XML FeedsHappy Father's Day - 2010
Happy Father's Day Dad. I think of you often and I really miss you. What I would not give to be able to be with you again, helping you work on the cars, or going fishing with you. I remember your favourite two fishing lures, a broken back minnow and silver spoon. There are so many memories of you that flow through my mind. Like the time you kicked the bear through the side of the tent. Or out in the woods helping you cut firewood with the first snow already on the ground. You taught me so many things over the years. When I repaired the wheelbarrow tyre, it was with knowledge gained from you. When I replaced the brake pads on my car, I was able to do it because I helped you when you worked on the cars. Mum told me about the time you stopped and helped a stranger stranded on the side of the road. Not only did you go and get the needed part, you would not take any pay for helping them. You were always ready to help anyone in need without any thought of compensation. I remember the time you and I was out and stayed a bit too late. You told me that you should throw your hat in first. When I asked why, you said "If it gets thrown back out, we better not go in." Dad, I was truly blessed to have you as my father and I miss you so much.
Love,
Kim.
Moving the Small Boulder in the Side Garden
There was a small boulder, or actually half of a small boulder since one side is flat, beside the shed that I had always intended to move into the side garden. I thought it would make a great seat and could also function as a table when I moved my barbecue to the side garden. I had manage to move it only a short distance and there it sat for the last few years. This year I decided that I was going to finish the side garden once and for all. I had some trouble removing the remains of a tree that we cut down when we constructed the shed and my hands and arms have been sore and painful for the last couple of weeks.
It is hard to judge from the photograph the size of this small boulder. Measuring the flat side the dimensions are 99 cm (39 in) by 74 cm (29 in) at the largest measurement as it tappers along the length. With the boulder sitting on the ground I could not manage to bulge it at all. I knew I would need some help moving this small boulder so I contacted a friend and asked him if he could assist me; this was on May 26. My friend told me that he would be able to help me on June 4 and we set the date. However, I ended up working on that date and had to cancel; my friend said he would check his schedule and let me know when he would be available to help. I have yet to hear from my friend and decided today that I would not wait any longer and would just do the best I could on my own.
I knew that to move the small boulder I would have to rely on the knowledge of physics and statics and dynamics I gained when I attended engineering school. For example, if you support a large mass on a pin, you can easily rotate that mass even if you are unable to move the same mass when it is not on the pin. The difficulty in the job was the problem of being in two places at the same time. I could easily lift the small boulder with a lever, but I was unable to then place anything under the small boulder to use as the pin. This is where my friend was going to assist me, and when I first asked him, I told him I would do the work; I just needed some help. Those of you that have a companion that you can count on to help you don't know how lucky you are.
I struggle with moving the small boulder for several hours, I would guess at least five and maybe longer. It was hot and humid today and I became soaking wet from my own sweat from the exertion. Mum use to scold me for doing such things; she was afraid that I was going to hurt myself. I think it may be time that I started to listen to what Mum told me. Part of the problem was that when I got it close to where I wanted it, a tree root at the surface was in the way. I could not find the proper leverage to make the boulder slide instead of rocking. Again, I had to analyse the motion of the small boulder and decide on how to redirect the force; and you thought you would never need to know the things you were being taught in physic class. I wanted to place the small boulder against the trunk of a tree so the tree could act as a back rest and it was a difficult task to get it in the correct position.
As you can see in the photographs, I did manage to finally get the small boulder in place and stable. I may work on the underpinnings more later; however, it is stable enough for use. Near the tree the small boulder has a rounded depression that is perfect for one's buttocks, although the length is not long enough to use to stretch one legs out completely; at least not when you are tall and have long legs like I do. At the end away from the tree, it is flat and can be used as a seat or a table. When I complete the side garden, I am going to use some terra-cotta tiles that were a freebie to make a slightly raised area for the barbecue.
Installing New Brake Pads
In: Everyday Thoughts
When I rotated the tyres on my old transport, I noticed that the front brake pads were worn to the point they needed to be replaced. A trip to one of the local automotive parts shops found a set of brake pads for $18.99 plus sales tax. I could have spent as much as $59.99 for a set available in the shop, or as much as $99.98 for a set they would order.
I have found that online demonstrations are becoming hard to find; they all seem to want to make you pay to access the online content, or buy and download a pdf or video. Therefore, I decided that I would take the time to photograph the procedure and write a short demonstration of replacing the brake pads on my 1993 Buick LeSabre.
The first step is to remove the wheel cover and loosen the lug nuts on the wheel. I find it easier to loosen the lug nuts with the wheel still on the ground. Remove some of the weight from the wheel by jacking up the car, but not enough to lift the wheel from the ground. I use a braker bar and socket with a short piece of steel pipe to make the job of loosening the lug nuts easier. Once the lug nuts are loose, finish jacking the car up until the wheel clears the ground. Place a jack stand under the vehicle in a secure position and let the jack down until the jack stand is bearing the weight of the vehicle. I also leave the jack under the vehicle as well. Never depend on just a jack for support while working on a vehicle, it is much too dangerous.
Once the wheel has been removed, we can proceed to remove the brake calliper from its mount. I like to take a hose and wash the brake dust away before removing the calliper. I advise again using compressed air as it will create a dust cloud that will take forever to settle. The bake calliper is usually held in place by two bolts with pins that allow the calliper to slide side to side a short distance. The bolts may be be torx or hex socket heads, or a hex head that will take a socket. In my case the bolts were hex socket heads. Screw the bolts out and remove them completely from the calliper for later inspection.
Once you have the calliper bolts removed, carefully pull the calliper off of the rotor. There will be a rubber brake hose attached to the calliper. I prefer not to remove the brake hose so I don't introduce air into the system that will need to be purged later. However, it is important to be careful handling the calliper so you do not damage the brake hose. Support the weight of the calliper using wire hanging from the front coil spring. Make sure the wire is secured as the brake calliper is heavy; mine was constructed of cast iron.
Once the calliper is properly supported, you can remove the rotor for later inspection. On some vehicles the rotor may be held in place by two screws; however, on most vehicles the rotor is held in place by the lug nuts and will just slide off of the hub.
The old pads are usually held in place with spring clips. Simply pull the old pads out of the calliper; a screwdriver can help to relive the pressure on the spring clips as you pull them out. With the pads out of the way, the next step is to push the calliper piston back into the calliper. Inspect the dust boot for signs of cracks and tears. If the dust boot is cracked or torn, it would be best to replace it.
I used an old pulley and a couple of blocks of wood to push the piston back into the calliper. That old pulley was one of my Dad's tools. When Dad passed on, he left me his toolbox. Dad knew that I would be the one working on Mum's car and would need a good set of tools. It is important to not damage the piston; they are often made of aluminium and you do not want to crack the piston. If you find that the piston does not easily push back into the calliper, then stop. I helped my brother changed out the brake pads on a little sports car he once owned. The car had both front and rear disk brakes. In the case of my brother's little sports car, we had to use a special brake tool that rotated the piston back into the calliper. Take it easy and let the brake fluid flow back into the reservoir on its own time.
Now that the piston is fully seated back into the calliper, it is time to install the new brake pads.
The new pads are held in place by spring clips. In my case one of the pads has a spring clip that fits into the piston and the other pad has spring clips that will slide into the outer part of the rotor. The pads are usually different and can not be mixed up.
Push the new pads into place on the calliper while the calliper is still supported from the coil spring. You may need the help of a screwdriver to raise the clip to get it to slide into place. However, do not use enough force that you damage the clips.
Before reinstalling the rotor and calliper, inspect the rotor for signs of damage. If you have excessive grooves in the rotor you will need to have the rotor turned at a machine shop or brake service shop. I normally have my rotors turned but I was short on funds and the rotor was in good condition without any warping. A slightly warped rotor can be turned to true as long as the minimum thickness of the rotor is kept. An excessively warped rotor will have to be replace. I had a slight ridge along the outer rim of the rotor that I carefully removed with my angle grinder.
Once you have the rotor in place it is time to reinstall the calliper. However, first inspect the bolts and pins to make sure they are not damaged. Depending on how your calliper is held in place, you may have mounting bolts that are similar to the one pictured above. The outer sleeve should move freely on the bolt. If necessary, clean any brake gunk that may have adhered to the bolt and pin using a brake solvent spray. However, do not use any sort of lubricant on the bolt and pin. I remember helping my Dad redo the drum brakes on Mum's old Mustang once and the star adjuster was sticking and not adjusting the brake shoes as they wore. I asked Dad about using a lubricant on the star adjuster when we reassembled the brakes and Dad told me the lubricant would mix in with the brake dust and seize the adjuster.
Once you are satisfied the mounting bolts and pins are free from damage, remount the calliper over the rotor being careful to not push the pads out of position. Reinstall the mounting bolts being careful to not cross-thread the bolts. Do not use a lubricant on the threads of a bolt when reinstalling; unless specifically stated, torque is always listed as dry threads. Torque the calliper bolts to the specified torque. If you can not find the recommended torque, then a good guess would be around 40-47 N-m (30-35 ft-lb). Just be advise that too much torque can strip out the threads.
Replacing the pads on disc brakes is a relatively easy procedure that anyone with even basic mechanical abilities can handle. Even drum brake shoes are not that hard to replace. I checked my rear drum brakes and found the linings were still way within the specifications and did not need to be replaced. I adjusted the clearance on the rear brakes to make sure I had proper handbrake operation and reinstalled the drums and wheels. It is always important to have properly operating brakes on a vehicle.
The Engagement Ring
The other day as I was working, the story of Mum's engagement ring came to mind. Mum was a beautiful woman and she had many suitors that would come to call on her. However, only one won her heart and that was my Dad. My Dad was as handsome as my Mum was beautiful and they made a striking couple.
When Dad proposed to Mum he was not exactly rich. Mum told me often about the small one-bedroom walk up flat they rented over a shop. Today it seems that all young couples expect a grand life right from the start. Perhaps that is possible today, but when Mum and Dad married one often had to start small and work hard to attain the extras in life.
As I stated, Dad was not exactly rich when he proposed to Mum. Dad brought an engagement ring that he could afford on the money he made and it was a small simple engagement ring. Mum was delighted with the engagement ring Dad presented to her and she accepted his proposal for marriage. Of course with the excitement of being engaged, others wanted to see Mum's engagement ring. It seems that some comments about Mum's ring being so small reached Dad's ears. My Dad was a sensitive man and the comments hurt his feelings. Dad went back to Mum to ask her if he could have the ring back so he could exchange it for a bigger one. Mum refused, saying she was very happy with the engagement ring he had given her and she could care less what anyone thought about it. However, Dad insisted and Mum, seeing how the comments of the ring had upset him, finally relented and let Dad exchanged the ring.
The size of the ring did not matter; and Mum knew this. What matter was the size of the love between them. Mum and Dad remained married until the day they left this world, and although life threw some hard times at them, their devotion to each other remained steady.
Kimberly, Memorial Day - 2010
Today was Memorial Day, a day where we remember those who have sacrifice the greatest one can in service to their country.
The rains moved in this afternoon putting a damper on the holiday festivities. I had intended to drive to one of the state parks and do a bit of hiking. However, my back and legs have been bothering me lately as I over did the work in my gardens. Furthermore, my car starter is having problems and I did not think it would be a good idea to travel too far from home. The sun came out for a bit and I decided that I could do my holiday photos in my side garden. I sort of like how the light and shadows played across me.