What Manly Things Did You Do Today?

That just ain't right.

 

Herm-I just had a prostate biopsy. It is not an experience I wish for anyone, but it beats the alternative. Mine was negative, but pre-cancerous. I get to go back in January.............I hope yours is an absolute negative!!

Bob

 

Bought my darling wife some flowers for our anniversary.

 

When my doctor moved out of state and I was looking for a new one, the first thing I did was shake his hand and evaluate how pudgy his fingers were.

 

Walked the golf course the morning in 90* heat. It was fun.

 

Put new tension line on gate and fixed the hinges.
Took a weed eater to the yard, washed down the driveway.

 

Definately manly. Ladies don't have prostates...

Wishing for the best of results!

 

Did some more work on my son's jinxed moped. We bought it in February and it hasn't done many miles since.

Work done so far (if I remember it all...)

• engine oil change (after we git him home I checked the level: about one third of the level it should have...)
• new front traffic indicators (one broke in transport - my fault)
• new speedometer cable and axle mount (was missing, as it turned out)
• new rear brake light switch
• new bobine
• new spark plug
• new head light switch
• new drive chain and sprockets
• then we found out the wrong engine was mounted on the frame (on this type of moped the front sprocket is about one inch further from the engine than the standard 50cc 4 stroke engine). And I got cold feet about disassembling the engine, mounting a longer axle and reassembling the engine. So: 'new' second hand engine of the right type with a longer front sprocket axle.
• the second hand engine turned out to be totally worn out. Total waste of money.
• So I got over my cold feet and bought a new -longer- front sprocket axle. Had some trouble in refitting the gear box. After numerous attempts (build in, remount engine in frame, test, 1st gear fault, dismount, complete rebuild) it turned out I had fitted one gear wheel backwards. But now it should work. And it did. For a time.
• Turned out I forgot to secure one bolt in the gear box, which got loose and the result was that a shim broke out of the crankshaft. Crankshaft gone.
• So I attempted to use the crankshaft of the other engine. No dice. Different -new- type.
• Looked for a new -old type- crankshaft. Not available anymore. Only new type.
• For a new type crankshaft I needed a new type cylinder, cylinder head and piston. Together they cost almost as much as completely new engine.
• So I bought a new engine. But the longer front sprocket axle (remember?) didnt fit. The bearing in the new model engine is narrower than the axle.
• So I had to let the axle be machined down to the right size. Luckily it wasn't the other way round - axle too narrow for the bearing...
• Rebuilt the engine with the new axle and mounted it in the frame. Yeey!

Then came yesterday:

• The wiring of the new engine is in different colours than the old engine and wiring of the moped. So I had to figure that out (luckily I've got the wiring plan)
• The new carburetor that came with the new engine has different mount sizes than the old carburetor (which misses a small adjustment bolt). Had to figure out how to mount it and had to fiddle some with the gas cable. But I got it in place eventually.
• The new engine has different connections for the neutral switch. In fact it has connections for all gears, but the old set-up has only a lamp for the neutral switch. So I needed to check which of the five wires is the neutral. Glad I bought a multimeter.
• Tried to start the engine. It worked for five seconds. Then it died. Out of nowhere the side stand indicator light started to burn. But the stand was in..?
• Stand out and stand in - indicator light out.
• Start engine. Nothing. Side stand indicator starts to burn.
• Checked for a spark. When I start (and the side stand indicator light is out) I get one spark. One. Then the side stand light comes on and I get no spark anymore. Goodie.
• And then it started to rain.

Today is another rainy day, so I searched the web for solutions. No dice. I guess I'll try mounting the old CDI in stead of the new one that came with the new engine. See if that works. Hope it will be dry tomorrow.

And I hope to get the darned thing to work at last. It is starting to look like a never ending story or 'a prayer without an end' (that is what we call it over here in The Netherlands). One step forward and two steps back. All. The. Time.

[ / end rant ]

But I sold the old, broken down car battery today. So I've got that going for me which is nice.

 

When I was a kid, all I had was a garden hose for days like this. Not these fancy, newfangled totes (it was their idea).

 

Kids today.
Well, at least it got the iPad out of their hands.

 

Finished my brush and razor stand, and put it to use. It holds 3 brushes, 7 straight razors and 2 safety razors.

Brushes: Simpson best badger special
WD HMB brush
SR row 1:W&B bow, dubl duck Goldedge
Row 2: dovo Ebony, true Apollo ring, Bur, Torrey, dubl duck satinedge
DE row: 1918 Gillette old style oc, mühle r89

 

Spent the first of three days at the NHRA Sonoma Drag Races with my lovely wife. It was a great day for racing!

 

Went to the Briary, a cigar and pipe shop, to wish a friend well that was retiring from the Briary. When I got home I used a weed eater around the house. Tonight slowly sipped an Oliva cigar.

 

So continuing on the moped:

• Yesterday I figured it out. Replaced the CDI and it started!
• Then it tuned out that the new carb was a bit different than the old one: the gas cable was too tight. So I replaced the new carb with the old one.
• Went for a short test drive: all seemed A-OK! (notice 'seemed' ?)
• Put it on the side stand and went in for lunch.
• Returned to find that the fuel line decided to spring a leak. Fuel fountain spilling all over my coveralls and forming a nice puddle under the moped.........
• Luckily the leak was near an end of the fuel line, so I cut some off and connected it again.
• ordered a new fuel line from the on-line shop and some lubrication oil (the engine is brand new, so it needs to be rode-in and will soon need a first service! )

Since SWMBO has the car today I'll take the moped out for a spin. There's a tram museum some 15 miles off where I just started as volunteer in the repair shop. I will gather some tools just in case I need to do some tinkering on the engine whilst under way.

 

Yep, you kids don't know how good you've got it. Back in my day, we didn't even have buckets. And we had to get our water from a well. And garden hoses were too expensive to own.

 

I hear it got easier after they discovered fire.

 

Barefoot, uphill, both ways.

 

I shaved my head with a DEvette.

And I replaced the pull switch in my daughter's ceiling fan light and installed a remote kit.

 

And if you wanted to eat you had to kill a bear wth a pointy stick.

 

stick, y'all had a stick. we had to beat it down, no stick.