Things I learned during the delivery of our first baby
Here is a list of things I learned in no particular order:
- 75% of women go with the intention of not having an epidural, of those women 80% end up having one and the other 20% wish they hadn’t waited too long to ask for one.
- You don’t need to bring baby wipes, diapers, lotion or the like, the hospital will provide everything the baby needs until discharge. At discharge you will need 1 outfit, 1 hat and 2 swaddling blankets.
- Clothes that fit the baby are 10 times better than clothes that are cute.
- You may hear words come out of your wife that would cause a sailor to blush.
- Sleep as much as you can.
- The nurses are there to help so let them and learn as much as you can.
- Bring light snacks for both of you, the hospital will provide all the beverages you can handle.
- If you are going to take pictures or video get a wide angle lens or adapter for your camera, a 35mm equivalent focal length of 22mm will work great.
- Nobody but you really needs to be in the delivery room with your wife.
- Cutting the umbilical cord is like cutting gristle with a pair of dull scissors.
- Circumcision isn’t nearly as horrible a procedure for the baby as you would think, he gets an anesthetic and is mostly healed after a few days.
- Express your desires to the hospital staff about how you want the delivery to go early and often.
- If they use a vacuum on your babies head it’s okay, even though it looks like the doctor broke your baby. The cone head only lasts about a day.
- It may take 20 seconds or so for the baby to cry, they have to suction out the amniotic fluid the baby has been in for the last 10 months.
- Breastfeeding is hard so don’t give up.
- If you are the dad bring something to entertain yourself, mom and baby will often be asleep.
- The typical stay for a first time delivery is around 48 hours.
- The 2 secrets to a happy and content baby are feed him well then wrap him tightly.
- Babies love Willie Nelson, especially “Seven Spanish Angles” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”.
- If you have a boy he will pee on you if you take his diaper off.
ETW1 Carburetor rebuild
I received my ETW1 carburetor rebuild kit today from Daytona Parts Co., the cost of the kit was $42, USPS Priority Mail shipping added another $6. Basic instructions are included, hopefully the rebuild will go smoothly this weekend.
M37 electronic ignition
Pertronix makes a 24 volt electronic ignition that fits the distributor of the M37. The part number is MV-161 and can be found online if you search around or you can pick one up from Charles Talbert at M Series Rebuild.
The benefit of electronic ignition means no more tune up kits, no more adjusting the points.
M37 Fuel pump rebuild
After looking around for a rebuild kit for the M37 fuel pump I got a prompt reply back from Tom at Then and Now Automotive, you can read Tom’s reply at the end of the post. My fuel pump turned out to be an AC 9804J.
You can identify the which pump model you have by looking on the pump ear where it mounts to the engine. Parts diagram included below.
The pump was in need of a rebuild and cleaning, the fuel tank had a lot of scale and that got all the way to the fuel pump as the pictures show.
The fuel pump rebuild kit includes all the parts shown below plus 3 diaphragms and a cork gasket not shown.
After several hours of soaking in hot soapy water I disassembled and cleaned the fuel pump, it always amazes me how hard it is to remove 60 years of oil and dirt.
First step in reassembly is to install the check valve gaskets and check valves. After all of the valves were in place I installed the retainers with new screws. The original screws had rusted and caused the retainers to crack so I decided to replace the screws with brand new stainless steel slotted machine screws (#6-32 x 1/4”) and purchased new retainers from Then and Now Automotive.
Next I installed the check valve gaskets, check valves and retainer in the bottom assembly.
Cover, cover gasket, cover retainer bolt and gasket installed. The parts diagram on page 60 of the Supply Manual show the screen being installed in the bottom assembly however the NOS Fuel Pump I bought didn’t have one so I left it out of my rebuild.
After assembling the upper and lower assemblies I started on the main body assembly. I installed 2 check valve gaskets and check valves plus the seal and seal retainer.
I used a mallet and socket to seat the retainer and seal without damaging it.
I assembled the arm and links next, the bearing (hollow tube included in the rebuild kit) holds it together during installation.
The installed C clip can be seen below.
I installed the upper spring spacer and spring next.
Before installing the diaphragms the priming lever, link and rod assembly need to be installed. I used an o-ring to seal the priming lever shaft and a little bit of grease as lube.
Next up in the rebuild is the most frustrating part, installing the upper and lower diaphragms. Getting the links into the key in the end of the diaphragm shaft takes a bit of work. You kind of have to do it by feel, it takes some patience. I installed the bottom diaphragm first and put my finger through the other side which allowed me to feel the diaphragm shaft. (Note picture below right is without the seal and retainer installed.)
Upper and lower diaphragms installed.
The last diaphragm goes at the very top under the cover.
The finished product is shown below, it cleaned up pretty well and looks good, had I replated the machine screws and priming lever arm it would have looked a lot closer to NOS. (NOS Fuel Pump pics included below for reference.)
Here are some pics of a NOS Fuel Pump an my rebuilt one, you can see the NOS pump machine screws are a bit shinier than the rebuilt pump.
Then and Now Automotive can be reached at:
Phone: 781-335-8860
Outside U.S.: 01-781-335-8860
Fax: 781-335-1925
Then and Now Automotive
447 Washington St.
Weymouth Ma. 02188
mailto:oldpartstom@aol.com
Dear Matt,
Thank you for your kind inquiry. We make the fuel pump kits for the M37 and all sorts of other fuel pumps, but in order to provide the right kit, we need to know the number that is stamped into the pump you want to rebuild. The pump number is on the edge of one of the ears that the bolts go through to hold the pump onto the motor.
The M-37 Power Wagon and the M-43 Ambulances tend to have AC pumps with either # 9615 or 9804 stamped in. These are pumps equipped with a priming lever, and the pumps are also equipped with fittings to run submerged (briefly).
With that number we can send the right kit- the kits contain the parts for both the fuel and vacuum sides- the gasket to block, rocker arm pin and bushing and spring; oil seal and retainer (for the vacuum side only- on the fuel side there is no seal, just the seal retainer acting as a spring seat) ; diaphragm assemblies (of die cut buna-n-nitrile rubber cloth reinforced with nylon, with upper and lower steel protector plates and the pull rod riveted through the center- watch out for crappy flea market kits which expect you to somehow take your old diaphragms apart and re-stake them!) check valves and check valve gaskets (10 check valves in this pump!) and pulsator diaphragm on fuel side, and vacuum side bowl gasket and fiber washer.
The kits are $ 69.50 because of the extra check valves and the pulsator diaphragm. Shipping and handling is $ 12.50 by UPS inside the continental US. We also offer rebuilding services on the pump at $ 145.00 for the labor and kit parts. We take the usual credit cards, and ask that you telephone or fax in your important information for an order. We cover our phones from Monday to Friday in Eastern time at 781-335-8860 from 8am to 5pm and at 781-335-1579 from 10am to 7pm> The fax is 781-335-1925 anytime.
Hope this helps, Tom
Underwater Camera Buying Guide FAQ
This guide is aimed at the first time buyer of an underwater camera and housing.
Question: Should I buy a specific brand of camera?
Answer: Although I recommend Canon several manufacturers including Nikon, Sony and Olympus make great cameras also. The Digital Photography Review website has lots of great information on most digital cameras and serves as a great resource when comparing different models.
Question: Are there specific features I should look for when buying a camera for underwater use?
Answer: There are 2, first you need to find a camera that can also be used in an underwater housing, for a list of housings made by Canon and the cameras they are compatible with click here.
The second feature you should look for is a manual white balance control, simply put this feature lets you take underwater pictures with more vibrant color than when not using a flash. For a nice write up on using white balance when diving click here.
Lastly if the camera you select can shoot video that’s a bonus.
Question: Should I buy an external strobe?
Answer: For first time buyers I don’t recommend an external strobe, I do this because a good many people will be satisfied with the internal strobe of their camera. As soon as you become serious about underwater photography you will want at least one external strobe to reduce backscatter and allow for better color and creative lighting.
Question: Where should I buy my camera and housing from?
Answer: Wherever you are comfortable purchasing from, this might be your local dive or online retailer. You local dive retailer may have cameras and housings you can demo in the pool or ocean and can provide advice on what to buy.
Question: My camera manufacturer doesn’t make a housing for my camera, what do I do now?
Answer: All is not lost, there are other manufacturers of underwater housing such as Ikelite, Sea & Sea, Subal and Aquatica.
Question: This faq is great but I want more information where can I get it?
Answer: Scott Gietler’s website Underwater Photography Guide is a great reference. This article from BH Photo Video is also a good guide, you can also email me or drop by your local dive retailer for some great advice.
Scuba Diving in Bahia de los Angeles
I went on my second dive trip in as many years to Bahia de los Angeles, the 406 mile trip down was mostly uneventful although I did get pulled over by the Federales for passing in a no passing zone. I got lucky, the Federales got a more important call and let me go.
The trip down with stops took us about 12 hours, you can do it in 8 or so if you just stop for gas. In Bahia we stayed at Villa Bahia which has A/C from 7 PM to 7 AM, it's hot and humid in Bahia but tolerable after the sun goes down.
This year as in years past we used Ricardo's Diving Tours to shuttle us to the various local dive spots. Ricardo does an excellent job and has the best outfitted pangas I have ever been on, with marine radios, oxygen and life jackets. It may not seem like a luxury but Ricaro's panga has a ladder which makes for an easy exit.
Ricardo picked us up each morning in front of Villa Bahia and took us out for 2 dives per day, at the end of the day Ricardo filled our tanks and rinsed our gear, he gets bonus points for that. The visibility (20-40 feet) this year was less than last year however the lack of vis meant more plankton and more plankon meant more Whale Sharks. We got to dive with a total of 8 or so Whale Sharks varying in size from 12 to about 21 feet.
Water temperature ran from 77 to 81 degrees.
Here are some pictures from the trip.
How to get executable directory in .Net
This will give you the current executable directory in .Net:
System.IO.Path.GetDirectoryName(System.Reflection.Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().Location);