the factory fluid out.

Bought some AMSOIL (hey @Pablo I used my account for once, lol) for the diffs and transfer case on the Jeep:

Front was nice and clear:

Rear was dark as hades and definitely has some particulate in it:

Transfer case looked pretty good:

 

[D60]

Working on pulling a TR690 CVT from a '15 Outback 3.6

I decided to come at the converter bolts from underneath (access topside on the 3.6 is not as straightforward as the 2.5) and after a few pucker moments I realized these weird BluePoint "ratcheting crowfoot things" are awesome for this application.

The first actual use I've been able to find for these! @Trav

It may look like a wobble or u-joint would work here, but not really.

 

[meep]

Replaced. Theres just nothing you can do with these now when they go. ):

 

[barkingspider]

Replaced the front struts and sway bar end links on my 05 Pontiac vibe. Don’t know what brand the old ones were but they did not look like original factory. Went w Detroit axle struts. Ride feels like stock, definitely better than the old struts.

 

[D60]

Smoked over (literally) '98 GM 5.7 Vortec with lean codes both banks. I had immediately noticed the throttle body "snorkel" rattled around and this is after the MAF so that prompted an immediate smoke test. Wow, serious vac leak!

According to this thread these gaskets are now unobtainium, which seems dumb to me if true:
https://www.gmt400.com/threads/96-99-cpi-truck-throttle-body-inlet-gasket.69215/

I randomly ordered some large-ish o-rings for another project. I had to stretch one but it fit and cured the leak 100%. So, yay....I'll take it.

 

[sru1436]

Rebuilding the Turbo 350 in my 1972 C10 while the engine is getting rebuilt by a professional engine builder. It’s my first hand at rebuilding a transmission.

 

[Trav]

Working on pulling a TR690 CVT from a '15 Outback 3.6

I decided to come at the converter bolts from underneath (access topside on the 3.6 is not as straightforward as the 2.5) and after a few pucker moments I realized these weird BluePoint "ratcheting crowfoot things" are awesome for this application. View attachment 328847

The first actual use I've been able to find for these! @Trav

It may look like a wobble or u-joint would work here, but not really.

Pretty cool tool! I could use a couple of those for other miserable 12pt flywheel bolts like some VW/Audi DMF, I usually use an offset double box but this would be easier.

 

[RooflessVW]

Fixed a loose triple tap cord today.

 

[D60]

Somehow I didn't own an engine stabilizer, but needed one on this URaBus.

It's 2+ hours round trip to HF. I checked AutoZone and O'Reilly for local stock, but no.

I grabbed some scrap and made a semblance of the commercially available ones. It's a little weird because it's very specific to the Subaru strut towers, but it'll get me through this job. I'll probably just modify as needed for different applications in the future.

 

[meep]

Fixed a loose triple tap cord today.

View attachment 328912

“Triple tap?” We called them “stage cords” in the audio world.

 

[meep]

Somehow I didn't own an engine stabilizer, but needed one on this URaBus.

It's 2+ hours round trip to HF. I checked AutoZone and O'Reilly for local stock, but no.

I grabbed some scrap and made a semblance of the commercially available ones. It's a little weird because it's very specific to the Subaru strut towers, but it'll get me through this job. I'll probably just modify as needed for different applications in the future. View attachment 328985View attachment 328986View attachment 328987

Thats a lot of hood space to allow the stacked stock. And it’s an H6!

I start daydreaming … really wanted an SVX when I was younger.

 

[robbobster]

Put new rear shocks on the wife’s Suburban today. Previous Fox 2.0s had 90k miles on them and were due. Didn’t see value in paying to rebuild them for $100+ when they’re $150 new.

I typically replace/rebuild front and rear together, but I ran the Foxes paired with yellow Bilsteins up front for a few years, until I leveled it.

 

[Creekside]

6 loads of rock delivered today and was cut short by getting toned out to a miscanthus field fire and their harvester was on fire too. By the time I got back to town I ended up just waiting around the barn for everyone else to get back in case another call happened. There ended up being an excavator fire and another grass fire afterwards.

Rented a vacuum pump from Oreillys to get the AC going on the White 2-135 tractor I bought. Supposed to be 93 here on Saturday and I’m supposed to drill oats so I wanted my AC working if possible. I got a good vacuum pulled however could not get it to charge and the vacuum pulled abnormally fast. The hose adapters to the compressor had service shutoff valves inside them which I had never encountered before. Looks like these are intended for a York compressor but this had been converted to a Sanden. Once I realized my mistake I opened them, pulled another vacuum(on the entire system this time) and got it blowing cold. I don’t have a scale or know the capacity so I charged off ambient temperature and pressure and it’s working great. In time I plan to replace the entire system as it has multiple issues and at least one very slow leak.

 

[BrianF]

We picked up our new to us 2020 Ram 1500 classic today. Out I went and got a set of rubber mats put in. I am eyeballing a set of oe style bushwacker fender flares as well.

 

[berniedd]

4-Tire rotation on the ol' Ford yesterday. Fronts to back, backs to front. @6500 mile intervals. This is a RWD vehicle. The fronts were already showing more wear at the outside shoulders.

 

[14Accent]

Tackled a couple more repairs on my Copart S60 since the weather is so nice today. Nothing crazy, it got new turbo drain pipe seals and I got the old, leaking center exhaust resonator removed for replacement. I would have gotten the new one in... but I couldn't for the life of me find 2 matching 10mm bolts/nuts in my garage. I'm ashamed of myself...

The wife works for a few hours tomorrow morning, so I'll run up to the hardware store and get some proper flange bolts and lock nuts in the AM. Things are coming together nicely!

 

[meep]

Tested the 440 lb electric hoist on my garage ceiling by lifting the rooftop tent off the back of the truck. Gonna keep it off while fuel prices are high. Tent weighs about 165. Hoist was rock solid mounted, zero flex in the lumber. It was easier working in the air than it was dealing with the dolly on the ground.

Made four wooden boxes for my favorite current clock project, resurrecting mid ‘80s Volkswagen gauge clusters, mounting them in a stained wooden enclosure, retrofitting new illumination, and using the clock. I have two clocks working and watching to buy a couple more.

 

[Creekside]

Got the 2-135 hooked to a rental seed drill last night and had multiple hydraulic issues among other things. This is a prime example of why I typically refuse to rent anything. Someone attempted to drill a product that was only meant to be broadcast which includes coated fescue seed, fertilizer and wood crumbles. That product plugged most of the seed tubes and has now been in the drill long enough to get wet which completely seized most of the adjustments on it. I worked on it until after dark last night and I expect to have 4-5 more hours in it today before I can even use it.

I will be refusing payment on the rental and should they have a problem with it I’ll be submitting a bill at my standard hourly rate to repair, lube and clean everything out. We photo documented everything.

On the plus side the AC system on this tractor I charged a couple days ago is working great.

 

[D60]

Got the 2-135 hooked to a rental seed drill last night and had multiple hydraulic issues among other things. This is a prime example of why I typically refuse to rent anything. Someone attempted to drill a product that was only meant to be broadcast which includes coated fescue seed, fertilizer and wood crumbles. That product plugged most of the seed tubes and has now been in the drill long enough to get wet which completely seized most of the adjustments on it. I worked on it until after dark last night and I expect to have 4-5 more hours in it today before I can even use it.

I will be refusing payment on the rental and should they have a problem with it I’ll be submitting a bill at my standard hourly rate to repair, lube and clean everything out. We photo documented everything.

On the plus side the AC system on this tractor I charged a couple days ago is working great.

View attachment 329172

Curious how the rental place responds. I've had good experiences personally but every place is different (obviously)

 

[D60]

At 97k freedom this '15 Outback H6 was due for plugs. I took advantage of the transmission being out and the motor hanging from my not-yet-collapsed shopbrew stabilizer bar to pull it L/R with a ratchet strap. I came off an exhaust stud and ran to the opposing tie-down point in the unibody. Note you're not pulling that hard so the odds of bending a collector stud are near zero if you're not stupid -- hmm, so maybe I did bend them!

Engage Sir Rants-A-Lot:
Speaking of lack of intelligence, it took me years to learn not to order spark plugs AND heavy items from RockAuto. Today's related lesson is don't order individual spark plugs from O'Reilly because someone will drop that tiny box along the way. From now on I'm only ordering 4-packs and will return the ones I never needed in the first place.

Note at least some of this is due to Colorado's bag fee, meaning 6 plugs and 6 coil boots are handed to me in a messy heap of 9 tiny boxes. Add to that delivery drivers that are just warm bodies and any modicum of care is gone -- they probably could find a cardboard box, but that would require far too much effort