A slippery mess-Freightliner Part 3

    When this truck arrived I noticed that the oil pan was cracked up front so for the longest time we just had a bucket underneath catching the little drops of oil. So after having received oil pan I decided it was a good time to install it.

 

So there you can get a general idea of where it was cracked and what surprised me was that fact that the pan was made out of fiberglass.

 

 

 

There is the new oil pan. Now for some reason I didn't take any more pictures so that is all I can show you but I ended up not getting to much oil on me and I will assure you that came as a relief to me because I have already pulled an oil pan on another truck and ended up completely soaking myself.

   Well that's it for part 3, stay tuned for number four.

 

Freightliner- Part Two

So obviously this truck is already done but I figured that I could still show what went into this truck.
     We got a new radiator core and fortunately the old radiator sides where fine so we where able to use those but other then the sides the entire radiator was brand new.
   

                          

 So as you can tell in the picture above, that, that is the new core.

In the picture below you will see the new hardware that came with the core. It had all the fittings and bolts require to completely assemble the radiator.

 

                         

 

The entire process of assembling the radiator was very easy and simple. This is the radiator completely assembled.

 

So after we finished assembling the radiator we replaced the fan with a new one since the collision broke the old one.

 

   And then placed the new radiator into it's proper place. In the background you will see the project that we were working on when this Freightliner arrived. So that is it for part two. Stay tuned for number three because there is a lot of action left.



New Project-Part One

Well I'm back. Sorry that I didn't keep you up to date but I got super busy and forgot all about this. So I will brief you on what has happened in the last couple months. My Dad started working on semis at home and since then I have been super busy. Almost everything we work on was involved in front end collisions so we stay very busy. I will show you a previous project before and after and then we'll delve into the current project.

                                                     This was before we started working.

                    This is soon before we got done.  I couldn't find any pics of it completed.

  So that's it for the old and now for the new. This is the latest project that we have started.

 

                                                     The damage is fairly heavy.

 

 

I inspected the entire truck and then proceeded to unhook the batteries since it will be spending a few weeks just sitting.

 

 

                                 I removed the side panel and took off the battery box cover

                              

 

                                             And then removed the battery cables.

 

Well that's it for part one. Stay tuned for more to come soon.



Fixing the Exhaust Leak

  My four wheeler has had an exhaust leak for quite some time now and just in the last several weeks it has gotten progressively worse. So not having anything else to do I went and moved the four wheeler into the garage so I could take the exhaust off of it and fix the problem.

  So having moved it into the garage I went and took that white piece of plastic off so that I could work on it a little bit better.

  So as you can tell it obviously has had an exhaust leak for some time because everything is coated in oil. So I went and got the tools I needed and started working on it.

  After getting all the tools I needed I went and took the exhaust pipe off and started cleaning it.

  So as you can tell even the exhaust pipe had oil on it so I got out the good old brake cleaner and several rags and cleaned it all off. The engine block was also ridiculously dirty.

  So I cleaned it off the best I could and then went and put the new seal into the exhaust pipe and tightened it back on.

                          

  So with it all done I started it and looked to see if it sealed up properly. It did and was much, much more quite then before. 

  Well once again a job well done and that's all for this one and I'll catch you on the next one.

Making the Tool Table Wrench Friendly

  Well I'm back with a new project. I was given a little roll around tool table several years ago and it just sat around accumulating odds and ends and was basically used for the storage shelves.
  I am constantly working on new projects in the garage and I got tired of having to put tools on the floor while I was working so I decided that I was going to clean the table off and turn it into the ultimate tool table. I didn't do everything I wanted to do to it but its a start.



  So as you can tell it is just the ordinary table with an annoying old fashioned electrical outlet that no longer works and every time you move the table the cord gets stuck so before I did anything else I went and took it off.
  After taking the outlet off I went and measured and cut out a 11x1/2 inch piece of metal and then proceeded to carefully weld eleven nails to that piece of metal.

   Having welded the nails securely in place I went and cleaned it up and then bolted it to the table.

 

  Having bolted it to the table I looked at it and asked myself what's missing? After several seconds of thought I came up with the solution.

 

  Aha what we need is wrenches! So I went and found myself a small set of wrenches and put the wrench holder to the test.

  Well I am quite happy with how this little project turned out and I'm sure you will spot it in many other projects to come.

  Well that's all for this one and I'll catch you on the next.



Back Yard Cleanup

  Well for some time I have been wanting to get the back yard cleaned up. And since today was a beautiful forty-five degree December day I figured it would be the perfect time to get the job done.

 

     

                                                                   The culprit.

 

  Having surveyed the eyesore It's time to go get the team together that will be used to clean this dismal back yard.

 

                                                                    "The Team"

  With the team together it is now time to go and see what we can do to reduce the amount of organic debris that is laying on the ground.

 

  But first let's remove this pile of wood that would be sure to hinder progress in this little patch.

                           But wait what can we use to transport this small pile of fire wood?

 

Bingo!

 

  With that problem solved I incurred yet another intruder to the yard, a mole hole, although it did not slow down progress I will have to fix it later on.

 

Walnut trees are so messy and don't have any respect for the effort I put into keeping the back yard clean. Just look at the mess!

 

  By now I have completely raked everything into five different piles.

Plus this one.

 

Having everything raked up I collect the debris and relocate it to a place where it can rot up naturally with out causing an eyesore.

 

  Now with everything gone lets survey the back yard again.

 

All together I would say it looks a little better than what it before.

Well that's it for this one and I'll catch you on the next one.



Wednesday Hodgepodge

 

1. Are the leaves turning color where you live? Have they begun to fall? Will you have to rake when it's all said and done? Is that a chore you love or loathe?

Yes, our leaves are turning color, and in most cases the maple trees have lost almost half of their leaves. As I have said in an earlier post I like raking.

2. When did you last shake like a leaf?

The last time I shook like a leaf was when I had to do some public speaking. I thought I was ready for it, but several minutes in my nerves hit. Thankfully as I continued they settled down and I was able to complete without running off stage.

3. After 20 seasons with the NY Yankees, Derek Jeter played his last official game Sunday afternoon. Jeter has been described even by opponents as a 'class act', both on and off the field. The NFL is back in action this month too, with several players in that sport also making headlines. What are your thoughts on athletes as role models? Should a professional athlete be expected to act as role model or is that going beyond their job description? What responsibility do the organizations these athletes work for have when it comes to dealing with off the field behavior? Discuss.

Yes, I think that athletes should act like role models because they have a very big influence on other people. With that said, it doesn't mean that they can't still enjoy a normal life.

4. What season of the year is toughest for you in terms of your health? Why?

That's a tough one because I rarely ever get sick, but usually the toughest season of the year for me would be flu season because of the other sick people.

5. The top six healthy food trends of 2014 according to Eating Well are-

clean eating (more veg, less meat, less sodium, limit alcohol and processed foods)
trash fish (you know those fish that get caught in fishermen nets and are thrown back? It seems chefs are finding creative ways to make them more appetizing)
cauliflower (this year's IT vegetable)
kaniwa (essentially baby quinoa, so like quinoa only smaller)
fermentation (think pickling except with twists on flavor we're not accustomed to)
community supported food (farms operating with community support/membership).

Okay-so how many of the hot healthy food trends for 2014 have you experienced, encountered, enjoyed? Any you've tried and said ewwww? Any on the list you'd like to try before year's end?

I have already eaten cauliflower, my mom went and fried it in a cast iron skillet until it was golden brown. Delicious! On some occasions we also steam it, also very good. I'm fine not eating any of the others and I haven't said ewwww to any of them.

6. In seven words or less, bid September adieu.

You have been a good month. (fake tear) You have had your highs and lows. (temperature wise) And I bid ye farewell.

7. What's something on your October calendar that makes you happy just thinking about it?

Something on the October calendar that makes me happy just thinking about it would have to be the Saturdays and Sundays because they serve as a school break.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I'm not the biggest fan of the cold weather that is just around the corner, but I feel especially sorry for my little dog. He's getting old and you can tell weather bothers him a lot more than it used to.