I Broke My Warn Winch
Okay… maybe that’s a bit of an over statement, but it needs to be repaired! Please follow along as I figure this out.
Travel Tool Kit
I’ve got a pretty good travel tool kit my wife gave me for Christmas several years ago. It’s got enough tools it might qualify as a starter mechanics set. It’s one of the more complete all in one mechanics sets I’ve seen for a travel set. It’s also pretty heavy as you might imagine. For…
First Use of the Weld-bart-ler 187 Welder
I had asked about the Weldmark 187 a while back. It says Weldmark on the front, Hobart Bros on the side, and Miller on the gun. Yesterday I needed to weld some spring centers on some new axles… long story. It would have been more work than it was worth to make space to drag…
Those Axles – 2
Well… nothing much to get excited about. I got the old axles off. Okay they are heavy. Maybe solid. Never expected that. The old spring stacks are also much taller than the new spring stacks. I’m going to see if I can use the old springs and hardware, but the tires and wheels are slightly…
I Cut The Hitch Off My Jeep
For the last tournament we fished I towed the ProCraft out to the lake with my Jeep. Its within the tow capacity (just barely), but I would rather use my truck. The AC wasn’t working in the truck, and its warming up here in Arizona. Anyway, the Jeep towed it just fine, except the hitch…
You Do NOT Get What You Pay For
If you have followed me for very long you know I can do a lot of things and take on a lot of projects and repairs myself. Its not because I’m cheap or because I don’t have any money… Okay sometimes it is. Often however if I just worked at MY JOB I’d be money…
UPDATED: Tools That Used to be Quality Bargains
Master Mechanic used to be Made in USA and had a great warranty. I seem to recall it was supposedly lifetime. I know in our little country store we replaced Master Mechanic tools on the spot and Cotter & Co (True Value Hardware and V&S Variety) reimbursed us periodically. Then they changed to made in…
Up Coming Projects – 1982 Ford Bronco Full Size 2DR
I may be pulling a 351W engine out of an 82 Bronco soon. It was parked back in the late 90s or early 2000s with low oil pressure. This will make the 4th or 5th time that engine was out. First time it jumped time at just over the 26K warranty. Dealer pulled it and…
Wen VS Harbor Freight – 1 x 30 Belt Grinder
No affiliate links here. These companies barely answer “some” customer service emails. Neither has ever given me a free product much less any money.
Surface Drive Progress… Sorta – BAR HOPPER
I had been begrudging the cost of the motor for the Twister surface drive I bought for Bar Hopper. Initially I had planned on a Predator 670 V-twin from Harbor Freight. Its about a thousand dollars at this time, but its a 22hp motor. That’s 22 crankshaft horsepower. There is really no other way to…
(CNC Molds Update)
Its Thanksgiving day and I’m out in the shop. No its not a bad thing… not exactly. I spent some time yesterday getting ready for the holiday, and the day before I spent probably 3 hours on the phone with a customer that will probably never spend a dime. I had hope to spend that…
SLJ #1 – Busted Laundry Hamper – Video
SLJ #1 – Busted Laundry Hamper – Video Yep, its just like it sounds. Guy hacks his way through a “simple” repair of a laundry hamper.
Making the 4×4 Prettier (Jeep JK 2 Door Sport S) PICTURES
A couple years ago I needed a rack on the Jeep to haul my Uncle Paul’s Canoe back from Ohio. It worked okay. You can read about it here: Trail FX Rack Installation The Trail FX Rack did the job like I said. It was okay, but I had to cut the stock plastic bumper…
Sometimes the Simplest Part is a Useful Tool
Ha! Thanks for the mention Joe. Thanks for being a good sport about the cardboard tube Joe. I usually use a little larger tube, but that’s the one that was laying on the lathe tools cart when I thought to send it to you. So much stock comes in cardboard tubes I always have some…
Not Much Fishing Or Outdoors Related – EV, EV Charger, Foam, Molds, Mud Motor Parts, Welding, etc
I’ve been busy with other projects. Work of course. Due to a variety of higher priority demands on my time I just haven’t hade much time for things like fishing or working on boats. I still haven’t even installed the winch on the Jeep yet. I installed an EV charging station in my garage for…
Throwing Good Money After Bad
One of the things I did the other day making room to work on Whisker Seeker out of the sun was make some big hooks for things for extension cords, flex conduit, extra stock air, wire, cable, liquid, and oil lines, etc. It took up more space on the floor than you might think. The…
Making Some Room In The Shop
VIDEO: Replacing the 2017 Jeep JK Bumper – New Winch Bumper
Mounting TrailFX Rack on 2017 Jeep Jk Sport-S 2 Door
Originally Posted on July 30th 2021 Installed the TrailFX rack on the ’17 Jeep JK with the help of my son. We were not aware that it requires the removal of the bumper to install or do a sheet metal installation through the tail light hole. We pulled the bumper and bolted it to the…