Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Welcome......To Odd Acres

Finallygotit · Dec 21, 2024

Wow, two months goes by fast.

Well, it's time to do some maintenance of the DD; some of it well overdue.

The patient.......

List of things to do.

1) Flush brake fluid (This is the overdue part)
2) Change engine oil and filter
3) Change trans fluid (Did this last month but now that its had time to run through the system, one more time to get the fluid mostly replaced with the new stuff
4) Replace blend door actuator on the driver side HVAC. (It went kaput and wouldn't change temp)
5) Clean and re-oil K&N air filter (Really nasty)
6) Replace cabin air filter

Started with the brake flush so I sucked out the master cylinder.

This is the first time using the Bilitools brake bleeder I purchased thanks to a fellow GJ member who shall remain nameless. I was pretty impressed with the way it worked. I started on the rear brakes first followed by the fronts. The fluid wasn't too bad both in color and moisture content. Not bad for 125k miles.

While I had the front end up in the air, I did the fluid swaps and oil filter.

Now onto the actuator replacement.

I had to remove the panel off the driver side of the console. Here I already removed the trim panel under the steering wheel and now I have to remove the metal panel you see in silver to access the actuator.
The actuator with the arrow pointing to it.

Only two screws hold it in place. I already took the electrical connector off the bottom of the unit. The one thing to note is that one has to make sure to line up the blend door socket with the new actuator upon assembly. In this case, I had to rotate the blend door socket about 15° clockwise to get it to line up.

I reassembled everything I took apart and tested the blend door. WOO-HOO!

But..................Still not getting very cold air. Well this isn't very good.

The entire system holds about 2-1/2 pounds of R134a. I had to put in about 1-1/2 pounds to get the low pressure side up to about 31psi.

Now the air coming out of the vents is icy cold. I'm hoping that the sealer added to the refrigerant seals the leak that led to this replacement.

This was a long day and my back hurts.

:beer:

Snip's · Dec 21, 2024

You should consider changing the rear differential fluid (mine was under filled from the factory)...
It's also real important to change the front PTU fluid... It gets cooked by being so close to the cat...

I also had to replace my blend door, but it was the passenger side (through the glove box)...

Finallygotit · Dec 21, 2024

Snip's said:
You should consider changing the rear differential fluid (mine was under filled from the factory)...
It's also real important to change the front PTU fluid... It gets cooked by being so close to the cat...

Thanks Snips but this is a front wheel drive 2016 Explorer; 2WD and no drive-train in the back. It's one of the drawbacks for me when I purchased the vehicle. Thankfully, Ford has gone back to rear wheel drive on the newer Explorers. Coming up next year will be a new Explorer ST for me.

:3gears:

Snip's · Dec 21, 2024

Ahhhh... I forgot FORD made a 2WD Explorer...

Mr.zippy · Dec 21, 2024

So it's front wheel drive?

Finallygotit · Dec 21, 2024

Mr.zippy said:
So it's front wheel drive?

Yes sir!

Mr.zippy · Dec 21, 2024

Sorry, I see you already explained that in a previous post.....my Evelyn Wood Head Sped Riddn schooling failed me. Kind of surprised me that a larger vehicle was front wheel drivtrain. Out here in the sticks everything is pretty much all wheel/ 4 wheel drive.

Finallygotit · Dec 22, 2024

Mr.zippy said:
Sorry, I see you already explained that in a previous post.....my Evelyn Wood Head Sped Riddn schooling failed me. Kind of surprised me that a larger vehicle was front wheel drivtrain. Out here in the sticks everything is pretty much all wheel/ 4 wheel drive.

I was surprised to see my friends GMC Acadia being front wheel drive as well.

:beer:

zmotorsports · Dec 23, 2024

Nice job on the service Dan. Glad to see someone else replacing that brake fluid as part of a routine maintenance program. :thumbup:

Finallygotit · Dec 23, 2024

Thanks Mike!

:beer:

Finallygotit · Dec 27, 2024

Well a good friend of mine gifted me a new sign for my shop. :thumbup:

Finallygotit · Mar 30, 2025

WOW! Been a while.

So this next project needs a little back story. Late last year we had all of the windows and patio door replaced in the house. The old units were aluminum framed while the new ones were PVC framed. We absolutely love the new doors and windows; much quieter, definitely seals and has very little thermal transfer. So the picture windows that faced the backyard from the great room never had any openings. So we had sliding windows incorporated into the the base of the new windows. This is where the problem came in. We keep our BBQ up against one of the windows. With all of the BTU's that this BBQ puts out, having it up against PVC that melts at 350°F is not ideal. So I decided to make a heat shield.

This is one of those situations where I would have loved to have had a welder to weld the pieces together.......but I don't. But I do have a lathe and a milling machine. Here we go.

I bought some 1" square aluminum tubing and decided to bolt this stuff together. Am I going to overbuild it? Absolutely!

I cut the tubes close to length then milled the ends square and to length.

Then after finding center

I drilled precise 1/2" holes in the ends of two of the legs.

Then I drilled clearance holes and countersinks for 10-32 screws in the other two legs.

Then I went to work on the lathe for the next part.

I made one end a slip fit for the 1/2" hole while the other end was made to be a press fit.

I put the bar in the mill to drill, tap and face this round "nut".

Then I put the bar in the saw, cut it off and put the nut in the lathe to bring it to length.

And this is what this is supposed to look like.

Here's a partial assembly with socket head cap screws. Those get changed out later for oval head screws.

I also purchased some aluminum sheet stock which I cut to size.

Then I went about pop riveting the sheet to the frame.

I also had to offset the heat shield from the BBQ to clear the lid when opened so I used a couple of pieces to do that.

I drilled and installed 1/4"-20 rivnuts into the back of the BBQ so I could mount the heat shield. And here it is installed.

And here is the BBQ back in place where it should be.

Thanks for stopping by!

:beer:

Mr.zippy · Mar 30, 2025

Looks like a factory installed option! Nice work!

bored350 · Mar 30, 2025

Finallygotit said:
Am I going to overbuild it? Absolutely!

The only way to do it!

JoeLee1 · Mar 30, 2025

Finallygotit said:
You see this apron leading into the shop?

Remember what I said about the paver patio? Yeah, it played out here too. This was another tripping hazard only this time it was encased in concrete. So guess what? Yep, new concrete here too. But first, it was time to get a 100 amp sub-panel out here.

Concrete forms

Now, with the floor in the shop already epoxied, I found out something I was not particularly thrilled with. After a rain, I now had multiple bird baths IN the shop. It had rained a time or two prior to epoxy, and I saw a little wetness but nothing that would make me .

What we found was that, not only was every nut and bolt holding the building together loose but the concrete floor was sloped to the middle.

Time was ticking and we needed to get our stuff out of storage and into the shop. That stuff included all of my tools. Kinda hard to do things without the proper tools. So we hired someone to go around and tighten every nut and bolt. They didn't do a great job as I found some loose bolts. But, the water issue improved. We then laid paper towel along the edges of the building to see if we could spot where the water was intruding from. Again . So our quest to seal this thing up began. My lovely wife and I finished tightening the bolts, me climbing on the outside and her on a ladder inside. Small improvement. While I was climbing around on the outside, I saw several areas that could use some caulk. Half a case later, I had done all I could. Small improvement but still leaked like a sieve. Next up, removing the cheap *** caulk the previous owner put on at the base of the building where the steel meets the concrete footer. Then, more industrial exterior caulk applied by my lovely wife. Again, small improvement.

Decided that it was time to seal the concrete footer as well so I went and bought some Dryloc that my lovely wife spent a few days applying. Again, small improvement but still leaked.

Had I known then what I know now, I would have offered even less for the property. The previous owner should never ever, never ever, ever never EVER be allowed near wet concrete again. UGH!!!

My wife and I were at our wits end. So we decided to move things into the shop knowing that most things will need to be kept off the floor. Time to re-group and think this one through.

More fun to come.......

Those quonset hut buildings are almost impossible to waterproof. Between bolts and panel seams the leaks never stop. Then there's the issue of where the steel meets the concrete around the perimeter. Water constantly running in the building.
Rubberized coating on the roof is a good idea to seal the leaks but how long will it last in the hot sun before it dries and cracks ?

Joe..

Finallygotit · Mar 30, 2025

JoeLee1 said:
Those quonset hut buildings are almost impossible to waterproof. Between bolts and panel seams the leaks never stop. Then there's the issue of where the steel meets the concrete around the perimeter. Water constantly running in the building.
Rubberized coating on the roof is a good idea to seal the leaks but how long will it last in the hot sun before it dries and cracks ?

Joe..

Hi Joe,

The coating lasted for the five years we were living there. There were no signs of cracking or peeling.

Normally, around here, rubberized roof coatings usually last about five years before a re-coat is due.

And you are spot on with the leaks with quonset buildings. As long as I live, I will never own another one!!! :headshake

Thanks for stopping by!

:beer:

Finallygotit · Mar 30, 2025

Mr.zippy said:
Looks like a factory installed option! Nice work!

Thanks and I'm flattered but I'm sure the folks at DCS would disagree with you.

bored350 said:
The only way to do it!

Can I get an AMEN?!?! :lol:

Striker-7 · Mar 30, 2025

I'm almost sorry the post was edited there, JoeLee1. "Quantum Hot" was a more than apt description of the atmosphere in one of those Quonset huts on a July afternoon...

Finallygotit · Mar 30, 2025

Striker-7 said:
I'm almost sorry the post was edited there, JoeLee1. "Quantum Hot" was a more than apt description of the atmosphere in one of those Quonset huts on a July afternoon...

You are absolutely right.......until we put the roof coating on. It went from a solar oven to something pretty tolerable.

:beer:

zmotorsports · Mar 31, 2025

Very nicely done Dan. The heat shield looks like it came on the grill from the factory.

JoeLee1 · Mar 31, 2025

Finallygotit said:
Hi Joe,

The coating lasted for the five years we were living there. There were no signs of cracking or peeling.

Normally, around here, rubberized roof coatings usually last about five years before a re-coat is due.

And you are spot on with the leaks with quonset buildings. As long as I live, I will never own another one!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

I think your on the right track with the waterproof roof coating, but 5 years goes by pretty fast and then you find yourself trying to clean off all the old coating to reapply a fresh coat. But I'm sure you'll develop leaks around the bolts long before the 5 years is up as the material will shrink and crack around the bolt heads.
I think you would have a more permanent solution if you laid down some rubber hot melt roofing material like the do on commercial flat top roofs.
My uncle put up one of these eyesores a long time ago. After the first rain t

here was more water inside than there was outside.
He came up with the ideal of adding cement between the panels. They are slightly pitched so the water would run off but the caulking would let go after a year or so. Just couldn't find any sealer that would stick to the galvanized panels.
The angle iron around the edge doesn't help much either.
I think he would have been better off if he had assembled the thing on a footer and then poured the floor on the inside leaving a small channel around the floor to act as a gutter to rout the water out side. Bat as everyone does with these is build them on a slab.
I've seen people try and insulate the inside but that ends up being a disaster as well. I knew someone that spray foamed the entire inside. It worked well as far as insulation goes but water still messed up the interior after a few years, and it looked like a cave inside.
These things were intended for one purpose, to be used on a farm to store equipment that you could basically store out doors or in a barn.

Sorry about the placement of the picture but this forum and it's picture placememnt is a PIA.

Joe......

Finallygotit · Mar 31, 2025

JoeLee1 said:
I think your on the right track with the waterproof roof coating, but 5 years goes by pretty fast and then you find yourself trying to clean off all the old coating to reapply a fresh coat. But I'm sure you'll develop leaks around the bolts long before the 5 years is up as the material will shrink and crack around the bolt heads.
I think you would have a more permanent solution if you laid down some rubber hot melt roofing material like the do on commercial flat top roofs.
My uncle put up one of these eyesores a long time ago. After the first rain there was more water inside than there was outside.
He came up with the ideal of adding cement between the panels. They are slightly pitched so the water would run off but the caulking would let go after a year or so. Just couldn't find any sealer that would stick to the galvanized panels.
The angle iron around the edge doesn't help much either.
I think he would have been better off if he had assembled the thing on a footer and then poured the floor on the inside leaving a small channel around the floor to act as a gutter to rout the water out side. Bat as everyone does with these is build them on a slab.
I've seen people try and insulate the inside but that ends up being a disaster as well. I knew someone that spray foamed the entire inside. It worked well as far as insulation goes but water still messed up the interior after a few years, and it looked like a cave inside.
These things were intended for one purpose, to be used on a farm to store equipment that you could basically store out doors or in a barn.

Sorry about the placement of the picture but this forum and it's picture placememnt is a PIA.

Joe......

No worries! I'm just extremely glad I DO NOT have to deal with that abomination any more. I spent more time and money on it than I care to admit. Don't even get me started on the fact that it was a Faraday cage.

I think I feel my blood pressure rising............
:beer:

Finallygotit · Apr 1, 2025

zmotorsports said:
Very nicely done Dan. The heat shield looks like it came on the grill from the factory.

Thanks Mike! :thumbup:

Finallygotit · Jul 2, 2025

So the other day I decided to order a new throat plate for my miter saw. These things occasionally need to be replaced due to some of my ham-fisted maneuvers and things I probably shouldn't be doing on said saw. So anyway, I went online to order a new one. Hmmmmm......seems as though they stopped making them and I couldn't find anyone that sells them anymore. Well shoot, that's no good. Time to make my own!

Here's the original somewhat mangled part.

First, I made a wood template of the original.

Then I drilled some holes to accept some brass threaded inserts to hold the new blanks.

Then I drilled and mounted the new stock.

Then I went to the router to copy the template onto the new stock.

Last operation was to mill the counterbores for the hold down screws.

After a little deburring......TA-DA!

And a thanks to @Bob Heine for the idea. I wanted one of these for a while but it was hard to find one with a remote. Found one! And ready to accept 200 CD's.

Now I have most of my CD library installed in this puppy for hours of uninterrupted music pleasure.

:beer:

kat06 · Jul 2, 2025

for metal building's of alll types ie pole building, Quonset etc the Conklin company makes a few different roof systems I used the Benchmark system on my metal pole building about 25 years ago and have had no leaks since also as a plus it reflects like 94 percent of the sun's heat off the roof, so it makes the inside a lot cooler. It's a latex elastomeric coating that can be applied to new or old roofs. It can also be applied to closed cell spray foam and insulate as well as waterproof. Something to check into if your interested.

Finallygotit · Jul 2, 2025

kat06 said:
for metal building's of alll types ie pole building, Quonset etc the Conklin company makes a few different roof systems I used the Benchmark system on my metal pole building about 25 years ago and have had no leaks since also as a plus it reflects like 94 percent of the sun's heat off the roof, so it makes the inside a lot cooler. It's a latex elastomeric coating that can be applied to new or old roofs. It can also be applied to closed cell spray foam and insulate as well as waterproof. Something to check into if your interested.

Thanks but I no longer own that building.

:beer:

Finallygotit · Sep 20, 2025

Finallygotit · Nov 11, 2025

So I started running into an issue with the Cobra lately. When starting it in the garage after disconnecting the charger, it would start like it normally does, quickly. But after driving around for a little bit, stopping at stores, it was slower turning over than it usually is. The usual start is barely one revolution and it would bark to life.

So I kinda figured that after about 7 years, it might be time for a new battery. Indeed it was!! Everything about this build was stuffing things in really tight places, This was no exception. As I went to disconnect the cables from the battery, this is what I found.

Well, this is a new failure mode for me. I'm really surprised that it turned over at all.

And since the bolt on the clamp was basically toast, I decided to cut it down the middle, push both pieces out and replace it with a new bolt. As soon as I finally cut through the old bolt, this happened. :FIREdevil

I don't have a lot of extra cable to work with and replacing the cable would be a REALLY big deal. So at this point I decided to remove the lead clamp, clean up the wires and install a new replacement NAPA clamp. Getting the old clamp off was a real PIA! Also, I'm doing all this work on my knees.

I also had to replace a lot of wires and the fuse that I installed on the top of the battery due to corrosion creeping between the wire and insulation. The fuse is for the memory circuit in the ECU. I have a battery cutoff switch in the cockpit that kills everything else.

I finally got everything cleaned up and shoehorned back in place.

And closed up.

Oh man do my arms hurt!

:beer:

zmotorsports · Nov 11, 2025

WOW, that is tight Dan.

Reminds me of my first street rod that I worked on back in the early 90's and trying to keep everything tightly packaged, I used a small battery box and small battery to allow a bit more space for things like exhaust, driveshaft, X-members, etc. under the body on the chassis. Came back to bite me when assembly time came. Fortunately, I learned my lesson early in my years so I didn't make that mistake again. Having a larger battery box, extra length of wiring and cables and thinking forward to serviceability all were valuable lessons learned.

sawduststeve · Nov 11, 2025

Finallygotit said:
So I started running into an issue with the Cobra lately. When starting it in the garage after disconnecting the charger, it would start like it normally does, quickly. But after driving around for a little bit, stopping at stores, it was slower turning over than it usually is. The usual start is barely one revolution and it would bark to life.

So I kinda figured that after about 7 years, it might be time for a new battery. Indeed it was!! Everything about this build was stuffing things in really tight places, This was no exception. As I went to disconnect the cables from the battery, this is what I found.

Well, this is a new failure mode for me. I'm really surprised that it turned over at all.

And since the bolt on the clamp was basically toast, I decided to cut it down the middle, push both pieces out and replace it with a new bolt. As soon as I finally cut through the old bolt, this happened.

I don't have a lot of extra cable to work with and replacing the cable would be a REALLY big deal. So at this point I decided to remove the lead clamp, clean up the wires and install a new replacement NAPA clamp. Getting the old clamp off was a real PIA! Also, I'm doing all this work on my knees.

I also had to replace a lot of wires and the fuse that I installed on the top of the battery due to corrosion creeping between the wire and insulation. The fuse is for the memory circuit in the ECU. I have a battery cutoff switch in the cockpit that kills everything else.

I finally got everything cleaned up and shoehorned back in place.

And closed up.

Oh man do my arms hurt!

Good work Dan
Optima are great batteries but never seen that before. Would a good coating of grease on the terminals be any help.

Steve

Finallygotit · Nov 11, 2025

sawduststeve said:
Good work Dan
Optima are great batteries but never seen that before. Would a good coating of grease on the terminals be any help.

Steve

Steve, I'm not sure where my head was but I normally spray CRC brand terminal protectant on those terminals. For some dumb reason, I didn't do that here. To add a bit of belt-and-suspenders, I also added the felt washers that go under the battery clamps then sprayed the protectant.

But to answer your question, yes I should have added a protectant. I take total blame as I should have checked on it sooner. One of those "out of sight, out of mind" things.

:beer:

jbmatth · Nov 12, 2025

I'll have to replace the battery in my cobra soon, but it isn't as hard to get to as yours appears to be. I did have to replace the battery on my Viper a few weeks back. That involved putting the rear on jack stands, removing the drivers rear tire, removing half of the wheel well liner, then I could get to the battery, to my surprise it was dated 2017 so over 8 years old, not bad really.

Good call on the protectant.

JB

Finallygotit · Nov 12, 2025

jbmatth said:
I'll have to replace the battery in my cobra soon, but it isn't as hard to get to as yours appears to be. I did have to replace the battery on my Viper a few weeks back. That involved putting the rear on jack stands, removing the drivers rear tire, removing half of the wheel well liner, then I could get to the battery, to my surprise it was dated 2017 so over 8 years old, not bad really.

Good call on the protectant.

JB

The battery swap on your Viper sounds like a REAL PIA!

:beer:

bowtiguy · Nov 12, 2025

jbmatth said:
I'll have to replace the battery in my cobra soon, but it isn't as hard to get to as yours appears to be. I did have to replace the battery on my Viper a few weeks back. That involved putting the rear on jack stands, removing the drivers rear tire, removing half of the wheel well liner, then I could get to the battery, to my surprise it was dated 2017 so over 8 years old, not bad really.

Good call on the protectant.

JB

My buddy stumped me on battery location w/ his 96 GTS. I blamed it on the hood not opening all the way. I called: “ interference” I still love the colors and body style though. 2nd favorite 90’s car after my Callaway Aerobody ZR-1

jbmatth · Nov 13, 2025

I am still unsure why they chose that location for the battery as it puts even more weight on the drivers side of the car. But they were first designed on a napkin and built in a shed, this is very evident after working on one a bit. Still a blast to drive when I don't want to get sunburned or wet in my cobra. :lol:

JB

Finallygotit · Nov 13, 2025

zmotorsports said:
WOW, that is tight Dan.

Reminds me of my first street rod that I worked on back in the early 90's and trying to keep everything tightly packaged, I used a small battery box and small battery to allow a bit more space for things like exhaust, driveshaft, X-members, etc. under the body on the chassis. Came back to bite me when assembly time came. Fortunately, I learned my lesson early in my years so I didn't make that mistake again. Having a larger battery box, extra length of wiring and cables and thinking forward to serviceability all were valuable lessons learned.

Mike, if memory serves, I had three locations to put the battery. One was in an awkward place in the engine compartment where it was exposed to everything the tires could throw around.

The second was even further back in the trunk where you could put it in one of those plastic battery boxes or no box at all. Considering how little the trunk was, having the battery permanently taking up precious space was not ideal for me.

So the third option, the one I chose, was a battery box that hung over the empty space above the pumpkin. IMHO it's a good place for it, all considered. It's just not that fun pulling or setting 40 pounds of battery. I have to admit, it is a good workout for your triceps.

:beer:

jbmatth · Nov 14, 2025

Is yours a solid axle or IRS? I don't know if I'd have room above mine for the battery, but it is a 9". Mine is stuck in the corner behind the rear wheel but in the trunk, easy enough to access.

JB

Finallygotit · Nov 14, 2025

jbmatth said:
Is yours a solid axle or IRS? I don't know if I'd have room above mine for the battery, but it is a 9". Mine is stuck in the corner behind the rear wheel but in the trunk, easy enough to access.

JB

JB, mine is an IRS.

:beer:

Bob Heine · Nov 17, 2025

Finallygotit said:
It's just not that fun pulling or setting 40 pounds of battery. I have to admit, it is a good workout for your triceps.

Dan, the C3 Corvettes put the battery behind the driver seat in a covered compartment. Not the worst location but it caused me to buy a lifting tool.

Finallygotit · Nov 17, 2025

Bob Heine said:
Dan, the C3 Corvettes put the battery behind the driver seat in a covered compartment. Not the worst location but it caused me to buy a lifting tool.

Hi Bob! I have a lifting strap that I have had for decades; still works great. But when it comes to the Cobra, there isn't a lot of space directly over the battery box. I use the lifting strap to pull the battery up slightly while I shove a chunk of wood under a void in the side of the battery to hold it in place. At that point, I can use my fingertips to pull the battery out of there........slowly.

Thanks for stopping by! :thumbup:

Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Welcome......To Odd Acres

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