What are you working on today?

Bought a 5 gallon bucket of fluid film and practiced undercoating on my daughter's 2008 Ford Focus. The fleet I maintain consists of 6 vehicles and I decided that I wanted to start coating each of them every year. At the local Crown guy's $150-200 charge, I figured the $120 bucket of FF, a spray gun and few rattle cans that I would be money ahead after just a couple vehicles. Fortunately, I have a lift in my barn.
 
After 2 years of practice and several projects later, I can confidently say I know how to flux core weld. I've also done 1 successful stick weld project and the engine support brackets have held together for 40 some odd engine hours on a Kubota tractor.

1) Get your material and objects prepped (wire brush, band saw, clamps, etc)
2) Gather everything together and the worksite ready. In my case its usually the front driveway in a dirt area, generator, helmet, cutter, wire brush, gloves.
3) Put on PPE. Earbuds included.
4) Get to it. Optional: grind things down and make it look pretty and paint. In this case its a muffler, so a little wire wheeling after and no paint.

#1 is always the longest, either gathering the materials, brainstorming the fix, thinking some more how to fix it, finally finding the time to do #2-4.

This was a vibrated blown out muffler on a UTV, The crack happened because whoever fixed it previously didnt bolt it correctly and it separated from a support bracket. I found a scrap chunk of battery tray that was the same thickness (16-18 gauge), tack welded, then was able to stitch a few beads with only a few small blowouts, which I was able to quickly fix.

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After 2 years of practice and several projects later, I can confidently say I know how to flux core weld. I've also done 1 successful stick weld project and the engine support brackets have held together for 40 some odd engine hours on a Kubota tractor.

1) Get your material and objects prepped (wire brush, band saw, clamps, etc)
2) Gather everything together and the worksite ready. In my case its usually the front driveway in a dirt area, generator, helmet, cutter, wire brush, gloves.
3) Put on PPE. Earbuds included.
4) Get to it. Optional: grind things down and make it look pretty and paint. In this case its a muffler, so a little wire wheeling after and no paint.

#1 is always the longest, either gathering the materials, brainstorming the fix, thinking some more how to fix it, finally finding the time to do #2-4.

This was a vibrated blown out muffler on a UTV, The crack happened because whoever fixed it previously didnt bolt it correctly and it separated from a support bracket. I found a scrap chunk of battery tray that was the same thickness (16-18 gauge), tack welded, then was able to stitch a few beads with only a few small blowouts, which I was able to quickly fix.

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If someone follows your advice, will their welds stop looking like chicken poop? Asking for a friend...
 
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The wife has been complaining that our dryer was leaving loads damp, so I took some time this morning to dig into it. At first I thought heating element or thermal cutout, but as it turns out it appears that the motor is tripping it's internal thermal switch. Everything else checks out ok, the drum just stops mid-cycle while the heating element stays on.

I've got a new motor on the way, but my quick and dirty "repair" has us up and running again. The dryer happily completed a 1hr+ cycle with the fan running full speed.
 
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The wife has been complaining that our dryer was leaving loads damp, so I took some time this morning to dig into it. At first I thought heating element or thermal cutout, but as it turns out it appears that the motor is tripping it's internal thermal switch. Everything else checks out ok, the drum just stops mid-cycle while the heating element stays on.

I've got a new motor on the way, but my quick and dirty "repair" has us up and running again. The dryer happily completed a 1hr+ cycle with the fan running full speed.

The doggie pad is the icing on the cake on this one! :ROFLMAO:
 
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The wife has been complaining that our dryer was leaving loads damp, so I took some time this morning to dig into it. At first I thought heating element or thermal cutout, but as it turns out it appears that the motor is tripping it's internal thermal switch. Everything else checks out ok, the drum just stops mid-cycle while the heating element stays on.

I've got a new motor on the way, but my quick and dirty "repair" has us up and running again. The dryer happily completed a 1hr+ cycle with the fan running full speed.
It's only temporary unless it doesn't work! :LOL:

Looks good to me.
 
Today I replaced a brake caliper and rotor on my wife's 2009 RAV4. I drove it for the first time in months a couple of weeks ago and noticed the brakes were making a grinding noise. Turns out a slide pin was frozen so the front pad was down to metal while the rear was almost new. The rotor looked bad and when I went to compress the caliper it wouldn't fully retract so I decided to replace both.

The rotor was quite firmly stuck so I resorted to the bolts through the bracket mounting holes + big hammer method to pop it loose. For some reason this particular vehicle just eats brakes. In my entire life I've replaced one rotor on all of my vehicles but on this one I've done at least three, plus two calipers. I guess maybe it's because she mostly drives in in the winter when there's salt on the roads.

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Pushed a dead JD Gator in the shop. Diesel put in a gasser. However I was psyched it had a front receiver and my homebrew push-a-ma-jig earned its keep yet again:
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Pulled the wheels from a '17 Taco and found one center cap hanging by a thread (I know this was Discount). Impressively, this plastic bends rather than breaks!! I had to take my heat gun to it to get it back in shape.
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The Taco got oil change, tire rotation, rear diff service and Amsoil Synchromesh in the t-case. Tomorrow is transmission and maybe front diff.
 
Cab Mounts on a 2016 F250 6.7L/6R140.
Clock Spring & Fuel Filter on a 2005 Silverado 2500HD Duramax/Allison 1000.
A/C service on a 2013 Mazda CX5, No low side service port cap & the Schrader was leaking.


Been doing a lot of Super Duty cab mounts lately, 4 last month & already 5 this month!!! I'm seriously considering modifying a pipe threader! You can't (shouldn't?) use a impact as it will hammer the caged nut loose, So you have to use a long 1/2" drive ratchet.
 
This evening, I helped my brother diagnose and fix a clunk in his F250. Turned out to be two bad universal joints, the front and center one. The rear was OK, but we replaced it, too. The only thing left of the needle bearings in the middle u-joint was just some rusty powder. The front one was an original Ford part, the middle was a Spicer and the looked like a Chinese FLAPS special. It was a last minute job so it got two O'Reilly Auto specials and a made in China TOYO, as that's what they had in stock. He needed it done tonight because he is towing someones travel trailer from Seattle to Montana as a favor tomorrow.
 
This evening, I helped my brother diagnose and fix a clunk in his F250. Turned out to be two bad universal joints, the front and center one. The rear was OK, but we replaced it, too. The only thing left of the needle bearings in the middle u-joint was just some rusty powder. The front one was an original Ford part, the middle was a Spicer and the looked like a Chinese FLAPS special. It was a last minute job so it got two O'Reilly Auto specials and a made in China TOYO, as that's what they had in stock. He needed it done tonight because he is towing someones travel trailer from Seattle to Montana as a favor tomorrow.
Talk about last minute.....
 
This evening, I helped my brother diagnose and fix a clunk in his F250. Turned out to be two bad universal joints, the front and center one. The rear was OK, but we replaced it, too. The only thing left of the needle bearings in the middle u-joint was just some rusty powder. The front one was an original Ford part, the middle was a Spicer and the looked like a Chinese FLAPS special. It was a last minute job so it got two O'Reilly Auto specials and a made in China TOYO, as that's what they had in stock. He needed it done tonight because he is towing someones travel trailer from Seattle to Montana as a favor tomorrow.
That sucks, my O'Reilly often stocks Spicer non-greaseables which is my preference. But yeah, you gotta use whatever you can get your hands on.
 
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