Saturday Jan.24, 2026

Well, three weeks into the new year and I haven’t created ANY new content for the Shade Tree Garage YouTube channel — though not for lack of planning.

Our son Elijah was home from college, and he’s been helping me get some things done around the place. There’s still things I had hoped we could get done, but between weather and other obligations, they just didn’t happen.

Before my son and I removed all the parade decor from the wagon, I wanted to get some shots of the car in its parade mode — AND with working lights!

FORCED AIR REPAIR VIDEO NO-GO. I was planning to do a short video for the Shade Tree Garage channel about the repair of my 185k BTU heater; however, I have mislaid/lost/misplaced the phone I was using to record my content, and with that phone was the initial video I shot of the broken fan inside the heater!

The fix was super simple — buy a new fan blade, which was about $10. It was attached with two set screws to the shaft of the motor. Super simple to change, just had to wait a few days for the new fan blade to arrive.

In close examination of the old fan blade, it looks like the fan blade mount — which was a press fit — failed. The damn blades simply tore loose from the hub. I decided I’m not going to try to put a video together; there’s no shortage of repair videos for these forced-air heaters on YouTube.

WHEN CAN I RECORD? We have a major winter storm arriving this weekend, with up to 12 inches of snow with sleet and/or freezing rain. We’re in the range of 8 to 12 inches of snow, and the variable will be which path the storm takes. I probably won’t get out in the garage for content creation for the rest of this week.

YUKON TOOL BOX. Whenever I can get to the garage, I have an unboxing/assembly video to do for a new Yukon 9-drawer toolbox my wife gave me for our anniversary/Christmas. Its the same as the first one she bought for me 3 years ago. She had a coupon for a nice discount, but the Harbor Freight only had one left, and it was white, not red or blue. My existing toolbox is blue. I preferred another blue one, but hell, its a toolbox, any color works.

Right now the toolbox is sitting on its side on a furniture dolly. I probably will unbox it as it sits. I have to add the wheels, so no use sitting it on the floor only to have to turn it back on one end for the wheels.

The original blue Yukon is essentially full, so I need the second one. I also have my old 40-year-old Craftsman tool box and roll-around base that’s still serviceable, but in need of rehab. My wife suggests that I give the Craftsman to Katie. I may do that.

55 WAGON TO-DO LIST.

• replace driver’s door window and vent glass
• rebuild the driver’s door window regulator
• replace the driver’s door window fuzzies
• replace the driver’s door vent window rubber and fuzzy track
• add the door weatherstripping to both front doors
• adjust the hood to improve gaps and operation
• remove 2-inch drop blocks from rear leaf springs
• carpet
• door panels
• rear wood flooring
• rear vinyl flooring
• finish repainting/installing the dash and door trim

• HIGH DOLLAR NEEDS
• new rear bumper
• new rear side curved quarter glass

OTHER GARAGE WORK NEEDING DONE.

My wife bought a 2023 Toyota RAV4, so I’ll have more time to repaint the hood on her 2014 Jeep Patriot. I will need to do more final sanding on the hood prior to repainting it, but that’s OK.