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Thought it might be fun/informative to share current projects, tips, tricks, or just show off what you've been doing to your hunting wagons lately. Heck, post up any vehicle mod/change/improvement! Doesn't matter how big or small, post it up here.
I decided to fix the rattling and wind noise on my 2007 F-350 yesterday. I'd seen this mod before, but didn't really think it was the 'right' way to fix it. I finally decided to give it a shot yesterday, and what a difference!!! The rattling doors are no more and I can't hear any wind noise at all. I bought the tubing off Amazon for $32 and used spry lithium grease I had in the shop. My 9 year old daughter and I knocked out all 4 doors in about an hour. I definitely recommend doing this if your Super Duty has the same issue.

Washed it.....
Worked on the old Jeep some this weekend. It's a low-mileage 98 model, but some things have weathered and such. Wire wheeled and painted a lot of undercarriage, took off bumper to paint, and polished a few wheels. Pic below is one oxidized wheel and another that I fully polished. Takes about 45min with Mothers Mag polish and a mini-powerball on a drill, but I only get about two wheels done before the wheel comes apart. Still got three wheels left for another weekend.....

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Pulled the access panel off the tailgate, cleaned/blew 85K worth of dust and grime outta the mechanism. Opens and closes like it's brand spankin' new now.
Finished up a drum to disc conversion on the rear of my '96 Cherokee XJ. I do HATE drum brakes.
Thought I would make quick work of changing the transmission and transfer case oil, and fix a small leak. T'was not meant to be! The tubing fitting on the trans cooler line was so damned tight that removing it caused the tubing to twist and deform. Ford only sells the lines as a set, so it looks like I'll be swapping them out when they come in on Saturday. Sometimes small projects kick your ass.

At least the transfer case fluid change went well....
Hauled wood chips for mulch.
Changed all fluids. Engine oil, both punkins, manual tranny, transfer case. Love those 12 quart oil changes!
Originally Posted by taz4570
Changed all fluids. Engine oil, both punkins, manual tranny, transfer case. Love those 12 quart oil changes!


I hear ya. Did the front differential today, still waiting on the new cover for the rear. Also installed a new Bilstein steering stabilizer.
I need to change the oil on my Dodge Cummins in the next couple weeks. We're taking a trip with the camp trailer and it'll be HOT. I've been using Rotella full synthetic.
Drove it to work.
Been catching up on lots of stuff on my 1998 Dodge Ram Sport 4x4 1500 238,000 miles. New timing chain, water pump, radiator, front disk brake pads and new rear drums and shoes. Put in a new plastic dash cover, replaced old radio which had no volume control. used radio. Have new door pins on order and need to find cause of intermittent brake/abs lights. I replaced sensor on rear axle and no change. Tom
Got done with the tranny line leak repair, changed trans. fluid, front diff fluid, rear diff fluid and installed a new rear cover, and other misc. stuff.

Hey, look! My truck has a nice rear end!

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Nice. I need a new cover for my 2000 F150 rear. Where did you get that one?
Changed oil and washed it again after a road trip up to Missoula, then into Washington, back into Idaho and tack on two trips to our place in OR and back. She was getting pretty fugly.
Originally Posted by Sakoluvr
Nice. I need a new cover for my 2000 F150 rear. Where did you get that one?


Off Amazon, sold by Sunrise Ford. It's actually the OEM upgraded cover they started using on the single wheel Super Duty trucks in 2008. It was priced right at $52 shipped.
Wanted some seat covers for the truck but didn't want to spend $200+ per row. Decided to give the cheaper Cabela's covers a shot since they were on sale. All in for both front buckets and the rear bench I'm out $70. The quality and fabric is MUCH better than I expected. For my truck the fit is pretty darned good. I went with the digi-camo so it wouldn't show the crap as easily.

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Shook the drivers side floor-mat out... cleaned some of the trash out of the bed. Kicked a chunk of dried mud out of the fenderwell.
I took it to Walmart for their basic $20 oil change.
Took it camping. This little site is about 115 miles from the house and sits right by a little creek. The 20 miles of forest road was a dusty SOB, but it was good to get out for a weekend.

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My front tires were getting some uneven wear so I rotated them yesterday. Today I had them on the highway and got some strange sounds out of them.
I used a bunch of touch up paint to cover all the dings in the sides of my truck. It is an 03 model and getting pretty well dinged up. Still need to fix the area behind the rear tires where the gravel has taken most of the paint off.

had to have the right front axle shaft replaced on my '98 Taco

boot tore......leaking....oh well.....225K miles....... cry
Finally got the el-cheapo light bar installed (as recommended in the 'Deer Hunting Truck' thread. My truck has the sealed beam headlights, and even the upgraded Sylvania XtraVision lights need help.

Low beams / High Beams / Light Bar
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Put some new shoes on her, put the tool box on it bout a week ago.
Put a 2500lb winch on this weekend

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And got this a few days prior to get it to my hunting grounds

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Tinted the front windows and getting it LineX'd this week
Installed a set of 35" BFG KO2's on it. Looks nice.
Old Jolly Green made it up here by vehicle shipper. The original 2bbl autolite was shot - touchy to tune and wouldn't hold a tune. Had 4bbl holley 600cfm and edelbrock rpm intake installed (and an HEI) while moved up here, so first time have gotten to play with it. Been a bit balky since rolled off the shipper. Found the right bank mixture screw 1/2 turn mismatched - re-dialed the mixture and her 390 pulls like a champ now - woof. 18.5psi vac at 800-900rpm idle (estimated off dash, don't know how to read tach off an hei setup yet.) Am young enough to not have any carb experience beyond lawnmowers, so this has been a fun learning experience. Marine formula ethanol protectant added to every fillup, and tank maintained topped off.
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Not today but last week..........

I had a whine in under the hood of my '11 Tacoma. Wasn't sure if it was the alternator or one of the three idler pulleys. MY trusty mechanic found the bad idler and also put new baloney's on her.

This time I went with Toyo Open Country H/T's instead of the A/T's. I'm doing more highway driving with it for business and the A/T's were pretty noisy. Put 900 miles on the new rubber since Thursday and am very pleased with them, thus far.

I got 40,000+ miles out of the A/T's.......
I have a BB to put in a 98 ZJ limited.
Too hot today.

Buddy's kid has half of his RC 4.5" on his XJ. Might swing over to lend a hand.

I have a set of 32x11.5 MTRs.........from my dead ZJ (3.5" lift). Dunno if I want to sell em, or stash them for a Wrangler next yr. Or do I wnt to do the BB and break out the saw, cut to fit.

My old ZJ was a rust bucket, the 98 is clean.
I got 40+K on an old set of MTRs, 32's.
But probably should have junked them at 35K.
Got pretty squirrely.

New ones, not sure about yet.
Originally Posted by hookeye
I have a BB to put in a 98 ZJ limited.
Too hot today.

Buddy's kid has half of his RC 4.5" on his XJ. Might swing over to lend a hand.

I have a set of 32x11.5 MTRs.........from my dead ZJ (3.5" lift). Dunno if I want to sell em, or stash them for a Wrangler next yr. Or do I wnt to do the BB and break out the saw, cut to fit.

My old ZJ was a rust bucket, the 98 is clean.


32s are gonna be really tight if you don't cut. I've seen some pretty clean cut fenders on ZJs. I did mine with a jig saw and they came out pretty good.
We had a Bar-B-Q. frown

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Actually, this happened in 2013.
I got the first deer of 2016 back in March with my pickup.

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Installed a 4" Cat Back exhaust on the F-350 Powerstroke. Very pleased with it; not much louder unless you really get on it, and no difference while just running down the road. My exhaust now has a nice, clear path from the turbo back.
put a spotlight on the ford

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Originally Posted by SockPuppet
Finally got the el-cheapo light bar installed


Where did you mount it? where didja put the switch? like it?
I put some new nerf bars on my Dodge 2500. I had cab length ones on it but I got tired of needing a footstool to get things out of the high bed. I went to wheel-to-wheel bars. MUCH better.
Originally Posted by huntsman22
Originally Posted by SockPuppet
Finally got the el-cheapo light bar installed


Where did you mount it? where didja put the switch? like it?


Put the switch below the headlight switch so it's relatively handy. Mounted the light bar on the top of the bumper portion of the grill guard, where it tucked in pretty nicely. Thanks again for the link and recommendation on the light bar, I'm pretty darned happy with it so far!

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Sorry, double post.
yep, beats hanging it on the roof. I re-mounted my switch to the right of the headlight switch. The little red led bothered me at night so I hid it from view, behind the blinker knobber.....

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That works. It was awfully nice of Ford to leave 4 extra wires that run through the firewall, so wiring was pretty easy. Mine also had a key-on power wire under the dash by the gas pedal that wasn't used
I loaded the citori, trap bag, and the trap club food for grilling out tonight into my pick up.

Finally getting a bed liner sprayed in. Have a appt coming up for a Line X platinum this week. Been hauling a lot of rock and dirt and the bed has taken a pretty good beating. Should look good again soon.
Installed a steering brace from Dodge Off-road on my new Power Wagon....really noticed a difference and tightened up the steering.
Tranny filter/fluid change and an alignment on my '99 F150 4x4.
New Bilstein shocks and air lift air bags on the 2500HD
First oil change for my truck...put in some Amsoil 0-40W. Good for the rest of the season now.
Days are getting shorter so time to get things ready in anticipation of a busy fall hunting season that will be starting soon, then a busy ice fishing and spearing season.

Yesterday did my yearly oil change (Mobile 1) Also rotated wheels, changed air filter, and replaced a burned out high beam.

I also went through and took inventory of contents which includes rifle and .22 ammo, tow chain, jumper cables, multitool, heavy wool shirt, extra wool gloves, wool stocking cap, folding knife, among other things…Prior to deer opener I will throw in a shovel and other winter essentials necessary for comfort in the event of an extended period of time stuck out in the cold.
Originally Posted by cabindweller
Days are getting shorter so time to get things ready in anticipation of a busy fall hunting season that will be starting soon, then a busy ice fishing and spearing season.

Yesterday did my yearly oil change (Mobile 1) Also rotated wheels, changed air filter, and replaced a burned out high beam.

I also went through and took inventory of contents which includes rifle and .22 ammo, tow chain, jumper cables, multitool, heavy wool shirt, extra wool gloves, wool stocking cap, folding knife, among other things…Prior to deer opener I will throw in a shovel and other winter essentials necessary for comfort in the event of an extended period of time stuck out in the cold.


Sounds like you have it all figured out, except for having the right truck. Next time, buy one that won't get you stuck in the winter... laugh
Last week my 06 ram clocked 150k so it was time to change all the fluids. Spent the afternoon gathering up fluids and filters and didn't get a chance them that day. My son proceeded to total out the truck that evening frown
Your 06? Holy hell....my 14 has 71K on it already. grin
Originally Posted by 458 Lott
My son proceeded to total out the truck that evening frown


CRAP!
Son ok? If so, the rest is details. Just think of how pissed you would be if he totaled it the day after you changed everything out.
He's fine, which is all that matters. Considering he was just about to turn onto an un-divided highway that is notorious for head on's I was glad that if he was going to wreck he picked a good spot. It was hard to believe how bad the truck was because he called up with a calm voice and said that he'd hit the guard rail and the truck was on it's side.

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It really was a freak accident as he's driven that road covered with snow and ice with no problems. He couldn't have been going that fast as he hit the guard rail shortly after exiting the turn spinning to the left and then over correcting to the right.

I did learn one thing, diesel trucks have great resale. 10 year old truck with 150k miles and still worth over half what I paid for it new.

I've been enjoying not having had car payments for quite a few years, but it's looking like that's going to change. I'm also debating a trip down to Idaho to get a new one from Dave Smith motors and having a little road trip to get it back.
Glad the boy is OK Paul. i understand the feeling as you know. This phone call was "I borrowed the truck , it went off the road and dented the hood". Fricken hood was about the only thing NOT dented.

Uh-huh.

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I did find out most everyone on our street are decent people as all but one car stopped to see if he was ok and if we needed help. Even had a Dr. offer to check him out. I said he's ok, until he gets home. Mostly joking as I'm really not mad at him.

The only real hassle is having five people in the house trying to get by with two cars.

I could loan you this one!

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Originally Posted by 458 Lott
The only real hassle is having five people in the house trying to get by with two cars.


There would only be 4 in my house sharing. One would be hoofing it, until he could buy his own wheels and pay his own insurance. Yeah, chit happens....But nothing like some ol' fashioned financial responsibility to teach good driving habits......grin
458Lott- We have bought two rigs from Dave Smith in the last month. We got a new Wrangler Unlimited for us and monday our son went with us when we went up to have it checked out and detailed. He went home with a new Dart. They are very good people to do business with.
2 new Interstate MegaTron batteries. It left me dead in the driveway. Last week it would have left me 2,000 miles from home, so I guess it did alright.
Ordered a new set of ignition coils for my 04 Dakota 4X4 tonight, had a miss and traced it to cylinder 5. A quick oil swap with cylinder 3 and the missed moved to 3.

Could of got away with one coil BUT the truck has 300k run with the original coils so ordered a sset of 8.
I put a camper shell on my new HD with a nice comfortable bed in it and plenty of dry storage space for hunting trips. I always used these during hunting season on my older trucks and it sure is handy on extended trips out west.

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I changed air filter (K&N), oil filter, fuel pre pump filter, fuel post pump filter, transmission filter, transmission remote spin-on filter, engine oil, transmission fluid & drained torque converter. 15 qt motor oil & 15 qt transmission fluid. $200 in filters in fluid.

Now, it's ready for another 280,000.
Originally Posted by K1500
2 new Interstate MegaTron batteries. It left me dead in the driveway. Last week it would have left me 2,000 miles from home, so I guess it did alright.


The driveway is the best place for a break-down.
Yes it is, although I have twice had a battery die when at a mechanics shop.
My son sent me a Cabelas gift card for my birthday so I bought a backup camera for the pickup. It sure helps when hooking a trailer which I do a lot of. It also helps when backing into a tight spot.
Rock Chuck, I'm thinking about adding a backup camera to my truck for the same reasons but haven't pulled the trigger yet.
I got this one: HOPKINS SMART HITCH . So far it's worked very well. The only problem was that the cable from the camera to the monitor was a little short for my Dodge quad cab long bed. I called them and they sent me a 5' extension cable for free.
It mounts to the license plate bracket. It would be better mounted higher but I sometimes have my tailgate off when I have a stock rack on the pickup so there's no other place to mount it.
My Ram has the back-up camera, first truck I've had with one. Hard to live without now, especially when backing up to a trailer at night.
Good thread.

well, I learned how to fix a flaky GPS on the F150 this morning. The problem is with larger than stock tires, the speedometer is off, and in areas of weak GPS signal, the nav system depends on the speedometer to keep track of location. When the speedo is inaccurate, the GPS gets confused. According to Ford, you disconnect the battery for at least 20 minutes, then reconnect & drive it. It recallibrates itself.

That's the Ford. The 1992 Dodge just needs a bunch of parts, some of which I bought today. smirk Tomorrow the Jeep gets an oil change.
Any good mechanics shop can recalibrate your speedo for a minimal fee. They just plug it in and reset it according to your tire size.
Not today, but Wednesday I new brake shoes on the rear of the 2006 Silverado, originals that had 183,191 miles on them. Then today I went almost 200 miles from home to pick this up for my dad.
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2109 on the hour meter.
Originally Posted by Rock Chuck
I got this one: HOPKINS SMART HITCH . So far it's worked very well. The only problem was that the cable from the camera to the monitor was a little short for my Dodge quad cab long bed. I called them and they sent me a 5' extension cable for free.
It mounts to the license plate bracket. It would be better mounted higher but I sometimes have my tailgate off when I have a stock rack on the pickup so there's no other place to mount it.



The backup camera on my new Frontier is in the tailgate latch, where I assume it will collect a lot of dust. It already gets a lot of water on the lens, making it less useful than a 50 year old Tasco.
There just ISN'T a good spot for them. I like the daggoned thing, though, and the sonar is useful, too (beeps when you get close to things).
Got stuck in a traffic jam:
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Drove up in the mountains a bit:
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Afterwards I washed it, gave it a fresh oil change with Rotella T6, and wiped down the inside.


I changed the front shocks. Getting it ready for elk season.. Still need to replace the fog lamps..

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I just stuffed my RZR in the bed and hung the camp trailer on the back. Something to do with the antelope opener in the morning. Awayyyy we go!
mounted a rifle on my jeep, but need to turn it around for road hunting.Tie a string on the trigger, etc.
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This past week I got an 1.5" leveling block put in the front of my daily driver. Then it was ready for a new set of BF Goodrich All-Terrain TA KO2. With the leveling blocks I was able to put on LT275/65R20 tires, which Goodrich spec's out at 34" tall. I had already installed the black wheels, factory Ford smoked headlights and taillights. Had the front windows tinted, and a Ford accessory rail height hard folding tanneau cover. Have also put on a banks power performance muffler with a 3" tailpipe. The muffler gives it a nice mellow rumble without be obnoxious. The daily driver is a 2010 Ford F150 Platinum supercrew 4X4. It is equipped with a 5.4L and a 6 speed automatic transmission.
The old girl in the back ground is my my old 1997 Ford F350 4X4 crew cab. It is equipped with a 7.3L Turbo Diesel and a ZF 5 speed transmission. It has a front leaf spring reverse shackle kit installed and I had to add about 1.5" to the rear to level it out. It is setting on a set of 35X12.5X18 BF Goodrich All-Terrain TA KO2 tires.

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Birddog
Nice wagons, Birddog!
Well, last night I got the missing data tag with VIN and the title,

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for this project.

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I wasn't going to move forward on the project without the data tag or something that had a VIN on it. Also the title.

I had actually given up hope and kind of wrote the whole thing off.

According to the data plate, It's an F260

1965
Dave, uber.

We have an old grain truck with a very similar grill.


And I mean that in a good way, sorta.....grin




Thanks SockPuppet
Originally Posted by SamOlson
Dave, uber.

We have an old grain truck with a very similar grill.


And I mean that in a good way, sorta.....grin






I'm trying to decide how far I'm going with the axles. It's got a Dana 60 with a locker in back and a Dana 44 closed knuckle up front with a broken knuckle on one side. If I replace the front axle I could just as well upgrade to crossover steer D60, open knuckle. Or do I look at military axles? Lol
Not a Ford guy, but I really like the looks of that truck.

34-36" skinnies with a 4 inch lift would make that thing rock.



Clyde
Originally Posted by northern_dave


I'm trying to decide how far I'm going with the axles. It's got a Dana 60 with a locker in back and a Dana 44 closed knuckle up front with a broken knuckle on one side. If I replace the front axle I could just as well upgrade to crossover steer D60, open knuckle. Or do I look at military axles? Lol


I'd just go with a D60; military axles wouldn't look right on that wagon in my mind. Guess it depends on where you want to end up.
I was in a lot of mud the last few days. I'm trying to decide whether to wash the pickup now or just wait until after elk season. Decisions, decisions.
Installed new speakers in the front doors of the F-350. Will do the rears later when I install the new deck and backup camera.
Originally Posted by northern_dave
Originally Posted by SamOlson
Dave, uber.

We have an old grain truck with a very similar grill.


And I mean that in a good way, sorta.....grin






I'm trying to decide how far I'm going with the axles. It's got a Dana 60 with a locker in back and a Dana 44 closed knuckle up front with a broken knuckle on one side. If I replace the front axle I could just as well upgrade to crossover steer D60, open knuckle. Or do I look at military axles? Lol



It's your grain truck, you get to decide!



Only cosmetic, but couldn't stand all that chrome up front. Took the grill off, taped it off, and plasti dipped

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Wasn't today, but I built a flatbed for it.

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Looks like somebody did a good job with the shop lights! wink
New seat covers, rear slotted and drilled rear rotors with ceramic pads, new driving lights and upgraded/brighter headlight bulbs...
My wagon is an XL so it doesn't have the fancy shmancy crap. I prefer that...but there were a few things I wanted to add and finally got a chance to do it. Part way through the process:
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Gentex 177 mirror with temp and compass:
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New head unit with video capability. JVC KW-V200BT cause I found it cheap and I don't really need a lot of extras. I routed the microphone and USB cable while I had everything apart:
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Installed a cheapo backup camera off Amazon. So far it seems pretty decent:
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Installed all new speakers, too. I also ran a power wire from the back while I was doing the work, but didn't have time to install my LED reverse lights.
Put U joints in my 09 Tacoma . 184K miles and knock on wood replaced 1 battery , 1 rear leaf spring, 1 headlight bulb and now U joints in the driveshaft. Not bad for the mileage.
Changed the oil. Used full syn again, checked all the fluids and topped off tranny fluid. Installed new rear shocks and got some new factory wheels yesterday... Trucks going to be looking like new again and it's 12 years old... cool wink
Got rid of the chrome mirror caps and door handles, went with matte black. Hate all the chrome. And had it detailed, post hunting cleaning
yesterday I ditched the limited slip 'Gov Lock' rear diff for a Detroit Locker in the Duramax.

brakes and gooseneck hitch are next.
well, operationshitbox commenced last week and ran through the weekend in short little work sessions here and there.

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old boy has been parked for a couple of years.

The carburetor was junk, I had an ignition wiring issue (turn the key to the on position and the starter starts spinning)

the HVAC blower motor was shot, truck was missing it's power steering pulley and overall the truck was mousey as could be (stink)

The blower motor on factory AC 70's fords is the type of job that will make the truck owner throw a match on the truck or push it off a cliff.

Never fear, old ford owners rejoice, I discovered a cheater process for changing out the blower without removing the HVAC dog house.

Take side cover off and start cutting on that motor frame, extract with savage exuberance.

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more cutting, more savage ripping.

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Replace with fresh goodness, install from correct side (outside).

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Of course I had to un-mouse that heater box and related ducts with good ole soap and water.

Next it was power steering, then rip the dash apart and fix the wiring, eventually paint the bare metal floor with epoxy primer. Then remove seat, disassemble, weld broken springs, recover seat with new vinyl upholstery.

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Rebuild carburetor, replace broken plug wire, install new turn signal sockets, replace fuel filter, top off all fluids, bleed brakes, replace torn shifter boot where mice were getting in.

Done, she runs smooth and strong, all lights functional, brakes are great, heater is fantastic, doesn't stink, looks like hell but functionally fantastic.

I let her slide a little too far from drivable so it took a little extra effort to bring her around. But it's good to have the old junker back on the trails.
what kind of Epoxy primer did you use on the floor? I usually use bedliner on the floors, but the primer looks good.
I use SPI primers and clear coats in my restoration shop. About a week and a half ago I mixed about 30 ounces of SPI epoxy gray. It has a minimum half hour induction time prior to application. A lot of SPI users will induce this stuff up to 48-72 hours prior to use to increase viscosity which results in higher film build. (I will restrain from spinning off into a lengthy discussion on this that's better suited for a restoration topic)

I mixed my primer too soon, it had been inducing for like 4 or 5 days and was becoming too thick, so rather than throw it away I grabbed a paint brush and coated the whole floor on the old truck.

Epoxy is the-chit for locking out water. But the very best would be to use both, my epoxy topped with your bedliner. The bedliner gives the abrasion protection and with the epoxy under it, well you just couldn't beat that combo.
When's the next time you'll be in MT with an empty flatbed?
Originally Posted by toad
yesterday I ditched the limited slip 'Gov Lock' rear diff for a Detroit Locker in the Duramax.

brakes and gooseneck hitch are next.


B&W turnover ball?
yes. was gonna just put a plate/ball in the bed, but the B&W is just too easy.

tracking shows hitch kit to arrive tomorrow. rotors/pads arrived today.
Well...today, I looked, and measured, and shopped for the best option for winch for my rig...After having to call a wrecker to come drag me out of a hole, and ruining a darned good hunting day.



Originally Posted by Whttail_in_MT
When's the next time you'll be in MT with an empty flatbed?


What do ya got?

I bet you like it. One caveat I've been told is to remove the ball if you are loading the bed heavy or same with a bp trailer. Possibility of contacting rear diff.
Originally Posted by ironbender
I bet you like it. One caveat I've been told is to remove the ball if you are loading the bed heavy or same with a bp trailer. Possibility of contacting rear diff.
My pickup has a gooseneck hitch that I've never used. I've never thought to look under there when I'm loaded. I'll have to remember that.
thanks for the heads up...maybe i'll make up a dummy plug for the receiver and keep the ball in the tool box when not being used.

I was going to fab up a mount, but looked at a B&W on a pards truck and ordered one that night.
Toad, if your gooseneck is adjustable, B&W makes an extended ball for the turnover mount. Your latchbase will not kink your bed in rough country.......they make a hitch plug, too......
I'll have look into a plug. I keep the ball on the floor of the back seat. It'd be a major pain to find it stolen.
My 90 old Mom decided she wasn't going to drive any more and said my oldest son could have her vehicle. It's a 2002 GMC Envoy 4x4 with 26,000 original miles. Since my Son lives in Northern Wisconsin, I wanted to help get it winter ready before he took it home. So today I installed a new battery which replaced the original AC Delco battery that came with the vehicle. This was the most difficult battery swap I've ever done. It included removing a plastic cover, a body brace, the battery cover and finally the battery, then the reverse to install the new battery. Next up I installed WeatherTech floor liners from front to rear, including installing the fasteners to hold the drivers side mat in place. Then it was new wiper blades front and rear. Finally, I put a trailer hitch on it - not because he tows a trailer but because when you're backing up should you bump something it's nice that it's the trailer hitch instead of the bumper.

When he returns for Thanksgiving I'll try and give it an oil change and new headlight bulbs and LED back up bulbs - weather permitting.
check the brakes. most old folk ride the hell outta them.......
Originally Posted by walt501
My 90 old Mom decided she wasn't going to drive any more and said my oldest son could have her vehicle. It's a 2002 GMC Envoy 4x4 with 26,000 original miles. Since my Son lives in Northern Wisconsin, I wanted to help get it winter ready before he took it home. So today I installed a new battery which replaced the original AC Delco battery that came with the vehicle. This was the most difficult battery swap I've ever done. It included removing a plastic cover, a body brace, the battery cover and finally the battery, then the reverse to install the new battery. Next up I installed WeatherTech floor liners from front to rear, including installing the fasteners to hold the drivers side mat in place. Then it was new wiper blades front and rear. Finally, I put a trailer hitch on it - not because he tows a trailer but because when you're backing up should you bump something it's nice that it's the trailer hitch instead of the bumper.

When he returns for Thanksgiving I'll try and give it an oil change and new headlight bulbs and LED back up bulbs - weather permitting.


You've never done a battery swap on a Porsche Cayenne, or an older ('88-'92) BMW 750iL have you? The BMW has it under the power rear seat, which has to have the "floating" seat rail removed before the seat can be taken out. The Cayenne battery is under the driver's seat, power seat of course. crazy
Originally Posted by badger

You've never done a battery swap on a Porsche Cayenne, or an older ('88-'92) BMW 750iL have you? The BMW has it under the power rear seat, which has to have the "floating" seat rail removed before the seat can be taken out. The Cayenne battery is under the driver's seat, power seat of course. crazy

Can you jump start that battery?
Originally Posted by ironbender
Originally Posted by badger

You've never done a battery swap on a Porsche Cayenne, or an older ('88-'92) BMW 750iL have you? The BMW has it under the power rear seat, which has to have the "floating" seat rail removed before the seat can be taken out. The Cayenne battery is under the driver's seat, power seat of course. crazy

Can you jump start that battery?


Yep. Remote connectors under the hood on both vehicles.
Well, I bought a slide-in pop up camper from the neighbor a couple of weeks back. Mentioned to him that if he ever decided to sell it that I'd be interested and the rest is history. I had one years ago and really enjoyed it so I'm excited. It will be good for solo trips and maybe turkey hunting, and will work for when just one of the girls and I go camping. I still have the travel trailer for family stuff.

So I installed the camper tie-downs in the truck yesterday so I can go pick it up when things dry out.
What I did with my hunting truck yesterday:

I put a 12 yr old behind the wheel out on our camp road.

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

He didn't care for it, much.

grin
Originally Posted by huntsman22
check the brakes. most old folk ride the hell outta them.......
That takes me back. My mom's brother had an early 50's Chev pickup. He never drove over 35 mph and had well over 200k on it. Dad rode with him from ID to CA in it one time...35 mph clear across NV if you can imagine. Wagon trains were faster.
Anyway, when he died, Mom's other brother got it. He noticed right away that the brakes weren't working right. They were still the originals. They were long past being worn out. The shoe metal was down to paper thin and the drums were ready to break.
Originally Posted by northern_dave
What I did with my hunting truck yesterday:

I put a 12 yr old behind the wheel out on our camp road.

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

He didn't care for it, much.

grin


Northern Dave kids and cars threads always put a smile on my face.
tires n wheels. still unsure of my choice of wheels, but they are growing on me.

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I like the wheels.

low on bling, that's good. Be the anti-bling.

Thanks, Dave. I don't like bling either. here's my Suburban. I have a bunch of time and money sunk into it but I went with flat black steel smoothies.


[Linked Image]

I drove it through a car wash since the first week of whitetail season is over.

Toad: that is one fine Suburban.
Thanks, StudDuck! this one is a little rough up close, but solid.

'91 was the last of the solid axle Suburbans, and the first year of the 4L80e trans. this one is a diesel (6.2 L) and has one ton axles (Dana 60/14 bolt full floater) with Detroit Lockers and 4.10s, and disc brakes.
That should get ya there and back.
yea, just not very fast...LOL.
Originally Posted by toad
Thanks, StudDuck! this one is a little rough up close, but solid.

'91 was the last of the solid axle Suburbans, and the first year of the 4L80e trans. this one is a diesel (6.2 L) and has one ton axles (Dana 60/14 bolt full floater) with Detroit Lockers and 4.10s, and disc brakes.
You're lucky you have the heavier 4L80e instead of the earlier 700R4, aka 4L60e. That thing was a piece of junk. I had it in 3 different vehicles and all 3 failed at under 120k.
Helped my kid get his first truck yesterday. 2001 Silverado std cab short bed 4X4. He's in kid heaven as it's been lowered, has headers and glass packs, shaved tailgate, rollpan and tanneau. Hopefully he can keep this truck right side up.

It'll give him a chance the learn the basics of vehicle maintenance and I'm sure they'll be a few odds and ends to work on. And some other idiot spent a wad of money on the after market mods he would have blown his money on.

Not much of a hunting truck, but it'll get him around.
Originally Posted by 458 Lott
kid heaven as it's been lowered, has headers and glass packs, shaved tailgate, rollpan and tanneau.



Si. Bueno. Hasta la Vista, baby.
Originally Posted by northern_dave
Originally Posted by SamOlson
Dave, uber.

We have an old grain truck with a very similar grill.


And I mean that in a good way, sorta.....grin






I'm trying to decide how far I'm going with the axles. It's got a Dana 60 with a locker in back and a Dana 44 closed knuckle up front with a broken knuckle on one side. If I replace the front axle I could just as well upgrade to crossover steer D60, open knuckle. Or do I look at military axles? Lol


Lets face it dave.... You're going to put in the military axles. laugh
Originally Posted by BLG
Not a Ford guy, but I really like the looks of that truck.

34-36" skinnies with a 4 inch lift would make that thing rock.



Clyde


Have you seen it?! It already rocks!
Originally Posted by Rock Chuck
Originally Posted by toad
Thanks, StudDuck! this one is a little rough up close, but solid.

'91 was the last of the solid axle Suburbans, and the first year of the 4L80e trans. this one is a diesel (6.2 L) and has one ton axles (Dana 60/14 bolt full floater) with Detroit Lockers and 4.10s, and disc brakes.
You're lucky you have the heavier 4L80e instead of the earlier 700R4, aka 4L60e. That thing was a piece of junk. I had it in 3 different vehicles and all 3 failed at under 120k.


yes, the 4L80e was part of the reason I bought this Suburban.

but I had to have this transmission rebuilt. reverse and overdrive went out on the same day, and the trans shop said it was two different failures. 'first year' type of crap that was fixed with upgraded parts. overdrive was not working when I bought it, but I knew it was just a throttle position sensor, fairly cheap and easy to fix, while knocking $1500 off the asking price. I added a big cooler and spin-on filter in the cooling circuit too.

I do kind of miss the lower first gear of the 700R4, though.
Originally Posted by huntsman22
Originally Posted by 458 Lott
kid heaven as it's been lowered, has headers and glass packs, shaved tailgate, rollpan and tanneau.



Si. Bueno. Hasta la Vista, baby.


shocked At least it's not completely slammed, only lowered 2".

In one 700R4 I had, a quarter sized piece of a flange broke off on the torque converter and was sucked through the tranny. It did a world of hurt inside. The shop said it wasn't an uncommon problem. They rebuilt it with a heavier TC.
Picked up the new-to-me pop up truck camper. Bought it from the neighbor who is the original owner. Got it for a good deal because it needs a little bit of work to the roof, which I'll try to do this winter. I wanted the bed length version so I could easily tow the horse trailer or boat. Just used ratchet straps for the short drive home until I decide which turnbuckes I want to buy.

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Just had a 2.25 inch leveling kit installed on the front end. Westin steps put on and Toyo Open Country AT's put on. Doesn't look much different, but did raise the truck where I wanted it...
My gas mileage took a little hit by about 2 MPG though. Threw off my speedo by 3 MPH

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Drove it to work
Me too. Every day. smile
New brakes in front yesterday, new serpentine belt, idler pulley, and belt tensioner, on my 2003 F150.
New air filter element, radiator cap, and fuel filter for my 1979 Bronco today. Currently it's my fishing truck since we still have three weeks until hunting season starts back up but close enough I guess.

ND, know of any secret squirrel sources for green 73-79 Ford interior parts?

Went to the junk yard and took some rear bump stops off a Dodge D-50 and put them on the rear of my Samurai. I took rear bump stops off an early 90's Yota, redrilled the holes and put them on the front of my Samurai. The CJ springs on mine give more flex than the stock springs. I also installed a mini-spool in the rear.


D-50 vs stock rear:

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Stops the springs right at level, no inversion:

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On Wednesday, I'm having Truc-Tracs put in both diffs of my 2014 Willis packaged Wrangler. E
Put running boards/steps on so the wife and kids can climb in. To be honest, it keeps me from having to jump up.
New 2017 power wagon and it's a wee bit tall.
I breathed a sigh of relief when my check engine light and service 4WD message went out when I started it this morning. It was on all day yesterday. I patted the hood and said "good truck".
Last Saturday we put another 630 miles on returning from a fishing trip, does that sort of thing count?
Originally Posted by wabigoon
Last Saturday we put another 630 miles on returning from a fishing trip, does that sort of thing count?


Of course. grin
Next I need to wash the NW Ontario road salt off!

I was might happy to drive on it at the time however!!!!
I've often wondered if one could find a combination rock rail and step for such trucks. BTW, VERY nice truck. I got to drive and examine one last week. A little pricey..... E
Finally got my winch mounted today.... I will probably never get stuck again..
I put on some Cooper ATP's in 275/65R20. Very aggressive for an AT and so far at 500 miles they are very quiet. After running two sets of Goodyear SRA's I was ready for a change. The goodyears were fine for the highway but didn't do well off road and I finally drove a rock through one, I'm loving the Cooper's so far.
Originally Posted by K1500
I put on some Cooper ATP's in 275/65R20. Very aggressive for an AT and so far at 500 miles they are very quiet. After running two sets of Goodyear SRA's I was ready for a change. The goodyears were fine for the highway but didn't do well off road and I finally drove a rock through one, I'm loving the Cooper's so far.


I won't own a set of Goodyears, especially SRA's, for that reason. The SRA's are actually horrible on wet pavement and worse than that off road. They're put on trucks for a smooth, quiet ride. That's it. They're the softest tires I've ever had on a truck. I had 3 flats in ONE DAY on a jobsite from rocks on SRA's.
Originally Posted by TheKid
New air filter element, radiator cap, and fuel filter for my 1979 Bronco today. Currently it's my fishing truck since we still have three weeks until hunting season starts back up but close enough I guess.

ND, know of any secret squirrel sources for green 73-79 Ford interior parts?


LMC?

Possibly national parts depot?



Originally Posted by northern_dave
Originally Posted by TheKid
New air filter element, radiator cap, and fuel filter for my 1979 Bronco today. Currently it's my fishing truck since we still have three weeks until hunting season starts back up but close enough I guess.

ND, know of any secret squirrel sources for green 73-79 Ford interior parts?


LMC?

Possibly national parts depot?



Unfortunately no dice there either. From what I have gathered from FTE I am going to have to find some OEM panels or have a set painted. Green is the only interior color that isn't reproduced aside from carpet. Like a dumbass I chucked my green Ranger XLT door panels, wood grain inserts and all, when I was in high school. Replaced them with some black LMC panels that never fit worth a crap and are now cracked too. Now after a decade in the sun I need a dashpad, and the saddle insert in all three of my seats is dry rotted.
For any who are interested, Eaton's Truetrac does not fit the diff on my 2014 Jeep Wrangler. Apparently they come for either 3/8th's or 7/16ths bolts, but mine needs 1/2 inch holes..... None of the local machine shops can drill it out unless they order a special $150 drill bit.....
Luckly, the Willis Wheeler Package comes with a posi/clutch pack style limited slip. Mine is in good shape. When it wears out, it will cost $500 to rebuild it.
So, I had one installed in the front. $887.50 with tax.
Just had the alignment checked because it started pulling to the right on the way home yesterday. Seems one of my tires has developed a problem, possibly a ply separation. Nice. Got less than 20,000 miles on the OE tires. Same tires they put on the Rubicons. Well, they have spent lots of time bouncing around in the desert. Not much tread left on them. E
Not very glamorous, but I just paid six months' insurance on two of mine. eek
Flushed the power steering fluid on the F-350 today. Pretty darned easy and only took 30 minutes or so.
I did that to my Tacoma a couple years ago. Felt good to do so much good for so little effort. smile
Washed the last of the elk blood out of the bed and cab of my truck from this year's hunt.

Didn't want to wait until the blood had really dried out, and would be hard to remove........ laugh laugh

I bought mine today. Been looking and finally found a regular cab Super duty that was 4wd and wasn't a 6.0 diesel. Ended up finding a clean 02 F350 gasser with 144k on the clock. All new steering components 2k ago, 8 new plugs and boots 2 weeks ago and a spanking new set of Toyo MTs. Six speed manual trans, true dual exhaust, airbag overloads and a nice sound system. Seems like it's going to be a pretty good rig and it was cheap enough I didn't have to borrow a nickel on it.
Very nice, Kid. The ZF6 manual is a great transmission and should last forever behind that gasser. Always wondered how the V8 did in the Super Duty as I've never driven one.
I can tell you what I did with Nate's

I voted and voted and voted some more!


http://www.lmctruck.com/march-mayhem/index.htm
Replaced the flimsy factory rear bumper on the F-350 today. I wanted something more stout for my overhead camper, but wanted to retain the factory receiver hitch. After looking at a bunch of offerings, I decided on the Steelcraft Elevation bumper. I couldn't find a lot about this particular model, but know folks who have used some of their other products and been happy with them. Installation took about 4 hours or so including the time it took to reinstall my backup camera. I also modified the trailer wiring bracket a bit, as this bumper has a cutout for 2008+ Super Duty trucks. I like it so far and think it will hold up fine.

No glamour shots here, I'm not going to wash my truck just to make it pretty for the interwebs.

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I had an 04 F250 reg cab gasser with the 5.4 and the ZF6. It was the best truck I've ever owned. The 5.4 isn't a powerhouse, you have to use that six speed, don't be afraid to shift. But my old one got great mileage and I never had to do anything to it except replace an alternator.

I have a little work to do on the new one. Has the standard 5.4 exhaust leak on the passenger side manifold, the driver door panel is a little loose on one corner, and for some reason he plastidipped the chrome grill and worst of all the taillight lenses. I have to get that off there before I get rear ended.

Aside from that I put 200 miles on it yesterday bringing it home and taking my wife out to town for her birthday and everything seems tight as can be. Though I think this one may be thirstier than my old one, of course I may have had my foot in it a little more too.
I had a 99 F350 SRW Crew Cab 4x4 with a 5.4 2v and an auto...it was in no way a drag racer, but it was a damned good truck.
I checked the fluid levels, aired up the tires and hitched up the trailer. We are heading south for the week.

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Bought a new one today. 2017 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab. 4X4

[img:center][Linked Image]2017_toyota_tacoma-pic-1631204973376703171-1024x768 by Brant Lindquist, on Flickr[/img]
I made mine an official hunting rig this evening. Went bass fishing, kinda slow only caught 5 small ones, but ended up using my truck gun to shoot 6 pigs.
Good looking wagon, lazydrifter! My SIL has one of those and it's a solid rig.
Make sure you have the transmission fluid manually checked (not with the Techstream) and it has the latest TSBs for the transmission as well. Mine was nearly a quart low on fluid, but I did get a free 6 year 100,000 bumper bumper warranty from Toyota.
Got rid of the chrome on the grill and badging

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Managed to get the ABS and check engine lights going off(again).

'11 6.7 Ford.


Drove it to Tucson and back--appointment with the audiologist.
Originally Posted by Taco280AI
Got rid of the chrome on the grill and badging

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[Linked Image]


How did you do it?

I hate that chrome on mine.
PlastiDip, lots of light coats. Can peel it off if you don't like it.
I took mine in to find out why the battery keeps going DEAD. New battery died too. Got to be something drawing it down.

While there might as well service the transmission.
Originally Posted by mudhen
Drove it to Tucson and back--appointment with the audiologist.


Sure wish I would have known you were that close Ben. I had the day off of work. I would have made the trip down and bought your lunch.


Jeff
Put a set of Nitto Ridge Grapplers on the jeep today....liking them. Rides better and handles better than what I had.

https://instagram.com/p/BSR4KAhjL6S/
A mudhole will also do a nice job on the plastic chrome bling.

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Hey all! I'm very new to the forum, but my dad's been an avid member for as long as I can remember. I just wanted to introduce y'all to Hugo, my trusty 2000 Toyota 4Runner. I haven't done much changing to him yet as I'm a poor college student. However, I scored a ridiculous deal on an ARB front bumper that I couldn't resist. Beyond that, I've taken off the running boards, de-badged, painted my wheels, and added a Yakima roof rack, as well as an ARB awning. I'm digging all of your rigs-- it's awesome to see what enables everyone to get to the often less traveled roads. Cheers!
Originally Posted by romanschnobrich
Hey all! I'm very new to the forum, but my dad's been an avid member for as long as I can remember. I just wanted to introduce y'all to Hugo, my trusty 2000 Toyota 4Runner. I haven't done much changing to him yet as I'm a poor college student. However, I scored a ridiculous deal on an ARB front bumper that I couldn't resist. Beyond that, I've taken off the running boards, de-badged, painted my wheels, and added a Yakima roof rack, as well as an ARB awning. I'm digging all of your rigs-- it's awesome to see what enables everyone to get to the often less traveled roads. Cheers!

Woah, I literally can't upload a photo low quality enough, all mine are too big. Any advice?
Host it on a photo sharing site (I dumped Photobucket and went to Imagur), then link to it here.
When I bought my new to me rig last week I talked the guy down quite a bit due to it having a pretty noticeable exhaust leak. I was hoping it was just a bad gasket but upon further inspection I could see a broken stud.

So I spent the better part of the day yesterday pulling the inner fender and removing the exhaust manifold, which thankfully wasn't cracked. Fished out two studs broken off in the head, thank goodness both of them moved pretty easily, probably due to the twice daily bath I'd been giving them with the PB Blaster for the past 3 days. Replaced all the studs and nuts in the head, new gaskets and buttoned her back up.

Had to replace an idler pulley that had a bearing going in it too, but that was an easy $20 5 minute fix.

Thing sounds and runs 100% better now.
New synthetic oil and filter for the Powerstroke. New fuel filters. New batteries that were more preventative than anything. The old ones weren't giving me any issues but were a little older.
Got the old Taco cleaned up a bit and took the sandbags out from between the wheel wells. Almost ready to take the studs off, but not just yet.

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Ordered a shell for the new ram.
I'm broke now
swapped the 4 1/2" lift out for a 2 1/2". new tires/wheels due here on Wed.


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Nice looking Jeep there toad!

Didn't think you could bring yourself to drive anything that didn't have a bowtie on the front! smile
yea, yea whistle I looked unsuccessfully for a nice two door Tahoe for quite a while before I decided I would try the Jeep....
2006 Silverado, 1/2 tonner. Had to get it ready for turkey season.

Changed oil and filter. Also put a new vent valve solenoid and a new passenger side airbag sensor in. 188k miles so I guess it's time to start replacing parts from time to time.

New ball joints on passenger side next, torn boot on lower but may as well do the both while in there.
Put a new canopy, new Goodyear Dura Trac traction tires and a heavy bed mat, and a set of Weather Tech floor mats. Just bought this truck new a couple of weeks ago.

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tightened all the hose clamps, topped off fluids, rotated tires on Big Whitey getting 'er ready for a Montana roadtrip...
Installed a 2.5" lift . New rear shocks and front struts.
New tires, 31"x11.5"

ARB bull bar bumper and Harbor Freight 9,000lb winch.

I am ready for the hills now.


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finished wiring the winch and took a joy ride

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I haven't done much with the F-350 recently, but I've been shopping for a new work car. I drive a ton for work and the Impala was showing it's age. After driving everything in the 'mid-size' category I chose a 2017 Hyundai Sonata Sport with Premium package. Haven't put many miles on it yet but I'm very impressed with it. Add to that their willingness to give me the equivalent of their 'X-Plan', a $4k rebate, and their match of the highest trade offer for my old car and it was a no-brainer.

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black grill and another joy ride...

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Got part of my new clazzio leather seat covers on and did all the headrests. Have to wait till next week to do the front seats. Putting seat heaters in and waiting for them to get here.

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Had lockers fr/r pulled. Ploughing straight ahead in 4x4 entering a mountainside hairpin is no good. Went trutrac front and ox locker rear. Now the cable actuator on the ox is not set up yet until commit to the routing (it can be manually engaged, havent tried yet), as have some other considerations to figure out. And put new big horns on, replacing some old bfg km2's. 315/75r16 on the old 7" steel d-rings. New 8x16's foming next week, then will put the snows on the smaller wheels for good. Pics pending technology cooperates
Put a new mic on the cb in the Ford.
Pulled the transmission and transfercase out. Going to be installing a HD tranny in it. The one I pulled out was a dealership rebuild that only lasted 30,000 miles...
Received a set of Boss airbags, now just need to install.
Ohh, nuttin much.....

[Linked Image]
Originally Posted by badger
Ohh, nuttin much.....

[Linked Image]



Very nice!
My impressions of the King shocks........

Wow! Completely transformed the truck. It now feels very planted on the road, even loaded and with a trailer behind it. No floatiness, no oscillations after a bump or dip in the road. Ride quality is a little firmer, but still very acceptable, and the truck doesn't have that "heavy" feel on undulating roads, no wallowing or head shaking. Best money I've spent on the truck in a while.
Originally Posted by badger
My impressions of the King shocks........

Wow! Completely transformed the truck. It now feels very planted on the road, even loaded and with a trailer behind it. No floatiness, no oscillations after a bump or dip in the road. Ride quality is a little firmer, but still very acceptable, and the truck doesn't have that "heavy" feel on undulating roads, no wallowing or head shaking. Best money I've spent on the truck in a while.


I'm thinking of putting them on my Power Wagon when the time comes...
Originally Posted by bsa1917hunter
Pulled the transmission and transfercase out. Going to be installing a HD tranny in it. The one I pulled out was a dealership rebuild that only lasted 30,000 miles...


Damn Lawrence that sucks ass.. how better are the HD over the transmission you have now?
79s, I'm hoping it's much better than the local (dealership) build, which, in fact, did suck ass. Actual mileage of that rebuild was 32,000 miles. She's definitely smoked too. Starting slipping in 3 and then lost all but 1st. and reverse. Fluid is black (actually purplish color). I was hoping it was just an electrical problem inside the transmission, but no go on that. The upgraded/heavy duty transmission has more 3-4 clutch packs that are stronger, upgraded valve body for better flow/line pressure, corvette servo, Beast reaction sunshell, deep pan, all new wiring/electrical and solenoids, etc.... There's a lot more on the list of upgraded parts, but I'm not home and can't look at the build sheet.. I'm hoping it's a good one though...
Originally Posted by badger
My impressions of the King shocks........

Wow! Completely transformed the truck. It now feels very planted on the road, even loaded and with a trailer behind it. No floatiness, no oscillations after a bump or dip in the road. Ride quality is a little firmer, but still very acceptable, and the truck doesn't have that "heavy" feel on undulating roads, no wallowing or head shaking. Best money I've spent on the truck in a while.



What truck did you put them on? Did you replace the Fox 2.0's in the pic with the Kings? I'm about to go with Thuren springs on my 98 Dodge 2500 and am torn between the Fox and the Kings....
Originally Posted by huntsonora
Originally Posted by badger
My impressions of the King shocks........

Wow! Completely transformed the truck. It now feels very planted on the road, even loaded and with a trailer behind it. No floatiness, no oscillations after a bump or dip in the road. Ride quality is a little firmer, but still very acceptable, and the truck doesn't have that "heavy" feel on undulating roads, no wallowing or head shaking. Best money I've spent on the truck in a while.



What truck did you put them on? Did you replace the Fox 2.0's in the pic with the Kings? I'm about to go with Thuren springs on my 98 Dodge 2500 and am torn between the Fox and the Kings....


2014 Ram 2500 4X4 with Cummins. I tried a set of Fox 2.0's, and while it isn't a fair comparison to the Kings as the Fox's are 2", the Kings are 2.5 with reservoirs, the Fox's left me very underwhelmed. the shop that I buy from was very gracious in giving me a full refund on them so I bought the Kings through them. Had the Fox's on for about a week. I suppose the "big" Fox's with reservoirs would have been ok, but these Kings impress the hell out of me.

I guess I'm a little more picky than most, some would call me anal smile , but I've had the factory shocks, Bilstein 5100's, Rancho 9000's, the Fox's, and now these Kings. Happy with my last choice.
I let it rest cause it's a holiday!
Installed Rancho RS9000XL shocks all the way around on the F350. I liked the adjustability, and the current $100 rebate from Rancho makes them a good deal. Limited miles so far but I like 'em.
Originally Posted by SockPuppet
Installed Rancho RS9000XL shocks all the way around on the F350. I liked the adjustability, and the current $100 rebate from Rancho makes them a good deal. Limited miles so far but I like 'em.


Had 'em on my Ram. They were good for about 15k miles, unfortunately. Great when new, but didn't last.
Originally Posted by badger
Originally Posted by SockPuppet
Installed Rancho RS9000XL shocks all the way around on the F350. I liked the adjustability, and the current $100 rebate from Rancho makes them a good deal. Limited miles so far but I like 'em.


Had 'em on my Ram. They were good for about 15k miles, unfortunately. Great when new, but didn't last.


Good to know. I'll save my receipt and keep an eye on them.
Put gas in the tank,air in the tires, and got it washed. It was a good day at the fleet-farm.
Installed a new thermostat before going camping. Supposed to be a 185*, but holds a constant 202*. Got word today that they're sending me a replacement, so I suppose I'll have a high-temp t-stat should I ever feel the need.
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Originally Posted by lazydrifter
Got part of my new clazzio leather seat covers on and did all the headrests. Have to wait till next week to do the front seats. Putting seat heaters in and waiting for them to get here.

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Those look fantastic and have even better reviews.

Not seeing any application for 1st Gen Tundra?
Just pulled it out of the garage after changing the oil, cleaning and re- oiling the air filter and greasing the front end. Need to wash it this afternoon...Lots of mods done to this truck since I bought it new in Aug/07..

'07 Ram 2500 5.9 Cummins
Calibrated Performance Stealth 64mm Turbo
Exergy 45% over injectors
Exergy Sportsman Cp3 pump
Fass Titanium 150 Lift Pump
S&B Cold Air intake
Flo Pro 4" turbo back exhaust
EFI Live with 5 position switch (Tuned by Aftermath Diesel)
AutoMeter 3-pack A-pillar mounted gauges (Boost, Egt, Tranny temp).
FIREPUNK Street/Track 48RE transmission
Tuff Country Leveling kit
5100 Bilstein shocks
B&W Turnover Ball
Black Rhino Wheels (17"x9")
35x12.50 Toyo Open Country AT-II's
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X-VERMINATOR


Air filter obstruction gauge has never moved. There was a post (CWH2?) about running problems and found air filter plugged. I thought it probably was time gauge be damned.

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I'd swap fuel and air filters annually which worked out to 12-15k.
I only get 1/2 that mileage on this super duty. Air filters are on mileage now like all else.
Originally Posted by add
Originally Posted by lazydrifter
Got part of my new clazzio leather seat covers on and did all the headrests. Have to wait till next week to do the front seats. Putting seat heaters in and waiting for them to get here.

[Linked Image]

Those look fantastic and have even better reviews.

Not seeing any application for 1st Gen Tundra?



I would call them. These are absolutely the best seat covers I have ever seen or used. By using the code TACOMA WORLD gets you $75.00 off.
Originally Posted by ironbender
Air filter obstruction gauge has never moved. There was a post (CWH2?) about running problems and found air filter plugged. I thought it probably was time gauge be damned.

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Yeah... that was probably due! Weird that the gauge didn't move. What symptoms did you see?

The tricky part with the diesel is that you can pull a fair bit of air through a dirty filter. So your daily driving stuff works fine, but then you hook a load up to it, and the turbo tries to spool up and.... can't. At least that's what happened to me.
No symptoms at all. Remembering your post I thought I'd change it whether it needed it or not.

Hauling a7K GVW trailer was no problem. Of course I didn't know I had a trailer flat tire at 21K GCVW last summer at 65 mph!
Turbodiesels rule.
Nothing of note lately on the do-it-all-diesel, but I changed the transmission fluid/filters and the transfer case fluid in the wife's Durango last night.
Installed a set of Firestone Airbags and found a leaky axle seal in my Power Wagon. Dealer discovered that it was an axle bearing that went and caused the seal failure. Glad it's warranty...
Removed the AFE cold air intake that the previous owner has installed and replaced it with the factory air intake box/filter arrangement. This was on my '06 Silverado with the Duramax diesel. I don't particularly care for oiled gauze type filters and the ambiguity associated with them ( too much oil, not enough oil, when to clean, etc, etc, etc).

It's something I've wanted to do for several years and finally got around to doing.
tossed some stuff in the back of mine to go to my elk area to fish and look-see for a couple days.
Replaced a broken tailgate latch assembly. Real easy to get done. Seems to be a common issue with older Tundras.
Changed spark plugs in the Wife's Durango. Much easier than expected on the little 4.7L.
Dropping it off at the front end alignment/repair shop to hopefully repair damage done from a 25mph run in with a rocky side ditch.

I bought a kit to install the Tracker power steering unit on my Samurai I've had in the garage for 8 months.
setting up 5.38 gears and ARB lockers in the Jeep...
Pull the rear diff cover and drained out the old fluid, inspected, cleaned and sealed it up. Need to fill it back up tonight.
Originally Posted by toad
setting up 5.38 gears and ARB lockers in the Jeep...


Very nice! I want to swap my gears out for 4.56 and trutracs front and rear with a Tera30 diff in the front...
Replaced all the seals in the Dana 44 (that passenger side inner seal is a hassle, but the pinion seal needed done also) and installed the rebuilt axles this morning. On my project 85 dodge 318/4speed 1/2ton shortbed. Next is the Wheel bearing/hubs. New discs and calipers, master cylinder. Then I will start a complete rebuild of the Chrysler 9 1/4 and rear brake system.
I can FINALY say (HOPEFULLY) that my 2007 5.9L Cummins will have a transmission worthy of this truck in the next week or two! Went to see a guy a gun. Ended up giving him the gun, cash and my truck for a triple plate billet torque converter, billet pump, Kevlar bands, new transmission electronics and a rebuild! I cant wait! No more nervous nelly pulling our 35' toy hauler!
Drove my 2002 F350 SRW 4x4 on a 1250 mile round trip to southern CO for family vacation. Pulled a Polaris RZR4 a bud loaned me on a utility trailer I built in my spare time the last couple months. Had another 6-700 pounds of "stuff" piled in the bed.

Old truck did fine but I do need to hunt down a set of stock wheels and tires for traveling. Factory gearing was 4:10s but the 35" Toyo MTs the previous owner hung on it makes the effective ratio more like 3:40. That's way too high for the 260hp 5.4 that makes all of it's power up around 3000 rpm. But I just kept it out of 6th gear and buzzed along at 2750rpm at 65mph. Checked mileage at every fill up and averged almost exactly 10mpg. Used one quart of oil.

I wish it was a diesel or better yet a newer SuperDuty with a 6.2 gas but for a guy who just started over by moving thousands of miles, buying a house, starting a new career, and raising a little family on one income for now, getting by with a pretty good old $5k truck allows us to take our little boy on vacation and me to go on hunting trips with my family. I guess I'll keep it running for a while longer if I can.
New calipers on the front of the Wrangler. I put new rotors and pads on a few weeks ago and had one of the old calipers promptly lock up on me. That was fun.
Put a new set of struts, new springs already installed, on the 2010 GMC. Amazing ride difference between the new ones and ones with 122k miles on them. Kinda knew that going in tho.
Went ahead and put the new wheels and mud tires on. I was going to wait another month or two, but the rain season came early this year. Both my daughter's deer tag and my bull elk tag are in areas that can get really nasty, and I don't want to waste a day being stuck. I also really dislike chaining up, but will do it if it's that bad.
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I put tires on Whitey thursday
Changed the rear differential gear oil and greased the driveline yesterday. Went with Amsoil gear oil on huntsonora's recommendation. Changed the engine oil last weekend. Routine maintenance is all I ever get to do because it's a 1st gen Tundra. grin
New 1900lb leaf springs and Ubolts came in for the 85dodge so I did the drivers side Sunday with Shock and new caliper.

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New brake rotors and pads all the way around, along with axle seals. Bigger hit than I wanted at this time......
At the dealership getting the airbags replaced as part of a recall!

Mike
Got the Line-X Premium bed liner sprayed in. Gotta love that!

I installed a Tracker power steering setup on my Samurai today.
Installed a Diamondback HD bed cover

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Drove it!!

Those are nice covers, would love one for my truck

Originally Posted by MasterBlaster
Installed a Diamondback HD bed cover

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took a little joy ride to test the lockers...

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Heard a strange grinding sound the last day or two on my truck. Tracked it to a dragging brake on the rear passenger side. Rotor was smoked, past being able to be turned. So I drove to Orielly this AM in my wife's VW and grabbed a rotor and pads. Pulled it all apart and it still had the original pads on it from 2002! One pad was worn completely down to just bare metal, hence the ruined rotor. If this new set lasts as long as those did I will have gotten my $88 worth out of them.
I did brake work today too. Replaced both front rotors and pads. Also rotated tires for the last time on this set.
Took my Tundra to a car wash.
New cold air intake and a Flowmaster 40 series muffler. Sounds like a truck is supposed to. Pretty peppy out of a red light too! Too early to tell if it effected the gas mileage.

Question for all of the experts. After installing said parts, do I need to do a tune to maximize my efforts or will the computer handle it? I'm not really a gearhead!

Thanks in advance,

Elk Country
Just loaded up extra hurricane provisions and a buddy helped me mount up two extra spare tires for the truck.
Didn't drive it today.
Girding my loins to change the alternator.
I hate the serpentine belt.
Girding my loins to change the alternator.
I hate the serpentine belt.
Serpentine belts rock - much easier than fiddling with the adjusters on the old v belt system.

I had new Nitto M/T tires installed, flushed the brake system and had the front end aligned on my 2006 Duramax.
Been using mine to haul panels and materials lately, no real work done to it. I did install a new stereo with XM, rear view mirror with screen and backup camera in Momma's Durango.
Put the quad in the box for tomorrow
I miss the old days when you just loosened one or two bolts and used a pry bar to put tension on the alternator until you got the bolts tight.
If you forget how the serpentine belt was on you are SOL.
leaf peeping in the 'Burb

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New alternator and changed oil, ready for winter.
Fixed the 1987 suburban's driver's side rear upper shock bracket. First time it broke had to cut through the rivets. Bolted on a GM replacement part. This time GM no longer makes the part. Aw come on it is only 31 years old!! 411,600 miles on it.

My friend and owner of Tucson Differential welded up the damage and reinforced it. He added a strap that is vertical and bolts to the frame removing the flex the original bracket had. Thanks Jay.
Put some fresh pin striping on the sides courtesy of a brushy 2-track.
Started it. It has been sitting for a month or so.
not today, but the most recent thing I've done is mount my snow pusher thingy.

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at 186,900 miles I decided to put new front brake pads on, for the first time, on my 07 Tacoma. Probably could've made it to 200,000 miles but I was in the mood to wrench on it. Actually I had to wrench on it anyways because had a U-joint going out, so replaced the u-joints. Also decided it was probably a good time to replace the spark plugs. So, about 4 hours later, she should be good for a few more miles.
Added half a quart of T5 rotella, checked tire pressure and added a little air, filled up washer fluid, made an appointment for valve adjustment, changed tranny fluid and tried to find pcv valve. Finally found it but gonna have mechanic to change it while he does the valves, it's in a hell of a place. Gonna change rear struts when my sons buddy gets his broke ass car out of my garage. 2003 element hauls more goose decoys that one would think. Chuckle
Vacuumed up the leaves & pine needles from inside my HVAC box...then dismantled, cleaned, and lightly lubriplated the manual locking hubs...
Traded the Ram Power Wagon off on a 2018 F150 Super Crew with the 3.5 Ecoboost. So much better on gas and that will help with all the hunting I plan on putting in this next year. The power wagon was killing me on gas....
Agreed.
The Powerwagon was just begging for a Cummins.
The Mercedes/Fiat line that the front winch interferes with the longer 6 banger was a cost cutting poppycock excuse.
I’ve done a couple Cummins conversions on the 21st century Powerwagons, it’s a 30 minute rad yoke + front sheet metal mod to accommodate the 12v Cummins and keep the factory wimp winch.
Rolled two big Ponderosa rounds into the bed of the 95 dodge 4x4 work truck, Chained them down as well as you can with the in bed attachments. Dropped the air in the 235/85/16E tires down to 42lb. Now I can actually drive around in the Bad Ice we are getting this year. In 2 wheel drive most of the time.
Yesterday new shocks and steering stabilizer! 78K miles. Bilstein 4600 on Wrangler 2 door.

Mike
The 07 Dodge was back at the Trans shop Tuesday. Overdrive sensor is throwing codes on the new rebuild and the shift motor on the outside is failing. Turns out it was the cause of the short life to begin with. rolled over to 58k in the yard as I got it back from rebuild.
Fixed the tailgate latch last night, changed differential fluid about a week ago. I changed the oil and put an oil pan gasket on it about 3 weeks ago. Im good to go for a while.
New brakes and rotors on the old Durango today. These ran down too far before making a sound but I should have been more on top of it.
Put a new valve body in the old girl this morning...set the lock/unlock & OD on/off to where it pulls hardest/longest...
Dug it out of a five foot drift
10,000 for my 89 wrangler in 1989. Brand new base model
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New drag link and tie rod end on the Samurai after front hubs on Dad's 2010 Dodge 1500 4x4.
Found two doors, A bumper, Grille frame for my 85 dodge w150 4x4 project.
Pulled the front driveline out of my 02 Superduty. Ball in the double Cardan joint is toast, making a hell of a racket if it's in 4x4 or if you leave the hubs locked. Pretty sure I'm just going to say screw it and buy a new driveline since they're only $290. I'm stuck with a 2wd in the meantime but we haven't had much of any measurable rain since December so I should be fine.
Bought 5 K02s for the 76 cj7 yesterday. Rides great on them. New bilsteins, new starter, new solenoid, new seats and brackets, new ignition switch, hood latches, new front brakes, and NSS switch in last month. Still needs tranny fluid, diff fluid and quadra trac fluids swapped out.
I took mine to a body shop for some minor repairs. Last winter I was going through a gate in a foot of snow and discovered that there was a coil of barbed wire under the snow, with a loose post attached. It left some pretty good dings in the right rear 1/4 panel.
Put a new amp on the radio.

Repacked and retorqued my front wheel bearings, reshimmed my trunnion bearings and chiseled the mud away from my rear disc brakes.
Painted front of truck, Installed light buckets/adjusters, Grille frame/Grille, Light bezels, front bumper on 85 dodge. Looks very good from front now.
Originally Posted by 30338
Bought 5 K02s for the 76 cj7 yesterday. Rides great on them. New bilsteins, new starter, new solenoid, new seats and brackets, new ignition switch, hood latches, new front brakes, and NSS switch in last month. Still needs tranny fluid, diff fluid and quadra trac fluids swapped out.


Just don't use it in the rain, mud, or sand and you'll be fine.
Washed it!
Started on the over-cab storage.

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Hilux?
It is very luxurious... but no, 88 pickup.
Pretty sure that IS a hilux. Tonka just called the hilux ‘Toyota truck’ in the USA 🇺🇸

Then started the taco in ‘95.5.
Should add... looking good.
I had a ‘77 and an ‘81.

Now a ‘95 taco 🌮
Installed newly purchased snow/mud chains to verify fit. 2002 Ford Superduty with 35" diameter tires under a 4" lift with ARB Lockers front and rear.
Did you cut your chains so the inside is hooked in the last hole? Leave all the adjustment/extra links on the outside, so your tighteners can retain them. Extry's on the inside tear chit up.....
huntsman22,

I marked the chain where I thought I wanted to cut it. I had planned to leave one (1) link on the inside and one (1) on the outside, and just tie wrap the extra one link. I do see your point of only having the extra link/links on the outside, so I will rethink this thing. In your experience is just one extra link in the outside enough to connect the chains together in adverse conditions I may encounter in the field?

I have not used chains on a vehicle in over 40 years but our road into our hunting lease is getting worse each year and it would not take too much snow or rain to keep someone from getting in or out of there.
Nope, unless install conditions are perfect, you'll need some extra. I always fit to the last/cut link inside and leave enuff on the outside to hook up in the mud/at an angle. After you can get unstuck and rotate the wheel, you only have to snug the outside/easy-to-get-to one...
huntsman22,

Thanks for your input, it is greatly appreciated.
I leave 1 link inside just in case and 2 on the outside for adjustment. I've been in too many spots where the extra was very useful. Once you get moving, it's easy to stop and take up the extra on the outside after the chain settles in to the tire.
VaH, I just went out and looked at my chains. I left 5 extra links on the outside. Just tuck the end down thru the furthest side-link you can, and hook one tensioner hook on that tail....
Originally Posted by huntsman22
VaH, I just went out and looked at my chains. I left 5 extra links on the outside. Just tuck the end down thru the furthest side-link you can, and hook one tensioner hook on that tail....


Thanks for doing that for me. The trick with the tensioner hook is a great idea I had not thought of. With 4 or 5 extra links on the outside there would be no need for extras on the inside, therefore avoiding the damage that may cause to the truck.
prezactly......
Remember that those tensioners will stretch. As you get up speed, that tail can still fly and take out something important. It works great at slow speeds, though. I've done it many times but don't leave it too long. Tying it down with a few wraps of paracord will help if you need to go faster.
the tail can only fly if the tensioner comes completely undone. The S-hook cannot pull thru the side link. Period.
Years ago I had a set of tensioners like these. The springs were too weak. When you got up to about 40, the springs would stretch way out and let the extra chain links fly around. After using them 1 time, I tossed them and got a different kind.

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Originally Posted by Rock Chuck
Years ago I had a set of tensioners like these. The springs were too weak. When you got up to about 40, the springs would stretch way out and let the extra chain links fly around. After using them 1 time, I tossed them and got a different kind.

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I use the same kind on my tractor,36 " wheels really stretch them out. The ones shown in the photo are not stretched at all. If a person is running chains top speed should about 30MPH max
Put a new set of axles on the car hauling trailer. (had one of the old ones fail) Did an axle lift at the same time. Now I have about 6" more ground clearance for hauling the Samurai/Wall tent camp back into remote hunting camps.
Got shart-faced drunk and drove it' round just a hollerin'.
Got the rack done. Load tested it.

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Needs paint, maybe a gun boot mount... not decided on that yet.
👍👍
Shop looks well lit! wink
It has to be to match the owner.

Got the thing painted last night, so on to the next thing...
smile
At the tire shop getting Toyo RTs installed. The old Bridgestone Revos were toast.
Broke the center rear slider window out. And the shell is glued on. Gonna be fun getting it off so the winder can be replaced. May not screw with it for a while....
Trashbag res style. Be sure and leave it for a couple years or whenever the silver peels off the duct tape leaving only the glue and white thread, unless the transmission goes out and you park it beside the house for the Johnson grass to grow around first.
Not today but a couple weeks ago on vacation. Got mine well and truly stuck, had to have a half ton Chevy and a 3/4 ton Ford chained together to drag it out. Who would have guessed that the NW Nebraska Sandhills don’t have a bottom.
Just recently built up this little Toyota up as a hunting truck. Been working the bugs out of it. 33" tires with 4.88's is a perfect match. Craigslist canopy and wheels, ARB winch bumper and ARB air lockers front and back. Nice setup for offroad and good road manners. Speedo quit, still need a winch, and want to do a motor swap to a 3.4 with a supercharger. This winter I'll build a rear bumper for it with swing-away tire mount.

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Took it for a ride.

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Washed it--


thats BADD AZZ !

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ole Toyota trucks makes my nipples hard

here's a '91 we refurbed.......

have $2400 in it.......

SIL gets this one......

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So metric. So red.
Originally Posted by tikkanut


ole Toyota trucks makes my nipples hard

here's a '91 we refurbed.......

have $2400 in it.......

SIL gets this one......

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Tikkanut - how do you like those Falcon Wildpeak tires? I am really intrigued by them and they seem to have really good reviews. They also seemed to be very reasonably priced. Thinking about putting these on my wifes new 4 runner in place of the factory tires.


enclosed is a link on Tacoma World......everyone seems to like 'em......

These are 31-10.50x15 & were $124 each

I have Cooper AT3's on my '14 Tacoma....

may ditch 'em this fall & put Falkins on ..like I should have did last fall

Discount Tire Direct Labor Day sale next week

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/packed-with-technology-falken-wildpeak-a-t3w.419869/

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I did the same a few thousand miles ago, Tikkanut. Replaced the Cooper Discoverer AT3 with Falken Wilkpeak AT3w on my F-350 diesel and won't be going back. If the wife's new Suburban didn't have brand new tires it would be getting a set of the Falkens.
Originally Posted by tikkanut


enclosed is a link on Tacoma World......everyone seems to like 'em......

These are 31-10.50x15 & were $124 each

I have Cooper AT3's on my '14 Tacoma....

may ditch 'em this fall & put Falkins on ..like I should have did last fall

Discount Tire Direct Labor Day sale next week

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/packed-with-technology-falken-wildpeak-a-t3w.419869/

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Based on your experience on a tacoma - similar wieght to a 4runner - would you recommend the SL P metric version or the LT C range tire? Since there is will be no towing with this vehicle and at least 95% on road driving that the P rated version would be the way to go. Right now in a 265/70/17 - I can get them direct for $114 a tire!


look at the comparison chart......really no need for the 'E' rated...but

E vs SL is 6 lbs heavier per tire along with approx 4/32 more tread

https://www.discounttiredirect.com/compare/product
Replaced the driver's side exhaust manifold gasket and hardware on the '02 Durango 4.7. It's been on the list but not a huge priority. Now that we picked up the Suburban I've got to get the Durango ready to sell.
Put some shoes on Elsie.

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Got some OME springs and shocks to add, to get 2.5” up.

New wiring harness and LED headlights
Bearcat,
On what type of vehicle?

Measured the back of the Hilux to ensure the Pelican 1750 will fit across it, when it gets here I am going to inset some rings so I can lock the 1750 down with cable locks to discourage theft.
To the original question "what did you do to your hunting vehicle today"...

I filled the gas tank. /shrug.
Changed the oil, filter, bypass filter in the Duramax. Checked brake fluid, power steering fluid, tranny fluid. Will check tire pressure tomorrow a.m. while fueling up. Watch out doves.

smile
Added new shoes to the ole 2000 Dodge diesel, BFG Mud Terrain K 3s, excellent tire so far, low noise, good ride.
about to add a steering brace and Red Head steering box, next up is the heater core, dread that one.
Hillbill:

I did the Redhead a few months ago. My OEM had 175K on it and had seen better days. So far, so good!

Replaced the worn out Revo 2s with Toyo open Country R/Ts a few weeks ago too. Feel fine now but jury is out on them until the end of the season at least. I have plans. smile
Put a new Truxedo Lo-Pro tonneau cover on the Ford F-150.
Rick
my truck had 159,000 on it, box was getting pretty loose. decided to fix the ole boy up, no rust, still runs good, tranny was built at 150,000, also have a 07 Tundra so the Cummins is just a farm truck basically. For some reason I just like those old trucks.

The K3s get great reviews, I doubt they will wear very long but they sure dig in the mud and rocks, first set I have had in 25 years, much better tire than they were back then
Originally Posted by RickBin
Changed the oil, filter, bypass filter in the Duramax. Checked brake fluid, power steering fluid, tranny fluid. Will check tire pressure tomorrow a.m. while fueling up. Watch out doves.

smile






It rained a little here the other day so I got bored and dumped 15 fresh quarts of 15w-40 into the ol' 6.0 Ford.

While it was draining my dad vacuumed up debris that I carefully pulled up from in between the radiators.

Pain in the ass.

Also pulled off another piece of loosing door molding or whatever the hell the 'decorative' runner on the bottom of the door is called.
I started a little project today on the F-350. Got a few days to finish her up so no huge rush. Time to 'fix' the EPA stuff and make a few improvements while I'm in there.
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Originally Posted by RickBin
Hillbill:

I did the Redhead a few months ago. My OEM had 175K on it and had seen better days. So far, so good!

Replaced the worn out Revo 2s with Toyo open Country R/Ts a few weeks ago too. Feel fine now but jury is out on them until the end of the season at least. I have plans. smile



I've had the Toyo Open Country R/T's on my Ram 1500 for over 2 years now. Towing, highway, off road and they have been great. Still have a ton of tread on them, and when they are worn out, it's whats going on again.
Replaced the( passenger side front inner seal on the 94 dodge 1500 4x4 ), New axle and hub bearing. Lower ball joint zirk fitting is rubbing. I will replace it with a plug. The New Detroit axle is just slightly larger than the Factory. Made a inner seal installation tool out of a 36" 5/8" all tread. Once you pull the vacuum shift. You can reach the seal. Use rod with nut on end to tap out seal. Take new seal and remove the O-spring. Find a washer that fits inside seal. Insert 5/8 all thread into axle tube, insert seal into spot centering as best as possible. put washer on rod. install nut. Now on the outside end of rod, anything with a 5/8" hole that spans the wheel hub hole and is strong enough to take the load of drawing the seal fully into its slot. I used a chunk of steel but a 2x4 and a steel washer would do it. Now install a nut on rod to act as the press, Just get it to your 2x4/washer ect. Now use 2 5/8" nuts on end of rod and lock them together. This is your hold point. Center the washer in seal, You can do this by feel. Center rod on out side and add just enough pressure to hold everything in place. Now double check that seal is centered. By feel again. Slowly ad pressure by turning pressing nut while holding end locked nuts with wrench. Stop, Take flashlight and look at seal from outside. Is it still centered? Is the seal pinched? No? then add more pressure until seal is set. Now disassemble the press by removing inner nut. With flashlight check that seal is set. Now reinstall O-spring on seal from vacuum shift hole. Gently insert well greased axle into seal. Vacuum shift gear is easy to tip out to make room. Test fit it on new axle. Mine was tight so I had to rub some burrs off the axle for smooth sliding. The tool will work on drivers side but the process is different. Hope this saves someone several hundred dollars. It was not as hard as it looks. On a level from 1 to 10 in mechanical difficulty. I would say it is a 3. Just takes some time.
Transmission service on 94 1500 today, Not looking too good, Lot of crap on the magnet and aluminum shaving. Old gasket was a cork that leaked bad, Now gasket is a synthetic. I have it in the garage doing a drip test. 20 new lug nuts. When I put the old nuts on new hubs, They where obviously wore out.
Lost 3rd and 4th gear week before last, had to drive home in 2nd gear at 50mph for 90 miles. Went to Ecuador for the week, got home this weekend, pulled the pan...its dead. Metal and clutch material a quarter inch deep in the pan...

Been getting estimates today....everything from a $750 cash and carry bench build to $3000 for a full tilt performance build.
I took mine hunting the other day

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That is a sweet setup!


And a moose!
Added a sticker....


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I dig it.
Finall fixed the leaky bulkhead connector sleeve on my transmission
New lift pump. Put it on the dyno.
Originally Posted by Ackman
New lift pump. Put it on the dyno.



Results?
Originally Posted by RickBin
Hillbill:

I did the Redhead a few months ago. My OEM had 175K on it and had seen better days. So far, so good!

Replaced the worn out Revo 2s with Toyo open Country R/Ts a few weeks ago too. Feel fine now but jury is out on them until the end of the season at least. I have plans. smile


Did you send your box in direct to Redhead for a rebuild or buy a box from a reseller and send your core in?

I have an '06 2500HD Duramax with 140k and it has some steering wobble. I need to replace the tie rod ends, I am sure, but wouldn't mind an upgrade.

My steering column also makes some noise.
New windshield and rear slider glass today in big Whitey.


out in the p/dog fields Tuesday..........

jumped in '14 Taco truck..............OEM Johnson battery...........

fugger is dead...............luckily have a boost pack behind seat......

if you ain't got a boost pack.......buy one.......money well spent.......

new Interstate MTP-27 is in the 'Yota now.....
Originally Posted by The_Yetti
Originally Posted by Ackman
New lift pump. Put it on the dyno.



Results?



1295 and two boost leaks.
Put some new shoes on. Cooper Discoverer AT3's. $127.00 a pop.


paid my annual Utah tag registration this week.......

'14 Tacoma.......$160..........what a rip..........

'05 Tacoma due soon too........$60
The new 5th wheel is quite a bit heavier than the old tongue pull, so I installed the Timbren rear suspension enhancement. I planned on installing air bags but kept running into fitment issues with my B&W turnover ball. I ran Timbrens on the Wife's old SUV and they always performed very well so I figured I'd give them a shot on the F350.

I removed my friend's B&W Companion hitch that I'd borrowed to pick up the new one, and installed my Andersen Ultimate 5th Wheel Connection 2. Handling them back to back was a real eye-opener on the weight and hassle of the Companion. I've used both in the past, and while the Companion is a good hitch, I preferred the way the Andersen towed so I didn't hesitate to buy one again. At 37 lbs. it's super easy to install/remove.
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from this....

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to this...

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Lube, oil and filter change. Also changed front differential and transfer case gear oil. The pouches that some gear oils are coming in now are pretty sweet.
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