The Co-op: I can’t do anything about what the guys do on their own time…….

So before I get into a new project from the Co-op skunkworks, lemme do a little work:

The last few days have wizzed by, I did a fast run in the Suzuki…..a fast run isn’t as much…….but we all do the best we can to Brooksville to gring one our Honda generators to the “mountain” to Paul at Pinellas Power products….the Honda whisperer.  His shop is so clean, ordered and perfect it’s just stunning that his shop is mainly set up to repair and refurbish Honda EV-6010 and 4010 water cooled generators.  This is something you MUST have…..service, parts and knowledge   Lemme just put it this way….no matter what the device is, unless it’s so cheap you just toss it…to maintain machines it’s important to have access to the knowledge and a person who completely understands the machine and can help you maintain it.  A new Onan……still had to find someone who won’t meet you and ask “what can I do ys for”!  And I KNOW you KNOW what I mean!

This generator will be completely refurbished, new radiator fan motor, carb, fuel pump and whatever it takes to make the Honda EV-6010 the best it can be.  When he’s finished the unit will be offered for $3500.  We have on on the B/O list…this one is your brother.  If you’d like to go “water cooled” give me a call and get on the list.

Between bumping down the hiway in a Suzuki, I have Dash AC/heat project #3 one step further.  The motoe compartment has been wires deassed and rewired safely  To include rewiring all the add-on gauges on the MacDaddy dash, out alternator light circuitand Bi-wiring the alternator for better operation and Springfield silicone oil fill boots…a must!  Still running a carb., we’ll see as the rest of the coach comes together.

Delivered a coach so the beat went on………

SO NOW, after 20 years of 7 day a week doing this I learned something extremely important…..STOP THAT!  Man cannot live by bread alone…there has to be some fun derived out of working on the 40 year old enigmas.  It’s just that ting being surrounded by guys who have the same passion I have…not just for the GMC which they have picked up from me but on all things weird, unique and interesting.  See, it takes that sort of demented mind to truly make a mark in anything.

So ents our new project and first let me say no shop work was stopped to do this…it’s all from the excitement of the guys wanting to do it.  NOW THE TRICK IS…to make this pent up energy do something worthwhile for the shop…..Doing sled pulls with Phillips Dodge diesel PU with 2×6″ stacks is certainly a hoot but all it serves to do for the shop is burn up all the steel 16.5″ tires we end up with….yeah, the bolt pattern is the same!

So here’s what we’ve decided to throw that energy at…….our motor stand has been a good friend, a 66 Toro front clip we can mock up a motor and run it in like we did this week    It has been a good friend, has served us well and was a fitting end for a 1966 proud Toronado. 

But today we need more……sure we can create the “redneck lullaby” firing up a big block on the ground but we could not lead up the motor and the motor is only part of the equasion of a jiggy drive train…..it needs to include a way to test a transmission……..with 12 hours worth of labor to R&R a transmission…that is if you’re not throwing tools and racing the clock…..u see, doing that may miss something unrelated that could be seen if you take your time!  I have always wanted to run a tranny through the “PRNDL” befor it gets stabbed back in.

OK, with all that in mind I think you have already been introduced to our new motor stand…a complete front GMC motorhome clip…complete with wheels   So what are we going to do to make it do something?  Remember the prime objective is tocreat a motor stand that can load a motor and check a transmission that makes the job fast and reliable.  Hmmmm…….how about putting a tractor seat on a swivel wheel and make it a badass 3 wheeler?   Hmmmm….we can do better. 

OK, here it is…….. we have our driving motorstand already here………so lets get out the saw-s-all and the plasma cutter and get to work.  Here is the patient already up on it’s operating table…our new 2 post lift in the big house  Meet our “junk yard dog”.  This is a 1976 Mercedes 450 SLC, 2 top convertible badass sprts model when I was into European cars.  Of course it was wayyyybeyond my pay grade back then, the best I could do was a new 1976 Triumph Spitfire…….sporty but not really reliable or had much pizaz.  Oh but a 450SL… now we’re talkin!  Just like the story I’ve heard over and over about folks loving the GMC when it came out but being way out of reach all they could do was dream and now their dream has come true……here is one of mine.  I wanted and have always wanted either a Etype Jag rag top or a 450SL.  Now I’ve got one buy boy is it a piece of crap….Can u say a little rust? and the plasma cutter took some of that out    Still though we’re not where we need to be so Jared manning the Saw-s-all and Phillip playing the Plasma cutter the rest of the rear end made short work of it.    So lets review what we have……the car body and frame has been removed to the differential  .  NOW is where the fun begins!  with the rear wheels and axle out things are starting to come into focus  We will have no use for the double overhead cam, mechanical injected V8 in the front of this car when a 455 Olds motor and 425 tranny are grafter to the back end of the Mercedes……and these are the guys who are going to do it  Verifying we are now wayyy of the reservation this will be a great help for our ,mechanical work and super fun to boot!    We can bring it in another foot    but here is the first look at….haven’t got a name yet…it hasn’t told me it yet.  The car my guess is in shock trying to figure out what that pile is on his backside…it may take a while for it to stop being mad at us but hey….it was there and it had to happen.  So watch for updates on this project and know we cannot stop anything we’re doing during the day in the shop….we have a gracious plenty to keep us busy, the work on this project is all on us so have fun and as they say down hea in the south” Heym youall, watch this”!   Oh mercy me…somebody hold us back!!!!!

See ya later and hey, have a fun weekend…….

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