1967 Honda CL90, S90 Motorcycle Build

I found another motorcycle project that is turning out to look pretty nice. I started with a 1967 CL90 frame. I was able to add a CA200 front fork assembly too it. When it came time to find a gas tank for it, I found a Honda S90 gas tank that turned out to be in really good shape. I got an excellent price for it and then realized that if I want to use the S90 tank then I am going to need the S90 front forks for it. I looked into finding a CL90 gas tank but they are hard to find in good shape without paying an arm and a leg for them. Here are some pictures of the project now.

1967 Honda CL90 Pressed Steel Frame with Swingarm

1967 Honda CL 90 Frame with CA200 Forks and Shocks

1967 Honda CL90 Frame with CA200 Forks and 17" Wheel

1967 Honda CL 90 Frame Rolling Chassis

1983 Honda C70 Passport Super Cub 100 MPG, Miles per Gallon

Here is my super gas mileage champ, a 1983 Honda C70 Passport Cub. It is reported to get 100 mpg and I believe it. I just ran it out of gas after filling it over three months ago. I was just using it to make test drives around the neighborhood. It is almost complete with the leg shields in place. All that I am missing are the mirrors and a front fender. I will have to modify a front fender to fit the oversized 2.75" x 17" tires that are on them The tires are the popular Michelin Gazelles. They have been great tires with excellent grip and a solid road feel.Here is my latest picture of it.

1983 Honda Super Cub C70 Passport - Front View

1983 Honda Super Cub C70 Passport - Rear View

Brand New Project: 1983 Honda Passport C70 Cub Moped, Motorcycle

The title to the bike says its a motorcycle so I am going with that! I started a new page to show all of things that I do to the bike. So far it's fun and affordable to work on.

Here is a link to my new Honda page:

http://axelsmancave.blogspot.com/p/1983-honda-passport-cub-c70.html

Found a Great New Project Vehicle, 1968 AMC Rambler American

Hi All,

Take a look at this great 1968 AMC Rambler American car for sale. This car would make an awesome restoration or better yet a super fast sleeper. It is located in the Albuquerque, New Mexico which is known for their rust free cars! I was going to buy it but I couldn't make it happen. Take a look at this car on Craigslist.

http://albuquerque.craigslist.org/cto/3877023237.html

Fix your Home A/C for $35.00, Bad Motor Run Capacitor

Hi All,

It happened again! My home air conditioning stopped working at 4:00am last night in the middle of one of the hottest summers in the desert Southwest! I had visions of $300 - $500 repair bills dancing in my head. The first time my A/C stopped working was due to bad bearings in the condenser fan motor. I figures this out by listening to what I couldn't hear and it was the fan motor turning on. The symptom was the A/C starting and then stopping.

Last night the A/C was running but was luke warm at best. I once again went out to the condenser and listened to what I couldn’t hear and it was the loud refrigerator noise that comes from the compressor/condenser. I did a quick google search and found a forum that talked about a bad motor run capacitor for the condenser. I took the cover off of the condenser motor/fan unit located outdoors and started looking for the capacitor. I of course pulled the quick disconnect power plug that runs four lines of 125VAC to the unit and verified with my voltmeter that I had zero voltage at the four lines. Here is a picture of the capacitor as it looked in the unit.

Bad Motor Run Capacitor for a Heil A/C Condenser

I also built and repaired a lot of computers in the past and one of the most common motherboard failures is a blown capacitor or two. Corrosion and a bulged top are dead give-aways to a bad capacitor. I must admit that I almost gave up and called a repair person but I started going through troubleshooting and my thinking was that the freon leaked out but I didn't think that was likely since the A/C was just working last night. The fear of a $500 repair bill forced me into doing more google research. A big thank you to the local Summit Electric who were able to locate me a replacement capacitor! Here is a picture of the old capacitor compared to the new capacitor.

New Capacitor compared to the old Capacitor.

How to Repair your A/C on your Subaru Impreza 2002

Hi All,

I just repaired my air conditioner, A/C, on my 2002 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport for $5 plus freon for a total of $30. I read a few other articles about how robust most A/C system are and that the problem is usually a leaking o-ring at either one of the compressor fittings. I was able to purchase a universal A/C o-ring kit at the local Autozone for $5 and then a new bottle of R134A. I already had the hose with gauge on it so I was able to save a few dollars on a bottle of freon without the hose. Here is a picture of my A/C and where the two fittings are located.

2002 Subaru Impreza A/C Compressor

Subaru High Side A/C fitting

Subaru Impreza A/C Fitting- Low

First things first, I knew my A/C was empty because I charged it last summer and it was down to nothing. I also attached my freon can with hose to take a reading and it showed the goose egg for pressure. I carefully proceeded to remove the first fitting on top of my compressor. As soon as the fitting was loose I knew that one was my culprit. The fitting fit the housing very loosely which is a sign of the o-ring not doing its job. Here is a nice close-up picture of the old o-rings with the new o-rings to see the difference. The old o-rings dried up, shrunk, and turned to a hard plastic.

Subaru A/C O-rings, Old versus New (green)

The A/C now works good. I think it works a little weird but I believe it is because I needed to vacuum evacuate the system before filling it. There are probably a few air bubbles in there but it works great for me and only cost $30. I read that a shop can re-evacuate and refill for $100. I am good with how it works right now for my 11 year old car.

Subaru Impreza Outback Sport Rear Strut Tower Brace

I just purchased a rear strut tower brace for my 2002 Subaru Impreza and had it installed in 15 minutes. I won it from eBay using a best offer of $28 with free shipping. I figured it was worth a try for less than $30 bucks.