March 13, 2023 - March 16, 2023 - Work on Golf Cart, Potato Bake, and Grill Repairs

Monday morning I made a trip to Home Depot to get a caulking gun. The other day I bought caulk for a few places and totally forgot I didn't have a caulking gun here. I'm used to all the tools I have at home. 

The golf cart came with only one key. Home Depot didn't make that key, so she sent me to "The Lock Man" about two miles down the road. He cut them in no time for $7.50 each - inflation. The new keys are the size of Ford Motors keys. The ignition has been replaced and the new one is totally different from the usual Club Cart key that will start about everyone's cart. I guess that is good for my security.

While at Home Depot I bought a small steel brush wheel to use in the drill to take the glue off the front windshield posts. Someone must have glued on a rain cover or something in years past. Glue was slopped everywhere and hard as a rock. Here are pictures with the hard, sloppy glue residue everywhere.

Here are pictures after all cleaned off.

I then decided to go ahead and remove the front framework and paint it flat back to match the back top support. In taking the windshield off the old plastic brackets broke so I ordered new ones.

I also took apart the small front dash compartment to tighten the ignition switch because it turned when you turned the key. An easy fix I thought. I put it all back together and no ignition. I pulled it back apart and found that one wire to the ignition switch came off. I looked and looked and couldn't see any wire nearby. Golf carts are way too low to get under without a jack. (Which I don't have here.) Looking behind the front wheel with a flashlight I was able to see the loose wire hanging down. After a couple of times shoving my arm down the hole in the dash I was able to reach down and grab the ignition wire to reconnect it. Mission accomplished. The plastic on the dash needs to be repainted but that is a project for next year when I when I do bodywork on the fender.

Tuesday morning I began work on the plastic golf cart top. It was split in several places due to old age. (I hate plastic.) I took it off to make it easier to work on. I used several strips of painter's tape spread out along each split to hold the pieces together for gluing. I then spread JB Weld Plastic Bonder in between the painter's tape and let it set overnight. After I removed the tape, I needed to put JB Weld Bonder in the spots where the tape had been. Naturally, I ran out of bonder, so I made my first golf cart trip to Walmart next door. There is a concrete path from our park to the Walmart, which has a large golf cart parking area. Here my cart sits with no top.

The JB Weld Bonder is solid and the color closely matches the top. Here are pictures of the top while waiting for the second round of bonder to dry on several repair areas.

Tuesday afternoon the ladies organized a "Potato Bake" at Roberts RV Park. About twenty people participated. It was a perfect day. Dave and I got the charcoal going and then we all sat around waiting for the coals to get hot so we could put the potatoes in.

Everyone brought their own potato and various toppings. We all had a great time visiting and sharing a few adult beverages well into the evening. The men sit in one circle and the women in another. This is a part of RV life I will miss.

Wednesday, while waiting for the plastic bonder to set up on the top, I began once again working on the gas grill project. I had already gotten a full tank of LP and a new regulator. Both worked well and the grill fired right up. We cooked some steaks on it.

Two things remained to be addressed. The first was that the area of the pan where the burners attach in the back had rusted through, which is a common problem. I found a perfect bracket for $1.98 at Home Depot and remounted the two burners to it and then to the pan. It will outlast me.

The second issue was that the four plastic (I hate plastic) rollers had broken off so it couldn't be moved. I saved the plastic wheels off the junk garbage can a week or so ago, made a wooden support for an axle, and attached those wheels using a threaded rod. I installed blocks on the other side so the grill would sit level. I can now wheel it in and out of the shed. The plastic wheels don't like all the weight on them but it will only be moved a short distance twice a year. Here is a picture. Now I need to find some more steaks!

Yesterday we received our first utility bill from the City of Pinellas Park. I'm in the process of getting set up so I can make payments online because the March payment will come after we leave. I called the City and they said the park personnel had to make the change. Go figure. I'll pay this one and hope the next one can be paid online.

Today (Thursday) Kelly is out shopping for new material for a duster for our bed. She didn't like the Burgandy colored one that came with the home. She already bought new drapes and a different comforter. Soon the bedroom will be to her liking, except we need to bring some pictures down in the fall to hang on the walls.

We may go the Roberts RV Park this afternoon for the final Horse Races of the season and back over tomorrow for the St. Patrick's Day Golf Cart Parade. Both are always fun events, the park is close, and it gives us time to visit with our friends.