What did you accomplish today?

WeedFreak78

Well-Known Member
Hey, I was a parts guy in another life, (can you say paper catalogs and the newest tech, wait for it....microfiche?) ;)
I'm gonna rant a little.

It's just crazy how much stuff has changed in 20 years. Back then, we had independent parts stores, 4 within 15min of me, with inventory and at least one guy that knew cars. He usually owned a hot rod, classic, custom, or two, and it was always parked out front if it was a nice day. They knew how to cross reference part numbers and many times knew of other parts that could work in a pinch. I could get almost any maintenance type part I needed that day, even for cars that were 30 years old. There was always a couple gear heads sitting around shooting the shit, because you could get real performance parts there. If the guy behind the counter didn't know about something, one of those guys did. Then auto zone, pepboys and Advanced auto slowly took over and fired anyone that knew anything. Now they put some kid that's still wet behind the ears on the register, don't stock any fucking parts and if it's for anything older than 10 years, they have no fucking clue. Unless your buying oil, spark plugs or an air filter there's a 2-5 day wait so they can get it shipped in. I needed valve cover gaskets for a 302/351 ford and they didn't stock them. :cuss:I realize they haven't been produced in 20 years, but they were produce for close to three decades and there are still millions of them on the roads in daily use, maybe keep some basic parts on the shelf? :finger: . If you drive an older vehicle you better keep up on maintenance and hope it never just breaks down cause getting it fixed the same day almost never happens nowadays. Shit, it's getting hard finding in stock parts for my 2006. So fucking frustrating.
 
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WeedFreak78

Well-Known Member
Old seeds can still be good.
This spring I bought a pack of old butternut squash seeds for 25 cents.
They looked like shit when I opened em. Kinda spotty, but every single one germinated, no problem-o. :leaf::shock::leaf:
I think butternut seeds are damn near indestructible. They're the only thing that always survives through my composting and my worm bin. I just noticed 3 sprouts in my indoor flowering bed from the worm castings and there's a dozen that sprouted around the yard I didn't plant, but from compost I spread. Works for me, I love it.
 

raratt

Well-Known Member
I'm gonna rant a little.

It's just crazy how much stuff has changed in 20 years. Back then, we had independent parts stores, 4 within 15min of me, with inventory and at least one guy that knew cars. He usually owned a hot rod, classic, custom, or two, and it was always b parked out front if it was nice. They knew how to cross reference part numbers and many times knew of other parts that could work in a pinch. I could get almost any maintenance type part I needed that day, even for cars that were 30 years old. There was always a couple gear heads sitting around shooting the shit, because you could get real performance parts there. If the guy behind the counter didn't know about something, one of those guys did. Then auto zone, pepboys and Advanced auto slowly took over and fired anyone that knew anything. Now they put some kid that's still wet behind the ears on the register, don't stock any fucking parts and if it's for anything older than 10 years, they have no fucking clue. Unless your buying oil, spark plugs or an air filter there's a 2-5 day wait so they can get it shipped in. I needed valve cover gaskets for a 302/351 ford and they didn't stock them. :cuss:I realize they haven't been produced in 20 years, but they were produce for close to three decades and there are still millions of them on the roads in daily use, maybe keep some basic parts on the shelf? :finger: . If you drive an older vehicle you better keep up on maintenance and hope it never just breaks down cause getting it fixed the same day almost never happens nowadays. Shit, it's getting hard finding in stock parts for my 2006. So fucking frustrating.
We still have one of those places, huge inventory in the back. Went there to see if they had an oil seal for an old outboard and the guy gets out a caliper to check the one I brought in and grabs the huge book of seals and O-rings. Couldn't find an exact fit, but still.
 

Chunky Stool

Well-Known Member
I think butternut seeds are damn near indestructible. They're the only thing that always survives through my composting and my worm bin. I just noticed 3 sprouts in my indoor flowering bed from the worm castings and there's a dozen that sprouted around the yard I didn't plant, but from compost I spread. Works for me, I love it.
Ever grow gourds?
My wife germinated some and had to chop the tips off, per instructions on the packet. They were tough AF and never really opened. The tap root came out one end and the first leaf had to wiggle out of the seed hull.
One leaf got stuck and I totally fucked it up by trying to help... :dunce:
 

curious2garden

Well-Known Mod
Staff member
I'm gonna rant a little.

It's just crazy how much stuff has changed in 20 years. Back then, we had independent parts stores, 4 within 15min of me, with inventory and at least one guy that knew cars. He usually owned a hot rod, classic, custom, or two, and it was always parked out front if it was a nice day. They knew how to cross reference part numbers and many times knew of other parts that could work in a pinch. I could get almost any maintenance type part I needed that day, even for cars that were 30 years old. There was always a couple gear heads sitting around shooting the shit, because you could get real performance parts there. If the guy behind the counter didn't know about something, one of those guys did. Then auto zone, pepboys and Advanced auto slowly took over and fired anyone that knew anything. Now they put some kid that's still wet behind the ears on the register, don't stock any fucking parts and if it's for anything older than 10 years, they have no fucking clue. Unless your buying oil, spark plugs or an air filter there's a 2-5 day wait so they can get it shipped in. I needed valve cover gaskets for a 302/351 ford and they didn't stock them. :cuss:I realize they haven't been produced in 20 years, but they were produce for close to three decades and there are still millions of them on the roads in daily use, maybe keep some basic parts on the shelf? :finger: . If you drive an older vehicle you better keep up on maintenance and hope it never just breaks down cause getting it fixed the same day almost never happens nowadays. Shit, it's getting hard finding in stock parts for my 2006. So fucking frustrating.
I just smogged my 30 y/o Ford Probe. Most parts are unavailable. Those that are are very pricey. You can't talk to the parts locator unless you have failed a smog. You can't see the ref without paying someone other than your ASE husband master mechanic and smog tech $650.00 (kids who know less and could not care less). We had to overhaul her rollover and vent valve ourselves, found a new fuel pressure damper and she survived this year. I have to either sell her or crush her soon, breaks my heart she's a really nice car.

I'm going to the baseball game this afternoon and eating roasted peanuts until someone mistakes me for an elephant. Have a good day.
 

WeedFreak78

Well-Known Member
I just smogged my 30 y/o Ford Probe. Most parts are unavailable. Those that are are very pricey. You can't talk to the parts locator unless you have failed a smog. You can't see the ref without paying someone other than your ASE husband master mechanic and smog tech $650.00 (kids who know less and could not care less). We had to overhaul her rollover and vent valve ourselves, found a new fuel pressure damper and she survived this year. I have to either sell her or crush her soon, breaks my heart she's a really nice car.

I'm going to the baseball game this afternoon and eating roasted peanuts until someone mistakes me for an elephant. Have a good day.
If I lived there I wouldn't drive anything newer then a '73, unless it was somehow exempt. I'd hoard a few of the same model for parts too. On the car forums I'm on I've read too many times about someone out there who stored their legally modified, at that time, 70/80/90s car, then go to get it going again after 20+years and needing to sell it because they can't make it legal. I'd be pissed if I had to give up my father's Monte Carlo because he modified it 30 years ago. Our smog was modeled after yours, but luckily they aren't real hard assess about it like there, yet. 15 years old and older is emissions exempt, we can pull all that stuff if we want, they don't even do a visual check. I think the idea of emissions testing is great, but I've always said it should just be a tailpipe test. If it's clean, it's clean, but they gotta make their money. I've been working on a 79 Ford truck with a diesel conversion for close to 5 years, and now my state is talking about doing what Cali is and making diesels illegal if it doesn't meet recent standards, which there's no way mine will because of its age. I already have a ton of money in parts and I'm just starting the hours upon hours of fabrication needed to make everything fit. I'm pretty sure if that happens, I'll seriously look into moving so I can keep my cars. They might mean more to me than the house.
 

Singlemalt

Well-Known Member
One day about 15 yrs ago I was finally and thoroughly convinced that the world as I knew it had ended: I went to the auto parts store, Kragens (the individually owned stores had already disappeared a few years back) and the store person was a very cute teenage girl with gorgeous hair and well manicured hands. She asked what I needed and I tried to talk to her about it; unless I had a part number that she could plug into computer, she was stymied. I had her bring up a schematic and I was able to find my part and show her. Not in stock, a week til delivery. I knew I could fake it til the part came in and so I asked for plain gasket material so I could modify. Huh?
The complete and total shit about the whole thing was there wasn't an adult/experienced person there; just her and a boy in the back stocking parts and sweeping floor.
 

curious2garden

Well-Known Mod
Staff member
If I lived there I wouldn't drive anything newer then a '73, unless it was somehow exempt. I'd hoard a few of the same model for parts too. On the car forums I'm on I've read too many times about someone out there who stored their legally modified, at that time, 70/80/90s car, then go to get it going again after 20+years and needing to sell it because they can't make it legal. I'd be pissed if I had to give up my father's Monte Carlo because he modified it 30 years ago. Our smog was modeled after yours, but luckily they aren't real hard assess about it like there, yet. 15 years old and older is emissions exempt, we can pull all that stuff if we want, they don't even do a visual check. I think the idea of emissions testing is great, but I've always said it should just be a tailpipe test. If it's clean, it's clean, but they gotta make their money. I've been working on a 79 Ford truck with a diesel conversion for close to 5 years, and now my state is talking about doing what Cali is and making diesels illegal if it doesn't meet recent standards, which there's no way mine will because of its age. I already have a ton of money in parts and I'm just starting the hours upon hours of fabrication needed to make everything fit. I'm pretty sure if that happens, I'll seriously look into moving so I can keep my cars. They might mean more to me than the house.
Yeah I have bins of extra parts for her. But who keeps an extra roll over valve? Even if they don't pass smog we can keep them. They simply aren't street legal unless they qualify for an exemption. I think we can sell them out of state or gift them to a relative but they aren't street legal here anymore, sad.

Overall we benefitted from the smog program however now they allow the manufacturers to buy out of the program so the repairs fall on the owner and other shenanigans, it's annoying.
 

Lethidox

Well-Known Member
You have to bring the title to them so they can put it your name, no big deal. Usually have to do it within 15 days of the sale or they hit you with late fees.

You can save another trip there if you buy insurance before you go in to do the title. That way you can get title transferred and get a plate/registration all in one trip, I don't believe they will let you purchase a plate/registration without proof of insurance. Well at least that's how it works in Michigan

Here in Michigan if you have a vehicle titled in your name, whether your driving it or it's parked in your garage not being driven at all, you have to have some kind of insurance on it like just storage insurance. It's the law. You cannot own a vehicle in Michigan without some form of insurance.
yea it seems simple enough just the way they wrote it on the Honolulu dmv site was confusing. i don't think we need insurance to get plates/regristration i mean for the most part most people update there registration before selling it cause nobody wants to pay the back taxes and unless it is typically like a vintage car they wont store the plates to avoid back taxes. for us i think all we do really is swap the title and thats it. we keep the same plate numbers and unless we want to change the plate numbers we'd have to pay. insurance is a must here in Hawaii no matter what. you can't drive without it. i mean yea you can but if you get pulled over your screwed. our site says 30 days before late fee's kick in but i think for the seller they must do it within 10days.

the dmv is literally right by my house the only major problem is they are extremely busy and unless you make an appointment about 1 month ahead you'll spend hours there. i gotta do more research though cause i do plan to change the license plate number as well just for personal reasons not like customize it but just change it. the nice license plates here are mostly sold out too but idc too much for those the regular ones look pretty good imo
 

WeedFreak78

Well-Known Member
I mixed up about 7 gallons of fish emulsion for my one outdoor plant for its first heavy feeding. Took almost 3 weeks for it to acclimate, it started flowering but it's back in veg and really taking off now that it's finally getting sunny and warm. I found mixing Alaska brand fish fertilizer(5-1-1) and Neptune's harvest fish(2-4-1), or fish and seaweed(2-3-1), at a 1:1 ratio, so 1/2oz each per gallon, gives about a 3-2-1 npk ratio and they really seem to like it in veg. I cut out the Alaska once they show flower and hit them with some langbeinite for the K. Then I doused it with a gallon of the compost tea I had brewing. After that I did the first cut on the lawn and used some of that for mulch around the plant. I'll hit that with the tea again later. I pretty much gave up on my garden this year. It was so cold and wet after I planted that nothing sprouted and most of my tomatoes died. All that's left are a bunch a squash and melon plants, maybe 8 sweet peppers and a few beans here and there. With our short season it's not really worth restarting now. I'm going to look in my seed stash for something that produces in under 2 months and can germinate at 90F. Lol.. Ya right. I tried starting lettuce this time of year once and it would bolt once it was 2-3" tall. I gotta go sharpen the mower blades, I caught a huge rock in a new part of the yard I'm clearing and I royally fucked them up, it was just smashing grass after that. It sucks cause I just put them on last year and they only have 2 or 3 mows on them. I'm good at making work for myself. :roll:
 

Lethidox

Well-Known Member
extremely exhausted got about 3 hours of sleep last night was hot and humid af.

was just looking at the news and not to my surprise i see a cannabis related story. apparently someone tried to sell medical cannabis on craigslist and then the buyer rolled up and shot at him. idk if he died or what but the buyer only got 5years sentence. not sure how the fuck someone can only get a 5 year sentence for what i would consider attempted murder. 5 years is literally nothing.

bout to work on this puzzle get it finished up hopefully early so i can do other things today. got laundry to do, check the plants, more research on car stuff. work early tomorrow and my coworker is coming back so were gonna get slammed again
 

Grandpapy

Well-Known Member
If I lived there I wouldn't drive anything newer then a '73, unless it was somehow exempt. I'd hoard a few of the same model for parts too. On the car forums I'm on I've read too many times about someone out there who stored their legally modified, at that time, 70/80/90s car, then go to get it going again after 20+years and needing to sell it because they can't make it legal. I'd be pissed if I had to give up my father's Monte Carlo because he modified it 30 years ago. Our smog was modeled after yours, but luckily they aren't real hard assess about it like there, yet. 15 years old and older is emissions exempt, we can pull all that stuff if we want, they don't even do a visual check. I think the idea of emissions testing is great, but I've always said it should just be a tailpipe test. If it's clean, it's clean, but they gotta make their money. I've been working on a 79 Ford truck with a diesel conversion for close to 5 years, and now my state is talking about doing what Cali is and making diesels illegal if it doesn't meet recent standards, which there's no way mine will because of its age. I already have a ton of money in parts and I'm just starting the hours upon hours of fabrication needed to make everything fit. I'm pretty sure if that happens, I'll seriously look into moving so I can keep my cars. They might mean more to me than the house.
Are you in a deep fry state?
I recall some 1960's-70's Bends in Santa Cruz with french fry scented exhaust just a few years ago. Bio fuel might be better then moving.:blsmoke:
 

WeedFreak78

Well-Known Member
... . But who keeps an extra roll over valve?.. .
Me. When I stripped my last crown vic, I kept everything except the frame, body shell, the engine, the dashboard or the glass which were all damaged, and nothing in front of the motor, that stuff all disintegrated in the accident. I have all the remaining electronics, harnesses, full interior, trim, weather stripping, fuel lines, brake lines, suspension, exhaust, clips, hardware, etc, etc, etc. Everything. And I want another parts car. I'm pretty serious about keeping this car. I have half my old garage dedicated to parts storage for it. I've said a few times how much I love it, plus it's already a rare model, I figure if I can keep it in good shape for another 20-30 years, maybe I can sell it for big bucks when I can't drive anymore, if there's still a collector market.
 

Lethidox

Well-Known Member
Are you in a deep fry state?
I recall some 1960's-70's Bends in Santa Cruz with french fry scented exhaust just a few years ago. Bio fuel might be better then moving.:blsmoke:
where you guys live that have smog laws? i assume cali cause i dont think here in Hawaii we have those laws o_O
 

WeedFreak78

Well-Known Member
Are you in a deep fry state?
I recall some 1960's-70's Bends in Santa Cruz with french fry scented exhaust just a few years ago. Bio fuel might be better then moving.:blsmoke:
I'm picturing a deep fryer in the bed as a fuel tank, but it's heated, maybe by the exhaust, so you can fry chicken as you drive. Just top it up with new oil every now and then. And throw some corn on the exhaust manifold.
 

Grandpapy

Well-Known Member
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