Diesel Ranger Goes In The Garage

Its only taken how many years? Today the Ranger got winched rite into the garage, under my custom made engine lift. The motor is all unbolted, just a few minor things left to disconnect. I had hopped to have the extraction video done by now. The Ranger will get minor work, new head, timing belt, water pump, pan gasket, extra block heaters and machined oil filter base (machined to fit more common filters that don't cost $80 each). Everything will get washed, painted and put back together. The ol dodge will turn 300,000 around April, and might retire for good.

I figure I shouldn't have more than 3 trucks. I have just about finished the 57 that will replace the dodge, be more fun, capable and maybe cost more to run. Then the Ranger will be done in the Summer, with extra block heaters for Winter. If all goes as planned I will pick up a free minivan and the old crashed diesel Jetta in Victoria, and make my diesel minivan. Then I want a Diesel out of a 3 ton, to put into the 57, but I won't even think about that yet.

Clients have been real entertaining. I moved a couple that couldn't be more than 20, with 3 kids, moving from one dump into the next. The woman didn't want to haul the stuff in the back of their pick up truck, but their stuff was all the crap you could get for free. I wondered if I would get paid but I did.

Then my electrical job I "estimated" at $100 an hour, if things would have went well. But it took me twice as long, materials were 50% more than I anticipated, and I hadn't included any time for picking the materials up, nor driving to the job, so I made less than $40 an hour for that. I find it really entertaining to see the renovations that home owners do. I should be an inspector.

The Improved Crayfish Video

The most boring picture yet! This is a view from my $7 web cam bolted to the back of my truck tool box. It is specifically for hooking the trailer up solo, but now I know it works, and works well, I am going to get another one for the back of the trailer. It was not only 7% of the cost of a "back up camera" and there is none of the wireless issues, since it is just run on USB extensions.


For all those not into the trucks, lawn tractors, and snowmobiles, I made another crayfish video. This was 2 hours of crap, edited down to 2 min. The first bit was mostly for the audio, of Michelle, so fascinated by the bubbles and pinches, and then just some crayfish scenarios. I can't sit at the kitchen table and work any more, I find them too distracting, and entertaining.

I get a surprising number of calls, for both moving and electrical work, just from simple free Kijiji adds. I haven't explored "craig;s list", or anything else yet. Unfortunately a lot of calls have a one hour job, and they want it done rite now. I can often put them off till the next time I plan to be in Edmonton, but if they can't wait, I can't help them, being a 4 hour return trip to the southern and western ends of Edmonton.

I am really disappointed in my ol Dodge automatic transmission. I know they have addressed this on new trucks by putting a tow switch on the dash, which tells the transmission to shift later and all. I just got a tachometer in my truck, cause I am forced to drive it like a standard when I tow the trailer, it never takes the rpm above 1500. It has to have something like an economy shift kit in it or something.

I love my work trailer, which I have now cleaned out and is more of a moving trailer. Except it has no brakes, which is absurd, it has a 6000 lb axle. Down snowy roads its somewhat terrifying, I won't even take it out. But I found company that sells kits to put brakes on brake less axles, so I am on it. I posted a video on youtube called "My 14' moving trailer" that is on my pacificcloud channel, if anybody wants to see it. That video was only for marketing to show people how big the trailer is, so it won't be posted on the blog. Its just like a sprinter van without the $1000 monthly payments, nor the good gas mileage. It helps me if people subscribe to my youtube channel, rate my videos with 5 stars, and post positive comments on them too, if anybody feels so inclined. http://www.youtube.com/user/pacificcloud

Back to work

The school replaced their kitchen stoves, and the old ones were going to the dump. I can't stand to see good stuff thrown out, and I need some stove burners to make myself a killer 4000 watt heater with an old furnace blower that I also collected from garbage. Until then it makes good wheel weights on the back of the tractor ha ha. Doesn't steer very well like that though, I need to find a happy medium. I have lawn tractor skid steer, front end loader plans in my head, that may materialize by the end of the winter, depending on what kind of parts I find at the dump.

I think I have pushed the limit of staying home and playing w lawn tractors, sleds, and trucks. At least remaining happily married doing that. Saturday night I put an add up on Kijiji for electrical work. I am also pretty much out of money, so I also put an add up to potentially move people w my new trailer, that I haven't used once. I got a lot of calls the next day. With all the driving I just got 2, 3 hour jobs in, and picked up a period correct radiator for the 57 in another town. I only charged $50 an hour, for the electrical job, and the moving job I did. At the end of it I think i should charge more for both jobs, but moving people is so much easier.

I have asked 3 contractors now what they charge, both electricians and plumbers, and its been $65, $75, and $80 an hour, plus $0.85 per km traveled, or $65-$75 just for showing up w a truck. I will take the average of those prices I think, and up my $50 hourly rate. Then moving people, I don't know what to charge there yet, its so easy $50 is acceptable w $100 min. That gets me into Edmonton, and I can go door to door looking for electrical work after I move someone.

The clients have been amusing. Buddy skipping on his rent, moving all his stuff to storage, has to stop at money mart to pay me. Then I put some 3 way switches in for a different guy in a finished duplex. I had to cut holes in the finished painted walls, make a mess, come across unexpected obstacles in the walls, its really easier moving boxes. Anyway he decided to change a light fixture after I left, by himself, and he screwed it all up, so it didn't work, then he phoned me and I had to walk him through it on the phone. But he is a commercial real estate agent, so I can follow up with him and potentially get more work. "Hey did you get that light working in the end? Know anybody that needs commercial real estate wired?" I gave him a stack of cards, and a great deal.

We missed a crayfish Moulting, I think she did it wile we slept. She was the small one, but now with her exoskeleton removed she is the big one. The other guy is ready to moult any day, hope to get it on camera. The after math is really creepy cause the little buggers are always hiding, and here is the "big guy" standing over an empty shell with legs and pinchers and all, nobody else in sight. I just assumed the "big guy" killed and ate the other one at some point. But the "big guy" was really the little girl now out of her shell.

The Ford Gets New Signals

I dealt w my front signal issue. One problem at a time.

Snowmobile and Lawn/Garden Tractor Repairs

Today was great. The sun was melting the snow, and it was much warmer out than it has been. I replaced the needle and seat in Michelle's snowmobile, and installed a kill switch on it. Video:


I also completed part 2 of the lawn tractor repairs. I failed at making a block heater, but it was warm enough to start it today without hitting it with the tiger torch. If I don't figure out a block heater soon it will get a decompression valve from an old motorbike. The starter won't turn the 650cc single cylinder when its otherwise when its cold.

Cray Fish Video

A quick video update on the crayfish. We have bought a 10 gallon tank for them now, so we can have more plants and fish at the same time. We will likely need the fish bowl again to separate the two crayfish when one moults, or to separate the babies, if we did get a male and female as we suspect. Anyone want crayfish babies.

Lawn Tractor, Plow, Trouble Shooting

So starting the lawn tractor with the drill has its disadvantages. I would have thought turning the crank shaft nut would be easier on the key than cranking the motor from the flywheel. I have sheered a second key now, and the way the flywheel is marked, it looks like it might have been sheered in the past. I still haven't finished part 2 of the video, but I think it will include a new lawn tractor block heater.

Michelle messed up her rib cage some how. I am here waiting for her at the chiropractor, I think I pulled the recorder out too late. I can hear him using some clicky gun type thing on her back. The audio goes something like "click, ouch, click, ouch, click, oh, click, ouch".

New Fish

Months ago we got a large fish bowl. For Valentines day we went out and came home w two Crayfish. Now our, almost two gallon, fish bowl needs upgrading already. The crayfish are much more exciting than fish, and we can get some gold fish to live with them when we get more water real estate. A hungry crayfish could catch and eat small feeder fish, but its not that likely. Just adds another level of excitement. Hopefully the new video cam, thats not here yet, can focus in on the little bastards.

Our Hot tub failed. Its now cold. Should be an easy fix, only the access is poor. In hind sight it would have been better to put the hot around the other way, so the controls were not against the wall. So far I am working w mirrors to see stuff.

Renewed Electric Vehicle Interest

My 57 Ford body is in terible shape. It isn't very rusty, but it has dents everywhere. I started picking at cracking bondo, and now it is full of dents. I am just painting it, and when the weather warms up I will sand blast the dents in the driveway to bondo them. Bondo sticks best to rough sand blasted metal. Other than that I am rite on track w getting the 57 road worthy for spring.

Kim got 2 36v electric golf carts for Parker Island, which has renewed my excitement for my Ebike. I found some interesting stuff online about overvoltaging electric carts, which I will also aply to my ebike. Expect some videos on that in the near future.

A video of one of the many repairs I have to do to the 57. I am not doing too much for exciting things these days, so I am going to make a video journal of the truck repairs. It is not a restoration, but I am trying to keep most stuff somewhat period correct. The truck has all new brakes, brought up to the 1969 standards, so it stops good. It will probably get HID headlights, and LED tail lights, but the generator will stay in until it fails. For cold weather it has the electric radiator fans, and it will get a new stereo. But I am going out of my way to keep the dash looking original and get the old looking switches. I have even glued switch labels on from the 2953 I had hauled away. I will make a video a day from here on.

Test drove the Sprinter van, liked everything but the price tag. I had a good conversation w Terry, presumably the owner of Aldon Auto. He is interested in an Electrical quote of wiring a small medical center he is building. He is hoping to have the electrical plans this week, and would like a quote from me. A bit over my head as an estimator, but I have to go for it.

Terry figured the Sprinter van is only good for 20mpg, being a one ton and all. That really wouldn't be worth my wile if thats the case. But if the VWs get 60mpg w their little diesels, couldn't I get 40 mpg in a VW powered mini van? I have a free minivan lined up, and a rebuilt VW engine and trans in Victoria, any time I want to start that project.

As I get into my 57 I really can't wait to drive it. I am also shifting my thoughts towards rebuilding the Ranger, as opposed to rebuilding the old Dodge. It is really causing me no problems now, since the whole lot of work after Mexico, being Universal joints, front brakes, and drive shaft bearing. I notice one air bag is rubbing again, but I have 5 spares, so I can't be bothered to replace it in the cold.

I found oversize pistons for the the 110 buggy on Ebay. I was really excited about boring the cylinder a half mm oversize myself. It doesn't really matter if I screw it up, a new piston and cylinder is only $80 w shipping. And if it works out I can do my truck myself, and save $40 per cylinder for boring. But then I found out the piston pin is the wrong size and I don't feel confident enough to re-bore my connecting rod strait 3mm larger. Good thing I ask questions first. I will hope my Dodge doesn't need re-boring, because I won't attempt it without some practice. Plus it will save me a lot of money to stay with stock size.

Efficient Diesel Van

Trying to get sled parts at the local stores I found Aldon wreckers has 2 sprinter vans. One they bought as a "theft recovery" 2008, 17,000 km on it. They are asking $38k for that one. The other is crashed, but I briefly had thoughts of putting the diesel sprinter motor n trans into my truck, until I heard they want $10k for the motor, and $5k for the trans. I will test drive their "recovered" van today, but I don't really trust this place. They have sold lots of cars with blown head gaskets and such to local people.

Every time I am on youtube, I find I gravitate to Davesfarm videos. Not intentionally, I just search "how to put the timing chain in a honda" and I get his videos. How to fix an automotive air conditioner, motorbike powered dune buggy, blah, blah, blah. Then I am distracted by the entertainment videos, "school bus vs loader, tug a war". And ultimately "my check from google (youtube)" catches my eye. So Dave is doing what I want to do, and making money off it. He does other stuff too, cause he only makes about $4000 a month from his cheesy youtube videos, and a lot of his videos are repairing other peoples cars and machines for cash. I couldn't find the detailed minivan conversion vid from 2001, but here is a recent repair of Dave's diesel minivan. Dave is my idol in respect to this van, this is what I wanted and I didn't even know it, until today.