Whew, a productive day, I’m tired. I drove my car up to the corner, dropped off the key and a bag of pears with Luis to change the front struts. Across the street to Mud’s for coffee and a walk home. Nice peach tree, nice olives, hmm, trade for pears? I’ll have to ask. What’s this, a melon on this side of the fence with a brown spot, score, trade later. About then Raven pulled up for a ride the rest of the way home.
Raven started painting more black, there’s a lot of trim work. I tightened the axle to spring bolts, rolled the one wheel around perpendicular, tied the good rope, shushed the cat away and chucked the rope under. With Raven on the wheel, I pulled the rope and axle in to position, slick. Tried mounting the wheel, no, after. I jacked up the axle with the floor jack and mounted the aft swivel D side. Not enough rise on the jack, I put in the jack stand and lowered it in, added a couple 2×4 pieces and raised the forward spring to bracket into place. Took a couple wacks to line it up, bolted into place. Installed the wheel mostly tight as it’s hanging, will need a cinching when it’s down. To the far side, I jacked it up, oh, we’re off an eighth inch. I released all the axle to spring mounts on both sides and nudge it into place, adding the bolts and nutting it down, then re tighten all the axle nuts. It’s in place, wow, new springs, still hanging but safe.
Time for lunch, Raven has a recipe for pesto hamburgers, I fire up the grill as she prepares the pesto in the food processor with basil from the garden, organic beef and pine nuts, fresh tomatoes, eggplant pestoed as well on the grill. During prep I cut up a half gallon jar of vodka pears to process into liqueur. The burgers and eggplant are ready, fabulous lunch with fresh picked wax beans on the side.
As it’s still jacked up, time for running lights. I open the dusty 3 year old package. We’ll need conductive brackets to mount them, I find a piece of thick sheet copper and band saw two plates, drilled on the drill press to fit, find screws, nuts and tooth washers in the bins. They all fit with a licence plate mount on the left side. I get the P side forward running light mounted as Raven ‘s time to go home arrives.
I hitch a ride to the corner to pick up my car, drive it home, much better, no more clunk.
I add the white ground wire to the frame forward and the D side amber running light. Seven holes into the hard iron today, small ones but it’s still hard by hand. We have springs! We have running lights complete! And a lot of detailed black batons! A fine day indeed. Pesto mixed with hamburgers is excellent!
8shotoflove8 