Have You Ever Done Something Impressive?

grandpaul · May 30, 2024

I guess I can add - apart from laying the concrete foundation and erecting the massive steel sub-structure, I built an entire 4,000 s.f. (2 floors) steel building with limited help from only my wyfe and kids, and 2 or 3 friends chipping in for a few hours each.

I think I used up all my "goody" building that behemoth, I don't have the same stamina for hard work any more. I was in severe heat exhaustion (DANGEROUSLY near heat stroke) putting up a cattle-proof temporary fence (solo) after the building was done, in 100F+ heat.

I believe that was the turning point. So, at age 66, probably no more "impressive" stuff for me...

concours · May 30, 2024

Elfix said:
My neighbor bought a surplus road grader from the state and after it had been delivered- winched off the trailer- proceeded to try to get it running for the better part of a week. He could get it to roll over and puff a time or two but couldn’t get it to go. I wandered over and noted it had a 2-stroke diesel engine and that the emergency shutdown slamplate on the supercharger appeared to be closed. I reached up, moved the lever to its other position, and said “Try it now!” And it fired up and ran beautifully.

Mind you, I had never touched a road grader or a Detroit 2-stroke diesel before- but I had read somewhere about the intake blocking plate that was there in case the engine ran away and couldn’t be shut off. My total interaction time with it was about a minute.

Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good!

Love it.

grandpaul · May 31, 2024

Elfix said:
My neighbor bought a surplus road grader from the state and after it had been delivered- winched off the trailer- proceeded to try to get it running for the better part of a week. He could get it to roll over and puff a time or two but couldn’t get it to go. I wandered over and noted it had a 2-stroke diesel engine and that the emergency shutdown slamplate on the supercharger appeared to be closed. I reached up, moved the lever to its other position, and said “Try it now!” And it fired up and ran beautifully.

Mind you, I had never touched a road grader or a Detroit 2-stroke diesel before- but I had read somewhere about the intake blocking plate that was there in case the engine ran away and couldn’t be shut off. My total interaction time with it was about a minute.

Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good!

The Navy NC-8 Mobile aircraft starting generator rig had a 4 cylinder supercharged diesel with a shutoff door for that exact reason - those engines can start to overspeed under certain conditions, and when they go "bang", they go BIG. When we overhauled them, we had to run them out to a remote corner of the tarmac, spin them up, then wedge the throttle and stand way back, till the door slammed shut. We'd re-set them and take them back to the line.

I loved those things, maybe too much...

Top drawing is "before", bottom drawing is what I'd like to do to one aboard an aircraft carrier, just for fun. I hope the chute works!

Have You Ever Done Something Impressive?

grandpaul · May 31, 2024

Speaking of something impressive, I drew the original BEFORE my assistant Shop Super and I built and installed the Jet-Start pack that is just above the control panel next to the driver's seat. Some inventor came up with the drawings and wiring diagram, they handed it to me, and I built it. We installed and tested it within a week, and got some serious kudos plus "Special Liberty" (days off). You can see in the drawing that I added it in later. The entire Navy fleet of NC-8s got that upgrade.

Have You Ever Done Something Impressive?

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