Morning coffee

[hiball3985]

Thanks guys for all your positive comments, that means a lot to me. The last time I went to the doctor was seven years ago when the breathing problems first started. The blockage isn't bad enough to need stents? stints? yet but may in the future. The breathing is getting to be a real issue, can't work very long before I run out of gas. I decided to take the car out yesterday and put a few miles on it locally, not sure what I'll decide about road trips yet.

Rich, glad you found the problem with the brakes..

[RICH MUISE]

My stamina has left the building. Wroking is just as you described....takes me forever to complete a project. About the only thing I can do for hours on end is drive, lol.
I was checking with Summit to see if the parts I needed were available. After 1hour plus on hold waiting, I finally got thru to a lady with a nice clear voice who tracked my original order down, and searched for replacement parts. I had the pns, they were stamped on the parts. She had to turn it over to the tech department, but she called back an hour later saying they could supply one of the two, but I'd have to buy a "repair kit"? that was 98 bucks. I wasted so much time, I ordered the part so I wouldn't have to go thru the telelphone bottleneck again in case I could not fix them.
Well, I spent an hour or so blacksmithing and think I got them useable. I'll know in the morning. I have almost everything back together and looking good as far as alighning back up.

[RICH MUISE]

Jim..........have you been checked for allergies? I never was one to have stuff like that, but as we get older our systems/bodies change. A few years ago, Alan (member from New Zealand) and his wife were visiting on their USA vacation/Rt.66 trip. His wife and I were outside having a cigarette, and she told me about the inhaler she was using. She had recently found out she had allergies, and that was contributing to her breathing issues. Well, I had been noticing that on some of my roadtrips into New Mexico, my breathing problems there were more of a time-of-year thing rather than altitude related. Also, we got a new dog (French Bulldog) a few years ago that sleeps with us (along with two others), and shortly after getting her, I would wake up in the morning gasping for air.
My wife has allergy issues occationally, so she has inhalers, and I tried one. I know now that apparently I have allergies, because they really help, especially in the morning after sleeping next to that dog all night. Also, something in the air/house, because I almost never have the breathing issues as bad when I'm on the road (except in parts of NM as noted)

[hiball3985]

Rich, No allergies but I have been on an inhaler now for a few months, it helps quite a bit with the breathing but my stamina still sucks, I can only work for a short period and have to stop and rest, I do more resting then anything else these days so not much is getting done. I'm sure just sitting in the car I could go for quite a while. I may be testing that soon..

[RICH MUISE]

21* here with a little white stuff on the ground. GRRRRR! 
I got the '57 put back together, still think I have an issue with the caliper, but it brakes ok.= with no noises. Need to drive it a bit and keep checking. The first time I drove it, the wheel center was hot, but each time I drive it it gets better. (My passenger side wheel also gets a little warm also). Not the fronts.
One reason I think I have an issue is I could not get the new pads over the rotor. It's possible the pads were made too thick I guess. I had to reassemble it with the old pads.The piston is definetly seated as far as it's going to go, and I triple checked to make sure the pads were seated properly.
Another thing that's got me stumped....when I took everything apart, the caliper had lots of grease all over it. The wheel had a heavy coating of grease all over the inside. I know the small boots that are over the slide bolts are packed with grease, but there is no way as much grease as I cleaned off everything came from those two small boots. My wheel bearings are not the grease packed type, they get their lubrication from the differential fluid, which is not leaking. The end plate/bearing areas were relatively clean. 
Were this problem with my front brakes, I'd have ordered new calipers without thinking twice, but my 800. '57's insurance bill was due this month, so budget went from tight to non existant, lol.

My other '57.......the house........roofing is done except for the gutters. The gutter company was out Friday, but their rolling/forming machine broke down half way thru.  Not sure when they'll get to come back, snow thru Wed., and I don't know if they have another machine to use while this one is being repaired.

[RICH MUISE]

Anybody heard anything from Hugh? Hope he made it ok thru the bad weather on this trip.

[mustang6984]

Anybody heard anything from Hugh? Hope he made it ok thru the bad weather on this trip.

*******************************************************************

I did! BUT...there were challenges. I lost 2 tires and a wheel on the trailer 1000 feet from the first exit to Bozeman. Front tire on the trailer let go, and took out the relatively brand new on on the back axle.    So...5 hours, a service truck and a tire and wheel (put the spare on) and $359 we were back on the road. Makin' time, all's good!
Come out of the tel room next morning in Council BLuffs to discover the front tire on the left side (the spare) had disintegrated. Luckily it did not take the new tire out this time. We limped to a tire store 3 miles away, and 2 1/2 hours and $103 later...back on the road. We arrived in Branson at 8 last night (Thursday). The trailer is now at the new residence in Sell Knob...and will be emptied out by Sunday.
I didn't go over a set of scales before parking it in the front yard at the new place...but I estimate that the trailer and it's load are a combined 14,000 pounds...a touch over the trailer and the truck's suggested towing weight. I'm lucky I only lost 3 tires. DUH!
The mpg was all over the places...from mid-10's to for a slight time frame low 14's. (very slight...had a tail wind!) a lot of time was spent in the 12's and 13's. I'll not make that trip again that loaded!!!
We did a large portion of the trip on ice and snow, but not with any new snow coming down. Nothing more exciting (or ?fun?) than coming down a 12% grade in a seriously overloaded truck and trailer set-up for anywhere from 4-12 miles. And a few 5
5 grades as well. I was to say the least thrilled to leave the ice/snow part behind. HUGE thanks go to Alvin for keeping an eye out for me on road conditions through Montana. Had he not warned me ahead of time I'd have been making that trip in even worse conditions. He called me regularly with updates. God...thank you Alvin...can't say it enough!!!

So...Cindy is staying here at the house, I am heading back probably around Tuesday or Wednesday. Need to pack up my shop, the garage at the house,, and the back shed at the house, plus Bob's stuff too. BUT...I am thinking about getting a couple of the "PODS" for the shop stuff for both me and Bob. I do not want to repeat the trip I just completed with that much weight again. He is also liking that idea. We'll see what the costs are.
Rich...I must have done alright on the driving part...Sasha slept the entire trip! In the truck...through all the hairy parts!  :003:LOL!!!

[djfordmanjack]

for all you guys, who might have impressed your girls with dancing back when...

Here is a contemporary young couple from Sweden/Italy jitterbuggin or doing the Boogie to cool uptempo Doo Wop, much as you would have seen in the 1950s RocknRoll movies. I just love these guys !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZW15vEcaq4

Nils and Bianca

[CobraJoe]

Fantastic as always! 

[RICH MUISE]

Haha, that was great. I'd need a recetator (sp?)!

[RICH MUISE]

When I first joined this forum, I often talked about a group of 6 of us old farts that use to meet most mornings in a friend's hot rod shop for coffee and tall tales. I found out today, one of those guys passed this week from covid. That leaves just two of our old group still alive. The other is my friend Kip who has a speed shop on old 66 in the historic district. I go there once a week just to keep in touch.
Amarillo may go into a lock down. We had 30 deaths from covid last week.

[Ford Blue blood]

Rich I know the experience of the "morning" group.  When I first moved to Birmingham I found a group of "motor heads" that got together every Saturday morning for breakfast.  There were 10 -12 of us there on average.  Today there are only two of us left.  And yes, we talk on a regular basis.  I was the third youngest of the group.  My friend is 80, he is out of the car building thing now, looking for a stock driver (33 Chevy specifically) to tinker with.  No more long rod runs, just local cruise-ins.  I guess we are all heading in that direction?

Thinking back 20 years ago we would all get together (10 -15 cars and spouses ) on Sundays after church and cruise to anywhere as a group with several "wife stops" along the way.  One of the favorite cruises was a 40 mile drive for ice cream.  This same group would rod run together to Tupelo, Muscle Shoals, Pensacola, Evansville and many other runs 300 - 400 miles away.  We have not done either of those in the last couple of years, the group is now down to tree to four, life has changed for many and many are now gone.  I was the only one to run up to Louisville for the 50th NSRA Nationals, "too hard" was their reason and I can respect that.

[hiball3985]

Pretty much the same here. Our morning coffee group has been shut down since March. Over the last four years we have lost five members all pre covid. The previous owner of my Ranchero moved out of state and died a year later from lung cancer.

[CobraJoe]

Ditto, after I lost my dad, most of the Saturday morning breakfast group is gone. However, my nephew, who never did Saturday mornings, but was close to my dad, has been meeting me every Saturday since my dad passed.
That's cool.... 

[RICH MUISE]

I've been meaning to post a pic of a really special trophy I got last month at the Crossmember's rod run in Oklahoma. I'll test our posting problem and if it works, I'll explain the trophy.
Nope. Haven't heard from James yet, btw.