North Carolina, 2014

[Rickf1985]

What? They didn't wash it for you? :)rotflmao

[ClydesdaleKevin]

LOL!  I actually do need to run it through a self serve car wash soon.  Lots of dirt and mud built up in the sheetmetal and whatnot.  She's rust free and I plan on keeping her that way!

Kev

[Rickf1985]

A Chevy, rust free? That ain't gonna happen unless you live in Arizona and never leave there. Or you keep it in a climate controlled garage and again, never take it out. You will eventually start to see the bubbles in the paint over the rear fenders followed by the front fenders and the backs of the front fenders and the cab corners. Especially with big tires that throw mud and dirt up into the cavities where it would not normally go.

[M & J]

Our 91 & 92 K Blazers are rust free. Location is a large contributor but maintenance is also a factor. The 92 (the one with the blower on it) has never been off road and the 91 got extensive pressure washes focusing on those areas after any trips off pavement. It takes work, but it's possible to keep them that way.
I'm wondering when Kevin is going to get it painted.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

It lived in Arizona its whole life, and is indeed rust free.  And it spends every winter in Arizona, so it will stay that way. 

We plan on getting it painted in Arizona after the show, probably early April.  We are going to have it painted desert tan using Monstaliner.

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

So I woke up this morning and the front passenger side tire was flat. Well hell. I aired it up and drove it back to Diezel's. I also noticed the horn wasn't working. They fixed the horn in just a few minutes (broken wire), and Diezel had me follow him to the shop that mounted and balanced the tires. Good thing too! The tires shop didn't take into account the dust covers for the front calipers when they added the wheel weights, and they were all sheered off and missing in the front. They found the leak on the front tire and plugged it, and found a nail in a back tire and plugged it, and rebalanced the front tires...which greatly reduced my wheel noise on the road. So everything happens for a reason, eh? I think its pretty crappy though that the shop charged Diezel 25 bucks to fix what in my opinion was their own screw up...I mean, who installs tires without giving them a leak test? They didn't even replace the valves, which I also found negligent, and the original mount and balance cost Diezel, and then me, 89 bucks. And while I was waiting, the owner of Tire Doctor started talking smack about Diezel's shop, like "yeah, they are great with lifts...but if you need any real work done like brakes, come to us." Totally unprofessional in my opinion...especially since Diezel and his shop have nothing but good things to say about Tire Doctor. But now the front tire holds air, we found the nail on the back tire, they are properly balanced, the horn works, and all is right in the universe.

Kev

[pvoth1111]

I would have made them replace the valve stems.....for free.....all the big tire shops change the stems so they don't get sued when that old one failed one the way home at 75mph.... really sad....throw em under bus and post their name and phone number and we can all call em 5 times a day and tell em they suck

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Its all good.  Tires hold air now, and MAN is the ride awesome now!  Its like driving a brand new truck!  All my catapults are built and at the booth, the booth is stocked with marshmallows and whatnot, we have enough food and libations and whatnot for the whole weekend so we won't have to leave sight, and all is right in the universe...lol!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Great day at Faire today, and it was a lot of fun giving out Halloween candy to the kids!  Should be another great day at the Faire tomorrow!  From this point forth, its all about stashing away winter vacation money!  We already have next year's faire fees set aside.

Kev

[Rickf1985]

I hope that when the patched the holes they pulled the tire off the rime and buffed and plug/patched from the inside. That is how it is supposed to be done at a tire shop, if all they did was stick a plug in it from the tread side then that is as bad as the not replacing the valve stems. I'll tell you, I had the balance beads put in the new 35's I had put on my Jeep and I will never use wheel weights again! Tires with weights eventually go out of balance due to tire wear and also lost weights. Off road that gather mud and get scraped of by rocks. The beads are inside so none of that can happen and they are always moving so tire wear makes no difference. The steering is a lot more stable also.

[pvoth1111]

if the leak was within a inch or so from the edge of the tire the tire should be replaced.....personally I am not a fan of the plugs for the long term.....I always make em take them off and patch it correctly....
.02

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Never had a tire fail from a plug, and I've done it myself many times.  I always keep an eye on them, but have gone 20K plus on many plugs before having to replace tires because they were simply worn out.

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Overall the weekend was good, and money in the bank!  The little trick-or-treaters were polite and had a great time.  Lots of catapults to build this coming week!

Kev

[circleD]

I'm with Kev on the plugs. Use good ones and rubber cement and they'll be there when the tire is replaced. But the sidewall area is an emergency patch then replace tire issue.
Well Kev, me and my group might make it to the faire next weekend. Glad your doing well and can't wait to see what upgrades you do this winter.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Awesome!!!  Hope to see you guys at the Faire!  You can actually see our rig poking up behind the fence near the petting zoo...lol!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Nice do nothing day today, and probably my last one until vacation.  In addition to building catapults, I have some projects I want to get done before we leave on vacation:

Relocate the Boondocker converter way closer to the battery bank (in the same compartment as the washer/dryer).  Also going to do some creative wiring so that I can just hit a switch to turn off the converter when on inverter power, instead of unplugging it and plugging it back in all the time.  While I'm at it I'll add a switch to isolate the washer/dryer, since its computer does not like modified sine wave AT ALL.

Build shelves and organizers in the washer/dryer cabinet for Patti.

Run plumbing and electric to Patti's new dishwasher, which sits on top of the washer/dryer cabinet.  And also make some metal brackets for the feet so I can secure it to the top of the cabinet for traveling.

Make new plywood dinette access panels (under the cushions) since the stock particle boards ones have given up the ghost and are being held together with Gorilla Tape.

Jack up the front of the rig and adjust the steering box play using the Frederic method (where the heck is he anyways?).

Repair the damage to the body at the rear right storage compartment...which might require removing the rear bumper to do correctly.

Change the oil and filter.

And that is the list for the RV.  For the K5 Blazer before vacation, I want to:

Install a NEW B&M Megashift floorshifter so I can use my lower gears manually (its all busted up and missing some parts, and has the wrong bracket, so it only shifts into Park, Reverse, Neutral, and Drive...it would be nice to use 1, 2, and 3 offroad...lol!).  Its cheaper to buy a whole new unit from Summit racing (about 240 bucks delivered), than the missing parts to make the old one work.

Replace the steering stabilizer in the front with a dual stabilizer unit from Rough Country.

And if I have the time and money, replace the stabilizer bar bushings, and install an ORD stabilizer bar quick-disconnect kit...which also lowers the stabilizer bar brackets to improve geometry with the lift.

So I'll be stupid busy from this point forth!!!

Kev

[pvoth1111]

By the Petting zoo......is that wise? W%

[ClydesdaleKevin]

By the Petting zoo......is that wise? W%

LOL!  I'm actually glad they put our camp back there.  It got our dogs used to livestock animals, so they don't bark at sheep or horses or cows anymore.  They still bark greetings at the sheep dogs though!  And the camels walk by our camp all the time, which the pups just stare at in amazement and puzzlement.

Kev

[RedneckExpress]

Kevin, what brand of finish are you using that cures well in cool, wet weather, or do you have a nice heated space that you're doing all this wood work in :p.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

I gave up a LONG time ago using any kind of varnish or urethane in the environment we work in.  The catapults are simply finished off with Minwax stain and sealer. 

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

So today was eaten up with a doctor's appointment for Patti so she could get her BP meds refilled, running around doing errands, taking the pups and the cat to the vet for their annual well visit, and then dinner with friends at a Texas Roadhouse.

No time for projects this week!  Its all about the catapults for the next 3 days.!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

LOTS of catapults built today, the rest will be finished up tomorrow. 

150 days tobacco free!!!  WOOHOO!!!  2452.78 dollars NOT spent on tobacco, and that's just what I saved from not smoking!  Figure on half of that again for Patti's cessation of smoking.  Its like having another income that comes from some benevolent relative who secretly adds money to your bank account without your knowledge...lol!

Lots more to do tomorrow, and then an evening run out to get marshmallows.  Busy busy!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

MOST of the catapults and done and stained and we are ready for tomorrow.  I was only able to make one poor lonely trebuchet because my beloved table saw decided to give up the ghost.  Blade stopped turning, and then it caught on fire.  Yeah...its dead, poor thing!

Weather forecast sucks for tomorrow, rainy and cold.  Dammit!  But Sunday is supposed to be nice although cool!

Kev

[RedneckExpress]

Time to get a Delta with a belt drive blade . 

[ClydesdaleKevin]

LOL Redneck.  This was an old Craftsman that takes a 7 1/4 blade and was my favorite little table saw...it was old enough to say Made in USA on it.  Before I throw it out I see if there is any way to fix it, like maybe new brushes or something.  Otherwise I'll pick up a cheap Ryobi on Monday, since they work well enough...just not as good or quite as this old Craftsman did.  I leave tools at each location now so we don't have to carry them all over the country, and I don't have time to order anything in the mail or run around looking for pawn shops. 

Kev