Not very much happening with my Midget. Works has been very
slow over the last couple of weeks, I hurt my lower back
(and for such a young guy) and it is taking a long time to heal.
I used to heal a lot faster when I was younger, oh well. Here is
what I have done so far, since xmas. I purchased an engine to replace
my tired one. Then I hurt my back and the engine rode around in
the trunk of my nissan for at least a month. Made for a funky
tilt toward the trunk :-) Since I don't have an engine lift and
I would need one several times, I was thinking about buying one,
but a friend of mine had an extra chain hoist, so I swapped a
1.2GB disk drive for the hoist. Computer parts are like produce,
the older they get, the less valuable they become. In a couple of
years the disk drive would only be good for a door stop. Then I had
to figure out how to hang the hoist. Since I don't trust the rafters
in my cheap attic I tried the following. I looked in a couple of
salvage yards for a 12 foot 4" I beam. None to be found. I did
find a 4" pipe in a scrap yard in freehold. I went there to look
around and the guy running the place told me to look on a pile of
scrap in the back of the yard. Told me twice not to climb on it.
Hell, I didn't want to get to near it. The pile was about 50 foot
high with very steep sides. I figured if that thing fell down I
would be toast. So I found an 8' 4" pipe right on the ground.
Only problem is that sucker must weight about 80 pounds. Took
it anyway, as it was the best thing I could find. I then ran
2 2x4s across my garage ceiling. Then I screwed 4 more 2x4s
between the ones that ran across the ceiling. These were set just
far enough apart to fit in a 2x8 that I would run from the floor to
the ceiling. I then cut holes in the 2x8 to accept the pipe and
then placed the 2x8s between the 2x4s on the ceiling. I also
added a deck hanger on the 2x4s on the ceiling and drilled a hole
though the 2x8 and the deck hanger. This is just to prevent the
2x8 from tipping front to back. I placed the pipe in the 2 holes in
the 2x8 and then hung my chain hoist from the pipe. The cost to me
was about $30 and an afternoon to find and assemble all the pieces.
Of course the next day I saw an engine lift in the price club for
$160. I then used my fine setup to take the engine out of my
Nissan, and I think I heard it breath a sigh of relief when I lifted
the engine out. I also screwed a couple of 2x6s together and placed
them on 4 casters. This is used to move the engine around the
garage. Make it very simple to move the engine when I have to,
which is important in a small garage. Now if the machinist will
ever finish the head I gave to him, I will be quite happy.
Next task include swapping the engines, replacing the front shocks
and bushings, and installing a new hood on the car. Should keep me
busy until St. Paddys day. Sorry about the length of the post,
I didn't mean to be so long winded, must be the Irish in me :-)
-------
Bill Gilroy
77 Midget
90 Shar-Pei
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