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Topics - Bear9350

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1
General Vehicle Related Discussion / AC Compressor Replacement
« on: August 27, 2019, 10:43:02 AM »
One of my wife's coworkers/ friends has been having issues with her car's AC.  She took it into a shop over the weekend and told her the compressor was shot.  They quoted $1000+ to replace the AC compressor etc..  Most of my wife's coworkers are mid to late 20's with no vehicle maintenance abilities.  I try to help them out and teach them as I can.  A few months ago I showed her how to do an oil change and replace some head lights and tail lights in her car.  This project will also be a bit of a learning experience for myself as well. I have never dealt with AC systems before.

The subject vehicle is a 2010 Honda Civic with I believe a 1.8L engine.  A little research tells me I can get a compressor, dryer and expansion valve for about $200.  It will take a bit of wrenching but I can get to the compressor from underneath without to much work.  Not sure about the location of the dryer.  The expansion valve is tucked up under the dash someplace and most don't replace it due to the difficulty of getting to it.  I see the warranty for the compressor requires both these parts to be changed for the warranty to not be voided.  Is it a big deal if the valve isn't changed?

Having never dealt with AC systems before, can I just crack the lines open or do I need to take it someplace to have the refrigerant evacuated?  I know I can buy the refrigerant at auto parts stores now.  Am I able to recharge the system myself after doing the install or do I need to bring it to a shop to recharge?

2
Firearms / AR15 Shopping
« on: March 01, 2019, 10:19:24 AM »
I've decided it is time to get me one of those "black guns".  Mainly I think I should get one of these because I don't have one and think I should.  Previously I have tossed around the idea of a AR-10 on 6.5CM.  Then I thought maybe a 6.5 Grendal would be good, and I've thought about a 300 blackout.  And then I was throwing around the idea of something chambered in 9mm.  But right now I think I should just get dip my toes in with something in 223 wylde.  I'm thinking 223 wylde so that I could shoot both 5.56 and .223 with no issues should there ever be issues with availability.

I'm not lucking for an uber accurate gun here.  I've got my precision bolt gun if I need to reach out there.  I want this to be a rather budget friendly gun that will just plain shoot.  I have no problem building the gun from pieces, or purchasing a completed gun should it make more financial sense.

The problem is that I don't really know anything about these and what makes them good or not.  Show or tell me about a bolt gun and I would no something about it.  Not the case with these gas guns.  So I am looking for your guys help here in pointing me in the right direction.  I've done some searching around the internets and come up with a lot of ideas with a large range in price.


3
Build Threads / 2002 Suburban Bumpers
« on: March 01, 2019, 08:35:48 AM »
I plan to post the larger progress points I Don's main thread, but post the actual process here.

I picked the majority of the steel up for the front and rear bumpers last week.  I did all the modeling on the computer, with a little back and forth with Don we got the designs squared away.

Front Bumper:  There is a 5" and 4" round lights facing forward and 3-1/2" light facing toward the side.  Winch will be mounted in the center with a 2" receiver beneath it.  Normally I build everything from 7 gauge (about 3/16") but Don asked me to try and put it on a diet.  Most of the center section and mounting brackets are still 7 gauge, but I changed some of the sell up to 10 gauge.





Rear Bumper:  Nothing real special on the rear bumper itself.  I built it for a set of 4" backup lights.  The tire carrier will be from 2"x4" rectangle tube with a bin for the can's Don wants to carry.  I've got an oversized 37" tire for a space claim in the model here.





The original plan was for me to do the design work, send some files over to Don and he would get the parts laser cut local.  Then we changed the plan up and Don asked me to do the fabrication also and ship the bumpers to him.  We finalized some design aspects and I started ordering material last week.






4
Firearms / AR15 issues
« on: June 13, 2018, 08:01:00 AM »
I was at the range Monday night for our long range league night.  I offered to spot for a 12 year old kid who was shooting his dad's AR-15.    When the kid squeezed the trigger, I could hear the hammer release, but there was no mark on the primer from the firing pin.  Each time we would need to beet the charging handle back to extract the round.  He was shooting some reloaded ammo.  I'm not sure of any specifics of the gun or the ammo.  The father kept trying to blame the new mags on the issue, as last time there was no problem.  It sounded like it was a fairly new gun though with only about 50 rounds through it.  Everybody else that was present seemed to agree that it wasn't a mag issue but we weren't able to reach a consensus on what the problem likely was.

I thought that he may have loaded the rounds to long.  When the round was chambered and the bolt closed the bullet was shoved into the lands of the barrel making it difficult to remove.  Because the round was to long the bolt didn't fully close.  When the trigger was squeezed the hammer was released but it didn't actuate the firing pin.  Hence no primer strikes on the primer.

I'm not really sure of the mechanics of an AR15 so maybe one of you guys with experience could chime in and let me know if this seems plausible or if there is something else going on.  Mostly I just want to make sure that if the guy comes back next week I don't have a gun blown up next to me, or worse, in a kids face.

5
Firearms / Responsive Target
« on: January 04, 2018, 02:44:46 PM »
I've been interested in making a responsive type target a while now.  Since the new bolt gun has already proven to be an accurate rifle I've recently started giving it some more thought.  The plan is to place the target on the other side of my brothers field.  During the summer months it will be nice to be able to shoot with out messing up the hay field.  Should it be corn, I believe we should be able to put longer legs on the target and shoot over the corn from the hay mow. 

Here is a link to one of the targets I saw that I am getting some inspiration from.  I would like to be invested about 10% of what that asking price is though.

https://xmetaltargets.com/product/plate-rack-gravity/


Curious here if anybody has any experience with something like this.

Over the past couple of days I put some thought into it and developed something in 3D that I think might work.  There are 6 main targets split off into a left and right side.  Each side can be reset individually via the 4th target to the outside.  The targets are 6" diameter.  They hang down and when hit are designed to flip up and rest I an upward position.  The reset target would rotate to push the targets back down.

The black piece in front is a deflector angled downward.  I should be able to get some used pieces of cutting edge from a grader or snow plow to use here.  From the reading I have done those are typically made from AR500 or a variant of an abrasive resistant steel.  Hopefully I can find one 3/8" thick.  I suspect they will be 1/2" though.

The targets will be 6" in diameter, 3/8" thick and cut from AR500.  I found a place online to source these for about $80 total.

The tubing etc... will mostly be schedule 40 pipe.  There is about $20 worth of various size and length pipe.

There are a few laser cut pieces that I will add into my next order of steel I get cut.  I am estimating an additional $50 for the material and cutting for these parts.

I'm just planning on pinning some 2x4's cut to length to the side plates of the target for legs.  Will make it easy to swap out new legs/ or taller legs to get over the corn should it be needed.  I can pin some 8' 2x4's pretty quick and easy if needed.

Then some various pins/ bolts/ nuts etc.. to fasten everything together.  And a little welding.

The only modification I am planning on making right now to the pics is adding a piece of angle iron to act as a splitter in front of the exposed pipe that the reset targets are mounted to.

Total cost should be about $160 I think assuming I can find a deflector piece laying around for no cost.


Also, not really sure of this was the right place to post this one.  Feel free to move if needed.

6
Firearms / TS Customs 6.5 Creedmore bolt gun
« on: December 21, 2017, 09:07:07 AM »
I ordered a barreled action from Travis Stevens of TS Customs back in September.  After spending a little time on the phone with him I decided to do just the barreled action instead of a full build and re-use some of the stuff I had here.  He quoted me 4-8 weeks to build just the barreled action.  It took exactly 8 weeks for me to receive it.  Specs for the barreled action:

Lone Peak Arms Fuzion action,  This is Rem700 clone action.  Comes with a one-piece bolt and side bolt release.  I got the stainless steel version.  They also offer a Titanium version for a lightweight hunting rifle for a couple hundred more.  The Fusion has an integrated 20 moa rail.

BenchMark Medium Palma contour barrel, Stainless steel. I had him cut the barrel off for 26" and threaded for a muzzle brake

Lone Peak Arms Self Timing Muzzle Brake, This was a new product from Lone Peak Arms.  I believe my brake may have been from the first production batch.

The action came with a nitride finish.  I had the barrel and brake Cerakoted black.  Travis supplied all the above pieces and put them together for me.


I re-used a Timney 517 trigger from a previous Rem 700.  I also put the Burris XTR II 5-25 scope on-top off this gun that I took off the 308 before I sold it using Vortex 34mm rings.

I picked up a KRG Bravo "Chassis".  The Bravo is a new entry level chassis system by KRG.  It has an aluminum block running the length of it with polymer forearms and butt stock.  It looks more like a stock then a chassis, which I liked.  The cheek rest is adjustable and there is a spacer system to adjust LOP.  Being mostly polymer it is fairly light, which is fine for this gun as the 6.5 doesn't have much recoil and that muzzle brake eats up any that's left.  The Bravo takes standard AICS mags. I've got a 5 and 10 round Magpul.

So far I have cleaned the barrel, put 5 rounds through it and cleaned the barrel a second time.  Waiting on a lot of ammo to arrive in the mail now to do some more shooting next week.
















7
Classifieds / Grayboe Renegade Stock and PTG Bottom Metal
« on: November 28, 2017, 01:17:16 PM »
Grayboe Renegade stock, black with grey web
- R700 Short Action
-Varmint Barrel Profile
- DBM inlet

PTG Stealth Tactical M5 with standard latch
- used with Timney 517 (straight shoe) trigger with no issue

Both in like new condition.

$375 OBO for both.






8
Firearms / Bolt Action or AR-10
« on: September 18, 2017, 02:31:20 PM »
I had been planning on doing a custom rifle after selling the 308 and recouping some funds to go towards the build.  Originally I was planning either a blue printed Rem700 stainless action or a custom action with a Bartlien barrel in 6.5 Creedmore.  I figured I could re-use the stock, detachable bottom metal, and trigger that I pulled off the 308 before selling.  Even with re-using all the above I will still have close to 2 grand into it after barrel fitting if I decided to go the custom action and barrel route.  That is when I started wondering what it would take to build/ put together an accurate AR-10.

If I would go the AR-10 route I would still plan on 6.5 Creedmore.  But, at this point that is about all I know.  I haven't had a lot of time to really search and see what would be needed for an accurate AR-10 build.  Excluding glass and rings is it possible to do this build for close to 2 grand? 


9
Share Your Recipe / Healthy Meals
« on: September 06, 2017, 12:42:15 PM »
The majority of the meals I prepare/ eat are very much of the meat and potatoes variety.  While I have no problem with this and enjoy it very much my wife would like to eat a bit healthier/ be healthier all around.  And truth be told I could stand to eat a little healthier myself.  I basically eat some sort of red meat for at least 1 meal if not 2.  My issue here is none of the "healthy" options generally seem very appealing to me.  I've viewed several food related threads on here where I have some of the membership has displayed/ discussed what would veer nearer to healthy food options.  I thought this might be a place where some of those healthier food options/ recipes might be shared.

10
Over the last few weeks I test drove a bunch of 3/4 ton gas trucks.  I liked the ride and fuel economy of the 1/2 ton but although I didn't truly need a 3/4 truck but it would make it nice on the occasions that I am towing or hauling something heavy.  After much thought I decided the best bang for my buck would be adding helper air bags to a 1/2 ton. 

I plan on ordering a Rough Country 2-1/2" suspension lift/ level kit.  This will raise the front end up about 2-1/2" and the rear end up about an 1".  This should get me a little closer to the ride height/ stance I like and am more accustomed to in the 3/4 ton trucks I have been driving for the last 10 years.  I have no qualms with taking the rake out because I also plan to order helper bags to keep the truck level when towing/ hauling.  Currently I am looking closely at the Load Lifter 5000 Ultimate kit.  This gives me a 5000 lb carrying capacity.  This is far more than I expect to need but the Ultimate kit comes with an internal jounce bumper.  This internal bumper prevents damage to the air bags if they are ran with 0 pressure.

I already have a VIAR compressor and a 2 gallon air tank I think.  I purchased these a couple years ago and planned to install under my 2012 Dmax but it never happened.  Currently I am in the process of determining the best method to fill the bags.  I don't think I need a fancy in cab system.  I had thought I should just be able to install a pressure regulator and gage between the tank and bags to fill to the required pressure.  The second option I am considering would be installing the Schrader valves supplied with the kit and just using an air hose to fill them.  Should the VIAR compressor fail this would allow my to easily adjust pressure at just about any gas station.

I expect to be taking delivery of the new to me truck in the next hour or so.

11
Firearms / Howa HCR 6.5 Creedmoor
« on: May 01, 2017, 01:27:20 PM »
My brother has been doing some searching for a new rifle and I have been helping him out as I can.  He thinks he wants a Howa HCR in 6.5 Creedmoor.  Black on Black with the 24" barrel.  Seems that everybody is sold out of them and they are on back order though.  Thought I would throw it up here and see if any of you guys might know of a place to check out I haven't. 

12
Build Threads / Equipment Trailer Build
« on: April 05, 2017, 01:33:02 PM »
I picked up a 16 ft "car hauler" a couple years ago when we were remodeling the house.  At that time I really just needed something to get 20 ft lumber and loads of other building materials the 10 mile round trip from the store.  With that project done I am wanting something that I can safely trailer equipment/ vehicles down the highway. 

The trailer I purchased is not up to that challenge.  It is obviously a home-made trailer.  The axles are re-purposed mobile home axles, coupler is not heavy enough, overall build quality of the trailer is not great and some areas would need re-enforcing.  I had previously purchased a set of take-off camper axles rated for 4500 lbs each I think.  The plan was to install these under the current trailer and fix it up some to make it work.  The more I evaluated the trailer, the hours of work and amount of material required the less ideal the situation became.  Coupled with the fact even after re-working the trailer it would still have some drawbacks I decided to change route. 

I will re-use the camper axles I picked up and build a new trailer around them.  I have modeled everything up in CAD beforehand to get the most of my materials and reduce the amount of had scratching time during the build.  The plan is to build a 16 ft equipment type trailer with a 30" dovetail.  The main frame and tongue will be 5" channel with 3" channel cross-members on 19.2" centers.  19.2" centers comes out on 8'. 




13
General Vehicle Related Discussion / Opinions on a used Truck
« on: January 27, 2017, 10:14:07 AM »
I am in the process of selling my current truck.  It's an extended cab and I would really like a crew cab to make baby hauling a little easier and comfortable.  Also I have a lien on the current truck.  I think I should be able to sell it and have about $18,000 to work with to get into something different without getting a loan.  With the wife working part time now and the added expenses I would just like to get rid of the current payment and not pick another one up.

Originally I was looking at 2010-2012 GM trucks with a little less than 150,000 miles.  Higher miles normally don't concern me much.  I have the space and capabilities to do most maintenance and part updates when needed.  But all this discussion about the fuel management system in those trucks has me a little concerned now.  I don't want to pick something up that will require a new engine soon.

So I am open to any recommendations.  Normally I am a Chevy guy but would consider a Ford if that is the best direction.

14
Ammo & Reloading / Annealing Brass
« on: January 20, 2017, 08:54:02 AM »
Question for you guys.  Do you guys anneal your brass between loadings?  I have some 308 brass that I have shot twice now.  Wondering if I should be annealing it before I reload it all again.

15
Hand Tools, Power Tools, Welders, etc / Compressor Problem
« on: July 07, 2016, 08:28:19 AM »
Over the weekend the air compressor kicked in and started running.  About the time I expected it to shut off I heard a leak.  Turned it off and finally had a chance to look at it last night.

The metal tube going to the pressure switch is leaking around the plastic retainer.  You can see the condensation on it in this pick from where the air was leaking last night.



The tube exits the bottom of the pressure switch and then runs over to the compressor.





The compressor wouldn't run unless I bypassed the pressure switch.  Anybody know an easy way for me to fix this.  Also what is the correct term for this line?  I was hoping I would just be able to run an airline of some sort instead but I'm not sure what I would need on the pressure switch side for fittings.

I haven't had the time to look into it too closely yet.  A lot of other things taking priority but would like to have it up and running in case I need it.

16
Coffee Induced Early Morning Rant / 7 Muslims Fired
« on: February 03, 2016, 07:21:23 PM »
http://wuwm.com/post/ariens-company-fires-7-muslim-workers-who-defied-prayer-break-policy#stream/0

I remember seeing the statement come out a couple weeks ago about the new rules they were making.  I'm rather surprised it took this long for there to be news of a law suit.

17
Firearms / Long Range Caliber Selection
« on: January 18, 2016, 01:29:53 PM »
I'm planning on purchasing something in the near future.  It sounds like there are a few guys with knowledge/ experience on in this area so I thought I might lay it out on here and ask for opinions.

I haven't entirely decided what caliber I wanted to go with.  First I was thinking 308 but after doing some reading I'm not sure about it.  Then I considered the 300WM or 300WSM.  I had a cousin that was in the right place at the right time and got a smoking deal on a 7mm mag so I started thinking about that.  Also I have thought about 338. 

Right now I think the .300Win-Mag is the route I would go... maybe.

Right now I would like to keep the actual gun purchase around a grand.  I want to be able to afford to shoot it on a somewhat regular basis.  I can shoot up to about 300 yards by walking out the back door of the house.  I do plan on reloading for it though.

So if anybody has any thoughts or opinions let me hear it.

18
What are you building? / Bear9350's Home Remodel
« on: January 14, 2016, 10:15:51 AM »
I thought I would post up the "remodel" job my wife and I did on our home over the past summer.  The finishing touches are still ongoing but for the most part we got it finished up.

I use the term remodel somewhat loosely here.  Basically we built a new house inside the old one.

We purchased the house and about 2 acres about three years ago.  We were looking for something out in the country somewhat close to where we both work and with a little bit of land.  The home was originally part of a farm and was part of a 40.  Here are a few pics of what it looked like before we started.






I didn't have much for interior pics before we started.  I will see if the wife has any stored some place.  When we purchased it the plan was to do a major renovation.  Initially we didn't plan on doing this much but then decided we should just go all in.

19
Site Rules & Introductions / Hello From WI
« on: January 12, 2016, 10:14:28 AM »
It has been almost a year since I signed up and made my first couple of posts but I am hoping I will have time to be more involved in the future.  I am a bit younger than most of the crew over here at just under 30.  I am a mechanical engineer and run (possibly used to run) a small side business building bumpers for the Chev/GMC HD trucks.  I put that on hold over the summer as my wife and I completely remodeled our house.  (I will probably start a thread and post some of the pics/ progress of that up for those interested.)  Need to finish that up here shortly though as we are expecting our first this summer.  Like most of you guys here I enjoy wrenching and hunting/ shooting. 

Brian

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