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That is how my dad did stuff too. He did all kinds of stuff around the house. And when he wanted to make more than one of a particular object...he created jigs to replicate that very object he wanted fabricate. Working at Canadair and manufacturing aircraft, he learned that skill as that is how aircraft production was made back in the day. It's awesome Balthy that you could work with metal to fabricate jigs like that. And I bet you could work with any metal you could find. Scrap metal or otherwise! Just like my dad. I snapped his Chevy Celebrity's rear beam axle that connects both rear wheels (dont ask how I did that) and he, with a scrap metal bar he had laying around, he Frankensteined a repair job. Wasnt perfect. But it worked. We didnt have a lift either. He used what we had to lift the car. A couple of jacks and a jig to hold the car high enough so he could bolt and weld the shyte together. Aircraft grade nuts and bolts and the like... I just wished I was more serious about learning those skills from him. I just wished he FORCED me to learn those skills. He taught me. I observed, but I know he was aware that I was more into playing sports than to learn do it yourself skills from him. He was the one to teach me how to catch a baseball, how to bat, how to skate too... He taught me how to use tools as well... I guess, he knew I wanted to play sports more than fix things, so he was more serious in showing me how to play sports... Cant fault him there.. He was in tune to what I wanted more. (You were a GREAT dad, dad! I love you!) (tearing up as I write this!)

I took the body off the frame on my B-59, never knew anyone before that that did that job. I may have read one article in a car magazine. Seemed common-sensical to me. I also fabricated / welded the dolly its on in the below pic :

I guess my father had me earlier than you guys; he was born in '41. His father was a career cabinet maker & union carpenter, he could build or restore anything out of wood. My father is a retired mechanical / aerospace engineer. He did plenty of projects on our houses (patios, paneling, brickwork, etc), I would say he's pretty well mechanically inclined, but he hasn't really pursued that avenue over the years. He worked for the Department of the Navy at the Jet Propulsion Lab, so he was exempt from what would've been Vietnam for him. I went to school / worked for 10-11 years in graphic design, then jumped to construction / excavation. In the contracting/carpentry field for 20 years now, I have done everything from digging basements to roofing and EVERYTHING in between. I'll do electrical short of going into the panel box, and I'll do plumbing short of soldering/ the supply side. Have done many toilets & tubs. I never took any courses, tho I did learn working the 7 years I did with my brother. I would see how a job was done and pretty much 'boom'; I could do it. I think it was growing up around my grandfather that gave me an appreciation & respect for tools. That, and I've always been a vintage car nut, so that pretty much demands those skills.

Nice that Magnetic ride is a stand alone option.

I wish I was also 1/10th as good as my dad as a handy man. My dad was born in 1926. Folks then...whether they were adults in 1926, or were born in 1926, all had to BE handymen. It was a necessity. It was THE way of life. No choice. Many reasons as to why that was. My dad was a soldier during the 2nd World War. The Canadian infantry and the war taught him very valuable handyman and survival techniques. My dad joined the USAAF in 1950. He went to Korea. He was a Staff Sergeant. He was taught many trades while being with the USAAF. Car mechanics. Generator mechanics. Aviation mechanics. Electrician. Plumbing. Wood working. Metal working. He had to improvise on how to fix things with the scarce materials he had, etc... I learned many things from him. How to check if brakes are good. Drum brakes, disc brakes. How to flush the radiator. If Im stuck, without coolant, to use water....in fact...before there was antifreeze, water was THE way to cool your car. He told me stories on how all owners of cars then used to flush the water out at night so it wont freeze over night...hence the name anti-freeze... I observed and learned how to fix things. Learned how to use tools. Problem is...I NEVER put that into practice...so now...without his guidance, I am not 100% sure of myself on how to approach handyman stuff. I do the easy things around the house, but I will not tackle the more laborious stuff. Example: In Quebec, you need a license to perform electrical stuff, because if you mess up and cause an electrical fire, you wont be paid insurance money and might even be pursued in a court of law. My dad had no electrician license, but he did all renovation electrical stuff on his own in his home, but he knew what to do... Plumbing same thing. Well....I will never touch that... Like I said...Ill do easy stuff. Ill fix a leaky faucet. I wont change the entire sink reconnecting the hoses and drains and stuff. Ill know what to do, on how to cut the hole in the wood cabinet to fit the sink in, how to caulk it properly, etc, but Id rather not. Ill caulk and re-caulk the bathtub, I wont install a new one. Ill change a old lighting fixture for a new one. I wont re-wire... Although I understand what needs to be done electricity wise concerning amperage and voltage and what breakers to use and the like... Lack of confidence, maybe? I can cut wood. Measure twice and cut once. I could screw and glue it together to make a project or two. But I lack that confidence to do so.

I'm not liking working from home either. I much prefer a work setting. I wish my commute was shorter but I like the getting out and being in a work environment.

Yep- looks great that way.

^ doesn't show recovered cases or deaths by county, only by state (I looked at NJ only). - - - - - Hell.

Wow those legs seem to go for miles ? You and your Asian girl fantasy ? I have a college buddy infatuated with Asian girls like you, he even married an Asian gal.

Virtual Woman! Park Min Young

Korean BBQ Pork Jerky Adding variety with the Beef and Beer!

^ Well... ... it's a hyundai, so....

Fries (great side with the Reuben ? )

After almost 3 years of doing WFH full time, I'd find it difficult going back to cube life. At some point, though, I probably will, down the road..a cube somewhere out there...will be interesting to see how things in IT and office work in general evolve once things 'return to normal' in 6-18 months or whenever...

Totally respect what you and @oldshurst442 have said about your fathers. I grew up with a father that said tools never fail, you only fail if you do not learn and take care of the tools to take care of you. Learned to do electrical, plumbing, yards, etc. nothing I could not do as my parents would buy a house, move in, fix it up and then a few years later move onto another project. As such, when I bought my foreclosed home in 1999, I gutted it and redid everything from the roof to insulation, plumbing, electrical, sheet rock, taping, mudding, etc. The only things I paid to have done on the house was the following due to not wanting to destroy my own body or it really is a special skill to get it right. Flooring / Carpeting paid to have it done. Kitchen cabinets and counters, real skill to get it square and perfect. Windows, due to being a split level house, easier to pay someone to bring in the scaffolding and put in the windows. Helped my dad do enough growing up that I can pass on that. Commercial grade steel rebar 6" thick cement driveway The rest of the house was me, so confident I can pretty much do anything though as I get older, easier to pay the younger folks to do the heavy lifting.

Was at Dollar Tree picking up some basic items on Saturday. I saw a new black Hyundai Sonata in the parking lot. I thought about it. It was ugly.

My Dad was born in 1921, spent WWII in the US Army Air Corps stationed at Miami Army Airfield..spent the war there and in the Caribbean, stayed in until '46, then went to the U of Kentucky on the GI Bill for college and grad school. He worked in an airplane factory in Baltimore before the war (Martin?). Very handy guy, could do anything w/ tools it seemed....furnace installations, roofing, framing and sheetrock, etc. I learned how to dig and install septic tanks, paint a barn, remove an engine, bleed brakes... though I haven't had to use those skills because at an early age I really wanted to be an academic (which led to my long time in grad school and career in IT). I dug so many ditches as a kid...'family drainage projects'. And so much mowing (6 acres out of 150 were usually treated as lawn).

1960.

There is or was a funicular in DTLA dubbed "Angel's Flight." It transported people from the flat part of downtown up to Bunker Hill. You really can't tell what's Bunker Hill since so much grading has gone on and it's basically where the towers of the Financial District now stand. - - - This really annoys me. You go to the dumpster and see so many cardboard boxes in there. How about breaking them up into pieces and recycling them weekly or biweekly? Ditto for looking into a trash can and seeing empty plastic water bottles and aluminum cans. When you're at IKEA, the bellwether of Nordic efficiency, you will also see empty plastic bottles and aluminum cans. It's even worse at IKEA when labeled containers are right next to each other. What's wrong with people? One of our country's biggest hazards is stupidity. If people can't figure out how to recycle the basics, how are they going to figure out how to protect themselves and their loved ones?

Dubuque IA, '40 :

Had heavy rain last night and this morning.... windy, sunny and 70 now..sitting out on the patio...chillin'. Going to grille some steaks later. Have a glass of wine or a few. Pretend everything is normal...

Looks like something Me. Bean would drive.... ?

Started working on my garden and my winter Garlic are popping up. I also got new veggie starts planted in the green house. Need to take a pic.

Well, the current 'house arrest' scenario across the country is going to force folk to amuse themselves in new ways, perhaps trying something new or different. So this here thread might be a spot to post up some 'projects' people are working on, even if little stuff, to pass the time productively. I had this '50s school desk for prob 12 years now- came from a garage clean-out. Super clean, but I advertised it a few times and took it to a swap meet a few years ago- plenty look but there's no takers. So (because it's not built for adult-sized humanoids) I tossed the top and cut the steel post off, now I have a lil shop chair. It's not too low for adult humanoids to sit on, tho it's not what you'd call incredibly comfortable. If I end up never using it, I'll toss it, but here's a chance at a 2nd life. Whatcha workin on?

Epoxy primer. It had the lower rear quarters & rocker replaced, and the initial bodywork there wasn't right, so it got stripped off (the filler) and redone also.

Saw two interesting cars today: In the supermarket parking lot, a guy was getting into an "old" Riv that had temporary plates. I asked him if it was a '91 or a '92. It was a '92. He told me it was sapphire blue metallic (the darker metallic blue) and it had blue leather bucket seats. He said it had a little over 60,000 original miles and he got it for about $3,500. He was beaming about it. It all looked good except that it had the padded blue landau roof that cluttered up the lines of the side rear passenger window and the rear back lite. These cars looked better without vinyl tops. At a dealership to look for a part, I saw this classic. Wow. It was a 1983 and ran with the 5.0 (307 c.i.) V8. I didn't get a photo of it, but the Brougham interior was equally in perfect condition. It was hard to fit this Olds 98 (aka "la cathedrale roulante") into the photo.

Virtual racing, becoming more and more wide spread. (maybe car makers can have virtual test drives and virtual track days)

Virtual Cheers!

BING added a tracking site pulling data from WHO and John Hopkins. Really like how it lets you burrow down into the data and easily back up. One of the best I have seen so far. https://www.bing.com/covid?form=COVD07

Peri Peri Biltong (my favorite flavor and style of jerky-type product)

Beef Jerky. To go with the beer #quarantine

I went to my grocery to pick up my curbside order (did the proper social distancing and didn't get out of my Jeep, glad I have a power hatch)..very little traffic on the streets, but I did see a new C8..in red. First I'd seen on the road, looked great on a gloomy wintry looking spring day.

I really am impressed with the interior. The steering wheel looks weird to me, though. Not a fan of the rear taillights either.

Guinness Beer

73 degrees and beautiful clear blue here in Scottsdale. IT Dept. should turn on the ventilation fans that the server room should have, open server room entry doors and open any windows close to the room then use commercial dryer fans to push the air towards the server room, just don't want it much above 95 degrees in there. Google has huge data centers that operate at 95 all day long.

I see news stories of people in the South (LA) and in "the South" (FL) who are violating social distancing rules and holding church services. Stooo-pid. I guess the concept that "God helps those who help themselves" doesn't resonate with them. This is problematic when, in mid-March, prior to all the protocols taking effect, a choir ensemble two counties north of Seattle met to rehearse. It didn't turn out good. On the bright side: J&J is identifying vaccine candidates for trials in September. The FDA approved the use of the anti-malaria drug to treat COVID-19 patients with active cases. Some famous people have bounced back - Sophie Trudeau - mid-40s, Tom Hanks and his wife - early 60s (he is diabetic type 2) ... they evidently took the very long flight from Australia to get back to Los Angeles. We'll definitely hear more as more VIP types heal up. Holding good thoughts ...

Ouais!!! LOL Quebec est une belle ville. Plus belle que LA Grande Ville (Montreal) J'ai faite un tour la dessus quand j'etais jeune lors de ma premiere visite a Quebec. Je suis alle a Quebec plusieurs fois depuis, mais je n'ai jamais voulu y retourner.

Je connais le funiculaire - un fois! Mieux pour les personnes qu'ont fait son retraite. Il n'y a pas de paquebots de croisiere durant l'hiver ...

Quebec City

Couldnt pass on the semi either...

This sucks, but is not unexpected. Saw tonight on the news that the last week in April / First week of May is to be the highest point of infections and deaths before we slowly come down in this country. Summer is not going to be as carefree as many think, but a time of healing and reflection. 123,000 plus infected 2,200 plus dead 3,200 plus recovered We have a long road ahead of us. Hopefully this fall can be an exciting time for new auto's, job growth and recovery. Now is not it and I truly hope everyone gets through the next few months safely. Look forward to next years auto shows.

at the auto show was a new Encore GX, almost 38 grand. Loaded sure. But wow, about 10 grand too high IMO.

Agreed- I know why countries like Germany are lowering, as they are doing the smart thing and testing everyone they can. I am not sure sure that China and Russia are doing the same....

This Sounds like you're doing OK! If you can look at a problem and envision how it needs to be repaired, all you need after that is some experience with tools & stuff and you can do it. Tools are the easier of the 2 'prongs'; understanding how things go together/come apart and how structure works is harder.

I think the only place in my HS that had A/C was the library. Single building, still there, It was built in '58. It'd be cool to walk it again, but I don't really miss it. Some of the girls tho, I do miss them. Time has a way of fucking that all up, tho. I looked a few of them up online. Yikes. [I reserve the right to be quietly and -at times- savagely judgemental].

Now that the weather is getting springy, I'm doing a few projects around the house and outside. Installed kick plates on the lower part of the door leading to the basement (the dogs have eaten away large parts of the wood). A temporary fix until I replace the door w/ a steel one. The screen door on the side entrance to my garage opens very roughly, something wrong about the aluminum door frame and how it meets the door..too tight. Removed the frame side, redrilled the mounting holes to move it further from the opening by maybe 1/2 inch.need to reshape it or file some on the edge of the door so they don't bind when the door is shut tightly. Got some mulch, top soil, fertilizer and grass seed to work on building up a low spot in the yard and re-seed some bare spots...working on ideas for places to plant additional trees... If I could be 1/10th as good of a handyman my Dad was, I'd be happy..he was so good with all sorts of tools and had a lot of common sense and practical skills..he could bleed brakes, set timing, do bodywork, install bathrooms, rewire a house, bee keeping, planting orchards, etc all while being a school administrator. . working w/ tools and stuff is still pretty unnatural to me.

This was my mother's 'painting box'- it's prolly from the 50s. Certainly not a quality piece... but thought I'd at least make it structural again. Top & bottom are plywood, which was all coming delaminated. So over a period of evenings, I glued & clamped it various ways, plus used wood filler in some sports. Had to repair the rear of the lid where a jagged section was missing, making the hinge on that side non-functional. Anyway- it's back together. Mom (& dad) paint regularly, but I don't expect she'll use it, but maybe she'll enjoy having it again; she has a studio room down her basement (I think it's been in my stash of stuff for over 10 years now).

Nice, Good Project auto.

There are 2 last gen Corvettes faster than both the MBAMGGTS63 and the MBSLSAMGBS. Faster than the lexus FLA Nurburgring Package, the 911 Turbo, the 911 GT2, the 911 GT3, and the ferrari 488GTB. Among others. Corvette is already in super car territory. It's brought it on. But it's going to bring it on so very much harder with the C8.