Canoe Repair

An old canoe sits rotting away behind the shed......  What a shame!  How many times have we seen a tragedy like that!!  I picked up such a canoe this week to salvage and repair.  It's just a bit of epoxy, fibreglass cloth, sandpaper and some paint.  $50 bucks and you're on the open water!  Used canoes sell for $400 - $600 each.  Why wouldn't you want to repair and use it or sell for profit?!  Seems simple enough to me!  Stay tuned....I'll be posting some 'before and after' pics along with subsequent step-by-step instructions as we go.  Wish me luck!!!

Quick & Easy Bike Fix

I just finished rebuilding my kid's bicycle for $20.00 flat!  I had to replace two tires + inner tubes, I needed a new seat and seat post and I had to fix the brakes and chain.  Kids don't wear out their bikes anyway, they out-grow them..... so I figured, why buy new parts?  This used bike store down the way (newhopebikecoop.ca) had everything I needed for next to nothing and I was on my way in no time. I reused the rims, but put 2 nearly new tires and new inner tubes on, then I removed the old seat and put the nearly new one on.  After that, I oiled the chain, sprockets and derailers.  Finally, after adjusting the brake pads to match up with the rims properly, I was done.  $20.00 and one hour later, my young lad is a happy wee man with his new bike, all polished and shining.  The summer is here!  Get out and enjoy it!

1999 VW Passat - window motor issue

Does anyone know how to replace the power window motor on a 1999 VW Passat? The inner panel that the motor is mounted onto doesn't seem to want to come off.  Any suggestions would really help!!

It seems that I will need to drill out the rivets that attach the control arms to the mounting panel, then re-attach each of them later with a bolt and nut. Will report back to say how it went!

Well friends, I fixed the window....more or less..... After pricing out a new motor for the window ($438.95 each........Holy Crap!!!), I decided to go another route.  If I had bought two motors to replace the two front door windows that aren't working, it would have cost me almost exactly what I paid for the whole car!!! Um....No thanks!!!  So, I drilled out the rivets that were holding the mounting panel onto the window assembly, built a simple wooden frame and propped the window back into place.  It's closed for good! ...for now, anyway!  I still have my sunroof and my A/C to keep me cool! No more rainy day woes for me!  Don't worry though, it's an old car, there will be more tales of frustration and woe to tell, I'm sure!  Stay tuned!

My friend Garth just bought a house and the dryer vent goes into the laundry room, not outside?!! Going to fix it and will report back. Who does this?!

Over the coming weeks, I will be adding some recent DIY Projects to this site that I have completed.  They range from home renovations to automotive repairs to boat maintenance.  Check back often and please feel free to share your experiences and challenges.