Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Heating The Floor Of My Ghetto Garage

After all this time I got a Youtube Partnership, so watch my videos lots.  I still haven't gone though all 150ish vids and declared them all music and copy write content free, but every new vid is definitely partnered.  Some of the old vids are getting remakes too.

I really want a heated space to work on the vehicles, but it looks like I will actually lose space if I build a real garage in the back yard.  As it stands rite now, the Ghetto garage pretty much up against the fence, I always have a trailer up against the other fence.  A real garage has to be a meter plus away from the property lines, there goes 2 useful meters of space, then there isn't nuff room for more than a trailer.

As usual, I have more solutions than problems.  I just heated the floor of my ghetto garage, and it is quite pleasant now.  Here is the video of how I did it.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Fussy Crabbing

One more vid of Fussy, crabbing this time, cause its such a weird sound she makes.

Fussy The Possum

I don't want to diss my old past ferret, but wow the Sugar Glider Possums are way better pets.  This little girl I got, sleeps all day.  She is just a little bigger than a mouse.  Being a marsupial, she is happiest in a pouch or pocket close to me.  I haven't taken her out on the motorcycle or snow mobile yet (because I haven't been out on them), but she is in my shirt all day, sleeping.  I am grinding, cutting steel, and wood, chainsaw, skill saw, sawzall, drill, sleeps through it all.  Then I have to get her up at 10pm, when I want to go to bed.

If I want to hang out with her a bit, I pretty much put her on some news paper, and lift her tail, and she makes little mouse size poops, on command.  We have been sort of discouraging her from flying, mostly cause Gus, our youngest dog, wants to eat her.  Our house isn't very fly friendly, she can't grip the walls, and so she hits the floor when she jumps for the wall.  She will jump off me into her cage, or from Michelle to me.

I named her Sheila, since she is native to Australia, and a girl.  But her name quickly evolved to Fussy Pants.   The name speaks for its self.  The fact that she has little hands, she can throw food if she doesn't like it, which she does all the time.  She also makes the oddest "crabbing" noise when she is disturbed and irritated.  A quick video of her eating a piece of apple on my arm.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Well I bought a possum.  I specifically went to look at one unprepared, so we couldn't take it home.  Next thing you know they have a cage, and a 6 month care package for us, wile the little cuddle monster has gone to sleep in my pocket.

I just got her tonight, after work.  Van is back in working action, with issues, another story.  No energy to make a vid, so the best two min vid on youtube I found of these little guys is the cool whip gliders.  A little research found the only possum that makes a good pet is the sugar glider marsupials from Australia.  Just to clarify, I have only one glider, there is 8 in the vid.  Here is the cool whip glider vid.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Winter Fun

The Astro pushed its servo out again, this time I know its retainer clip was well seated.  If my transmission wasn't made of aluminum, I would have that servo welded in by now.  It must have a damaged retaining clip grove or something.  So I will try to screw the retainer in, to get by for the winter.

Wouldn't you know it.  I buy brand new snow tires for the van.  Put new steal leaf springs with 4 extra leafs in er so I can LOAD it this winter and get lots of traction.  Almost bought an electric locker rear end, ($1500+).  And the van ends up basically up on blocks waiting for transmission parts from Louisiana, with no intention of putting the rebuild trans in till spring.  Wile the VW, had the intention of taking a mini retirement for winter with its currently bald tires, solidified fryer fat, and other problems.  Here is the start of winter fun this morning in my quick vid.  Incidentally, dis-spite the snapping sound inside the door, when the key turned (without unlocking anything), the door lock worked in the afternoon after driving around with the heat blasting, and some sun.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Had To Get Towed

My start at being my own transmission mechanic, hasn't gone well.  I tried to give a little more life to my old transmission, by giving it bigger serveros, to put more pressure on the burnt clutches.  I screwed that up, it was very difficult to get the servo in, wile the transmission was in the van.  I have now "sanded out" the damage I caused in the servo bore, and put the original servo back in.  The new servo will just be in the new transmission.

I will now ride out the transmission in the van, until I lose third and fourth, next spring or summer I am hoping, or maybe when I get my garage built.  (I now have spousal permission to build a real garage w heat :-)).  I got an 84 transmission, that also needs a rebuild, for $100.  The newest transmission I can use is 92, and that's 20 years old.  I figured I would rebuild whatever I get.  There is too many scammers out there that want $1000 for their "rebuilt" transmission.  Most of them haven't even cleaned the thing, what is to say its "rebuilt", and its not rebuilt the way I want anyway.

So this is a video of the servo screw up and the start of the rebuild of my 84 transmission.  Parts are on there way.  Although the 85-92 trans was better than 84 this one will be built for towing, and a future diesel conversion, better than anything 20 years old.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

New Lokar Floor Shifter

With a lot of research I found that my Astro van transmission, the 700R4, is actually pretty good.  I think what sold me on it though, is there is adapter plates available to bolt up the 3.9L Cummins diesel 4 cylinder.  I also found I can rebuild the transmission to act more like a standard.

I hate the shifter on the the tree too.  I think twice I have been like "oh I'm not in drive (I'm in a low gear)" and I  go through the unnatural motion of shifting up, its all stuck, and next thing you know I threw it into reverse wile I am driving forward.  After I did that in the Ford Windstar it wouldn't shift into third or fourth.

I ordered some parts to make my existing transmission better, and to rebuild a second transmission, because I will eventually lose my 3rd and 4th gear on my present transmission.  That's great, because I will still have 2 foward gears, and revers.  I get away with out a tow truck again.  But with the  parts I ordered, I got a sweet floor shifter for the van.  Heres the vid of the shifter install, it got dark at the end sorry.