Lloyd's hus of Volvo

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randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

LloydDobler posted:

It actually seems like they've suffered a lot of flight and both of my friends had multiple job offers at their desired salary before even moving. My buddy started working the day I left, his wife had been there working for a month already. Seems like anyone with basic work ethic can get a fair paying job if they go there right now.

That's probably the most surprising part of this trip, was how completely uneventful it was. Everyone did what they said they'd do, the hotels were cheap but not lovely, food was good everywhere we went, truck didn't lose a drop of oil or coolant or tire air in 3500 miles, nobody stole the cat, etc. (Uhaul actually welds a rebar grid around the cat.)

At least with U-Haul, in my experience it either goes fine or it goes to complete poo poo. There's no real in between with them.

My last personal experience with them is when I rented a 20 foot truck.. in August. They gave me a 1986 Toyota that couldn't idle (this was in 2010), odometer was stuck a bit over 300k, AC was long dead on it (in August, in Texas), and it was billowing smoke (sometimes blue, sometimes white, sometimes rolling coal) from the exhaust with a nasty miss, couldn't get that pig past 50 even when empty. The oil dipstick and coolant were both the forbidden milkshake. It was also a 15 footer, I think.. plus they didn't give me any of the moving pads or the dolly I asked for (my fault for not checking, but they tried to charge me for them missing when I dropped it off until I raised hell about them giving me something that couldn't even idle on its own, and couldn't misfire its way past 3k when floored in park or neutral). It was old enough that I considered myself lucky that it was automatic. I used to only drive stick back then, but I've never driven anything manual heavier than an F-150.

I filled it up both before and after, and if my math was right (trip odometer still worked), I was getting 4 MPG. My last rental was a 20 ft Penske with Ford's finest V10 - even with my car and a flatbed trailer on it (not a dolly), and keeping the cruise set to go with traffic on I-35 (so 80-85 much of the way), I managed just shy of 10 mpg with it packed full w/the trailer and AC blasting. I used it to haul some stuff to give away to friends before moving too; when close to empty, it was getting drat near 15.

# ? Sep 19, 2023 16:14

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# ? May 6, 2024 04:02

aventari: Mar 20, 2001; I SWIFTLY PENETRATED YOUR MOMS MEAT TACO WHILE AGGRESSIVELY FONDLING THE UNDERSIDE OF YOUR DADS HAIRY BALLSACK, THEN RIPPED HIS SAUSAGE OFF AND RAMMED IT INTO YOUR MOMS TAILPIPE. I JIZZED FURIOUSLY, DEEP IN YOUR MOMS MEATY BURGER WHILE THRUSTING A ANSA MUFFLER UP MY GREASY TAILHOLE

Congrats on the weight loss, you were always one of my favourite posters

# ? Sep 25, 2023 09:40

LloydDobler: Oct 15, 2005; You shared it with a dick.

Periodic update time!

Weight loss continues to be successful, down 103 lb from my peak, 262 lb today. Hoping for 260 by thanksgiving, I celebrate at every 10 lb interval that ends in 0 by binge drinking and eating anything I want for a day, and I want it to coincide with a real home cooked feast that has lots of leftovers I can eat all day. Also exercising 3x a week minimum, I'm walking as fast as I can for 30-45 minutes. I've even started testing jogging. I can go about 3 blocks before getting winded. But no leg or joint pain so that's good!

I've been taking my daughter out to dinner almost every weekend and we have really great talks now, she's really adulting and while we've always gotten along great it just keeps getting better. We've also gone to 5 concerts since August, resuming what we did in Denver for her whole childhood. Now that she's 21 a friend is DDing for us this Saturday and I'm taking her out to a real club for drinks with a group of my friends.

The company I work for sold and I ended up with a nearly 15% of salary bonus, so a chunk of that is going into savings for her graduation present which will be a trip to Iceland. No reason other than some friends who are travel bugs are going to Iceland next fall and invited us. The other thing I splurged on is a multi monitor setup. Upgraded to a 32" 4K flanked by two 22" 1080P monitors mounted vertical. I used to run two monitors but I hated having to have graphics or video on one side due to the center bar. This replaces my 34" ultrawide which just wasn't big enough, I was always blocking stuff with my CAD window. this is pretty much the equivalent of a 50" ultrawide and it's just about perfect. It fits under the shelf and a document/multiple chat windows/email window is fully legible on the side monitors, as is a media player.

Got my buddy's Fiat 500E sold, and he paid me a 10% commission for detailing it and handling the sale, was tedious but not difficult.

I've been doing a ton of car work but on only two cars. The mouse turd Corolla and my dad's V70 which I started working on for real after a couple years down. He was arguing with my sister as they drove together and he decided to ignore the temp gauge and try to limp the car home. It didn't make it and warped the head, so he bought a used motor and I'm swapping it in for my other sister who lost her car this summer in a freak flood.

Engine out! 122 visible in the background.

Transmission separated, old engine ready to be taken apart and scrapped.

It has these super cool 15" mini Pegasus replicas from 2004 or so, no idea who makes them but they're not an OEM wheel.

Corolla: We made a junkyard run and got chunks of the wiring harness to patch the chewed harness, and I got that spliced in, and we began the tune-up and replacement of all wear items and fluids. My buddy runs a janitorial/carpet cleaning business so as he attacked each portion of the interior we were continually annoyed that the smell wasn't quite going away. Finally we tore in to it a couple weeks ago to just check every inch of the car and found that they had really nested everywhere. We found pee and turds behind the instrument cluster, stereo, in the HVAC fan housing, on the rear speaker deck (this was a no brainer and we really should have pulled it first) and even up all 6 pillars and on top of the headliner. It's all down and cleaned and we might just have the smell completely gone. Can't quite tell for sure but it smells better than it ever has, and it was almost good enough already.

Built an Ikea shelf missing some dividers so my Lego will fit. Displaying in my guest room that doesn't get too dusty just due to low activity. Now it's time to build more lego and stuff it in there.

I also have begun cleaning up the garage and clearing out old garbage and sorting all my brother's poo poo from the corner work area he claimed while he was alive. I scrapped a bunch of metal, threw out a bunch of old nonsense and am sorting my brother's tools into keep/sell/recycle piles. Once that and my dad's car are done I'll have to figure out how to organize it. I want a work area with a bandsaw and drill press, and a bench grinder for shaping and deburring for misc car brackets and stuff, but I also want a little lounge area where I can put a computer/tv and maybe some exercise gear. I do want a treadmill. I don't quite have enough room for both of those things, I don't think. I also want to hit the entire garage with a coat of paint. It needs it.

Also more Volvo for the affordable collection:

Anyway, real work happening on myself and projects! I might post regular updates as I make progress on the V70, because I'm actually motivated to get it the hell out of my garage.

Oh, how could I forget? AI goon Advent Horizon came down through Oregon in mid October and we hung out for a day and a half, I took him to a pinball museum/arcade and also the Evergreen Aviation museum. He posted some pics in his thread.

LloydDobler fucked around with this message at 05:32 on Nov 17, 2023

# ? Nov 17, 2023 04:47

Suburban Dad: Jan 10, 2007; Well what's attached to a leash that it made itself?
The punchline is the way that you've been fuckin' yourself

Life sounds pretty good dude, great vibes in that post. Good for you, Lloyd. Great progress all around.

# ? Nov 18, 2023 13:26

jink: May 8, 2002; Drop it like it's Hot.; Taco Defender

Great update!

Love seeing the weight loss. I, too, went through some reduction of torso and it felt great watching the numbers on the scale drop.

Bravo on the car sale and your LEGO setup is sweet; everything else is also cool in your post.

# ? Nov 18, 2023 17:24

LloydDobler: Oct 15, 2005; You shared it with a dick.

Minor update, Last time I posted I was on the verge of 260 lb. I hit that goal, and to celebrate I let myself spend December just eating and drinking whatever I want. I gained probably 15 lb. ugh. It's a journey not a destination. I am starting up again, not quitting. Anyway, things have been slow but I haven't done zero.

My daughter's V50 continues to leak even after re-sealing the roof rail mount, so I figured it's still the sunroof. It's wet too far back in the headliner to be the windshield I think, and it's not the normal firewall pass through leak of the drain tube. Either the internal sunroof gutters are overflowing or something is cracked. Either way I decided to rule it out once and for all:

Template:

Cut:

Apply:

I figure this stuff is for permanent use, tough and adhesive while being fully replaceable and removable as well. And it's camouflaged, unless you take a close look it just looks like a sunroof. Basically way better than tape. So far no new leaks, and we've had some super hard rains since putting it on. Now all that's left is to still remove the seat and carpet for drying one last time.

Next, I made some more progress on the V70 but nothing more than buying a new ram for the engine hoist and an engine stand for working on the engine. But in the meantime, my dad found a V70 in Florida through a shop that we've worked with before, that was the right price and maintained by said shop for the last 15 years. Basically identical to the one I'm fixing but in way nicer shape. So my dad and sister just threw down for that one, and the pressure is off of me to fix this one. So I'll get to it when I get to it.

Then my dad has been complaining that he just can't get in and out of all our lowered Volvos anymore, he doesn't bend right and doesn't have the leg strength. He also weighs 300 lb, watching him struggle since I moved in is a big part of why I finally had a fire lit under me to cut weight myself. Well, his friend's sister was selling a 2008 Mazda 5 with 200k miles and unknown miscellaneous problems, needed tires and a battery just to start. But he went and tried climbing in and he fit really easily, just as a passenger. So he bought it for $750. He put tires on it and got it aligned, and right away had to buy a new rear toe arm because it either came from back east or lived at the beach, and the entire underside is all rusted solid. The only reason he didn't buy two toe arms is because the other side didn't need adjustment.

Then, the first time we drove it to a doctor's appointment it dumped a bunch of coolant. Now we know why it was parked, it had a common failure of a plastic coolant fitting on the end of the head. Fortunately they make a metal one so today now that the holidays are over and I'm over my cold I set about fixing it.

Thankful for a mostly underground garage and new insulated door:

Because it looks like this outside, and is 18 freakin degrees. I know a lot of you are colder than that today but this is very cold for here.

I forgot to take pictures before I started but here's where the fitting in question lives, plastic bolted right to the end of the cylinder head. Thanks Ford.

It failed exactly like the internet said. The plastic lip cracks and doesn't restrain the gasket properly anymore.

They make an aftermarket replacement in metal, for only $50 out of china. I'll take it. Fortunately the lower tube is about an inch longer than the plastic version, because I tore the hose while removing it and had to trim it about an inch.

Not the easiest install but not the hardest either. Tore up my forearm on all the little sharps though.

Wider shot of the area in question.

This is about the best I can do for a picture until it's outside, it's not particularly beat up for the miles, but it's definitely a beater.

So yeah, my dad caved in to his base urges and added ANOTHER car to the stable, we're back up to 6 here at the house plus my buddy's poop Corolla that hasn't been finished yet, also due to the holidays and colds and such.

I'm still unmotivated to work on cars but then I have a day like today, where it's only 2:30 and I'm already relaxing with chores done and I even went for a half hour walk with 3 layers of clothes on. I might actually get motivated to do something else tomorrow. I do want to get that V70 out because now that my dad has the Mazda he's going to sell it. I'll probably put it up once it's done if anyone here wants something like that.

I've now passed the 14 year mark of owning the 122, and 9 years since starting this thread, where I tore the engine out and it hasn't run since. I really need to get on that. God dammit. I have some maintenance to do on the C70 so that has to come first before the nice weather. Speaking of the C70, a guy on swedespeed volunteered to buy a sample of Avery-Dennison vinyl to see how well it matched Laser blue, and:

I'm stoked. Gonna wrap it this year I think. Cheaper and faster than painting, I might even try it myself now, feeling cocky after that sunroof panel. My car is basically a C70R, so I want a generation-correct special color on it. I'm not a fan of the saffron orange color, and none of the other R colors (of the P80 series) are exotic. They never made a laser blue C70 so it'll be pretty much one of a kind.

THEN I can get back on the 122.

# ? Jan 13, 2024 23:49

c355n4: Jan 3, 2007

Dumb question, what did you use over the sunroof?

# ? Jan 14, 2024 14:37

opengl: Sep 16, 2010

LloydDobler posted:

He put tires on it and got it aligned, and right away had to buy a new rear toe arm because it either came from back east or lived at the beach, and the entire underside is all rusted solid.

Nah that's just normal aughts Mazda stuff.

# ? Jan 14, 2024 15:38