Lexi.
Lexi has been having more play dates with her friend.
They even had a beach trip as the weather has been sensational!
Drill.
I've been chasing a decent, floor standing, industrial, pillar drill (or drill press as the Aussies call them) for about 18 months now and missed out on 2.
But then last week I spotted one on Gumtree!
As I needed to get there within an hour as the seller was going out, I didnt have time to hook the trailer up so we squeezed it in the Astra.
The saw horses finally had to go as I dont have anywhere else to store them.
32 years old! All the new ones now are made in China and have lots of plastic in them where as back in the 80's the ones coming out of Taiwan were good quality!
It came with a machinist vice which I found incredibly useful when I was at Piranha, so thats a bonus!
I do also have a proper made in England, Record vice as well.
I'm thinking the space next to it can be for a 20 ton floor standing press which is something else on my shopping list, along side an engine crane, a big MIG, a decent tube bender and an 8" bench grinder.
Pretty pleased with how the workshop is looking at the moment, but I cant wait until I can one day build a huge workshop!
RJ.
I did a little bit of work on project RJ.
Decided I should probably put it back together a little bit as its going to be a while until I get properly stuck into this project and I dont want to loose anything or forget where stuff goes.
Refitted the special twin pivot windscreen wiper arms.
I found a rust free receiver for the lock, just need to source one more for the other side.
I bolted the tops back on the front doors.
WR450f
I bought a new battery for the bike from my favorite local store.
Smaller than the original and feels so light it feels like an empty plastic box.
They included self adhesive foam strips to stick to the battery to pack it out.
The old one will be sold to the scrapman along with LJ's old battery.
Specs on the new battery.
I noticed when I got the bike that it had a very occasional drip of coolant from the water pump housing.
It had begun to get worse and drip more so after watching a youtube video and consulting the factory service manual I picked up some supplies and an oil seal and got to it.
I picked up a litre of coolant and some hose clamps to limit the amount of coolant I would loose pulling the waterpump off.
Bottom radiator hoses clamped.
WP cover off.
Impeller off.
And I could finally get to the leaing seal.
Old seal came out easy with a little hook tool.
New seal.
All back together and no leaks!
It was then time to get out for a trip!
I plotted a route through the hinterland.
Met Sam and his other mate Adam.
And my new mate Dean who is the new sparky who has just started at the hospital with me. I spotted on the induction he had a Fox T shirt on so I asked if he was into dirt bikes and it turned out he has got the same bike as me!
This is Dean's WR450f.
Another stop in Carunga for a pie.
Then a lunch stop at the 100+ year old pub at Advancetown for a pint and a roast dinner.
It was a great day and next time were hoping to get away for an off road trip!
Astra.
The rego (road tax) was up on the Astra this week so I got it on QLD plates.
Old versus new.
Fitted.
The Hospital Job.
The new job is going really well!
Its nice that Bec and I can travel to work together and meet up for lunch.
This is the view from the roof.
You can just about make out the city sky scrappers in the distance. In front of that they are building the athlete village for the 2018 Common Wealth Games. They have got a crazy amount of tower cranes as they rush ahead trying to get it finished in time.
Bec is currently working at the Private hospital across the road from my hospital, but has just landed a job at mine so will be moving across soon.
Helicopters landing on the roof is a regular spectacle.
As we walk on average 25km (15 miles) a day, working in the maintenance department, carrying a heavy tool box around isnt an option.
Most of the guys have a cheap folding sack trolley from Office Works with a box or milk crate bolted to it.
But I found them quite unpleasant to push or pull around as their so badly balanced.
So I did some research and found a tool bag that looked much more suitable and professional looking.
Its working well so far but it will be interesting to see how long it lasts as its not the best quality ever.
having said that 1 was an 11 month old rescue and 2 where 1 year old failed medical guide dogs! Thats the secret 
