If that doesn't make you pop the buttons off your vest with pride, I don't know what will.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike P
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If that doesn't make you pop the buttons off your vest with pride, I don't know what will.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike P
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I love reading these! I bet his eyes were big opening those packages,it never gets old. I remember my first big buy, an overhaul kit from JC Whitney for my 350 in my 71 Camaro.
".....I remember my first big buy, an overhaul kit from JC Whitney......."
I remember those days. Going thru a catalog page by page. Filling out an order form and sending it in with either a money order (if you wanted it quick) or a check (that would need to clear). Then waiting and after a month or 2 months it would finally show up. Now if it's not here in 3 days you wonder if the package is lost :LOL:
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It's sad here because so many autoshops were closed down. Back in the late 70's our shop program was expanded to two separate schools (Winters High School and my School Davis Sr. High) as winters didn't have the budget to keep their programs up and running. I imagine most schools in this state no longer offer extensive shop classes for the same reason. We used to say education was self sustaining to our future, at some point mechanical skills became under rated. The only thing I see is we aren't catering to different interest and skill groups, now we are assuming only core math and english and computer science is of worth. A big mistake as our new generations are moving up thru the public education system!
Very cool Mike! That is one thing I regret not doing in high school was taking the home construction and electrical courses our school offered. I was so wrapped up in automotive stuff I had no clue how useful those home construction courses would have helped me out.
As Cade is on fall break this week he is over here Sunday and Monday. With 2 days I figured it would be a good time to rebuild the front suspension on the Mustang. The car has about 125K on the original parts so it’s something I figured that should be taken care of before we put it on the road.
He did good. All day Sunday was spent getting it apart and getting the control arms built with new ball joints and bushings. Part of teaching him is learning patience on my part. The thing what was probably the most frustrating for him was getting the cotter keys out of the ball joints. It took him an hour to get them out, and yes there were a couple of time I almost and went over to do it myself…….but that doesn’t teach him anything other than if something is hard get someone else to do it. He eventually got them out, learned a couple of tricks that I suggested and knows that if he keeps at it he can eventually get things done as long as he doesn’t give up.
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1923/...5cb9306b_z.jpgfs1 by M Patterson, on Flickr
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1965/...8408e2f8_z.jpgfs2 by M Patterson, on Flickr
That being said I did go ahead and cut the ball joint rivets out of the control arms and removed and installed the bushings (this time). Cade did do the new ball joint installation.
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1980/...94a30117_z.jpgfs3 by M Patterson, on Flickr
By the time we were done Sunday we had everything ready to go back together Monday. For being around a front suspension all day I actually went into the house at the end of the day pretty clean……..Cade no so much (as it should be) :3dSMILE:
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Good job grandpa he can't learn watching, and he will appreciate it more when done.
Same way I taught my grandson, it's the best way to learn.
Agreed.
Some months back my grandson took two hours to change a fan-belt on his car with an uncle and Gah (which is what they all call me,) watching on.
But he did it entirely on his own and was terribly proud of himself.
And he too learnt a few little tricks...you don't realise how much you know until you strike someone who knows absolutely nothing.
(His stepfather is an engineer but won't let the boy anywhere near his workshop.
Sad; but what can I do?)
(His stepfather is an engineer but won't let the boy anywhere near his workshop.
Sad; but what can I do?)[/QUOTE]
Just adds to what I think of fellow engineers
Another fun filled day. It actually went fairly well. The new springs fought going in a little and Cade learned some of Grandpa’s magic words for such occasions (although I suspect he probably already knows them. :rolleyes: )
When we took it apart the front shocks turned out to be junk (I wasn’t real surprised). We hadn’t ordered new shocks so Cade asked how much they would cost and how long it would take to get a pair. As it turned out I happened to have a brand new pair out in the shed (left over from the 37). Cades' attitude about working for me and working on the car has been really good throughout so I donated them to the cause.
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1967/...04977d4c_z.jpgfs5 by M Patterson, on Flickr
He also learned how to hand pack wheel bearings. I don’t think he thought too much of that little exercise :LOL:
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1980/...911e6f10_z.jpgfs6 by M Patterson, on Flickr
By the end of the day it was all back together though, and it’s back in the shed. Next up will be an alignment and tires I suspect.
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1902/...d284b599_z.jpgfs7 by M Patterson, on Flickr
Thanks for the complements guys, I’ve got to admit this is probably one of, if not the most rewarding things I’ve done.
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This project sure looks good on you Mike! Great to share what you've learned with Cade while teaching him a work ethic that will last him a lifetime!Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike P
Ditto what Dave said. Sad to hear that the engineer isn't up for sharing!
More great teaching by you and it sounds like he's picking up stuff fairly well. He's probably one of very few kids in your area (or state) that has any clue how to do these things now.
Another Sunday come and gone. Cade did the last of the weed eating for the year. After that we got the 2 trees I cut down a couple of weeks ago cut up and stacked.....I cut Cade stacked. With this and the wood we cut up this spring that makes a little over a cord of wood ready for my daughters stove this winter. I still have 2 trees that will have to come down next spring but that should do it for this year.
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1978/...e7d97004_z.jpgS1 by M Patterson, on Flickr
I had Cade drive the 74 around a bit to let the springs settle in a little. It sits a bit nose high and it will probably take a full year for them to actually settle to their final ride height. In the mean time we'll probably play with front and rear tire sizes to level it a bit more and may do something with the rear springs before we send it out for alignment.
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1975/...52989da1_z.jpgS2 by M Patterson, on Flickr
We also needed to switch the cars around so I could get the 77 Mustang II out to check over before the wife starts driving that this winter. I told Cade he could drive it around the arena a bit if he washed it first.......big surprise it got a bath :LOL:
Even though I pretty much detuned the car before giving it to Donna to drive (traded the Edelbrock heads for small valve low compression smoggers, pulled the 4 speed and installed a C4 and pulled the POSI) the old 351W still move the car down the road pretty smartly. Cade was impressed anyway....especially when what he had to compare it to was a 2.3 4 banger.
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1901/...a75dfd6e_z.jpgS3 by M Patterson, on Flickr
It will be a couple of weeks before Cade's over again, but that will give me a chance to get some of my stuff done.
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At least someone is getting some work done! :LOL:
I happened to run across a turbo 4 cyliner that's in a late 70's Capri that would be a perfect upgrade for Cade. :LOL:
As usual I had a couple of hours of work for Cade this morning. After he was done with that I decided to change things up a bit. Rather than work on his 74 I had him pull the old Edelbrock off the wife's Mustang.
When I test drove it last week it acted like the secondary fuel passages were plugged.........with the wife driving it I doubt the the secondaries had been used in the last year.
After he got the carb off, I pulled the lid and blew out the secondary passages then put it back together and let him re-install it. We took it on a short test drive and that seemed to do the trick. I suitably impressed Cade when I stabbed it a couple of times to make sure the secondaries were functioning properly.
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1980/...f6b304c8_z.jpg351W by M Patterson, on Flickr
So that was pretty much today. Next Saturday is a swap meet in Tucson, right now it's still up in the air if Cade will come or if I just go alone.
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Hopefully he can go with you. Even if you don't buy anything the hunt is part of the fun for me. Maybe that bug will get him too. :LOL:
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I just noticed this.. as an aside conversation perhaps? But in the interest of safety.
In the last picture, on the left hand side, resting on top of the battery there appears to be a screwdriver or nut driver.
I know the handle is insulated but if the battery retainer strap was bare metal and the other end was touching the positive terminal.. some bad things could happen as I know you are already aware.
I'm not normally "the safety guy type". But I'd hate to see Cade harmed in any way.
You know everyone has done that at least 1 time Mike! :LOL: That's usually all it takes is to see and hear the fire works and you pay close attention to what you set on batteries from then on out.
Yep. And I watched someone have the battery blow up in his face! I'd prefer to save Cade that experience. Acid in the face /eyes.. bad day all around.Quote:
Originally Posted by 40FordDeluxe
Yup good catch Mike, I didn't notice it. I have talked to him about it before, but missed it this time.
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Back in the days of those "Slinky" type wrist watch bands------early 60s----one of the guys I was working with at United Airlines shorted out the hot battery cable with it and burnt his arm very bad-----it was pretty gross
Cade has had the lecture on rings, watches, and Dog tag chains etc.
And Yeah I did dig up a picture of a "gloved" finger.......gross but leaves a lasting impression (I hope).
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A good mate of mine did that too.Quote:
Originally Posted by jerry clayton
It was a salutary lesson to me.
I've never worn a metal wrist-watch band since,
In my case it was a wedding band and a Chevy starter in the late 60's, haven't worn any jewelry working on a vehicle since.
".....In my case it was a wedding band and a Chevy starter in the late 60's, haven't worn any jewelry working on a vehicle since. ....."
OUCH. I did something similar years ago . Gold is such a good conductor and also hold heat really well.
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first week of A school we saw the finger in the jar . rings and rivets dont mix .
The first summer after high school, I was working inside the wheel well of a cab-over semi tractor. I managed to drop a wrench on the starter solenoid. The truck started lurching forward. I managed to pull the wrench out before the damn thing ran over me. Lesson learned.
Today was oil change on the Ram 50 day for Cade. He did good.....as time goes on he needs less and less supervision (brings a smile to this old mans face).
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4807/...6dce92fc_z.jpgCOC by M Patterson, on Flickr
He's getting pretty good at doing the 3 point turns so looks like time for him to learn something new......I see parallel parking in his future, :LOL::LOL:
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I forgot about this until just now. Sometime in 71 we were establishing power on a DC-10 and some jerk with a large wrench hanging out of his back pocket with the box end up jumped into the center accessory compartment. He landed on the bottom power relay across two phases which shorted out the relay, burnt the end off his wrench and destroyed a 3 phase 4 ought cable set from the #1 engine. We had to pull the bad one and replace it with one from another plane that was in wing joining and order a new one for that plane. He cost us two days of extra work and I think they fired the jerk.Quote:
Originally Posted by jerry clayton
3 phase and 400 cycles---------
Quote:
Originally Posted by jerry clayton
You bet and nasty. I got bit a couple of times, burnt a hole in my finger once.
I never had any issues on the planes but when I was ground equipment mech, we had to maintain the ground power units( before APU days) and they were 75kva 400 cycle---------those power cords to the airplane had 6 wires of wich 2 were small to establish control for the contact
Biggest problems with the generators were that even when -20-30 degrees gate mechs would start them up put them in 3rd gear and floorthe throttle-------now with about a thousand pound armture shat assy----there was lots of clutch slipping and they would wipe out the clutch every couple months----
Funny you bring this up. I got nailed by one of our old Hobart GPU's 2 weeks ago. It had a coolant leak I was repairing. When the A/C tech fired it up I was up on the unit checking for leaks. I found a loose connection after it lit my ass up. :LOL: Ours are 90kva and 400hz. They only run the APU's when needed. It consists of about 5 minutes before the GPU is pulled off the gate. They have been reducing APU run time for a while trying to save on the cost and maintenance on them.
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Cade came over for the last couple of days. Yesterday Cade got to learn about door panels, lock rod clips and speaker installation. He did good.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7814/...273ecea9_z.jpgDP by M Patterson, on Flickr
Cade has been needing less and less guidance which is a good thing. There is still a laundry list of stuff to do on the car and after my hand surgery, about all I'll be able to do is point and tell him what needs to be done for a while.
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Mike you laied the ground work just sit back and enjoy he'll do just fine
We got back on the Mustang again this weekend. We hadn't been doing much with it the last couple of months due to my hand, the weather and Cades' grades. Cade took the written test for his learners permit but didn't study enough so he's got to take it again. Having the car ready for the road has become a priority for him again so I suspect a flurry of work getting it ready is in his future (along with a bunch of work for me to pay for the parts).
A while back we found the rear wheel cylinders were just starting to weep a little bit so we tackled those yesterday. When you've been doing brakes for 50 years or so like a lot of us you can usually get the wheel cylinder bolts and brake line off by feel.
https://live.staticflickr.com/7835/4...406d78bc_z.jpgB2 by M Patterson, on Flickr
When you're just starting out you usually need to actually see the pieces you're taking out. :LOL:
https://live.staticflickr.com/7910/4...4c324748_z.jpgB1 by M Patterson, on Flickr
When the wheel cylinders were changed and the drums back on I got to do something I'd been waiting for the last 16 years.......being the one sitting in the car pushing the peddle instead of running the bleeders and keeping an eye on the brake fluid level.....hey it's the little things in life. :3dSMILE:
When we got done, I handed Cade the brake spring tools I bought when I was 16 and just starting out (yeah, I still have them). I told him they probably need to be in his tool box now.
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Good lessons, Mike! I remember learning the same things as a kid and usually someone saying "the pedal feels good, now check the fluid and we'll bleed them one more time".
Good on ya, Mike! I'm enjoying this thread.
I've recently been informed that I have to redo a truck for my grandson. I hope to be teaching him a few things in the process.