so waht ya doin today?

[JonB]

SNIP...
He and his wife have been doing this for over 20 years and that is why he looked elsewhere than my relay theory. He said they rarely fail.

I learned that one, the hard way, back in the 1989.
I was on a road trip from MN to Utah. My 1968 chev van (which was on it's 3rd engine) broke down in MT at a wayside rest...well not broke down, I stopped to pee, and the van wouldn't start. It wouldn't start and it was Sunday afternoon. I was sure it was the starter solenoid (relay). So, in the parking lot of the wayside rest, I started to remove the starter to see if I could confirm the solenoid theory, and figure out a way to get a new one from a nearby town on the next day (monday). With the limited amount of tools I had, this took me quite a while. Then, it got dark about the time I get the starter out...real dark. I decide to get some sleep and wait til morning to do anymore. At morning light, I disassemble the solenoid, all looks fine, I wish I would have tested it before the disassembly, because it took a long time with the tools I had. anyway, I reassemble it and test it, it works good. I reinstall the starter and "hot wire" it. The van starts right up. So the problem was in the circuit before the solenoid. It turned out the problem was the keyed ignition switch. Funny thing, I never did replace the ignition switch, I drove it for another year using a redneck hotwired, taped up, toggle switch to start it...then the van got sold.

Anyway, I'm glad you have a good serviceman and he was able to find the problem.
Jon

 

[Winelover]

I've owned Chevy vans since 1977.

I ordered it with a 400 engine. The starter was prone to overheating. Wouldn't start till it cooled down. Wasn't a problem in the winter months. GM wouldn't admit to it. Then I bought a 1979 Class B motorhome with a Chevy 350 engine. Starter would overheat. I jury rigged two air ducts, from the front bumper, to keep it cool while driving. Next Chevy van was a 1985 low and behold, it came with a heat shield, between the starter and the exhaust pipe. Problems solved. Currently, own two Chevy full size vans (2004 and 2010) with 6.0 liter engines. Starters never overheated. Both still have the original starters.

 

[Intheshop]

Been dry firing new 223 ADL and finally got around to digging into bolt,checking a few alignment related items..... pic isn't showing it quite as good as it is but.... lugs are about as perfect as could be done by lapping. Which,isn't the end all if the arse end of bolt is sloppy..... one of your quick checks on a R700 is to dry fire and watch the bolt shroud.If it makes any vertical movements,it'll effect the lug engagement,circumventing any lapping. This ADL is tighter than any 700's I seen in a loooong while. The black oxide coating on the stock bolt is the "bloodtrail" so to speak in all this.

 

[Intheshop]

Am sure you old timers know this,just posting for the younger guys...

Save broken Arkansas/Washita stones. You can grind them to custom shapes on vertical belt grinders. Use a wore out belt,spritz water on the pcs of stone and then go to town.

 

[Intheshop]

Metro nome..... I like this rehab waaay better than the arm exercises at the clinic. It ain't as easy as you think. Try maintaining bolt cycles, aim at the black dot on fence post @75 yds,squeeze the dry fire,repeat.... for one solid minute at a stretch. Do this for about 20 reps a day. Then,turn the nome up..

 

[Intheshop]

Seems so simple...

 

[Intheshop]

A visual....

 

[Wiresguy]

Working on the snow cab for my John Deere X585.

 

[fiver]

I'm taking a day off............... I just don't know which one yet.

 

[Rick]

Which day? I take every day off since life is an eternal Saturday.

 

[waco]

Just annealed and FL sized 80 30-30 cases. Mixed brass. Using the NOE RD 165 SC mold, I PC and GC them.
Loaded 40 with 3031 and 40 with H335
Win 94 going camping next week along with the Marlin 1894 .44 Mag.
S&W29 and a Cimmeron 45 Colt are my two side arms.
Hope to get the bullets Ian sent me loaded up. They are already PC and just need sized.

 

[JonB]

back to Chevy vans for a second.
I only owned the one, 1968 snub-nosed van.
I was told that particular van came with a 6 cyl. engine and a 3 on the tree manual transmission. The previous owner wasn't keen on changing engine oil, so when the 6 cyl gave up the ghost at 50Kmi, he put in a used 307 V8 from a '67 camero. I bought the van with 100Kmi on the clock...which means about 50Kmi more on the 307 and probably it's original oil from time of engine swap? It had good power, but it drank oil. I'd drive 100 miles, add a qt or two of oil and check the fuel level, LOL.
I started using used engine oil I got from friends, so I didn't have to buy any...I figured there was no need to change oil either since I was pouring so much into it. I had plans to put in a 350 when it needed it. Well, the 350 was needed in about six months (about 5Kmi). I had a close friend who had two teenage boys he was trying to keep busy, and offered their service to rebuild a 350 with 4 bolt main that he had laying around, all I had to do was pay for parts...He badly wanted the 307 for rebuilding and putting in a kit car. everyone was happy.
NOW to the point!
HEAT, the 307 never ran real hot...but the 350, boy oh boy, the doghouse would get so hot, it's burn flesh if you touched it. I don't know if the sheetmetal doghouse was ever insulated? But that was the first thing I did, shortly after I got it back with the fresh engine and got a couple 3 degree burns as well as the plastic seat vinyl melting somewhat. The foil lined fiberglass insulation I installed worked for the most part...I don't recall ever swapping out a bad starter on the 350? The only time I ever wrenched on the starter was the breakdown in MT that I posted about.

 

[Ian]

I put 240K miles on a '46 Chevy truck that has a .030-over 350, long-tube headers, and no carpet. Carpet would melt and stink on longer drives in the summer. After charring my heel bone pretty badly during s trip home from college, I found a cotton door mat to insulate my throttle foot, and rigged a throttle cable to a dash knob with a friction lock for po' boy cruise control. Yeah, the heat was brutal.

 

[Bret4207]

Teenagers, female ones at that! 'Nuff said...

 

[RBHarter]

When I was 6 or 7 we had a 65 E100 . That summer were ran it with the back oout of the dog house and the side door propped open any time we were on the desert highways .

 

[fiver]

sounds like Bret got a whatevar from someone this morning.... LOL.

just wandered in from watching more does wander across mountain sides at sun up.
I think some of them recognize the truck and come over to see what's going on with it.

 

[uncle jimbo]

Going out to start smoking the pork belly that we made into bacon.
And yes, it sounds like Bret's day got off to a not so good beginning day.

 

[Chandler]

It is getting close to smoker weather here. Can't wait. My smoker is the Oklahoma Joe style and can hold lots of meat. No fun trying it in the summer months.

We were on vacation near Flagstaff AZ when our '85 Ford van had a pin hole leak in the upper tank on the radiator. I can't recall where I rounded up the solder or heat source but do recall fixing it on site at the camp ground. It made it back to Texas. The campground was in water saving mode warning campers to conserve. Our trailer had its tank full so I gave a fill up to a family in a VW van using water to cool the engine. Not sure but I think it was a misting system. Road repairs we were prepared for may make an interesting thread. I borrowed wheel bearing grease from a local in LA at a convenience store to repack a wheel bearing singing in my 67 NY'r off I10. And the pay phone operator said $.40 for the next 3 minutes.

 

[Ian]

It quit raining long enough for me to grill a bunch of zucchini and yellow squash for sides. Brush with olive oil, dust with salt and pepper, good stuff. I think my boss fertilizes his orchard with nuclear waste, the gourds he plants for ground cover under the fruit trees make enormous fruit. Here are some from a few weeks ago, I should have taken a photo of the yellow squash I cooked tonight, it was as big as the zuc in the foreground and the skin was nice and thin.

 

[waco]

Zucchini bread is my FLAVORITE!!!!!!!!!