193 replies to this topic

[greasemonkeyreborne 5x1g's]

Been a while.  Finally uploaded some pix.

 

So big issue for 2013 have been rats.  Since Christmas, I've kept tally and trapped a total of 53 rats as of today.  The car #3 took some wiring damage in 2012.  But since I've been trapping and checking religiously 2x per week since the last Xmas, I've had no further damage.

 

I have 2 live traps and 16 snap traps active.  House is surrounded by oaks, so constant supply of acorns.  Have sheds, woodpiles and cars, so have cover.  Have pond w/ running waterfalls, so constanct water.  No wonder.  And I forgot to mention my gardens.

 

Some interesting things learned...

Rats eat their own to get rid of the evidence.  I trapped one during a particularly high activity rate next to a shed.  The trap was pulled under the shed the the rat was half eaten.  Cats/coons/skunks couldn't fit, so I know it was a rat.  Looked it up and its common for them to eat their dead so preditors are not attracted to the area (as well as dead babies)

 

Set your traps as best as you can.  I had a period of a few months w/ a lot of misfires on the snap traps.  Then I wasn't getting any.  I would watch in the early evening and the had created new runs to avoid my traps.  So I used the pellet rifle that week and baited a new area and got them out w/ the pellet rifle.  Since then, no issues w/ the trap effectiveness.

 

I do'nt like poisons.  Heard of too many dead rats in walls.

 

When a trap is misfired. look around.  I found 4 dead ones out of the 53 that were hit and got out.  2 were dead when I got to them, 2 others were sitting there stunned from head injury.

 

Change up your locations.  They get use to traps in same area and avoid.  I have traps all around my foundation and fence lines.  They were going over the roof and through the trees to avoid them

 

So its not just temp/moisture/sun,  I have to content rodents.  a guy I just had some restoration conversation about had bug issues and got the plastic car capsules and loves them.

 

I won't dare put NOS parts on my car until I can confidently complete a proper storage location.

 

 

 

This is my preferred method.  Stick corn on pan.  I use peanut butter, but the ants get to it.  I don't wash the traps.  I throw them in the pond for 24hrs, then reset.  But I'm carful to touch them very little.

 

Used glue traps when snaps were not getting attention.  Inhumane, but will only use them if they learn to stay away from snaps

 

This is a shame.  CRX #3 w 100k.  Interrior is fine.  they'd been having dinner here in 2012 unitl I got to them.  Looks like injector wiring harness will need some tcl, but the rest if good.  I've been told they dont like perfume, detergents, dryer bounce.  I'm going to throw a box each of bounce in each car to see if that continues to keep them out.  I've heard of mothballs and use of some herbs, but I can deal w/ the ordor of bounce.

[ballade]

your at war. unreal

 

You need my boy to come down there and flush them rats out with his Red Ryder. 

[CRXfanatic]

I love hunting squirrels and mice. I've never seen a rat, though. Kill em all!

[greasemonkeyreborne 5x1g's]

Ballade, HIRED!

 

I just look at it all and am amazed by the rodent issues...

 

So did more Bob Villa over the summer and installed 2/3 of the roof.  Ran the weightbearing calcs w/ snow/ice loading and was able to keep the roof-deck thickness to a minimum. 

 

Have r7 worth of foil coated insulation w/ a 2" airgap then a tin metal roof.  Once its done, the walls will be insulated and sealed best as I can w/ hvac and dehumidifier.  Roof needs more support and gutter system to pull the keep the rain/moisture away from the floor

 

 

 

We had an ice storm that dropped about an inch of ice/slushed snow on the roof.  I knew it was coming in so I had to install the support system to the house.  Didn't have time to bolt the fence side yet so I used some latters and crx jacks to support the center of the roof just in case.  I"m glad I did, it turned out to be the worst ice storm in this area since we've lived here. 

 

 

 

Working on removing the shed and completing the floor over the holidays..   More to come.

[greasemonkeyreborne 5x1g's]

Before the roof

 

 

see how the black sunscreen is hanging down.  Its filled w/ acorns off the oak behind.  so the little buggers had an easy feast

 

 

 

 

Shed is GONE!!!  just finishing up on the last bit of floor

 

 

 

No more shed and that part of the floor is done.  I'm going to have to get some 2'x2' steel plates.  The jacks and tires are pushing the 4" blocks into the TX clay as we get massive rains.

 

A friend pointed out in order to get the full strength of the beams, that there must be cross support on both the top and the bottom in so the beams don't turn sidways and fail.  The top is secured.  So I'll run 3 rows of 2x4's along the bottom after the deck is secured to the fence post side.

 

I can sardine 8 crxs in here, leaving no room for work.  So plan is for 3-4 runners (beater, concourse, straman) w/ a spare rust free TX rolling shell

[greasemonkeyreborne 5x1g's]

Picked up a/c and a furnace this summer for the shop.  Well, the a/c I think has a leaky coil.  What I want is that 2 ton furnace for winter.  Came off a Neighbors house headed for the recyler.  I figure that furnace would have another 10yrs left on it how they run down here in the south.  Planning on keeping the temp around 55 nominal in winter so I should get alot more.  Just have to research open flame and gasoline engines first.....

 

 

 

 

[greasemonkeyreborne 5x1g's]

Friend of mine hooked me up with these.  I couldn't help myself.. 

 

Hooked up lighting in the storage this week.  Pix was taken at night under the new lights.  Installing more brackets for roof support.

 

 

[greasemonkeyreborne 5x1g's]

Met up w 1gencrx in Tulsa the other day.  Got to see his B16 swap. Looks factory perfect.  He took me for a ride and I bought him lunch.  Very nice job on your car B!!   Forgot my camera.

 

So we had a mini GSR meet in Tulsa and did some parts swapping.  He picked up a dealer parts book for me a while back.  I love it!

 

 

Wish I had this 15 years ago!

 

 

THnx for all your help for my project B!

 

 

 

So fired up #3 the otherday as well and cleaned out the leaves and acrorns from the trees above. Garage not sealed, but wanted to get the "ratfood" outta there.   Primed the fuel pump 10x and she fired up on the first turn.  Last time ran was last summer 2012??  Going to drain and change fuel, brake fluid and radiator.  its been 4yrs now. I have fuel stab in the tank at the high mix rate.  So I don't want to take it past 4yrs.  Fuel still fires the engine so I'll mix it into my other vehicles to dilute.

 

Nice to move things around and get some leg room

 

I've got another 15 feet of roof to complete then I can begin sealing it all from the elements

 

I've probably mentioned this one before, but I bought this one in 2000 @ 108K. I guess I did drive it to work one year and put 10k on it.  Its been under a tin roof all but 9 months since then. I removed the plastics and stowed in attic for safe keeping.  Rats did not get inside car.  I vacuumed blower out of acorns, check over harness and fired her up.  I do need to heat shrink the injector wires, little guy went to town there.

 

Been rat free for 6 weeks.  18 traps and all empty.

 

Off to work fluids and roof brackets

[greasemonkeyreborne 5x1g's]

Thnx to a fellow member, I was able to get these little dudes in last week.  I had been searching for all visible rubber/plastic parts in plans of replacing.  these have been on my list for 12yrs.  1 came out of US warehouse, the other 3 were backordered from Japan. I had my local dealer search for more, but none show available at this time.  Thought Id try if someone else needed them. 

 

 

 

Cars 2-9 all have 10 plus year old tires. Every year I end up replacing one or 2 since the dry rot gets to them.  Actually, they tend to crack where they are resting on the ground if they deflate.  I jack the cars up to the point the tires are 1/2 touching the ground under full pressure. I guess I'll start jacking up all the way.  But I had the old rubber removed from a rim off #3.  I've been eyeballing the metal valve stems, always wondering if they were oem.  Sure enough, they have the pacific "P" surrounded by a circle.  So probably the valve caps are the rare stuff to keep a hold on.   Looks like the valves themselves aren't so difficult to source.

 

 

Got the brackes completed along the house and fence line.  Was trying to figure out how to secure to the fence posts.  So I dusted off my engineering statics and determined the weight of the roof is 2400 pounds at the moment.  I designed it for a 5" snow load.  BUt we had an inch of ice (water equiv) the other month, hence the latters to support the roof during that time.  I ran the shear loads on the fasteners.  I used a 5x safety factor considering they are lags into wood and metal is chinese home depot.  So the roof can support 8000 pounds via the weakest link in the fastener system I installed.  Adding an inch of water brings the roof load to maybe 5000 pounds.  I have to check the bending/shear stress in the wood to see how well  it'll hold the span.

 

One pole system using ubolt assy

 

another assy drilling holes through the pipe.  Had I thougth ahead better, id have bolted the lateral beam to the poles using the 10000psi bolts.

 

 

 

Been seeing a lot of guys searching  for accessory parts (KESS/LEON included).  Thought this list might help you guys out w your local dealership. I'm not an accessory guy so I haven't had much use for it.  But I find the list and retail prices amazing.  Double the price for inflation plus a little, and you'd have today's approx value if you bought them at the dealer.  Think of the investment if you bought these nos back in the day.  15-30% ROI easy on certain parts, annually.  When looking back at my reciepts over the years, I think honda raises peice part pricing 3-5% each year.

 

my local dealer went to the backroom to pull the "old parts book" and showed me this10 plus years ago.  He photocopied only page 15.  Theres a little for the civic on the bottom.  I do not have the other pages.  I don't know what fiscal year these prices are for.  Id assume 87 to 1992ish based on the fact they stopped making those parts and would have stopped publishing these lists by the early 90's.  I went back years later to see If I could get his paper material since they had gone computerized.  All in the dumpster way back when.

 

Hope this helps out some of you.  Leon, the "AH" stands for american honda and doubt those parts would be in your market.  I'd try pulling the base number and see what happens.

 

[NWClassicHonda]

I was have a rodent issue here as well. Watch that wiring! 

[greasemonkeyreborne 5x1g's]

Thnx tom for getting the gallary fixed.  I put this together on ac during the downtime

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I did some digging on Sanden.  They won't rebuild compressors and no longer carry the tr70. So we have to rebuild. 

 

Lots of aftermarket compressor rebuilders out there. I found this parts list that vendors can order from.  I tracked down this guy.  He changed his phone number 3 times as I traced it via the internet over the past several years.  He never returned my call.  I assume its a guy out of his house drop shipping these parts from china to shops here in the US.  Just a quess.  I was not able to get far enough to get compressor subparts aftermarket.  But my next step would be to go to some larger and reputable auto ac shops and check their catalogs to see if I could get parts.

 

My sanden on my 228k beater lost charge 2 years ago.  I replaced all the orings on the system in 2000, so I assume it must have been the compressor shaft seal that let go.  That seal and the orings inside the evap were never replace.

 

I hear a lot of stories about guys buying reman compressors to have them fail in 5 years.  I'm assuming the reman outfits are only replacing the key parts and not all of the seals, just a guess.  At a later time, I'll get into my beater's compressor to rebuild it and plan on measuring the oring grooves and diameters and just sourcing my own.  I'm assuming the bearings will be std off the shelf like everything else and can order them via timken and the like.

 

I use to design gaskets/orings for military apps.  static orings 20% compression, dynamic is 10%.  match materials, measure grooves and find a supplier.

 

Below (next post) is the aftermarket info.  Think it might help some of you some day.

[greasemonkeyreborne 5x1g's]

Continuation....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Researched r12 last month.  Best time to buy is late winter before coolin season begins.  Refrigerant is a comodity and flucuates on supply and demand.  So Orielly's has 30 pounders @ 800 plus tax.  I tracked 2 full 30 pounders a few weeks ago and they went for 540-600 plus shipping.  Orielly's has cans 12oz ofr 58 bucks.  Ebay is 25-35 plus shipping.  Craigs is 20-40.  So its all over the place.  if you are thinking of buying, get it now, or wait until next winter.

 

I"m going to buy a recovery machine, and some more cylinders.  I researched recyling filters and will just "wash" my used r12 through the filters and reuse.  acid test, burp the air and away we go....

[greasemonkeyreborne 5x1g's]

So nice to have space to work on my cars here at the home.  Enough room to stretch the legs.  First project work at the house on concrete floor in years....

 

 

 

Oh, and to work in 65F while its 25F outside, now thats priceless.  I bought a couple of these units and tarped the open end of the area to keep the heat in.    Interesting, after the heat was off for a few days, the storage was about 15f warmer than the outside.  Residual heat from the side of my house.  We use to test our military weapon sights XX thousands of thermal cycles -40 to 130 to fail the cca and components.  Thats why Cali cars do so well, very little temp swing from day to day.  unlike else where in the county.  My target low temp is not to go below 45f, that's the temp the door skins begin to thermally skrink greater than the metal and beging to stress and crack.  curious to find out this summer when its 105 outside, what it is in here.

 

 

 

Spent last week hauling 6 tons of branches off my trees.  Nasty ice storm back in Nov.  A member posted a pix of a large tree smashing his barn and pick up truck.  I think it nicked his crx.  Lifting the load off these trees have been a major concern of mine..  done, next trim, three years..

[greasemonkeyreborne 5x1g's]

23 rats so far this year and counting.... no additional damage. been managing them properly

picked up 2 dehumidifier this year in prep for sealing off the garage.

picked up several old school strip chart recorders that measure temp, humidity over 7 day period like you'd see in a museum. ugly gum color, clear plastic window w large drum w red,blue ink pens... calibrated them, three of them. interesting to see the major fluctuations in humidity throughout the day and night. summer is like 80% at dawn and 30 % at height of days heat-outdoors ambient. house stays around 50-55. storage was like 40 to 70. so once roof is sealed, I'll keep the flock below 55 and that should take care of them. cool thing, recorders were made in Japan in the 80's as well. cost like $700 buck each back in the day. peanuts now since everyone uses computers. so this tells me to run the dehumidifier between midnight and 9am to keep electric costs down and running off peak since new smart electric utility meters get you on peak usage as well.

made it to the barn Monday to visit the rest of the cars. all looks the same. rat activity there, but very little.

plan to work the roof this winter and scrape the 129k car to convert the straman to fuel injection so I can finally use it.