Evan Knows Weird Things @evanknowsweirdthings-blog - Tumblr Blog

Sony a6300 - First Thoughts

So, I’ve only had Sony’s latest mirrorless camera for all of, oh, twelve hours now. But that’s not going to stop me from trying to write some first impressions.

Firstly, it's hard to come by. I thought I saw release dates of 3/10; in fact that's what Amazon quoted me when I pre-ordered the body-only model. Within hours, Amazon simply said it was "backordered" and "sold out," and could provide NO estimation for availability. Same for B&H and Adorama. Oddly enough, Best Buy said one store in my area had one, but only bundled with the kit 16-50mm lens. Sold. Speaking of sold, I'll probably just put the kit lens on eBay since I've already got 16mm and 50mm primes...

Yes, it's the same size/ shape/ form factor as the A6000 -- but it's also different. It does feel slightly heftier in hand than the 6000, likely due to its magnesium construction. Could also swear the handgrip is better, too, but I'm probably imagining that.

I've only briefly scrolled through menus, but seems there are quite a few new settings/ parameters I need to brush up on before venturing out into the world.

I do like the new level indicator in the viewfinder and LCD screen, but disappointed it only shows on the latter when most other information isn't displayed on the screen.

Joy of having the dual-mode AEL/ AF-MF button is that I now have an extra button to program to a custom function setting. Also nice to quickly shift focus modes when needed.

I did go through and re-download all the apps I'd purchased for the A6000, but was startled to find that the "direct upload" app, which allowed me to connnect to Wi-Fi and post staight to Flickr (amongst other places), is gone. I get this is viewed as more of a "pro-grade" camera than the 6000, but don't some pros also use Flickr? Would be nice to at least batch-dump files to the service instead of first porting to a smartphone and THEN to a hosting service...

#sony #sonyalpha #sony a6000 #sony a6300

The Virtues Of A Double-Decker Wallet

Most men, no matter how well or badly dressed, carry overstuffed, beat up wallets that should have been replaced years ago. Why is that? -Jonathan Carroll

With all due respect to Mr. Carroll, I know exactly why I’ve held onto this bi-fold wallet for the past three and a half years, despite the fact that age and repetitive abuse are now starting to take its toll. As an unabashed fan of buses – and the London/AEC Routemaster in particular – I made sure to drag my wife to the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden during our vacation abroad in England. While I highly recommend the place for a visit (even my non-transpophile wife enjoyed it), I also highly recommend its superb gift shop for souvenirs that are both symbolic of London and different from what you’ll find in most tourist-trap trinket shops. That’s where this wallet comes into play. Yes, that is a plaid moquette fabric stitched into its exterior cover. And while you’ve probably not seen a wallet that looked like this, if you’ve ever spent any time on London’s iconic Routemaster double-decker bus, you’ve certainly seen seats that looked like this. When designer Douglas Scott was hired to create the look and feel of the Routemaster in the late 1950s, he was also charged with designing a seat fabric that was both attractive and yet durable to withhold the repetitive use and abuse in daily service. While Scott probably never envisioned that abuse to include overstuffing a wallet and carrying it in a pocket on a daily basis, I’m happy to say his moquette has still weathered that abuse handsomely, showing only perhaps a slight fade in color. In fact, this wallet looks better after three years of use than most other wallets I’ve owned following a mere 12 months service. If that isn’t a testament to the quality of work performed by Matt Fothergill - the talented bespoke bag and leather goods artisan LTM partnered with to produce these items - I don’t know what is. I cannot speak enough good about this wallet. It’s handled the plethora of plastic cards I’ve carried day-in, day out. It’s neatly separated my receipts from my petty cash. Its coin pouch has tolerated the vending machine change I occasionally carry and miraculously handled the chunky quid coins I needed to pay for parking (or the occasional pint) in Scotland. It’s done all this while aging remarkably gracefully. Although Fothergill’s embossed trademark within has faded somewhat, the only other true sign of wear is a very small tear at the corner of one of the credit card pockets. I suspect, much the Routemaster itself, that damage can easily be repaired, allowing the wallet to continue to surpass my expectations for longevity. But in any case, as these items are finally back in stock, I’ve ordered an extra pair just to be safe. At something close to $60 a pop, these wallets aren’t exactly inexpensive, but if you’re looking for a timeless design, a sturdy wallet, and a piece of transportation legend in one accessory, look no further.

#routemaster #bus #london #london transport museum #mattfothergill #moquette #design #gear

Good-bye, Old Friends

The bus garage operated by the Flint MTA just on the outskirts of Burton, Michigan, may not look futuristic, but with new CNG-powered coaches and a handful of hydrogen fuel cell buses fueling up on site, it certainly is. But those avant-garde coaches weren’t what brought me out -- it was fourteen used RTS transit buses, awaiting disposition.

I’ve been preaching forever that despite their contemporary looks, the end of the RTS era is nigh. It certainly is in Michigan. Just three years ago, roughly four properties in Michigan still ran them. After Detroit yanked most of theirs off the street earlier this year, it was essentially down to Flint.

No more -- as of last week, these fourteen buses were retired and listed for sale to bulk scrap buyers. After pulling some strings and coaxing some supervisors, I was able to walk the scrap line the other day.

Of particular note are two RTS coaches, fleet numbers 1090 and 1095. These two, both T8J204 models built in 1983, are most likely the last transit buses built by General Motors to function in public service in Michigan.

While they weren’t the oldest RTSes to operate here -- Lansing’s former ‘81 models probably have that honor -- they’re the GMCs that spent the most time here, as Lansing’s were all originally delivered to Los Angeles.

“They’re fairly run down,” my guide said. Honestly, for a twenty-two year-old bus beat to hell and back day-in, day-out, these looked pretty good. I’m told there’s structural rot in play (probably bulkheads), but there’s hardly any visible externally.

I was surprised the original destination sign roll curtains remained in use to the very end.

I especially like 1095, which remarkably still has its original GMC nose lettering intact.

Oddly enough, it wears a TMC VIN plate inside. While it’s not even a TMC rebuild plate, someone replaced the GMC label and stamped the TMC plate with the proper VIN, model number, and build date.

If this franken-coach nature strikes you as odd, allow me to introduce you to the last TMC-built RTS models to operate in Flint.

Welcome inside. Apart from electronic shift controls, seat materials, and flip-dot destination controls, this looks identical to the GMC-built buses. As such, the occasional GMC part -- namely horn button -- is to be expected, but...

...at least two TMC-built buses present had GMC emblems installed in the footwell. One was unstamped and had no VIN data, but another one...one I brought home as a souvenir...

...has data that’s not from a Flint bus. If I’m correct, it’s from a bus bought by Houston, Texas -- and to my knowledge, never operated in Flint. Weird.

6v92 power all around.

While these are technically for sale, their age and condition means they’re not likely to be re-used -- just scrapped.

As nice as newer coaches are, I’ll still miss seeing the RTS’ distinctive shape on the road. And I’ll especially miss seeing Flint’s attractive paint scheme heading down the highway on regional runs.

Good-bye, old friends. Long did you run.

#RTSbus #GMC #TMC #RTS #transit #history

Let There Be (More) Light

There’s plenty to like in the cargo box of the latest generation of General Motors full-size pickups, but I like the LED under-rail lights the best. They’re great for finding items placed near the tailgate, like in my cargo organizer -- but sadly, that’s about it. If there’s anything further up in the box, it’s still surrounded in darkness. I suspect GM thought that the cab-mounted cargo light would shine on these quarters of the bed. They do -- unless you’re someone like me, who uses a tonneau cover. In this case, these items are still under cover of darkness. So, time for a solution. While my Sierra came with these lamps installed as standard equipment, they’re also sold as an official accessory kit for owners whose trucks didn’t come with them. I bought an extra pair (about $100), cut off the pigtail connector that plugs into the body harness, cut the looms in two, and began installing. While the standard lamp positions have pre-drilled holes making installing lamps as simple as running bolts, there aren’t any such guides up front. While I could have been anal about it, I eyeballed a decent place to install the lamps on each side, marked where I needed to drill, and drilled pilot holes. I then ran some self-tapping sheetmetal screws, and boom -- done. Well, done with half the install. Next part involved power! I ran the wiring looms through the holes behind the bed rail to the back of the bed, and then pulled the taillamps. That then gave access to both wiring for the original pair of bed lamps and the new wiring. Just some careful splicing, soldering, and heat shrinking after that, and voila: we’ve doubled the lighting in the bed. And, I have to say, the end result is worth it. Before, you would not be able to see those pruning shears at the front of the box.

Now, to get these to come on whenever I unlock the box...

Adventures in Weird Brochures

I like weird things. I like collecting sales brochures. So, it probably goes without saying I like collecting weird sales brochures. By and large, they’re mostly automotive -- not necessarily “weird” in the grand scheme of things -- but there are a growing number of those that aren’t. These might actually be harder to come by given they were targeting a smaller audience. I mean, think about how many people were shopping for a 1961 Chevrolet compared to a 1961 Electro-Motive GP30... I digress. I’ve been trying to be spendthrift lately, but a few select items popped up on eBay that I couldn’t resist. The score includes...

-VIA/CN Turbo Train brochure. Neat fold-out with an awesome line art rendering of the gas turbine-powered trainset on the one cover. This is probably from ‘77/’78, since it references a new name and new colors. Prior to this, Turbo Train was part of CN’s passenger rail service and wore red noses and a white body structure.

Turbo service would end in October of 1982. All were retired and unceremoniously scrapped. No survivors exist, even in museums.

-General Motors Electro-Motive GP30 Locomotive Brochure. Given the “NEW” moniker, I’m guessing this is from ‘61, when the little stylized, turbocharged ‘geep’ first hit the market. Production would only run through ‘63. I always liked the stylized hump for the dynamic brake grids, which allegedly was the handicraft of GM Design Staff (though the rest of the loco is, admittedly, rather spartan looking).

A short little brochure (8 pages), but well illustrated in typical ‘60s GM advert rendering style. Very surprised this one only fetched $10...

-GM Coaches In The West Brochure. A short, small brochure designed to show off 4107 intercity coaches in service with operators in western U.S/ Canada. Not as robust a brochure as I expected, nor as in as great of shape as I’d hoped, but hey - $8. Not bad.

Also, CHECK OUT THAT VINTAGE DISNEY ALWEG HOTNESS!!!

-MLW Worthington Limited Brochure. For the sake of brevity, this Montreal-based firm was essentially the last living piece of the legendary ALCO locomotive-building firm. This brochure, which highlights many of the Century-series locos it was building for Canadian properties, along with some foreign-market export locos, appears to have been towards the close of MLW-Worthington’s existence, as it was purchased by Bombardier in 1975.

I also dig that early artist’s rendering of the LRC project. The proposed scheme is quite close to the initial demonstrator, even if a number of details differ. Happy reading, friends.

#brochures #collectibles #alco #mlw #locomotives #electromotive #gm #buses #turbotrain #cn #viarail

Gee Em Dee Dee

Seeing as USDM GM Coach literature pricing has gone through the roof as of late (I watched a Buffalo coach brochure bring over $200 last week), I’m turning my attention to a different subject: the General Motors Diesel Division of Canada Limited, or GMDD. Responsible for building buses, trains, earthmovers, military equipment, and beyond, GMDD is perhaps one of the coolest divisions in GM history -- even though only real transportation geeks are the only ones who really remember it. I’ve been lucky enough to come across some vintage GMDD literature, but as is the case with any addiction, it ain’t enough. In any case, I’d love to acquire more vintage GMDD stuff for my collection. If you have any you’d be willing to part with, reach out and ping me.

#GMDD #GM #General Motors #GMC #Diesel Division #GM Canada #Canada #Buses #Trains #Locomotives #EMD #Electro-Motive

Not Your Father’s Oldsmobile Show (Or Maybe It Was)

It’s been a while since I’ve gone through my digital camera’s memory card. And now that I’ve done that, I realize it’s been a while since I’ve posted here. Case in point -- I never did get around to blogging about the Oldsmobile Homecoming Show held in Lansing, Michigan (where else?!) several weeks ago. I like this show for several reasons. First, it’s free, and fairly close to home -- important given I’m living with self-imposed rations in order to support some family trips later this year. Secondly, there’s usually a good turnout, and with a decent mix of cars. Despite facing forecasts of rain, this year’s show was arguably larger than ever (or at the very least, the one I went to a few years ago). But most importantly, it does really allow you to see how this brand represented the community at large. Oldsmobile was so engrained into Lansing’s livelihood, it’s hard to find anyone living there that wasn’t somehow affected by the brand in one form or another. It’s also hard to find someone that doesn’t rue the day the Oldsmobile brand died, despite the fact that, for most intents, the brand died after the majority of its products were produced in plants outside of the Lansing city borders. In any case, enjoy some of the oddball items I mysteriously chose to shoot.

#oldsmobile #classic cars #vista cruiser #toronado #cutlass #cutlass supreme #rocket 88 #super 88 #dynamic 88 #station wagons #oldsmobile homecoming #car show

Out With The Old Mac, In With The (Slightly More) New Mac

I don’t proclaim to be an Apple fan boy by any stretch of the imagination. I actually prefer Android to iOS, have swapped out my iPhone for a Sony Xperia, and by and large regret the purchase of my iPad Mini. But I do still love me a MacBook. Not necessarily for the physical design, but for the user experience afforded by OS X. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I just love it. And after using it day in, day out for my personal computer for nearly seven years now, I don’t wanna ditch it now. But here’s the thing. That MacBook I bought six-seven years ago is really showing its age. I’ve replaced the optical drive twice, upgraded the hard disc once, replaced the monitor hinges, wi-fi antennae, and back cover, and so on. A month ago, the screen cracked in a way rendering it usable, but leaving pools of the liquid used in LCD displays pooled in patterns that could be mistaken for Gorbachev’s brow. Yeah, I could just replace that for $60-80 or so, but...it’s time for something new. But here’s the other thing: newer MacBooks are craaaaaazy expensive. To buy new, I would probably need to surrender roughly half of my monthly gross income to get another. Even the cheapest refurb MacBook I could get through Apple would run me $820 -- not exactly a minute sum. And even some of the ‘11-’12 refurbished books through third party vendors would have run me at least $600 and left me with maybe 4 GB RAM and no more than 250 GB of space. No bueno. So here’s what I’ve done. -Bought a refurbished 2010 MacBook 13″. Macofalltrades sold this for about $330 shipped, and with a 250 GB hard disk and 2 GB of RAM.

-Bought a 1 TB 2.5″ SATA HDD and a 8 GB RAM kit from NewEgg and installed both

-Bought an adapter from iFixit that allows one to replace the stock DVD drive with a second 2.5″ SATA HDD

-Backed up the 750 GB HDD from my last MacBook, formatted it, and installed it in the optical space adapter

-Installed OS X 10.10.3, along with Windows 7 Professional through Apple’s BootCamp (adios, Parallels garbage). So, after two days I now have a machine with 8 GB memory, 1.75 TB of storage, and the ability to run OS X and Win7. Score.

Long Journey, Long Time Ago

I’m horrible with losing things, digital images especially. Anonymous filenames all hurriedly stuffed into folders in order to go shoot more images. So it was fitting that shortly before my wife and I jetted (or, uh, trained) off to Toronto I stumbled upon some photos from eight months prior, when we’d hopped aboard VIA Rail’s “The Canadian” and journeyed by rail from Vancouver to Toronto.

I don’t know if I have all the photos here. And I don’t know if I’m proud of all of them -- it’s hard to shoot through curved glass in daylight with no filter and not get reflections -- but if these craptacular images still look good, it should stand as a representation as to just how spectacular the views are from aboard this train. Yes, it’s slow. Yes, it’s expensive. Yes, you’ll probably wind up late to your destination. But you know what? Budget for that, both fiscally and schedule-wise. Plop your derriere into a seat in one of the dome cars, and Do. Not. Ever. Leave. There’s no better way to experience just how beautiful and diverse Canada’s geography can be.

If you’re on the fence, or mulling the cost...don’t. Just do it. Do it as soon as you’re able.

#viarail #thecanadian #train #photos #vancouver #toronto #canadian #canada #scenic #travel

Life In Truckdom

It's hard to believe it's been six months since I signed on the dotted line, said "so long" to my beloved CR-V, and became the proud owner of a new 2014 GMC Sierra SLE double-cab 4x4. Do I like it? The fact I've logged over 18000 miles and have had no problems and few complaints in that time frame should say something. I probably have yet to truly work the truck to its full capacity, but the ability to do so much at the drop of a hat is truly a blessing -- you seriously never known when you need to haul odd-sized items or get suckered into helping a friend move. There's a lot I like and even love about my Sierra -- its styling, quiet cabin, endless storage capacity, etc. -- but I do find myself on occasion wishing a few small tweaks could be added to the mix. None of these are substantial, really; they're small observations. Yet in today's truck market, which is more cutthroat than ever before, some of these tweaks might go a long way towards adding convenience -- and that goes a long way with customers.

Cargo lamps: To keep idiots from blinding surrounding traffic while driving on the road, GM wisely disabled the cargo lamps from being lit unless the truck is shifted into neutral or park. However, it'd be really nice if one could activate them when in reverse. I find the stock reverse lights lacking in lumens, so any additional light would be welcome -- but think about how many people back up to trailers, loading docks, etc. Surely they don't do this only in broad daylight?

Tailgate Lock: It's great that a means of securing the load area (or even the tailgate itself) is included as standard equipment. But the fact it's not tied to the rest of the truck's locking system? Slightly irritating, especially if you're having someone else load cargo for you, or if you need to let a customs agent poke around while crossing a border. Don't forget that in conjunction with a bed extender, many folks use the bed as a trunk of sorts -- why not provide the same access and convenience as any other vehicle with one? It shouldn't be too difficult -- after all, with rear-view cameras mounted in the latch bezel, it's not like it's impossible to run wiring into the tailgate...

LED bed lights: I love the pair included on my GMC, but really wish they could come on when I unlock the truck with the keyless remote. Again, see the above trunk comments. Slightly annoying sometimes to walk into the cab, hit the cab light button, and then go about my work. Maybe a button on the keyfob that triggers the cargo lamp circuit could be a decent work-around? I'd also love it if GM offered an easy way to add a second pair of lamps towards the front of the bed -- it gets rather dark up there...

Valet Key: Did I mention these were minor? Case in point. My Sierra has two locking compartments which are quite handy, but if you foist the key over to a valet or service tech, they're not truly secured -- one key locks and unlocks everything. Lest you think this sounds erudite, think about what sort of buyer drops coin on an SLT or Denali.

#GMC sierra ownership thoughts suggestions

FULL DISCLOSURE: I've been horrible with deadlines lately, both professional and personal. Time to rectify that -- starting with this little diddy. I remember the first and only time I ever laid eyes on a Mazda Cosmo Sports. Fourteen years ago in Cobo Hall, when most other auto show visitors were gaping at the RX-Evolv concept, I was looking upwards. There, just below HVAC ducts and People Mover track was a slender white two-door capsule, mounted perpendicular as if it were rocketing through a high-bank corner. Its tapered nose seemed Italian; its nacelle-esque taillamps evoked Chrysler Turbine Car. It oozed cool; my mouth oozed drool. Fast forward to three weeks ago. A good friend from Ohio, who owns one of the most esoteric and enjoyable car collections known to man, pinged me to say he'd be in Michigan showing his '72 L10B Cosmo Sport at a concours, alongside his equally odd, equally Japanese Toyota Sports 800. Did I want to stick around 'till the end of the show and pilot the Cosmo back to a workshop 30 miles away? As the saying goes, you know the rest of the story. Well, not quite. Exactly how does a forty-year old car, especially one designed for a different era, a different market, a different driver, and far different roads, work in contemporary America? Pretty well, so long as you don't consider space. For many Americans, the act of squeezing behind the wheel of the Cosmo Sports requires patience, a long pry bar, and copious amounts of petroleum jelly. At 5'10 and more heft than I'd like to confess, I came close to surrendering to the Mazda's form factor more than once but soon managed to tuck both legs into the footwell without bashing the back of my skull on the B-pillar. In fact, once in, I was rather comfortable - which was more than I could say for my passenger, as an aftermarket A/C unit mounted below the IP robbed her of all legroom. I can only imagine what this would be like in a Series 1 Cosmo -- Series II cars, like this example, benefited from a 5.9" increase in wheelbase. Firing up the 1.0-liter, two-rotor Wankel requires a steady eye on the tachometer. Off idle, the 10B engine is deathly silent save for a slight murmur from the exhaust. The only real sign there's combustion occurring underhood is the twitch of the cleanly labeled Yazaki gauge placed in front of the driver. As the stratospheric redline on the tach suggests, the Wankel does prefer to rev, and its slightly lumpy idle settles into a silky smooth whir once you escalate above 1000-1500 rpm. Time to go. I throw the upright handbrake lever forward -- how railroad-esque! - let out the clutch, and take off. The mixture of panoramic rear glass and right-hand drive means there's almost no blind spot in sight. Shifting a car southpaw is different, but not tricky. The Cosmo's 5-speed gearbox, though, is another matter. It's vague, notchy, and a little reluctant at times to let me move between fourth and fifth gears.

For vintage cars, keeping pace with freeway traffic is a baptism by fire. Not so the Cosmo. In fifth gear, whirring along at 70-75 mph is absolutely no qualm. The car is composed, even when overshadowed and wind-blasted by passing cars. The noise is unique, and the faint whiff of oil -- something injected into the fuel mix in order to sustain apex seals -- is vaguely reminiscent of a two-stroke engine. The manual steering offers good feedback. Not sports-car immediate but still fairly quick; only minimal input needed for freeway maneuvers. We soon arrive at our destination. I'm enthused, but the Mazda is nonplussed. It's truly a grand gran turismo, so long as you don't need much interior space. It's so full of charm and character. I adore it so much, I've decided I'm buying one.

(in 1/24 scale) (Big thanks to Mr. V for trusting me with his rotary-powered treasure).

Aerotech Revisited

Undoubtedly, one of the highlights of my time spent at Automobile Magazine was the opportunity to meet Ed Welburn. Well, okay, it wasn't just an opportunity meet GM's vice-president of design: it was an opportunity to meet him AND his first major concept car: the Oldsmobile Aerotech. As a child of the late '80s who grew up tinkering with 1/64th scale Aerotech toys and pining for Monogram's detailed 1/24-scale kit -- which could be built in both long and short-tail forms, thank you very much -- this was akin to being invited to nirvana.

You can read the whole thing here. Well, almost the whole thing. Although we presented a fairly complete synopsis of the Aerotech's genesis, evolution, and race history, there were a few things I wished I could have provided at the time. Problem was I couldn't find materials I SWORE i had handy moments prior to deadline. Go figure: they just appeared some four years later.

First, I actually managed to stumble upon the Aerotech's engines themselves. Olds used two different versions of a heavily-modified Quad 4, as detailed in the original story.

The short-tail Aerotech used the so-called "Record Engine" built by Batten Heads of Detroit. This was a 2.0L engine utilizing a single turbocharger. The aluminum-block engine retained many attributes of the stock Quad 4, including valve count, DOHC, 100 mm bore center, production valve angles and sizes, combustion chamber shapes, and timing chains.

The long tail Aerotech's BE -- or "Bonneville Engine" -- was built by Jim Feuling, and was a different beast, despite sharing many attributes with the RE. Not only was the BE a twin-turbocharged affair, but Olds also let Feuling play around with valve sizing, combustion chamber design, and so on. Close attention was paid particularly to the exhaust ports in order to accelerate exhaust gases, feed the turbos, and curtail turbo lag. The BE is also visually distinct thanks to its massive tangle of exhaust/ intake headers feeding the pair of turbochargers.

Both engines are on display at the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum in Lansing, Michigan, along with an additional Aerotech Quad 4 development engine block. If you're an Olds nut or just want to see an eclectic array of automotive history, make sure you stop by.

The Museum also has a version of the Aurora IRL V-8 on display, which went into the revised Aerotech twins in 1992. But it's far less impressive to stare at this engine than to hear it in action. To that end, you're in luck: I found B-roll from Ed's drive that shows what sort of noise this beast throws down, even at a moderate/ sedate clip.

The sonic glory starts at the 1;00 mark. I'm not sure it really does it justice -- it was so good in person, it had me breaking protocol and using my cell phone to record the noise alone...

Needless to say, if stock Aurora V-8s sounded this good, I'd be picking up a used Aurora in a heartbeat.

#oldsmobile #aerotech #concept car #history #automotive history #race cars #lansing #gm #general motors #video

There's no better cure for a case of the Mondays (or, uh...Wednesdays?) than old-timey press photos of old-timey Japanese SUVs.

#mitsubishi #montero #pajero #suv #factory photo #old school

Bought a bunch of old Truck & Coach items. This was included. Alas, a proper light box was not.

#GM #RTS #GMC #articulated #bus #automobilia #literature #photography #prototype

How it all started. So glad I rediscovered this photo the other night.

#me #mustang #ford #1965 #selfie #kid

The Ever-Expanding Project

I swear I started this merely to add a tachometer to the Kubota B7100. Honest, I did. I simply wanted to know if I was over-revving, under-revving, hitting my PTO "sweet spot," etc. But like all projects, things just kind of devolved from there. The little B isn't in horrific nick, really. It's been maintained fairly well for most of its life, garaged indoors for some three decades , etc, etc. But it is a 35-year-old tractor. It has been worked. Hard, I presume, as tractors often are. And so I'm not entirely surprised to be encountering a few things along the way.

I figured this tach job would just be a matter of pulling the steering wheel and dash panel (done and done) and then swinging the radiator over to install the tach drive. But my mind works in mysterious ways. There are so many different things that, although they aren't problems or major issues per se, are things that could be years down the road.

-Steering box seems okay, but since it's a pitman arm and four bolts away from being removed, I'm tempted to inspect and re-oil it for safety's sake.

-Radiator has a fair bit of debris stuck in its lower lip. Coolant inside looks okay (nice and green). Considering flushing, blowing out with compressed air,

-On that note, it's time to do both upper and lower radiator hoses. Methinks these might be original, and if so, I'm living on borrowed time. In any event, it also gives me opportunity to plumb in a sensor so I can have a temp gauge on the dash panel as well.

-On THAT note (is this theme sounding familiar yet?), I need to modify the (facing tractor) left-hand side panel. There's barely any clearance between the air filter bracket and the loader upright brace -- or at least not enough to allow the giant panel to come off. I'm planning on just Dremeling a cut towards the front of the panel (roughly 2-3") to allow me to simply slide it backwards and off the tractor. -Speaking of that lack of clearance, there's a nice (i.e. disturbing) pinch point on one of the hydraulic lines that goes from the engine-mounted hydraulic pump to the control valve. Not leaking badly yet, but suspect it could at some point. This should be fairly easy to replace -- but I do need to learn how to replace hydro lines!

All this has me wondering if I might be able -- or if I even should remotely think about -- to tackle removing the loader and its subframe myself. I'd like to, as it means I could tackle wrenching on the 4WD driveshaft myself. It also means I could have someone look at the one upright that houses the hydraulic fluid. I can't tell if there's a small leak or what, but I could take it to a local (i.e. just around the corner) welder to have it firmed up. I can only imagine the horror my wife is hiding so well right now...

#kubota #project management #wrenching

Touche, Eric. Touche.

#music #animals #eric burdon #old school

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