Jerry Feather

That's a good point Curt. What I have planned to do is put some 2 or 3 inch holes in the bottom of the cross channel with gravel pockets beneath, so there will be plenty of drainage available. I'll also probably seal the edges of the plate over the channel to keep the water mostly out; and I can probably also seal the joint around the bases with concrete sealant.The bolts holding the posts will be heavy "L" bolts set in the concrete, and I'll probably paint them before they are set, with epoxy primer, so they will be less likely to rust. I'll be pouring the concrete around the bases about 8 inches thick and 6 inches for the rest of the slab. I'll probably also fabricate some canvas covers for the posts that can be zipped off and on to keep some of the weather out of the workings.

MainePorsche

Makita impact driver on sale at Home Depot till the 15th. 2300 rpm, 3200 ipm, variable speed, led light, quick charge Li battery and case for 99.00

Fogey1

Thanks, Craig,

I presume this is the one you're speaking of:

Makita 18-Volt LXT Lithium-Ion 1/4 in. Cordless Impact Driver Kit
Model # XDT042 Internet # 206025693 Store SKU # 1001381736
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Makita-18...T042/206025693 $99.00 /each

Might be just the thing to take reluctant top of engine things apart without breaking them.

MainePorsche

Yes. I think it was regularly 159.00
The rpms and ipms are the same as others for even more.

uncre8tv

All tools lately have been for the 240D. Special press tool for the ball joints, popper for the ball joints, and I found that I'd somehow got this far in my life without a good flex bit



which was invaluable for drilling out the old motor mounts.

dr bob

Sean R. clued me into the Makita LXT impact several years ago. It's extra handy for lots of things. For the 928, it gets used as a wheel-nut runner and little else though. I think it's seen duty removing some suspension bolts at clinic MM/OPG projects, but by that time I usually have the pee-gnu-mats flying through the hoses to spin the air impact gun. The little battery impact is good for a one or two bolt job when it's too much work to spin up the compressor. The variable-speed makes it easy to use for initial draw-up or bolts and nuts too. Until I'm working on bolts it can't braek and threads it can't damage, I'm usually hand-tightening stuff.

MainePorsche

Bob,
Agree. I'll hand tighten everything as usual.
I'm going to try the driver only to remove the stubborn ones.
A little heat, then a fast simultaneous impact and CCW rotation is my aim with this device.

Paddcomp

Not tools, but I needed somewhere to put the tools I've bought.

UKKid35

I'm about 3,500 miles from my nearest Harbor Freight, but I still manage to pop in each time I visit the US. However my purchases are somewhat limited by my luggage allowance.

Cameron

Mechanics Stethoscope. I was concerned about out the fact that the timing belt job on my car included a rebuilt waterpump. Figured if the impeller is scraping the block I am going to hear it.

John L. Gormley

Had an existing blasting cabinet I put on casters and hooked up to my shop vac. It always made a mess in shop. So most blasting was outside which limited work in long Michigan winter. I just bought a separator and vac system from Scatblast and built a wheel cart. Much cleaner operation.

John L. Gormley

While I'm thinking of it anyone got a heated parts washer? I always wondered how guys like Mark Anderson get their used parts so clean. I can scrub for hours in my parts washer and then never come out like the stuff Mark sells me. A friend suggested he might have a heated cabinet. So I was wondering if anyone had one and the results?

hacker-pschorr

Rob Edwards

Mark's got some sort of commercial heated spray washer, something like this but somewhat bigger:




Greg has one too, and a 30 gallon heated alkaline parts washer as well. I coveted it for a long time and then found one in a pawnshop in Pomona. Pain in the *** to maintain since in the PRK I had to register as a toxic waste producer, and the Safety-Kleen guys look at me funny when I call for a service ("yes, Rob's Garage- a residential address") but so far so good.

hacker-pschorr

Earlier this year Rob was telling me about the used parts washer he found which led me to Craigslist where I found this one.

I don't use the Safety-Kleen solution, I picked up 25 gallons of "Extreme Green" from Fleet Farm - rated for heated parts washer use and rated environmentally friendly enough to pour down the sink.

I've been surfing the various garage journal / shop message boards and got the idea to install an in-line filter or two. Haven't done that yet, on the "to-do" list.

Anyway.... $200 from a local trucking company I scored a $2,000 parts washer.
The chemicals I'm using may not be as tough as some others out there, but my garage never smells like a toxic waste dump and it's water soluble which makes clean-up a bit easier.

The downside to such a unit? It takes a while to fully heat up 25 gallons so I plan ahead to when I'll be using it. Leaving it plugged in 24/7 can get expensive and unnecessary based on how often I really need it. It actually works fine when cold too.

I don't have a sink in the garage yet, so the water buckets are my rinsing stations.......



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