Oppositelock
    • Register
    • Login
    • Search
    • Categories
    • Recent
    • Tags
    • Users
    • User Guide
    • Key Stuff
      • Best Of OPPO
      • Overland
      • Planelopnik
      • LaLD
      • Classifieds
      • Shoppo
      • OPPO Discord
      • TOS
    • Support OPPO
      • Merch Store
      • UPPU Stickers
      • Paypal Donate
    1. Home
    2. JunkleMKVII
    • Profile
    • Following 0
    • Followers 7
    • Topics 70
    • Posts 412
    • Best 304
    • Controversial 0
    • Groups 0

    JunkleMKVII

    @JunkleMKVII

    1481
    Reputation
    121
    Profile views
    412
    Posts
    7
    Followers
    0
    Following
    Joined Last Online

    JunkleMKVII Unfollow Follow

    Best posts made by JunkleMKVII

    • It’s a Great Day! I’ve been given the all clear!

      I’m fixed! Well, mostly. Met with my neurosurgeon this morning to get the results of my MRI. No sign of the AVM. There is a small aneurysm but he said it should disappear on it’s own. The surgery to fix it right now would be riskier than leaving it for now. They’re gonna check on it in a year.

      I don’t know how to express the magnitude of the wave of relief I felt. I didn’t really know how it would affect me but it was a bit overwhelming to hug my family and know I was going to be ok.

      I immediately went home and hopped in my car, which has been patiently waiting for months. Hello friend....
      2C3D23CB-BD32-4DA0-B453-CCB4E03615E4.jpeg
      I then disappeared for 2hrs, wandering aimlessly around the 2 lane roads on the outskirts of town. Not too fast because I’m still breaking in the tires I bought before I had to stop driving months ago. I clicked off 90 miles. It felt great to be back behind the wheel. It was even pretty out if you ignored the sweltering heat.
      93BA5F9B-9204-4483-9593-AA96CB3B3A7B.jpeg

      The day isn’t over yet, but I think some old Ice Cube might be on the playlist this evening. Today was, indeed, a good day.....

      posted in Oppositelock
      JunkleMKVII
      JunkleMKVII
    • Managed to survive another one

      My 43rd to be exact. The last year ranks pretty low on the all time list when it came to years of awesomeness. Brain surgery and several months of recovery will do that. Despite all the crap I’m really happy to be 43 because I’m still here.

      Stay awesome OPPO.

      posted in Oppositelock
      JunkleMKVII
      JunkleMKVII
    • Simplify, then add lightness, or How to get a hole in your head in 3 easy steps. (Warning: couple photos of some post surgery staples included)

      .....I’m sorry, this is very long winded but it just kept pouring out as I typed. I think I should have written this all down sooner to help deal with some of this. It felt therapeutic. Thank you for listening. The pics are at the end if you don’t want to see them.

      I remember at the beginning of the year, everyone said 2021 was supposed to be the year that made 2020 feel like a bad dream. It certainly didn’t turn out that way for me. This is the tale that led me to begin posting here on OPPO after years of lurking around for a decade.

      Step 1. Have a seizure.

      Almost 42 years of near perfect health came to a sudden and discouraging end on March 6th, 2021. Seriously, almost nothing ever wrong. I broke my first bone, the tip of my finger, last year. Sure I’ve had bumps, bruises, stitches, and I even knocked my front tooth in. The difference is that almost all of those were self inflicted damage. This was different. I had no control over what was about to happen to me.

      At one of my closest friends 40th birthday weekend celebrations, at a lake 1.5hrs from home, I had a full blown seizure right in the middle of the party. Thankfully I was sitting down at the time and was surrounded by the kind of people you want to have there in your time of need. People who care about you. One was even a physician’s assistant, who really took charge of the situation while the ambulance came.

      The seizure wiped out all of my memory from the previous week to that point, so I got find out what happened second hand. From what I’ve heard I was acting a bit more confused and strange as the day went on right up until I seized that night. My girlfriend had tried to get me to go to a doctor but I was being stubborn(typical) because we were at the lake for the weekend to celebrate my friend. So I agreed to sit on the couch and drink some water. She went outside to get some air and that’s when I started seizing.

      My first memory was being on the gurney about to be loaded up in the ambulance. I had been out for about 20-30 minutes at that point. Being in the middle of nowhere can really affect ambulance response time. I had just snapped back into reality and locked eyes with my crying lady. Obviously confused, I asked her what was going on and I will always remember her saying “You had a seizure”. I can assure you that sentence didn’t compute the first time I heard it, but there I was, about to take a ride to a small town hospital to get checked out. I don’t know how to describe it other than scared shitless.

      After my brother and mother came to meet us, I spent the night curled up in a hospital bed while they ran some tests. The CT scan was clear, but the small hospital was limited in what they could test for, so I was released the next morning. I soon discovered that I couldn’t walk. My muscles were absolutely destroyed from the intense clenching of the seizure. I had to take time off of work to physically recover and to try and figure out what was wrong with me. It would end up taking weeks to get into a neurologist, so my doctor had more blood tests run during that time than I even knew was possible. They took 16 vials from me in one sitting. That was the first of 4 rounds of tests. None of it would provide any indication of a problem. Discouraging.

      Step 2. Get a MRI

      I finally was able to meet with the neurologist and described what had happened to me. His first words were “First thing is, you can’t drive anymore for at least 6 months”. I don’t remember what he said after that because I had just been destroyed inside. He had just taken away my favorite thing. My wheel time. My me time. My therapy time. My rock out as loud as I want time. My coping with stress time. My independence. My new car sitting in the garage now just waiting on me. Whenever I needed a break in the past, I could always take some time on a weekend morning and just get behind the wheel to wander off and reset. I’ve been doing it since I got my license. Now I couldn’t use that to deal with what is easily the most stressful thing I’ve ever gone through. As I refocused on his words I heard that I was being scheduled for a MRI and put on some anti seizure meds that might cause depression. They do just suck the life out of me by the way. Feeling stressed.

      Fast forward a couple of weeks to the day before my 42nd birthday. I had had my MRI a couple days before. My neurologist’s assistant called to ask if would come in to speak with him about the results. I informed her that I couldn’t that morning as I had gone back to work at this point. She said she would have him call me later that afternoon. For some reason I found that reassuring. Maybe it was no big deal and he’d tell me I was fine. Clearly it was not to be. I was diagnosed with an Arterial Venus Malformation in my brain. It is essentially a tangle of blood vessels that can allow for increased blood pressure in the brain and strokes. I had been born this way and the only way to fix it was to have brain surgery performed. Death, although a very slim chance, was on the playing field now. Fuck. Happy fucking birthday to me. Fully fucking terrified now...

      Step 3. Get a Craniotomy

      There are words that exist that you don’t ever want to hear in reference to yourself. Craniotomy is one of them. That word almost made me vomit the first time I heard it in pre-surgery. May 24th they put me under and removed a portion of my skull. That hole allowed them to go into my brain and cauterize and remove my small AVM. They covered it with titanium and 22 staples. It took less than 2 hours to complete beginning to end. That included 2 MRIs for before and after checks. What followed was what I describe as a 6 day migraine. Nausea, light and sound sensitivity were all at level 10. I spent 3 days in the ICU while I recovered enough(i.e. could keep food down) to go home 4 days after surgery.

      After a couple of days at home I finally started to feel a bit like a human again. I was still being knocked down everyday by the medication but at least I had stopped puking. Looking in the mirror was tough because of the swelling on my head. 2 weeks of gingerly moving about my house and I got my staples out, which was an excruciating experience in itself. Since then I’ve had to figure out how to operate in my new existence. It’s been a humbling and frustrating experience. The first month I wasn’t allowed to be alone. It took 6 weeks for the random drooling from the left side of my mouth to stop. At 42 I have get rides from my mom to work every morning. I go to work and come home. I can’t go grocery shopping. I can’t run errands. I couldn’t run out to buy my girlfriend a birthday present last month. I do get to work on The Fidget some, but the progress has slowed dramatically The last 6 months have been the hardest that I have ever had to deal with, but I’ve learned that I can deal with it. I do feel lucky though. My family and friends have been more supportive than I could ever imagine and I have a new appreciation for slowing down and relishing in the little things that make life good. Also I got my full smile back from the dropping left side of after the surgery. Along the way I gained the courage to start sharing with this group and it’s been helpful to talk with like minded people. Thank you.

      Monday I had another MRI as a 3 month follow up to my surgery. They are checking to make sure that there are no bleeds or any other surprises. Tomorrow morning I meet with my surgeon to get the results. If I get cleared I get to go back to my happy place behind the wheel and resume a normal life. I’ll be cleared to go work full time and to get out to work in the garage without worrying about my head. The anticipation is like a knot in my stomach right now, but all I can do is cross my fingers.

      Oh, the Colin Chapman title refers to the surgeon simplifying my brain and the titanium adding lightness. It’s a reach, I know.

      Photos Below
      .
      .
      .
      .
      .
      .
      .
      .
      Just after surgery with my sweet new haircut.
      F4C75F56-779A-438D-92F5-9E9AB2C94312.jpeg

      After staples out
      C4C8C533-A9D9-4B9E-AAD1-EAB56B1A65D7.jpeg

      From about a month ago
      9522AA0A-9251-4299-9787-4A7D19294274.jpeg

      posted in Oppositelock
      JunkleMKVII
      JunkleMKVII
    • The Fidget: combining a 1974 MG Midget with a 1975 Fiat 124 Spider Pt. 1

      After signing up and introducing myself, @RallyDarkstrike suggested I make a post about my project car. I should mention that I am organizing a coherent storyline for you guys, but I have just been tackling random stuff along the way. Some photos may show things done that haven’t been mentioned or things not done that I have already done. I’m sparing you my chaotic thought processes. So here goes a very long post.

      I’ve modified and worked on all of my daily drivers over the years, but I haven’t had a proper project car in almost 20 years. I’ve done the muscle car route before so I didn’t want to do that again. I really like small and lightweight cars these days so that’s what direction I went. I wasn’t set on anything. Mostly I wanted a car that would require some work because I wanted to learn to weld and fabricate in my home garage. So a couple of years ago I bought a welder and found this 1974 MG Midget with a seized motor for $1000. These weigh about 1500lbs and had about 55hp.
      4FB940C7-3088-44D7-95E7-29AFD69D0B95.jpeg
      I dragged it home and set to work diagnosing what was wrong. A little bit of work revealed that the number 2 piston was very firmly rusted to the cylinder wall. It looked like it had been filled with water at some point. No amount of soaking with concoctions or beating with hammers would free it. 92341C78-C64A-43B5-905D-E0FA4CB6A245.jpeg
      I weighed my options of spending multiple thousands on the little 1275 pushrod engine for a rebuild and speed parts to end up with about 85hp or just swapping something in. 100hp seemed like It would be more fun so I chose the later and began working on some of the rust repair while I figured out my plan.

      The drivers lower A-post where the bottom door hinge attached had decide it no longer wanted to be metal so it had to be replaced. This was also when I discovered that there were many layers of paint on this car.
      DD21F006-A13F-43EB-B382-D1039A6D124A.jpeg
      C6F85CB2-AF59-43A4-87A5-4C9DF941C0CA.jpeg E7C2E33F-A8B2-4084-876C-21067ED67A89.jpeg
      A little floorpan and outer sill repair. There is still some rust repair in the lower rear quarters but that isn’t anything critical to the safe function of the car so it can wait till if and when I decide to paint this thing.
      4EE99381-CF2F-4EC9-966F-F49DAB261914.jpeg
      83676CFD-62B5-413C-8C05-BE5F2F706269.jpeg
      The search for a suitable motor was on and I originally wanted to try and find a modern swap but I just couldn’t escape my desire for a twin carb 4 cylinder. Also, the new stuff can be a real challenge to fit under the hood because of the height. I found some photos that showed the Fiat twin cam from the 124 swap had been done a few times but there was very little about actually doing it. I decided that I was up for a challenge and began searching for a donor motor.

      Unsurprisingly finding a 40 something year old engine was a challenge, but I eventually found a 1975 Fiat spider out in the country. It looked rough in the photos but the price was right, so I went and checked it out. It was a rusty pile with no top and full of leaves, but the engine had been rebuilt at some point and it actually spun over easily with the plugs out. Another Uhaul trailer and $700 and it came home with me.

      95hp of fury at one point
      6D0A4EB7-85BD-4789-B993-22191F7D24F1.jpeg B644E666-170B-40EB-AB4E-4E84F865348A.jpeg
      I threw a new fuel pump on it, swapped the timing belt, cap, rotor, plugs, filters and fluids. After priming the oil and fuel systems it fired right up after sitting for years!

      That’s it for part 1. Next time we get into the meat of the project when I yank the engines and cut large portions of metal out of the middle of the car

      posted in Best of Oppo
      JunkleMKVII
      JunkleMKVII
    • The Fidget: Combining a 1974 MG Midget with a 1975 Fiat 124 Spider Pt. 12

      Welcome back to another edition of my several year endeavor to swap an engine into a tiny car. Family commitments really dominate my time during the holidays so it’s taken some effort to get anything accomplished the last month. On with the progress!

      In case you missed it…
      The Fidget Pt. 1
      The Fidget Pt. 2
      The Fidget Pt. 3
      The Fidget Pt. 4
      The Fidget Pt. 5
      The Fidget Pt. 6
      The Fidget Pt. 7
      The Fidget Pt. 8
      The Fidget Pt. 9
      The Fidget Pt. 10
      The Fidget Pt. 11

      The last update ended with the drivetrain being mounted and some other bits being bolted on. This time I started work on the wiring, which was in worse shape than I had thought. I spent several weeks just planning and ordering parts and supplies. Parts cannon rapid fire engage!
      05225A75-F0BB-4B08-BE2A-4C09029E57D4.jpeg
      C5CEFB20-CC5F-45EC-9711-4B20B1E8BA15.jpeg
      199A3660-2C8A-4C06-858E-53E431D1CDA8.jpeg
      The MG harness is divided into 3 parts. The dashboard, the rear body, and the main harness that runs the front half of the car including the engine. As a 1974, my car has the seatbelt interlock system, which is complicated and problematic. I’m removing that entire system to vastly simplify the car. It will remove 2 seat belt sensors, 2 seat sensors, buzzers, a control box with relay, and all of the wiring. I also have to rewire quite a bit of the front because of some position differences on the engine, as well as adding relays for the headlights and electric fans.

      Not having any experience doing a wiring job this big I decided to start with easiest harness first. In this case the one with fewest changes, the rear harness. I pulled it out of the car only to find a spot the had snagged previously during one of the cars resprays. Several wires were scuffed, so after some quick repairs and then removing the passenger seat sensor wiring it was time for a rewrap. I used Tessa tape and some fancy split loom to end up with this.
      DD126160-6D64-45B8-989D-4214CA733694.jpeg
      769D6B1A-8981-4B8E-9A96-A83FBDD72A72.jpeg

      Next I stepped up the difficulty by moving on to the dashboard. As you saw I ordered new electronic gauges to replace the original mechanical ones. This would require integrating those into the original harness as well as a couple other changes that would be necessary. But one thing first……

      The big crack in the middle of the dash. You can’t put fancy new gauges in a cracked dash. No before pics, but it’s just a plastic cover that silicones to the top section. It was about 1/4 of the price of a new dash so I’ll see how it goes.
      EE10695A-CFEA-433A-8F7B-B2D390B548A3.jpeg
      Afterwards I mounted the gauges, all new stalks and rocker switches to replace all of the broken ones. Which was every single one.
      029D0419-F147-4D2A-B913-7AE6AF0A855D.jpeg
      The MG originally had a shared oil pressure/coolant temp gauge next to a fuel gauge. The new individual gauges mean I’m moving the gas gauge to the console and extending the wiring.
      C8C8133D-E18A-4A31-A143-90B79E0D43D1.jpeg

      Now back to the wiring. I started unwrapping the harness only to find a section that had melted and then been very poorly “repaired”. Several wires were just taped together.
      D67F5BA5-8BB3-4659-8FF0-ED0A7457708B.jpeg
      Firing the parts cannon again! Shout out to Britishwiring.com for having all the colors with appropriate stripes available in shorter lengths. They also have the molded plugs which are known to disintegrate.
      6009A770-18CF-4FF8-898C-37B905AC1602.jpeg

      With the melted wiring repaired, it was on to integrate the new gauge wiring into the harness. They actually make it pretty easy by giving you daisy chain harnesses for the gauges. Only one connection per wire and all the gauges just plug into the same harness. The only complication was that the gauges have a separate dimmer system that can’t be merged with the factory dimmer so one will just get hidden under the dash.

      All heatshrinked, Tessa taped and just about ready to go back in the car. It took lots of planning and several afternoons to get it all done but I think it came out pretty good.
      EC7DA770-DCB2-40F4-8798-026AE933EC37.jpeg

      That’s about as far as I’ve gotten. I’m in the final planning stages for the front harness right now so I’ve gotten a few more things mounted, like the radiator and crankcase breather, to lay everything out. I’m starting with a new harness because the original had a few melted plugs and some more previous “repairs” that I didn’t want to keep chasing. Yes the blue is the factory harness color for some reason. 4BCACFA9-75A5-4199-8BFF-9AF087D0E852.jpeg
      87C8CE3C-BABD-4294-A501-22925067197D.jpeg

      Next up is many more hours staring at the front wire harnesses and then maybe I can move onto some thing else. Maybe seat mounts?

      Thanks for reading!

      posted in Best of Oppo
      JunkleMKVII
      JunkleMKVII
    • The highest honor I can give a sticker…..

      The front of my toolbox. It’s the only one to make it. The gold has me suddenly thinking it might need some John Player Special pinstriping.
      9F9F5AAB-E845-4CCB-99D7-AC1028400F4F.jpeg
      I was very happy to come back from Thanksgiving and find it waiting for me. @KITT222

      posted in Oppositelock
      JunkleMKVII
      JunkleMKVII
    • When you have to use bread to fix your wrenching mistake

      When i installed the pilot bearing in the Fidget, I installed it flush with the crank. This was apparently incorrect. The proper method is to leave a bit sticking out and that is what aligns the flywheel. So it had to come out. So bread to the rescue! Just pack the middle of the bearing and find the right size socket to hammer away. Eventually it pops out. Had to disassemble, clean, and repack the bearing but it worked! AF6831B7-92D5-468F-9625-D9D886782BF9.jpeg

      posted in Best of Oppo
      JunkleMKVII
      JunkleMKVII
    • DOTS: One of us….

      This guy is clearly one of us. The Cherokee is so good. But everything else is great as well. 0E81C16D-95E2-4AB6-B17E-A04E5301E85F.jpeg
      I love the emblems and graphics on this thing.
      8AE108CB-6DA9-4DDF-A044-B46D547DECC2.jpeg
      He even has a Grand Wagoneer in the car port.
      CAB4379E-9CE2-4628-9F76-5A319562978B.jpeg
      As a bonus, I spotted this epic Blazer today as well.
      C95731A0-7550-491B-9B78-4D0930CDD50C.jpeg
      680F74D4-3295-4358-9681-1BD58C6CDFB9.jpeg
      The extended camper with extra taillights is great.

      posted in Oppositelock
      JunkleMKVII
      JunkleMKVII
    • The Fidget: combining a 1974 MG Midget with a 1975 Fiat 124 Spider Pt. 10

      Got some work done the past couple of weeks. Not so much this weekend as I got boosted and flu shotted on Friday and it made Saturday a bit of a rough day. Sunday was taking advantage of the weather and putting up lights for Christmas. Anyway….on with the update.

      In case you missed it…
      The Fidget Pt. 1
      The Fidget Pt. 2
      The Fidget Pt. 3
      The Fidget Pt. 4
      The Fidget Pt. 5
      The Fidget Pt. 6
      The Fidget Pt. 7
      The Fidget Pt. 8
      The Fidget Pt. 9

      Since I got the engine bay painted, I sanded out a couple of runs on the firewall and got the interior a coat of paint. This is just Rustoleum that I rolled on. I just wanted a good consistent coat since it pretty much won’t be seen.
      D6B1ED94-484E-4AB1-9727-9831C87648F4.jpeg

      After that, it was finally time to start putting this car back together. First off was the pedal box and rear brake line. Then added some heat shield for the header. I also did the tunnel around the transmission.
      70E1CD6D-FE9D-4FA5-88F2-2FD2E4C41C13.jpeg
      D0DB5647-51D1-48E8-A2EF-866E42A3B41F.jpeg
      98042291-8226-4E98-A78B-48517609BB59.jpeg
      I coughed up for some good tools to make running all the lines for the car easier. The tubing straightener was great for making nice straight lines, the bender was very basic, but the real gem is the Eastwood flaring tool. It just makes it so easy. Cannot recommend it enough if you have to do multiple flares.
      F43A16E1-58B2-40F5-8542-ECF9A92C3B50.jpeg
      D6F6E95F-63D7-4CBF-9283-1EA48A150CC6.jpeg
      I learned some lessons making the rear line that helped me with the rest of the lines. Mainly staying very focused, so no pictures. It still took multiple evenings. Some other little things have gone on, like the wiper motor, washer pump, remote oil filter, fuel pressure regulator, coil and all of the grommets and plugs in their respective locations.
      B1BE6BFA-E4EA-4E0F-A83D-1C7B22FB63C9.jpeg
      That’s it for this update. I’m going over everything to make sure, but I think I’ve reached the point where the engine can go back in for basically the last time. After that it’s time to nail down the seat/ shifter final positioning so I can button up the last of the engine mounting. Getting to bolt things on has been incredibly motivating and all I want to do is work on the car. It will have to wait some as I going out of town for the holiday. Till next time…..

      Thanks for reading!

      posted in Best of Oppo
      JunkleMKVII
      JunkleMKVII
    • Today’s Project… A Christmas Present

      For the last few years, all of the adult siblings in the family and their significant others have been doing a gift exchange instead of buying 8 different presents every year. This year we decided to do either made or locally found presents, no ordering or big chain stores. I came up with an idea for a small decorative bowl for my little brother. I spent today getting it made up. I’m damn happy with how it turned out.
      92E7F8FA-7F5F-4F6A-A779-A6B4986CC058.jpeg
      AE16E693-EFA9-441D-8B5B-E64F3E29CF6B.jpeg
      64417C5D-0686-400D-98C9-02D3BFDB99C0.jpeg
      9DA6F141-57AA-41CF-8697-FFFF80265067.jpeg
      DBD15F27-BA5E-4322-8E7D-97F890593C8A.jpeg

      posted in Oppositelock
      JunkleMKVII
      JunkleMKVII

    Latest posts made by JunkleMKVII

    • RE: Tattoos

      @Mazda616 make sure it’s important to you. At around 30 I got my nieces’ and nephew’s birthdays on my ribs under my bicep. My kids will get the other side when I have some. I had many earlier ideas for tattoos that looking back I would not have liked long term.

      posted in Oppositelock
      JunkleMKVII
      JunkleMKVII
    • RE: Down at the port

      @Skyfire77 I still have that one, several other sets, and all my cars stashed in a closet. Great memories with those things.

      posted in Oppositelock
      JunkleMKVII
      JunkleMKVII
    • RE: DOTS: One of us….

      @Mark-Tucker Holy cow! Rare is right. I just looked it up and it was only 1800 made over 2 years. I also didn’t get that it was a pop up as well. Man, it is cool.
      7130EAC1-B4ED-4EBA-B715-9DA56E912696.jpeg

      posted in Oppositelock
      JunkleMKVII
      JunkleMKVII
    • RE: Down at the port

      @Cé-hé-sin When I see that orange, this is all I can think of. Maybe an early inspiration?
      BCE5EBA2-2AA2-4409-9738-AC865CC2AFCC.jpeg

      posted in Oppositelock
      JunkleMKVII
      JunkleMKVII
    • RE: DOTS: One of us….

      @Mark-Tucker Oh cool! I had no idea it was OEM That is some sweet factory kit. Now I have to go track down some interior photos to check out.

      posted in Oppositelock
      JunkleMKVII
      JunkleMKVII
    • DOTS: One of us….

      This guy is clearly one of us. The Cherokee is so good. But everything else is great as well. 0E81C16D-95E2-4AB6-B17E-A04E5301E85F.jpeg
      I love the emblems and graphics on this thing.
      8AE108CB-6DA9-4DDF-A044-B46D547DECC2.jpeg
      He even has a Grand Wagoneer in the car port.
      CAB4379E-9CE2-4628-9F76-5A319562978B.jpeg
      As a bonus, I spotted this epic Blazer today as well.
      C95731A0-7550-491B-9B78-4D0930CDD50C.jpeg
      680F74D4-3295-4358-9681-1BD58C6CDFB9.jpeg
      The extended camper with extra taillights is great.

      posted in Oppositelock
      JunkleMKVII
      JunkleMKVII
    • RE: Guessing game

      @WBizarre RX-8?

      posted in Oppositelock
      JunkleMKVII
      JunkleMKVII
    • RE: In todays edition of hard labor. Big holes. Big poles.

      @Old-Busted-Hotness The sun shade company asks for steel poles to be tilted at 10 degrees. Wood at 20. Just following the instructions.

      posted in Oppositelock
      JunkleMKVII
      JunkleMKVII
    • RE: In todays edition of hard labor. Big holes. Big poles.

      @EssExTee Man that looks precarious at best. I bet that truck would have made quick work of my backyard though.

      posted in Oppositelock
      JunkleMKVII
      JunkleMKVII
    • In todays edition of hard labor. Big holes. Big poles.

      This weekends project is to get our sunshade poles into the ground. The shade company specs some pretty huge footings so it was dig 2 big holes day today.

      This morning I went and rented a gas powered dirt auger to help but it would only do part of the job. It took 4 small holes to make the one big hole. The auger goes down 3ft, but I needed closer to 4ft. Nothing the old school manual post digger can’t handle, so I dug out the rest. Here’s one big hole. 15x15x42” F80FF574-FC85-4345-922B-8F1E0AD35740.jpeg

      Next up was a trip for the 7 80lb bags of concrete for one footing. We have to do another trip for the other 7 bags because it maxes out the RAV4. I just finished getting the first pole in and the concrete poured.
      AC7A5554-EF3F-43E2-955E-3EFD367C11AA.jpeg
      F0E6BD9B-2820-42D9-BACE-270E4494310F.jpeg
      That’s it for today. Lady Junkle is more than exhausted and, I’m too hot and too tired to get the other one done today. It sounds like a job for tomorrow me. I’ve still got to secure the fascia boards on the house but we should be having cocktails on our patio in the shade soon.

      posted in Oppositelock
      JunkleMKVII
      JunkleMKVII