Topic: What did you do to your non-motorcycle vehicle today?

[Kelly E]

That thing is mighty crusty.

[Alan F.]

I rolled it back a few feet so I could get my bike out. 

[BenelliSEI]

Meanwhile, my 28 year old green Subaru has been laid up while I waited for a new fuel pump. Thanks to the wonders of Youtube, I replaced it in around 30 minutes. I'm pretty sure the old one needed replacing. I'm happy to have my "daily commuter" back on the road again.

Subaru fuel pump replacement 24 October 2023 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Terry….. looks like you’ll be replacing that tank pretty soon? I did one today!

[BenelliSEI]

Worked on my ancient (1980) Ford F350 pick up . Last winter the fuel tank was leaking pretty steadily (I just replaced it in 1999!). I was keeping a large pan under it in the barn, and pouring it back in for every snowfall. Stank up the place, and not very safe.

The old truck is so rusty I’m afraid to touch it. One of these days the 8’ Meyers plow and brackets will part company from the frame. I’ve been saying this for years, but the old girl keeps the driveway clear. It never leaves the property, the brakes are “marginal”…….

Pulled an old five gallon fuel cell (long expired) from the race car stash, in my barn.  Mounted it in the “concrete block crib” in the tail of the truck box. Ran 15’ of copper pipe up to the mechanical fuel pump on the block and we are back in business. Pictures tomorrow, it’s pretty funny, and it works.

[Tintop]

Worked on my ancient (1980) Ford F350 pick up . Last winter the fuel tank was leaking pretty steadily (I just replaced it in 1999!). I was keeping a large pan under it in the barn, and pouring it back in for every snowfall. Stank up the place, and not very safe.

The old truck is so rusty I’m afraid to touch it. One of these days the 8’ Meyers plow and brackets will part company from the frame. I’ve been saying this for years, but the old girl keeps the driveway clear. It never leaves the property, the brakes are “marginal”…….

Pulled an old five gallon fuel cell (long expired) from the race car stash, in my barn.  Mounted it in the “concrete block crib” in the tail of the truck box. Ran 15’ of copper pipe up to the mechanical fuel pump on the block and we are back in business. Pictures tomorrow, it’s pretty funny, and it works.

Back in the 70's the stable had a 3500HD for pulling the 4 horse.  It had a large tank in the bed connected to the 2 saddle tanks. Not only would you switch between tanks, but you could also refill the empty 1 from the bed, while heading down the road.  There was a valve mounted in the floor, driver's side.

[BenelliSEI]

Read the above and reminded me of my cheap, Scottish boss, who ordered the FORD F350. I was working part time at a SEARS warehouse when he ordered it new, from the dealer across the street. It was a plow truck and never left the 150 acre property. I lobbied for twin tanks and he insisted we didn’t need them.

The thirsty beast came with the highest rear gear to aid with plowing. It could pass everything up to 50 mph, except a gas station!

[Don R]

 My wife's Accord gets a new set of Michelins today. It has a slow leak in one tire that no one seems to be able to find and a failed repair in another tire, it is close to the edge and the plug missed the original hole when it came through the inside.
 The tire store offered to replace one but they have 60K on them now so I opted for a new set. There was probably another 10K left in tread but I had a Taurus hydroplane once with similar tread, so score one for the tire guys.

[Stev-o]

Took the 'old Chevy" to the 10th annual Taylor, TX Car Show last Sat. I went last year too, about 800[!!] classic cars, it's the largest show in the area, about an hours drive from my house...



My daughter and her friends showed up for awhile, they just happened to be in the area going to a Fall Festival nearby...



Mueller's BBQ, a Texas institution that has been in the same location for nearly 65 years, is located in that town and a visit there was long overdue [wanted to go last year but the line was out the door].  Consistently gets rated in the top 10 for best BBQ, I opted for the pork ribs...



All in all, a great day!

[grcamna2]

Looking Good Stev-o

[BenelliSEI]

My wife's Accord gets a new set of Michelins today. It has a slow leak in one tire that no one seems to be able to find and a failed repair in another tire, it is close to the edge and the plug missed the original hole when it came through the inside.
 The tire store offered to replace one but they have 60K on them now so I opted for a new set. There was probably another 10K left in tread but I had a Taurus hydroplane once with similar tread, so score one for the tire guys.

Good call Don….. The Michelins on my wife’s Hyundai Santa Fe were great for a couple of years. They are now hard as a rock and useless in snow ior rain, despite showing about 30-40% of their original tread. It’s “all heel drive” and I can get stuck in wet grass! 4 X snow tires go on in a few weeks and planning new tires for the spring.

[RAFster122s]

You would think that tires would be rated at durometer and tread depth for warranty purposes, that would have your Michelin tires getting replaced under warranty. Provided Michelin and other tire manufacturer were fair in the durometer readings that indicated reduced grip because of tires getting too hard, losing their elasticity and traction.

[BenelliSEI]

You would think that tires would be rated at durometer and tread depth for warranty purposes, that would have your Michelin tires getting replaced under warranty. Provided Michelin and other tire manufacturer were fair in the durometer readings that indicated reduced grip because of tires getting too hard, losing their elasticity and traction.

In fairness…. They did last +4 summers and many miles. I keep pressure at 35 psi all the time and we have an alignment rig for the race car, so I keep it running straight too. They also spend cold winters in the barn……

[BenelliSEI]

Worked on my ancient (1980) Ford F350 pick up . Last winter the fuel tank was leaking pretty steadily (I just replaced it in 1999!). I was keeping a large pan under it in the barn, and pouring it back in for every snowfall. Stank up the place, and not very safe.

The old truck is so rusty I’m afraid to touch it. One of these days the 8’ Meyers plow and brackets will part company from the frame. I’ve been saying this for years, but the old girl keeps the driveway clear. It never leaves the property, the brakes are “marginal”…….

Pulled an old five gallon fuel cell (long expired) from the race car stash, in my barn.  Mounted it in the “concrete block crib” in the tail of the truck box. Ran 15’ of copper pipe up to the mechanical fuel pump on the block and we are back in business. Pictures tomorrow, it’s pretty funny, and it works.

Here’s the fuel cell, complete with ground wire, vent, and massive filter, in the back of the truck. No leaks and it holds about 25 litres!

[Kelly E]

Worked on my ancient (1980) Ford F350 pick up . Last winter the fuel tank was leaking pretty steadily (I just replaced it in 1999!). I was keeping a large pan under it in the barn, and pouring it back in for every snowfall. Stank up the place, and not very safe.

The old truck is so rusty I’m afraid to touch it. One of these days the 8’ Meyers plow and brackets will part company from the frame. I’ve been saying this for years, but the old girl keeps the driveway clear. It never leaves the property, the brakes are “marginal”…….

Pulled an old five gallon fuel cell (long expired) from the race car stash, in my barn.  Mounted it in the “concrete block crib” in the tail of the truck box. Ran 15’ of copper pipe up to the mechanical fuel pump on the block and we are back in business. Pictures tomorrow, it’s pretty funny, and it works.

Here’s the fuel cell, complete with ground wire, vent, and massive filter, in the back of the truck. No leaks and it holds about 25 litres!

So with the racing fuel cell it goes faster now right?

[BenelliSEI]

Worked on my ancient (1980) Ford F350 pick up . Last winter the fuel tank was leaking pretty steadily (I just replaced it in 1999!). I was keeping a large pan under it in the barn, and pouring it back in for every snowfall. Stank up the place, and not very safe.

The old truck is so rusty I’m afraid to touch it. One of these days the 8’ Meyers plow and brackets will part company from the frame. I’ve been saying this for years, but the old girl keeps the driveway clear. It never leaves the property, the brakes are “marginal”…….

Pulled an old five gallon fuel cell (long expired) from the race car stash, in my barn.  Mounted it in the “concrete block crib” in the tail of the truck box. Ran 15’ of copper pipe up to the mechanical fuel pump on the block and we are back in business. Pictures tomorrow, it’s pretty funny, and it works.

Here’s the fuel cell, complete with ground wire, vent, and massive filter, in the back of the truck. No leaks and it holds about 25 litres!

So with the racing fuel cell it goes faster now right?

“Ready to Race”! Turned out OK, using a bunch of stuff that i couldn’t bring myself to throw away.

[Terry in Australia]

On Saturday Spotty and I got stuck into reassembling the Subaru H6 engine after having the heads skimmed. Considering that Subaru's engine problems are centred mostly around blown head gaskets, we cleaned the gasket faces on the block with a razor scraper, emery paper, a green 3M scouring pad, and lots of brake cleaner. It was good to see that the bores all looked good with the hone marks still visible.

Subaru H6 Saturday 4 November 2023 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Subaru H6 Saturday 4 November 2023 2 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

The engine stand is a beaut, made it very easy to turn the engine one way or the other to install either head. We watched several Youtube video's and googled the factory manual for the torque procedure, which is kind of weird, but as long as the heads don't leak for another 120,000 miles or so, it doesn't matter. I sprayed the new MLS gaskets with some copper spray first up so they were dry by the time we installed the heads, I don't really think it was necessary, just like I don't think the new stretch bolts were all that necessary either, but I really don't want to do this job again, so I figured it wouldn't hurt.

Tomorrow we'll continue, installing the cams, new water pump, various gaskets and O rings, the two cam chains, oil pump, and all the other gubbins required to make it run again, then install the cam chain cover and it's 59(!) screws, before we shove it back into the car. It'll be nice to get the car back on the road, and reliable again.

 Subaru H6 Saturday 4 November 2023 3 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

[BenelliSEI]

Oil change (no filter, afraid to touch it!), top up all fluids, aired the tires and gave it a superficial wash. Every year this truck continues to plow our 800’ driveway amazes me more. The old fuel cell in the back works great. Nothing leaking out so it can sit back in the house garage, pointing DOWN the driveway for the winter. Our barns and shop are DOWN by the gate so getting up the drive for the first “push” is always brutal on the old equipment….. Fingers crossed!

P.S. I always photograph it from this side. The other side has holes in the bodywork I can get my fingers into. What will ultimately finish the truck will be when one of the spring mounts (both axles hang on huge cart springs) or the plow frame, finally tears away from its mounts. I treat it gently and with respect. It’s been worked hard for over 43 years!

[BenelliSEI]

Checking through my notes, the old truck has been off the road since 2017. That year it dragged my Legend Car to 16 events and covered over 2500 miles. Still had a tail pipe and I did change the oil filter that Fall. Only gone 150 miles since. Never leaves the property anymore.

[70CB750]

Bought it. 

[Kelly E]

Nice job.
Make sure the front lug nuts are always tight. If even one of them comes loose you might be buying a new rim. The only thing holding the two rim halves together is a few spot welds. Hopefully they have updated the front wheels by now. My neighbour has one and I had to fix it.

My little 76' Yanmar YM 1300D is still hanging in there since I bought it in 2000.

[70CB750]

Nice job.
Make sure the front lug nuts are always tight. If even one of them comes loose you might be buying a new rim. The only thing holding the two rim halves together is a few spot welds. Hopefully they have updated the front wheels by now. My neighbour has one and I had to fix it.

My little 76' Yanmar YM 1300D is still hanging in there since I bought it in 2000.

Thank you, I will check it tomorrow. 

[Kelly E]

Nice job.
Make sure the front lug nuts are always tight. If even one of them comes loose you might be buying a new rim. The only thing holding the two rim halves together is a few spot welds. Hopefully they have updated the front wheels by now. My neighbour has one and I had to fix it.

My little 76' Yanmar YM 1300D is still hanging in there since I bought it in 2000.

Thank you, I will check it tomorrow.

To be honest after 23 years I'm still having fun operating the tractor.

[BenelliSEI]

Bought it.

That is sweet! I need (want) a backhoe!

[Prospect]

Changed the oil on my Honda BF50 outboard motor. Drained the carbs and took off the lower unit for impeller replacement.

It took me 20 minutes of whacking on the lower unit with a mallet until I  realized that there is another bolt (hidden behind an access panel) that needs to be taken off as well.

[70CB750]

Nice job.
Make sure the front lug nuts are always tight. If even one of them comes loose you might be buying a new rim. The only thing holding the two rim halves together is a few spot welds. Hopefully they have updated the front wheels by now. My neighbour has one and I had to fix it.

My little 76' Yanmar YM 1300D is still hanging in there since I bought it in 2000.

Thank you, I will check it tomorrow.

To be honest after 23 years I'm still having fun operating the tractor.

I hear you, seat time is fun.