Low-Buck Garage

I started off doing some fluid and filter checks on this crawler loader, and then things escalated. I ran into problems I expected, and then more problems I didn't expect. I'm glad I looked at the final drive spindles, because that could have been catastrophic! Nothing was sponsored in this video, but here are links to good suppliers: The Surplus Center www.surpluscenter.com I've been buying stuff from them for many decades. Some things are overpriced, but they are great for hydraulic fittings and hoses. Also got that suction grease gun for under $10. Olivercrawlers.com They actually carry parts for this machine! Not the fastest shipping, but they've got the stuff.

This Oliver crawler loader popped up for sale, and I had to buy it because it was cheap. When I looked at it, I discovered that it was really unique, because someone swapped in a SD22 Nissan diesel 4-cylinder with half of the transmission from a 720 pickup truck. This is my kind of toy! The original Hercules IXB-3 gas engine produced 29 hp at 1700 rpm, and the gearing in the OC-3's transaxle was known to be too high. The new (80's) 2.2L diesel should put out 61 hp at 4000 RPM, and with the half-transmission reduction it will have plenty of torque. Now I just need to make it work...

I took the DIY Funny Car (Jeep) to the Duct Tape Drags in Tucson, AZ. Of course, just getting there was an adventure, because I decided to flat tow it behind the 1953 Kenworth Bus. Even though a lot of things went wrong, the important stuff went right. It was a big adventure! I really appreciate David Freiburger for keeping this show going. I really like the atmosphere, and having my car judged by him and Steve Dulcich was one of the highlights for me. Nilight Products: 4-Way Flat to 7-Way Round RV Blade Trailer Adapter https://amzn.to/3ERGM9E 4 Pin Flat Trailer Wiring Harness Kit https://amzn.to/45gu53a 7 Way Blade Trailer Connector Tester https://amzn.to/3FdxuoR Nilight website https://bit.ly/46t1ZSW The good photos came from: wesallison.smugmug.com/Duct-Tape-Drags-2023

In this video I make a lot of progress on turning my "gasser" Grand Cherokee into a "Funny Car" Jeep ZJ. It drives now!

It all started innocently enough. I needed to put my race ZJ back together to compete in the "Battle of the Beaters" at this year's Duct Tape Drags. I've already run this same Grand Cherokee in the $3K Hooptie Challenge at the Zip-Tie Drags and then the same event for a few more years. I have stolen some parts off it for another project, but it should be easy enough to put back together. The only real problem was that I made headers to fit this chassis, but they went on the Off-Road Hot Rod. I had some long tube headers, so I decided to fit those. How hard could it be? So after I cut apart most of the front end, I realized that I needed a completely new front suspension. Luckily, I had the front from a 1976 MGB lying around. It might be a perfect fit, as long as I don't expect the front tires to go back under the car... Looks like I'm accidentally building a funny car!

UPDATE: The ebay auction has ended, and this buggy should be going to a new home soon. Last time I took this buggy out I realized that the high RPM engine and old, stiff tires did not work. In this video I change out the tires and the engine. I also add a hood over the engine, so it doesn't get filled with water when it rains. Now its works almost like a normal vehicle! That brings up the problem. This was built as a water pumper buggy at least 50 years ago, so it's a bit of automotive history. So far I've just added to what was there to make it work. Now I'm having thoughts of long travel suspension and other major modifications. I don't think that changing history is right, so I can't own this anymore because I won't be able to leave it alone. It needs a new home!

I bought this 2002 King mini truck sight unseen because it was a diesel and left hand drive. Both of those are pretty rare in this type of truck! Then once I worked on it, I had second thoughts...

This bus was total junk when it was parked here back in 2003. It didn't get better since then. I need to move it, but that did not go well. I kept thinking that I found a solution, but many things went wrong. I did eventually get the Ford Superduty 534 V-8 running, but moving it was not easy. Here's the website I found that has info on the engine: https://www.macsmotorcitygarage.com/another-forgotten-ford-big-block-the-giant-534-sd-v8/

In this video I take a look how the Allis Chalmers HD5 crawler was modified, in particular how Tractomotive Corporation turned them into a front end loader. Then I take a HD 5G loader with backhoe attachment for a spin, and play in the dirt a bit. I found this article one of the most useful for HD5 information, but its still wrong about the transmission... https://contractormag.co.nz/classic-machines/tractors/hd-5/

I got this American 25 excavator running two years ago, so I expected that the Detroit Diesel 6V53 that powers it would start right up. I also checked the injector rack first to make sure it wouldn't run away on me. I didn't get either of those things right...

In this video I have to move an old Chevrolet 6400 5-ton truck. I already know that the engine was bad 20 or more years ago, so I'm just going to take the easy way out and tow it. This should be no problem... Here's the sources I used for the engine identification information: http://1954advance-design.com/Web%20images/casting-code-photos/low-press-codes-ser-nums.html http://1954advance-design.com/Stovebolt-engine/casting-numbers.html http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/chevyresto/54057.htm

In this video I dust off two of last year's projects, the Oshkosh with a Cummins 6BT and the Dodge W300 dump trucks. Since I got them running just last year, they started right up... almost... Here's the links to the original videos: 6BT Oshkosh: https://youtu.be/cVFeKJoWEJk Dodge W300: https://youtu.be/Yp7J7J4qsmI

In this video I need to move an old Allis Chalmers HD5 bulldozer that has been sitting so long it sunk into the ground. It works out much better than I expected!

There's some behind the scenes stuff in this video, along with some actual work mixed in. In the end, I find a problem that brings me to a dead stop on this project.

NEW Warning added at bottom, please read! I found out that a 34' long 1953 Kenworth Pacific Bus is not very maneuverable. Go figure! I need some kind of portable vehicle, like a dinghy on a yacht, to run errands when I park. In this video, I try out a few different types and see what works best. I like driving the dual sport motorcycle the best, but it doesn't fit. The two folding EV's I try both fit inside, but have very different personalities. Here's the link to the EUY folding Ebike: https://euybike.com/products/euy-fat-electric-bike/?ref=rztyoa6p You can use the code "Lowbuck" for $30 off. Here's the link to the Varla Electric Scooter: https://varlascooter.com/lowbuckgarage You can use the code "Buck" for $60 off a scooter. WARNING: After I finished the video, I received this from Varla: "We love the idea that you have found spots for placing the E-bike and E-scooter in the RV. But we would like to kindly remind you that please avoid putting the E-bike and E-scooter inside the RV in high temperatures environments due to safety reasons. It’s not safe for lithium-ion batteries and motors to be exposed to poor ventilation and high temperatures environments. Thank you for your understanding." Apparently these electric vehicles have safety concerns that aren't widely known. This warning came from the company where I stored the vehicle under the floor in an open compartment, and still they're concerned about the battery overheating.

In this video I make changes to the interior and make this bus conversion more livable, with running water and everything! Here's the link for the interior lights I used: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BY293WS3

Parts have started arriving for this 1953 Kenworth Pacific bus. In this video I install a rooftop A/C heat pump unit. I have to fix a few other things along the way, but eventually I get the job done. Now the interior is a nice place to work, so I can move on to other repairs.

My Dad has a Kenworth Pacific bus powered by a Cummins 12-valve 6BT that he used to travel across the country with. That was about 20 years ago. I'm going to see if it still can make a long journey, so I flew my family one way across the country and we're going to try to drive it over 2000 miles home!

I'm going shopping at my main source for large and odd projects, and I bring a camera along so you can see some of the cool stuff, too! Not everything here is for sale, but a lot of it is. If you see something you can't live without, you can contact Skipper at adobedrilling@hotmail.com

My water pumper dune buggy has been sitting on the lift waiting for a transmission for a long time. I bought a replacement a while back, but I have not gotten around to installing it. I really need my lift freed up, so in this video I'm going to get to that transmission swap. It did not go as planned. I ended up working on my 5-speed V-8 Grand Cherokee, and swapping that transmission. Then I kept working on that Jeep, and never got back to the buggy I was supposed to be working on. Oh well, it was fun anyway! While I was finishing up this video, I realized how much work I've done on this ZJ. I have a lot of videos on it, from back when I first started making videos. Here's the playlist with them all if you're interested: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfyVixelWstCN3BhC3EFBrjEj3AqN_suQ Also, I have a couple of videos on the '51 Ford sand buggy if you're interested: https://youtu.be/6Ul830EByJ8 https://youtu.be/qZj6OLPO614