Project Free Mason Part Dos.

– I must say ladies and gents I’m tickled pink with the results of this one. The only thing that could stand improvement is the the mounting apparatus, but hey that gives me a chance to get some viewer feed back. HMMMMM?  Maybe some of y’all can show me a better way to do it? or not its what eves. Any who I am stoked about this project and am actually running the setup on the Car right now. So check it out.
The 2nd Jar, and much better one I might add. (its not cracked)

Drilled a series smaller holes in the lid in an attempt to make one bigger one. UNITY BABY!

Did some Reaming with a needle nose to get said holes to become one.

After some trimming, Wah-lah!A perfect hole for the pump.

Here she is mounted to the jar holding fluid.

Here is the bracket I fashioned out of, honestly, a thick metal clothes hanger, the original fluid jug bracket and six zip ties. I did not take the time to show how I made the holder, mainly because its kindly sketchy and I’m not sure I 100% like it just yet.

A couple shots of how it looks in the Engine bay:

Still working out the kinks on how the refill will go, system now keeps breaking zip ties.

Battle scars

Blood is red and bruises are blue, if you don’t pay attention to where you put your hand you may lose a finger or two.
– Some Handsome Feller

– One thing that I take for granted to my limbs. I cut them, by accident, bang them, bruise them, scold them smash them and bind them. It used to not bother me until one day I sat back and thought what if I went blind, or lost a hand? Not that people with either of these disabilities are worse off then I but i have been blessed with functioning arms, eyes and limbs, and I should take care of them. With that said, and that thought long passed, I cut the piss out of my hand today which brought the idea back up.
– I’m not gonna make a long windy post about being safe and how you should take care of yourself. But i will encourage y’all to play it safe, wear safety glasses, watch were you hands, feet and limbs are and for the sake of the people who care about y’all make sure the situation you are fixing to put yourself in is the safest it can possibly be, and them some

Just my humble advice – Potter

Status update

– This isn’t going to be a long post, I really just want to make it known, that going into this I had no idea it would be this challenging to be able to describe and talk effectively to an unknown audience. A good example is of this is, well this very post, I’m not exactly sure how to word or convey my thoughts effectively to the readers.

– Either way I’m looking forward to seeing how this blog evolves and changes.
That’s it nothing fancy thanks.

p.s. Check out these wicked homemade Coconut head phones. Thought y’all might like that.

– Primed Example

As Seen On YouTube: Two RC Hobbies I Bet You Didn’t Know Existed.

Looking at the random stuff I do while wasting time on the interwebs I came across the video on you tube and it made me wonder how many automotive hobbies have shrunk down to a smaller scale? In my search I have came up with these two awesome mini motor sports. By the way, I could not find anything on RC Lawn Mower Racing…. Oh well maybe one day.

Remote Control Tractor Pulls: I didn’t know just how big this sport was till I did a Google search and  found out there was an association dedicated to Mini Tractor pulling.National Micro-Mini Tractor Pullers Association is the name of the group, very interesting. Here the video I first saw courtesy of YouTube user RCUniverseGuy

RC Drifting – I had seen this video a while ago and i must say I am still impressed. Here the video I first saw courtesy of YouTube user ragiyo.

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The Fancy Byrd: Brake Pads

– Starting a new series called Fancy Byrd, in which I try my best to document my experiences while working on my old car. Also I will do my best to describe the steps and discuss any problems that came along. This installment will be on changing out brake pads.

– Blog Patron: Hold on a sec! Why do you call it the Fancy Byrd Series?

– Me: Good question fictional blog patron used as a way to talk about the title of the post. Its called Fancy Byrd because:  one it’s about working on a Pontiac  Fire Bird, and two the wimpy 4.9L v8  in engine has been swapped out for a bigger and  better 5.7 small block Chevrolet engine. Beings how Chevy’s logo is a bow tie, I have dubbed it a Fancy Byrd.

I won’t go into detail about lifting a vehicle safely, in this post any way, before you even get near a car make sure you know who to safely lift it.

Slightly loosen all the lug nuts before tire is off ground, other wise any loosing attempt will just spin the wheel. After the tire is bearing no weight at all remove all lug nuts as well as wheel it self.

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Next I checked my rotor before doing any thing else to make sure that I wouldn’t have to run back out and get a new rotor. Luckily the surfaces on both sides of the rotor were nice and smooth so I went on to check the pads.

Most calibers have a hole in the top exposing the pads allowing one to simply look in and see how much brake pad is left. I actually had fairly decent wear on my pads, but i already had bought the box of new pads so I changed them .

There are only two slide bolts holding on the caliber (shown in images above and below) after removing both i was able to get to the pads.

The Pads are only barley held in, with a quick pull they come right out.

After a bout of confusion I found that the new pads don’t come with the mounting springs. The spring from the old pad needed to be transferred to the new pad.

For about a dollar or two i picked up this brake grease which is great for coating the outside of the pad where it can potentially touch metal and squeak, also it’s needed to re-grease the slider bolts previously mentioned. The slider bolts, depending on vehicle, will have a well-worn spot or two, that is most likely the spot that needs grease, however the whole bolt may need lube. Lucky I just had two small spots to grease.

Greased Pad

I can’t put the pads on now until the caliber piston is pushed back. In its current position it will not allow the newer, thicker brake pads to be placed on to the rotor. I positioned my c-clamp in a way that would not hurt any thing. The fixed part of the clamp was placed on the out side, and the screw part of the clamp was placed on the inside.

Before I tightened, I removed the master cylinder cap to allow the excess fluid to return with out building pressure. I then tightened the c-clap until it gave me enough room to insert the pads.

This is the slide bolt, you can see the lube on the far right end. It’s hard to see the lube on the left side but it is just before the threads.

Yes, I’m reusing this image but its a good example of replacing the top bolt back where it belongs.

After I tightened back both slider bolts and replaced the Master Cylinder Cap, I did one more final inspection.

I checked the rubber brake lines for signs of dry-rot or wear. All in all they looked good.

Then I replaced the tire and went back to school. I have yet to do the other side, but literally its the same exact thing.

So there you have it another adventure of Mr. Potter.

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Questions or comments?  Leave a comment, Ill do my best to reply.

The Fancy Byrd: How to Fix a Saggy Rear

Loaded down with three guys & luggage for said three guys, my old Bird was sagging pretty bad. I didn’t notice just how bad she was sagging until I eased over a speed bump and drug my purdy stainless exhaust. I was, lets say, a little bothered. On the bright side stuff is stuff and that’s life.  I did realize  that I needed shocks. So being the awesome humble stud I am, I ordered some Monroe Air Shocks and put those bad boys on. And here is how it went.

The thing I like about this kit is that it is made in the Old US of A. Also its a pretty simple install. The hardest part is making sure you have all the tools you need.

Which are:

9/16 inch socket

1/2 inch socket

ratchet + extension

The Shocks (obviously)

A drill With bits of Varying sizes but big enough to drill a hole for the “T” fitting.

& zip ties the kit comes with (a type of  air line fastener but i like my zip ties so mehhh)

The Kit comes with every thing needed to install  (nuts bolts bushings etc)

First safely lift the car in to the air so that the tires are no longer touching the ground. The Lug nuts should be loosened while car is on the ground as well. I lifted the by jacking the rear end up and adding  jack stand to both sides. Be sure to be well read up on your safe vehicle lifting, bad things can happen, such as squished hand, foot, finger, throat, head….. so be careful

Next step remove the wheel on the side you will be first working on. Might want to leave the other wheel on for now, just in case some thing fails and the vehicle comes of the stands.

Now that the wheel is off inspect the shock end out where the bolts are at, on mine there were three. One on the bottom and two up at the top.

Start to loosen the three fasteners. Two bolts one nut. I started at the bottom and worked up. Note the shock started to turn with the ratchet, so
had to hold the shock body while I loosened the nut.

Bottom Nut:

Top two bolts:

After all three bolts, and nut are off, time to install the new shock. Once again I worked my way up from the bottom. Sliding the bushing seat on first then the busing. The bushings have little flanges on one side that fit into the mounting hole. Make sure they are angled correctly. Then the 2nd bushing & seat followed by the nut

Next slightly tighten the nut so that the shock is secure, but not tight. Now Pull the shock up to meet with the following bolt holes and insert the last two bolts.

Now place the air hose connector on the line with the threads facing the shock and insert the plastic hose into the shock, making the hose go into the o-ring in the shock.

Now safely replace wheel & tire and repeat on the other side.

Its Air line running time. First off you’re gonna need to find a spot to mount the inlet T-fitting. On another car I choose to put the fitting on a vacant bolt hole on the under side of the bumper. This time how ever I opted for the trunk just below the deck lid latch mechanism.

When you figure out a place to mount the T Fitting, its time to run the air line. I ran mine around the gas tank, doing my best to keep them away from the exhaust pipe and any areas that it could possibly get pinched.  Also metal gas tanks have a nice little ledge on that is great for holding and hiding the air line.

Next step is to get the line to the location were the T fitting is gonna be. Since I chose to do the trunk I have to Fish the lines up past the gas filler neck.

Drill a hole to fit the T fitting into.

Now Cut lines to appropriate length

Then attach line to the fitting, just like what was done on the shock itself.

With the lines attached push fitting up through the hole and apply the supplied holding nut and valve cap.
Safely let the car down off the jack/stands/ or fancy lift, and add air to the system via air compressor. Check the directions for minimum and maximum psi numbers, and constantly check the psi with a tire pressure gauge. With that said I have yet to do that, after I did the job I had to dart to class and later stopped at a gas station and put air in the shocks till it looked good. haha. I’m going check it though so no worries.

Under view:

Trunk View:

Now that that’s done you can cruze to town with that old school raised back end look.

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Hows my driving? Questions/Comments? Did I leave helpful information out? Leave a comment and I’ll do my best to reply. Thanks

-Primed Example

Zip Tie Use No.458: Bumper & Plastic Stitching

– Hey Kids! Do you have unsightly rips and cracks on your cars bumper? Have you become so self-conscious about your ripped bumpers that you continue to refrain from social events, parties, hot dates or time share meetings? Well fret no more! With “Frankin-Bumper Easy Bumper Rip Fix”  you’ll have that ripped bumper looking sweet in no time!

– Alright we’ve all seen that beat Honda Civic or Buick Riviera with a huge rip right down the bumper flapping around in the wind. One possible solution to the problem is to buy a new bumper, but that can be expensive. Another option is to plastic weld, but who has those kinds of resources? Plus you just want to stop the piece from flapping around, not perform surgery. But wait, what is like surgery but a whole lot easier? STITCHING! WOOT. WOOT.

– That’s right Zip-Tie Stitching. Zip-Tie Stitching has been around for a while now, mainly by the import folks as a means of fixing the copious amount of plastic on their cars. Even with the rat rod (pretty much a cool beat up hot rod) trend still pretty popular, the muscle car folks really haven’t adopted it. There are a slew of later model muscle cars with plastic bumpers, 70-present Camaros and Fire Birds for example.  It does not seem like many folks have embraced this cool idea.

– I personally like the stitch-it thing my self. I’ve been able to Stitch my nitro r.c. truck (shown), the bumper of my old Byrd (shown) and the steering shaft cover of said Fire Bird which is what I’ll use as a small demo on how to Zip Tie Stitch.
First off examine the crack, look at the edges around the wound and decide what route would be best to take.

Decide what style of stitching you are gonna go with. I opted for the cross stitch but yall may like the straight stitch

Mark and drill the holes for the zip ties

Push Zip-ties through holes, make sure that if you do not what to see the head of the tie then push zip tie through the opposing side.

Loop zip tie back to the head

and cut off the excess zip tie that hangs past the head

and your done.

Here’s my work on my old 77  Fire Bird

and on my T-Maxx Nitro RC Truck. Mini Zip Ties 🙂

Have a Look Around: Check for other possible Problems

– When was installing the rear shocks I noticed that some of the protective coating in the rear wheel well had chipped and rust was starting to form. Then I glanced over and saw three more rust spots in the sane area. There is nothing I can do about it at the moment, but I now know it’s there. This… venture? expedition? event? whatever the word is, it has me thinking about being more intentional about catching problems while they are still relatively small. So I encourage y’all car folks out there to have a look around. Something may catch your eye and save you tons of money down the road.

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7 Gift Ideas for That Special Someone… Who Happens to be Car Gal/Guy

Tis the season to be thinking about Christmas gifts. I know there is still a month or two before the big day, if you get your shopping done now you can spend time building that V8 buggy out of an old Jeep or take drifting courses. Gift buying isn’t always easy so I came up with a small list of gift ideas for that knuckle buster close to your heart. Even if these ideas don’t fit you fancy hopefully they will have at least got those creative juices flowing. Good luck

1. Dancing Dash Board Hula Girl – Classic and my personal favorite. The bigger the engine the more she shakes. 🙂  Amazon price $14-16.

2. Fuzzy Dice – another classic, and multiple options ranging to classic black and white dice to Fuzzy Rubix cubes.  Amazon Price: 4-9 bucks.

3. Shifter Knob – If that Special someone is cool enough to drive a stick then they must be cool enough for a custom shift knob. Note* this gift requires some extra thought on the tastes of the gift receiver. The good slash bad news is there are a ton of after market knobs for sale, which may tremendously help you in the search for the right gift or… give you so many options you become even more confused. Suggested web sites: Mooneyesusa.com, Summitracing.com and Jegs.com. Prices can range anywhere from $25-80 depending in application and style.

4. OBD II Reader (On-Board Diagnostics) – A great gift idea for any home mechanic, The OBD II reader reads trouble codes (check engine light, low oil, etc.) from 96-newer vehicles, which aids in diagnosing vehicle issues. Depending on the desired features OBD II readers can range anywhere from $12 on Amazon, well on up past $280 for the professional models (jegs.com)

5. Automotive Fire Extinguisher – When trying to pick the right gift sometimes its best to go with the SAFE route HA… Huh? huh? See what i did there?
Really though its something that most folks wont ever need but in the event they do, it will prove to be invaluable. Plus, a fire extinguisher looks pretty B.A. mounted on a transmission tunnel or on a roll bar. Prices for Jegs’ “Stop The Hot Boxes” (catchy huh? I should trademark that) start at $50 and work their way up well in to the hundreds.

6. Mini V8 – Not just a model but a legit, running, pulling mini V8. Starting at $5,695.00 for the base engine alone, you can buy that special someone a mini V8 from Conley Precision Engines . Starting at $13,350 Conley also sells remote-controlled 1/4 scale Ford T-Buckets, which are also motivated by the tiny V8s, if your really, really, reeeeeealllllllly wanting to spoil that oh so spoiled person. Conley also offers super charger upgrades. ME GUSTA MUCHO!

7. Magazine Subscription – Ok so maybe you’re like myself and can’t buy a mini hot rod or a $500 fireman in a can, there is a cheaper gift idea that will both save you wallet and still win you major brownie points. The best one being a magazine subscription, magazines such as Car Craft, Hot Rod, etc, have a wealth of information not only on other people’s rides but on how the readers can work on their cars.  At the very least you’ll be giving them great reading material for those long nights spent on the “John,”  excuse my French. Subscriptions usually run in the $12-20 range depending on length of time but can go higher.

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How Not to Make a Mason Jar Windshield Fluid Jug

Alright ladies and gents that don’t know my blog exists yet. I had this awesome idea on how to make a mason jar windshield fluid jug for all the hot rodder’s out there that wanted to have that special touch to their ride… Our attempts were well not in vain, just not successful. So here is how not to make a mason wind shield fluid jar …..Dot dot dot

The idea was to make a hole in the bottom of the jar for the pump to bolt into (Hence the glued dime as a cutting template). Our plan was to use a glassing scoring wheel to mark the desired shape in to the glass, then pour boiling water on the score quickly followed by cold water. This should have caused the glass to fracture around the hole. Thus making a sweet wind shield  wiper fluid  jar.

100_0501, a photo by PrimedExample on Flickr.’

100_0513, a photo by PrimedExample on Flickr.

2. SCORING ACTION!!!!!

100_0515, a photo by PrimedExample on Flickr.

Cutting wheel got a bit away from us, causing us to score stuff that didn’t need scoring.

 Pouring hot water on the jar (Top) then quickly pouring cold water on it (bottom) starts stressing the glass causing mini fractures to occur under the scoring (ideally) and create a hole.

100_0525, a photo by PrimedExample on Flickr.

100_0540, a photo by PrimedExample on Flickr.

Instead of making a hole, the whole bottom just fractured and turned a perfectly good mason jar into a perfectly good pile of useless glass.

100_0541, a photo by PrimedExample on Flickr.

However some good did come out of the night. In a practice attempt on a good ol’ bottle of Mountain Dew, we effectively created an awesome glass funnel. The bottom which was destined to be a Mountain Dew cup suffered a fate very similar to that of the mason jar.

Special thanks to: Mr. Josh Grubb for providing the tools, apartment and extra man power to conduct this experiment.

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