Catching Up on Cars

It has been a busy Summer of car stuff. Some wrenching, some otherwise. In today's post, I will not try to cover everything, but there has been a lot. 

 

Oliver freshly cleaned

Before I begin, you may have noticed a new sticker on the right-hand side called "Electoral-Vote". If you aren't familiar, that is a site run by 2 history professors who started a site initially, I think, to analyze polls. I have been reading their page for well over a decade; maybe 2 decades at this point. From humble beginnings that aimed to provide insights into political polls, they are a daily site that examines the (mostly) US political theater. As the national political disposition has shifted right-ward, their political position has remained around or just left of where the political middle was during the Bush years. Now, that position is left-of-center (because, again, of the national shift) in the continuum of US national politics. As the primary season has ended, they are returning to their roots, looking at polls and providing the kinds of insights only 2 life-time history and statistic's nerds could provide. If you find that stuff interesting, check them out. Neither they nor I get anything money-wise out of my putting that sticker on my blog. They get clicks, I literally get nothing. Back to cars.

 

K'Lack

P0726 re-appearing

We will start with my nemesis car: K'Lack, the 2004 Jetta TDI Wagon that previously belonged to our son K. After driving it for years and logging thousands of miles, he needed to sell it off and get something that was newer? broke down less often? I'm not really sure, but at the end he was having transmission issues. Regardless, the trade-in amount he was offered was pennies-to-dollar value. So, we bought it for Kelley Blue Book value at the time (around $4500US) and took it directly to a transmission shop who was qualified to do transmission work on these 2000's-era automatic transmissions appearing in VW's and Audi's. Through the benefits of successful aging and poor record-keeping, I don't remember how much we paid them to rebuild the transmission, but it took literally months. If I remember correctly, it went into the shop in December and we got it back in March. It was around this time that our niece (another K, so I think maybe since all these "kids" are adults now, maybe I'll just start using their names), Krista needed a car. Her former car failed in some way I don't remember. We intended to sell her Flash. Remember Flash? He was a great 2001 VW Jetta TDI sedan, but he had a manual transmission. Loved that car, but a different niece needed a car, so when Krista was unable to drive a stick, Flash went to the other niece and K'Lack went to Krista.

 

replacing K'Lack rear caliper

Now, years later, and many repairs ranging from replacing the oil pan to a timing belt and camshaft replacement, K'Lack is currently having issues I cannot track down. It is throwing a P0726 code and after tracing wires and replacing the crankshaft position sensor, the issue persists. The code means a check-engine-light is lit which means the car will not pass emissions. It is also virtually un-driveable. It barely starts and at any point during a drive the car may suddenly shift into a too-low gear, causing it to buck. It is quite alarming and dangerous. I have date with a mobile mechanic, Ian, who has helped on some of Cedar's (that's "C" in all prior posts) cars. I hope very much that we can resolve this and get Krista back on the road with K'Lack. In the meantime, it is parked under a plum tree in the back near the shop and Krista is driving Boo's (okay, her name is Angela and I'll refer to her as Ang from now on) Ang's Astra.

 

Oliver

In the interest of getting Oliver, the 1978 MGB, out of the shop so I could move things onto shelves, I got Oliver running well enough to back out and idle-drive under a tree. I say idle-drive because the throttle cable had seized. Fortunately, parts for an old MG are not nearly as expensive as parts for new cars, so a after few bucks and about 15 minutes, the throttle cable was replaced, and Oliver could start and move around. Thrilled, I drove him out to the front and gave him a long overdue bath. His brakes were still a little squishy, so I moved him to the other side of that plum tree in the back and put his cover back on. I have to do a system-wide look at the brakes. They have been acting like they needed a bleed for a long time, no matter how much I bleed them. I think I must have a loose fitting somewhere that lets air in. I still intend to get him out and around, even with squishy brakes, before the Summer is over.

  

Hapy

cursed outlet flange

Earlier this year, I got Hapy put back together. I drove him out to Sheridan where Justin could do the injection pump re-seal. On the drive home, I popped the boosted air pipe and sorta limped home. But, after that, I took him on around-town outings and he ran great. He would start right up, have lots of pep, moved through the gears well. For almost all of the month of July, he was set up festival-style in the back, providing music, a hang-out spot and a groovy vibe. This past weekend, Ang and I had 2 different events. First, we had tickets to Joe Russo's Almost Dead (JRAD) in Eugene. JRAD brings the energy of the early 1970's versions of the Grateful Dead while performing everything and anything across their song catalog. I highly recommend to my DeadHead friends. The next day, I had an early-afternoon show in Rockway Beach, playing the NCAM benefit festival. I'll post on the festival later, but our adventure started and ended Thursday night, heading south to Eugene.

 

As I've mentioned before, Ang and I like to leave for events the night before, getting as far as we can in the cool dark and then vagabonding (boon-docking to some) in a random parking lot or on the side of the road to catch a sleep before completing the journey in the morning. Hapy likes the cool air and we really like awakening that morning most, or all, of the way there. The drive was relatively uneventful until after we got south of Wilsonville. I noticed that the rear window was getting blurry, and I had just washed it when we filled up. Growing concerned, I pulled off into the Charbonneau rest area near Aurora and glided into a parking spot. I went around back, opened the rear engine hatch and could see that the coolant bottle was empty, and I could hear steam. After moving the bedding out of the way, I could get the top hatch open and could see that the coolant was escaping from the cursed coolant outlet flange. I would later discover that the c-clip or "U" clip that holds the coolant sensor in place had a broken leg (so, really a "J-clip). If you look at the picture on the right, there ought to be a little plastic tab thing sticking downward from the bottom of that dark channel on the right side of the outlet flange. That would be the end of the "U" that's not there. Our trip to Eugene was over and I called for a tow.

 

trench filled

We waited for about an hour, and the truck operator seemed fine enough. He was nice, albeit quiet. In retrospect, he seemed less comfortable with Hapy not having a parking brake but Hapy has been on a flatbed lots of times without an issue. Until this time. I believe he did not strap the wheels down as tightly as prior truck operators had. I say that because Hapy seemed to move front-to back a little bit as he backed the truck into the driveway. I had not noticed that when he was loaded onto the flat bed in the parking lot. We rolled Hapy into place, and Ang and I called it a day, returning to Hapy the next day... when we discovered that putting Hapy in gear was not enough to hold him in place. Since it was enough to hold him in place on the flatbed, at least while he was getting strapped in, and this was over an hour after we had overheated, I conclude that the tow somehow messed up the transmission-to-engine connection (read: clutch). I wanted to see if the engine was locked up, so I put a 19mm socket on the crank end-bolt and gave the engine a short turn (like 15*). The timing belt moved, the camshaft moved with it, so I concluded no major engine damage was done. Or, at least, it's not frozen in place. That's huge, but I think I will need to pull the engine and transmission apart to fix whatever went wrong in between. With this knowledge, we called it a day on Friday and spent a lovely day at the beach on Saturday.

 

trench filled

Since I still had a trench running the length of the lane-way, I spent Sunday morning filling the trench. By the end of the day, Ang and I had flat-towed Hapy back to the shop with the X-Runner and 20' of trucker's chain, parking him out front. I need to clear some space inside the shop to put him, and get him in there. Then, I have the equivalent of a clutch job ahead. The last time I had to remove, separate, re-acquaint and re-install the engine and transmission, I vowed that I would cut a rear apron into the back so I could just remove the engine. Looks like that time is now. Regardless, Hapy will probably not make it back out on the streets this summer. Could I get it done before Summer ends? Maybe, but we have lots of things going on and I don't know if I have a weekend to dedicate to that right now. Besides, if I am going to cut, I want it well planned with a means of fastening what I have removed before I pick up an angle grinder.

 

EDIT: I was trolling through some of my old posts yesterday when I came upon Front is Front which clearly describes this same coolant sensor leak recurring, until I put the clip in from below. Over 15 years later, and I'm repeating myself. Had I remembered, or read, we would not have lost coolant, broken down, etc. There's a lesson in there somewhere.

 

Wrap

With Hapy's catastrophic failure, we are down to one operable car: The Toyota X-Runner, which Ang drives to work. She has a lingering bad shoulder from a skiing crash a dozen years ago, so driving a 6-speed in rush-hour traffic is really taking a toll. If Ian and I can't get K'Lack fixed, we are going to need to re-po the Astra and have Krista solve her car need another way. Generosity reaches a limit when another's convenience is literally causing you pain.

 

Well, that's where those 3 cars are at. I have a long tale of 2 Astra's to share another time. We have lots of active construction Ang and I are doing with our friend Ray, so I'll update on that, the Astra's and whatever else happens around here as things roll. I hope the reference to the electoral vote guys doesn't cross some no-politics line for you. I generally don't bring that noise in here, but elections are coming, and we all need to be as well informed as we can be.

 

Thanks as always, for following along. Until next time-

Building a Shop - Doors

Ia accept that putting a garage door on your shop is barely car-content, but it is the big deal around here, and it is at least tangentially related to cars. Recall, the shop was designed with 4 openings: on the North, the big door and a person door; facing West, a barn door and facing South a to-be-determined door. I lightly described the barn door in the Ghost of GoRo. Today's post is about getting a big door for the front of the shop and all the stuff around that.

 

Before I begin, for my US readers, happy tax day. I recognize there are very curious ways this administration and his congress are choosing to allocate money, and today of all days, that "curious" feels more acute. You may not be able to influence their choices, but you can choose to vote with your wallet every day. Please direct your purchasing choices into small businesses. Those mom and pop operators are your neighbors. When you invest in them you are investing directly into your community, and not into some corporation which takes from it.

 

Measure Twice

This is so obvious and yet, this was almost my biggest mistake. When I first was designing the shop, I had the front of the shop (facing north) almost completely open for a massive door: 6 meters / 18 feet wide by 3.3 meters /10 feet tall. My thought at the time was that 6 meters would easily allow me to move 2 cars side-by-side without having to get either too deep into the shop. Like, I could have one sticking halfway out and still get a car in. This was great thinking until I decided I wanted a way to get in/out through a "man" (I say "person", but I'm not pronoun-hostile either) door. I also wanted this facing North, next to the big garage-style roll-up door. This way I could leave the big door closed and still come and go through a door with a lock on it. Consider the barn door is locked from the inside, and that was always the plan. I have no idea what the southern door will be like, but it may not have an externally-facing lock on it.

 

no wind inside

Anyway, fast-forward to after it is built and I am looking for a tracked roll-up door. After spending weeks looking for a 18' x 10' door, I have a site visit by a local door company (Overhead Door of Portland) who has a used door that big. We run the tape and sure-enough the opening is 10' high, the clearance above is adequate. Then we check the door width and it's only 16' (5 2/3m). Duh. When I added the person door, I reduced the size of the roll-up door and completely forgot. Ultimately, this saved me a bunch of money, though, because a standard residential tracked roll-up door is 5 2/3m (16 feet). When I say a bunch of money, the used door he had would have to cost me $14k US including install and an opener. The larger opening also would have pushed me into a commercial-grade door, so it would have weighed nearly double the residential door.

 

Patience Pays

open, windy inside

With the more accurate measurement, the fine folks over at Overhead Door of Portland dug into their stock of used doors. After a few weeks, they had a suitable door. Boo and I want a glass door, to maximize the light coming on for cold daytime work (think: winter weekends) and to not block overhead lights when it's open. We both also thought that a clear door would more closely approximate an old filling station look that we both had romanticals about. These glass doors, though, are less common and more expensive. The door they have is undamaged, but whoever had installed it chose to mask off the glass and then rattle-can paint the doors and rails with black Rustoleum paint. That decision would have been totally fine, had they prepared the surface for paint. At bare minimum the doors needed to be scuffed with 300-grit to 400-grit sand paper (or a red ScotchBrite pad) so the paint would have something to bite into and then wiped down. They did not and the paint did not. Instead, the paint is flaking off and is not presentable to most. For our purpose: make opening clear, yet lockable while looking old-Skool... it is perfect. We may change our minds and fix the paint, but for today, we are happy with it.

 

Car Mad Dash

Hapy's spot

As is so often the case, this was a full-on hurry up and wait. Well, really, it was more of a wait and then hurry-up. I have been looking for a door since the shop was built and now that we found one, the install was planned for less than a week later. From my prior post, you know that Oliver is against the east wall, right up against the big door opening. And, he was not running. Next to him is Hapy, barely jutting out the big opening and barely running. I needed to get both cars out the way and the lane way clear so they could get in there with the doors and equipment to get the door installed.

 

Getting Hapy out was easy: re-prime the Injection Pump with the MityVac, crack the injectors, pop the starter to a count of 5, re-tighten the injectors, start and back him out. This took less than an hour and I parked him in his longer-term designated spot where we can more easily visit and drive him. Yeah, I said visit; he's family.

 

Oliver drove!

Moving Oliver was a bigger deal, but only because I made it so. I wanted him to leave the shop under his own power. So that meant getting him running. In my last post, I described solving his fuel system. I don't know if it was insufficient patience or if I flooded the carb, but he would not start that day. A week later, and I have Hapy out of the way, I was ready to push Oliver out if I had to. First, I checked his spark plugs. They smelled like gas and were fairly black (fuel mixture probably too rich). I hit them with a wire brush and then re-set the gaps (0.033", internets recommend between 0.025" and 0.038") depending on lots of factors. I turned the key, got the fuel pump to prime and then quiet way down. At the carb with my hand, I "pumped" the accelerator a couple of times. At the wheel, I pulled the choke and tried to start him. After a few seconds, he started to act like he wanted to and after a few more tries, he fired up and held idle. This was the first time he ran since I rebuilt the carb, so an historic moment. Attempts to vary the engine speed with the accelerator pedal were fruitless, so I idled out of the shop, down the inclined gravel drive, and parked him in front of the person door. I was able to confirm that the throttle cable was junked. It would not stay on the pedal arm and then I was unable to move it consistently by hand. I'll be replacing that soon.

 

Final Prep

installers getting started

With the cars out of the way, I could get the last bits done for the door installers. I had strung outdoor patio lights around the inside of the shop, extending across the large door opening. So, half of that strand needed to come down. Last, I swept the floor which had not been really looked at since I moved the cars in last fall. With Oliver and Hapy out of the shop, I was able to really appreciate the size of my new workspace. It's really nice, and I will need to make a focused effort to leave myself room to work by not housing all of the cars inside all the time.

 

Door Install

The 2 installers from Overhead Door of Portland arrived as-scheduled around 10AM. They backed most of the way down the lane-way so the distance to carry the panels and runners was shorter. In half an hour, the doors were off the truck and positioned for installing (picture on the right). By 1130AM, 4 of the 5 door panels were installed on the runners and they were a-fixing the runners to the building. By 1PM, the door was in, the runners set, and the spring installed. Within the next hour, the install was complete, and Chris and Chase were showing us how the various controllers worked. With the door open, obviously, its almost like being outside. Well, its exactly like it was before the door was there: Full wind and misty rain on my face. Overhead, once lights are installed, the door will not block the light from reaching us beneath. That's huge. When the door is shut, the sound, wind and rain all stop. I did not expect the degree to which the air movement and sound would change. It is significant.

 

Wrap

Well, that's it for today. Next, I will be replacing the rear brakes on K'Lack (2004 Jetta TDI driven by my niece), replacing the throttle cable on Oliver and bringing Hapy over to Justin's to have the Injection Pump resealed. I don't know if any of those are really blog-post-worthy. Summer is coming, and having a safe vehicle (or a few safe vehicles) for Summer adventures starts now. As always, thanks for following along-

Oliver Fuel Fun

Boo had to work on Easter, so I had a Sunday to work with. Knowing others around the neighborhood were celebrating Easter with their families, I wanted to keep my noise and smoke to a minimum. So, I started slow, throwing Oliver onto a charger and then doing inside stuff. By 11, I was mowing the front lawn with the electric mower. With hand tools, I fixed the gates to the fence by lowering the little swivel wheels and re-setting the patio block they set on. Now, the gates sit mostly level and mostly vertical. By 2PM, most of the family gatherings were breaking up, so I felt I could make engine noises and such. So, I headed out to the shop. Engine noises. Ha. Such optimism.

 

No Start

fuel works

I am sure this comes as no surprise, but my first attempt to start Oliver was not successful. I really didn't expect it to, tho. I had a little over a gallon of gas in a jug that I poured into the tank, but I noticed that the fuel pump noise never lessened. So, as I walked to the rear of the car, I expected there would be no fuel in the filter. And there wasn't. The series of things the fuel needs to pass through before arriving at the pump is: fuel level sender / pick up tube -> flexible fuel line -> clear plastic fuel filter -> flexible fuel line -> fuel pump. From there, it travels, at pressure, thru another flexible line, through a short section of 90* hard line, more flexible line and then to the hard line that runs along the frame to the engine compartment. That's a lot of junctions. I started at the pump, testing with a MityVac vacuum pump, working my way back towards the tank. In retrospect, it would have been smarter to work my way forward from the tank all the way to the carb. Lesson learned.

 

Fuel Shower

upper one is bad

One of the short hoses was bad, but there was nothing visibly wrong with it. The picture on the right here is of those 2 lines. The top one cannot hold vacuum; the lower one can. This serves as a great reminder for those driving gravity-fed fuel system'd vehicles like the old VW bus. Fuel lines fail, sometimes not that long after you've installed it and sometimes you can't tell from looking at them. For a gravity feed system, you discover the leak after you've filled your tank, and it gushes onto the ground it you're lucky. Onto your hot exhaust if you're not.

 

While looking for the cause, I cracked the fuel level sender on the tank to confirm that I had enough fuel. I did. Once the one short line was replaced, I went up front, turned the key and started looking for another leak. I did not have to look very far. Immediately forward of the fuel pump, I had fuel going everywhere, running down the rear differential.

 

I concluded that it was another short hose, but noticed that the combination of short hose, weird 90* hard line, longer hose made little sense. I think I did that when I installed the fuel pump because the outlet of the new fuel pump was not clocked the same as the original and I didn't want a kink in the hose. If I remember correctly, I had already cut that longer hose, and solved the wrong problem. Or solved the right problem the wrong way. I think, that 90* bend was from the original system to go from the sender to the pump, and in this installation, I have a clear plastic fuel filter serving that function. Regardless, I corrected this time with a longer hose that runs from the pump to the long hard line. The longer hose was long enough to have a gentle arc, preventing a pinch in the line I was probably trying to avoid with the weird combo of parts. In the bottom picture, you can see that I have a small fuse for the fuel pump. This was not there stock, but I felt that with so many things living on the switched circuit, having a fuse around the fuel pump was probably a good idea.

 

Still No Start 

fuel pump

With the rear end lines set, I turned the key again, and the fuel pump quieted down after a few seconds. I looked under the car and no puddle was forming. There was not a drip at all. I went to the engine compartment, and there were no leaks there either. So, I tried to start it. No love. By now, it was approaching 5PM, and I had to get dinner started. But first, I wanted to know if the hard line was blocked or if there was fuel at the inlet on the carb. I removed the fuel line and gasoline dribbled out. Win. We have fuel at the carb. I put everything back together. Before heading inside, I checked the lights and hazards to give myself a little "well that works" energy before calling it a day.

 

Wrap Up

That's as far as I got on Sunday. After the random home-repairs, I had left myself more than enough time, had Oliver actually started, to give him a deep cleaning. That still needs doing, but first I need for him to run. I rebuilt the carb a couple of years ago, and the engine ran with it on there, so I don't think the issue is fueling, but it still could be. I will start with the spark plugs next time, and confirm I have spark. It is absolutely possible that something worked free during the move into the shop. If that does not bring me the start I am seeking then I will re-examine the carb. Maybe some gas residue became a thin varnish holding the bowl float, or is clogging a jet or something. 

 

That's all for now. Thanks, as always, for following along- 

Returning to Oliver

The last week or so has been busy with lots of not-car stuff. We have had our young niece over a bunch while her mom had surgery on her wrist, and a bunch of social events. Of course, with the return of spring comes the return of recurring yardwork as well. So, I have not had the dedicated time for wrenching that I always seem to think will be available. I was able to get out to the shop for a few hours on Sunday, though. I focused on Oliver, the 1978 MGB, letting Hapy ('72 VW microbus) sit until Justin has his time with the injection pump in April. The rate at which the price of diesel fuel is climbing (passed $6US/gal around the corner), I may find that it costs more to fill his tank than to pay Justin for his time. That's totally upside-down. Anyway, back to wrenchin.

 

Voltage Gauge

remember Oliver?

I installed a Smith voltage gauge into Oliver where the original analog clock used to sit. The clock didn't really work very well, and it ate voltage from the battery when I let him sit for too long. This made the clock less accurate, leading me to pull the positive cable off the battery while not in use. This led to the clock being completely worthless. So, I pulled it out and swapped in the voltage gauge. It seemed like a valuable bit of info to have, but I had wired it into the "purple" or always-hot circuit. Like the clock, the voltage gauge slowly drained the battery down, albeit not as quickly. So, again, I pulled the positive cable while not driving. I changed that on Sunday.

 

Bearing in mind that any entry back into working on cars may not seem like a big deal to regular wrenchers, but I have really not done much car stuff in over a year. So, any steps taken are a big deal. Removing the gauge was simply unwinding the knurled nut holding the rear support and the gauge flopped forward out of the dash. I removed and taped-off the "purple" wire and started seeking a viable switched "green"source to tap into. Switched is available at a few spots, but I decided to run a dedicated line from the fuse box instead. I could say I did that to remove variables or variability in the voltage signal. The truth is that Oliver is parked so close to the side wall of the shop that getting in and under the dash was virtually impossible. I was not going to just start grabbing an unplugging things.

 

Smith voltage gauge

Running another wire is simple enough. I started at the gauge and worked my way behind the dash, center console, and glove box to the firewall pass-thru. From the pass through within the engine compartment, the bundle of wires run along the left fender to the fuse box. I tied the new wire into the existing green bundle and tested continuity with the multi-meter. Success! I installed the gauge, hooked up the battery and tested by turning the ignition to "run". The voltmeter slowly crept up and I could hear the fuel pump banging away. I recall that it used to get quieter with fuel in the pump. Satisfied, I turned off the key and looked for any other parasitic drain on the battery. The wires in the engine compartment need some containment. I am not liking the scattered multi-colored angel-hair look in the picture below right.

 

Battery Drain?

technicolor angel hair pasta wiring

Testing for a parasitic drain on your battery ought to be relatively straight-forward. Disconnect one cable. Set your multi-meter to test for Amps and then place one probe on the battery post and the other on the cable end. All 0's? Switch to milli-amps and try again. According to the internets, if the drain is less than 50mA, it is not enough to drain your battery. I got 0mA, which, honestly, I do not believe. I tested it multiple times, and even after cleaning the cable and the battery post, I still got 0mA. So, I checked voltage across the 2 posts (12.08V) and left the cables attached. I figured if the voltage drops overnight then my battery-drain test will be proven faulty. I have since tested the voltage the last 2 days. The battery loses 0.02V overnight, which I think I can attribute to the stereo. Regardless, I will need to add a float charger.

 

Red Rollie

new lock, locked

I have this old red Kennedy tool cabinet we call "Red Rollie". It houses a bunch of tools, and for most the nearly 20 years that I've owned it, the lock didn't work. Well, I didn't have a key for it. We got the cabinet at an estate sale without the key. Anyway, some tools were stolen from my next door neighbor's yard a few months ago, so that changed our vector regarding the shop. We were perfectly fine using it without doors, but I can't leave entire tool cabinets unlocked if thieves have found our quiet little neighborhood. While I think the theft next door was an inside job (they run a construction business out of their home), one can never be too sure. So, I found a lock that fits this old Kennedy cabinet (Kennedy 80403 High Security Tubular Lock), and replaced it.

 

Replacing one of these locks is actually easier than on newer cabinets. The lock is held on with a U-shaped tang that slides off to the side. The hard part is you can't see anything. With my fingers I was able to determine which direction the tang needed to slide to be removed (facing the cabinet, slide right), and then set a stubby slotted screw-driver against the lip of the tang. It only took one well-leveraged push to get the tang removed and the lock to pop out. To install, orient the lock so the little inner divot on the outside facing part of the lock where the key goes in is facing down (unlocked). Set the lock into the hole with one hand while guiding the locking rod into the rectangular hole on the back of the lock. Then, push the U-shaped tang in place to hold it.

 

Red Rollie

This worked great, and effectively locked the top 2 drawers. The 3rd drawer down, however, had been bent where the little hook pokes out the back. To remedy, I got a framing hammer and a 1/2" ratchet extension and beat on it until it was more-or-less flush with the rest of the rear of the drawer. For years I wondered why that drawer always set deeper into the cabinet than the others. Now I knew. Once the drawer had been persuaded, the drawer fronts lined up and that 3rd drawer locked as well.

 

Wrap

That's how I spent my Sunday afternoon. The shop still needs the 2 largest doors, but my tools are secure, and I am really starting to get comfortable in there. For example, there was a period of time while working on Oliver that the skies opened up and it started pouring rain. I never felt it. In fact, I could only hear it hitting the trees. The insulation on this shop stops the sound of rain on the steel roof. I absolutely did not expect that.

 

That's it for today. Next week is Easter, so I may not get out to the shop for much. I hope to put a little gas into Oliver and at least back him out to where I can give him a deep cleaning. 

The Ghost of GoRo

I have been coming off of an illness, having been sick for almost a month. Yeah, whatever that thing is going around got me good. In the meantime, we have gotten some headway on the shop doors and I got to start thinking about what's next on Oliver to get him on the road for the Summer. Today, though, is a cautionary tale about selling a car, no matter who you sell it to.

 

What's GoRo

GoRo

I'll back up a little bit first. Back in June of 2023, in my "Small Fence, Big Difference" post (link here) I mentioned in passing that we had sold GoRo, our 2009 Audi A4 to a guy down the street. We told him multiple times prior to closing the sale that he really did not want the car, that there were weird issues with the transmission, interior plastic bits were breaking off and that it was a generally crappy car. He would not heed our concerns, saying it was for his daughter, he could get the mechanicals fixed up fine, etc. There was still a couple of months left on the existing registration, and he was going to have to drive it to his mechanic, and then over to Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to get registered. So, Boo with her ever generous heart, let him take the car with the tags on it. We went inside and recorded the sale with the state of Oregon immediately.

 

Sales Daisy Chain

Of course, we were right. He took the car and within a couple of weeks he had sold it. But, he didn't tell us, nor did he remove the tags that we had left on there for him. In Oregon, you have a month after buying a car to change the registration. Since he hadn't had the car for a full month, he was officially in the clear, but whoever he sold it to also sold it within a few days, and we lost the handle on the ownership after that. 

 

Ticket Parade 

Why is all of this important? Within a few days after our

barn door

neighbor sold the car, we got our first of many speeding or other moving violation caught-on-camera ticket, followed by parking tickets and toll-lane charges. We got tickets from Montana, Texas, California and Colorado. In each case, we sent copies of proof that we no longer owned the car. For the tickets which came from legitimate state, county or city governments, the tickets were waived. In the case where the ticket was for not paying a toll on a "private road", the charging entity did not care that were were not the owners and could prove that we were not even in the state at the time of the violation. Instead, they sent the ticket to collections, dinging our credit. To prevent further damage to our credit, we paid that one. Most of these tickets arrived within the first 6 months after the car was sold.

 

Final Straw

This week, we got what we believe to be the final ticket. GoRo had been impounded in the City of Merced and would remain in their custody until we came down to their office and paid the bail on parking tickets. We don't care and after a while they will put the car up for auction, and it will be someone else's problem. I just hope the auction house or the City of Merced removes the license plates before handing it off to another sucker.

 

Buh Bye GoRo

barn door, inside

By the time we sold off GoRo, Boo and I pretty much hated the car. The seats were stiff like bleachers, increasing internal switches were failing, plastic bits were falling off, the transmission shifted funny, etc. It outside looked great, but wow, what a lemon of a car. The lesson here for us and for you: even if you're selling the car to your friend, remove the tags. If you are all down for the sale and want to be generous, drive over to DMV and remove the tags while your friend is getting temporary plates. Once that car leaves your possession, there is no telling what will happen to that car. You could find yourself with a big pile of tickets from uninterested parties who only want money, and are willing to hammer your credit to get it.

 

Car and Shop Stuff

I mentioned at the top that we have made headway on the doors on the shop. Recall, I have 4 openings which need closings. Over the past month, our friend Ray has built barn doors for the large opening facing west using extra siding I had added to the order for the shop so those doors could get made. It is a 10 foot wide opening, so the doors are each just over 5 feet wide. They totally look the part and glide open/shut easily. We also installed a "people door" on the north elevation or facing the farm house. This leaves a 8 foot wide doorway on the backside and the main large garage door next to the people door. I have been saving for the big door. While that doorway is a standard 16' wide, it is 10' high (just in case someone comes along with something really big, I guess). So, it is a semi-standard door.

 

On cars, I have Hapy about as ready to visit Justin as I can make him. Since he hasn't really driven since I put him back together, I really would have liked to have driven him a little more. With Diesel hitting $6/gallon around here, I all the more do not want to be driving with a fuel leak. So, his next drive will be to Justin's place.

 

voltage gauge upper right

To keep my hands busy, I have been looking at Oliver, the 1978 MGB. I couldn't get him to start when I went to move him into the shop and I didn't really look into why at the time, I just hauled him. I slid under the rear end and discovered why: I had drained all of his fuel out the last time I parked him. If I remember right, I put that fuel into the lawn tractor and the rest into Astra. Antyway, I test-fired the fuel pump with 12V directly from the battery and the fuel pump works. So, if it does not come on with the ignition key-turn, it's a wiring issue. After messing with that, I removed the voltage gauge from the dash and will be sourcing switched power for that. I had simply used the always-hot 12V for the clock I had replaced, but that runs the battery down eventually. I hope to have some time this weekend to finish the voltage gauge, put some gas in and see if I can get him to run, and idle. Then maybe I'll back him out and give him a long overdue bath and a drive-around.

 

Well, that's it for today. Keep your license plates when you sell your cars, and thanks, as always, for following along- 

Hapy Home

This is almost a car post. Today, I get Hapy put enough together to move and then get him into the shop with his 2 brothers (Zed and Oliver) and sister (Nina).

 

Where Were We

Early in the Summer, like every Summer, I had big plans. Big plans. I was going to have my shop built and get Hapy fixed and then take all kinds of trips and such in him. Well, like so many prior seasons, my plans ran up against time and energy limits. It seems like every Spring I say "yes" to many things, forgetting that Summer is at-best 10 nice weekends here in the Pacific Northwest. We usually celebrate Independence Day wearing knit hats (still cold when it finally gets dark enough for fireworks) and some years Labor Day sees rain. That is the most extreme. Those with kids see summer's end around Labor day, but weather-wise, it is usually nice in September. So, to me, a "normal" Summer for nice weather planning runs from mid-July until mid- or late-September. 10 weekends. Maybe 12 in a good year. I committed 3 weekends to musical performances, had weekend family events in Eugene, Montana, Idaho and then in Seattle over Labor Day (7 weekends total). Just like that I'm down to 3 or 4 weekends for projects, cars and fun. In full transparency, we cancelled the Montana and Idaho obligations. I filled those weekends with digging trenches and laying french drain pipe, executing a storm water management plan I didn't have when the summer started. Still, when I look at the calendar through that lens, I now understand why Hapy sat in pieces. I am also kind of amazed that we got as much done, and not that surprised that we did not really do many "fun things" as we do other years.

 

sloped and cracked driveway

So, recall over Independence Day, I dropped Hapy's engine and tran-saxle so I could replace the chewed up flywheel (See Hapy Engine-Transaxle Dropped). When the new flywheel arrived, I popped it, on torqued it, set the clutch and bolted on the pressure plate. Once torqued, I struggled to get the trans-axle to mate with the engine. This was because of the few reasons, I think. First, the driveway is not flat, it is pitched away from the garage door, so getting everything level was more of a challenge. Then, the driveway is crumbling and heaved with large 1"+ drop-cracks in it. These cracks were larger than the wheels on the ATV jack I use to move and position the engine. So, once the engine was down and a wheel dropped into one of the cracks, I was no longer able to maneuver it front-back nor left-right. I could tilt it and raise-lower it. Even with those conditions, I got close, but the trans-axle fell off the smaller jack I had it perched on while attempting to mate. It landed on the driver-side output flange, popping it off the trans-axle entirely.

 

At this point, I was too frustrated to approach Hapy for a while, so I focused on getting the shop done. I decided that moving broken cars in the mud and rain was more objectionable than fixing Hapy in the rain one more time. If it came to that. I tried to find a mechanic to look at the trans-axle and re-assemble it. Instead, the D and M Automotive Service agreed to look at it and tell me how to fix it because he was convinced it wasn't beyond my skills and he had a 4-6 week backlog already. He was trying to close his shop for the weekend and subsequent vacation, but he took the time to show me exactly what I needed to do and fronted me the small bits needed to do the job. I still owe him $10 for those (facepalm). So, with instructions in mind and the required bits in hand, I headed home... and left the job undone ever since.

 

Prep to Move

Staying on the get-the-cars-outta-the-rain course, Boo and I agreed that getting Hapy into the shop was a necessary step before I try to re-assemble him again. The probability of failing again simply because of the driveway was too great. Before I begin, consider that the rear engine mount, the tower and the cross bar were out and on the ground. The engine was sitting on the ATV jack, but effectively on the ground. The boosted air circuit, fuel system and cooling systems were loosely hanging in the engine bay. Underneath, the axles were hanging from the wheel-end CV joints and the rear sway bar was detached. Hapy was nowhere ready to move a few inches much less 30+ meters (100'?) back into the shop.

 

in the lane way

I started with the rear engine supports by raising the engine up and connecting the rear cross bar. To this, I attached the tower (after de-greasing it) and then added the mount to the engine. The bolt holes in the engine bracket for the mounts were stubborn and I had to shoot the passenger-side hole with a tap before the bolt would travel the full distance. Last, I wrestled the mount holes over the tower holes and bolted the engine home. With the rear of the engine set, I considered how to suspend the flywheel end. I believe that when the full drive train is in, the upper trans-axle mounts are responsible for most of the support. These are on the trans-axle, of course, so I was concerned for how to hold the engine still during a move. I used ratcheting load straps, suspended from the body-side of the trans-axle mount and under the flywheel, slipping the strap between the flywheel and the engine so it would not slip off.

 

I used another ratching strap to suspend the axles. I finger-tightened the 4 front bolts of the rear sway bar, rather than nut them all the way down. Neither of these shade-tree hacks ended up being a problem for the move. Last, I suspended from the engine any partly-connected bits and removed all the loose fasteners and charged air hoses. Hapy was enough one-piece to move to the shop. We will see if any fasteners fell off when I get to re-assembly (LOLs). Visually, it looked good and walking the route afterwards I found no bolts, nuts or washers.

 

Homed

Hapy had been parked with his rear-end pointing south in front of the house. We needed his nose to be pointing south in the shop in order for his rear end to be pointing towards the big door (north). I wanted this orientation so I had the largest work area behind the engine as I could arrange. This meant we needed to turn him around before we sent him down the lane way. Boo and I went full old-skool. With her behind the steering wheel, I pulled the tire chocks and pushed the rear of the bus like the dickens down to the street. With a dog-walker stopping the one passing car for us, we kept Hapy rolling out the driveway and slightly up the street before I ran out of ability to push against gravity. Boo let Hapy roll backwards downhill just past the end of the lane way and over to the shoulder. I hooked up the trucker chain to Hapy's front frame and the other end to the ToyoTruck tow hitch. Then, we hauled Hapy all the way to the edge of the gravel before I had to peel away from the driveway in the truck. Because Hapy is heavier than both Oliver and Nina, I was concerned about the strain on the come-along. I moved Hapy about 6 inches and then decided to hold off and give it a think. I am not 100% sure of the load capacity of the come-along and I was uncomfortable with the amount of strain I put on it just for the 6 inches I got. That was Sunday afternoon. 

 

On Tuesday, Bill, our tree guy, arrived with a couple of employees to remove the failing cherry tree just south of the shop. Since Hapy was sitting in the lane-way, it was blocking the best path to the tree and the best path through which he and his guys could haul the pieces of the cherry tree to the chipper. So, in about 2 minutes the 4 of us pushed Hapy up into the shop. Shazam, Hapy is home. While I reeled from the gravity of what had just happened, Bill's guys backed the chipper to where Hapy had been sitting and got to work on the cherry tree. I still need to wiggle the rear end of Hapy west a little bit, probably remove the tow bar from the front of Nina, shove her further south and then shove Hapy further south as well to create more space near his rear end... but.. he's home.

 

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Well, this ends the shop construction odyssey, at least until Boo and I find the cabbage to purchase doors. When we have solved for that and the final inspection has completed, I will accumulate all of the various costs and post the actual rounded numbers. If I had to guess, the structure was ~$25k, the concrete was around $15k, the permits around $2k, gravel, stone and french drain stuff was probably another $3k. So, my approximate running cost is around $45k, lacking doors. I will need to integrate a winch of some kind for moving broken cars and I still want to add a $5k lift. I don't know where that money will be coming from and I feel like I have already spent more than I intended to on the shop already.

 

Thanks, as always, for following along. Saving this mid-century farmhouse will always present me with projects, but once the weather shifts, I think my attention will as well... back to wrenching on cars.

Building a Shop - Vehicle Egress

Today, I finish the gravel work and move cars into the shop/barn/garage. I should point out that where the last post ended was where I took some time off from the work and went to Seattle for the weekend. We visited the zoo and went to my grand-niece's first birthday party. Very fun. With Labor Day well behind us, Pacific Northwesterners know that we are now in the short days before the seasonal rains return for the duration. With this is mind, I have been spending whatever energy and muscles I can on getting the broken cars moved into shop before it hits. We have been experiencing overnight lows in the upper 40's and gloomy clouds every day. Some nights have brought rains, giving us all a strong prod to finish out outdoor projects. This past week, we have had rain every day, so I am very glad I was able to get this work done in time.

 

Picking Stones

egress complete

The north east corner of the building is over a foot above the ground and the earth slowly climbs nearly 6 inches moving westward to the northwest corner. If you look at the picture at the top of my last post, you can see how significant the drop is. Since this is where the big doorway is and where cars and trucks will come and go, a 7 to 12+ inch lip is more than most cars and trucks can manage. So, I need a smooth egress. To describe the intended pitch of the ramp, I laid a 10 foot long 2" pipe pointing north from the north east corner (you can see it in the pictures). We had a small pile of rock-wall rocks intended for the storm outfall, so over the course of a day and a half, I moved all of them over to the north edge of the garage/barn/shop. Yes, I know. I need to settle on what I'm calling it. It looks like a barn to me, but it's going to be my shop, so we'll call it a "shop" for now. Anyway, a bunch of big rocks really only showed me how much more I was going to need.

 

Boo went to a couple of rock places on the west side, but no one had softball to volleyball sized crushed stone. The few sources we could find had larger crushed rock for a very high price (pushing $1k for a couple yards). It was the wrong size and way wrong price, tho. So, I hit craigslist and found a guy giving away broken up concrete from a patio demo. Well, the concrete guys used broken up concrete under the concrete they poured and the inspector really liked it. So, if it's good enough for a foundation for a building that's getting inspected, it is good enough to go under a gravel drive up to the shop.

 

before broken concrete

Boo and I drove over to Saint Johns the day the bridge was closed for an over-turned truck (just lucky, I guess) and proceeded to overfill the truck weight-wise with broken up concrete. I had been checking the squat of the truck with my foot, shoving it between the top of the rear tire and the wheel well, and it was fine until the last barrow of concrete. We did not realize how bad it was until we could see the tire nearly pancaked and the truck mostly riding on the bump-stops. Yes, I know this is not good for the long-term health of a suspension; I'll not do this again. We decided we had all day to get home, rolled over to the 76 station around the corner and aired up the tires to 45 pounds (tire listed max is 51). This moved the rims up off the sidewalls and the sidewalls up off the ground as well. Because the bridge was out, traffic getting across the river was a mess anyway, so we were not slowing anyone down. We took our time, but found that the bumps in the road became unnoticeable above 20mph, so I kept our speed just above that as much as I could.

 

Stacking and Shifting 

Once home, Boo flagged me all the way back down the lane-way so the truck's rear bumper was nearly where the concrete bits needed to go. I spent a couple hours moving concrete from the truck bed to the egress, stacking some, wedging others so there was the beginnings of an angle from the dirt to the shop entryway. The picture below right shows what I mean.

 

with broken concrete

Once the broken concrete was gone, Boo headed out to get another 1/2 yard of gravel dumped into the truck bed. I gave my self a break from moving the gravel and instead set the line for where the driveway would be and where it would not be. I marked it with some logs, pointing mostly north from the edge of the step where it meets the big garage doorway. To add clarity, I moved a bunch of foundation digging spill (read: dirt and rocks) from the eastern elevation around to the front of the step. The picture at the top kind of shows the effect: the step will disappear into just a gravel landing with it's north exposure being dirt, wood chips or grass. We have not decided on which yet. With some clarity to the driveway edge, I could return to moving the 3/4=1-1/2 drainage gravel, this time on top of the concrete pieces. Before I got very far, Boo returned. We backed the truck all the way back and I spread that gravel on top of the concrete bits before spreading the last of the original drainage gravel I had piled closer to the house.

 

after much gravel

But we still need more. So Boo went to Cedar Mill Gravel and got another load and then another and another until we had a smooth egress from the northern-most french drain to the edge of the shop. Ordinarily, one would rent a compacter and really bang that gravel down so it was super-firm. I had told Clean Water Services that I was not going to have a compacted gravel driveway. They indicated that to them a compacted driveway was considered "impermeable" and would count against my total "paved area" of my property. Since I was already near the limits, we will go with not-machine-compacted gravel. Instead, I firmed it up by cycling between some hand-packing and light watering. During the multiple moves of the ToyoTruck, I noticed that the tire marks were still noticeable, but the truck did not lose any traction. We will see how well this works for cars, or cars hauled by garden tractor soon enough.Water does not pool at all, though, filtering straight through. So, to me, that's permeable, meeting the expectation set with Clean Water Services.

 

Foundation Details

When I had the foundation done, I planned for a few things ahead of time. I know that one day I will want a loft, for example, for storing larger items like bumpers, fenders, seats, etc. So, I had footings dug down prior to the pour so I have them ready for supporting posts. I also planned for a scissoring lift that would disappear into the floor when not in use. Yeah, that sounds really fancy, but when I looked into 2- or 4-post lifts, they are where they are, taking up space all the time, whether in use or not. I really don't expect to use the lift all that often, and certainly don't expect to leave a car suspended for long periods of time (Yeah, we will probably laugh about this assumption later), so why would I want the lift footprint to always be present? I intend to get an Amgo XL-9F, but the cost of this shop already has given me pause and that lift is another $5kUS (or more) today. I don't have that kind of money these days. With the way the economy, inflation and tariffs are going, I frankly don't know when I will. Still, I had the foundation prepared for a lift install. So, I have 2 large rectangular holes in the concrete ready for a lift, one of which you can see in this picture on the right.

 

I need to do more than simply "cover" the holes, though. The purpose of the hidden lift is that I can drive anywhere in the shop. In other words, I can drive over the top of the lift like there isn't one there when it is not in use. So, I need to be able to drive over the holes while I save up for the lift. I located the lift such that there would be just enough space to get a car around it on either side when it is in use. So, I could technically drive a car up and into the shop and not have to drive where the lift would be, but I would rather not have the standing risk of driving into a big hole.

Cap the Lift Holes

I had a large collection of drainage pieces to return to Home Despot anyway, so I headed there for lumber to build covers for the holes. The amount I got back for the drainage stuff almost completely covered the cost of the lumber, and it would have completely covered it if we hadn't cut one of the pieces wrong, forcing the purchase of another $50US sheet of outdoor grade 1/2" plywood. I had the Home Despot folks cut the sheets so I knew the cuts were straight, and so the chemicals in the "outdoor grade" didn't prematurely wear down my circular saw blade. I have all the scrap from the cuts so we have the start of some outdoor counters or something.

 

Once back in the shop, the assembly was fairly easy. I set the 2x6 boards down into the extended runs on either side and set a piece of plywood on top. Drilled a few holes, sent through some fasteners and repeated for the other hole. Just like that, the shop floor is effectively whole and flat-ish. I do NOT believe the outdoor grade 1/2" plywood resting on top of 2x6 outdoor grade lumber less than 2 feet apart will be able to support a car passing over it. I thought about adding cross supports, etc, but ultimately, I was just very careful about moving cars around the holes. At this point, they will be effective in preventing persons and dogs from accidentally falling into the holes, but nothing heavier than, say, a 200#. If I get a wild hair, I may add some cross supports to extend their use a little bit.

Moving Cars

Zed and Oliver home'd

With the shop ready enough for storing vehicles, I took last Friday (26-Sep) off work and started moving cars which have not moved in a while, starting with Zed, the 1978 Datsun 280ZX. He hasn't moved since I moved him here in November of 2022 (See Zed Moves), so I dealt with things like locked-up wheels, a dead battery, etc. Ultimately, I was unable to get him to start nor easily roll. The engine turned, but did not catch. I think it is a fuel delivery issue. I jacked up and verified that each wheel could turn freely so I snatched him from behind with the ToyoTruck and a trucker's chain. Once I got him out of the sunken holes his tires had been in, I was able to roll him down the slight slope to the lane-way. About this time I took a break and moved the stacks of tires I had stored under tire covers near the cars, moving them into the southeast corner of the shop. Returning to Zed, I moved the truckers chain to the lawn tractor and, with Boo behind Zed's steering wheel, we hauled him to the edge of the gravel where the tractor lost traction. We switched back to ToyoTruck,hauling Zed up the gravel drive into the shop, and sending the truck just out the opening at the far south end. We eventually got ToyoTruck out through some creative Tetris and then pushed Zed into the far southeast corner, lightly touching the stacks of tires. With the one car in place, and taking almost the entire day to get there, I hoped the others would be easier.

 

Oliver (1978 MGB) started and moved around last Fall (See MGB Carb Circle Back), so I had higher expectations for him. I slapped the battery charger on him before calling it a day. The next morning (Saturday), I was unable to get him started. There was plenty of charge and even with fresh gas in the tank, the fuel pump didn't change tone. I applied vacuum to the fuel line at the carb to get fuel up to it, but it still would not start. Again, the pump didn't change tone so I think the pump may be faulty, failing to deliver the pressure needed for the carb. Regardless, I was not going to fix Oliver, I needed to move him. So, again with Boo behind the wheel, we pushed him down into the lane-way and again hauled him to the edge of the gravel with the lawn tractor. This time, we did not use the ToyoTruck to haul him up the driveway. Instead, I used a come-along. Earlier in the week, I had looked at buying a winch at Harbor Freight and by mid-day Saturday I started regretting not buying one. With the come-along, I could move Oliver 4 feet at a time before chocking a wheel, resetting the cables and moving another 4 feet. His final spot is the northeast corner, near the big door opening. With the tires in front of Zed, Oliver just barely stuck out of the west end of the shop. So, I moved the tires over by the southwest corner and shoved Zed and Oliver the extra meter south. By now, it was early afternoon so Boo and I grabbed lunch and made the decision to keep pressing forward rather than punt on moving Nina to Sunday.

 

Nina (1965 VW Beetle) has a stuck engine so I already expected to have to haul her. Of the 3, she was the lightest, and we followed the same pattern: Boo and I pushed her into the lane-way, Boo behind the wheel, me on the lawn tractor, we hauled Nina to the edge of the gravel. Then, she was come-along'd into the shop. Once on the concrete, she was an easy slide next to Zed. While Nina is our newest acquisition, both Boo and I are really enamored with her. We are both very much looking forward to getting her working again. The rain did not appear on Sunday, so Boo and I did all the yard-related work we needed to do before the rains arrived.

 

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Monday, the rains started and it has been intermittent rain ever since. The weatherpersons indicate that the rains are supposed to end by the end of the week with clear weather returning for almost a week. At this time of year, that's fairly rare but I'll take it. I still have gutters to clean and Hapy to move. I have been monitoring the ground around the shop and there is absolutely no standing water anywhere.I will accept that as positive news about the quality of my french drain install. If nothing else, I can recognize that no water is impacting my neighbors from my shop install, and ultimately, that's what most concerns Clean Water Services. Regardless, I am greatly looking forward to solving the various won't run issues on Oliver and Zed, but Hapy is first. I very much want to have him whole and driving again.

Thanks, as always, for following along-