blog311.html

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

This was one of those open door days. When I got home the outdoor temperature was about ten degrees warmer than inside, so I had the front and back doors propped open to let the warmer air into the house. I did exciting stuff like reading the water meter and paying the bill, and sitting on the front porch folding the sox I washed Saturday. I noticed today that some of the grass is starting to wake up.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

After buying a case of port, spending an hour at the dentist's office for a toof cleanin, and shopping for groceries, the afternoon was shot. I was splitting a little wood for the evening when my cousin Pete called suggesting dinner in town at the steak house. I'm not about to turn down a free meal, so that's what we did. Meanwhile, a breeze from the south is about to turn today's 60º into tomorrow's 70º. I think I may finish sandblasting that partially done truck wheel so I can get it painted.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Done. I got out to the barn about three. I turned on the compressor, set up the sandblasting equipment, and finished the truck wheel. I had the thing blasted and the equipment put away by four o'clock. If all goes as planned, I'll get the wheel painted this weekend and have a new tire on it and back on the truck next week. That will leave just one more wheel, the spare, to blast and paint. I also have to make a spare tire carrier for the truck. That old foolishness of mounting the spare under the truck is out. The last thing I want is to have a flat in mud or snow and have to crawl under the vehicle to get the spare. As the old saying goes, ain't gonna happen.

Friday, March 4, 2011

This afternoon I painted one side of the truck wheel. Tomorrow I'll paint the other side, then cook the thing for a few days and get a new tire on it.

Saturday, Mrch 5, 2011

My morning chores were to finish painting the truck wheel and to sort and file more papers. This afternoon I went out to Shane's and helped him install a new breaker in his house.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

I'm still enough of a cold weather sissy to want to stay inside, so this afternoon I went to the Patterson auction and got some bargains indoors. Along with a pair of Edison records for $1, I got a box that contained a Ford combo wrench, a model of a Ford Trimotor propeller, and a bunch of other stuff for $1.50, a three-speed record player so I can play 78's for $1, and a pair of Essex hubcaps for $5.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Now I can be a lot less apprehensive about driving my truck without a spare tire. Today I got another new tire on it, making a total of four. When I blast and paint the fifth wheel and get a new tire on it, I'll have a spare for the first time ever. If the weather cooperates, I should get that done in a week or two.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

This afternoon's project was a little club work. I updated a couple of items on the K&O website. http://kosteamgas.org/

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

This was a wood day. I've used up all my small firewood, so I went down to the wood lot and cut up some hedge branches that have been waiting for a couple of years. Even after yesterday's rain, the wood's so dry inside that it really burns well. I may not have to cut much more. The forecast shows fewer and fewer cold days and nights ahead.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

This afternoon I fired up the WD and used it to remove the pallet of bricks that's been sitting on the trailer since December. I wasn't sure the pallet would hold together, and the weight of the thing made the old tractor lean forward a little, but the loader lifted it enough to clear the trailer. I set the pallet on the ground beside the trailer for now. When I get the Suburban back (tomorrow I hope), I'll move the trailer out of the way so I can move the pallet where I want it.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Drat! No Suburban. I stopped to ask about it on my way home from work, and found it wasn't back together yet. I may get it back tomorrow if I'm lucky. When I got home I started getting ready for the Chickasha prewar swap meet next week, looking over what I'll take to trade and figuring what I'll need to shop for.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

This morning I drove up to Emporia to look at a 1915 Ford runabout. It looks good, and the price was very good, so I decided to take the plunge. It's rare to find the opportunity to get a brass era car without spending a fortune. The next question is when I'll be able to bring it home. The Suburban still sits at the transmission shop, unfixed, so I'm not taking a trailer anywhere for now. I'm hoping the Chevy will be ready to use tomorrow or Tuesday. If not, I'll have to wait until Saturday, after I get back from the Chickasha swap meet on Thursday and Friday. Meanwhile, I need to clear some indoor parking space.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Another day of crummy weather inspired me to spend the afternoon indoors at the Patterson auction, where I bought an antique hoist for $20. Before the weather went south and I headed for Oxford, I cleaned out and vacuumed the Camry's trunk. Sometimes things become such a mess that you just have to stop and do something about it.

Monday, March 14, 2011

No Suburban yet. The transmission is done, but not back in the vehicle yet. Maybe tomorrow. Winter was hanging on today, with a high about 40º, so I brought in wood for another evening with heat. The forecast shows much warmer temperatures for the next week, so maybe I won't need another fire.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

At last I got the Chevy back. I stopped to check on it after work, and it was just being finished. I drove the Camry home, then Daisy and I walked into town to get the Suburban. The only problem was that the battery was way down, so when I got it home I put a charger on it overnight. I don't understand why a battery only eight months old would be down alrady. If it doesn't hold a charge, I'll have to return it for a new one.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

So far so good. After a charge overnight the Suburban started right up. We'll see if the battery holds a charge well enough for it to start after a couple of days. This afternoon I got ready for my trip to Chickasha. I emptied the Camry's trunk, packed a sleeping bag and a tarp, and printed out some pages from the Model T Ford Encyclopedia describing parts I need to get. I'm off to Okieland early in the morning.

Friday, March 17, 2011

As usual, the Chickasha prewar swap meet was well worth the trip. I got some good wheels and rims, and a lot of smaller items, and saw some neat old vehicles.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

This morning I took in an auction and bought a few tools. This afternoon I aired up the tires on the trailer and the Suburban, and started working on the trailer lights. Dinner at La Fiesta was yummy carnitas.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

This morning I finished fixing the trailer lights. Then I drove up to Emporia to fetch my new toy.

I really don't need another vehicle, but when the chance came up to get a brass era car without spending a fortune I snapped up the bait. The 1915 Ford runabout has some brass, but not so much that a fellow has to spend a lot of time polishing.

Monday, March 21, 2011

After being too much of a cold weather sissy during the winter, I greeted spring with a morning run. I did three miles in 35 minutes. Mighty slow.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

This afternoon I started clearing a place to put the new runabout. There's a lot of stuff to move and put away, so the job will take several days.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Moving and putting away stuff continued. I was right. This will take several days. Tonight I burned trash in the fireplace, possibly for the last time until next fall. Most nights are above freezing now.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

A little more moving and putting away, and more to go.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Excellent! I got in the barn and did a lot of sweeping, moving, and throwing out. I filled two large trash bags and cleared about a third of the space I need to. Another session or two like that will see me ready to move vehicles.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Brrr! Forget that wishful thinking about no more fires until fall. I went to a miserable auction today bcause of some interesting advertised items. The morning was cold and wet, with a north wind and a steady mist/drizzle. The afternoon dried out, but the overcast cold stayed on. I don't think the temperature ever got much above 40º. Some big spenders saw the same advertising I did, and I ended up buying absolutely nothing. I've been to enough of these things to know that something that I don't buy is likely to come up again at some other auction, and often for a lot less. One example is the antique drill press that sold yesterday for $50. Last summer I bought one for $3. With the day pretty well shot on the auction, I came home and put away the clean laundry, then went to town for dinner and a show. After dining on sausage pizzaola at Napoli's while listening to Dino and Frank, I went to see The Lincoln Lawyer. This was a good old fashioned crime/mystery drama, with no chases, explosions, or flying people. The script was well written and a talented cast with a lot of familiar names played it well. The director chose good shots, and the cinematography was beautifully sharp and clear, with none of the currently popular shaky-camera quick cuts that leave an audience wondering what's going on. In that way it reminded me of last year's best movie, Winter's Bone, which was totally different in setting and tone. Yes, I know The King's Speech got the Oscar, and was excellent, but Winter's Bone was the best.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

I lit a fire this morning while I played internet and watched the Sunday morning blab shows. This afternoon I started work on restoring a 1915 license plate for the new roadster. The forecast shows more chill until late in the week, when we're suppoed to get back up to the seventies.

Monday, March 28, 2011

After work this afternoon I continued the license plate restoration project. I'm shooting pictures for the benefit of those who want to see how it's done. When the job is finished I'll post a link to the video.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

License plate work continued this afternoon. I sanded the primer I put on yesterday, found areas that needed more filling, and shot on another coat of primer. To be continued.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Today I sanded the second coat of primer on the plate, then sprayed a color coat on the front. After that cooks I'll spray the back, then the plate should be ready for applying black on the numbers.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

The license plate work of the day was painting the back of the plate. After that cooks, I'm going to sand the front again and repaint it. It looks OK from a distance, but the 220 grit left scratches that show through the paint. I'll sand it with 800, and that should be much better. Later this afternoon I had to fetch the Camry, which has been getting fixed, so I jogged into town to get it. It was a mighty slow "run". With seriously cold weather about over, I need to get back to regular exercise.