Monday, June 5, 2017

Today I took the leaking radiator off my runabout and cleaned up the cracks, preparing to attempt repairs. I soldered the cracks before, and that worked for a few months, but solder across the cracks wasn't strong enough to hold the pieces together. So this time, after I solder the cracks, I'll solder some one inch brass strips over them. I hope that will add enough strength to keep the thing together permanently.


Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Today's first job was weed-pulling in the cool of the morning. I spent about an hour and a quarter attacking the weed patch by the barn, then moved on to the west side of the house. I wanted to get that part done while it was still in the shade, and finished it in half an hour. One more session should finish the patch in front of the barn. Doing laundry, grocery shopping, and doing some research on soldering ate up the rest of my day. I should mention that the first lightning bugs of the season showed up last night. I hope the wet spring means we'll have a good crop of them this year.


Wednesday, June 7, 2017

After a three-mile jog, shower, and breakfast, full direct sun was on the weeds by the barn. So maybe I'll get to them tomorrow. Instead I pulled some other weeds that were in a shady spot. But I spent most of the day working on my leaky radiator. At the end of the day I was pleased that I managed to fix the leak.  The full story is here.


Thursday, June 8, 2017

Done, done, and partly done.  In the cool of the morning I attacked those weeds in front of the barn and in about an hour I was done with them.  Then I installed a better crank pulley on my roadster to replace one that rattled because it was loose, and was done with that a little after noon. Next was a drive to the Harbor Freight store in Wichita to buy buffing wheels. After dinner this evening  I put a couple of those wheels to work on my newly repaired radiator, and spent about three hours cleaning, buffing, and polishing. So that job is partly done. I aim to finish it up tomorrow and get that radiator back on the car.

Friday, June 9, 2017 I spent the morning with the new buffing wheels, cleaning and polishing the newly repaired radiator, and reinstalled it and the headlights. I took the car for a short drive to pay the water bill, about six miles, and it survived. We'll see how it stands up to the stress of driving over time.  Meanwhile, the grass is growing and the lawn is getting pretty shaggy. I'll need to mow soon.

Saturday, June 10, 2017

Auction day. First I checked out the one south of town and saw absolutely nothing to keep me there. It was all stuff you'd have to pay me to haul off. So I went on to the Defore auction in Winfield. I bought a radio for $1.50, a tripod for $1, about a dozen kitchen tools (tongs, spatulas, etc.) for $2, a clock for $1, a Model T switch plate for $1, and a box of deep sockets for $1. With tax, the total bill was $8.11. The 1915 runabout parked outside drew many of the usual comments and questions. One lady asked, "Are you going to drive it?" I told her, "You bet I am. It's a long walk home." But the strangest was from the young guy who asked, "Is it a 32?" I had no comeback for that. I just said, "No, it's a 1915." At least nobody called it a truck this time.


Sunday, June 11, 2017

This is remarkable. Certainly not normal. Today I took down storm windows and put up screens in the kitchen and the bathroom. Usually that's an early spring job done in April. You can still have chilly weather in April, but there are enough warm days that you want to let a little breeze blow through the house. Not this year. It's been such a wet and cool spring that I've let the job slide until June. Now we're getting warm weather, and it's time to let in some air.
This evening after dinner I used the runabout for a bit of dog training. My first attempt to take Shorty for a Model T ride did not go well at all. I had her on too long a leash, which allowed her to jump out and end up hanging by her neck on the side of the car. Somehow she injured a foot and for a couple of weeks went about on three legs. That was a couple of months ago, so tonight I decided to try it again, this time with a shorter leash. I needn't have worried about the leash. I guess she remembered what happened before, and this time made no move to jump out. In fact, for the first two or three miles she kept her face buried in the seat. We went about fifteen miles, and by the end she had loosened up enough to look out and watch the scenery roll by.


Monday, June 12, 2017

One project used up most of the day. I started sandblasting the engine pan for my 1923 touring in the cool of the morning and had it done about 9:15. Next was masking it for painting the inside, then doing the painting. I gave that plenty of time to dry while I went to town for shopping. When I got back I masked it for painting the outside, then did that painting. Next I'll install the new hand crank bushing and the radius rod studs, and it will be ready to use. This evening Shorty went for another ride in the runabout, and I made a video of the adventure.


Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Again I was back at sandblasting in the morning cool. This time it was two transmission drums. I didn't completely finish either one, because once the webbing was clean I could see that both of them had cracks. Out of more than a dozen reverse drums I have, only one isn't cracked, and it has a badly worn flange. I hate to do it, but it appears I'll be spending $240 for a new reverse drum. In the medical department, Shorty went to the vet for a heartworm checkup today. It cost $37.42 to find out she doesn't have heartworms. That's a lot cheaper than it would have been to find out that she does.


Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Well, maybe I won't be spending that $240 after all. I found another reverse drum that may be OK. I'll find out when I clean it up. Today's main project was more radiator work. It developed little leaks at the front of both the patches I recently soldered on. So I took it off the car and did some more solder work. Just sitting with water in it, the radiator showed no leaks. But with it back on the car and after driving a few miles, I found a little drip on the left side. Unless it develops into a bigger drip, I'm inclined to live with it for a while and use my time for other things.


Thursday, June 15, 2017

I was asked about how to mount a bike speedometer on a Model T. I knew the question is likely to come up again sometime, so I spent some of my morning making a new web page about it. My outside work was cutting little trees west of the shop and poisoning the stumps. I finished most of the area, and should have it done with one more session. In the afternoon I gave the runabout what we used to call a grease job, changing the oil, filling the grease cups and oilers, and oiling all the points on the lube chart. Part of having an ancient car is maintenance. This evening I went to Wilson Park for the band concert, then to Braum's for ice cream. That's a regular Thursday evening for me this time of year.


Friday, June 16, 2017

Well, I almost finished a job today. I have just a few more little trees by the shop to clear away, then I'll mow. My other job today was taking the carburetor off the roadster and clenaing it out. The car has gotten stubborn lately for cold starts, but the problem apparently wasn't the carb. What I did today made no difference. I guess next I'll check the spark plugs.


Saturday, June 17, 2017

This morning  I went a little farther than usual to check out an auction.  It was  in the flint hills of Chautauqua County, about three miles from where my dad was born. It was a beautiful  ranch setting,  but in the stuff or sale there was very little of interest to me. Certainly not enough to make me spend the day there.  So I came home and went to work on the roadster.  Recently it has become a hard starter, requiring a lot of cranking to get it going. So far I've cleaned the timer, reset the timing (it's perfect), cleaned out the carburetor, changed the float valve needle, and determined that all the plugs are sparking. Yes, I know that seeing them spark isn't a valid test, but even if one or two are bad I should be getting at least a cough.  So far  nothing I've tried has helped, so I'll have to try some  other things.


Sunday, June 18, 2017

Rain overnight softened the ground, and I did a lot of weed-pulling today. I spent so much time on that I did't accomplish much else.


Monday, June 19, 2017

It may have been something I ate. I slept late, was up for an hour, and took a nap. I didn't feel like doing much of anything, with rumbling guts and repeated sessions on the throne. At ten a reporter from the local paper came out to do an interview about Model T's, then I took another nap for a couple of hours. I had an appointment with the eye doc in Wichita, so that took up my afternoon. The good news was that my pressures were down, so the medicines have been working.


Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Most of my morning was a drive to Burden, about thirty miles north, in the roadtser.  I went to  help a fellow there identify what Model T parts he has.  The car ran fine once it was started, but the hard-starting problem continues. I have to pull the crank a dozen times or more to get the thing running, and nothing I've tried so far shows any sign of curing the problem. I even switched to a different carburetor, and that didn't help it either. This is really getting exasperating.



Wednesday, June 21, 2017

The first day of summer was filled with yard work. Pulling weeds, cutting little trees and poisoniong the stumps, hauling yard waste to a brush pile, tree trimming, and mowing. I don't like starting a new brush pile in the yard behind the house, but I did. I prefer having them on lower ground where the yard waste will rot faster. But this has been such a wet year that it may be fall or winter before I can get to the others without getting stuck. The most exciting thing was tree trimming. A low-hanging walnut branch had to go. I was standing about five feet up a ladder sawing it off. When it came loose the light end, being lower, hit the ground first, and the heavy end came over and tipped the ladder (and me)  over backwards. When I realized I was going down I flung the saw way off to the side so I wouldn't land anywhere near it. I landed on my back and was more annoyed than scared or hurt. Luckily it seems there was no major damage. I'm a little sore, but not enough to keep me from getting around.


Thursday, June 22, 2017

More yard work was a big part of the day. I pulled more weeds, trimmed a few more branches, and hauled several loads of yard waste to the brush pile.  I finished most of the mowing, with just a bit more to do tomorrow if I can find the time.  In the spirit of Try Anything, I put a set of new spark plugs in my hard-starting roadster. I was stunned to find that that cured the hard starting, which I was sure was some kind of fuel delivery issue. I guess it proves the old saying that 90% of fuel problems are electrical, and vice-versa. Any way, I'm delighted to have my easy starter back.  I  celebrated with a drive to town for the band concert in Wilson Park followed by a double cone at Braum's.  They do make good ice cream.


Friday, June 23, 2017
Family reunion, Day One, included lots of Model T rides, a pickup ride, and collecting lightning bugs.


Saturday, June 24, 2017
Day Two included a short memorial for our cousin Cara, more T rides, catered chow, and making ice cream on the front porch. It was an enjoyable couple of days, and plans for next year are already underway.


Sunday, June 25, 2017

I rested, dined on leftovers, took a nap, and began spraying the Johnson grass and other weeds. I wouldn't mind the spraying if the sprayer worked properly all the time, but it's exasperatingly temperamental, and I have keep stopping to unclog it. The maddening part is that I can't figure out what's wrong with it.


Monday, June 26, 2017

Much of the day I worked on reunion photos, putting them on a couple of web pages. I sent an email to all the relatives announcing the dates for next year's reunion (same weekend), and included a link to the photos.


Tuesday, June 27, 2017

A big storm last night gave the ground a good soaking, so it was a good morning for weed pulling. My cousin Pete brought over a couple of small crabapple trees she wanted out lof her yard, and we planted them down in the wood lot. In a few years they'll provide a nice spring display.


Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Well, being 76 doesn't feel much different from being 66 or 56, except that I'm still sore after last week's ladder incident. X-rays showed nothing broken, so I guess I'll get over it.  I celebrated the day  with a big weed-pulling session.  After over an hour  weeding along the front  bank,  I attacked the grass and weeds west of the garage to give the hollyhocks and nasturtiums a chance.  I finished that at noon, and spent most of the afternoon doing laundry. The dryers that used to get a load of wash nearly dry on six quarters now leave it pretty wet on eight. So I think I'll set up some clothes lines here at home and do my own drying.


Thursday, June 29, 2017

Worthless. Well, I did get a little work done, but not much. I spent most of the day sitting and lying, waiting for the sore back to heal. I seem to alternate between not feeling it  enough to notice, and getting some work done, and feeling it enough to notice, and lying about to give it a rest. I'm going to Mike's in Tulsa next Wednesday to work on my engine, so I hope I'll be totally in not noticing mode by then.


Friday, June 30, 2017

The back was less bothersome today. I hope that's at least partly from healing, and not all from pain killers. With the ground soft from over an inch of rain, I did some more serious weed pulling. This evening I took shorty for another Model T ride and made a little video.