blog318

Friday, March 2, 2018

All morning I worked on tail lights. Recently I bought a set of trailer lights to use as Model T tail lights, and to do that I want to convert them from twelve volt incandescant to six volt LED. Because the LED bulbs are directional, I need to install a different socket to face them in the right direction, toward the rear. It takes a lot longer to do that than to write it. This will be more than a one-day project. In the afternoon I got back to work on the mowing tractor. I installed the starter, hooked up the battery, pushed the button, and nothing happened. Not even a solenoid click. I put a tester on the battery, and the needle went right to REPLACE. So I took the old battery to the farm supply in town, where another test showed it dead. I bought a new battery, brought it home, hooked it up, pushed the button, and still nothing happened. Not even a click. So the adventure of the mowing tractor will continue as I try to figure out what the trouble is.

Saturday, March 3, 2018

This was the day for my annual haute couture pilgrimage to Okieland. Nobody around here sells Round House overalls, my preferred brand, so I have to import them from Oklahoma. I drove to the Wal-Mart in Ponca City and bought the only set they had in my size, then I went on to the Wal-Mart in Blackwell and bought the only set they had in my size there. Before I left I put a charger on that new battery to make sure it was fully charged. When I got home I tried the solenoid again and it still didn't click, so it looks like a replacement for that is in order too.

Sunday, March 4, 2018

It was laundry day, and not much else got done. Deiter Mitchell dropped in to see if I had some radiator mounting hardware he needs (I didn't) and we spent a couple of hours blathering. Somehow we got onto the subject of steam. Dieter is a steam guy, and a big fan of steam locomotives. He really lights up on that subject.

Monday, March 5, 2018

Again, it pays to shop around. I dropped in at a local auto parts store today and asked about a 6 volt starter solenoid. Theirs was $77+. So I called Tractor Supply Company in Ponca City. They had one for $33+. So I ordered one from Amazon for $16.82. Meanwhile, with the Chickasha swap meet coming next week I cleaned out the Suburban and started loading up stuff I'll take to sell. This will be the first time I've rented a space for selling anything since I sold the sign business fourteen years ago.

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Wind blowing 30 to 40 mph, with gusts over 50 mph, persuaded me to stay in the shop today. I worked on installing the new splash apron on the touring car. It's mostly done, but I'll have to wait until I have the new fender before I finish. I'm hoping that will be ready in a week or two. While I was working in the shop the mail brought the ultrasonic cleaner I ordered the other day, so this evening I put it to work. I filled it with rust remover and put in some rusty/heavily soiled castle nuts and other small hardware, ran it for ten minutes, gave it a rest, and ran it for another ten minutes. I'll let the parts soak overnight in that rust remover and see how they look in the morning.

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

The overnight soak didn't help much, if at all. The parts were about as dirty as they were before I started. So I'm trying carburetor cleaner instead of the so-called rust remover. While that soak was going on, I spent the day working my tail light adaptation. I got the left side wired and assembled, installed the LED bulb, and tried it out. It works very nicely. Tomorrow I'll buy another socket and some terminals to do the right side. Then I'll need to do a little wiring in the car and install a switch.

Thursday, March 8, 2018

As planned, I bought the socket and terminals. I got a little done on the tail light project, but had to leave. I spent the afternoon on a drive to Wichita, where my eye doc did laser surgery to lower the pressure in my left eye. I don't know how much I'll get done on that project tomorrow. The forecast claims the weather will be good for outdoor work, so the tail light thing may wait until the weather drives me indoors again. That will happen soon enough.

Friday, March 9, 2018

Progress. I installed that new solenoid on the tractor. It took awhile to figure out how it was supposed to be wired differently than the old one, but I got it to work. The starter worked too, and I started the tractor and let it run a minute. Next will be figuring out the lack of power that kept me from using the thing for mowing. I hope it's something simple like a bad spark plug or plug wire. With the tractor running again, I turned my attention to the Suburban. The assignment there is installing a couple of new brake hoses and some new brake pads. That's mighty slow going, with some parts hard to reach and things being well stuck by being together for 45 years. I ran out of time, so that story will be continued.

Saturday, March 10, 2018

Mission accomplished! Well, sort of. I got the old front brake hose off and started to install the new brake pads. But I found the piston stuck solid in the caliper. It absolutely would not move, in or out. I went shopping for a new caliper and was pleasantly surprised to find that with the old one for a core charge the new one was only $17.29 . I installed the new hose, pads, and caliper, then turned my attention to the rear brake hose. I spent over an hour on it and gave up. The old fittings are stuck so badly that I'm not going to take the time to fight them now. I'll get to that sometime after I get back from Chickasha. I did take a few minutes to check the rear brake linings, and they're OK. I checked the air in all the tires and the car is ready to roll.

Sunday, March 11, 2018

On your mark, get set, pack. Today's main job was puting price tags on stuff and loading it in the Suburban to go to Chickasha. This will remove a little bit of clutter from my shop. There's more loading to do, but I should be ready to roll by Thursday.

Monday, March 12, 2018

Today saw more progress on the tail lights. I have the LED bulbs installed and they both light up nice and bright. All that remains on this job is to put some wiring and a switch in the car. Eventually I may add a flasher and a turn signal switch, but for now I just want some nice bright tail lights that are easily seen at night.

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Well, there's at least one project completed. Today I finished installing my new tail lights. Most of the time they'll ride in a small box in the trunk. But if I get caught out after dark all I have to do is set them out on the fenders, plug them in, and flip a toggle switch. The six volt LED bulbs are nice and bright. Today I also took the runabout outside and washed off the road dust, so now it's ready for a new coat of dust. I also finished most of my loading up for the Chickasha swap meet. I'll finish loading tomorrow, and Thursday I'll be off to Okieland.

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Today's job in the shop was taking the touring car tail light bracket off the runabout and installig the correct one for the runabout. I also have the correct tail light, but it needs some repairs before I install it. The other main activity of the day was more loading up for the Chickasha swap meet. I have a little more of that to do, but should be able to get moving early enough to be at the fairgrounds before they open the gate for set-up at 1:00 PM.

Thursday, March 15, 2018

Well, I made it, but not quite as planned. I was a couple of hours late getting away due to loading the runabout on the trailer. Just loading took longer than I expected, and then I took time to make a wheel holder to help keep the car in place on the trailer. My speed limit when towing is 55 mph, and I was bucking such a headwind that a lot of the way I was doing about 50. With a stop in Oklahoma city to buy a jack for the Suburban, and a different route to Chickasha because of that, it was about 3:50 PM when I got to the fairgrounds. It turned out that I wasn't late after all, as they didn't open the gate until 4:00 PM. So I got in, got unloaded and went to the Chinese buffet for a stuffing. In the morning I'll get my wares laid out and we'll see what Friday brings.

Friday, March 16, 2018

I am a happy camper. I sold enough to pay for my space and solved the mystery of the odd sound my runabout was making. Actually it was Mike Bender who solved the mystery. We took the car out for a drive, and it didn't take him long to figure out that I was driving with the timing advanced too far. Just raising that lever a little made the sound go away. I haven't taken many pictures this time, but here are a few.

Thursday afternoon, waiting to enter.

Friday morning, waitng to sell.

This remarkably solid 1911 drew a lot of attention.

Saturday, March 17, 2018

I was disappointed to see a smaller meet this year, with a lot of empty spaces. It doesn't help when some of the vendors pack up and leave early. Some were leaving by noon on the first day. But even with the smaller meet, I enjoy going. This morning I sold the pile of top sockets I didn't want to haul home. I also got out and took some pictures, which are here. By noon it was over and I started loading up. By the time I was ready to roll it was 2:15 PM. I pulled out of the parking lot and headed east and got about a quarter mile down the road when the Suburban suddenly died. There was no coughing and sputtering, which would suggest a fuel problem. It was a case of sudden death, indicating an electrical problem. A man passing by happened to have a tow strap in his truck, and pulled me into a parking lot. A police officer had stopped to see what was going on, and he gave me a ride to an auto parts store where I bought a new coil and points. The cop had returned me to the scene of the breakdown and I was installing the new parts when Bill and Justin Devine saw me and stopped. They helped me get the new parts in place and the car running, and once again I was on my way. It was 4:15.With a dinner stop at El Rodeo in Guthrie, I got home at 10:20 PM. After this long day getting to sleep was easy.

Sunday, March 18, 2018

Back to Okieland! Today I drove down to Piedmont for an auction of Model A and Model T parts. I was after T stuff, of course, and I wasn't disappointed. Some of the things I brought home included four exhaust manifolds with good threads for $1 each, three Hayes clincher rims for $3 each, three steering gear cases (one apparently with a 1909-1914 cover) for $2, seven Holley G carburetors (most of them bronze) for $20, a pair of transmission pans for $1, three sets of engine pans (one set looks NOS) for $3, a 26-27 fuel tank for $35, four more clincher rims for $9 each, and several other small items. Ron Paetz got a pretty good hand cranked coil tester for $250, and Cameron Whitaker scored a Model B engine for $4 and a few boxes of nice coils, also cheap. I love auctions.

Monday, March 19, 2018

Brrrrr... The thermometer said 45º, but the north wind said, "No, it's really cold." I stayed inside and did some clerical catching up, then ran errands. Those included a trip to the county seat to update a form at the appraiser's office, a look at pet feeders available at Orscheln, a stop at O'Reilly for a light socket, grocery shopping, and picking up mail at the post office. A look at pet feeders online revealed a lot of overpriced junk, so I'll go with the better one at Orscheln for less. The light socket is a replacement for one in the trailer lights I adapted for Model T use. Friday night when I was driving the runabout I noticed an odd clattering sound. One of the lights had fallen off the car and was dragging on the ground. Thus the need for a new socket. I'll also need to figure out a way to help the magnets hold the lights on the car.

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Spring arrived with enough north wind to be chilly, but I put on my winter duds and unloaded the runabout off the trailer where it's been since Saturday. The forecast calls for a nice warm-up starting tomorrow, but I expect we have enough chilly weather left in March and early April that it's a good idea to bring up more firewood. I still have some down in the wood lot that's been waiting for a year or two. Today's last activity before sundown was taking the 1915 out to the road for a first-day-of-spring photo. I'm looking forward to after-dinner cruises on warm summer evenings.

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

This morning's project was repairing the tail light that fell off the runabout the other night and got dragged along on the road. The lights are fixed, but I still need to figure out some kind of physical restraint to help the magnets keep them on the fenders. With the lights fixed I turned my attention to a bit of brass polishing. I did the hubcaps and headlight rims in Chickasha, and the radiator today. That leaves the side lamps still to do. I'd rather do it a little at a time rather than all at once. This afternoon I took a walk down in the wood lot and noted that wild rose, honeysuckle, and American elm are leafing out. The honeysuckle means I need to start spraying soon.

Thursday, March 22, 2018

After waiting three months for warmer weather, I got back to the pickup that's been sitting outside the shop broken down since December. I was going to drop the rear axle and bring it into the shop to work on it, but after starting on the project and reading the shop manual I think I'll leave the axle in place and just bring in the differential. It seems that the malfunction is there or in the pinion bearing.

Friday, March 23, 2018

After an 8:00AM doctor's appointment, I went to an auction near Udall and spent the day there. As usual, several of the things I bid on went to people who were willing to pay more than I was. In the end I came away with a gallon can about 2/3 full of hot dip galvanized 8d nails for $1, a five gallon pail of spring clips that appear to be T and TT for $1, an oil change pan containing a Holley NH carburetor and four Model T spark plugs for $1, and about a half dozen spindles for $2. The spark plug bases are toast (rust) but their Champion X and Horseshoe tops are usable. I read Fahnestock while waiting for things to come up for sale, so I learned something while I was entertained.

Saturday, March 24, 2018

The wind blew from the south and we had a few warm days. Now it's a north wind and the highs are ten to fifteen degrees cooler. I spent the day in Winfield at another auction. This was a big one. It started at ten and didn't finish until a few minutes before 7:00 PM. My big expense was $24 for a pile of all thread. The other dozen purchases were from 25¢ to $7. After three auctions in a week, now I need to take a day for unloading the car.

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Best laid plans. The only unloading I got done was taking a lamp I bought yesterday into the house. Instead I did a little maintenance on the runabout and researched original upholstery so that when I install the new seat back I may come close to getting it right. A late afternoon trip to the Gasino to fill the car and to the store for bananas finished my day. Maybe I can actually get some unloading done tomorrow.

Monday, March 26, 2018

It looks like freezing weather is pretty much over. Except for 31º next Monday morning, all the lows in the ten day forecast are from 35º to 41º with highs in the fifties and sixties. Some of the trees and other plants are leafing out, and grass is greening up. Before long I'll have to mow. Today I unloaded the car and did laundry. Eventually I'll have to go through the stuff I unloaded and sort out what goes where.

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

It was a chilly, drizzly day. Today's job wasn't on one of the cars, but on the shop. I set up the stereo and speakers I bought at the auction Saturday. The tuner is set to the FM transmitter that's plugged into the computer upstairs in my office. I can listen to any station in the world that's streaming on the internet. One of my favorites is XHRPA in Morelia, Michoacan. The Realistic (Radio Shack) speakers from the seventies don't really weigh 500 pounds, but for an elderly gentleman with no upper body strength left they sure felt like it when I wrestled them onto the shelf. I happened to have a roll of speaker wire with just enough left to reach both speakers, so I spent nothing on that. The Sherwood stereo cost me $7 and the speakers were $1 for the pair.

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

There was no actual rain, but the heavy overcast and high humidity kept the outdoors wet until late afternoon. I worked in the shop, cleaning and organizing and putting stuff away. After three the weather dried out enough for me to bring up a load of wood, split it, box it, and put it in the garage. I'll probably need to do that at least once more. We can still have days that call for a fire well into April.

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Today's chore in the shop was setting up some cardboard tubes to hold pieces of steel rod, all thread, and small tubing in various lengths. I wired four tubes standing upright against the side of a cabinet. While I was working on this I had to clear a couple of shelves to reach my work, and in doing that I found some carburetors. There was a Simmons and three Kingstons, all of which I'm unlikely ever to use. So I took pictures of them and posted four classified ads online. By nine this evening all of them were sold, so I'm glad somebody will have a use for them.

Friday, March 30, 2018

Did a little work on the runabout today. I pulled off the carburetor and checked to see if the choke was sucking air. I did find the shaft a little loose, which would allow air to leak in around it. So I used a bit of old inner tube to make a little rubber gasket for it. I thought maybe there was enough of an air leak to be the reason that cold starts take so much cranking. But if the addition of the gasket helped, it wasn't a complete cure. It still took several pulls of the crank to get a start. When the car has been running and the engine is warm it usually starts on the first pull.

Saturday, March 31, 2018

In the morning I went to check out an auction south of town. There was nothing to keep me there, so I came home and enjoyed a welcome straw hat day doing yard work. I attacked inauspiciously located vegetation with the clippers and a bottle of Tordon. Little trees were growing up where they would shade the forsythia and stunt its growth, so they had to go. A couple of trees were big enough to call for a chain saw. The bigger one was dead, and will be firewood this week. It's spring, but that doesn't mean we're done with chilly days. In the evening I went to the Bison Bison film Festival in Ponca City. It's a showcase for shorts by film students in Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas.