I’m back with an Esky this time

[Snowbound]

Finally got around to finishing the vinyl wrap on the rear hatch appliqué. I was walking around the back of her vehicle and the flaking chrome piece on there now got my attention and it lit a fire under my rear end to get that thing replaced. I’ll try to get it on this weekend and get a finished pic.

 

[Tonyrodz]

Finally got around to finishing the vinyl wrap on the rear hatch appliqué. I was walking around the back of her vehicle and the flaking chrome piece on there now got my attention and it lit a fire under my rear end to get that thing replaced. I’ll try to get it on this weekend and get a finished pic.
View attachment 345513

I really like that skull applique.

 

[Snowbound]

I guess I never shared what it looks like installed.
Ended up being a royal PITA. First of all, the rear cameras were different and so were the harnesses. The hole in the appliqué for the camera had to be cut square.

 

[Snowbound]

Every one of these tabs that hold the mounting bolts were busted. I quickly realized why when I removed the one on her liftgate. They spin in the plastic and I ended up just trying to break them so I could remove her original appliqué. The bolts ended up staying in the liftgate and I had to soak them with PB Blaster and then hold the outside of the bolt while removing the inside but. It sucked. But I got it with minimal damage to paint.

Here’s the dilemma that I had to deal with on the part that’s going on the liftgate.

Here is the T bolt that holds this plastic junk on to the liftgate.

Somehow it has to sit in this groove and stay in place so I can tighten it down and not spin.

 

[Snowbound]

The only way I was going to get these bolts to hold was to epoxy them into place. I filled the slots or what was left of them with epoxy and then slid the bolts into place. The foam was to prevent any water from getting into the holes in liftgate where the bolts pass thru. Maybe wasn’t necessary but I was just trying to be proactive.

While the epoxy was drying I had to sand down the paint around 90% of the holes and touch it up with paint and clear. Also had to clean the back from all the dust and debris that was accumulated behind there.

When I put it on I was very careful to tighten evenly on the bolts and not break the plastic anymore than it already was. I also sealed around the appliqué with black weatherstripping adhesive. Even with the trim seal on there it still wasn’t sitting completely flush. Maybe due to my foam pieces? But that stuff should have smashed enough to get it to pull in tight. Either way, once I put on the adhesive, it looks perfect. It was a pain to get the adhesive in the crack under the wiper arm but I got it. You can barely see the adhesive, just looks like that trim seal because I wiped away any extra. But overall, I’m happy with the way it turned out.

 

[Snowbound]

And while I’m on here I just wanted to show you some of the crap I gotta deal with. She sends me this saying she wants her nose pierced like she’s some sort of bull or something. I don’t tell her what to do or not to do because I wouldn’t let her tell me but I can’t stand the nose piercing thing. I told her to try one of those magnetic ones to see if she’s even gonna like it before she goes and does something stupid that I have to look at. It’s been over a month since she sent me this and she hasn’t got the piercing or even the magnet so I’m praying the phase has passed.

 

[Tonyrodz]

And while I’m on here I just wanted to show you some of the crap I gotta deal with. She sends me this saying she wants her nose pierced like she’s some sort of bull or something. I don’t tell her what to do or not to do because I wouldn’t let her tell me but I can’t stand the nose piercing thing. I told her to try one of those magnetic ones to see if she’s even gonna like it before she goes and does something stupid that I have to look at. It’s been over a month since she sent me this and she hasn’t got the piercing or even the magnet so I’m praying the phase has passed.
View attachment 354755

Hopefully it's just a phase!

 

[George B]

And while I’m on here I just wanted to show you some of the crap I gotta deal with. She sends me this saying she wants her nose pierced like she’s some sort of bull or something. I don’t tell her what to do or not to do because I wouldn’t let her tell me but I can’t stand the nose piercing thing. I told her to try one of those magnetic ones to see if she’s even gonna like it before she goes and does something stupid that I have to look at. It’s been over a month since she sent me this and she hasn’t got the piercing or even the magnet so I’m praying the phase has passed.
View attachment 354755

You can tell her you don’t like it without telling her she can’t do it.

 

[Fosscore]

The only way I was going to get these bolts to hold was to epoxy them into place. I filled the slots or what was left of them with epoxy and then slid the bolts into place. The foam was to prevent any water from getting into the holes in liftgate where the bolts pass thru. Maybe wasn’t necessary but I was just trying to be proactive.
View attachment 354746

View attachment 354747

While the epoxy was drying I had to sand down the paint around 90% of the holes and touch it up with paint and clear. Also had to clean the back from all the dust and debris that was accumulated behind there.
View attachment 354748

When I put it on I was very careful to tighten evenly on the bolts and not break the plastic anymore than it already was. I also sealed around the appliqué with black weatherstripping adhesive. Even with the trim seal on there it still wasn’t sitting completely flush. Maybe due to my foam pieces? But that stuff should have smashed enough to get it to pull in tight. Either way, once I put on the adhesive, it looks perfect. It was a pain to get the adhesive in the crack under the wiper arm but I got it. You can barely see the adhesive, just looks like that trim seal because I wiped away any extra. But overall, I’m happy with the way it turned out.
View attachment 354749

Nice work and battle to make it look good.

My dad told us 3 boys if we can home with a piercing that he would rip it out.

Nobody came home with a piercing.

Not the course of action in this instance, but I still remember to this day.

Or his other famous words. I brought you into this world, I’ll take you out.

I hope for you that the delay is the correct answer.

 

[Snowbound]

The party never ends. Next up in the to do list is pull the front diff and probably go thru it with new bearings and seals but I’m going in after the mounting brackets. There’s play in the bushings that need replacing so I got new Moog units and also doing the engine mounts while I’m there. Now is the time to replace front seal that has been leaking and I’m also gonna put some new struts on it too. I swear, it never ends.

I’m gonna order the struts and seal and start tearing it down right after Xmas.

 

[Snowbound]

Little minor set back with life. It’s been non stop at work and then my daughter got a little fever and cough and because of the world going crazy with fear she had to get tested before going back to school. Jess brought her for a test and tested herself while she was there. That was on 12/30. The 1rst we got the results, Jess negative but Julianna was positive. By that time she was already better besides a slight cough. I worked all weekend, 12 hrs both days and had to go back Sunday night for 4 hrs. I got home by 3:30am Monday morning and passed out on couch. Woke up at 7am freezing my ****** off. I had the chills but was burning up. I was down for 2 days. Work told me to stay home all week and get tested on Friday, 1/7. By Wednesday I was feeling a little better and started doing stuff around house and it wore me out. Back in bed. Thursday I get a call from propane company that fills tank up north and says they can’t get in driveway because of snow and tank is at 25%. I’m so fatigued from the virus but I wake up Friday, go get tested, Jess tested again too because it hit her Monday night, and then hit the road north by myself with 2place trailer so I can bring Jack’s sled home. I really wasn’t feeling it but I had to get driveway clear so they can fill the tank. I got up there shortly before 6pm and couldn’t even pull in driveway. So I hoofed it to the house.

First set of prints were from the propane driver. I had to get my gear on and start snowblowing driveway to get truck in.

I’m over an hour in and I’m dying. I’m sweating in -2° weather and had to take a break.

 

[Snowbound]

After I get back out there my plan is just to make enough room to get the truck and trailer in and I’ll finish in morning. So I made a path wide enough for truck but I spent some time at the street opening it up wide because this is gonna set the pace for the year and the enclosed trailer is a pain because the road is so narrow so I made sure to open everything up wide this year.

 

[Snowbound]

Saturday morning I wake up and it’s hard to get motivated. I get my coffee in me and head back out to finish.

I get around the side of garage and made a good path for the delivery driver.

Once I rounded the garage I seen what the early season snow and then thunderstorms did to the portable garage I set up for our summer toys. SOAB!!

 

[Snowbound]

I have dirt bikes, kids bikes, Odyssey, go karts and stuff from snowmobile garage in that tent because the garage was suppose to be moved this year. I’m in no shape to try and do something about this right now.

I didn’t have the energy to drive home on Saturday so I just went in the house and ate lunch. After that I decided I was gonna try to get something done on my sled because I can’t just sit around when there’s stuff to get done.

 

[Snowbound]

I still have a bunch to get done but I made a dent. The garage heater wasn’t working that great and I didn’t feel like messing with it so I grabbed the hood from sled and went back inside.
I cleaned the hood and removed the factory decals and then put on some vinyl graphics I had but never put on.

And that was it for the day. I woke up the next morning, cleaned up my mess, turned everything off and heat down, loaded up Jack’s sled and hit the road towards home at 10:30am.
Jess told me she got a positive result but I never got my results. That’s strange, we tested at the same time.

 

[Snowbound]

I got home Sunday at 3:45pm and emailed the lab to see why I didn’t get my results. Monday morning they reply and I guess I put .con instead of .com but it was confirmed, I was positive as well.

I contact work and let them know and they tell me I can’t come back until I have no symptoms. I didn’t tell them that I ran up north and now was run down again because of it. So I waited until Wednesday and called to say I’m ready to return. The Olin medical head doctor tells me she can only cover me for 5 days and since it’s past the 5 day mark I need a RTW (return to work) from my doctor to be able to come back. I told her she’s the one who told me on Monday 1/3 to wait until Friday 1/7 to test. That was her 5 days. Total BS! So I call my doctor and he’s 2 weeks out before I can get an appointment. SOAB!! So I filed short term disability so I’m not using my personal time from work. But that took away the ability to go to a minute clinic and get a RTW because now I have to get my doctor to fill out the short term disability forms. These people are so messed up. But whatever, I’m getting paid so I made the most of it these past few days.
I replaced the cam chain tensioner on Jack’s sled. That was a total pain, almost had to remove the engine to get to it.

 

[Snowbound]

Then I had to reset the timing on this dual overhead cam engine. That was a pain too.

I sandblasted the valve cover but I’m gonna let Jack paint it.

 

[Snowbound]

I put on some used shocks I bought until I can get the fox floats rebuilt.

Took me 4 hrs drilling the track and then installing the studs and backers.

I changed the oil and filter. Did a coolant flush. Drained and refilled the chaincase. Replaced the battery and added a battery tender. Fixed some chewed wires. And now I’m waiting for some bronze exhaust donuts because these are known to fail.

 

[Snowbound]

Then I turned my attention to the wife’s esky. I first changed the oil and greased the front end and then decided it was time to jump in on these mounts and such.
The steering post kicked my buttocks. I couldn’t get it to separate so I ended up pulling the whole thing off.

There were only 2 bolts holding the mount to engine. Somehow 2 were missing. Don’t ask because I have no idea how.

 

[Snowbound]

That mount killed me. GM says to pull front diff and get to it from the bottom but I wasn’t about to do that. I don’t think I’m gonna get the front diff pulled this time around.
So tonight I got the drivers side back in. I ordered a new intermediate steering shaft which should be here 2mrw and I’ll get the other side done 2mrw. But this mount was one of the worst I’ve ever seen.

I gotta get my *** in bed. To be continued.......