nostalgia and advice

  • Thread starter Thread starter Randy G.
  • Start date Start date
R

Randy G.

Doing a bit of upkeep today. FIrst, I took out the spare tire to check
it, clean out the well, and give the tire a coat of some now (to me)
tire treatment I am now using, having given up on that junk known as
Armor All. When removing the tire I remembered that the plastic
hold-down screw had a lug broken off so I used the Devcon Plastic
Welder I bought (two part epoxy-like glue specifically for plastic).
It is rated at 3500 psi strength so it will be interesting to see if
the lug I built up holds. if it's tinsle strength is as strong as its
odor, then it will work! It hardens REALLY fast, like about a two
minute work time (they say 4) and can be handled and worked in 4
minutes! My next task is to rebuild the mounting 'lugs' on the
tailgate inner panel.

After that I took out the battery. The positive terminal was looking
ugly and so I decided to clean out the battery area. When I was a
teenager I worked in the Ward's auto department for just over a year
doing tires and batteries- College Mon-Fri and work Sat and Sun. it
all sort of came back when I was cleaning teh long hold-down bolt and
clamp for the battery today. I used the power wire wheel and the aroma
of that battery-acid dust in the air brought back waves of memories of
installing dozens of batteries each weekend, especially on sale days.
So much for the nostalgia, but the stories I could tell!...

Anyway, I found a lot of ugliness in the battery compartment, under
the tray, so I washed and scrubbed, dried, and painted a coat of
anti-rust primer. Will have to pick up a pint of matching paint to
finish it off during the week.

I think that this is an area that is often neglected and one that
deserves annual inspection and attention. Something as simple as
taking the battery out, washing the area (including the battery) with
an all-purpose cleaner, drying it off and just giving it a spray of
WD-40 once in a while can do wonders. it is that much more important
with uni-body cars and cars that have the battery tray welded into
place or as part of the frame/body. In some countries it can keep the
car from passing inspection, but in the US, if it rolls and starts it
is legal (around here there are some cars that barely do that!). Like
the leaking fuel filler hose on my '74 Ford P.U. that I 'mended' with
All Purpose Goop brand adhesive and fiberglass cloth the other day.
It's OK, I can't afford to fill the 38 gallon tank(!) anyway, so it
should be OK.. ;-)
__ __
Randy & \ \/ /alerie's
\__/olvo
'93 960 Estate
 
Randy said:
Doing a bit of upkeep today. FIrst, I took out the spare tire to check
it, clean out the well, and give the tire a coat of some now (to me)
tire treatment I am now using, having given up on that junk known as
Armor All. When removing the tire I remembered that the plastic
hold-down screw had a lug broken off so I used the Devcon Plastic
Welder I bought (two part epoxy-like glue specifically for plastic).
It is rated at 3500 psi strength so it will be interesting to see if
the lug I built up holds. if it's tinsle strength is as strong as its
odor, then it will work! It hardens REALLY fast, like about a two
minute work time (they say 4) and can be handled and worked in 4
minutes! My next task is to rebuild the mounting 'lugs' on the
tailgate inner panel.

After that I took out the battery. The positive terminal was looking
ugly and so I decided to clean out the battery area. When I was a
teenager I worked in the Ward's auto department for just over a year
doing tires and batteries- College Mon-Fri and work Sat and Sun. it
all sort of came back when I was cleaning teh long hold-down bolt and
clamp for the battery today. I used the power wire wheel and the aroma
of that battery-acid dust in the air brought back waves of memories of
installing dozens of batteries each weekend, especially on sale days.
So much for the nostalgia, but the stories I could tell!...

Anyway, I found a lot of ugliness in the battery compartment, under
the tray, so I washed and scrubbed, dried, and painted a coat of
anti-rust primer. Will have to pick up a pint of matching paint to
finish it off during the week.

I think that this is an area that is often neglected and one that
deserves annual inspection and attention. Something as simple as
taking the battery out, washing the area (including the battery) with
an all-purpose cleaner, drying it off and just giving it a spray of
WD-40 once in a while can do wonders. it is that much more important
with uni-body cars and cars that have the battery tray welded into
place or as part of the frame/body. In some countries it can keep the
car from passing inspection, but in the US, if it rolls and starts it
is legal (around here there are some cars that barely do that!). Like
the leaking fuel filler hose on my '74 Ford P.U. that I 'mended' with
All Purpose Goop brand adhesive and fiberglass cloth the other day.
It's OK, I can't afford to fill the 38 gallon tank(!) anyway, so it
should be OK.. ;-)
__ __
Randy & \ \/ /alerie's
\__/olvo
'93 960 Estate
Click to expand...
I strongly agree about the need to maintain the battery area, especially
on older vehicles. I once bought a used Honda Civic from a guy who had
driven it in Guam for many years then brought to the U.S. The car was
just fine(engine and bodywise), but after about 6 months it suddenly had
a severe handling problem. Turned out that the frame itself had corroded
completely through, directly beneath the battery. It had a new battery
when bought but clearly had been neglected in the past. Caveat Emptor. I
clean the battery area and terminals on my cars routinely. Use
distilled water to fill cell levels(unless maintainence-free). Also,in a
pinch, pour some soda(pepsi,coke,ect..) directly on corrosion on the
terminals, then rinse with water.
 
all that lovely lead in the acid fumes wow how good can it get .
 
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