Glenn's Wind Blocker

My buddy Glenn has a very nice car - an Audi A5 convertible. He bought it recently as a used, very good condition car. The top-down season is upon us, and he wanted to be able to use the wind blocker accessory that came with the car. Here's a stock photo from eBay showing what that looks like:

Unfortunately, his was broken. The upright portion rests on two rubber posts, and they were both broken off. However, he still had the pieces. He asked if I could fix it, and I said I'd try. It looked like it would be easy to drill through, insert screws, and stitch it back together.

Beck TD, Part 19: Today's Lesson, Learned by Doing

Today I learned that a sloppy M10-1.50 metric nut will also thread on a 3/8-16 UNC (American) bolt! I was trying to marry this turn signal unit:

to a piece of 3/8" diameter polished pipe I had lying around. The light was originally designed for a Harley, and is readily available on the web because it's such a popular modification for those bikes. And cheap! I got a set of two for less than $12 shipped, from Amazon Prime.

Saving Money in the Shop

In a recent post about Beck TD, I noted that some new equipment has arrived at the Grant St. Garage, including a large Index milling machine dating from the mid-50's. Here's another photo, just because I'm really proud of this acquisition. It's plenty big, standing 6' 8" tall - exactly a foot taller than I am. I have to use a ladder to reach the drawbar bolt on the top!

Any time you buy new gear, you quickly realize you need some supporting tools and fixtures.

Beck TD, Part 18: Getting Negative

Work has been slow on Beck TD for the past few weeks, because I was preoccupied with some heavy equipment that has made its way to the Grant St. Garage. On the same day, I got a mid-50's Index milling machine from the Facebook merchant Lamlor Brandt, and a 1947 Logan lathe from Phil Oles. Lamar, the Facebook merchant, had a skid loader that made it possible, if not easy, to move everything. Here are the two machines in place. Many thanks to the "muscle" who helped out: Kelly Williams, Phil Oles and Troy Nace! Of course, also a huge thanks to Lamar, who didn't stay around for the photo.

I did do a bit of work on Beck, and even drove it around on a 45 degree day (Fahrenheit), which was chilly but rewarding. I also made a "punch list" of tasks I want to accomplish by early June, and it's a great big list! I finished one of the tasks today: converting the electrical system to negative ground.