Dragon Living, it's not all fun and games but pretty close!

Discussion in 'General Chat' started by TheModFather, Nov 20, 2017.

  1. TheModFather

    TheModFather Well-Known Member

    May 15, 2012
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    Some of my best spots are on private property, or you've got to hike in... I could show you a few places to drive up though.


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  2. TheModFather

    TheModFather Well-Known Member

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    I guess I never really did put any pictures of my house on here other than a couple random shots... Guess I know what I'm doing tonight!


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  3. wmwny

    wmwny Well-Known Member

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    EEEK...YET ANOTHER THANKSGIVING LEFTOVER...THIS ONE RECYCLED INTO A PIC-TAKER! :devil:
     
  4. Crashton

    Crashton Club Coordinator

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    Someday I aspire to have one of these Spameras. A pinhole camera made from a Spam can. Genius! :biggrin5:

    [​IMG]
     
  5. TheModFather

    TheModFather Well-Known Member

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    I've got a better one sitting on one of the shelves I made in the living room last summer... It's an old UNI that my dad bought new in Vietnam! Complete with flash, leather case, zoom lens, filters, and the original owners manual! Saw one just like it (camera body with standard lens) in an antique shop for $400 right before my exodus from Colorado... So I'm sure a complete set is worth a small fortune to the right buyer.

    It was even commented on during our T-day party.


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  6. TheModFather

    TheModFather Well-Known Member

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    [​IMG]


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  7. vetsvette

    vetsvette MINI Alliance Ambassador

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    Thanks for reminding me MF. I had misplaced my Dad's camera and you reminded me to look for it. It's an old Kodak Signet 40 that he used to photograph crime scenes and accidents in the late 50's early 60's. Still have a good bulb for it.

    And, if I didn't already say it, welcome back.
     

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  8. Crashton

    Crashton Club Coordinator

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    Nice camera Dick. You should keep it as a reminder of your Dad.
     
  9. MCS02

    MCS02 Moderator
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    Stick some film in it and use it. I still use a Canon A1, 1930 box camera and a 1980’s Mamiya 645. I love my Canon 5D but that old Mamiya is medium format is a close second but not by much.

    You take some great pictures! Keep up the good work!
     
  10. TheModFather

    TheModFather Well-Known Member

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    Finally a break in life to sit down and post to something other than Facebook!

    So, once I moved down here in February, I automatically noticed the need for a small pickup truck... The BMW just doesn't cut it for day to day life in this area, especially when you are active in the outdoors, and remodeling parts of your house... Problem is that small pickups might as well be made of gold on this side of the country once you get away from the big cities! The prices for a barely running rust pile with 150,000+ miles on it are ridiculous!

    After a lot of searching, I came across a decent 1991 Chevy S10 4X4 for a decent price. Unfortunately it cost me $1500 to bring it home, when in Colorado this same truck would've been in the $500-$700 range... But it ran good for having 165,000 miles on the clock, and all the pieces were there. The bad news: It was lifted the cheapest way possible in order to fit the 31X10.5 tires that were on it, so the thing rode like a death trap! It also caused the decent tires to go completely BALD within a month or two of driving it to Tapoco when I worked there. The four wheel drive works only when it feels like it, and it leaks oil out of the everything faster than you can put it in! Which is why I named it the Exxon Valdez.

    I started acquiring the parts to fix the suspension problems when I was working at Tapoco, and was laid off the day I ordered the first set of tires. Unfortunately, I had to cancel that order, and the one for it's new suspension setup. That didn't stop me from playing with it though! First thing was first, it needed some rustification!

    I removed the hideous rear bumper, and took my sander and grinder to the paint! No the paint wasn't necessarily bad for a pickup of it's age, but I wanted it to be! Call it hillbilly camouflage but after a few times taking off paint, and a lot of salt water, it was starting to look the way I wanted it!

    The original plan was to ditch the lift kit, and go for a mild drop instead. Well when I finally got everything installed, it didn't look the way I wanted! Go figure!

    There was still 5" between the tiny little tires that are the stock size for a 2WD base model, and the rusty fenders. After reading a bunch of horror stories, and a lot of good reviews doing some research, I finally bit the bullet on dropping the thing on it's nuts! All it took was 10 turns of a bolt on each side to lower the front almost where it needs to be! Did I mention this was a FREE mod? With the 3" drop kit I originally purchased from Beltech, the shocks were still stretched to almost their max, so there was plenty of room to play with the ride height there... 10 Turns is all it took to go from having a 5" wheel gap to having just over 2"! NICE!!!

    That still didn't solve the height out back, so a $50 pair of fabricated steel lift/lowering blocks was ordered. Why not cast blocks for less money? Well, I have a few tricks up my sleeve, and plans once my welder gets here from Colorado!

    Tomorrow morning though, those blocks are getting installed! I don't care if it rains on me all day in the driveway doing it, I need to get back to turning a wrench!

    This picture was taken this morning on the side of the road, just ip from where I work.

    [​IMG]


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  11. minirab

    minirab Well-Known Member

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    I had a 1992 S10 with the 2.8 motor in it. It had 385,000 on it when it finally died. It was a good one.
     
  12. TheModFather

    TheModFather Well-Known Member

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    Mine's got the 4.3... Not much on power, but a decently strong and reliable engine. Even if it does need a quart of oil per week.


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  13. 00Mini

    00Mini Well-Known Member

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    I have a friend who had a 90's S10 with a 4.3 automatic 4wd that was totally abused with 300k miles and the only reason it's not on the the road today is that the body became dangerously thin but the motor and transmission were still going strong.
     
  14. TheModFather

    TheModFather Well-Known Member

    May 15, 2012
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    Wholly balls, what a holiday season! Glad it’s OVER to be honest!

    So! Dick moves away from the cold: The cold follows Dick to NC while Colorado gas been 40 degrees or more for the majority of the winter: Also

    I’m sick of seeing the thermometer on the porch in the single digits! I haven’t felt my feet in so long that I forgot they were there, and I’m sick of having to throw the dog/cat water out into the woods as a giant ice cube every few hours! Enough is enough already!

    In other news though:

    My truck is finally sitting at an acceptable height, and looking good!

    Well, other than still being alive, that’s about the only good news!

    A few days ago, I had a small excavation company come out and give me a rough estimate on the ground work to get started on the garage... Well, at first everything lined up right where I thought it would... ($10-15K to move my hill) But then, they saw the place in person... That estimate went up to nearly $30,000.00! I will definitely be getting a few more opinions, but I am also starting a “Plan-B†(NO! Not the pill! ) We will see how that all goes later on...

    Friday night Bekah comes home, her car at redline, pouring smoke up the driveway! She cooked the clutch! It’s really not worth fixing this POS Subaru again, it’s beat to hell, disgustingly kept up, been stolen, been abused, has almost 300,000 miles on it, leaks more oil and coolant than the truck, and is obviously CURSED! So tomorrow, we are going car shopping. We’ve agreed on a $10,000 limit, because that’s about all she can afford payments on, so hopefully we can find something decent.

    Work is about all that is going well quite honestly! I even have enough PTO hours saved up to take a few extra days off while you all are here in May! THANKFULLY!!! I need some alone time with my friends! There will be a BBQ at my house this year (weather and blackout permitting ) all I ask is that you bring some meat/veggies and your own beer! (Anything that’s going in the smoker, we’ll need to work that out as time goes by) It’s a gun friendly event too, my neighbors are actually kinda used to me shooting in the back yard now.

    Well, that’s about it for now, here’s a couple pictures of the current state of things:

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  15. wmwny

    wmwny Well-Known Member

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    Transportation problem solved. Let Bekah use the truck and have the Rat shipped over to you for your own use. It's semi-solid...just needs an engine, etc. You're going to have to fix it for Dragon-slaying anyway, right? :devil: :ihih:
     
  16. MCS02

    MCS02 Moderator
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    Now there you go MA fixing another problem!
     
  17. Goldsmithy

    Goldsmithy MINI Alliance Ambassador
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    No---bad advice. The rat-rod is a piece of broken down equipment, looks beat as hell and would be an embarrassment to drive. I, as your friend, don't want you to suffer that fate. SOOOOO...sell it to me. :) :)
     
  18. old81

    old81 Club Coordinator
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    Nice pictures, good to catch up. Leave the rat-rod in CO until it warms up. :)
     
  19. Sully

    Sully Administrator
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    What was the logic for the sharp increase In price?
     
  20. wmwny

    wmwny Well-Known Member

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    #40 wmwny, Jan 19, 2018
    Last edited: Jan 19, 2018
    They know he's a Veteran and Veterans are rich! Look at him...drives a Bimmer and has a "chalet" with a MINI to tool around in for when he's in Denver...etc., etc. :D A rich guy like that :Cigar: can well afford the extra bucks! :)
     

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