Shop Time w/T.W. Friends

But dogs can get the oils on their fur and then when you pet them..... As a teenager I once helped my dad burn some leaves along the property line. Poison ivy leaves were mixed in with regular leaves. Inhaling the smoke, handling the leaves, etc., gave me a reaction that was very, very bad. I was out of school for 3 days and every part of my body was swollen, inflamed and incredibly itchy. No words can do justice to the level of reaction that I had.

 

Kinda a different way to go Ivy League. Just as painful, maybe in a different way.

 

It has never affected me, but pollen does....

 

Win-win-win situation!

 

Good luck with the meeting!

 

Good luck! If it’s Starliner news, anything you can share is appreciated

 

Nothing groundbreaking on Boeings stuff, just heard from some of their techs today that Boeing knew they had helium leaks on the service module before she rolled out.

SpaceX is trying to cut us out of the equation on some launch support stuff, they're always working that angle but they are building some ground support stuff that will help them be more self sustainable, not surprising there.

We've got Europa Clipper coming up, Dreamchaser all coming down the pike which is great news, we need Blue Origin to pick up the pace and get some momentum going here....

 

So I had a oh crap moment last week. Was splitting wood, then the woodsplitter just stopped having any power. The ram would move, but wouldn’t go through the smallest log. Engine wouldn’t lug down or anything, the ram just stopped. I did some reading, and it looked like it could either be the ram seals were leaking by, or the pump could be toast. I changed the filter and found some metal in there. Not a great feeling. I looked up the pump part number, a replacement was $800. So in debating buying a new woodsplitter, I said it’s already broke, I can’t break it more. I pulled the pump apart. Here’s what I found.
That little pin right there sheared off, and the small clips that held the larger gears in place on the shaft were non existent. Luckily, I had a scrap endmill that fit that hole just right.
I also had some stainless clips that fit perfectly to keep the pump gears in place. Wound it back together and tried it last night. Thing splits as good as it ever has, and it didn’t cost me a penny to fix it!

 

Perfect reason for exploring the culprit and hopeful

 

Did you see the announcement over in the Space thread Vulcan 2 cert flight is carrying a dummy payload?

 

Here's some non-poison.

 

I don't think I do either. I've spent my share of time in the woods and don't even know what it looks like.

 

Well fellers, it has been a long road and the project Subaru is about ready for Mrs Green to start driving.

Since I need this to be very reliable I caught up on some service work.

New:
Timing belt, idlers, hydro tensioner, water pump (OEM Subaru $116) and t-stat (also OEM but not as shocking). All of the above are Japan made parts.

All coolant hoses, AC idler pulley (OEM), spark plugs & wires (NGK).

Battery (DEKA) & terminal ends.

Front:
Calipers, rotors, pads, ball joints.
Rear: Wheel cylinders & hoses.

Fluids:
Coolant, engine oil, transmission (with the handy spin on filter) both differentials, brake fluid, power steering fluid.

Tires & rims
Battery

I want this car to last a long time so I also used 7 cans of Rust-Oleum on the underside along with Cosmolone & fluid film.

I got it from a friend, it was his mothers car (she passed) however he is 6'4" so a Forester isn't a good fit you might say, he replaced it with a Toyota Sequoia.

2006 with 39,000 miles.

 

And today:

Tint!

Not normally something I would spring for but after years of vehicles with factory tint I like both the look & function -- and I intend to keep this car a long time.

It looked kind of plain with the clear windows.



In the spirit of the king of shine @Delta09 my plan was for a wash but it started raining just when I got back to the garage.

...and let's be honest here, my best efforts turn out to be an outstanding example of mediocre anyway...



The interior is like new, I have only given it a quick vacuum.

 

Should be mandatory, along with dipstick, for every transmission

Impressive list of maintenance and other housekeeping items

Good luck to you and Mrs. Green

 

So ya taking over her old Subie? I know you said the van is pretty much scrap at this point.

 

I was very impressed to see that external filter. This one is old enough to have a proper dipstick too.

Just a plain old 4 speed automatic, I'm not enthusiastic about CVT transmissions.

 

I hadn't seen that, I knew it's high pressure because Dreamchaser window is like miss it and wait a significant amount of time.

Our big meeting today was kinda like politician speak, talking a whole lot without saying anything.
Few positives, few negatives, few kudos from NASA while they also hold our feet to the fire on a contract nobody else was stupid enough to bid on

 

The van....

It drives perfectly, the floors & suspension are all solid. It will need rocker panels and more to get back on the road. Really probably more work than it is worth - however I like the van a lot.


Her old Subaru needs some rust repair too, not nearly as much as the van so yeah that is the kind of the plan.