Log 2014060701

I repadded my cycling helmet today. And the SC Delco manual transaxle fluid for my car came in the mail today. Otherwise, I took my utility hauling trailer to my relatives house today and loaded up some yard waste, but with the license plate light still being out, it was too late to haul it to the recycler.

My automotive repair tasks have been prioritized. And I just started the list for the trailer rails upgrade. I found that the back door would have to be 48in tall to act as a ramp itself.  That is unacceptable because it would be taller than the car and act as a wall when the caravan is in motion.  I, instead, opted to build the rails to 3ft tall and install slots on the outsides so that they transport four ramps of 1" x 6" that are 6' long. They'll have slots on the back door and together, they should make a 6' ramp. The tool bay has wheels. And it's the heaviest thing that I transport. It's probably over 300lbs and is the hardest thing to load and unload.  Last year, I avoided doing it at all costs.

I wanted to get some front bars mounted like you would see on the front of a police interceptor.  If it's legal, I could mount a 5,000lb wench.  My Chevy HHR and trailer are about 4,600lbs together and if I ever got stuck, I could just get myself out. But finding this for a car, and not a truck is difficult. So, these items are not essential to me at the moment are a "would be nice" item.

Log 2013071501

2008 Chevy HHR LS had both rear struts replaced at 124,144 miles on the odometer.  Brake shoes, pads, discs and drums were replaced sometime around 124,115 miles.  I still have yet to change the driver's side front ball bearing, engine oil and bolts to the plastic air filter manifold that were lost after a professional oil change.  It still remains uncertain as to whether the new struts lifted the back end enough to keep the hitch from scraping the ground when the car and trailer go over a raised curb, or back down from one.

This past week, gear was obtained from storage, which includes:

4L Water Bladder and drink tube
8GB Flash Drive
Two empty plastic containers
A small bottle of Febreze
A small bottle of water with approximately 8% Clorox Bleach
Sleeping bag compactor, size M
Blue jacketed speaker wire
Powered 7 port USB hub
Bluetooth wireless keyboard and trackball combination unit
75ft of outdoor extension cord

This week, the roof rack bag, music, cookware and laptop bags were all weatherproofed.  The 40lb weight vest was also used this past week.  So far, the repairs had little positive effect on the unit's performance and running with it is out of the question. 

Months ago, I requested an offline PDF copy of the Haynes repair manual for my HHR.  And from the reply email I received, I was under the impression that they have no desire to either make such a product, or even consider it.  They have a web version, but its no good to me if I'm somewhere remote.  I bring this up because the manual was stored in the laptop bag on the roof rack prior to the weatherproofing.  This past week, I was able to use a blow dryer to dry out its pages and save it.  The manual belongs in a pouch behind the driver's seat and I can place it there from now on.  But what if I use it in the car, but my wet, sopping hands have to turn the pages when it's raining outside?  I once considered taking a razor to its binding, then placing it's pages through an Automatic Document Feeder and making my PDF copy of it.  But, I'm not sure that the wheels in scanner's ADF will handle it's newsprint pages without tearing it up?  And now that it's damaged, I'd have to purchase a new manual to get it done.