Thanks for the virtual vacation. I check frequently for your next “adventure”. The picture of the “ratty” M416.... I noticed the left taillight was missing. However, looks like the mounting bracket is the elusive composite bracket.
Looking forward to next chapter.
Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
Moderators: rickf, raymond, Mr. Recovery
Re: Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
MSG, USAR (Ret) 31Jan99
MOS- 63T5H
M151A1- Ford
M416-1967 CEMSCO
MOS- 63T5H
M151A1- Ford
M416-1967 CEMSCO
Re: Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
Thank you. Glad you and others enjoy the distraction. It can't all be work, can it? But, sometimes our 'work' equals fun and with this next car, we find evidence that, if you are REALLY into it, something extra can develop. Introducing....
FRANKSKAR! (Klairmont Kollection)
Might have been better named, FRANKENKAR considering it's lineage.
Now, I'm not sure this particular style is for me, but the quality of the work is exceptional and I salute whoever the person (or persons) were who created this little car. Clearly, a lot of love went into the build. Enjoy!
FRANKSKAR! (Klairmont Kollection)
Might have been better named, FRANKENKAR considering it's lineage.
Now, I'm not sure this particular style is for me, but the quality of the work is exceptional and I salute whoever the person (or persons) were who created this little car. Clearly, a lot of love went into the build. Enjoy!
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Re: Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
Began the day today by setting up an electrolytic bath for my buddy's Chang Jiang motorcycle's gas tank.
You may recall we took a great deal of Gobi Desert out of that tank in several stages, the last of which involved cutting a portal in the bottom of the tool box (a box insert in the top of the tank) which allowed him to get in there with a cut down wire brush and really have a go.
Now, the initial plan was to sandblast the hell out of it but I've been itching to set up an electrolytic bath and fool around with it just to see what all the hubbub is about in this scientific process of rust removal so i suggested it and my buddy piled on and there we were, two goons playing with electricity...in water. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?
As it turns out, my oldest battery charger did not have a 6V charging option (which I have been told is somehow preferable to 12V) so we let fate decide and just went with 12V and set the 'boost' option at 15 amps because amps is that bit what really gets this done. New SMART chargers aren't so smart and they just won't do the job without a lot of whoopin' and hollerin' because they won't come on unless there is at least some small amount of residual charge and an old gas tank has none of that.
I've watched plenty of this electrolysis on youtube which, no matter how thorough one's investigation, still leaves plenty of room for mistakes the size of Texas. So, since we are IN Texas, what could be better than to experiment on someone else's stuff?
RIGHT ON! You had me at the word 'Experiment'!
I know. I know. I have absolutely NO shame. As they used to tell me in Afghanistan... "TJ, if you keep this up, you're going to give mercenaries a bad name." Too late!
So, we whipped up a batch of broth made from 1/2 cup-ish of Arm & Hammer's Super Washing Soda (because Super Duper just wasn't available and 5 gallons-ish of water all in a shiny new 5 gallon bucket. With the tank sealed from below, we filled her up.
Calcium Carbonate is the stuff ya want....not Bicarbonate of Soda (baking soda). It seems Calcium Carbonate enriches the mineral content of the water which has the effect of increasing its conductivity. Cool.
I say again, BAKING SODA is a no-no. SALT is a no-no. This has something to do with the gasses being produced that are bad for you. It's all science and chemistry type stuff that, when done in a lab, is perfectly OK but when done in your garage or back yard, will get you arrested, or dead. This is a project for open-air, by the way. My chemistry teacher in high school painted me as a lost cause.
If he could only see me now.
On the previous day we whipped up one of them 'ODEs' which is the bit that has electricity and stuff going through it. CAT-ode...DOG-ode. It's all Greek to me. All you need to know is the NEGATIVE lead goes to the bit that you want the rust to leap right off of and the POSITIVE lead goes to the bit that you want to attract the rust and stuff and what happens to it will not be pretty (so don't use your mother's good silver). So, because we wanted the tank to give up its rust, we hooked the negative lead to the fitting at the bottom of the tank.
Our positive 'ode bit consisted of two CLEAN 3/8" bar stock rods, which were attached to one another at the top with a piece of flat stock. The tank has a saddle in the middle of it which vaguely divides the tank into two wells and I thought our chances of success would be greatly improved by having one rod sticking down into either well of the tank. My thinking also was, maybe electrons like to go in straight lines and it would be nice to have both sides of the tank being bombarded at the same time.
So the 3/8" rod 'ode-thingy was supported by fitting it to a piece of wood which had two holes drilled in it for the rods and finally, the whole thing was laid across the top of the tool box edges. It looked so deliciously wonky! SERIOUSLY! Victor Frankenstein would have been proud.
Frankenstein: Flip the switch, Igor!
Igor: YES, Master!
With the switch flipped there was IMMEDIATE foaming around the 3/8" rods. BLORP! A big glob of SNOT bobbed to the surface and then submerged again. I must say, I wasn't mentally ready for THAT. Then, my lack of eye protection suddenly leapt to the forefront of my brain. STAND BACK!
A greenish, amoeba-like construct with little yellow spots was energetically bobbing along just beneath the surface and in my mind, it was clearly looking for a way OUT. Then, other colors began to appear; little spots of color with fancy names like Umber and Tuscany and Jade and Oyster. Along with it, some foam developed that Starbucks would have been proud to serve on a latte.
IMMEDIATE GRATIFICATION ACHIEVEMENT BADGE awarded!
So good. So ridiculously NASTY! For the next fifteen minutes two boobs spent time spooning out this crap as it began building to the point where we couldn't see the bubbles coming up. My brothers, there was a LOT going on and each of us had great big stupid grins because this tank was either going to give up the nastiness within, or dissolve entirely while doing it.
So, as I write this, this electrolysis is still bubbling madly away over at my buddy's house. I hope he has the intelligence to stop, dump it out and re-access. At some point in this process it is supposedly necessary to clean the residue off whatever it is you are de-rusting (it's your choice as to the matter of how that is done) but from what I've seen, it is often hailed as a good intermediate step.
I will also say that I am NO expert in this process but if you have never attempted this, it would be my pleasure to answer any questions that you may have so don't be afraid to ask.
Cheers,
TJ
You may recall we took a great deal of Gobi Desert out of that tank in several stages, the last of which involved cutting a portal in the bottom of the tool box (a box insert in the top of the tank) which allowed him to get in there with a cut down wire brush and really have a go.
Now, the initial plan was to sandblast the hell out of it but I've been itching to set up an electrolytic bath and fool around with it just to see what all the hubbub is about in this scientific process of rust removal so i suggested it and my buddy piled on and there we were, two goons playing with electricity...in water. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?
As it turns out, my oldest battery charger did not have a 6V charging option (which I have been told is somehow preferable to 12V) so we let fate decide and just went with 12V and set the 'boost' option at 15 amps because amps is that bit what really gets this done. New SMART chargers aren't so smart and they just won't do the job without a lot of whoopin' and hollerin' because they won't come on unless there is at least some small amount of residual charge and an old gas tank has none of that.
I've watched plenty of this electrolysis on youtube which, no matter how thorough one's investigation, still leaves plenty of room for mistakes the size of Texas. So, since we are IN Texas, what could be better than to experiment on someone else's stuff?
RIGHT ON! You had me at the word 'Experiment'!
I know. I know. I have absolutely NO shame. As they used to tell me in Afghanistan... "TJ, if you keep this up, you're going to give mercenaries a bad name." Too late!
So, we whipped up a batch of broth made from 1/2 cup-ish of Arm & Hammer's Super Washing Soda (because Super Duper just wasn't available and 5 gallons-ish of water all in a shiny new 5 gallon bucket. With the tank sealed from below, we filled her up.
Calcium Carbonate is the stuff ya want....not Bicarbonate of Soda (baking soda). It seems Calcium Carbonate enriches the mineral content of the water which has the effect of increasing its conductivity. Cool.
I say again, BAKING SODA is a no-no. SALT is a no-no. This has something to do with the gasses being produced that are bad for you. It's all science and chemistry type stuff that, when done in a lab, is perfectly OK but when done in your garage or back yard, will get you arrested, or dead. This is a project for open-air, by the way. My chemistry teacher in high school painted me as a lost cause.
If he could only see me now.
On the previous day we whipped up one of them 'ODEs' which is the bit that has electricity and stuff going through it. CAT-ode...DOG-ode. It's all Greek to me. All you need to know is the NEGATIVE lead goes to the bit that you want the rust to leap right off of and the POSITIVE lead goes to the bit that you want to attract the rust and stuff and what happens to it will not be pretty (so don't use your mother's good silver). So, because we wanted the tank to give up its rust, we hooked the negative lead to the fitting at the bottom of the tank.
Our positive 'ode bit consisted of two CLEAN 3/8" bar stock rods, which were attached to one another at the top with a piece of flat stock. The tank has a saddle in the middle of it which vaguely divides the tank into two wells and I thought our chances of success would be greatly improved by having one rod sticking down into either well of the tank. My thinking also was, maybe electrons like to go in straight lines and it would be nice to have both sides of the tank being bombarded at the same time.
So the 3/8" rod 'ode-thingy was supported by fitting it to a piece of wood which had two holes drilled in it for the rods and finally, the whole thing was laid across the top of the tool box edges. It looked so deliciously wonky! SERIOUSLY! Victor Frankenstein would have been proud.
Frankenstein: Flip the switch, Igor!
Igor: YES, Master!
With the switch flipped there was IMMEDIATE foaming around the 3/8" rods. BLORP! A big glob of SNOT bobbed to the surface and then submerged again. I must say, I wasn't mentally ready for THAT. Then, my lack of eye protection suddenly leapt to the forefront of my brain. STAND BACK!
A greenish, amoeba-like construct with little yellow spots was energetically bobbing along just beneath the surface and in my mind, it was clearly looking for a way OUT. Then, other colors began to appear; little spots of color with fancy names like Umber and Tuscany and Jade and Oyster. Along with it, some foam developed that Starbucks would have been proud to serve on a latte.
IMMEDIATE GRATIFICATION ACHIEVEMENT BADGE awarded!
So good. So ridiculously NASTY! For the next fifteen minutes two boobs spent time spooning out this crap as it began building to the point where we couldn't see the bubbles coming up. My brothers, there was a LOT going on and each of us had great big stupid grins because this tank was either going to give up the nastiness within, or dissolve entirely while doing it.
So, as I write this, this electrolysis is still bubbling madly away over at my buddy's house. I hope he has the intelligence to stop, dump it out and re-access. At some point in this process it is supposedly necessary to clean the residue off whatever it is you are de-rusting (it's your choice as to the matter of how that is done) but from what I've seen, it is often hailed as a good intermediate step.
I will also say that I am NO expert in this process but if you have never attempted this, it would be my pleasure to answer any questions that you may have so don't be afraid to ask.
Cheers,
TJ
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Re: Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
How about a little Elvis to start your day?
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Re: Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
Another offering from the Klairmont Kollection; four photos plus a bonus! Enjoy!
Bonus photo!
Bonus photo!
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Re: Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
From the Klairmont Kollection -
My grandfather was a banker and he was what I would call A Lincoln Man. He'd get a new Lincoln every couple of years. Lincolns would come and go so fast you'd never know what he'd show up with each Thanksgiving. This 1960 Lincoln convertible brought back some memories (though he wouldn't be caught dead in a rag-top). His hard top had a power rear window and my cousin would take full advantage of it by wriggling part way out and onto the back deck of the car. After many warnings, my grandfather rolled up the window on his head. Problem solved.
I particularly liked the Lincoln hood ornament and from my place in the front seat, I used it as a gunner's sight on many other motorists who drove along ahead of us without a care, not knowing they were in the sights of Grandpa's big battleship and me sitting there with an itchy trigger finger..
This later convertible is from the early 60s. Hard to say from that angle. Lincoln styling finally stepped away from the gimmicky lines and the Lincoln Continentals became this wonderful, stately automobile that was big enough to have its own Zip Code.
"NEVER buy one in yellow." Grandpa would say, "People will think you're driving a pound of butter down the highway." I suppose he thought that particular body style would be so eternal that some day I too would be A Lincoln Man, too. There would be no more Lincoln's for my grandfather after he got his 1966 model. My grandparents perished in the crash of TWA flight 128, November 1967.
Eventually, I did purchase my very own hardtop Lincoln; a 4 door (suicide doors) 1967 Continental in black (is there really ANY other color for a Lincoln?) and with ALL the options. I loved every minute of being behind the wheel of that car but I absolutely HATED waxing it. I would put it up during the winter and buy a beater Lincoln every year for winter driving. Ohio road care consisted of salt, salt and more salt. It was HARD on cars and luxury cars with a lot of rust could be bought for pennies on the dollar in the mid 70s, which was something I took full advantage of.
Cheers,
TJ
My grandfather was a banker and he was what I would call A Lincoln Man. He'd get a new Lincoln every couple of years. Lincolns would come and go so fast you'd never know what he'd show up with each Thanksgiving. This 1960 Lincoln convertible brought back some memories (though he wouldn't be caught dead in a rag-top). His hard top had a power rear window and my cousin would take full advantage of it by wriggling part way out and onto the back deck of the car. After many warnings, my grandfather rolled up the window on his head. Problem solved.
I particularly liked the Lincoln hood ornament and from my place in the front seat, I used it as a gunner's sight on many other motorists who drove along ahead of us without a care, not knowing they were in the sights of Grandpa's big battleship and me sitting there with an itchy trigger finger..
This later convertible is from the early 60s. Hard to say from that angle. Lincoln styling finally stepped away from the gimmicky lines and the Lincoln Continentals became this wonderful, stately automobile that was big enough to have its own Zip Code.
"NEVER buy one in yellow." Grandpa would say, "People will think you're driving a pound of butter down the highway." I suppose he thought that particular body style would be so eternal that some day I too would be A Lincoln Man, too. There would be no more Lincoln's for my grandfather after he got his 1966 model. My grandparents perished in the crash of TWA flight 128, November 1967.
Eventually, I did purchase my very own hardtop Lincoln; a 4 door (suicide doors) 1967 Continental in black (is there really ANY other color for a Lincoln?) and with ALL the options. I loved every minute of being behind the wheel of that car but I absolutely HATED waxing it. I would put it up during the winter and buy a beater Lincoln every year for winter driving. Ohio road care consisted of salt, salt and more salt. It was HARD on cars and luxury cars with a lot of rust could be bought for pennies on the dollar in the mid 70s, which was something I took full advantage of.
Cheers,
TJ
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Re: Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
I used to buy the engines out of those late 60's Linc's for all my pickups, They were all high compression, closed chamber head, 460's and were a bolt in replacement for the 351M-400 in the late 70's Fords.
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone
Re: Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
Well, the electrolysis was successful, right up to the moment when my buddy grounded the positive to the tank wall and my old battery charger went up in smoke (literally). Grrr! ...and I can't get the odor out of my nose. 12 hours later, I'm STILL smelling it!
More time was needed to get this tank done to the degree where it was ready to be coated and fellas, this tank was a DISASTER when we began. So, the results were excellent but we didn't quite get it done. We're also dealing with multiple layers of tank coatings. The Chinese military isn't shy about just laying another coating in their tanks, no matter what their condition may be.
The takeaway is, keep your positive contacts clean (clean them frequently) and WELL away from the tank wall.
To give you some idea of the power of electrolysis, these 3/8" steel rods were 100% when we began.
In any case, I think we are in a good place now, and I also think a final effort with the soda blaster will take this tank the rest of the way. Would this process work on a M151 tank? I believe the answer is YES and when I finally luck into another old-school battery charger on the cheap I'll pull out one of my old sacrificial M151 tanks to experiment on and we'll see just what can happen. Maybe someone will benefit from it.
Cheers,
TJ
More time was needed to get this tank done to the degree where it was ready to be coated and fellas, this tank was a DISASTER when we began. So, the results were excellent but we didn't quite get it done. We're also dealing with multiple layers of tank coatings. The Chinese military isn't shy about just laying another coating in their tanks, no matter what their condition may be.
The takeaway is, keep your positive contacts clean (clean them frequently) and WELL away from the tank wall.
To give you some idea of the power of electrolysis, these 3/8" steel rods were 100% when we began.
In any case, I think we are in a good place now, and I also think a final effort with the soda blaster will take this tank the rest of the way. Would this process work on a M151 tank? I believe the answer is YES and when I finally luck into another old-school battery charger on the cheap I'll pull out one of my old sacrificial M151 tanks to experiment on and we'll see just what can happen. Maybe someone will benefit from it.
Cheers,
TJ
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Re: Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
Trying to reduce file sizes by 50%.
Test images...
Full size
50% reduction
Does anyone see any real problem with the second photo?
Test images...
Full size
50% reduction
Does anyone see any real problem with the second photo?
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-
fowlercal
- Master Sergeant
- Posts: 302
- Joined: November 25th, 2008, 10:54 pm
- Location: San Antonio, Texas
Re: Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
They both look the same to me. I don’t see any loss of detail in the 50% size,
Re: Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
Difficult to see a difference, which is good!
Re: Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
Awful quiet around here. Let's make some noise!
Yesterday, I wandered over to a local microbrewery which was holding a micro-car show and an equally 'micro' hoe down. Lots of folks coming and going there and some had their dancing boots on and many were taking advantage of the live band. All of this was set up in the bones of an old lumber yard here in town so there were lots of corrugated steel walls and all the usual two-story framing, formerly employed to organize a lot of long-cut lumber but now, completely useless.
I had toyed with the idea of taking Dirty Gertie over (it's been so long since I've showed her). When I got there, I was glad I didn't, chiefly because the band just wouldn't have been able compete with the racket that ol' Detroit Diesel makes, particularly if it reverberated off all those walls.
Masks? Well, I wore mine (now habitual) but apparently a solo cup chases the Covid away (who knew?) At some point I suppose we are going to have to try get back to some degree of normalcy. My source (Dr. Smith) tells me there have yet been some surges. I'm guessing that, like a forest fire, there will be some hot spots popping up along the way so, we're not completely out of the woods yet.
Anyway, for your enjoyment, here is a small sampling of what showed up - and some of it surprisingly irregular (the Hurst Olds was a real treat)
Best Of Show, IMHO!
Cheers,
TJ
Yesterday, I wandered over to a local microbrewery which was holding a micro-car show and an equally 'micro' hoe down. Lots of folks coming and going there and some had their dancing boots on and many were taking advantage of the live band. All of this was set up in the bones of an old lumber yard here in town so there were lots of corrugated steel walls and all the usual two-story framing, formerly employed to organize a lot of long-cut lumber but now, completely useless.
I had toyed with the idea of taking Dirty Gertie over (it's been so long since I've showed her). When I got there, I was glad I didn't, chiefly because the band just wouldn't have been able compete with the racket that ol' Detroit Diesel makes, particularly if it reverberated off all those walls.
Masks? Well, I wore mine (now habitual) but apparently a solo cup chases the Covid away (who knew?) At some point I suppose we are going to have to try get back to some degree of normalcy. My source (Dr. Smith) tells me there have yet been some surges. I'm guessing that, like a forest fire, there will be some hot spots popping up along the way so, we're not completely out of the woods yet.
Anyway, for your enjoyment, here is a small sampling of what showed up - and some of it surprisingly irregular (the Hurst Olds was a real treat)
Best Of Show, IMHO!
Cheers,
TJ
Re: Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
I've been wanting to get right to the business of cleaning up the face of the engine block on the half track but naturally, the weather has become damp with the humidity WAY up and with the engine open (but thoughtfully coated in Metal Prep and double tarped) I decided it would be the better part of valor to wait till we get through this wet spell.
So yesterday became a cleaning day along with a bit of a purge of the ol' scrap metal pile. Most of it hasn't been touched for a very long time but I have kept it around in the spirit of Waste Not, Want Not. I put The Kid to work sorting it out and after I explained the selection process to him (what to keep and why to keep it) I will say he did a pretty good job. We loaded maybe 100-150 lbs. of 'clean' steel in the pickup truck and headed over to Casa de Kevin, a chum who is a local scrapper.
After unloading, I told Kevin I needed an old school, not-so-smart battery charger and he pointed me to an ancient roll-around charger that "hums a lot but doesn't seem to do anything else" ....just in case I had the skills to make it work. Of course I don't.......yet. Never in my life have I had my nose in one of those but, if nothing else is achieved, it's gonna be interesting. So I tossed it in the back of the truck.
Challenge Accepted Badge AWARDED!
While we were walking around the piles of steel I discovered a small garden cart (the sort that goes behind a lawn tractor) that had fallen on hard times after someone stopped loving it. The body is constructed from a single sheet of metal; a genius design of origami that relies upon several tack welds to keep everything together and one of those welds had let go. The previous owner stopped using it and it sat around to the point where the tires went flat and the wheels rusted out. The wheels ACTUALLY RUSTED OUT!
To quote ol' Benjamin Franklin, “For the want of a nail the shoe was lost, For the want of a shoe the horse was lost, For the want of a horse the rider was lost, For the want of a rider the battle was lost, For the want of a battle the kingdom was lost, And all for the want of a horseshoe-nail.” Whatever the cause for its unfortunate retirement, this cart had a lot of life left in it and actually needed very little to become serviceable again. But, instead of being given some minor care by the previous fella, it was neglected and left for dead and eventually tossed out by a curb. Pretty wasteful if you ask me. Some folks simply do not appreciate the blessings they are given.
Luckily, Kevin came along and then I came along so, it gets a second chance at fulfilling its purpose.
Me - Hey, I think I could use that little trailer behind my golf cart. (*ahem* CAR)
Kevin - Do you want it?
Me - Hell YEAH! I even like the color.
Kevin - Well, I couldn't get the wheels off. They're rusted to the axle.
I know Kevin is teasing me at this point. He knows I can get those off, lickety split and I know he could do the same if he had a reason to.
Me - (disdainful exhale) Pfffft. Waddyawant for all this goodness?
Kevin - Twenty bucks.
Now I am aware that Kevin would have simply given me this stuff for free but, my voluntarily handing over a few sheckels is 'grease for the skids'. Kevin's curbside finds and dumpster recoveries are legendary (and for that to happen, he needs a little gas money) and I often get first pick of his pickin's because one hand still washes the other in this part of the country and the socialist peckerwoods can go live elsewhere.
Meanwhile, my son walks up with a katana he found in a bush. No really...it was in......... a bush which begs the question, why was he looking in a bush?
Beau - (Waving the katana around like Errol Flynn) How much for this?
Kevin - Five bucks. Hey, TJ, do you want these? (points to two white, PVC benches that morph into a picnic table)
I always thought those were another genius idea.
Me - HELL YEAH! (There is no need to keep a poker face with Kevin. He doesn't raise a price based on one's interest in an item.)
Kevin - Well, if my sister doesn't want them, you can have them.
Me - Oh, sweet! Okay. What are we up to now?
Kevin - Twenty five, naw, twenty bucks and I'll throw in some old wheels for the cart.
Kevin's 'old wheels' were really only trustworthy enough for use around the yard and not one inch beyond. I was planning on using this cart to haul the booty I might acquire at Warrenton's bi-annual rummage Bacchanalia and that, Dear Reader, was going to require Never-Flat tires.
Me - Thanks, but I'll pass on the wheels. I'll get some new ones. Twenty bucks is fine.
So, we settled up and my son and I took our new scrap and headed home and when we got there I let my son beat on the wheels with a hammer until he managed to hit his wrist and immediately concluded this kind of work just wasn't his cup of tea. To his credit, he manned up, kept his mouth shut and didn't say much about it until we reached a natural pause in the process. I wasn't even aware he had done it. Gone are the days when my little Beau would howl and rant about getting a boo-boo.
I sent him inside, in the hope that he would get something to make sure things didn't swell up. Left to my own devices, I got out the air chisel and put on a broken bit that I had cut off flat (nothing goes to waste around here) to form a simple air-driven punch. Though it took some repeated effort, those wheels finally gave up. Oh boy, were they on there!
I cleaned up the axles to perfection and blued them with some cold bluing. Then I straightened up the troublesome area of the box (the corner with the bad weld) and welded it up as should have been done in the first place. With everything back to square and solid I went shopping for wheels/tires.
New wheels were NOT cheap (particularly the kind that never go flat). I am not going to lay a bunch of bullshirt on you and say that this little cart was the deal of a lifetime when one factors in the wheels/tires expense BUT, all things considered, I feel pretty good about it particularly because I will be rolling it around on some brand new, worry-free skins instead of something that is likely to go flat. As a bonus, the trailer is not so pretty that someone might give any real serious consideration to disappearing it.
First stop was Home Depot where I found what I wanted; tires just a bit more narrow than your average wheelbarrow tire but with a flatter footprint and the all-important grease zerk which IMHO, is a necessity. Because of their profile, these tires had a bit less floatation than a wheelbarrow tire and were better suited to a firm surface which is where I'd be operating. I reckon they're a bit taller than wheelbarrow tires too. I got out the phone and checked their price against Tractor Supply and Harbor Freight (whose 'rubber' tires are usually made of something that only lasts 12 months in Texas heat). TC had the winning bid but the savings were so minor it was not worth the drive so, I grabbed the HD tires and hustled back to the house.
With the sun going down, I installed the new tires (with new washers and new cotter pins) and called it done. Not too shabby!
So yesterday became a cleaning day along with a bit of a purge of the ol' scrap metal pile. Most of it hasn't been touched for a very long time but I have kept it around in the spirit of Waste Not, Want Not. I put The Kid to work sorting it out and after I explained the selection process to him (what to keep and why to keep it) I will say he did a pretty good job. We loaded maybe 100-150 lbs. of 'clean' steel in the pickup truck and headed over to Casa de Kevin, a chum who is a local scrapper.
After unloading, I told Kevin I needed an old school, not-so-smart battery charger and he pointed me to an ancient roll-around charger that "hums a lot but doesn't seem to do anything else" ....just in case I had the skills to make it work. Of course I don't.......yet. Never in my life have I had my nose in one of those but, if nothing else is achieved, it's gonna be interesting. So I tossed it in the back of the truck.
Challenge Accepted Badge AWARDED!
While we were walking around the piles of steel I discovered a small garden cart (the sort that goes behind a lawn tractor) that had fallen on hard times after someone stopped loving it. The body is constructed from a single sheet of metal; a genius design of origami that relies upon several tack welds to keep everything together and one of those welds had let go. The previous owner stopped using it and it sat around to the point where the tires went flat and the wheels rusted out. The wheels ACTUALLY RUSTED OUT!
To quote ol' Benjamin Franklin, “For the want of a nail the shoe was lost, For the want of a shoe the horse was lost, For the want of a horse the rider was lost, For the want of a rider the battle was lost, For the want of a battle the kingdom was lost, And all for the want of a horseshoe-nail.” Whatever the cause for its unfortunate retirement, this cart had a lot of life left in it and actually needed very little to become serviceable again. But, instead of being given some minor care by the previous fella, it was neglected and left for dead and eventually tossed out by a curb. Pretty wasteful if you ask me. Some folks simply do not appreciate the blessings they are given.
Luckily, Kevin came along and then I came along so, it gets a second chance at fulfilling its purpose. Me - Hey, I think I could use that little trailer behind my golf cart. (*ahem* CAR)
Kevin - Do you want it?
Me - Hell YEAH! I even like the color.
Kevin - Well, I couldn't get the wheels off. They're rusted to the axle.
I know Kevin is teasing me at this point. He knows I can get those off, lickety split and I know he could do the same if he had a reason to.
Me - (disdainful exhale) Pfffft. Waddyawant for all this goodness?
Kevin - Twenty bucks.
Now I am aware that Kevin would have simply given me this stuff for free but, my voluntarily handing over a few sheckels is 'grease for the skids'. Kevin's curbside finds and dumpster recoveries are legendary (and for that to happen, he needs a little gas money) and I often get first pick of his pickin's because one hand still washes the other in this part of the country and the socialist peckerwoods can go live elsewhere.
Meanwhile, my son walks up with a katana he found in a bush. No really...it was in......... a bush which begs the question, why was he looking in a bush?
Beau - (Waving the katana around like Errol Flynn) How much for this?
Kevin - Five bucks. Hey, TJ, do you want these? (points to two white, PVC benches that morph into a picnic table)
I always thought those were another genius idea.
Me - HELL YEAH! (There is no need to keep a poker face with Kevin. He doesn't raise a price based on one's interest in an item.)
Kevin - Well, if my sister doesn't want them, you can have them.
Me - Oh, sweet! Okay. What are we up to now?
Kevin - Twenty five, naw, twenty bucks and I'll throw in some old wheels for the cart.
Kevin's 'old wheels' were really only trustworthy enough for use around the yard and not one inch beyond. I was planning on using this cart to haul the booty I might acquire at Warrenton's bi-annual rummage Bacchanalia and that, Dear Reader, was going to require Never-Flat tires.
Me - Thanks, but I'll pass on the wheels. I'll get some new ones. Twenty bucks is fine.
So, we settled up and my son and I took our new scrap and headed home and when we got there I let my son beat on the wheels with a hammer until he managed to hit his wrist and immediately concluded this kind of work just wasn't his cup of tea. To his credit, he manned up, kept his mouth shut and didn't say much about it until we reached a natural pause in the process. I wasn't even aware he had done it. Gone are the days when my little Beau would howl and rant about getting a boo-boo.
I sent him inside, in the hope that he would get something to make sure things didn't swell up. Left to my own devices, I got out the air chisel and put on a broken bit that I had cut off flat (nothing goes to waste around here) to form a simple air-driven punch. Though it took some repeated effort, those wheels finally gave up. Oh boy, were they on there!
I cleaned up the axles to perfection and blued them with some cold bluing. Then I straightened up the troublesome area of the box (the corner with the bad weld) and welded it up as should have been done in the first place. With everything back to square and solid I went shopping for wheels/tires.
New wheels were NOT cheap (particularly the kind that never go flat). I am not going to lay a bunch of bullshirt on you and say that this little cart was the deal of a lifetime when one factors in the wheels/tires expense BUT, all things considered, I feel pretty good about it particularly because I will be rolling it around on some brand new, worry-free skins instead of something that is likely to go flat. As a bonus, the trailer is not so pretty that someone might give any real serious consideration to disappearing it.
First stop was Home Depot where I found what I wanted; tires just a bit more narrow than your average wheelbarrow tire but with a flatter footprint and the all-important grease zerk which IMHO, is a necessity. Because of their profile, these tires had a bit less floatation than a wheelbarrow tire and were better suited to a firm surface which is where I'd be operating. I reckon they're a bit taller than wheelbarrow tires too. I got out the phone and checked their price against Tractor Supply and Harbor Freight (whose 'rubber' tires are usually made of something that only lasts 12 months in Texas heat). TC had the winning bid but the savings were so minor it was not worth the drive so, I grabbed the HD tires and hustled back to the house.
With the sun going down, I installed the new tires (with new washers and new cotter pins) and called it done. Not too shabby!
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Re: Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
Something else from the Klairmont Kollection. I'm asking the usual question. What the HECK were they thinking? Enjoy!
Cheers,
TJ
Cheers,
TJ
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Re: Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
Thats what happens when you mate a full size car with a Citroen 2CV, which by the way I would LOVE to get my hands on one of.
https://www.classicandsportscar.com/fea ... itroen-2cv
https://www.classicandsportscar.com/fea ... itroen-2cv
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone