What did you do today?

[Handy Don 17,504]

3 hours ago, SylvanLakeWH said:

We've had the same imprint from a big robin--nearly scared my wife to an early grave.

The birder I consulted says they are extremely territorial and likely this was a male trying to chase off what was really his own reflection!

[Handy Don 17,504]

16 hours ago, adsm08 said:

 

That's pretty much what I was thinking.

 

You could also do a DPST between the horn and the ignition coil. Cranking the engine wouldn't let it start, but it would blow the horn pretty good.

It’d need some disguising, right, so a knowledgeable thief wouldn’t detect the intercept?

[adsm08 5,170]

2 hours ago, Handy Don said:

It’d need some disguising, right, so a knowledgeable thief wouldn’t detect the intercept?

 

Yes. It would 100% need to be well hidden. Additionally, most horns are switched on the ground side, while the ignition and starter relays are switched on the power.

 

It may well be better to wire it up so that the ignition switch always activates the horn in start, and there is a hidden button or something somewhere for the starter. I actually wouldn't be all that hard to re-wire the cigarette lighter to activate the starter. Building it into some existing control is the ultimate camouflage. 

[SylvanLakeWH 32,625]

Why not just a simple solution. Store the battery somewhere else...? Or simple disconnect switch hidden under hood?

 

 

[Horsin'round 493]

It's that time of year again  - the semi annual migration of the house plants.  We had our first frost threat last night so all t. he plants came back into the house.  Since window space is limited in this old house,  we end up grouping several in prime spots.  Long story short ,  I built a plant stand.

 

 

It's dry fitted for now,  still needs a bit more work before it's ready to be put into service.

[8ntruck 9,315]

3 hours ago, SylvanLakeWH said:

Why not just a simple solution. Store the battery somewhere else...? Or simple disconnect switch hidden under hood?

 

 

Yes, both are effective, but kind of boring.  I like the shock factor and embarrassment of unexpected lights and noises and it satisfies a 'get even' urge I have for somebody messing with something of mine

[ebinmaine 80,783]

. 

Edited yesterday at 12:12 PM by ebinmaine
Delete duplicate

[ebinmaine 80,783]

14 hours ago, Horsin'round said:

We had our first frost threat last night

 

 

Meanwhile... in the White Mountains of Maine...

 

We've had multiple mornings well below freezing. 

This past Saturday the HIGH was 38⁰

 

 

 

 

 

[ebinmaine 80,783]

11 hours ago, 8ntruck said:

Yes, both are effective, but kind of boring.  I like the shock factor and embarrassment of unexpected lights and noises and it satisfies a 'get even' urge I have for somebody messing with something of mine

 

I'd be happier with a much more explosive result. 

Like the porch pirate popping boxes filled with dye or paint.  

 

 

[Wayne0 1,641]

22 hours ago, SylvanLakeWH said:

Looked for the bird that left this imprint on our window... 

 

No sign of it so it must have survived impact...

 

Or, it's a ghost a bit early for Halloween... 

 

 

I had a Coopers Hawk leave the same print on my bay window.

[adsm08 5,170]

22 hours ago, 8ntruck said:

Yes, both are effective, but kind of boring.  I like the shock factor and embarrassment of unexpected lights and noises and it satisfies a 'get even' urge I have for somebody messing with something of mine

 

Not only that, but thieves get by on things going right, and doing so in a manner that doesn't attract attention. The horn going off every time the starter should be engaging is going to draw attention.

[SylvanLakeWH 32,625]

Ok... But Not a day goes by where I don't hear someone trigger their car alarm... no one pays any attention... but ok, Rube Goldberg to the rescue!!!

 

[ebinmaine 80,783]

12 minutes ago, SylvanLakeWH said:

Not a day goes by where I don't hear someone trigger their car alarm... no one pays any attention

 

1 hour ago, adsm08 said:

The horn going off every time the starter should be engaging is going to draw attention

 

A regular horn.... meh. Whatever. I don't even hear them to conscious acknowledgement anymore. 

 

Ya wanna be HEARD??

 

Get a set of aftermarket air horns. 

[Handy Don 17,504]

19 minutes ago, SylvanLakeWH said:

Ejection seat (sans roof opening), smoke bomb, note on the rearview mirror that begins “Steve, if you are reading this it means I didn't make it back....” (The Mechanic 1972, Charles Bronson)

[Ed Kennell 47,423]

Amazon.com: QWORK Electric Siren Horn, 2 Pack DC 12V Security Loud Wired Alarm Siren for Home Alarm System Security and Protection, 110 dB : Electronics

[ebinmaine 80,783]

7 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

Amazon.com: QWORK Electric Siren Horn, 2 Pack DC 12V Security Loud Wired Alarm Siren for Home Alarm System Security and Protection, 110 dB : Electronics

 

My bosses daughter has a Ram truck she's been fixing up with her dad's help. 

For whatever reason she decided that truck needed two air horns. 

 

Last Friday we compared her air horn kit to the ones in the crane. 

Just as loud. Mebbe a touch deeper tone. 

 

[8ntruck 9,315]

2 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

Get a set of aftermarket air horns. 

Yup.  I'd really like to get a fire truck air horn.  Probably a good thing I have resisted doing so - for now that is.

[Ed Kennell 47,423]

On 10/11/2026 at 11:43 AM, SylvanLakeWH said:

Finished!

 

Thanks to @Vinylguy for the excellent decals!!!

 

 

 

 

 

I think I've seen his Grandaddy.

 

 

 

[Blue Chips 864]

On 10/17/2026 at 9:15 PM, 8ntruck said:

I've got to replace several of the Packard connectors.  Auto Zone and the 2 O'Reilly stores in town don't stock them.  Hopefully, the NAPA store can help - on Monday when they open.

 

Midwest Military and Vintage Power Wagons should have Packard connectors if you can't find them at an auto parts store.

 

Edit: I've been using a number of both Douglas and Packard connectors in my M37 restoration project, although they may be a completely different Packard connector series from the ones you are using.

 

 

 

Edited 3 hours ago by Blue Chips

[Blue Chips 864]

I made a bit more progress on rebuilding the engine for my Dodge M37. 

 

I'm making up an improved set of connecting rods, doing much of the work myself, which includes spotfacing the rod caps to accept ARP bolts and nuts, balancing small and big ends, and selecting rods of the correct length (there are minor variations) to produce about .022" piston protrusion height above the deck. The piston protrusion should produce about .040" of 'quench' zone between the top of the piston and the flat part of the combustion chamber. Most of the rods I'm prepping are NOS, but there are a couple of factory re-mans as well. I had to ream the bolt holes in two of the NOS rods to a slight oversize (.377") and order some ARP bolts for those holes that have a slightly oversized knurled area that will produce a good interference fit where the knurling bridges the parting line between the rod beam and cap.

 

Here, I'm spotfacing the rod caps to remove the counterbore for washers, since the ARP nuts are flanged and don't use washers. The slight radius at the edge of the spotfaced area is to avoid creating a stress riser.

 

 

Here's the set of rods and bolts so far, including an extra rod, ready to take to the machine shop to have the big ends re-sized. I'll do the final balancing after I get them back from the machine shop.

 

 

I balanced the small ends by evenly sanding off a bit of metal around the circumference, so as not to produce any thin spots or abrupt changes in thickness that could create a stress riser.

 

 

We're gradually getting things ready for winter here. The next big task is to pull the dock out of the water, which I'm hoping to do this coming weekend. Even though we're on a tidal shoreline, the salt water doesn't get this far up the river, so the river freezes over, and all docks have to be pulled out.

 

 

[8ntruck 9,315]

3 hours ago, Blue Chips said:

 

Midwest Military and Vintage Power Wagons should have Packard connectors if you can't find them at an auto parts store. I've been using a number of both Douglas and Packard connectors in my M37 restoration project. I have some four-prong crimping tools for them, which make very secure connections.

 

 

The local NAPA store had them in stock.  Now, I've discovered that none of my crimping tools are of the automotive 'roll over' type.  Summit Racing sells some, so I'll get an order placed.

[Blue Chips 864]

2 hours ago, 8ntruck said:

The local NAPA store had them in stock.  Now, I've discovered that none of my crimping tools are of the automotive 'roll over' type.  Summit Racing sells some, so I'll get an order placed.

 

I don't know what specific Packard connectors you're using, as there are various series. The Packard and Douglas connectors that are used in my military Dodge M37, which do not use a roll-over type crimper, are probably quite different from the connectors you're using.

 

For the heavy-duty male military-type Douglas and Packard 'bullet' connectors in my M37, I use one of my four-prong crimpers, which produces a really tight crimp. In the example below, I cut through a crimped connector to see how tightly the copper wire strands were crimped. It looks like a nice tight gas seal.

 

 

I probably have several dozen different wire crimpers and dies, but for the heavy-duty military-type female 3-piece connectors in my M37 (which consist of the connector body, a tubular spring around the end, and a seamless sleeve over the crimp area), I've just been using an ordinary big-box-store crimper, which I think does a good job.

 

 

 

 

Edited 3 hours ago by Blue Chips