This is the general what did you do today. Anything not shop related.
Today we got our "garden" ready.
And yes I'm the neighbor that uses the crapper as a flower pot....
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Took little dog to the park
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then packed some stuff for shipping before making dinner.
You should have put a plunger stick in the toilet for climbing flowers/vines.
Mine, turned out to be finding out I have a very skewed, too high of pain tolerance.
In the hospital after what I thought was a blockage, set Dr. a note, they called back and said immediately go to the ER, we will let them know your coming.
Well last week I was a 7 or 8, but have been a 1 to 2. Turns out my 1 to 2, is others 5-7. They gave me Fentanyl to get through a couple tests, then switched me to a very low, but frequent dose of Oxycodone (only taken three times after my Cancer surgery) and am now off the walker, found out I did have a blockage which also affected my chemo/cancer numbers (have a cathedar of a type put in) and am back to a functioning person. I didn't realize that pain was taking me down so much.
Should be getting released today sometime.
Have to change the oil in Mrs. Goodfelow's 2012 Traverse. Also have to clean the throttle body and the PCV valve.
For all the folks that have the first and second generation GM VVT 3.6L variants in their vehicles, oil changes and PCV valve orifice modification are the keys to longevity.
The car has 118K on it, and I now change the oil every 3K miles. Up to 100K miles it was every 5K between oil changes.
I upgraded an old sign I had from neon to LED rope lights.
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Nice upgrade on the sign
Really nice job. Love LEDs for restoring older signs.
This one is for the MudmanIMG_2863.jpeg
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Hey Pep, I lover that scene -- well done!
Quote from: SteelWheels on May 10, 2025, 07:34 PMThis one is for the MudmanIMG_2863.jpeg
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Love it!
Went to Muddy Jr's baseball game. Went to some yard sales and a flea market. Came home took a nap. Then re did the steps at our side door.
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Sold my lathe.
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Now I can get rid of the table, move all the stuff, and have room for my logan.
This morning little mudman and I went fishing with the cub scouts. He caught some blue gills and a nice large mouth bass. Then we went to the princess mudman's dance recital.
The Mrs. and I had a kid free night so we went out for dinner. Granted we like our food, but boy it sure ain't cheap to dine out any more.
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Went to a tractor pull. Did pretty decent got a 3rd and two 5ths. Then I helped my uncle take the water pump off one of his tractors to get rebuilt. Then I looked at my father's motorcycle to figure out no start. Had pizza came home took the dog for a walk and now relaxing by the fire.
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Yesterday a friend helped me with some switches that didn't work. We also installed a ceiling fan.
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While sanding paint on the porch, discovered that the dry rot is on both sides. And this is one that is way above my head with my current health, so it is gonna cost me.
I have also been rebuilding a couple Lee Enfields, one original the other a sporter, and so I did some work on those tonight.
Wow Tim, those Kids are growing like weeds. Sam is definitely proud of that ribbon.
Quote from: goodfellow on May 11, 2025, 07:47 AMHey Pep, I lover that scene -- well done!
Plus one!
About to get on a plane.
Quote from: bmwrd0 on Jul 20, 2025, 08:17 PMWhile sanding paint on the porch, discovered that the dry rot is on both sides. And this is one that is way above my head with my current health, so it is gonna cost me.
I have also been rebuilding a couple Lee Enfields, one original the other a sporter, and so I did some work on those tonight.
In the late 1980s, my mother-in-law worked at the local Woolworth's. They had Lee-Enfield surplus rifles for $49.99.
I was planning to buy one, but my father-in-law talked me out of it, stating, "you'll never find ammo for it".
Now, I wish I had bought 10 of them.
Saturday I went for a motorcycle ride with friends. Sunday we went to Knobels a local amusement park.
Quote from: wilbilt on Aug 25, 2025, 12:22 PMQuote from: bmwrd0 on Jul 20, 2025, 08:17 PMWhile sanding paint on the porch, discovered that the dry rot is on both sides. And this is one that is way above my head with my current health, so it is gonna cost me.
I have also been rebuilding a couple Lee Enfields, one original the other a sporter, and so I did some work on those tonight.
In the late 1980s, my mother-in-law worked at the local Woolworth's. They had Lee-Enfield surplus rifles for $49.99.
I was planning to buy one, but my father-in-law talked me out of it, stating, "you'll never find ammo for it".
Now, I wish I had bought 10 of them.
I have two Lee Enfields, my father's No.5 Mk1 'Jungle Carbine's that was his hunting rifle when he was young. I also have a mint condition No. 1 Mk III* that I bought off a mate in the 90's, for NZ$100 (US$60) when he was shifting to Australia. I also have a Martini-Enfield, the 303 version of the Martini-Henry. The Martini-Enfield was the rifle the first few New Zealand Contingents of Mounted Rifles used in South Africa (Boer War). The Boers were considerably better armed with the flat shooting 7mm Mausers. The NZ government scrambled for a replacement and procured a carbine version of the Mk1*, known as the New Zealand Carbine. They are very rare as only 1500 were produced.
I can attest to the flat shooting of the 7mm Mauser as my hunting rifle is an OVS (Orange Free State, one of the Boer states that participated in the Boer War) marked 7mm Mauser.
1. Where I flew to.
2. Shorts Belfast at Cairns Airport, one of only two still in existence.
3. Kokoda Museum
4. The view from my hotel, I didn't spring for the sea views
I reason I'm in Cairns.
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They have a youtube channel that's pretty interesting. Of course the real thing is much cooler.
It is an incredible collection, photos and YT videos don't do it justice.
On Wednesdays they do an 'open hatch' where Jason, who usually does the Friday videos, talks about a specific vehicle and answers questions. Today he was talking about the StuG IV G. He then spent about another half an hour with the group who was listening pointing out the differences on some of the earlier StuGs. He is really knowledgeable.
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If you watch their latest YT short of them starting the petrol powered tanks, when Kurt is filming Steve starting the Panzer 38T from the rear (with the 114 on the turret), I'm filming from the front at the same time.
Out town of Hamburg had a "hamburger" festival. Local restaurants, diners food trucks, non profits (such as the Boy scout troop my son is in) Make their best burgers and some wild creations. The scouts made a "s'mores" burger (Marshmallow fluff graham cracker and chocolate on top of a cheeseburger) among other choices.
It's pretty neat the burger concoctions that come out of the event. Some great! Some not so much...
Anywas my son and I spent 5 hrs slinging ice cold drinks and people watching. Lucky it was a beautiful day out.
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Off on the Kuranda Scenic Railway for a ride through the Queensland rainforest.
The Kuranda Scenic Railway is a tourist railway service that operates along the heritage-listed Cairns-to-Kuranda railway line. Constructed in 1891, the line runs from Cairns, over the Great Dividing Range to the town of Kuranda on the Atherton Tablelands. The railway line is 37 km (23 mi) in length, climbs 340m (1,100 feet) and is 3'6" gauge.
The carriages, usually fifteen, were built in the 1910s and are hauled by two late 1960s Australian built Class 1720 locomotives (EMD 8-645E engined).
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The return journey was via the 7.5km (4.7 mile) SkyRail Rainforest Cableway. This returns you to Smithfield, beside Ausarmour, then they bus you back into town.
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I paid the extra for the glass floor gondola.
I miss those things. We had a "Sky High" at our local ride park, that they took out decades ago, after deciding it was too expensive to maintain.
One of the very few rides I liked.
On Tuesday I flew back to New Zealand from Cairns and stayed in Auckland overnight. Yesterday, on the way home I stopped at the Ross Bros Museum. They are a large earthworks contractor. What I didn't realise as well as earth moving equipment they have a muscle car collection.
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The earthworks side.
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Very nice rural!
Yes, very cool thanks for sharing
Man, I would love seeing that in person! Thanks for sharing that
What is the model of the red 351GT? Kind of reminds me of a Falcon.
Also I love the fact that some people appreciate four doors. My first car was a four door and before it was mine, we always used it to take my polio affected Great Aunt places, and only those I knew that dealt with wheelchairs and such, seemed to appreciate that a four door could be a "hot rod".
Yes Sir -- very good Rural! Thanks for sharing those great pics.
Quote from: AbiggerGarage on Sep 07, 2025, 11:26 PMWhat is the model of the red 351GT? Kind of reminds me of a Falcon.
Also I love the fact that some people appreciate four doors. My first car was a four door and before it was mine, we always used it to take my polio affected Great Aunt places, and only those I knew that dealt with wheelchairs and such, seemed to appreciate that a four door could be a "hot rod".
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Yes, a Ford Falcon XY GT. It is the very rare Phase 3 GT-HO.
From the associated sign.
Quote1971 Ford Falcon XY GT
In November 1970 the first of the XY GT's rolled off the Broadmeadows assembly line and production ceased in November 1971 with the introduction of the XA Falcon. Ford upped the ante with the XY by increasing the performance of the 351 cubic inch (5.8 litre) Cleveland V8 which had an output of 300 bhp (224kW) and 380 ft/lbs of torque. Ford often understated the power of their performance cars in this era to satisfy insurers and keep their opposition guessing - it was genuinely accepted that this engine produced in the region of 350-380 bhp (260-280kW).
The XY drive ratio of 3.25:1, a huge 36 gallon (164 litre) fuel tank, suspension mods to take the extra power and bigger brakes, the XY seemed to be the ultimate grand tourer and the GT-HO Phase 3 was known to be the fastest 4 door sedan in the world at that time with a top speed of 142 mph (228 kph) in street trim! Production of the XY model resulted in 1,557 GT's manufactured from November 1970 to November 1971 and only 300 GT-HO Phase 3's, also to November 1971. 68 of these Phase 3 GT-HO's were painted in this Vermillion Fire paint (red). This particular Falcon is believed to be 1 of 3 missing factory race built Falcon XY GT-HO Phase 3's. It was shipped to New Zealand in 1988.
Think that 4dr is unusual, how about a Cadillac coupe, goes 140.IMG_3352.jpeg
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Pep
Sam had a baseball game this morning. Then I took an hour nap, mowed the lawn and we had friends and family over for Sams birthday this week.
Now I'm relaxing by the fire.
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Well, today I'm another year older. I did a site visit to the Opotiki Harbour works where we have just finished up the dredging of the new harbour entrance.
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Stopped at the road side oyster place on the way back for a late lunch.
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Stopped just up the road from there to have a cup of coffee with a friend I worked with 25 years ago and now farms beef.
Drove there and back through another roading job I'm looking after/trying to close out.
Tidied up some paperwork when I got back to the office, then headed out for dinner.
A filet mignon with mushrooms and vegetables
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And a nice chianti
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(But no fava beans!)
Happy birthday Rural. You share a birthday with my son!
(This was Sunday) We are in the process of cleaning up the family farm.
We originally had three John Deere Bs for field work. 2 1948s and a 1944.The 44 B was bought new and was one of (if not THE) first tractors in the valley. I took that one out to my friends in ohio to restore for us. I bought one of the 48s off my grandfather before he passed and restored it. Unfortunately we didn't finish before he passed.
Not having a real use for it and knowing how much work it is to restore we decided we no longer needed it.
We are going to donate it to a local FFA chapter for a restoration project.
Any way. I got the tractor running and driving for them and to make easier to load on the trailer.
My son is the 4th generation to drive this Tractor.
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Happy Birthday Rural!
Quote from: Muddy on Sep 16, 2025, 03:55 PM(This was Sunday) We are in the process of cleaning up the family farm.
We originally had three John Deere Bs for field work. 2 1948s and a 1944.The 44 B was bought new and was one of (if not THE) first tractors in the valley. I took that one out to my friends in ohio to restore for us. I bought one of the 48s off my grandfather before he passed and restored it. Unfortunately we didn't finish before he passed.
Not having a real use for it and knowing how much work it is to restore we decided we no longer needed it.
We are going to donate it to a local FFA chapter for a restoration project.
Any way. I got the tractor running and driving for them and to make easier to load on the trailer.
My son is the 4th generation to drive this Tractor.
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Your son is gonna cuss you in a few years for donating that tractor muddy.
Quote from: Uncle Buck on Sep 20, 2025, 08:30 PMYour son is gonna cuss you in a few years for donating that tractor muddy.
Nah. We've got two other Bs he can run. He drove my B first, and he's got his pappy's M he's gonna have to restore one day (I haven't told him yet).
Saturday we did some tractor pulling Dad got a third. And I got a second.
The tractor jumped out of gear on my in my second class. Second time it's done that to me.
That'll be a winter project. Along with some other projects I'd like to do to the tractor.
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Saturday we did some tractor pulling Dad got a third. And I got a second.
The tractor jumped out of gear on my in my second class. Second time it's done that to me. Might have a weak/worn detent.
That'll be a winter project. Along with some other projects I'd like to do to the tractor.
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[/quote]
Got a 1/4 cord of wood for the wood stove this winter. Not being my main source of heat it should last for a bit.
Now relaxing by probably the last fire of the year before our new years eve party.
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Funny, I am sitting next to a fire as I type this myself!
About to get on the first plane of the day.
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Look, I can see Midnightmack's house.
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Next plane.
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I'm in Dunedin, in the South Island for a long weekend. Dunedin is one of the oldest cities in NZ. Following the gold rush on the late 1800s there was a lot of money floating around. The city had a major Scottish influence.
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Dunedin Railway Station
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The reason I'm at the railway station is I'm riding the Tairei Gorge Railway. This is a diesel hauled tourist railway that follows the Main South Line from Dunedin for 7.5 miles before joining what was known as the Otago Central Branch Railway, that used to go the 147 miles to Cromwell. It is now refered to as the Tairei Gorge Line and is 28.5 miles long. It follows the Tairei River through a spectalur gorge ending on the Tairei Plains.
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Back with Dunedin Railways yesterday. This time heading about 30 miles north up the coast on the Main South Line. Peter was joined by an another, unnamed, DJ class locomotive. The scenery was coastal and completely different from the previous day. (I didn't get any photos of the new lambs for Muddy but did get some alpaca.)
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First flight on my way home.
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Beautiful place Rural. Warm temps and conditions down under is a treat. We're heading into late fall and cold winter, and it is not very comfortable for us "older" folks at times.
Replaced the pfister faucet in my bathtub when I got off work.
Quote from: goodfellow on Nov 15, 2025, 06:35 AMBeautiful place Rural. Warm temps and conditions down under is a treat. We're heading into late fall and cold winter, and it is not very comfortable for us "older" folks at times.
Not this old man! I welcome fall and winter, my favorite months! Spring is just the warmup for summer! Insane heat which cannot be dodged to cut grass, weeds, and shrubs, wasps and other stinging insects to endure plus mosquitoes, tics, spiders, snakes etc to deal with. None of that with the cold months.Snow and ice? Stay inside, build a fire and drink coffee. Snow clearing? Jump on the garden tractor cozy in your Carhardts and blade it clean. Power loss? Hook the generator up and yer good to go.
I'll take the cold months any day, I hate the heat!
I'm just the opposite the hotter the better. I can tolerate the cold but that doesn't mean I like it.
Quote from: j.a.f.e. on Nov 16, 2025, 06:03 PMI'm just the opposite the hotter the better. I can tolerate the cold but that doesn't mean I like it.
Ditto Steve! Back in the day I was an avid skier and enjoyed it very much. Once I hit my mid-50s I couldn't stand the cold anymore. These days I can readily understand why so many upper mid-western folks enjoy the "snowbird" lifestyle.
Glad I have good heat in the garage, or nothing would get done during the season. -- ]
Mrs. Goodfellow on the other hand could sleep in a meat locker in her birthday suit and still complain about the heat. Like Herb, this time of year is her favorite season. You can imagine the "thermostat" wars that go on in our house -- 8) 8) 8)
Quote from: Uncle Buck on Nov 16, 2025, 04:59 PMQuote from: goodfellow on Nov 15, 2025, 06:35 AMBeautiful place Rural. Warm temps and conditions down under is a treat. We're heading into late fall and cold winter, and it is not very comfortable for us "older" folks at times.
Not this old man! I welcome fall and winter, my favorite months! Spring is just the warmup for summer! Insane heat which cannot be dodged to cut grass, weeds, and shrubs, wasps and other stinging insects to endure plus mosquitoes, tics, spiders, snakes etc to deal with. None of that with the cold months.Snow and ice? Stay inside, build a fire and drink coffee. Snow clearing? Jump on the garden tractor cozy in your Carhardts and blade it clean. Power loss? Hook the generator up and yer good to go.
I'll take the cold months any day, I hate the heat!
I prefer fall and winter as well, partly because I have had a lifelong love of jackets which " collecting " has become a bit of a hobby for me, but most because there's only so many clothes you can take off before the cops are called.
It's so much easier to get warm than it is to cool off.
Today I was working on my minibike.
A few months ago the clutch chain snapped on me which resulted in an absolutely miserable 3 hour push home, and I haven't ridden it since.
The other day I was visiting my uncle and he gave me a torque converter kit for it.
At a local overstock store where he buys appliances and other things he had bought a bunch of these kits at $40 a piece for his GO-Kart builds.
Today I started on installing it only to realize it fits a 3/4 shaft when the 196cc on my minibike has a 16mm shaft so I decided to go into the city and pick up a 212cc predator from HF.
I got my old engine removed and everything, got the T-C and all my aftermarket parts installed onto the new engine,only to realize that I needed an engine riser kit because the T-C interferes with the frame.
So now I've gotta wait a weak or two for that riser kit to arrive so I can mount the engine up and figure out whether or not I can use the original drive chain.
If not I'll have to order a new one and wait another week or two until I can hopefully ride it.
Then I should finally be able to take my Savage mk2 build out and sight it in.
Interesting conversation about heat and cold extremes. I left Michigan because I didn't want to freeze my ass off my whole life. Considered Florida, but that's got its own set of issues. In North Georgia it's a good medium. Plenty warm in the summer and cool enough in the winter without being snowbound or dealing with below zero temps. I actually tend to look forward to Fall and Winter now if the summer was particularly hot. This last one actually wasn't.
I too am a fall/winter type. Nice overcast days, a bit of rain or snow, hot fire at home.
Can't beat that.
Saturday I cleaned out and reorganized the shed. Put the mower away and got the snowblower out to get ready.
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A necessary, but eh kind of job. Been there done that.
The engine riser kit for my minibike arrived and I got everything mounted up square and torqued down properly with no real trouble.
I had to cut off the bar that the chain guard mounts to which I had already suspected, and I had to modify the plastic cover that came with the torque converter to get it to fit.
With the Go Power Sports stage 1 upgrade kit ( performance exhaust and air filter / intake) that I had on the original engine it was running pretty lean, so I swapped in the jet out of the GPS carb supplied with that upgrade kit and it's running great now.
Originally it got about 18mph if I was lucky, that upgrade kit boosted it up to 21mph, and with the engine swap & CVT I guessed that it had to be up to about 30mph.
Well I used the free GPS app on my phone and was surprised to see that my average top speed was 36mph.
This thing will wheelie if you're not careful which is surprising for these hefty big tube Colemans because they're more of a utility bike that was built for durability over speed.
Now all that is left to do is figure out the headlight situation since there's no plug on these predator 212's, it'll probably need a battery now and in that case I might as well upgrade to something much brighter.
Finished up all the pieces needed to glue up this antenna line launcher (aka air cannon) for my HAM radio club. I've built several over the years, but this one will go into the club's inventory for members to borrow when the need arises to shoot new or repaired antenna lines over trees, towers, or buildings.
All the pieces are cut and now will have to be properly glued up and secured.
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Went to the local Harley shop open house in the morning scheduled work for my bike.
Then changed the oil in the car, hung the Christmas lights outside, made supper for myself then worked on making ranch potatoes for a gathering tomorrow.
For the last day of the working year I had an afternoon out in the sun. Went to check on the guardrail installation on a bridge we are redecking. It is an interesting project as we reused the substructure, beams etc, and laid a new laminated (ply) deck. The deck is 195mm (7 3/4") hardwood deck ply from Papua New Guinea.
(https://i.postimg.cc/GmC0Gx1k/20251219-133618.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
Interesting. Not sure it would pass over here.