What are you working on today?

Finally got the new larger black rectangle shade sail in place

I need some new better ratchet straps. The 4 I have are complete junk. They made the job harder.

Ladder safety was job one. Always solid footing and braced by outside of 2” steel pole when manually pulling

The real bear was positioning- the four corners are not a perfect rectangle. This go around I wanted it closer to the house Crazy heavy and tough to stretch so I used my lousy ratchet straps and all my strength plus bought two new yuge turnbuckles. Finally finished before sun came over the mountain

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Finished the last of the OSB strapping. Hooked the trailer power back up as well. I'm back to work tomorrow so I won't bother doing the roof and flooring yet. This weekend my wife starts packing for the next horse show.

I'm still looking for a decent shore power hookup. Maybe 30 amp service so it will run ac in August.

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Finally got the new larger black rectangle shade sail in place

I need some new better ratchet straps. The 4 I have are complete junk. They made the job harder.

Ladder safety was job one. Always solid footing and braced by outside of 2” steel pole when manually pulling

The real bear was positioning- the four corners are not a perfect rectangle. This go around I wanted it closer to the house Crazy heavy and tough to stretch so I used my lousy ratchet straps and all my strength plus bought two new yuge turnbuckles. Finally finished before sun came over the mountain

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How deep down do the poles go? I’ve seen sail shades this size snap a 4x4 in mild storms.
 
Timing belt on a P2 Volvo. Such a breeze compared to smaller cars with no clearance. This is its second timing belt due to age (20 years). It still had the factory tensioner and idler pulleys! They were still fine, likely due to the low 100k miles, but I went ahead and replaced everything with OE INA parts. Also pleasantly surprised my Ryobi impact was able to remove the 30mm rusty crankshaft nut.

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How deep down do the poles go? I’ve seen sail shades this size snap a 4x4 in mild storms.
Yeah easy 4 feet with 3 sacks of concrete and rocks and rubble. Wood is quite strong in compression but I would never use wood for a couple reasons besides the weak shear strength Well I should say one corner is lagged to post on the house and we have always taken it down by October when the worst winds start
 
Yeah easy 4 feet with 3 sacks of concrete and rocks and rubble. Wood is quite strong in compression but I would never use wood for a couple reasons besides the weak shear strength Well I should say one corner is lagged to post on the house and we have always taken it down by October when the worst winds start
Just in time for teatherball season
 
Turned out the Subaru I worked on last weekend needed plugs too. I was doomscrolling and expecting the worst. The friend got a quote for $450 to change them. She instead got the plugs and texted me. Swapped them out tonight. The Tone PG86 spark plug socket set is a lifesaver on these. Took me two hours from the start, I had my friend replace one of the plugs so she can get a feel for it.

So, 2021 Subaru Forester. New spark plugs.
 
Working on recovery from 2nd spine disc implant. 1st was in 2020 L4/5, that was a joke. I was 53. 2nd was 6-16-25 / L3-4. / 58 yrs old. This one not as easy. Age getting the best of me, even though it was the same exact surgery.......The disc above the replaced one. I knew that was gonna blow. It was inevitable. The spinal load gets transferred to the nearest/ weakest disc. Took 5 years. Blew it out taking a stuck front axle out of a 13' Honda Pilot. I felt it. I threw the tools around, I cursed like a sailor :)... Nursed it for 1 year, shots, pain killers, etc......So, while recovering, I play with my friends on BITOG :) YAY !!!!!
 
Turned out the Subaru I worked on last weekend needed plugs too. I was doomscrolling and expecting the worst. The friend got a quote for $450 to change them. She instead got the plugs and texted me. Swapped them out tonight. The Tone PG86 spark plug socket set is a lifesaver on these. Took me two hours from the start, I had my friend replace one of the plugs so she can get a feel for it.

So, 2021 Subaru Forester. New spark plugs.
Is the Tone magnetic? I don't see it listed in product specs.
 
Well.....got a clutch & flywheel kit from RA for a '97 Ram CTD. They put everything in one box and these flywheels ain't light.

I was worried hardware would fall out and sure enough I don't have any flywheel bolts. I figured ok, I'll just buy some but it irks me they're $70‐100 per set.

Sure looks like flywheel bolts here in lower right. The others are pressure plate and starter bolts. But I don't have the bolts in lower right.
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I submitted a form to RA but I can't wait for standard shipping, assuming Luk even cooperates at all.

So I guess I'm working on complaining

edit: those may not be flywheel bolts but additional pressure plate bolts depending upon thread pitch. I canNOT find a detailed parts list anywhere!
 
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Recharged the AC in my 92 Cavalier. Last year when I went to use it, it had quit working from the year before and I didn't mess with it. This car is still R12 because I have a lot of it. I replaced the compressor, dryer, and the compressor manifold hoses in 2019. In 2021 the system was low again and I could not find the leak. That charge lasted until last year.

I have several cans of R12 with the dye in it so I used one can of it today and part of another can with no dye to recharge the system. The system still had about 10 psi from the last charge. Hopefully with the dye in the system, I will be able to find the leak.

I only hooked up my low side gauge and after the recharge I was at 28-32 psi with 35-degree vent temps. Outside temps were around 86.

I don't typically recharge a system this way but I mostly just wanted to get dye in the system so I can hopefully find the leak. Hopefully it's not the evaporator which has never been changed. The condenser was changed back in the late 2000's.
 
Yesterday I replaced the Duralast Gold alternator on my 92 Cavalier. It had started making some noise last year but Autozone wouldn't replace it just for the noise. Last week coming home from a party, the battery light started coming on at about 65 mph but would go off below that. Charging voltage was still over 14 volts and would come down slightly at the higher rpms but the alternator would really make noise at the higher rpms.

I called AZ and they ordered a new one which took almost a week to get here. Funny thing is that when spinning the alternator off of the vehicle, it was quiet with no noise. Running it would have a roar to it. New alternator is quiet while running. The old one lasted 15 years and about 120,000 miles. Who knows how long this one will last.

The alternator had a lifetime warranty so no cost to me. I still had the original receipt.
 
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