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Tuesday in The Shop; my buddy Eric dropped by so I could put new-used struts into his 2019 Subaru WRX. Ever since an “incident” involving a curb, his Subi has been plagued with a minor pull/trend to the right. He’s previously replaced LCA, tie rod, sway bar and end links, bearing and hub, and had a bunch of alignments performed, but nothing cured the pull. We figured it must have been something internal in the strut, so he bought low km takeoffs from facebook. In less than two hours we had the job done, and were out road testing. Eric is a happy dude now, his car is completely fixed! That WRX hauls ass, And once again in a straight line.
And here’s a something this thread is missing, a picture of me working (or at least contemplating working).
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The Shop and I have been busy lately, but not a lot has been completed.
Since getting the 10-gal sand blaster from @Slick, I’ve abused my air compressor stripping the frame. The lil Mastercraft unit runs almost 100% duty cycle trying to keep up. Today I’m heading to Princess Auto to exchange my 20-30 grit media, for 30-60 grit in hopes that it clogs the deadman valve less frequently.
Also rolled into the shop, 1999 GSX-R 750 that I’m fixing for a buddy. The bike has a garbage tank, and beat up plastics, but is a gem otherwise.
And yesterday I pulled the drums off my Quadrunner to inspect the wheelbearings and shoes. Both need to be replaced, but with very low urgency.
Well it didn’t happen in my shop, but Truckee got new tires yesterday. I didn’t get too adventerous and got exactly what I already had, LT265/70-17 Duratracs 6-ply. I got 6-years and 97,000km from the last set, still with tread before the wear bars, but all the good tread was long gone. I kept my old tires, Matt needs a replacement spare tire for his 4th Gen, and I may build a teeter-totter in the backyard utilizing some.
My buddy Eric has just opened up his own tire shop in Barrie, less than 2-weeks ago. If you’re in the Barrie area, or in the market for tires, call Eric @ 705-985-8473.
Today in The Shop, all the stars alligned permitting me to complete the sand blasting on the DR600 frame!! Using 100ft of air line, I was able to use my neighbours 60-gallon compressor, and get the blaster dialed right in. I figure it took about 120 pounds of sand to fully strip the frame, but plenty was wasted along the way, call it learning haha.
Overall, the process of sand blasting sucks…..but the results speak for themselves.
Nice work! Sand blasting does suck….. Hence why you have that blaster now and not me! I rate it right up there with painting – I love the finished product, but I hate the process of getting there…
I was too jumpy on my claim to be finished blasting. I “found” a few more pieces that need attention, mainly the rear swingarm (after I disassemble it) and the pegs.
Ugggh, I doubt the swingarm will fit in my cabinet unfortunately.Tomorrow however, 20 degree weather in the forecast should allow me to lay down a few coats of primer on the frame.
Torn on a colour for the swingarm. Looks like a basic grey, wondering how primer and clearcoat would turn out. Not gonna bother reapplying decals, I prefer the badgeless look.
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Today in The Shop, I put down 4 light coats of primer onto the DR600 frame. I used up two full cans of primer, and wore out my trigger fingers on both hands in the process.
Hoping to lay down some blue before the weekend is through.
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Today in The Shop, snow tire swap over onto the Caravan, and another Coleman stove refurb.
Snow tires went on without any drama. One of the all seasons picked up a rusty old 2” nail this past week, so I’ll plug that up after I buy a new package of plugs.
The Coleman stove I got from my buddy’s dad. Just happened to cross paths with him last week, and he was looking for help to lift something heavy. 20 mins later when I’m heading out, I said “Sweet Coleman stove there Greg!”….to which he replies “You know what that is? Keep it! Been in the shed unused at least 20-years.” Perfect! Took me about an hour to strip it down, wire wheel the spider webs, rust and grime out, and reassemble it. She held pressure, and fired up perfectly on the first match. Functionally this stove is 10/10. Aesthetically only a 6/10 haha. Good enough for me.
Although these stoves are cheap to come across, I can’t help hoarding them haha. I think I need to cap my collection at 3-units though, so I’m gonna give this stove to James. Hopefully in exchange for some IT support or computer upgrades haha. My shop computer is nearly GARBAGE.
Today in The Shop, Redee taking a break from the stress of commuting this past week. She ran me to-and-from Wasaga 3 days while truckee was on axle stands.
It took 3 nights of wrenching, but Truckee finally got some lovin! I replaced both E-brake cables, put in brake new shoes, had the drums turned, put in a new driveshaft carrier bearing and one U-Joint. Since completion, I driven exactly 60ft, the length of my driveway haha.
Hopefully next week I’ll stay late at work to put in a set of new-to-me OEM leaf springs to replace the broken pass side. Afterwards I’ll bolt in the Total Chaos bedside stiffeners, and bolt on my cap for the winter. Uggghh, winter, dreading that shit already.
I did my destroyed carrier bearing, 3 U joints and a DS seal last winter after Ray’s Place run. My neighbour lent me U joint tool – man, that thing was the cat’s ass!
I can’t believe the improvement from the new carrier bearing. The back end feels smoother and quieter now. I have yet tp hear the rear axle / driveshaft flop around while decelerating especially at bumpy intersections.
Did that U joint tool look like a modified C-Clamp, or some kind of contraption?
Love the new tires too, the tread compound is SOOO much softer than the previous 100K set.
yes, U joint tool was like a C clamp with a rod that would push the bearing out. First time I changed the rear U joint, I didn’t need the tool as the truck was only 3 years old.
This time around, definitely needed the tool – they weren’t moving otherwise…I was going to buy a tool like that, but wanted to “try before I buy” kinda deal. With you endorsement though, I’ll pick one up next time I’m at Princess Auto.
Today in The Shop, I finally laid down Dark Blue, and Semi-gloss clear on my bike frame. Loving the results so far, but I wanna see it in the sunlight. Towards the end of the can of clear, some white sediment came out the can and gave a “speckled” finish. Pissed me off as it happened, but I think it’ll hardly be noticeable once the bike is re-dressed. Either way, not gonna re-do it, or lose any sleep.
Most of the speckling wiped off, and could easily pass as dust.
I put up a pic in the sunlight. The colour is a little darker than I thought it would be, but close enough to the original I suppose. Also the frame is mostly hidden by components and plastics, it’ll never get the same attention as it is now.
See picture of painted colour vs original faded + rust. I left this little easter egg as a reminder of where it came from. Will all be hidden behind the front suspension and the front headlight fairing assemblies.
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