Winter Exercise

[Jim Stoltz]

Tried to exercise the generator today - it wouldn't stay running. It wasn't getting any fuel. 

Figured I'd start the 454 up to give it a little exercise, too. Battery was dead despite the Trik-L-Charge. Ugh. I have the Trik-L-Charge hooked up with the alligator clips rather than hard-wired. It was blinking the green light, which is when it thinks there's no charge current from the house batteries. Loos alligator clip.

I jumped the rig with my truck and as it was warming up I figured what the heck - I'll just take it out for some fuel. The gauge doesn't work so it might be below 1/4 which is where the pickup for the generator is.

I unhooked the shore power, removed the wheel chocks, locked up the storage doors and set sail. I've never driven it in the "cold" (cold being mid-high 30s) but the cab heat did remarkably well.

I put 20 gallons in it and hit the generator button - it fired right up. I'm glad the generator works but not happy that it was out of fuel. Rough estimate would be that it's getting 4-5 MPG based on my fuel logs (again, gauge doesn't work).

All in all it was cool to get it out for some exercise. Scrape the rust off the brake rotors, get the fluids moving around. There was some water pooled on the roof from melting snow. It found its way inside as I drove despite my roof-sealing efforts this past summer. Adding that to the to-do list.....

[david craft]

The older ac fan motors had oilers on them..the new ones I just drill a hole and oil...works sometimes...lol. 2 furnaces are nice...almost as handy as a plane with 2 engines

[Jim Stoltz]

Yep. The 2nd furnace is in the rear bedroom. I can close it off and just heat that room. The front furnace does the bathroom (just ahead of the bedroom) and the rest of the rig. I can close another partition just ahead of the bathroom and the bedroom furnace will keep the bathroom reasonably warm without running the front furnace.

Even with the bath vent closed, the front furnace makes it uncomfortably warm in the bathroom.  The vent blows right onto the toilet seat which my GF tells me gets WAY too hot ;-) May be TMI, but kind of funny.

[Lakota Wolf]

Jim has done an awesome job bringing a forgotten gem in the rough back to life. His rig will outlast the new ones comming off the assembly line.

[Jim Stoltz]

Thank you!

[Jim Stoltz]

Fired it up again for its monthly exercise. Temps climbed out of the single digits into the balmy teens today so I figured now is a good time to see how my Craigslist engine does in the cold. It fired up with no weird noises or knocks, got up to operating temp no problem. The truck heater took a bit of the chill out of the cab, too. I resisted the urge to take a spin around the block. I could probably get down the icy driveway but not back up.

I lost the phone number of the guy I bought the engine from. It was one of those deals where you talk to someone on the phone and you know they're legit. I drove down to the McGuire Air Force base in NJ to get it. We were to meet at a gas station in a ghost town just outside the base. He said to meet him at the shed with the purple door. I got there a little early and sure enough, there was a shed with a purple door. My son and I went to the only open business in town - a pizza place - which happened to be across the street - to kill some time and get some grub. The only other people in the place were a dude and his son. He said "you here for a 454?" I said "yep." And the rest is history.

He called a few weeks later to see how the engine was working. It had been sitting for quite some time and he was concerned about it working properly. He had never used it. He bought it for his '57 Chevy and found it was too big to install. He called again another couple of weeks later to check in, and I still hadn't installed it. I switched phone carriers and lost his number. I'd like him to know that it works great and I'm happy with the deal - because it was a great deal for a low mileage 454. It was exactly as promised.

Anyway, I'm digressing. That 454 gave new life to an abandoned Allegro. We had some good times in it in 2014 and expect more of the same in 2015. Can't wait 'til Spring.

[Rich Thomas]

Cabin fever hit me real hard when I took mine out this week. Today I started my bike up and let it run a bit and now I'm just bummed out completely. 

[Russell E Johnson]

I know the feeling very well Rich.  I get it every time I take the MH out for its bi-weekly run.  All I can do to console myself is to remember that the 28th of January is coming and we will be on our way to AZ to see our grandchildren, son and his wife.  Then on to Oregon to see our granddaughters, then on to Montana to see family and get some fishing in, then on to Iowa then home.  Hopefully an enjoyable 6 month excursion.

[Jim Stoltz]

Nice! That sounds like fun. There's too much snow and ice around here to consider taking mine out. It's back in the single-digits today so I won't be going anywhere any time soon. It's supposed to get a hair above freezing next week so I'll probably go out and have the propane tank filled up. It's just about out.

[Jim Stoltz]

I've sunk to an all-time low as far as garage organization goes. Both bikes are surrounded by junk so I can barely get to them. I usually try to fire them up once or twice in the winter, but haven't thus far. My CB750 usually fires right up. My girlfriend's Thunderbird always gives me a hard time but fires up eventually. It's too cold to try to dig them out today, but I'll get to it within the next couple of weeks.

[Russell E Johnson]

Well at least you have a garage Jim, all my stuff is in the "pile it" mode in our spare bedroom. LOL  Makes for an interesting time trying to find something.  

[Jim Stoltz]

Yes - I use the "pile mode" of organization as well. When I can't stand it anymore I put everything away. And then within a few months it's back the way it was. Every time my brother swings by to borrow a tool, I refer him to "the pile."

I sold my limo a couple of months back. I promised the guy my spare engine to go along with it, but told him he'll have to come back for it in the Spring once I can unearth it. It's back there somewhere.

[Rich Thomas]

What years the CB Jim? My son bought an 81 last winter and we rebuilt it in my basement; He took 2nd place in the AMA vintage Japanese bike show at Mid Ohio last summer. He's been hooked ever since.