The Contraption 2.0

Tiahaar · Post by **Tiahaar** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 10:36 pm

Captain Goddammit wrote:I love the fact that you guys are out there, all across the country, working on your own custom mutant vehicles just like I am, all very different yet with the same purpose and destination.
Most people out on the playa have no idea the hours of work and amount of backyard engineering that goes into these contraptions... but I know you guys here do!

Right on! Agreed and yes it is good to be in good builder company.

Today I got the last weld put in on my playa project. All the steel bits are where they're supposed to be, just have to do some painting of the supports and couplings. The pipe sections get to stay natural and rustic.
Its a stationary piece, weighs a ton and a half, and I'm still figuring how to assemble it! Heh heh, should I add blue lights? It'll be somewhere along the 9 walkway to the man I'm told, hope to have it burning fire most nights.

The pic shows the project pipe chained down to the trailer ready to haul to my old bus. First I had to cut off the bell ends of the stuff so it would fit in my couplings, then had to drill holes in both ends of 14 of them for bolts. All but the longest 7 are now loaded, I have to drive the bus forward to get them in and will do that after doing the oil/water change in the next few days. Dang, might get everything ready after-all. Have entry for the 20th, so its a week till road time, will go fast!

LeChatNoir · Post by **LeChatNoir** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 9:44 am

God God, what a lot of work!!!

I'm really looking forward to seeing it on playa, Tiahaar. I'm starting to get the feeling that I'd better bring a little more gas for the engine than I'd initially planned. Looks like we might have to be out driving around everynight!!

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 5:43 pm

Can't wait to lift my leg on the tiers of that damn hippie bus..

fciron · Post by **fciron** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 5:47 pm

unjonharley wrote:Can't wait to lift my leg on the tiers of that damn hippie bus..

You mean the one LeChat is building?

LeChatNoir · Post by **LeChatNoir** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 5:53 pm

I've got a bigger battery on it now and will install an electrice fence unit to keep him from whizzing in the tires this year.

He's bad for that and we've got to break him of it somehow.

Tough love, I reckon.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 6:00 pm

fciron wrote:
unjonharley wrote:Can't wait to lift my leg on the tiers of that damn hippie bus..
You mean the one LeChat is building?

Tiahaar has this great old bus.. It's full of tools and fix-it gear. If you need it he can most likely fix it.. Just look for the gold bus with a wind charger on top.. The generator is also kick ass.. Don't tell hm I said anything nice about the old hippy junker..

As for the other guy.. his project is just a big hunk of rust..

And Cap. GOdddammit's boat is ugly no matter what color it is.. the boat it's self may be ok.. But with his homely ass on it.. One can hadly bare to look in that direction..

Now that I have that off my chest.. I'm busting my hump on a contraption that better run whem I drop it off the table in two days.. Tahaar call the fire dept.. I'm about to start wireing the thing..

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 6:04 pm

LeChatNoir wrote:I've got a bigger battery on it now and will install an electrice fence unit to keep him from whizzing in the tires this year.

He's bad for that and we've got to break him of it somehow.

Tough love, I reckon.

Hate to tell ya this.. That electric fence charge would only wake this old thing up.. and hornny too.. Nellie bar the door..

Elliot · Post by **Elliot** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 6:14 pm

Awwww..... Now I feel left out and neglected. I want Jon to insult MY bus too!

LeChatNoir · Post by **LeChatNoir** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 6:31 pm

Hey!!! that could be an addition to the Pub Crawl.

Let unjon insult your vehicle and wet the tires. Like a right of passage.

"Form a line, people!!!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

And from the irony department...

So this stray cat has moved into one of the outbuildings and has three kittens. Sucker that I am, I couldnâ€™t let her go hungry and not feed the babies. The Mama cat has an appointment to get fixed soon, and all her shots too. And the babies are not far behind so that they can get adopted out to good homes.

Probably let Mama and one baby stay and live in the outbuilding. Gotta make a warm place for them to winter over.

Either way, shortly after they started hanging around, I noticed that the Mother Wren was not. The eggs were still in the nest and had never hatched. Karine said that she saw the cat catch a bird the other day and munch it up.

Oh wellâ€¦

At least I tried to raise a good crop, erâ€¦ I mean let those eggs have a chance at life. Not sure why, but I find this both humorous and a bummer at the same time. I suppose, though, that life is working in cycles that it is supposed to. And the Egg Crate has the bonnet back.

Heh Heh Heh

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 6:49 pm

Elliot wrote:
Awwww..... Now I feel left out and neglected. I want Jon to insult MY bus too!

That poor bus looks sad.. If you look it in the eyes and notice the mouth at the same time.. Ole Black Cat has it right.. The bus needs to be in the pub crawl this year..

Elliot · Post by **Elliot** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 9:25 pm

I think I see where the up-side-down-smile is on Millicent The Bus. (I had not thought of it as sad, just unfinished.)

Looking at the photo, in the middle of the bumper is a Blue Bird emblem, and on each side of the emblem is a small tapered shape where the middle of the three bumper-ribs fades to flat. Those two tapers form an arch -- a frown.
So... my first thought was to flip the bumper. But the bumper is not actually shaped that way. There is a smile there also -- we just don't see it, because it is in the shade. The mouth looks arched because the light comes from above. What looks like a frown, is just a shadow. (Have I beaten this to death yet?)

Also, Millicent looks a bit odd because of the unfinished colors. I'm working on the door now, and once that is operational, maybe I can throw some paint on the whole front.

As for birds and cats....

I noticed that the Mother Wren was not.

My neighbor has a cat, which lives as much at my place as at her own. I call it The Great Gray Hunter. In late May, my neighbor packed up the cat and went to Pennsylvania for the summer -- something she has not done before. Now, the place is aflutter with birds!! Sparrows and starlings and my-oh-my -- birds chirping everywhere! Just today, I followed a puppy-bird... I could walk as fast as it could fly. It settled on the fence, and it was so young that it did not know that humans are dangerous. It just sat there and let me study it up close.

Notice I did not say anything against cats. But I sure like all these birds we have here this summer.

Now, prey tell, what is this Pub Crawl of which you speaketh?

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 10:05 pm

This year I went from truck/camper to a motorhome, but soon I want a bus like that too! Love the Peterbilt grille and raised roof. Those even look like LED turn signals.
LeChat, yes, bring lots of gas! You'll find that it's lots of fun cruising under power out there. And everyone wants a ride on your Conniption. Er... Distraction. Or whatever.

Tiahaar · Post by **Tiahaar** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 10:53 pm

You folks are great!! Nothing like a little good natured ribbing heheh

Elliot! Love the new grill (and ya know...if you want to change the expression do what the animators do and change the eyebrows, eh windshield wipers, and park them on the outsides for a meaner look. works!)

Watchout Unjon I'm ready for you this year, will have a fire extinguisher on my trike for your wiring heheh. And LeChat yes indeed lots of gas=good, the Starship Palomino bus would be happy to top off your fuel and water whenever you're in the neighborhood. I'll be around 8-8:30 C-D. Lets see who else... Captain! I got my oil cooler swapped out on the old bus today, was a major bearcat of a project. The takeout unit, once out of its housing, had a big old crease/dent in the plates like someone had dropped it before putting it in. It looks like there's a crack there, and that hopefully was the cause of my oil-in-the-radiator nightmare. Will know in the next few days. Dang old bus needs to get out to the playa one more year at least.

LeChatNoir · Post by **LeChatNoir** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 5:31 am

Elliot wrote:Now, prey tell, what is this Pub Crawl of which you speaketh?

Youcan read the whole story here:

BRC Pub Crawl Thread

But basically Mozy is organizing an MV Pub Crawl where you have to find him at his secret location and get a Crawl Card (listing a lot of the Pubs/Bars in BRC and their locations). Then you must find a way to read the card and then go have fun!!

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 6:54 am

Tiahaar, I decided I better put a new radiator in my motorhome (it's an '85 and looks like it's never been replaced), so I pulled it last night, shoulda' been easy, right?!
Oh hell no. They order complete chassis from GM then just build the unit over it, regardless of whether you can access anything ever again. Putting the fresh transmission in, also shoulda' been easy, was the same.
LeChat, I'll top off your gas tank too, if you can't get enough fuel aboard from as far as you're coming. I might have my RV on the BM grid, if so all the fuel for my generators can be put to good use in a sputtery rust bucket.
And since you happen to have a sputtery rust bucket...

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 7:02 am

Captain,
I've been very happy with griffin.
I asked for custom high capacity tanks and they fiddled a bit and said we'll have to charge you an extra $40!!
And it takes longer.

I hope they haven't changed.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 7:13 am

Old Timer Sex

The husband leans over and asks his wife, 'Do you remember the first time we had sex together over fifty years ago? We went behind the village tavern where you leaned against the back fence and I made love to you.'
Yes, she says, 'I remember it well.'
OK,' he says, 'How about taking a stroll around there again and we can do it for old time's sake?'
Oh Jim, you old devil, that sounds like a crazy, but good idea!'

A police officer sitting in the next booth heard their conversation and, having a chuckle to himself, he thinks to himself, I've got to see these two old-timers having sex against a fence. I'll just keep an eye on them so there's no trouble. So he follows them.

The elderly couple walks haltingly along, leaning on each other for support aided by walking sticks. Finally, they get to the back of the tavern and make their way to the fence. The old lady lifts her skirt and the old man drops his trousers. As she leans against the fence, the old man moves in. Then suddenly they erupt into the most furious sex that the policeman has ever seen. This goes on for about ten minutes while both are making loud noises and moaning and screaming.

Finally, they both collapse, panting on the ground.
The policeman is amazed. He thinks he has learned something about life and old age that he didn't know.

After about half an hour of lying on the ground recovering, the old couple struggle to their feet and put their clothes back on. The policeman, is still watching and thinks to himself, this is truly amazing, I've got to ask them what their secret is.

So, as the couple passes, he says to them,' Excuse me, but that was something else. You must've had a fantastic sex life together. Is there some sort of secret to this?'

Shaking, the old man is barely able to reply, 'Fifty years ago that wasn't an electric fence.'

Elliot · Post by **Elliot** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 7:35 am

Eyebrows, eh? And the eyes themselves -- according to Jon (lost on another thread

). I'll see what I can do.

Maybe something like this?:

Elliot · Post by **Elliot** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 12:07 pm

All right, I looked at the Pub Crawl thread. Just the first and last pages for now -- I need to do some boring office work before the print shop closes. But I can participate on my pedal-trike, or serve as Designated Driver on someone else's MV. (I'm no teetotaler, but I do believe in the concept of DD. A time and place for everything, ya know.)

Alas, Millicent The Bus is not a pub, nor an MV. Millicent is just a dwelling for the week of Burning Man. That said, you are most certainly welcome to stop by! Millicent will be in Camp Inspiratum at 7:30 and Bonneville. Camp Inspiratum has more than its fair share of wheeled contraptions, so it may be worth your time.

Converting a 1992 Blue Bird into a... well... a Millicent, is an ongoing mechaniacal project that we happily share with likeminded faburicators. Please keep in mind that Millicent will be home to -- besides myself -- the Family Wagner, consisting of Peter & Jerri and their eight month old Baby Sam. So no firecrackers down the chimney at 3 AM, please.

bigbluedoggy · Post by **bigbluedoggy** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 8:49 pm

oooooh it has a chimney??? fascinating!

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 10:06 pm

bigbluedoggy wrote:oooooh it has a chimney??? fascinating!

Like, duh, how the hell else is Santa supposed to get in?

LeChatNoir · Post by **LeChatNoir** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 8:08 pm

Cap'n and Tiahaar wrote:EAT HERE, GET GAS!!

Man, you guysâ€¦

I gotta tell you that its reassuring to know that thereâ€™s a couple of places to get fuel out there incase of emergency. The tank is a little more than a half gallon and it looks like, from my best preliminary testing, that Iâ€™ll get +/- 2.5 hours of drive time per gallon. Nice. That is subject to change, but I still expect it to be somewhat easy on the fuel considering itâ€™s a single cylinder engine. Iâ€™ll bring extra just incase.

So it's all but done and Iâ€™ve only a few minor details to address this weekend. Then she gets loaded up in the trailer and ready to go.

No more pics until after the burn. You just gotta be there to see what it looks like at first. Iâ€™m pretty happy with it. And thereâ€™s a couple of surprises in store as well. Plenty of pics afterwards, though for those who canâ€™ t make it or miss seeing it in person.

Mooo-Haa-Haa.....

Ha

Dusza Beben · Post by **Dusza Beben** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 9:00 pm

It feels so incredibly wonderful to by able to say I'll see you there!

DB

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 9:14 pm

Can't wait to pee on that steel wheel..

I know I will make to the playa. But my contraption may still be in parts buckets.. All are welcome to help make it get off the ground..

Old centeral nerve system is kicking my ass.. An f..in cadderact is not helping eather..

If Elliot looks a little cross eyed I know why.. He warned me about chain alinement..

Well up is down and down is around the corener and that is how chain ajustments go.. Set one chain and get it to run perfect, add the next chain and the whole things go's "haywire"..

You will know where I'm camping.. You will be able to hear me cuss for a country mile..

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 9:56 pm

I just uncovered an issue with my blue "sea-glow" underlighting: So far it's always been plugged into "shore power" in my driveway, but tonight when I plugged it into the boat's inverter, it wouldn't work and shut down the inverter too.
The fluorescent fixtures I used have electronic ballasts in them, and I'm guessing they aren't compatible with the inverter. I have some older fluorescent blacklights on the boat that have old conventional ballasts, and they do work. Tomorrow I'm off to the store for "regular", non-electronic ballasts, hope that works!

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 11:18 pm

LeChat, if you haven't seen this, you MUST!

http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/cars/1901 ... hell.shtml

capjbadger · Post by **capjbadger** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 11:56 pm

Captain Goddammit wrote:I just uncovered an issue with my blue "sea-glow" underlighting: So far it's always been plugged into "shore power" in my driveway, but tonight when I plugged it into the boat's inverter, it wouldn't work and shut down the inverter too.
The fluorescent fixtures I used have electronic ballasts in them, and I'm guessing they aren't compatible with the inverter. I have some older fluorescent blacklights on the boat that have old conventional ballasts, and they do work. Tomorrow I'm off to the store for "regular", non-electronic ballasts, hope that works!

Sounds like the ballasts are pulling too much power on the first sure and are over loading your inverter. Order up some Cold Cathode tubes in blue. They run 12volt, so no inverter needed. You should be able to find them at auto shops and computer "mod" shops.

Badger

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Thu Aug 14, 2008 2:24 am

There could be a few different issues.
I can help you find 12 volt ballasts if you want to go that way.

Mister Jellyfish Mister · Post by **Mister Jellyfish Mister** » Thu Aug 14, 2008 6:10 am

God speed to you, Les Chat!

Elliot · Post by **Elliot** » Thu Aug 14, 2008 7:54 am

Chain alignment is indeed a tricky issue -- sometimes â€œno sweatâ€