Let's visit on the Porch II (Billings, Missoula: recommendations, windshield, inside)

[ElkHunter]

Originally Posted by Reziac

That's a lotta four-wheelin', for sure!

I dunno what all they're replacing on the old truck, but he said you don't open up an automatic this old without assuming a total rebuild. $1200 for a locally-owned shop with a good rep (all the local contractors go there) didn't sound bad considering Bison Ford in Great Falls quoted me $2400 plus $1400 for the parts. Just hope the thing holds up, I don't want to be doin' this on a regular basis... been warned off those national chain shops cuz they use a cheap kit that only lasts a year or so!

I had the transmission on my Lincoln Mk VIII rebuilt by a local shop down in Arlington Texas. They took it in and then the next day they called me to come down. So I stopped in and he showed me the old part (factory) and the new replacement part so I could see what was going in it. The replacement part was majorly better. More heavy duty, more robust. I really like what I saw. But he showed me the old parts and explained why they replace every part but the case. If you match up a new part to an old part, the old part will wear the new part down so they mesh properly. It's not like the new part can build up the old part to mesh properly. Really made sense.

The Lincoln Mk VIII transmission cost me $1500 and rolled out of the shop with a 1 year, 20,000 mile full warrantee and a limited life time warrantee. The limited was, they didn't warrant worn parts, but if a part broke, it was free replacement. I was happy with it.

The biggest shop down there, that only did manual transmissions, did a heck of a business. They wouldn't take your vehicle, you had to remove the transmission yourself, and bring it in. Guarenteed 24 hour completion. I had a couple friends take their 4 speed's in there. 24 hours later, they picked them up. And the best part of that shop was, they were open until 8pm. So you could drop your tanny off after work, and pick it up the next day, after work. I don't know how true it was, but I was told they average 100-125 transmissons a day. Big shop, about 200 people working there. But they also did all the commercial jobs, Peterbilt, Kenworth, equipment, trucks, pickups, everything manual. So all of the local mechanics, would take their transmissions there. If you took your pickup to a local mechanic for the transmission, he would remove it, take it there. hahahaha

[Reziac]

Yeah, good sense about worn parts vs new parts. I didn't get a chance to see what went into mine but he said there wasn't anything specific wrong with the old one, other than it was just plumb wore out and it was time to do it. They were putting the major parts back together when I went by in the Man Truck (as my old tenant dubbed the F350) about an hour ago. Will be ready in a bit.

Tellya, I'm sold on greasable U-joints. They've got 180,000 miles on 'em and they're still tight as new... vs. the 30k miles tops I was gettin' on non-greasables afore they wuz wore out.

[MaBonnema]

Man.. I wish I had a 4 wheeler. Neighbor got lucky and picked up one for 200 bucks! (somebody really needed some money and it does need a little work)
I dont know how to drive a 4 wheeler, or a motorcycle.... but I want one.. of each... lol
I figure if I can drive a stick, change gears in a semi.... and want to learn how bad enough.. I can do it.
Now... only problem... where the heck am I gonna get all the money for that! hahahahahahhaah
Where did I put those money tree seeds?????? hmmmm

You guys and all yer mechanical stuff.... only thing I know how to do is change a tire, change a battery, check and add fluids, and call someone else to fix whatever is broke...

[Wurzig]

I haven't posted on here for awhile.....I read that EH got a reward for submitting great posts and helping people, rightly so I might add! When are you taking us out to breakfast, EH?

Hope that you are all doing aok. I've been doing a lot of gardening.....fresh is best!

[MaBonnema]

Hey Wurzig! Good to see ya again. Mom and I are doing fine. My veggies didn't do well. Think the soil was bad. So far I got one yellow squash, 1 spaghetti squash... both will fit in the palm of my hand. Had a few serano peppers about 2 inches long... and a couple tomatoes about the size of ping pong balls... which Bruno politely pulled off the vine!
The deer ate our roses... finally mom got a small piece of deer netting to put over them.. so far we have 1 yellow bloom.
The peonies bloomed out and were awesome but they dont last long.
The marigolds planted in the tractor tires are gorgeous.
But my veggies... I so wanted veggies... didnt do anything.
Bruno dug up the first ones (out of the buckets!) that I planted and what he didnt destroy the rain did.... buckets didnt drain well and when I first planted them.. it rained like crazy for several days and drowned them.
The 2nd set... got some soil from Pamida and made holes in bucket bigger... still no go. I finally bought a couple of plants that were already started good... planted them... and they havent done diddly squat.
The flowers were in a different soil mix and done well.... the veggies.. in the soil I got from Pamida... have not grown much.
We watered them... they just didnt do anything. I gave up.. Thinking of going out there and ripping those few scraggly plants up and chucking them in the container.
I told mom I wish I knew someone that I could get a truck load of cow poop from and dump it here on the drive way and a truck load of good soil and dump it on drive way... then mix it and cover it and let it sit til next year.. LOL
Bet my veggies would grow then!!
NO ONE... that offered to go get me the used tires ever showed up to do it. figures... so I only had those few buckets. I guess I will just have to try again next year.. hopefully I'll have what I need then and have some money set aside so I can buy that fancy brand soil.
I was so looking forward to some fried green tomatoes and fresh squash and cucumbers...maybe gardening isnt my thing...
Glad to hear your garden is doing well.
Other than a few health issues.. everything is okay. Just kinda slow and boring around here.
Hopefully next month I can talk mom into taking a picnic lunch and going to The Cedars. I so want to be able to get out and go see some places and maybe take a few pics. Tired of being cooped up. I should be able to do okay as long as I have on a good pair of shoes, take my inhaler, and make sure I take my pain meds before I do a whole lot of walking.. lol
Anyway.. sorry for ramblimg. Good to see ya back on the boards. Eat plenty of fresh veggies for me.. ( i eat a lot too.. LOL) !!!!
Talk to ya later.

[DontLookPhoto]

Hi Wurzig hope you get a chance to visit up in our region again soon. Will see ya on FB. My wife isn't doing all that well.
Here is a photo We took recently near our town.

[ElkHunter]

Hope everybody had a great weekend.

I ate the first tomato off my plant, over the weekend. It was delicious. However, I've been kind of concerned about the temps. Got up Saturday morning and it was 35 degrees. Sunday morning it was 36 degrees. So it was getting close.

[jasper12]

Went to Missoula for back to school shopping. Old Navy was pretty much shopped out, the mall had some good bargins. We will hit Billings next week.

Cost of living in Montana, budget to stay in hotels for shopping.

Good sale at Cabela's. Considering a kayak.

[Wurzig]

Originally Posted by MaBonnema

Hey Wurzig! Good to see ya again. Mom and I are doing fine. My veggies didn't do well. Think the soil was bad. So far I got one yellow squash, 1 spaghetti squash... both will fit in the palm of my hand. Had a few serano peppers about 2 inches long... and a couple tomatoes about the size of ping pong balls... which Bruno politely pulled off the vine!
The deer ate our roses... finally mom got a small piece of deer netting to put over them.. so far we have 1 yellow bloom.
The peonies bloomed out and were awesome but they dont last long.
The marigolds planted in the tractor tires are gorgeous.
But my veggies... I so wanted veggies... didnt do anything.
Bruno dug up the first ones (out of the buckets!) that I planted and what he didnt destroy the rain did.... buckets didnt drain well and when I first planted them.. it rained like crazy for several days and drowned them.
The 2nd set... got some soil from Pamida and made holes in bucket bigger... still no go. I finally bought a couple of plants that were already started good... planted them... and they havent done diddly squat.
The flowers were in a different soil mix and done well.... the veggies.. in the soil I got from Pamida... have not grown much.
We watered them... they just didnt do anything. I gave up.. Thinking of going out there and ripping those few scraggly plants up and chucking them in the container.
I told mom I wish I knew someone that I could get a truck load of cow poop from and dump it here on the drive way and a truck load of good soil and dump it on drive way... then mix it and cover it and let it sit til next year.. LOL
Bet my veggies would grow then!!
NO ONE... that offered to go get me the used tires ever showed up to do it. figures... so I only had those few buckets. I guess I will just have to try again next year.. hopefully I'll have what I need then and have some money set aside so I can buy that fancy brand soil.
I was so looking forward to some fried green tomatoes and fresh squash and cucumbers...maybe gardening isnt my thing...
Glad to hear your garden is doing well.
Other than a few health issues.. everything is okay. Just kinda slow and boring around here.
Hopefully next month I can talk mom into taking a picnic lunch and going to The Cedars. I so want to be able to get out and go see some places and maybe take a few pics. Tired of being cooped up. I should be able to do okay as long as I have on a good pair of shoes, take my inhaler, and make sure I take my pain meds before I do a whole lot of walking.. lol
Anyway.. sorry for ramblimg. Good to see ya back on the boards. Eat plenty of fresh veggies for me.. ( i eat a lot too.. LOL) !!!!
Talk to ya later.

Ma, if you use the buckets again, maybe find a few rocks or gravel and put in the bottoms before you throw in the dirt....or even a broken piece of a terra cotta pot. That will help with the drainage. It's hard for plants to breathe if they are in plastic.

After having a horrendously hot summer here, the weather is changing......the honkers are flying away from the water, (but maybe they are just going for a snack to the corn fields), and the plants are slowing down.

[jasper12]

Candy alert! OMG! We went to Phillipsburg, and stopped in the candy store, well worth the trip! Cute old fashioned mining town, anyway, back to the CANDY, fresh fudge, about 40 flavors, fresh caramels, taffy, to die for! We are now stocked up on candy.

Note, not open on Saturday.