Machiner 55

Not to "one up" you or anything but, try doing it after Open Heart Surgery. (Mitral valve repair and a coronary by-pass.) John F.

More Reatta porn.Gotta love it! John F.

Hello, A belated Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year! Ronnie, thanks for posting this photo. It's one of my favorites as well. John F.

Years ago I worked at a can plant that made cans with a soldered side seam as opposed to the current method of welding the seam. In this method, the cans would run over a solder pot in which the solder was kept molten by a natural gas burner. An employee was walking past the solder pot with an open container of MEK that he was using to clean parts with. The fumes from the MEK ignited and flashed over to the container Walt was holding and caught fire. Dropping the container caused a fireball which burned Walt badly. I don't recall the % of burn coverage but he carries the scars on his chest, neck and arms to this very day. I'm not saying do not use MEK. I'm just saying be very aware of it's extremely low flash point (16*F). Make sure there is plenty of ventilation available. Now, with the weather turning cooler, one may be tempted to do this inside. Just make sure there are no ignition sources available. Certainly no smoking in the area. Be aware of pilot lights (water heater or washer and gas dryer in the garage?) and any relays on things such as space heaters, air compressors etc. that may kick on creating a spark at the relay which may ignite the vapor. MEK is good stuff and can be used safely, just consider all possible sources if ignition prior to use and all should be well. Also... avoid inhalation of the vapors. Not good for your brain and other internal organs. Use of protective gloves kinda goes without saying. Neoprene is best suited. MEK will melt most other types of gloves. An Internet search of MEK will provide you with more info about proper handling and safety concerns of this solvent. Be Safe! John F.

I have a similar tool but the handle is white in color. Do you feel that this difference would have a detrimental or beneficial effect on the process? John F.

Dave, Haven't heard from "Mc R" in over a year now. Not even sure he's still "with us". One who is, is Padgett. He's in the Orlando area. Though not particularly near the coast, it's predicted that they will experience 100+ mph winds, heavy rains, power outages etc. Be safe my friend! John F.

You failed to thank me for the use of my hand. John F.

Yes. It's exactly what I was referring to. I just went to the site to check on it and found, as you did, that it had expired on July 31, 2012. I came here to post that it had expired but you'd beat me to it. But... if he purchase the struts prior to July 31st, he would still be eligible for the rebate because the; "Offer submission must be postmarked by August 31, 2016. " So he has four more days to get it in the mail. John F.

David, The Monroe struts have a rebate available. I think it's about 10 bux per. The rebate form can be had at the RockAuto site. I think it's in the upper right hand that there's a link for "Promotions and Rebates". Click it, and scroll down til you find it. Print it, fill it out and mail it out along with the bar codes peeled from the strut boxes. Free money! Nothing wrong with that. John F.

I don't know how my post came in after Digger's but, there it is. I too have had the inner joint separate. You can open the boot by cutting the large, inner band off. I've used a cut off wheel on an air powered die grinder to cut it. If you have a Dremel tool you can do the same. Just be careful. Don't cut the rubber. Just the SS band. The FLAPS usually have replacement bands just for this situation. They are called the "Speedy-Boot Universal Clamp Kit, PN 03644. They come in a set of two. The large band and the smaller band. Buy two sets because you may muck up the first band figuring out how it works. This will save you a trip in the middle of the project. If you don't need it, take it back or keep it for the next time. The Tri-Pot bearings go back in rather easily as long as they are aligned with the slots in the hub (bearing shell). If you have a FSM, check the diagrams for orientation. Nothing should need any force or coaxing. It should go together as easily as they separated. If you don't have a FSM. Ask someone to post a pic from it. Depending on how clean everything was before you removed the boot will determine whether or not you need to clean (wash with solvent) the bearing assembly and the hub. If you cleaned all debris and contaminants from the outside of the boot and surrounding area, all you should have to do is wipe off/out all the old grease and replace it with the new grease that you bought when you went to the FLAPS to get the bands. If you suspect that you got dirt or debris in or on the assembly then you need to clean it thoroughly. Otherwise the bearings will "find" the grit and start the self destruction process. It will eventually fail. And it will fail while attempting to cross Death Valley or some other Outback off the beaten path. Once you get everything back together and the band clamp back on, do yourself a favor and get some baling wire or even a coat hanger and wrap one end securely around the half-shaft and find a suitable anchor point on the transmission or something nearby to attach the other end of the wire. (You may even be able to wrap the other end on the back side of the hub between the hub and the Tx. housing. If you can that may be the better choice.) This will keep you from having to repeat the Tri-Pot bearing exercise again. You may need to allow some slack in the wire to allow for maneuvering the knuckle but not enough to allow the bearing to part ways with the hub again. Just my 2 cents on the matter. John F.

Chris, Not to side track here but, reminds me of the time after buying our house, I kept finding bullsh*t repairs and I kept referring to the PO as an idiot. Then one day it dawned on me... I bought the house... who's really the idiot here??? John F.

Barney, Good to hear that Nancy is well enough to travel. Always a good sign. Speaking of Wisconsin, Where abouts in Wisconsin? John F.

Dash, The listing shows it as a "NEW Fuel Gas Tank Dorman 576-360" but the part number stamped on the tank is: 03 16 IGM36#. That's the best I can do. John F.

Dash, Thanks anyway. When my tank arrived last week it too had a damaged area with a hole in the box. I was home at the time of delivery and the FedEx guy rang the doorbell and waited (instead of scampering off as they often do) for me to answer the door. He pointed out the defect in the box. and I said we'd open it right there in his presence. The box was made of cheap cardboard which was easily ripped open by hand (no cutting tool needed). We inspected the whole tank and could only find a small scuff on one of the strengthening ribs. I told him I was OK with that and the fact there were no dents or dings on the rest of the tank and sent him on his merry way. The week before, my Mailman came to the door with a pretty well banged up and damaged box. I knew what was inside (Moog control arm bushings) and felt that there wouldn't be an issue with them (there wasn't) But I have to say, as with the tank the packaging left a lot to be desired. They could have at least jammed some newspaper around the boxed bushings to keep them from banging around. My worst experience was receiving an AC compressor packaged inside the same box as a condenser unit sent to me by Amazon. How the condenser arrived without any damage from the loose compressor in the box amazed the hell out of me! The exterior of the box was dented and ripped open in spots but the items inside survived intact.Whew! Amazon needs to do better at there fulfilment centers that's for sure. I've got pictures of that, that I will attach to this post later. John F.

Dash, Sorry to hear of your misfortune. I once had to send a tank back and it cost me 45 bux to do it. Hopefully you don't get dinged like that. Before you pack it up and send it back, could you please post a pic similar to the middle pic in your post but of the "belly" of the tank. I want to see the spot welds on that side. In advance, thank you for your time. John F.

Never considered the inner tube idea. John F.

I too have always felt that there were a few things one must be made aware of prior to posting on most any site. Here it would be, as mentioned above, providing the owners car info. and the ability to perform a search. One would not be able to post until he (she) has shown proficiency of the search function. I don't know how this would be done but I'm sure there is a way. John F.

After much searching and reading reviews on various products mentioned here and elsewhere I've decided to use the Duplicolor in the blue can. Even though "Eggs" said it is more plasticky, the reviews were more favorable than their "High End" stuff. Also it was more readily available. I didn't have to order it and wait. I need it now and I need it bad! Since the Spectra GM36 is already painted (silver) my prep will consist of scuffing the finish with Scotch Brite pads then wiping it down with acetone prior to coating it with the Duplicolor. The new straps are bare metal so I used the self etching (green) primer on them. I'll then paint them. John F.

Anything can be done with time and money. The more money you have, the less time it will take. I have photos of the back splash arrestor from an original tank that I broke open to see what's inside but they are on my laptop and it is currently mucked up. I was using it and my cat climbed up to lay in my lap. I fell asleep and woke up to find a whole slew of Windows had been opened because the cat rolled onto the keyboard and was holding buttons down. I believe that the operating system has a bunch of corrupt files not allowing it to function as it should. I ran a disk program from the BIOS and the disk itself seems OK. I may be able to resurrect Windows but I'm afraid I'll loose everything that is important to me in the process. You say "but you backup your important files on a regular basis don't you?" Well, uh, I meant to. I even just bought some high capacity USB flash drives to do just that several days ago. The cat must have known I was going to perform a backup and struck first. Anyway... I don't have access to my photos right now so I'll have to wait to post any from that source for the time being. Yesterday I finished sand blasting the rear suspension cradle and cleaning up my mess. Today I prepped the cradle with the prep spray for the KBS coating. It is currently air drying out in the heat and sun in my driveway. The instructions say that I can wait up to 30 days prior to coating it but I'll have done it long before that. Oops... I just realized that this thread is about the gas tank. I havent's yet decided on the coating for it just yet. The idea of FlexSeal isn't bad. I need to read up on it first as well as some others. John F.

I still haven't decided on an exterior coating but I can say that the tank arrived today. When I opened the box I was Shocked! Shocked I say. The tank arrived in great shape,but, unlike the photo in the listing, the tank was painted but, painted silver, not black. Bummer. The other thing I noticed, was that there is little in the way of baffling. Theres what I ``would refer to as a pan welded to the bottom of the tank in the area of the sending unit. I guess to help isolate the float assembly. The other thing I've been noticing with these aftermarket tanks. There is no baffling at the end of the filler pipe to prevent fuel from splashing back up the filler neck and splashing out. This happens nearly every time when I fill-up the Driftwood that has a recently installed Spectra tank. I don't know who makes a real OEM style tank for our cars but it would be good to know. John F.

Chris, It is pretty much what you said. Just be sure the springs are compressed fully before removing the nut, The nut will launch like a bullet if not. Don't axe me how I know. Sometimes the nut doesn't want to spin away from the rod unless you've got an impact wrench and even then, they sometimes will not let go. In addition to using PB Blaster or some other such substance, You may find a pipe wrench attached to the strut rod is helpful in holding the rod still enough to allow the nut to spin free. The wrench should be of good quality with sharp hardened teeth to help it bite into the smooth surface of the rod. I find RIGID makes excellent pipe wrenched that have jaws with teeth that keep a good sharp edge on its teeth for a good long time.I've got a 12 inch Rigid pipe wrench that I've owned for about 40 years and I've never changed out the jaws yet. John F.

"Guest" - Thanks for the tip. "Dash" - Something I learned from Jim Finn about exhausting fumes from a fuel tank. An electric leaf blower or a shop vac. that has a port to attach the large diameter hose to. Stick the other end of the hose into the fuel sender opening and let'er rip. An extra length of hose probably wouldn't hurt. This would help by keeping the blower further away from the tank. Then In about a day or so of running the blower the fumes and any residual gas should be gone! Ronnie - Yah, the tank is toast and the cost to do the job properly to try and salvage the tank would eat up any savings over buying a new tank. I have a tank coming from somewhere other than TRS. Reason being that TRS shows a plain steel tank with minimal if any exterior coating. The one I purchased is noted as having a black spray paint coating which I intend to enhance with some other coating as mentioned in earlier posts. I'm still thinking about truck bed liner coating. "Guest" mentions that it may lack flexibility and that it may crack at some future point in time thereby exposing the metal to environmental conditions. By my way of thinking, truck beds coated with this stuff are subjected to flexing and bending all the time by people walking on the bed of the truck as well as loading the bed with all manner of oddly shaped, awkward and heavy things (none of which resemble my nose). It is the whole point of brush/spray on bed liner in the first place. Maybe I'm wrong in thinking this way. Any other thoughts or suggestions on the matter are greatly appreciated. John F.

Steve, We need pictures of both Oxy. Sensor locations to properly help with diagnosis. John F.

I too am going to install a new tank on my '89. I think I changed this tank once before but I'll have to check my records to be sure. I'm not even sure as to whether it was a new one or a good used one. Either way it needs changed. (see attached pic) I also wanted to do something to prolong the life of the tank because I'm really getting tired of changing these suckers out. Over the years, I've had four Reattas (currently have three) and living in the land of snow and salt I can testify that these things don't last too very long. So... I'm considering truck bed liner as a coating to the exterior of the tank as opposed to paint or undercoating. What do you guys think? John F. P.S., You were right again Ron. In addition to the filler neck being rusted all to hell and leaking, the top of the fuel tank was leaking as well. In photo 3, the close-up shows little wet spots where gas seeped through when I flipped it over. I also had the sending unit fuel and vent lines replaced at a cost of 40 bux.