what did you wrench on today??

[82kat]

wrenchin.....

I havent wrenched on anything for quite some time because funds are really tight. But I still have my Big Zuke and my Lil zuke. So I am jealous and glad to hear and see what you all are working on...Maybe spring time when I get some tax money I can get my new ignition for my lil zuke....

[machinest]

Finally got the new bigger windscreen on and fitted some grip heaters.

[Colin Green]

I installed a Monster 900 shock to the back of one of my GS1150 EF. I wound in preload all the way before installing it. Other than four extra washers for spacers she was a straight swap and now has about 10mm static sag and feels sooooooo much better than the 99% knackered original which pretty much bottomed out when I sat on her..

Also installed a spare seat release lock assembly (it didn't have one) and a used set of coils and leads and set of carbs (off my other 1150 which was running well enough) to get her to start and run properly. It would only start if I cleaned the plugs and had a fully charged battery and was down about 65% on power. The PO had been screwing with the carbs amongst so many other things that if I attempted to list them I'd hit the word limit for posting before I got half way. He gave me a bit of a list of his DIY maintenance for about three years... It (and the bike condition) are best described as a shocking example of dysfunctional love (Shudddder)

Anyhoo I took it for a lap around the block and she feels way better. Next I'll have to strip the front end to sort her out so she will allow counter steering (badly notched steering bearing very much over tightened, blown fork seals and springs) and salvage the 2" of static sag.

I must say that it is nice to be able to put her on the side stand without worrying that she will fall back the other way because the stand was too long... Lol


P.S who woulda thought you could run the rotors down to 3.2mm?

.

[shiznizbiz]

Cleaned the carbs real good. used barymans carb dip, the carb section on the home page and an oring kit from cycleorings.com. very easy and well worth it. I had rust in the bowls and corrosion everywhere. the orings were D.O.A. Now everything look new...umm...ish...lol. Now all i have to do is put them in the bike, and sync them after i get a tach.....

[jwhelan65]

finished up my tank liner...POR 15 is amazing stuff.

[Colin Green]

I havent wrenched on anything for quite some time because funds are really tight. But I still have my Big Zuke and my Lil zuke. So I am jealous and glad to hear and see what you all are working on...Maybe spring time when I get some tax money I can get my new ignition for my lil zuke....

You aren't alone there. I work on mine in fits and starts and sometimes find lack of $ hold things up. If i am keen but have no $ I get into stripping bits off and cleaning them while my credit card is recharging Elbow grease is free and a smidgen of petrol is always handy

[Flyboy]

You aren't alone there. I work on mine in fits and starts and sometimes find lack of $ hold things up. If i am keen but have no $ I get into stripping bits off and cleaning them while my credit card is recharging Elbow grease is free and a smidgen of petrol is always handy

+1 on that, or spend time here getting ideas and inspiration, building the know how.
Right there now as payday is still a day or two away, so, being tired and frustrated with working on the garage floor like a shade tree mechanic, I threw together a nice work bench, using an old single bed frame that I had lying around, went out and bought a length of 40x40x5 mm angle iron for $22, cut it into 1m lenths and drilled for the legs, now I have a nice big work bench, 1m x 2m.
Just have to organise a top now.....after pay day
Also continued to prep Jennifers frame for its trip to the powder coaters, drilling out a few broken bolts and fixing the side stand bracket, which was bent.

[ozarkdrb]

Killed My hands on Ford Truck !

I wrenched on replacing power window gears in the gearbox that hangs on the end of the drive motors in a 1990 Ford Pickup w/ power windows. Ford - in it's 90's wisdom made the main drive gear out of Nylon!!! Made to Crash!
You must have window glass up, speakers out, and all door panels off, then drill a 1/2 hole and dremel out two others to get to the three 8mm bolts that hold motor and drive to window regulator. Nice engineering!Then you get it loose, pull it thru speaker hole, clean-out ton of broken olastic in ancient grease from gear box and replace all gears and grease. Then stand on head to get it all into place, only dropping bolts a dozen times down into door bottom. (magnetic pick-up stick will save you there!) Then you put all the plastic covers and crap back together and hope it works.
They are FIXED! I don't know what it would have cost to have a shop do this and it is on an old truck that is just used as a fram truck, but Holy Crap - it is really hard to do!
Thanks Ford!
There went my whole yesterday...
Ozarkdrb

[Mindless]

Removed the front end from my 1150.

[ddaniels]

Installed new rear speakers in my 95 Mazda Protege. Old versus new is pretty grizzly:



Grills aren't on yet, as there is no good way to attach them. I'll probably end up using a few dabs of construction adhesive. Replacing front door speakers will follow. The old ones are just as bad as the rears. Figuring how to remove/reinstall the door panel without damaging it will be at least half of the battle.

For anyone who needs to replace speakers, check out Parts Express. Excellent prices (both pairs totaled $70 including S&H) and broad selection.

I've wondered how those Pyle speakers sound. So, how do they sound?

[Dave8338]

I wrenched on replacing power window gears in the gearbox that hangs on the end of the drive motors in a 1990 Ford Pickup w/ power windows. Ford - in it's 90's wisdom made the main drive gear out of Nylon!!! Made to Crash!
You must have window glass up, speakers out, and all door panels off, then drill a 1/2 hole and dremel out two others to get to the three 8mm bolts that hold motor and drive to window regulator. Nice engineering!Then you get it loose, pull it thru speaker hole, clean-out ton of broken olastic in ancient grease from gear box and replace all gears and grease. Then stand on head to get it all into place, only dropping bolts a dozen times down into door bottom. (magnetic pick-up stick will save you there!) Then you put all the plastic covers and crap back together and hope it works.
They are FIXED! I don't know what it would have cost to have a shop do this and it is on an old truck that is just used as a fram truck, but Holy Crap - it is really hard to do!
Thanks Ford!
There went my whole yesterday...
Ozarkdrb

Did this very repair to my 1986 TC two years ago. Nylon pieces (3 per motor) $4.29 delivered to my door. PITA of doing the job, just as you describe...PRICELESS!

Ford used these nylon parts to save the pot metal gearing they used in the event of a frozen window, as they allow for some cushion from the worm gear on the moter to the toothed gear that drives the window rack.

Hey... on the bright side, they worked well for 20+ years.

[DanTheMan]

I dismantled the passenger side door on my '94 Chev CK2500 to prop up my window. The gears are fine, but the metal channel on the window rusts out. This is the second one, I replaced the left side window two years ago (yep, gotta replace the whole window, can't just replace the channel). I shop the wrecking yards for a rust free one and throw the old window in the dumpster. What a waste. I don't have the money for a new window right now, probably won't want to roll it down until next spring anyway.

[themess]

I've wondered how those Pyle speakers sound. So, how do they sound?

First, the old speakers are so bad that they aren't a fair reference. The Pyles sound much better. I have real bass now. My town has two public radio stations, one AM,. one FM. With the old speakers they sounded almost the same. Now the FM station is clearer, head and shoulders above the AM station. Voices and instruments sound more natural, better timbres.

My replacements aren't real hi-fi speakers. They are a good upgrade for inexpensive OEM speakers. I'd guess that most cars with premium sound packages come with speakers at least as good as these. But at $70 for fronts (5 1/4") and rears (6"x9"), they are well worth it.

[ozarkdrb]

One Last Power windows comment...

You know, when I was a kid putting together a car or motorcycle so I could get around, I learned a GREAT deal about physics and mechanics and chemistry by wrenching everything myself. There were times when I was in college under my busted truck in the freezing cold that I said "I am going to make enough money someday that I will have somebody else fix this stuff!"
Now that I know or can figure out most fix-it situations (my younger friends often call for advice fixing stuff - I am know as "Middleaged Man") I have collected enough tools and are too cheap to pay somebody for what I KNOW I can do! I hope that never ceases, but those Ford gearheads on those window drives will make you cry. I am also working my hardest at fixing something by standing and staring at it - my wife thinks you have to be in mad motion to be working on the problem, but I have found that thinking it out works best every time.
Never quit wrenching!
And buy more tools and motorcycle batteries with the money you save!
Ozarkdrb

[Baatfam]

I am also working my hardest at fixing something by standing and staring at it - my wife thinks you have to be in mad motion to be working on the problem, but I have found that thinking it out works best every time.

Hahaha....my wife doesn't get that either...

I spend a considerable amount of my repair time just noodling on the problem...saves a lot of wasted effort.