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Stress relief Started by badmonkey · · Read 77319 times 0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic. previous topic - next topic

Re: Stress relief

Reply #120 –

Quote from: Steeley – gotta look past my motorcycles to see what I mean
Good thing you said that, I did not even notice the deck/steps.  Nice scooters !

I also had my fun with decks this spring/summer as well ... just finished a week or so ago.  It started innocently enough, just replace the hand railing since it was checked and split.  Removed the railing and found the posts were all wobbly.  Looked into that and it was a combination of improper notching, no blocking, wrong lags, and not to code spacing.   It was a Cheech and Chong up in smoke special. QEt1jeu.gif

Welp ended up having to replace the handrails,  rails & balusters,  posts, a couple of deck boards, several stair treads and add in all the under deck blocking so the posts were solid.   Wanted to use smooth cedar and around here that is not stocked,  you have to order and wait for it to arrive.  So a simple paint touch-up turned into a couple of months LOL

Re: Stress relief

Reply #121 –

Oh yea... as @radu81 noted with "old houses", I had one that developed a leaky hose-bib, had to replace it, but when I tried to unscrew it from the galvanized pipe, the pipe broke off in the wall... trying to remove that one, the next fixture cracked - long story told short, a 20 minute fix turned into a 3 week repipe of the whole house in copper..

I like your work.. is that wall the steps go down along actual brick, or brick-faced concrete? (And that's a hell of a flower pot!)

Here's my back deck now - I don't have any "before" pictures, but it was originally a 12x10 2nd story deck with stairs going down to dirt - The house is a 'daylight rambler" -aka "walkout basement" - and the garage grade is half-way between the 1st and 2nd floors of the house. Due to ground hydraulics (another story - the land is glacial till and the property is right on the fall line, I think the original stream bed flowed right between where the garage and house is now),  the deck had slowly settled and tilted away from the house at about 15 degrees, and was yet another crappy redwood construction.  (Cheech and Chong, uh....yea mon..) Upside, my septic system, sitting right in the middle of that fall line flow, works fine - don't know how that's working out for the folks down hill from me however, but that's their problem. Their gardens seem to flourish though.

Anyway, it was time for another [no-permit required] "repair".

landing-deck.jpg   epay-landing2.jpg
epay-landing.jpg   epay-landing3.jpg
deck-epayrails2.jpg

First, I had to build a concrete block retaining wall between the house and garage so the fill dirt would stay put, and give me a solid platform for a landing, then went to work on the deck...

Replaced the concrete block post supports and a little back-door step pad that was no longer in contact with the dirt below, with a 10x50 poured concrete patio (4" thick, 1/2" rebar 12" on 12" with a 8" footer - it's not going anywhere), replaced the redwood-slat 12 x10 deck with a "slightly bigger" 12x 50 sealed deck, built the stairs and landing on top of the retaining wall, with stainless-steel biscuit-joined epay.
BTW, the deck is not connected to the house by a header board, but directly to the house framing joists.. (a code no-no, I'm told), but if it ever comes down it's got to bring the whole second story with it so I'm not exactly worried about it..  (which reminds me - again - I have to 'earthquake-strap' the main  4x8 support joist. In a good shaker it could "roll out" from under the deck).

Oh yea, and the 'California Gutters' on the back of the house had to go too..

I did that the same year (2003) that I did the front porch, and once I was done with both in Oct., I went in for back surgery.. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:  (I wasn't gonna do the surgery before hand, no point doing it again after finishing the work - just have the surgeon fix everything at once..)

For the record - I was kinda under the gun, the area was unincorporated county when I bought the house, but became a city in 1999, and I was closely tied in with some folks on the city council and learned they were slated to have their building codes finalized by 2004. So there was a 5-year gap of, shall we say, "lax" code enforcement - the county no longer had jurisdiction or interest and the city wasn't completely up to speed yet. Work completed in 2003, in 2004 I learned that with the patio, house and garage foundation, paved driveway (which I did the year we moved in), etc  I was way over the limit of allowed impervious surface for my lot,  and of course there was no record of any code inspections on the 'new construction,' ('er, 'repairs') but.. since it was all pre-2004 code adoption construction, I was "grandfathered".  :grin:  (Woo Hoo!)  :partying_face: 
I just can't add any more..  When I put in a 10x20 steel shed in the back yard about 6 years ago I had to build a raised platform for it to sit on. (No permit required for that either, that way..)

Oh, and if you have a sharp eye, you'll notice the stairs, which are 36" wide, have no "center span support" yet another code no-no. But that's another cool thing about epay, it's so hard and dense, that a 36" 1x4 takes more than 700 lbs to snap - so with 3 ea 1x4's per 'step' it will easily hold more than 2100 lbs. per step. I'm 6'6"and weigh about 250lbs and even after 20 years I can jump on a single step board and it barely flexes.  Anything that could break a step would take out the center-span support too, so it would just be redundant.

It's beautiful wood, can be stained but the stain doesn't absorb into the wood well (and likewise bacteria and critters can't get into it either, so it just doesn't rot). The downside is you'll burn up carbide saw blades in a jiffy with the stuff.. 
 
Last Edit: June 27, 2023, 03:04:06 pm by Steeley
// Deep inside every dilemma lies a solution that involves explosives //

Re: Stress relief

Reply #122 –

Quote from: Steeley – I like your work.. is that wall the steps go down along actual brick, or brick-faced concrete? (And that's a hell of a flower pot!)
Thanks .... That wall is a brick wall, then air gap, then in that area its foundation block and then gravel fill.  The steps are not attached to the brick, they are on earth pads.   The steps are 4' wide with (4) stringers.  Yup the flower pot is a big one!  It holds all the cooking herbs and various salad greens.  The center is a composting tube the you put your scraps in to decompose which in turn feeds the rest of the container.

I have to say that is one heck of a deck you have there, very nice!  Adding in all those stairs would make me mental.  Love the look of the epay, I cant afford that but like to look at it :D  Say with an epay deck why are you looking for cedar scraps :D

I was going to replace the PT deck boards on my deck until I priced various other options, and then decided, hey this PT looks nice.  Not really shown in the pictures, but next to the deck is an enclosed/screened in area which is where we hang out, you can see that area above the steps.

I think I fixed all of the code issues, there are no more posts that look like this: 20230505_142607.jpg That is craftsmanship ... poorly notched (and any notching is not allowed to start with), and then held in place with 3 deck screws, not structural screws, but good old snap when they fail deck screws .. brilliant:bulb:

Re: Stress relief

Reply #123 –

Yes indeed - the PT looks fine.. as for the posts, don't you just love those "hidden bummers"?

The cedar is for the front porch steps, the back landing and stairs (along with the deck rail trim) is epay. If you clicked the epay links in my previous post they link to a company that sells the stuff -  they claim it's less expensive than other options, but that may be cost over 100 years of the epay projected lifespan vs replacing other materials every 20-25 years. Twenty years ago it wasn't cheaper, that's for sure.

Yea the stairs were tricky - the lower one had to be moved about 3 ft. into the landing in order to have a sane rise/run and avoid sticking well into the patio below, and the landing was no picnic either, the house wall and garage wall aren't parallel to each other so there's a few of the landing board runs that are actually cut a little narrower at one end than the other so it all "looks" parallel. However, I did break down and have a railing manufacturer install the railings for me - at that point in the project my back had me all crippled up.  

I noticed that screened outdoor areas are quite popular down in your neck of the woods - we don't have as much of a carnivorous-bug issue where I'm located, although there's been a couple times we've been driven inside in the early evenings by skeeters. I have a couple "bug-zappers" hanging from the roof joists, but those are mostly for entertainment purposessssszzz<<SNAP>>..  June Bugs are really spectacular when they vaporize.. [We used to have a little ritual - every time a bug blew up we took a shot in memorium ... seemed like the decent thing to do, but had to stop doing that.. made the deck sway and the stairs really wobbly..]


Last Edit: June 27, 2023, 09:28:35 pm by Steeley
// Deep inside every dilemma lies a solution that involves explosives //

Re: Stress relief

Reply #124 –

Quote from: Steeley –
<snip>

So I ripped the lower steps out, beefed up the understructure (originally done with treated lumber) and commenced to replace the steps with new cedar boards, this time varnished with several coats of 'Innovative' Wood Guard "no slip" coating.  So yea - I'm tuned into 2x4's and 2x6's lately.

I also took my belt sander to a couple of boards I'm not going to replace, to verify the underlying wood was still close to the "new" color with all the dirt sanded off (which it is), so when I get all the steps I'm going to replace in place, I'll sand the rest of the steps down and seal them with the same wood guard. 

However, the project is going slower than planned because when the weather is this nice, I wanna go RIDE!  :cool:

(But when it's all done, I'll too vanquish some stress by burning the scrap..)
 

Well, what would have taken a week in a younger man's body finally wrapped up after 3 months..  which included 10 days in the hospital, surgery, recovery, getting the hardware, and "waiting for the paint to dry" (always my favorite excuse for goofing off..).

IMG_0036.jpg

After 20 years I finally crafted and installed the stair banisters (the one on the right was no biggie, but the one on the left was maddening - worse than the stair steps themselves - as noted no two of those are alike and there's no right angles on most of the ends - where that banister has NO right angles, at all, anywhere, and had to be custom cut from a single 2x12 with 6" handsaws, hand-planes and wood-rasps.. "file to shape, sand to fit, pound to set, paint to match". :unamused:

I put all that off because I knew it was gonna be a bltch..

IMG_0037.jpg

And then, finally build and install the "stuff shelf" (that's where you put "stuff" down that you're carrying so you can unlock the door), that I put off for two decades also.  It's also structural - it braces the end post to stabilize it so the banister doesn't wobble (much). My high school geometry teacher would be proud of the way I applied "hidden" angular stresses to "buttress a flying bridge span". It only took me twenty years to figure it out.

Radu81, the wife let her Italian out on me for taking so long to do it - she really has no appreciation for just how complicated it was and how difficult it would be to make it look simple and straight-forward.  She hated the shelf idea until I reminded her she was the one who thought it would be nice to have 20 years ago (she denies - [sigh]), and then saw it installed and changed her mind..  Now she like it.. :rolling_eyes:  (I can't wait until she tells her friends it was her idea all along..)

So now comes the hard part - putting all the tools, saws, drills, benches, extra hardware, nuts, bolts, washers, varnishes and brushes away.. (mainly because it's going to force me to clean up the garage first, which sounds like a "winter project" doesn't it? :grin: )

badmonkey - as I mentioned earlier, I measure twice, cut once, and toss it in the pile as "practice", so I have lots and lots of scrap to burn too!

And now it's time to paint the house..
Last Edit: September 16, 2023, 08:48:09 pm by Steeley
// Deep inside every dilemma lies a solution that involves explosives //

Re: Stress relief

Reply #125 –

Looks awesome !

I bet I would get distracted and walk right into that center step post, :head_bandage:

I'm still putting stuff away from when I did my deck, gave me an excuse to start other projects that will take years for me to complete.  Its just like I used to tell my boss when they wanted to know how far along I was on a project.  I'd tell them 80%, which means I've decided to actually start working on it  :grin:
 

Re: Stress relief

Reply #126 –

Quote from: Spuds – Looks awesome !

I bet I would get distracted and walk right into that center step post, :head_bandage:


Only once, I'd imagine.. (oddly perhaps, in 20 years as far as I know, nobody has thumped it yet).
I have seen people grab it when slipping on snow/rain-covered steps, before I put the traction screens on (now I'm using a non-slip varnish, but I still have the traction screens in case that's not sufficient).

Quote from: SpudsI'm still putting stuff away from when I did my deck, gave me an excuse to start other projects that will take years for me to complete.  Its just like I used to tell my boss when they wanted to know how far along I was on a project.  I'd tell them 80%, which means I've decided to actually start working on it  :grin:

You can spend 80% of a project's eventual lifecycle planning, or 80% reworking..

Planning is cheaper..  :cheesy:

Dilbert-requirements.jpg

// Deep inside every dilemma lies a solution that involves explosives //

Re: Stress relief

Reply #127 –

Quote from: Steeley – Only once, I'd imagine.
Clearly you have not had one of my homebrews  :tongue:
Quote from: Steeley – before I put the traction screens on
A little varnish a little sand goes a long way.  That really does work, but is a pain when you want to recover the wood.
Quote from: Steeley – You can spend 80% of a project's eventual lifecycle planning, or 80% reworking..
Very true.   The cartoon reminds me of the many PLOAP projects we had to do from time to time .. "Put Lipstick On A Pig" ... Mid-life kicker ... Compensate for a bad product ... :D

Re: Stress relief

Reply #128 –

Quote from: Spuds –
Quote from: Steeley – Only once, I'd imagine.
Clearly you have not had one of my homebrews  :tongue:

Actually, I'd love to..

...  😎... been in "R&D" for 23 years... great way to write off my "Market Research" (..er' parties..) -> https://www.oldecorpsbrewing.com

Quote from: Spuds –
Quote from: Steeley – before I put the traction screens on
A little varnish a little sand goes a long way.  That really does work, but is a pain when you want to recover the wood.

Not sure if that's all the mfg. did, but in 20 more years I don't think I'll be in any mind or shape to mess with it again, so I'm not planning to strip it off. 

Quote from: Spuds –
Quote from: Steeley – You can spend 80% of a project's eventual lifecycle planning, or 80% reworking..
Very true.   The cartoon reminds me of the many PLOAP projects we had to do from time to time .. "Put Lipstick On A Pig" ... Mid-life kicker ... Compensate for a bad product ... :D

Was my favorite Dilbert Cartoon. I was a "hired gun" (certification engineer), I'd get called 18 months into a 24 month development program to "start certifying the product", and the first thing I'd ask for is the product requirements (because that is what all the design and testing has to comply with), and invariably I'd be told "we're still working on those".

Ummm... The certification process requires a waterfall approach - PHAC/PSAC -> architecture -> requirements -> reviews -> validation, then two tracks - (1) design the product -> reviews against requirements, and (2) create verification procedures and benches -> reviews against requirements, and upon completion of both  tracks, test the designed product on the test benches.... to show full compliance with the requirements, and/or capture escapes for impact analysis (is that deviation from requirements going to kill people or break things?). All that is documented in the HAS/SAS. 

I'm so sorry, but you can't bolt the certification compliance process on after the fact.

Did you file a PHAC or PSAC (Plan for Hardware/Software Aspects of Certification) with the FAA?  No? Have you maintained configuration control on the prototype you've been building? No? Do you even have a CMP (Configuration Management Plan)? No?

Oh my.. you either do all that or you run at risk, and your risk just became reality. :pensive:

"Glad to be aboard - here's my recovery plan. It should take another 18 months to complete the PHAC/PSAC, CMP, requirements and test procedures and testing - that's if you're really lucky and the prototype you built doesn't fill the test lab with loud smoke and smelly fire, otherwise 24 to 36 months typical. THEN I can write the HAS and SAS (Hardware/Software Accomplishment Summary), to submit to the FAA for certification and to the airframe mfg. for a type certificate.

(And no, you CAN'T ship the prototype you built to meet your contracted first delivery schedule to meet "safety of flight" testing. Pray the airframe manufacturer has a production delay that isn't solely because of you..).

Does anyone call me at the start of the project to plan all this out at the beginning? Of course not..  :yawning_face:

Which is why I founded Olde Corps Brewing..  "Stress Relief".. :stuck_out_tongue:
 
Last Edit: September 22, 2023, 02:08:28 pm by Steeley
// Deep inside every dilemma lies a solution that involves explosives //

Re: Stress relief

Reply #129 –

Quote from: Steeley – ...  😎... been in "R&D" for 23 years... great way to write off my "Market Research" (..er' parties..) -> https://www.oldecorpsbrewing.com
Those look awesome ... glad there is another brewer on the site :D ... It was 47F here this AM, so time to get some fixings together for a porter and I have a bourbon stout recipe that I want to make for this winter.  Currently I have a Belgian Ale (some may call it a Lawn Mower beer, its light in color and has a nice clean flavor, but watch that ABV, it will catch ya) and a "standard" American ale, hoppy but not like an IPA of any of its over the top variants, those are not my style, guess I'm old sckool.
Quote from: Steeley – Not sure if that's all the mfg. did, but in 20 more years I don't think I'll be in any mind or shape to mess with it again, so I'm not planning to strip it off.
Nods, I know that feeling.  I did a couple of repairs this year that will last 20+ and thought to myself, well that will be the next owners responsibly
Quote from: Steeley – Was my favorite Dilbert Cartoon.
There were many of those strips that were spot on for how "corporate" worked.  Can't even count how many 6month projects I had to do that had a basic plan of "we need a refresh" ... never knew just what they needed, only when they absolutely positively needed it.  Just like FedEx, they don't really care what's in the box, as long as it gets there on time.  Some of those were fun projects, and I did collect an awesome set of tee's and polos over the years  :tongue:

Re: Stress relief

Reply #130 –

There it goes !

Sold my RV .. new owner wanted it shipped on a transport :cool: Was getting dark but we got it done.  It arrived at its destination yesterday.

IMG_1934.jpg IMG_1965.jpg IMG_1973.jpg

Now the next stage, get a different one !


 

Re: Stress relief

Reply #131 –

Ha, Old Skool, ya say...

Bought this one back in 2002 for $5K

motorhome.jpg

Got easily $50K worth of lodging out of it doing contract engineering work all over the country ("neither rain nor sleet nor snow nor dead of night..")

Michigan-2005.jpg

..until I retired, and it was finally just too wore out .. cost too much to scrap it, finally sold it for $500 to a guy who swore he wasn't gonna use it as a rental under some overpass..  He drove it away about 6 years ago..

..and I've been keeping an eye out for another but I haven't come across that "sweet deal" yet (and got too many other vehicles I gotta get rid of first so I have someplace to park it..)

 Anyone want a 1979 Cadillac Phaeton that was allegedly in the movie "Casino"? :smirk:
 
(I think Robert DeNiro's blood is still on the trunk carpet.. :stuck_out_tongue: )

IMG_0622.jpg   IMG_0621.jpg casino.jpg

It's even got a "Dead Head" sticker on the bumper now.. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:
Last Edit: September 27, 2023, 04:21:11 am by Steeley
// Deep inside every dilemma lies a solution that involves explosives //

Re: Stress relief

Reply #132 –

I bet that over cab sleep area was either cold or hot !  Perfect for guests, or those who had to much homebrew :D  Good middle of the night "thud" followed by, yea they will be fine.

Can't tell from the picture, but I hope that is an offset smoker you are hauling, its the only proper way to cook Brats.  These days I'm a pellet smoker, but time was lump and sticks is what I did.  Now its pellet's and an phone app :innocent:

Going to have to pass on the caddie ... now if you have a 1970 or before El Camino SS (390 min) we can talk ... or a 58-62 era vet, one of the sweetest looking cars ever (IMO).   Sadly after watching Mecum and Barret Jackson auctions, the only thing I could afford is the Hawaiian shirts the bidders like to wear LOL



Re: Stress relief

Reply #133 –

Quote from: Spuds – I bet that over cab sleep area was either cold or hot !  Perfect for guests, or those who had to much homebrew :D  Good middle of the night "thud" followed by, yea they will be fine.

The thud was usually me (no, you don't wake up and sit up - you'll get broke of that practice quickly. If I'd spent time on boats in the Corps, I would have already been thoroughly broke of that habit). The rig had a 10 gal propane tank mounted (and I had two extra 20 gal tanks and installed the fixtures to plumb them in while parked), and a PDG heater. The roof air conditioner was oversized, and so between the heater, air conditioner and a roof vent immediately over the bed,  I was comfy. (The other bed required tearing down the table, and was only a "small double" - that was the "guest accommodations"). However, heat rises so while that compartment was nicely vent-regulated, at floor level not so much and I did end up replacing all the rigid plastic water pipe with food-grade flex when I was in Grand Rapids in Feb. '05 with a foot of snow on the roof and ground, and water temperature below solid. Flex pipe will expand a bit..  the rigid plastic pipe just breaks up into shards. That was a 3-season motorhome, and cold/snow winters took its toll on her..

Quote from: SpudsCan't tell from the picture, but I hope that is an offset smoker you are hauling, its the only proper way to cook Brats.  These days I'm a pellet smoker, but time was lump and sticks is what I did.  Now its pellet's and an phone app :innocent:

THAT particular shot was a Yamaha 1981 XS-850 triple (Venturer) on the trailer. I bought it in 1981 (wanted a Harley but wasn't going to buy an AMF version). I'd had a XS-650 twin in the military that was bomb proof, so I decided I'd stick with the Yamaha Brand until the 850 died and Harley hopefully got its act back together by then. (Harley bought themselves back from AMF in 1981 and it took a few years before they cleared the AMF influence out of the production pipe. When they came out with the EVO motor in 84, that was the turning point..)

Meanwhile, the Yamaha 850 was built off the 650 twin, produced until 1979, when they introduced the 850 Triple in 1980. (Some engineer got to thinkin they had a 2-cylinder side-by side XS650, and a 4-cylinder side-by-side XS-1100, why not 3?)
 
Well, in 2005 the 850 was still going strong, and it made a nifty tow vehicle (not so sweet in the snow however).  I finally broke down and bought a Softtail Springer in 2007 and sold the Yamaha to a friend in 2009. He used to bring it by for servicing and tuneups since the bike was older than most of the Yamaha wrenches and they had no idea what to do with it. I got him turned onto a group of triple owners for unobtanium parts (there's a guy in the group out in Iowa that buys old triples and sells used parts or machines new parts as necessary), and "learnt him" on "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" (Yamaha triple version, not the Honda Super Hawk). It's still running..  (And if you want any 850 Venturer and can even find one in good condition it costs more now used than I paid for it new and almost 10 times what I sold it for 14 years ago).

l-side.jpg

It was a one-of-a kind triple -  I ordered it custom from the dealer - black, Markland floorboards, heel-toe-shifter, center rear trunk,  King/Queen seat - Yamaha will tell you they never made a Black 850 Venturer ("You must be thinking about the XS 1100").. ummm... nope.. do you want to see the original sales receipt?  😎
(Yes, the Pacifico fairing and saddle bags were from the '79 XS1100 Venturer parts catalog, the frame and motor was a 1980 XS 850 G "standard", still in the crate). Yamaha only made the 850 for 3 years, and those were mostly the Specials (same motor, slightly smaller diameter rear tire and frame rake so it felt sportier, much more popular than the "G" model which is why I found a G still crated..) and the 850 Venturer version for the last two - 81 and 82, and those were either blue, red, or gun-metal gray) before switching to the "Venture Royal" in 83, a completely revamped tourer.

Mama didn't like the Harley softtail as much as the Yamaha (she literally would occasionally nod-off on the back of the 850 - I'd elbow her in the ribs as the bike would start to lean one way or the other), so for her comfort I bought the electra-glide for her and chopped the softtail for me..

Anyway, 'nuff of that.. the smoker is on the other side of the scooter, a bricks n' sticks version (Coleman, I think). If you've never had a mesquite-slow-smoked turkey with apple/walnut stuffing for Thanksgiving you've not yet rounded out your bucket list..

But - yours has a phone app ?? :rolling_eyes:   How about a camera and mic audio so you can watch your brats brown and hear them sizzle while watching the game? "Alexa, please flip the two inside brats and pour me a beer.." (Sheesh, I thought that's what the wife is for.. :zipper_mouth: )

Quote from: SpudsGoing to have to pass on the caddie ... now if you have a 1970 or before El Camino SS (390 min) we can talk ... or a 58-62 era vet, one of the sweetest looking cars ever (IMO).   Sadly after watching Mecum and Barret Jackson auctions, the only thing I could afford is the Hawaiian shirts the bidders like to wear LOL

Yea, I love the early SS Camino's.  And vets are.. well, vets.. A childhood friend of my wife's collects vets, and he had a '62 original condition - fun car but I'm not fond of scooting around feeling like I'm driving a 360 HP go-cart scraping my hemorrhoids over the asphalt. The wife has a 74 Porsche 914 that gives me pretty much the same pucker-factor..
The cop that pulled me over on 101 gave me a ticket for 100+ (yes kiddies, that mph, not kph) in the Porsche. I asked him WTF? since I was in heavy traffic doing 55mph when I saw him on the side of the highway before he pulled out and pulled me over - he told me the airplane had been tracking me and the vet I was playing 'cat-n-mouse' with since Goleta 80 miles behind us.. :hushed:  (I'd passed the vet on the side of the road chatting with a CHP about 4 miles back.. I'd giggled too soon..)

Turned out the judge had a 911 Carrera and only fined me for 90+ ("the aircraft aren't that accurate") or I'd have gotten a 'reckless' and lost my license..  :relieved:  Don't know what happened with the Corvette pilot.. But yes, they are all expensive.. to buy, to own and maintain, to pay the fines..


[Edit: Oh yea, the 1969 Chevelle Malibu shown in my avatar is a 425 ci Yanko SS (replica - there were only 99 Yanko's created, so this one is numbered #100 on the firewall  .. when I bought it, it was a wrecked 250 ci in-line 6-cylinder with a 2-speed column-shifting powerglide transmission 'granny-mobeeal' - THIS is how the poor thing WANTED to leave Detroit..). Anyway, it was, like your RV,  similarly loaded up and shipped, to its new owner down in Florida..  which was originally the intended topic of my reply before I... Hey! Squirrel!! ]

(Guess I should include the pics here in case I change the avatar at some point.. )