I went by U-Pick this morning to check on price and availability of a steering colum for a 2004 F-250 Super Duty. Besides being a little more costly than just going ahead with the part I already have, the two available were close to being junk. $150 worth of junk. So I decided to just go with what I already have on hand. I managed to get it out and torn down before getting to tired and hurting to continue, I called it a day and came on home to rest. Like I said, the steering is out of the truck and I'll see if this chemo-brain lets me remember where everything goes tomorrow.




The new part is almost ready to put back in and re-install the steering colum. With all of my back problems it took me about 2 1/2 hours to remove it so I guess it will take another 3 or 4 hours to put it back together. I work some and rest, work some and rest and so on, I was in a good bit of pain by the time I gave up and headed home. Tonight seems to be a good bit better so I'll just have to see how I feel in the morning before I head for the shop.




I'm tired and feeling a little under the weather so I am going to sleep.

Russ Either they are trying to rip you off or their not quoting off their price list mine is a super-duty but the steering column I got was off a F150 Ford uses the same column in multiple vehicles as well as years. hope yours goes well.

I went to chemo this morning and had a rather rough time of it. I got to the shop and decided to go home because I felt so bad. I must have overdone it crawling around under the dash yesterday. Tomorrow is another day.

Roger, I called the yard back to see what just the shaft would be without the steering wheel and airbag. or other components I had asked for. I got a price of just a few dollars over $100. I still am going with rebuilding the one I have by just replacing the shifter shaft. It is an easy fix. All I have to do is to try to remember where all of the wires and little support brackets go. Anyhow, I think that the column will suffice as everything else looks good and works properly. The shaft was only a few cents over $55 so it will save quite a bit that I can use for other things. My truck is the F-250 Super Duty with 4 wheel drive and the 4 door cab with the long bed.

I talked to my grandson up in South Carolina a little while ago. He is the son of my son that was killed three days after Christmas. His father had told me on several occasions that if anything ever happened to him that his tools and toolboxes were to go to his son, Eric. We just found out that my son's girlfriend has sold his tools on craigslist for $900. I gave my son his big Snap-on toolbox when he opened his first business many years ago. Ever since then he has been adding to his collection with all kinds of specialty Snap-on tools. I gave $1,600 just for the box and had two or three thousand in tools in it at that time when we took it to his shop. My grandson is very upset about losing his dad's tools like this. He is in the Marine Corps and is an aircraft mechanic on Marine Corps jets. I told him that I can not replace the lost tools but I will promise that all of my tools and equipment will go to him in the event of my leaving this life. Women just have no idea of the cost of real good tools. Snap-on is top of the line. Most of my tools now came from various flea markets and Harbor Freight so the current tools I have will not have the value that his dad's collection had but they will still be something that he will get from me. His Dad's tools would have come from me and his Dad. I have tools in my box that came from my dad and Grand Dad. They mean a lot to me even though the quality of tools from so many years ago are getting worn and in some cases, downright old style. My son had a lot that were also handed down from my grand father. Had I known that she had them up for sale I would have beaten ANY offer she could have gotten just to see that my grandson, Eric, got them. I will have to do some serious collecting to even get near the collection that my son had. Now they are gone. It's to late to get them back but I am going to try to do what I can.

This is one of my toolboxes. It doesn't have room for even half of my tools even at this time so I have several smaller boxes. I think I will look into getting a new or used Snap-on box for him and just put the better tools in that so he will have something that will be similar to his Dad's set.

Russ

If they were not married what business does she have selling his stuff?

Exactly!!!! My grandson was to get his dad's tools and gun collection in the event of his death and everyone in the family knew that. Just like my tools and equipment were to go to my son. Now that I have outlived my son I will leave all of my tools and equipment to his son. There are no other male grandchildren that would be interested in tools or automotive equipment. I have also checked with my grand daughters and none of them is interested. One other grandson who is still to young (10) and the 20 year old who lives in Washington State who is totally mechanically illiterate and said he has no use for any tools. Besides which, I purchased him a complete set of tools that I thought he would be able to use in the event of a breakdown with his car, before his trip up north. The thing I hate is that the tools were not hers to sell. I have also heard that she sold his new Harley. I don't know how true that is but I am going to look into it. He bought a brand new Harley for himself on his 50th birthday in February of 2016.

I am going to have some breakfast and run to the flea market and then get to work on my truck. I feel like I have been run over by a heard of water buffalo but someone has to get this truck back on the road and my wife doesn't have any tools.

I am thinking of possibly buying some tools for my grandson to try to replace the ones that were sold. If anyone has tools for sale I would like to have a look and possibly we could make a deal. I would be looking for another large roll around toolbox in good condition. I can paint it to look like the Snap-on one that was "stolen". As far as I am concerned it was not hers to sell. My son's gun collection is also missing. I gave him my guns a few years ago because I was living on a boat and crossing international borders and carrying guns was a real problem. I just kept two guns aboard, a small .22 and a police type riot shotgun. They were both small and easy to have hidden away.

I would report that to the police. You can't let her get away with that.

Texas law is very complicated when it comes to estate and family law. I have my brother who lives in Texas looking into what has been going on. He will get back to me as soon as he finds out. So far I only have one side of the issue and I will hold back jumping to conclusions for the time being. I have only the information of the grandson who is farther away than I am. This may all be just some misunderstanding or outright theft. I don't know until I get to speak to all parties involved. If the toolbox and tools has been put into an estate or is being held for some legal issue I will deal with it one step at a time.

Today I felt good enough to get back on my pickup repair. I have it finished and everything is working just fine. So I did manage to get it done and it only cost me the $55 for the part. True, the dealer could have done it in 5 or 6 hours but I still managed to save $500 to $600. And the truck is running as good as new. I am just resting and will have to get on to fixing the A/C in the wife's car tomorrow.

Russ I just installed a new master cylinder on my Vette and put in new steel braided brake lines on the calipers. Then I vacuum bled all four calipers. I'm shot! My back is killing me but I saved $300. That's what my mechanic quoted me. It took me 5 hours but I took a lot of breaks in between.

Awesome Pete, I managed to save between $500 and $600 replacing the shifter tube on my truck. Problem is that I had to spend all day today in bed. I must have overdone it with all the rolling around under the dash and the lifting involved working in such a confined place. Today was misery and I am still paying for the contortions I went through. I went after the repair like I was healthy and ended up paying for it. I tend to over do things when I should be getting someone else to do some things. After doing my own repairs and whatever else I needed done for nearly 60 years it is real hard for me to delegate things I know I can do. Even being under this chemo I have trouble asking for help with the kind of work I have always done by myself. I feel like I am slacking off or not working up to my best if I ask for help. I know, I'm hard headed and stubborn but I have a lot of trouble admitting that I need help. All of my life I have always been the one to help everyone else. It is a real hard pill to swallow that I am getting to old for the things I have done all my life. I have to get all of the shop work done and out the door so I can close up and get back to treasure diving and fishing while I can still do that. I still have until the end of June on this chemo but I think I had best get it all done and start getting out of the workshop. Maybe I should buy that Hatteras setting in the yard and start getting it ready to haul out of here and go diving and fishing.

Okay, so now I have to see what I feel like in the morning. I have to get the A/C working in the wife's car. She can not deal with the heat and humidity with her breathing and blood pressure problems. She has to be able to drive and do some of her doctor appointments herself to save me from having to close up the shop to run her to appointments and do simple shopping and some other errands. Otherwise I end up with having to close the shop and run all over the place. It really tears up my work day and I get much less done, At least I have the truck running again.

I have been up almost all night. I won't be heading to the shop today unless it is to get the wife's car so she can run some errands and do some shopping. My truck is a bear to drive in parking lots and tight areas and can be a real problem for her. The turning radius is insane due to the long wheelbase and 4 wheel drive. I have trouble with tight parking and people backing into it like it was invisible. I have been sitting in the truck and an old lady backed right into the bumper and she didn't even look at truck before driving off. I flagged her down and she said she never hit the truck. I didn't see any damage other than a very small ding so I just let it go. But that is the sort of thing that happens with this truck a lot. I don't know if it is the color or the huge size that seems to hide the truck from being seen. I counted 6 marks from parking lot hits. Maybe I should paint it red or something like that. I think it just looks like a big gray wall when these old geezers look in their rear view mirror.

I am not feeling up to running to the shop or doing much of anything. I think I'll just stay here on the couch and rest for today.

The past few days were no fun. I have been pretty much tied to the house except for one little excursion yesterday to take one of the grand daughters to Harbor Freight to get her some tools so she can make jewelry and sell it at the flea market. But, even that had to be cut short due to my pain level and not being able to be to far away from the bathroom. This chemo is doing all sorts of nasty things to my body and mind. I aim to just put up with it and hope it does what it is supposed to be doing. Chemo is rough but I have to hang in there and get it to do what it is supposed to. Maybe today I can make a short run to pick up another boat. My Bass Boat was robbed of the seats and a few other parts while I was on bed rest the past week or so. I posted a $100 reward for the seats and said I would double it to $200 if the seats were found in the possession of the thief. I brought the boat over here to our marina because it is locked and has security. Bummer!

Okay, I have just been offered another boat. A friend who is as sick or worse than I has said he wants me to have his boat because he can no longer work on it and doesn't expect to recover any time soon, if at all. I intend to get through this and get back to diving and travel.

Here are a few pictures of the boat. 2 years ago he decided to refinish the hull but got sick shortly after starting the work. The engine is good and was running great when he parked it to do the work, The deck is solid and the hull has already been sanded and primed and is partially sanded with most gouges filled and repaired.




Okay, so I need another boat like I need gator wrestling classes.




My work is what keeps me going. I enjoy the challenge and the work when I am in good health but it also will help me to get my health back. I need something to do and to look forward to doing in order to add a little drive to my situation.



I am anxious to getting back to work and intend to work on the Mustang, the Hatteras, the Boston Whaler, The Tohatsu engine, the wife's A/C (that will be jobbed out to Joe in the unit next to mine) My Bass Boat and cleaning up and putting stuff up for sale on eBay, at the flea yard and on craigslist.

The deck seems solid and is almost ready for paint.

Russ are you bringing tables to the cookout? Do you need help loading them?

Ahoy Pete, I have been using the tables as work benches. Remember all the glass work we were doing and had a ton of junk piled up on them. I can clear them and load them in my truck and take them up the day before the cookout and bring them home once it is over with my truck. If more hauling is necessary I always have the closed in trailer that we can load and take it up. When the cookout is over the stuff stored in it can sit as long as necessary. No problem loading. I have the hoist in the back of my truck and an electric winch in the trailer. I is getting to becoming a lazy old geezer, don't cha know?

Pete and John, I bought a new set of locks for the closed in trailer. I can haul it up for you and give you a key to it and we could use it for storage for a few days if you want. I should have no problem clearing the tables and cleaning them for the cookout. Just let me know what you want to do. I could run down to John's place and load whatever you have to haul and make it all in one trip. This trailer is 16 X 8 feet with a headroom of about 7 feet. That's a lot of room. That way if there is any rain it won't matter. I have a few minor repairs to do on the trailer. The roof vents were ripped off by running under a tree in the last owner's shop yard but everything else is ready for use. New tires and I even have an electric winch mounted inside for pulling heavy stuff inside. I did that so I could pickup golf carts and load them without help.

Today I am in a little better shape. Yesterday was pretty bad and I didn't get much sleep the past few days but, like I said, I am feeling much better today. I have to run to the doctor's office for a blood report sometime this morning and then I am going back into rest mode for the day. Tomorrow is another day and I am just looking forward to feeling better again. Today has been good so far and I even ate a good breakfast.

It's time to get going to the doctor's office.

Today went pretty well. I got to the shop for a little while and unloaded the truck. I had filled it with parts and whatever was in the new boat to keep it from getting stolen at our marina. I'll take the boat over in a day or two. Meantime, I am doing pretty good and not having any issues with pain or other problems health wise for now. These bouts with pain and loss of appetite are annoying if nothing else. I was going to have some guys come and help me get the Hatteras started but I felt that would be pushing it to much so I called and canceled them for the weekend.

I was checking the new boat this morning and it looks pretty good. The deck has been repaired and still needs more work but it isn't so bad that I have to tear it out or get drastic about tearing anything out and re-finishing it. It will just need some painting on the deck and hull but I can use the spray painting setup at the shop and it will come out real nice without grinding or sanding. Not a bad deal. I'll bet I get it finished before the cookout. Nah, I'd better not try that. If I try that it will go sour before breakfast. Nope, I'll give it a shot and see what happens.

Okay, I am going to get busy before I have to catch up with crazy bird and put her to bed. I have to sneak up on her to get her off the nest or I get bit. She doesn't like anyone disturbing her nest.

I made another trip to the shop with another truckload of parts and junk. I took the wife out for an early lunch and went back to work at the shop. After I stopped and had something else to eat I went back to the marina and tried to air the tires up. Both tires on the right side were cut from the back side from rubbing the fenders. The tires were the wrong size. Someone had put larger tires on it and they were just to big. I went to Wal-mart and bought two proper size tires and ran down to Sarasota to pay a bill. I stopped at a restaurant and had a huge burger, fries and a drink. My apatite had returned and I am taking advantage of it. Later I went to Long John Silvers and had fish, shrimp and fries and a coke. Now I am home sitting here with a nice bowl of crab soup. My weight has constantly been dropping for a long time but if I can keep my current apatite I may not have to tie anchors to my belt when the hurricane winds blow. Maybe!

I got two new tires and rims for the right side of the trailer and will get the other three shortly and have all new tires and rims. The trailer needs lights, safety chains, tie down straps and could use a new crank or an electric winch. I just happen to have most of that stuff in the shop.

I want to get the boat over to the shop so I don't have to rent another space here at the marina so I want to get it out of here tomorrow or the first thing Monday. I may have to put this and my bass boat in the water to haul the new boat on the bass boat trailer and block it at the shop, then bring the trailer back here to load the bass boat back on it. Then I can work on the new boat's trailer and reload it after I get the repairs done. It seems like I never get done. There is always something that needs doing before I can get to something else. It's crazy.

Just my luck, Ford has just announced a recall of F-250 Ford trucks that the shifter rod is known to break and the truck will move when in park. Just the same thing mine was doing. The recall repair is free. That is the same repair I just made on my truck last week. It figures, when I would park I had to use the emergency brake to keep the truck from wandering away because it was not going into park. For Ford it would have been a 5 or 6 hour repair but for this old crippled chemo-brain it took twice that and left me in rough shape for three days due to crawling around under the dash for two afternoons. I wonder if I can put in a claim for my time and cost for the part? I'll call a local dealer and see what they have to say. Most likely they will say if it has already been fixed that there is no reason for them to recall my truck, Thank You many bunches.......

I took a day to relax and the wife and I went over to St Pete to the Wagon Wheel Flea Market this morning. On the way back we stopped for lunch at Cody's Roadhouse Restaurant and pigged out on some real good food. I like Cody's and they have a lot of specials that are really good. We always have way to much food and take a carry out box that has enough food to feed us again. I had the pot roast with mashed potatoes and a nice salad with hot dinner rolls and cinnamon butter. Since I have my appetite for a few more days I intend to take advantage of it and eat everywhere we go. At the flea market I had a polish sausage sandwich with a Coke and later an Italian sausage sandwich with another Coke. While wandering around spending money we also got into some slushy eating where you get brain freeze and some Ice Cream. Meantime I was wandering through the inside area with a hand full of grapes and a Kit-Kat candy bar. I am now sitting here at the computer with a glass of water and munching on some kind of candy things that look like fish. Red Fish I think they are called but they taste like red gummy things. Oh, I see some Brazil Nuts...... They're good too!

Okay, What was I thinking? Oh Yeah, Yesterday I pulled a flat off of the new boat to go get a new tire put on the rim. I got to the Wal-Mart and they didn't have one the right size on a 4 lug rim so I bought two new tires and rims already mounted and ready to go. They cost a little more but I figured that it would save time and I would just replace the two on the other side of the trailer next payday and be done with it as far as the tires go. WRONG ANSWER!!!!! The replacement tires were 12 inch rims with 4 lugs but they were allowing the trailer to set way to low and would not work for what I wanted. I took them back off and, along with the flat one, I went back to Wally-World. Now, I returned the two new tires and told the guy that I wanted a 155/80 R13 put on the rim I had brought in. He said it would be about an hour so I said I would wander through the store and spend some money like I had it. An hour later I get back to the tire shop and the same guy says that he is not allowed to put that particular tire on my rim. It is a car tire and the rim is a trailer rim. It is something they are not allowed to do under Florida law. I just paid for the bag of goodies from the sporting goods section and took the rim and bag of treasures out to my truck. Then, I went back in and bought a new 1555/80 r13 tire and threw it into the back of my truck. I'll mount it Tuesday or Wednesday myself. All three other tires are the same as the one I just bought, The only problem was that someone had replaced the fenders and used bolts that were to long and one cut into the two tires on the right side. I will replace the bolt or cut it off shorter and have 4 good tires. The boat is lighter than any car and I see no problem with having all weather steel radials on the trailer. Al said he had been running those tires for a few years and they were the second set without any problems. Yesterday I thought someone had replaced the fenders with bolts that were to long and that helped to cut the tires because they were to big. Al said that he had run those tires for years but the fender bolts were replaced due to the fenders rusting and the bolts broke when he had someone work on them. They turned to be the right tires but wrong bolts. Okay, I'll buy that. Dang, I'm getting hungry, I wonder what's in the fridge?

At the Flea-Yard waiting for her Ice Cream.....



At parking lots my truck is always easy to find. It sort of sticks out about 6 feet farther than the other vehicles and has that little crane sitting up there where everyone can see it.

Well your day went better than mine. Went treasure hunting on Bradenton Beach with Joe and my new partner, Dillon.
We dug 4 feet down and found nothing. Went to Longboat Key and scanned the numbers Bill gave us. Found this wrench six feet from Bill's numbers. It was 3 feet under the sand. Well at least we didn't go home empty handed. I will take the wrench to work tomorrow and glass bead blast it. It is a "Kobalt" 18" pipe wrench sold by Lowes.

Are you sure that it isn't just disguised as a rusty pipe wrench and is really a solid gold sacrificial twippet knocker ? I have heard of those old timers doing that sort of thing to throw us off when we are treasure diving or scoping out some beach or the like. I'd really give it a second good hard look before I started using it as a tool.

Then again, what do I know? I have chemo brain and can't be trusted to remember my own name from time to time. Time's fun when you're having flies.

We were going to do a little fishing today but Sherene's blood pressure was up and she wasn't feeling up to it. I worked on one of the boats and had to get the new one moved into my parking space at the marina so I hauled the Bass Boat over to the shop and moved the new one into my parking space so I wouldn't get charged for another space. Now I have to get some of the work done and out of the shop parking area or the landlord will get on me about having to many boats parked at the shop. I need to get the Boston Whaler done and gone and the Hatteras also needs to get done. The Mustang is getting near the point where I can start on the paint again. Once it is painted I can get it put back together and send it on home to it's owner. I want to be able to work this new boat up real fast so I can either use it or sell it. Ether that or the Bass boat will have to go. I can only keep one boat for myself at this point. Once I get my hands on something big enough to live aboard then I'll need a smaller boat for a dink. The bass boat is nice but not so much for towing behind a bigger boat out on open water. The new boat has higher sides and would take rougher water much better if needed. Both boats have about the same horsepower so that is not an issue. They are also both pretty close to the same size with the new one being a bit heavier and would ride rough water a good bit better. It would also carry a few more passengers if needed. My last dink was only about 15 feet but the one before that was 21 feet and was a real nice Wellcraft that stayed dry even in the roughest of times.

Okay, tomorrow starts another two weeks of chemo I.V,'s and shots. I am hoping to get through without getting to sick again. I have enjoyed being able to eat and get around a bit this week. I'll just have to wait and see what happens.

My seats have re-appeared in the Bass Boat. I think the person that stole them got wind that I had offered a $100 reward if they were recovered and $200 if the thief was turned in with them. Anyhow, they mysteriously appeared this morning right where they had wandered away from. I guess they were not worth getting kicked out of the marina over. Whatever the reason, I am happy to have my seats back and took the boat to the shop and emptied the other boat of anything worth more than throwing over the fence.