What did you do with tools today?

[Muddy]

Like the title says what did you do in your garage/workshop/shed etc today?

Replaced the oil filter housing in the van today.

[AbiggerGarage]

I wish I could say I had the energy level to do a whole lot.  I feel like I have got more done in the last week, though, then the last six months.
Replaced old florescent lights with LED lights that I had picked up some time back.  Hung a set of blinds I picked up for thirty three cents, relative came over and put up window film for me on the walk in door (light and privacy), cleared out a bit of trash, then my body said done.

Really hoped to move my safe in place, just don't have the energy to move 1500+ lbs right now.

[Hickory n Steel]

I had to repair a couple things at work today,  then I did some tinkering on one of my airguns when I got home.
That tinkering involved a hacksaw, a screwdriver,  drill & bit, files, and a torch.

[bmwrd0]

Pulled apart an old Simpson 269 analog VOM to see what batteries it needed to get working again.

[goodfellow]

Pulled new coax into my HAM radio shack (room) that lives above my garage. As I get older, the physical aspects of working on cars is taking it's toll. I can't recover as quickly and need to take a few days off after a long car repair session to give my lower back a break. That's when I sit back and enjoy HAM radio operation and radio electronics work.

[j.a.f.e.]

Pulling coax sounds so much easier on the back than working on a car. 

RG58 or 59?

[bmwrd0]

That is pretty much why I am willing to pay someone to work on my cars now, my back is too messed up at this point, and even putting my shoes on takes its toll. Never liked working on my daily anyway.

Happier to work on my lathe and other machine tools at this point, much easier on me.

[goodfellow]

Pulling coax sounds so much easier on the back than working on a car.

RG58 or 59?

LMR-400 Steve. It's very ungainly, but at least I can do the work standing up and it's an easy run trough the wall and inside of my garage, and then into the second floor.

I put up a horizontally polarized 6M dipole antenna a few weeks ago and just pulled the coax up into the shack. While I was at it I also pulled a second LMR-400 line to replace an existing LMR-400 line that fed a dual band 2M/70cm antenna. It was damaged when the landscaping contractor hit it with a backhoe last year. I patched it, but the SWR went from 1.3 at 147.5MHz (my sweet spot for local repeater traffic) to just below 3.0. It just wasn't right anymore.

[goodfellow]

That is pretty much why I am willing to pay someone to work on my cars now, my back is too messed up at this point, and even putting my shoes on takes its toll. Never liked working on my daily anyway.

Happier to work on my lathe and other machine tools at this point, much easier on me.

I'm with you on the back issues my friend. I do love working on my cars, but sooner or later we all have to face the fact that even though the knowledge and motivation is there, the execution becomes the big problem. I'm still holding on, but I don't do work for friends and neighbors anymore. Most all of them understand my reasoning.

[j.a.f.e.]

Never worked with LMR-400. Mostly RG58 and 59. I imagine it's pretty stiff.

I always liked terminating them though. For some reason that was always fun.

[Der Bugmeister]

Played inexplicable coil pack games on mother-in-law's 2011 Nissan Altima.  Car was running rough, obviously a cylinder misfiring and threw up a P0302 (Cylinder 2 misfire) code.  Swapped the coil packs between 2 and 3, fired the car up and it runs smoothly. 

Had a similar thing happen with my Corolla a few years ago, problem never returned after doing the swap.

[goodfellow]

Played inexplicable coil pack games on mother-in-law's 2011 Nissan Altima.  Car was running rough, obviously a cylinder misfiring and threw up a P0302 (Cylinder 2 misfire) code.  Swapped the coil packs between 2 and 3, fired the car up and it runs smoothly. 

Had a similar thing happen with my Corolla a few years ago, problem never returned after doing the swap.

It's probably the boot arcing through. By pulling it up and shoving it back down you most likely fixed the issue temporarily. Once the boot goes through some heat cycles the problem may come back -- Fingers crossed B-Meister.

[Uncle Buck]

I was in no shape to work on anything for a few years and only in the last two years have I started getting back to anything close to what I used to do. Yesterday I started pulling apart a 1968 Wheel Horse Lawn Ranger that I used to mow the yard for years apart. Likely have the old pooped out Tecumseh engine off tonight and start looking at what modifications I will need to make to repower the old girl with a 6.5 HP Harbor Freight Honda clone Predator engine. Likely a change on the base mount, and definite change needed to relocating and fitting the fuel tank.

I would have preferred repowering with an old Kohler 7HP side pulley engine, but cannot justify doing so with this HF engine sitting here, new in the box that I have had for 10-15 years. For just a little fab work, and virtually no cost I can put the WH back in service. I feel a tad guilty repowering this fine old machine with a Chinese Honda clone, but console myself with the knowledge the next owner can always do the job right with an old Kohler with just a few hours of work. Besides, my need is immediate, I have no money to burn for another engine, and the HF Predator engines have fantastic reviews.

The only downside is the original engine was key start and the HF engine is recoil start only. But on the plus side, no replacing the battery every other year.   

[Muddy]

Friday I did an front cover and oil pan gasket

[bmwrd0]

Started taking apart an old plane to see it I could get it into decent shape.



This what I do when I have insomnia and don't want to make a lot of noise.