Posts in: f150

I have a couple of days off work so I’m planning to get some small stuff done. Things that have been neglected during the last several weeks of heat.

This morning I replaced the ignition switch on my 96 F150. Very simple. It’s been sticking for a while; now it turns like a corrupt politician.

I also picked up some work shirts at Goodwill. Why does anyone buy new when you can get like new for $6?

My fun project will be to install Linux Mint on my laptop. I used Ubuntu many years ago. Don’t recall why I stopped. But I thought about it again this week when @johnbrady mentioned using Linux.

Working and remembering

Well, Dad, I tuned up our truck today. It’s the first time I’ve tried that in the twenty years since I inherited it from you. Replaced the fuel filter, spark plugs and wires, distributor cap and rotor. After I was done I drove it for a few miles through Oolitic and Bedford and thought about you. I decided this year to start working on the truck, now that I have the new job and can drive it more regularly.

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Not going to be a lot of work on projects this weekend. Yesterday I met up with Todd for lunch in Edinburgh and had a great time. Today will be some family visits, being Mother’s Day. I did, however, get the serpentine belt replaced on the truck. Very easy and far cheaper than a mechanic’s bill.

CNBC newsletter:

Musk’s Tesla is beta testing an in-vehicle version of xAI’s Grok chatbot. First rolled out last year, it allows drivers to give voice commands to their car’s navigation system.

Meanwhile, my thirty-year old pickup truck has no power windows, locks, mirrors, or seat. The radio/cassette player doesn’t work–and I may not fix it. It doesn’t get in a hurry to go anywhere, which is increasingly to my taste.

Projects update: F150 and gardening

A few small tasks completed on the F150 this week: Sticky tailgate handle just needed some WD-40. Bolts for the tailgate mechanism access panel are marinating in Evaporust. Door panel clips replaced on the passenger side. Door striker replaced on passenger side. I had hoped that replacing the door striker on the driver side would fix the not-fully-shutting problem. It didn’t. Looks like it may be that the door hinge pin and bushing are worn out, making the door sag.

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Current F150 repair list

I mentioned before that my ‘96 F150 is my summer (and likely much longer) project. It actually runs well, especially for being more or less neglected for years. It hasn’t been driven much over my twenty years with it because most of my driving was to my old job–thirty miles away. Not economical. Now most of my driving is within the city limits of our small town so it’s time to get her into shape.

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Projects update: Pond, F150, scrapple

We got a lot done this past weekend. On Saturday, we had a good, full day celebrating our anniversary. We actually left the city limits! 😊 We drove up to Bloomington, went to the greenhouse and a few other favorite shops, and went out to lunch. Then we picked up some honey from a beekeeper near Spring Mill State Park and drove home through the country. Later, we went to the theater to see “Project Hail Mary.

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Projects update: pond, F150

I used to post notes about what I was working on and I’d like to get back into that habit. Not because it’s particularly noteworthy—just because I like revisiting these memories. Pond The big job this weekend was to get the pond ready for the year. Rachel did most of that work on Saturday while I piddled with other things, like building a new sugar snap pea trellis in one of the raised beds.

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