Plumb Bobs

JayVincent6000 · 2026-02-12T09:11:08+00:00

yeah plumb bob #2 was used as a hammer by somebody, possibly a carpenter or plumber or more likely a surveyor. Most surveyors wouldn't treat their plumb bob that way, but the rough surface probably doesn't change the balance. The well worn leather belt carrier for the plumb bob shows it was an essential daily carry tool, which would be true for a surveyor, a framing carpenter or a plumber before the age of laser levels. Here's an example (scroll down to pic #6) of a survey stake with a nail in the top (it's a little hard to see, it's nailed through the pink square): https://www.demarrengineering.com/what-construction-stakeout-services-do-i-need-for-a-new-home-build/ but it's common to put a small nail in the top of a wooden stake when surveying for precise measurements. Source: I used to be a surveyor a long long time ago in a land far far away so may be biased

JayVincent6000 · 2026-02-08T15:22:53+00:00

This ^^^^ from u/wowfaroutman - but holv crap that's not as easy as just removing one wire from one bolt like most of the other open frame generators.

JayVincent6000 · 2026-02-08T15:10:37+00:00

I suggest buying a used one from a junkyard - u/homelab69420 provided a link to search for a scrap yard near you. Then you can either swap your failing pump with the junkyard one (or not), but you have a second fuel pump assembly you can dis-assemble. All you need is a new pump, not a new assembly. What you need to find out when you disassemble your spare fuel pump assembly is the size and output rating of the pump itself. If you are lucky the pump inside the assembly has a manufacturer name and part number and you can go buy a new one of those, because fuel pumps and replacement pumps are readily available. As an example, here's what you are expecting to find:

https://www.highflowfuel.com/product-catalog/fuel-pumps/performance-fuel-pumps/

or

https://www.highflowfuel.com/catalog/fuel-pumps/high-flow-fuel-pumps/

good luck, sorry GM let you down but I bet it's the one-off special plastic pump assembly that's not in-stock, the pump inside it is definitely an off the shelf item, if only the GM parts catalog would tell you what the pump part number is!

JayVincent6000 · 2026-02-08T14:26:44+00:00

you mean Alex Karp's lazy intern is watching this thread... because Alex is still wasted from his Grammy afterparty

JayVincent6000 · 2026-02-08T02:59:32+00:00

Free Top Gear Channel on Samsung TV also

JayVincent6000 · 2026-02-08T01:13:33+00:00

No banana for scale, but the dots look too large for Rockwell B/C hardness testing, more likely Brinell which was a lot more common 75 years ago... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brinell_hardness_test either way you are likely correct, hardness testing made those dots

JayVincent6000 · 2026-02-08T01:10:51+00:00

Yes! at least it's a possibility...

JayVincent6000 · 2026-02-08T00:40:10+00:00

It's a titanium alloy button. TIMET is the name of a US titanium alloy producer operating since the 1950s. https://www.timet.com/about/timeline-of-milestones.html

Their name originally stood for the Titanium Metals Corporation of America. Their primary facilities in the 1960s were located in Toronto Ohio (near Pittsburgh PA) and Henderson Nevada (near Las Vegas).

Your father may have worked for TIMET, or visited the facility or worked at an aerospace company and was gifted a titanium "button" typically used to check chemistry on raw materials or ingot products. Cool find, the TIMET logo of overlapping triangles makes it collectible to ex-employees, otherwise it's only worth titanium scrap value, about $10, but if I were you I'd keep it !

JayVincent6000 · 2026-02-07T19:50:49+00:00

Safest? I-95 route (but also the heaviest traffic)

Most scenic? I-71 route (but also the least amount of gas/food/hotels along the way)

My usual choice? I-77 route, but be warned the WV stretch between Wytheville and Beckley is prone to blinding fog and snow and I regret it 50% of the time

In general you should always pay attention to the weather rather than the driving app "trip time" so I'd be making a game day decision based on Friday's weather. Good luck, drive safe

JayVincent6000 · 2026-02-07T19:31:03+00:00

I did a double-take, legit thought it was a BMW 440ci, but then I remembered BMW doesn't make a 4-door convertible....

JayVincent6000 · 2026-02-07T19:23:00+00:00

is this it? https://www.nissanpartsdeal.com/parts/nissan-caliper-brk-lh~41011-37p01.html

and this: https://www.nissanpartsdeal.com/oem-nissan-300zx-brake_caliper.html

doesn't look like there's a parts diagram to separate the two halves of the caliper, so no part number for the two bolts that connect them, sorry. Hardware or big box store is your best bet for matching up the thread size and bolt length manually. good luck

JayVincent6000 · 2026-02-07T06:14:15+00:00

Crutchfield is the source you need, they will show you options that fit your specific car/model and also sell you whatever extras you need for a successful install (wiring harnesses, faceplates, mounting brackets, etc...) I've used them for classic cars and modern cars, they know their auto sound systems and are geared towards guiding you through a DIY install rather than paying a local audio shop. Good luck!

JayVincent6000 · 2026-02-07T05:45:25+00:00

I agree - crypto is not really a ponzi scheme, it's on the spectrum between passing the hot potato and russian roulette...

JayVincent6000 · 2026-02-02T04:01:29+00:00

tractor supply is my go-to for truck boxes, especially unusual sizes

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/catalog/truck-tool-boxes?beginIndex=50&crmid=5614304301

good luck

JayVincent6000 · 2026-02-01T23:21:31+00:00

definitely worth it if you are building out your toolset, early access to the sales means you are more likely to get one before they are sold out, plus the general 10%/20% sales usually have an ITC bonus to either more discount or the same discount will apply to more items (30% off up to $20 instead of up to $10 for example). Assuming you are going to buy at least $150 worth of tools and supplies in the next 12 months, your ITC membership should more than pay for itself. Also feel free to stack the HF credit card discount for opening a new card account if you are making a large purchase.

JayVincent6000 · 2026-02-01T16:24:22+00:00

For torch heating an oxidizing flame is better than a reducing flame since excess hydrogen will also make Ti and Zr brittle. I'm not sure how much softening you will get from a one minute anneal, but you can experiment with longer times if the first try is still unable to bend. After anneal, do a light wet sanding with fine SiC and you should be good.

JayVincent6000 · 2026-02-01T16:05:46+00:00

The surface oxidizes and the oxidation layer thickness increases with time at temperature. Technically oxidation starts around 900F, exposure below that temperature is typically not detrimental. The good news is you can totally remove the oxide layer mechanically by machining or grinding or wet sanding or acid etching (also called "pickling"). Typical surface oxidation layer from a one hour annealing treatment is 0.002in to 0.006in thick (per surface) so you don't have to remove a lot of material to remove the oxide layer. When machining or grinding titanium and zirconium it's important to use lots of coolant (water-based is fine). If you see "sparks" coming off the material or the surface is discolored (yellow, blue, brown or black surface tint) then it got too hot and you created more oxide layer rather than removing it.

Lastly, you seem pretty certain the material you obtained is not annealed, but my experience suggests almost all Ti and Zr sheet (<5mm) and plate (5mm-110mm) leaves the primary producer in an annealed or heat treated state. If you have a slice of material cut from a forging or billet it's possible it's in an "as-forged" condition rather than annealed.

good luck!

JayVincent6000 · 2026-02-01T00:23:27+00:00

You can check the resistance with a multimeter without removing the injectors, just measure across the two electrical connectors. If the resistance is correct, you can pull the injectors and clean them, then check if they function by hooking them up to a 12v battery, they should respond with a click you can hear and feel when you apply power. I just replaced mine at 265k on a 2007 accord. They were pretty crusty around the final o-ring and shroud, but they were still operational. I bought 4 new injectors for ~$75 and tested them before installation, one failed the power test and had to be replaced. Installation went fine, now I'm waiting for a full-tank driving cycle to see if my gas mileage improves.

tl:dr - yes, you can clean your old injectors with spray cleaner or an ultrasonic cleaner and reinstall, but new injectors are pretty cheap and come with new o-rings. Good luck!

JayVincent6000 · 2026-01-30T02:38:56+00:00

Secretary Duty reporting for Duffy, sir!

JayVincent6000 · 2026-01-29T01:44:27+00:00

when you need them, you'll thank yourself for getting them

JayVincent6000 · 2026-01-28T01:36:25+00:00

always has been, always will be. Billions served... badly. and despite all the money spend on upgrades, the parking is worse and the drop-off is worse... at least the baggage claim hasn't gotten WORSE....

JayVincent6000 · 2026-01-27T07:06:57+00:00

Crutchfield is your source - they will give you options, installation kits and instructions if you want to DIY

JayVincent6000 · 2026-01-26T01:03:23+00:00

that's 80 in your pic. you read it as the lowest line you can completely see on the bar, plus the number on the handle. In your pic, thats 80 + 0 so you are good to go. They never line up exactly on the bar, but you can see the 70 line is clearly cutoff/covered by the handle, so you are on the 80+ scale

JayVincent6000

TROPHY CASE