[Tx Firefighter]

I've been laid up here at the house and I read this entire thread straight through, all 90 pages.

A couple of thoughts....

-Way back there you were buying tie rod ends and spoke of the part number. Neither you or the parts house guy could figure out why the part number contained an "L". This signifies left handed threads. Tie rod end part numbers usually end in either an L or and R. Having both threads allows for toe adjustment via the threaded adjuster sleeve between the tie rod ends. Simple enough.

-Like you, I use bare electrical connectors which I crimp and then solder and finally cover with heat shrink. You pictured yourself throwing away handfuls of those colored crimp connectors that were included in something you bought. I do not throw them away. Simply grab them with one pair of pliers and use a second pair of needle nose pliers and pull the colored plastic thing off. This leaves you with a bare connector appropriate to how we use them. Money saved. Less waste. Crimp, solder, heat shrink and carry on with life.

-You're a maniac with that angle grinder and wire brush cleaning rust off bolts and screws. An inexpensive bench grinder with a wire wheel is so much safer, waaaayyyy quieter, and you'll fling fewer bolts to the moon. You should be able to buy a bench grinder and wire wheels for way less than 100 bucks total. Then you can use your angle grinder for flinging cheek pokers like it was designed to do.

No criticism intended. Just some thoughts I had while enjoying your thread.