Still don't have the strut fiasco solved yet, but seat belts arrived!!

And I'm probably going to end up with a generic powder fire extinguisher.

Yes, they are messy, but they're so ubiquitous and easy to get.

I'm thinking if things get dire enough that I have to use it, the last thing I'm going to be concerned with is the mess.

Unless you have rebuilt the wiper motor and all of that, you should throw a bottle of Rain-X in the glove box just in case. If you go fast enough it works when the wipers don't. I kept a bottle in my Hardbody Nissan when I was driving back and forth to Destin after hurricane Opal.

Edited Sunday at 05:45 PM3 days by siteunseen

Thanks for the recommendation. I think my wipers work. My current plan is it's not going to rain while I'm on the road.

So I've been working on struts. Had a hard time getting the second one apart. Strut shaft kept turning in the "D" shaped hole.

Got it apart and found this:

Hoping I can dot a couple weld lumps in there to mitigate that issue. More news as it develops.

On 8/23/2025 at 3:49 AM, Captain Obvious said:

And I'm probably going to end up with a generic powder fire extinguisher.

Yes, they are messy, but they're so ubiquitous and easy to get.

I'm thinking if things get dire enough that I have to use it, the last thing I'm going to be concerned with is the mess.

Powder also eats into your carparts that otherwise could be saved. co2 does not do that and i don't know overthere but overhere a co2 fire extinguisher has almost the same price..

The way my insurance policy is with Hagerty's if it catches on fire I'm breaking out the weenies and marshmallows and enjoy the bonfire. But my luck some dumbass would stop and put it out before a total loss.

Hahaha!! I'm hoping it won't come to that! ☺️

So with the help of some kind generous people from here on the forum, the front struts are back in the car!

Here's a recap... I "welded" a couple dots down inside what was left of that "D" shaped hole. Isn't pretty, but doesn't have to be. All it has to do is keep the strut insert shaft from spinning while you tighten the nut. Hard to weld down inside that pocket, but here's what I did:

Then I filed the hole back into a "D" shape and ground off a little bit of excess proud of the surface, and in the end, I have this:

When you get the contrast right with backlight, you can get a decent look at the "D". Remember, all it has to do is keep the shaft from spinning:

So with that crisis averted, put the struts back together. Put 'em on the car, reassemble and bleed the brakes, and I'm back to where I was two weeks ago*. Hahaha!!

* But now I have struts that work.

Countdown!!