Another trip to the farmers market today for one more batch of bread and butter pickles (plus corn for lunch), cut up this evening and salted in the fridge. Last weeks pickles made 17 pint jars of cornichons and dills.
As I got home, Raven was already here heating her coffee. She started painting the window inner frames in black. I opened the garage, pulled out the cats paw and wrench. As the bolts are already loose I removed the crown nuts with wrench for the old springs. Using the cats paw, a piece of wood and a hammer to pry the bolts loose, the axle came off easy enough. I removed the loose lug nuts from the D wheel, put the wheel under the frame just in case, and with Raven’s help removed the axle spring assembly from beneath the vardo. As Luis had welded the U bolt nuts I used the grinder to free them, sparks flying (safety glasses). A breaker bar and socket freed the old model ‘T’ springs.
I brought out the new 3,500 lb springs, they’re shorter, less plies but thicker plies. I mounted them to the axle the proper way with the axle on top, less clearance but proper, hope the grey water tank clears. I sorted out the hangar set, uh oh, we’ll need 9/16 x 1 1/4″ bolts, qty 8 and they have to be grade 8 hard. The drill I have is 5/8, a little too big. I head for town, Harry is out for lunch, Healdsburg Ace then, expensive as grade 8s add up and the new drill is way spendy but we need it and it’s a tool (they pay for themselves).
Getting home it’s lunch time, broiled chicken marinated in oyster sauce, garlic and curry powder, corn in the oven in husk, steamed garden wax beans. Served out back at the bench with a good view of the mountain past the river.
As a friend of mine David Lynch passed, I went to the memorial at the airport experimental hangar. He built his own plane from a kit, one rivet at a time. They flew the one man missing formation with his plane, very cool.
As I got home, Raven had a lot done in black, including a corner detail of gold paint, wow!
I crawled under with the boat mattress, a couple pillows and the big 1/2 inch drill. I started with a pilot bit, too big, get another smaller as you need to clear the point of the bigger bit. That went OK. Using the bigger 9/16 bit was not so easy. It drilled OK, but when it cleared the metal it bound, throwing the drill around hard, very scary. I got all of the P side done, with sun hot tools, mounted the spring brackets loosely. Enough as it’s late and I’m tuckered.
I’ll need to get the right size socket and wrench to secure them, They have lock washers so welding won’t be necessary. The back bracket is narrower with outer follower plates while the front is wide. Interesting, the old bolts have zirc fittings and crown nuts, same size, be better to use them. We should have it all hooked in next week.
8shotoflove8 