Good morning!!!!

[Kyle_in_Tex]

My mechanic buddy had to change out an alternator on a Mini Cooper and said he would rather pull all his teeth out than do that again. His daughter likes it ok and he didn't pay all that much for it.

M7040, It would seem to me that a much heavier duty table would be better for a vise like that?

My wifey cooked 2 huge pots of chili. 33lbs of hamburger meat to start with. 1 with beans, 1 without. We took them to church and sponsored a chili lunch for fellowship. It was good. She also made 4 big pans of cornbread, a big salad, shredded cheese and we brought a bunch of bags of low salt fritos. Roughly half ate the bean chili and vise versa the non bean chili. We stayed at church until about 3:30pm. Also had a dessert bar too.

It was 86F out at 4:30CT and I decided it was time to take the bike for a spin/scooter pop. Beautiful weather, no wind, no clouds. Had to be careful of the deer, saw multiple does at different times.

Not going to lie, I rode down in a tree lined beautiful ravine area, and I got a chill on my arms (no jacket). Looked at bike's temp gage and it said 81F. Haha.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Friend of mine had a mini, said you needed special tool from BMW to just change brake pads.

 

[Looking4new]

Many, many years ago a neighbours' wife had an original Austin Mini. She rolled over a semi with it. Got her nose stuffed in between the tractors' drive wheels and the trailer tandems. Over he went. Guess he was empty.

 

[WinterDeere]

My mechanic buddy had to change out an alternator on a Mini Cooper and said he would rather pull all his teeth out than do that again. His daughter likes it ok and he didn't pay all that much for it.

Lol... I can imagine. That engine bay is tight! Not a huge engine, 2.0L turbocharged, but it's filling a hole designed for 1.3 or 1.5 liters.

Friend of mine had a mini, said you needed special from BMW to just change brake pads.

Typical German engineering. Every work instruction specifies specialty tools, and the cars are designed on the assumption that most owners will be taking it to a specialist mechanic (e.g. dealer) for all work. I've done a ton of work on German cars, and they're actually very easy to work on, but a shop manual is absolutely mandatory to figure out how things come apart without breaking, and special tools are often required.

That said, 90% of the time I either already have something close enough for the special tool, or can mod something up real quick. The specialty tools might make the job a lot quicker for a mechanic who's on the clock, but there are almost always work-arounds.

Many, many years ago a neighbours' wife had an original Austin Mini. She rolled over a semi with it. Got her nose stuffed in between the tractors' drive wheels and the trailer tandems. Over he went. Guess he was empty.

When the Mini came up as one of only a few options available with manual transmission for our teen, my wife said, "no way, too small!" But then she started looking at crash test ratings, and found they actually outperformed the larger Jetta GLI's that were our initial top choice of the few manual transmission options.

At least in the price range and years we were shopping, the only recent cars available with FWD or AWD and manual transmission are:

VW Jetta
Subaru WRX
Mini Cooper
Honda Civic SE i

There's also always the Wrangler, but my son hates them, and they're not great on-road vehicles anyway.

 

[mostly_gas]

Good evening all. 62ºF for the start, mostly clear sky, breezy. Moderate wind, clouds building through day, and high temp was 77ºF. Made coffee to start day, later found out I had to turn pot off, so coffee cooked all day. Went to Hilton time share presentation, they came up with a plan I liked so I bought it. Took over an hour to get detail worked out, had brunch at 1:30 on a pier. Walked back to hotel, took a nap, worked on posting, dinner and more posting.
resuming Tuesday 11/11 8:01 AM CST post 214,011:
Ken sorry new sensor didn't fix the humidifier. Glad you got to have a fire. Nice pic, I like the truck.
Bill thanks to you pa for his service
Buppies thanks to your dad for his service. Thanks to your cousins and relative for their service.
Drew soup looks good. Hope apple shopping went well.
Bill hope his deafness got anyone hurt.
Gstrom99 aaahhhh the fertilizer truck.
Drew hope solar panel work was successful.
David glad to hear correct PTO shaft on the way, hope the temp bolts get you working.
Frits sorry leaves are back and brought reinforcements. Glad infusion good and groceries are picked up. Shame D forgot the color code already.
RS glad it's warming up for you. Good to hear all plants now moved in. Nice you got to watch some football. Hope utility room progressing well. Can you tel the difference from the insulation installed already?
Bill glad plowing went smoothly.
Dennis sorry hunt for pics continues. Hope you worked out backup media.
Dennis getting harder to find kids who have worked on machinery except farm kids.
Dennis I made one of the visible V8's too.
Thomas you have been having a lot of long days at work. to come home to warm house.
Scott(vt) thank to your dad for his service, nice pic
Drew glad you worked out a meet with Dennis and Frits. Too long of a drive for me.
Randy(wag) glad Remembrance Ceremony was good, and well attended. Hope good town trip and geranium clippings got cleaned up.
Lou hope you get boiler heat worked out before real winter sets in.
Buppies hope the weather is through Texas and Missouri by Thanksgiving.
Wednesday 11/12 3:38 AM CST:
Ron glad you got Sassy a grooming appointment. Hope tractor maintenance went well.
Drew hope you find a place that will give you a senior discount. Hope lunch was good.
Scotty(vt) 94 yo is impressive.
Billy glad you got hike/swim with Della. Good to here wife is home. Sorry you were last on the list when wifey got home.
Scotty(vt) sorry the kiddos are leaving, hope you and Kathleen get some quality time together.
Mike sorry things are in a standstill. Sorry about the MIL.
Buppies hope your day at work was successful. Glad dinner at Luigi was good.
ArlyA hope the the weather cooperated and you got the tie down strip added.
Bill hope you had a good energy conservation day.
Frits hope you enjoyed the fire. Hope you were able to get the vise mounted on work table.
Happy(NC) sorry about the gas leak on the buggy. Hope new clamps fix it. Have fun figuring out what to do.
Bill hair must be getting long.
Drew one of my BIL did that to SIL, he was in dog house till it grew back. I was paying $12 + tip but she injured her hand, ad I haven't gotten a haircut for two months.
Bill same place the $0.19 per gallon gas went
Don sorry grab bar made your wife feel old. Glad pool robot still under warranty. Hope you like the new truck.
Buppies thanks for poodle story.
More catch up later.
prayer for all, especially Jay/Peg, Kyle /Daughter, /mom's breathing, /son's migraines, Mike /BIL in FL, Ron /heart, David(moss) /remodel, /divorce, Buppies /cancer, parathyroid, blood sugar /wife, Thomas /gout, Phil /reflux, Frits /veteran son with mental issues, /granddaughter with Evans Syndrome, Ken /chronic fatigue, Diet not working, Randy(wag) /sister stoke, Scott(vt) /wife's back pain, Steppenwolfe /son-auto immune disorder, Grev /wife's eye, Ted /knee recovery, /retirement & disability red tape, /family issues, /wife back issues and cancer, Lou /eye issues, /heart issues, /wife hip replacement, Doug and wife/health issues, / hand nerve and surgery, /fall and recovery, / wife headaches and heart eval, / David(sadamo)/Sophie's hip or leg pain, Eye recovery, /back issue, Scaredy/shoulder dislocation, /marriage dissolving, / friend stop drinking, Dennis /retirement, /neighbor issues, /brother's lymphoma, /dad surgery recovery, Drew /back operation issues, /friend's wife cancer diagnosis and recovery, Scotty /back pain, Helogabals /wife's friend situation, Fatjay /father broken hip, Ukraine war, Middle East War, and Country.

 

[scott_vt]

Good Tractor Morning Drew,

Scott would love to see stepbrother's garage, five Model As including a gorgeous wood panel truck

So would I Drew

 

[scott_vt]

Good Tractor Morning Steve,

In your Near Future Scott?

Well Steve, probably not in the immediate future Still saving for my Elecraft KPA500 linear amplifier

 

[daugen]

good Monday tractor morning all
up early enjoying my coffee
should be a nice sunny day in the 50's

doing trip food shopping this morning, then home to pack the rv
and hopefully do the yard leaves one more time.
Leaves start to mound up by front door so not like I can overlook them.

Scott, my stepbrother rents a small garage space to keep his Model A's but not going
there this week. I have pics of that woody, the one he calls Christine, somewhere, couldn't find them.

somewhat fascinating that all the boys in their family were given French Amilcar racers when little and
learned how to rebuild them, the one brother in Colorado I visited becoming one of the preeminent antique Euro
car restorers. Their father was an admiral and loved cars, so he taught that to his sons.
I was given a ride around the 1200 acre estate stepbrother lives on, my takeaway was that car sure was small inside
and bouncy.

oh the days when you advanced and retarded spark.
before my time...
a little lower tech than this thing...nice amp Scott, that ought to dim your lights

KPA500 500w Amplifier

Introduction KPA500 Compact 160-6 M Solid State Amplifier Available as a Factory Assembled or Modular No-Soldering Kit. The KPA500 is also compatible with most popular rigs. Add more punch to your signal with Elecraft's KPA500/KAT500 PowerCombo! Learn more here. Overview OVERVIEW 500+ Watts in...

elecraft.com

 

[scott_vt]

Good Tractor Morning,
Last full day on the island, we are heading out tomorrow morning.
Ready to get home and get started on all the things that probably need to be done around the house
Like leaves, that I can see piling up on our front yard on the Ring camera

Hope all have a great day

 

[ronjhall]

Poured first cup of coffee. 23° with clear skies this morning. Heading to 42° with mostly sunny skies. Nothing got done yesterday except enjoy visit with son. Today will be much the same.
Doves are doing a good job keeping area under bird feeders clean.

Everyone stay safe and well.

Good Morning All.

 

[daugen]

I was fooling around yesterday afternoon pursuing one of my hobbies, the family history on father's side.
We knew the family business was butter and eggs in Newark, and I found a marvelous AI write up on the dairy business.
But I never could find anything about my grandfather's car garage he started when he lost all his butter and eggs money in
the big stock market crash. Started all over.
and on a sunday afternoon, the very nice folks in West Orange NJ responded to me immediately, and there was a pic
of West Orange Motors Inc. I have the deed showing that name

AI says this about old family dairy business
my grandfather came through Ellis Island in 1901, so I guess his brother told him to emigrate
and join family business

• Company timeline: Meyer Augenblick founded the butter company on Commerce Street in 1899. In 1930, after buying out two other local processors, the company moved to 1065 Raymond Boulevard, near Pennsylvania Station. In 1928, General Distributors acquired the company, which was sold to the Borden Co. the following year.
• Products and reach: At its peak, the company was a major processor of sweet cream butter, also selling poultry, cheese, and eggs. A fleet of 17 trucks serviced 125 New Jersey communities, from Point Pleasant to the New York state line.
• Facility: The butter company's 1930s facility was noted for its cleanliness and resembled a bank, with a tiled interior and three-story white walls.

outside the Newark business was, I'm told, a huge sign painted black with a giant white cow on it.
now my goal is to find a Newark archive with that pic.

 

[txdon]

At least in the price range and years we were shopping, the only recent cars available with FWD or AWD and manual transmission are:

VW Jetta
Subaru WRX
Mini Cooper
Honda Civic SE i

There's also always the Wrangler, but my son hates them, and they're not great on-road vehicles anyway.

Not a car but you can add -
The Toyota Tacoma also comes with an optional manual six-speed transmission in the SR model.

Good Morning! Up too early, AC is back on. 72˚F, S wind heading to the upper 80s. Maybe needed rain later this week. Pool robot is back from being repair, under warranty, after only 5 days and is working great.

Nice old pic and family history Drew.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Up early, already had a snack, then breakfast.
No jury duty today, call again tonight.

 

[wngsprd]

32 to 56 and the wind will be back at up to 20, about half of yesterday's speed.

Real nice bike Kyle.

How's the beach, Mostly?

Yesterday was hike and swim day.

 

[daugen]

now that I'm peering at that old photo,
doesn't that look like new/newish cars lined up in the left rear?
maybe grandfather sold cars too. Were they Plymouths?
It would have been a cheap brand, my grandfather was super frugal
Otto may have been a car salesman, how cool.
come buy a car from honest Otto. We'll service it right here for you.
My grandfather's real name was Adolph, but after the war, you can imagine
the wisdom in hiding that.
I was only a very little kid when he died

I'm curious about the car brand because my first memory is grandfather's 55 Chevy, light green four door 210,
bottom of the line.
family only bought Chevy biscaynes and 210 sedans.
my poor Mother was still shifting a three on the tree in the late 60's
only at the very end when all the kids were through college did/could my father
buy her a nice car, an Olds. Now that was a nice car, 98 dark green convertible,
which I cracked up of course.

I'm glad today's cars are much safer than old ones, because history has shown
many if not most young men will do stupid stuff with cars.
A teenager and a Mustang are an insurance underwriter's nightmare.

my family kept the local body shop busy, they (Al Wiggins New Hope Autobody) were out in the country interestingly, half way to town.
and my Mother's poor car was at one point dented on all four corners.
yes, that buffed out

so I figured my grandfather was a chevy guy but I can't tell what brand that is

 

[daugen]

one last old car pic
sent by archivist from West Orange NJ
next door to my grandfather's property.
I don't know old cars at all but that
looks like a lot of fun
note steering wheel on right, might be an
early "foreign" car...

 

[scott_vt]

Good Tractor Morning Drew,

Nice old pic and family history Drew.

I’m with Don, enjoyed that family story thanks

 

[daugen]

snow!
snuck up on us
hmmmm, awning out a foot on rv, oh well, it will melt
just flurries but headed this way on radar

seems early
maybe an omen

 

[Looking4new]

Good morning, the low is 23 and going to 30°F. Wind NW 9 mph. 30% chance of flurries. Snowing right now.

It looks like I will be plowing today. The block heater is already turned on. I'll probably go out at around 9 to start the tractor.

That is my day in a nutshell.

Have a safe day all

 

[riptides]

39 outside this Am, may get to 60 today.

Lots of wind this weekend. MIL present and accounted for.

Managed to get the game cams reset yesterday...finally. Took the wife's tractor down there since it has a cab. Nice and toasty in that thing. While driving tractor instinct took over and I ended up cutting a new path for hiking through the pasture. Just had to do it. Full tank of diesel, warm cab, nice sunshine....perfect day to be distracted. I linked it up with another path that's been there for a few years now. Just need to cut some trees back so they don't bang up the tractor in the spring and summer doing maintenance mode down there.

Nothing on the agenda this week. Still under orders to take it easy.

Hope all have a good start to the week, be safe.