Working in an Oven (Post #620) August 25, 2023

In my last post I told you it was hot outside. That’s a no brainer to 1/3 of the country right now living under the heat dome. I didn’t take a picture of the thermostat on August 19th but Oklahoma City set a new highest temperature for the date. At the weather station in the neighborhood behind the house, it measured 107.7°F (42°C) around 1:00pm on Saturday the 19th and a similar 107.6 for the following Sunday the 20th.

Historical

If you’ve never been in this kind of hot outside, its hard to describe. Dangerous is a good word. Dangerous like, if you screw around and exert yourself too much you could die. Heat Stroke and Heat Exhaustion is hovering nearby. I’ve had both, my Yelp review, 1 star, would not recommend.

So when I got home from the Evil German Dude’s house, I went out to the shoppe and the needle on the thermostat was about where I indicate on the pic below. Let’s just call that about 125°F (51.7°C) so I decided it was going to be a “make and mend” day [Wikipedia]. And it was going to be spent in the cool air conditioning.

125

The good news for this weekend is it looks like the heat bubble popped and the temps will come down significantly this weekend. Back to a range this old fat man can manage.

forecast

I’ll try to bust out another welding video Monday or Tuesday. I’m disappoint I couldn’t keep up the momentum of publishing a weekly video. If I had worked in the shoppe last week you wouldn’t have gotten a video anyway, because I would have likely been in the hospital.

Thanks for visiting and Happy Rovering.

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Garage Day: The Long Awaited Electric Fans Post (Post #433) 1/15/2014

The electric fan conversion is complete!

Over the weekend I employed The Evil German Dude and the newly named Paparazzi Ford (Butch) to assist in the install of the electric fans. As this will be a somewhat lengthy post let me start by saying, thank you Frank. Without you this project would have been completed but would have been no where near as freaking awesome as it turned out.

Butch, thank you for taking WAY too many pictures photo-chronicalling this project. Butch said we should do some video blogging. I think he is on to something. He was none too happy about being relegated to the camera for this project but he cheerfully took pictures through out the 8 hour event.

If you don’t get together with your friends and do projects like this, I feel sorry for you. You are seriously missing out on some of the best stuff you can experience with friends. I’ve known and worked with these two guys since June of 2000 and their friendship is something I cherish deeply. We always have a really good time together. Man Bonding Time or as the Evil German Broad says, “babysitting Frank so I can watch football.” is some of the best stuff in the known universe.

I’d also like to thank the Evil German Broad for preparing us the delicious meals and reporting the scores in the Seahawks/Saints game for us. Mrs. Okierover was actually a little put off when she offered me breakfast that morning and I declined because as I said, “I get to eat breakfast at Bettina’s.”

Evil German Broad

Not only are Garage Days at the Evil German Dude’s a culinary treat they are educational. EGD’s education in Germany and his experience in fabricating make projects like this an educational event. I don’t think there has been a Garage Day where I didn’t learn something from him.

This is a Huge Post

This project started at 0930 and didn’t get wrapped up until 1830. We took three breaks, one for breakfast, one for lunch, and one to weld up the exhaust leak. Butch and I mostly watched the whirlwind that is the Evil German Dude. It is his shop and only he knows where all the entrances to his secret earthquake generation lab tools are located. Overalls are not required but highly recommended. Two of the three of us (the smarter ones) were wearing them. So sit back and put on your reading glasses, you are going to need them for this one. Continue reading “Garage Day: The Long Awaited Electric Fans Post (Post #433) 1/15/2014”

Garage Day – August 2013 (Post #377) 8/14/2013

My good friend and resident evil scientist the +Evil German Dude (EGD) announced we were having a Garage Day at his house this past Saturday. For once I didn’t have anything Land Rover related for him to assist me with. I’m sure he and the former Titanium Hitch were quite surprised as we normally have something to do on the Range Rover. They both liked the Big White Bus’s new stance on fresh springs. I had to call it to their attention, but they responded with friendly comments after looking her over.

Inadequate alternator

The main goal of the day was to install a new alternator in EGD’s F-250 Super Truck 4×4 Beast. If you have been a frequent reader you know every thing EGD touches must be modified. His Chevy 1500 was highly modified. I could write an entire blog post listing the changes he made to the 1500. His F-250 is well on its way to being heavily modified.

EGD and the Former Titanium Hitch

More after the jump….

Today’s modification was to be a nuclear power reactor. He has the need to power small cities and in case of a disaster provide power to his evil lair. Sadly the Nuclear Regulatory Commission denied his permit for a mobile nuclear power reactor. They said his design was sound and the schematics were first rate. They just did not feel he rated one.

Beefy.

So he picked the next best thing and contacted the Russian’s for one of theirs installed a DC Power Engineering alternator. At maximum revolutions this monster will put out 300 amps. At idle it puts out 190 amps. Compare that to a stock Land Rover alternator and its 100 amps at max output. They will send it to you polished or one of 11 colors. Impressive.

Size comparison. New on the left and old on right.

The task was a simple one if you were content with using the existing wiring. But EGD is an evil mad scientist, so you know there has to be enhancements. First was replacing the cables to 1 aught. Yes, you read that correctly…1 aught. He is fond of his power conduit mechanisms. Three hundred amps is a lot, and to run it through stock wire is just silly.

One aught cable and in-line voltmeter.

He also installed an in-line volt meter. This is cool enough to warrant install on my Big White Bus. I will have to investigate this option further. One of my pet peeves about my Land Rover is the apparently inadequate wiring. Lots of Land Rover owners outfit their rigs with wenches winches, lots of lights, refrigerators,…etc. These are all power hungry devices in which dual batteries and beefy alternators are just the prescription to get the needed amperage to the devices. EGD’s beastly F-250 is no exception.

Installed.

The former Titanium Hitch and I mostly handed EGD tools and offered the “extra hand” every mechanic, at one time in their life, wishes God had given them. Working with EGD on his rigs over the years is truly entertaining. I’ve never seen him come up against something he hasn’t all ready anticipated.

His work is meticulous, precise, and clean. I have learned a lot from him over the last decade. I told the former Titanium Hitch that when I work on my Range Rover I think about what EGD would say if he saw my work. You’ve no doubt seen the W.W.J.D.? (What Would Jesus Do) and the many variations over the years. My own is W.W.E.G.D.D?

EGD then decided to manipulate the worldwide price of a barrel of crude by doing an oil change in the big diesel. The behemoth uses 13 quarts of oil. Since I have the smallest beer belly of the group, I was elected to ride the creeper under the truck to empty the oil. EGD has made this a simple process by installing a Fumoto valve. No more guessing which wrench you need. No more getting oil on your hands removing the plug. Easy peasy.

Once EGD was done with the alternator installation and oil change was completed, we had a great dinner of roast potatoes, hot dogs, and grilled vegetables prepared by EGB (Evil German Bitch). I know what you’re thinking. But I assure you that’s her own moniker, she picked it out. That’s even how I have them in my phone. She is a superb cook and I always love eating at their house.

After chow time was over, Titanium Hitch told us about the sound system woes in his newly acquired late nineties Ford F-150. The after market sound system had been butchered. EGD was keen to sort out his problems.

I fetched tools while EGD started extracting the radio from the dash. I was also tasked to find a wiring diagram for Ford pickups on the interwebs. That was no real challenge and I was back to handing them tools.

We found the problem, a blown speaker. The others were not in good nick and it was suggested he replace them all. Replacing them was a job for another day.

So we wrapped it all up. I said my goodbyes and headed home with a detour to drop the used oil off at JagGuy’s garage where he will undoubtedly use it in his Bobbed-Duece.

I received an email from an Art of Manliness reader who told me the visited link color on my OkieRover.com website was virtually unreadable in low light. So I swapped it to a red for high contrast.
Thanks Shawn.

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering