Headache Rack

Ive been toying with the idea lately of building something out of the left over steel from the motorhome. Well after months of thought, i finally figured it out. It came to me after loading a load of scrap metal and a piece hit the back window of the truck. thank god it didnt break but it gave me the idea of a headache rack. I looked at several designs and after seeing the price tags i was sure i could make my own.

What i ended up with is a custom fit rack that is exactly what i wanted. it doesent extend out past the cab and still allows me to open the back window to allow my dog to get in the bed. I will evently mount lights in the top for added visablity at night when im backing up or when i just need more light in the bed.

350 Rebuild

I picked up a used 350 thats going to need rebuilt to go into the 79. Well that is if i ever make it that far, lol.

This is were im at so far, most of the tear down is complete. Its not the best engine ive ever gotten but its got the guts to be a nice engine. The fun will begin when i get the money to start ordering parts, like a new cam, bearings, having the heads rebuilt. As with all my projects this will be a true budget build.

video-2010-06-16-305blowby

One bench done

Been working on all kinds of projects. I got one bench done. Now I just hope it sells quick.

I knew i wouldnt be able to just let the new truck sit in the yard. Ive spent the last couple days working on small things. Today I built a new battery box for it, lowered the rear of the cab by almost an inch and replaced the front core support lift blocks. What was there was a joke, so i ripped it out and fabbed up a couple 3" blocks. Now the front bumper doesent look crooked. I also tore the dash out (every gm i have ever had ive had to take the dash out) fixed a few burnt bulbs and found that the line on the back of the circut for the fuel gauge is burnt. but someone already added a new wire to the tank to replace it. the guage was reading way past full so my next step is to drop the tank and check the sending unit. ill wait to do that till after a trip to the junk yard, so i will have a replacement sending unit ready. One of the KC lights glass is broke so i put the broke one in the middle, so if/ when it burns out it will be the middle one. Checked and fill both the front and rear axles. I will do a comple oil change before i make it a daily driver.

The other day while testing the 4 wheel drive i found out that one of the front lockouts is broke. They dont sell the spicer brand anymore so ill be switching to warn or milemarkers before winter. When I go to change the lockouts ill pull the front axles and wheel bearings and repack or replace them then. An oil change is on my to do list but that will have to wait till i get some $$$ which is always an issue.

Last night I stained the first bench. It came out really good. Tonight i put on the first coat of clear, wow, it looks great. Ive been leaving the bench to work on at night so it gives it time to dry over night, and its eaiser to work on it at night than anything else.

Well thats about it for this post.

Another new toy.

Here we go again. I just traded off my 63 for a 79 chevy pickup. its got a 355 with a 2 barrel holly and 4 speed w/ granny gear. Sitting on 36" tires. This new truck is all ready for the road. the guy drove it here from south bend. It needs some tlc but not as near as much as the 63 did. The biggest thing with this truck is I CAN DRIVE IT. I cant say that about all the deals ive done. So here we go, another summer of multiple projects. I wonder buy the end of the year how much i will get done. So far i got the camper to finish, i started working on the dodge again, I'm still working on the benches, and now on top off all that i got this latest truck. But there is nothing i have to do right now to this truck. so i can focus on the other projects. I think the dodge will get put back together after replaceing the fan bearing. I dont have the money right now for the fan clutch which is all i need yet for it. i can drive it if i have to without a fan. I really need to get to work on the camper, I may need to live in it for a while and that cant happen in the shape its in now.

FREE

I just love getting stuff for free. I was cruising the local Craislist and came accross an add for free church pews 16ft. From the pics i could see that at least the back of them were made of solid wood and would have many uses. When i first emailed the person i was told that they were all spoken for. Then the next day i got an email saying that one person backed out and I could have one after all. So Sat. I drove to Niles to pick one up and what would you know, i managed to get two. The plan is to cut them down to about 6ft. benches and sell them for a couple hundred a piece. the left over wood im going to use to recover the counter in the camper, and the table too. They are extremely heavy but i managed to unload them myself and already got one tore down. If i get my but in gear this should be a quick little project that will bring in all profit. Yea!

Lego Dock for Droid

I was bored  last week so i dug out my old legos and build a dock for my phone. Forget spending $30 at the store to buy one when i can build one for free. Now at night all i have to do is drop my phone down into the dock and it doubles as an alarm clock. I use an app called One Nightstand. Its so much dimmer than the stock media dock app that comes pre installed in the phone.

Shawn's Motorcycle Service & Repair

I am happy to post that my step-brother has started up his own motorcycle repair shop. He has been working in the industry for years now and is now stepping out on his own. I will defently be sending some work his way. Visit him on Facebook

New (to me) Camper Renovation

Well ive finally gotten around to getting some work done on the camper. Its a `74 KZ inc Sportsmen. Picked it up for $100 last fall and now its finally warm enough to get out there and get some work done on her.

She isent too bad from the outside. A few new lights and a few patches in the roof, (which i did before the snow started to fall) is all she will really need. That is on the outside that is.

Once i got inside i seen the rotted paneling right away but hoped it was just minor damage, but after the motorhome i knew better. Once i got the paneling tore out that there is extensive water damage to all four corners. The rear is going to be the most problems. I cant just rip the rear out without tearing all the siding off the outside jut to get to the rear Damage. Its hard to see in the pics but the rear header that goes from side to side is completly rotted out. The paneling pretty much fell out as i started to get to work on her.

The front is just as bad as the rear but will be much eaiser to fix. Thats because i plan on redesigning the front completely. I want to change the curve in the front. The curve does give more room to move about in the bunk area but it will act like a sail going down the freeway. The plan is to go straight from the top of the front window to just in front of the side windows. This will be much eaiser to get new paneling in there and should help deflect the wind better than it is now

The overall setup is pretty simple. Thats the way i want to keep it. What you see as a fridge is actually just an old school ice box. I would like to replace that with 3 way fridge when i get the funds. The stove is just a two burner which is just fine for now, again with more funds id like to get a flush mount stove and sink with covers so when not in use would make a nice counter top. If i can get my hands on some good wood id love to make a butcher block counter top. There was just an add on craigslist for somthing like 32 square foot of oak flooring that id like to get for $20. but that will have to wait for now. at least till i get the rest of the camper in working order.

Im going to ditch the old fiberglass insulation and us the blue foam that i used in the moterhome to cover the windows. if i cut it to fit tight it should give me better R value than anything else. Plus i have it on had so the price is right.

Brian Brawdy

Ive just come across a new site Brian Brawdy, ive added a link on the left also. There is some really kool stuff over on his site go check it out.

Survivalist Blog Contest

M.D. Creekmore over at the The Survivalist Blog – a survival blog dedicated to helping others prepare for and survive disaster, is giving away The Tactical Advantage book and DVD set by Gabriel Suarez and a copy of Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down by James Talmage Stevens! To enter, you just have to post about it on your blog. This is my entry. Visit The Survivalist Blog for more information.

Still Here

I know its been some time since i last posted. Im still here in Elkhart, trying to figure out what the future will bring. Lately ive been toying with the idea of fixing up my latest pickup camper thats sitting on my Dodge and hitting the road with my converted popup in tow. i still have my 63 chevy pickup, i put the 454 out of the motor home in it but thats as far as i got with it. there is still a alot of work before that truck is ready to roll. The thought of sell it for $2000 and putting the money into solar panels and odds and ends for the camper and Dodge, has been weighing on me. This whole situation of being back in Elkhart is really wearing on me. Im not happy at all. I did make a promise to come back here but i didnt think that it would be like this. I could go on for days about this stuff but ill keep it off here.
No matter what i deciede to do it will be spring till i can get anything going. Until the snow melts the only thing that i got going is keeping the snow cleared from the drive way with the bronco which means keeping the plow in working order. That has been an almost part time job. Other than that i spend my days surfing the net checking up on the blogs i follow, learning all i can on how solar panels work and watching DIY Network, History Channel, and Discovery Channel.

One hell of a year cont.

I tried to do as much as I could with my grandpa but I feel it wasent enough. He hated the fact that in the end he barely had the stength to stand. He wanted to be outside with me tearing the motorhome apart or swaping motors in the 63. He would tell me a lot that he felt alone down here and that I was the only one that would really talk to him. The hardest thing for me was watching the shell of the man he used to be waste away. Him and I shared a few bottles of bourbin which was the last thing I bought him. The night he pasted he asked me to run up to the store and pick up a bottle, which I did. He sat it down next to his chair while watching a western, with me sitting at the computer right next to him. And that is where he passed away at. Both my grandmother and myself thought he had simply fell asleep in his chair again. It wasent until she went to wake him for bed that we found he was gone. It was very peacefull atleast. For that I am thankfull.

So with our birthday fast aproching the thought of what I will do that day is with me. I usually go to a party that night but always talked to my grandpa eairlier. I'm not much in the mood for a party this year. I just hope 2010 brings a better year. Maybe ill break open his last bottle and pass out early.

One hell of a year

Well as I have the ability to post by mobile and I can't sleep id post.

This year started out with me loosing my father in witch I've already posted. Then last month I lost my grand father. This will be the first time in my life that I won't share my birthday with him. You see we shared our birthdays 12/31.

After moving home, my mother had the idea to get my grandparents to move in with us. This would make it a lot eaiser on myself finacally to split the bills with them, and would give me the company of my grandparents. I've lived with them quite a few times through the years so it was nice to bring them into my home for a change. I won't say it was easy for my grandpa, shortly after the move his loyal dog Patches passed. That was the first time I seen him cry. It was raining that day which didn't make it eaiser to dig his grave out back. I did the best I could, even making a cross with Patches name carved in it.

I'm now mobile

Well I'm now mobile. I've up graded to the awsome Droid. With this new smart phone I can now post straight from my phone. I've also added a new chat app on the left which keeps me logged into facebook myspace and yahoo im all the time. Also added links to a few of the other blogs I follow. Check them out.

Another slide in camper

Well i did it again. just got the motorhome all scraped out and i picked up another pickup camper. this one is a bit smaller than the last one. the new one fits completely in the bed of my dodge, i can even close the tail gate. this will camper will need some work (surprise) but not much. i hope that with the camper on the back of the truck i will be able to haul my trailer that i hauled behind the motorhome at speeds above 40mph. i found that while going from some friends house to the camp ground in NC that the trailer is not very stable behind a truck. it was fine behind the motorhome but that was do to either the taller tow vechile or the weight. i guess ill find out when i go to tow the trailer out of here. pics to come soon.

454 out

finally got the motor out of the motorhome. now the work of cutting up the frame and turning it in for scrap. hard to see but thats a 454 hanging from the hoist. after changing motormounts, removing the power stearing, ac pump, and smog pump, then a paint job, she will be ready to go into the 63.

Project underway

Its taking awhile but the 63 has come from out back and the work has begun. The motor and tranny is out, bye bye 350 hello 454. Ive still got to get the 454 out of the motorhome but am really close. One good work day is all i need to get the motor out, then a few days of cleaning and painting. Some how i just got to get the energy to get the work done.

Trying to move on

Its been a bit since i posted about loosing my dad. well it hasent been easy trying to fill his shoes. i dont know how he did it all these years. i have no idea how to be the man of the house. i really got to hand it to my brother next door (what not to do on a bike post, lol) he has been alot of help. he jumps right in to pick up my slack. i dont know what i would do with out him next door. THANKS ROB.

i didnt just loose my dad. i lost my best friend. we worked together for 4 to 5 years, every day. when work was over we went home and worked on projects around the house. we pretty much spent day and night around each other. i told him everything that was going on in my life. even stuff that people told me not to tell anyone else, i told him. what i told him to my knowledge stayed with him. he never once judged me for any crazy idea i had. even taking a junk camper all the way to Indy to trade for a couple junk dirtbikes. he did it without a complant (other than my truck didnt have cruise control). he did more for me than any other person in my life. since the day that i met him some 15 years or so ago, he has always been there. teaching me (sometimes without me knowing it) what it ment to be a man. now i know i didnt pay enough attention to his lessons. there are some stories that he told me that i will never repeat to anyone. stuff that he didnt tell anyone else, that is the stuff that i cherish the most.

i seem to be just going day to day. not really knowing were im going. it seems as if im working toward a goal that i just dont know what it is. it never seems to end. i just hope one day, one day soon, that i can figure out where im going and not just were ive been.