What are you working on today?

Well boys, old Brian caught a break with Shtty Blue. I will now name the work I am doing with this car, "Project Dribbly Bastard."

So, i called up Napa this morning and had them order up a reman alternator, would arrive next day. There is no way I did not fry the **** thing up. It made welding noises, gave me a light show and smoked worse than the crack heads down town.

I went out after lunch to remove it, which I have down to about 15 minutes. I put the jack under the oil pan and remove the engine mount. Then jack the engine up a bit more and I have about as much room to work as it allows.

The alternator popped out and I had a suspicion of what went wrong. Yep, functionally retarded Brian made a mistake. I clocked the thing when installing the four etorx bolts back in, the ones that hold the voltage regulator in. Well one bolt is insulated and it went in the wrong spot. The bolt that replaced it had a fry session but surprisingly was largely intact and the metal contacts were fine. I put it back together "correctly" and hooked up the battery with optimism and it nothing happend. I put her all back together and it runs as good as it ever did. Oh and yesterday the new NTK O2 sensor went in with no drama.

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I'm just so glad to know I'm not the only one who does this stuff. Thank you for allowing me to feel slightly less we todd ed, if only for a moment
 
Well, I've been working on AHBRS. Now, just like you've always got one automotive guy who says, "What the he** is a CHMSL?!?" I know we've got one guy asking, "What the he** is an AHBRS?"

All the while all the kool kids know it's an Anti-Heathen Bucket Retention System. Duh.

At my non-profit our residents who display heathen-istic behavior think it's fun to tear their water buckets from the fence (we just use Homer buckets). I've tried explaining to them you will no longer have water if you destroy and dump your water bucket, but they don't seem to follow.
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I can build these 100% in-house with my plasma and cheap finger brake, but sometimes I have the lid blanks cut on a plasma table.

Seen here in the white trash paint booth:
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For the bottom I purchased a 3.5" dimple die. Even ~10 years ago this was well over a couple hundred bucks. It adds rigidity to the floor and allows drainage:
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I made a homebrew die setup to chamfer the lid hole. This provides rigidity and turns the edge down away from the animal(s). Arrow indicates:
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The heathens stole the lid today:
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The heathens investigate as the wife shows them "this is where your water lives now." The entire AHBRS is anchored to the fence with flat bar on the outside
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2013 Fiesta Hatch SE 1.6 DOHC. 5 Speed Manual. Original owner. Finished installing used transmission and every bit and piece I removed to do the job. Finally got to use my Dads Snap-on in/lb torque wrench. Probably WWII Vintage.

While it's in the air I am replacing R & L lower control arm w/ball joints. Replacing struts w/KYB's and top mounts. New brake pads as well. Previously replaced sway bar bushings and links. 130 miles to next oil change so that too.

Finally replaced 60+ year old Craftsman 1/2" torque wrench with click type 1/2 and 3/8 ones. Just not enough room in the Fiesta to use the old one and be able to see it.

After a breather I will begin sourcing parts to repair the 1st gear synchro.
 
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@D60 How many heathens you got?
Well, I don't wanna take a mechanical-ish thread too off course, but presently 62 on 40 acres. Absolutely no breeding or selling - we accept only animals that need a safe place to live. We are NOT involved in the Colo wolf reintroduction program presently stumbling along, nor do we do anything with wildlife reintroduction.

Just like an orphanage for children, it would be better if our efforts were not needed at all. We strongly discourage wolves and wolf-dogs as pets and encourage people to visit their local animal shelter for a canine companion.

We are volunteer and donation based 501c3 and I (do my best) to maintain our fleet of trucks and trailers. I volunteer my time but allow the organization to pay parts.

It's not my place and I'm not in charge - merely a volunteer -- with a very specific set of skills as one movie might say......

For a hint of mechanical content, we use this trailer for educational events. It started as a 16' utility trailer w side rails and I built it up from there, as well as the cage in the truck ('08 LMM):
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Many years ago I ditched the dual 3500s, shoved the axles back 14" to end the porpoising and did dual 7ks on 16" 8-lug wheels. This ultimately required custom fenders made from diamond plate and gusseted (seen above) -- I hate flimsy trailer fenders!!
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There are also two spares up front mounted on either side of the tongue but honestly with LTs we haven't had any problems. I drug this from CO to North Carolina for a rescue a few years ago.

Any more questions feel free to PM me and we now return you to more mechanical-esque content:
 
Last Saturday I took off the valve cover on the 2004 2.3L Focus engine as it was getting dirty. Changed the oil while at it. Turns out the two inside fasteners were barely finger tight. In the end not bad for 205,000 miles. Tomorrow a leak in the 2004 LeSabre lower hose connection to the AC compressor.

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Spun a bunch of aluminum this week at work. Productive. Pressure washed the truck yesterday evening before dark. Today I'm going to hit the gym after doing some household chores, tomorrow I've got a cookout to go to for a friend's retirement party.
 
Helped a friends son change his oil and rotate tires on a 2002 Lexus LS. This is a beautiful vehicle, a Japanese crown Vic. Grandma-owned, 100k miles, it weeps a bit of oil but runs smooth. Told him the next visit gets new brake fluid and transmission fluid.

Mowed the swamp surrounding the house and pulled weeds (not my favorite). Worked on a lamp for my mom that involves an old dashboard.

Also, completed a mantle clock for my office that involved a clock from an ‘84 VW. The office people voted yes so it gets to stay.
 
I put a new blower motor in my '11 SuperDuty. Normally I enjoy underdash work but this job frustrated me. I think I was just in a hurry.

Ford used Torx head screws and I don't know what they were thinking. I was able to replace two with 7mm hex head plasti-screws and I can tell you a socket is WAY easier to align than a tiny T20 in a tiny hole!! There's no Z-space advantage either way IME, so that's a wash.

I've never removed the BCM before but even by 2011 we've officially reached the point of stupidity. The number of connectors just for a BCM is out of hand, and no less than two use the fancy lever/pivot connectors like ECM connectors.
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I don’t need 99% of the functions a BCM provides! Just give me standalone pdl's and a dome light that's "dumb" and I don't need fade-away interior lighting or ALL the lights to come on when I unlock with a fob etc etc etc. Furthermore my dome light stopped working recently and most reports are that's a faulty BCM. Ah to have a dome light that just comes on from a spring loaded switch in the door jamb.....

Anyway I see more clouds I have to go yell at. Stupid clouds!!!!
 
2000 Taco had a front lockout failing, making growling chirps and chirping growls when unlocked.

Honestly I'm shocked lockouts last as they do without roller bearings. Installed a used unit from ebay.
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Not an Optima Yellowtop but an Everstart Platinum AGM. 24F for a 01 Toyota Tundra. Voltage Booster mod installed in fusebox to increase charging voltage for AGM batteries.
Also installed noco charger eyelets to make connecting a charger easier.
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Busy weekend… Fixed the Farmstiva, no idea where the swaybar washer went. Then the axle popped out, fence post for the win. Saturday sprayed for weeds using the Farmstiva, did 10 acres or so about 75 gallons. After that brush hogged and harvested weeds. Did about 3 bucket fulls, that was hard work with the shovel. I was hoping to kill most before they went to seed but those seed pods popped up quick. Today cleaned everything and power washed the bike and truck underneath. Going to Fluid film this week.
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Voltage booster mod? I’m all eyes/ears???

It's no different than the GM Diode mod that replace the 7.5A ALT fuse in Toyota trucks. There is more explanation on this site where I got the mod 'chip'.
https://voltageboosterpro.com/

It's essentially adding back the fuse protection after using diodes to increase alternator output voltage. This also has a Low and High mode to further increase the output voltage for high power accessories. I have mine set to Low which increases charging voltage by .5v. Goes from 13.8v to 14.3v at warm start.
 
It's no different than the GM Diode mod that replace the 7.5A ALT fuse in Toyota trucks. There is more explanation on this site where I got the mod 'chip'.
https://voltageboosterpro.com/

It's essentially adding back the fuse protection after using diodes to increase alternator output voltage. This also has a Low and High mode to further increase the output voltage for high power accessories. I have mine set to Low which increases charging voltage by .5v. Goes from 13.8v to 14.3v at warm start.
Would like this in future for Gen 3 Tacoma and 2025 Transit IF necessary. Thanks 🙏
 
Based on water intake, I produced approximately 1/2 gallon of sweat. That’s what I worked on today. The method of production included trimming mature boxwoods and holly bushes, which are too mature for my hedge trimmer - they don’t fit the teeth.

Learned something. Those long sleeve light fabric nylon shirts … now seen as fishing shirts but 3 years ago were simply synthetic long underwear for winter use? Not going back. Amazing. They are warm like “what the heck are you thinking man?” until they get damp, and then the evap cooling is legit. Not going back. Long sleeves synthetic summer clothes for the win. #saltlife???
 
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