I was really excited to make it down to this this year, then the In-Laws decided to come to town and have other plans.
General Tech What did you work on Today?
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- Start date
I was really excited to make it down to this this year, then the In-Laws decided to come to town and have other plans.
Zombie
Random Dead Guy
- Location
- Sandy Utah
My Saturday was spend replacing valve cover gaskets, adjusting valve lash, an oil change, and just a little bit of vanity.
The beauty cover had been painted by the original owner of the truck, but it had been neglected in recent years and the exposed aluminum was pretty pitted and tarnished.
Stepped through a few grits on a little block, and then polished out with some brasso on a felt dremel wheel, then poliched the painted surfaces and waxed.... Yeah, it's vanity, but with a painted cover this nice, it didn't feel like a waste of time....
And all buttoned up. I swear it runs just a bit quieter now, but it could be my imagination.
The beauty cover had been painted by the original owner of the truck, but it had been neglected in recent years and the exposed aluminum was pretty pitted and tarnished.
Stepped through a few grits on a little block, and then polished out with some brasso on a felt dremel wheel, then poliched the painted surfaces and waxed.... Yeah, it's vanity, but with a painted cover this nice, it didn't feel like a waste of time....
And all buttoned up. I swear it runs just a bit quieter now, but it could be my imagination.
One of my trailers needed new rubbers. I still had the wheels left over from my camper trailer project, so I thought it would be fun to put those on this enclosed trailer. I ordered a set of new tires online, and mounted them up in my garage. I went for a size larger, and a heavier weight rating.
I have always been a little bit shy about getting this trailer into some of the spots we go because it sits so low. The new tires gave me 1 inch more clearance. Not a lot, but I will take it.
I have always been a little bit shy about getting this trailer into some of the spots we go because it sits so low. The new tires gave me 1 inch more clearance. Not a lot, but I will take it.
Tonkaman
Well-Known Member
- Location
- West Jordan
I’d give anything for an extra inch
- Location
- Sandy, Ut
It's standard Cyanoacrylate glue with an included accelerator. The owners of the Gluetread company gave a handful of kits to us after sitting through a tire repair training I do at shows and manufacture training. We do a hands-on plug class, emergency tire valve (Colby) and rubber valve replacement and talk about sidewall repair. We'll likely start doing some as demos with their kit.
We used some similar products in Greenland on the big 44" Arctic Truck tires... they all held
The doctor told me if I lost weight, I could get an inch or two more…
glockman
I hate Jeep trucks
- Location
- Pleasant Grove
That would be a 25% increase at my house.
- Location
- Payson, UT
Installed my spare tire delete today.
_Auzzy_
Web Wheeling Extraordinaire
- Location
- Richfield Utah
All kinds of fun today. Got the cheapochurro on the road!! Started off with tires, Then some engine work, then some suspension and bam
Hauling tires away and clean up
Replaced leaking valve cover gasket on the driver side. It was the worse side, still gotta do the passenger side but it looks like a nightmare. Also replaced the TPS due to a random idle. Would go up n down etc. then ran an extra ground to the throttle body, theory behind it is that it smooths out the sensors. Did a Stillen ground kit on my titan years ago after seeing a video showing how the affected areas were sensitivity/ increment wise before and after install. the sensors showed a smoother increase in numbers with the ground kit versus without. also replaced the main alternator cable after i saw the end had a bit of corrosion forming. jumped it up from a 8G to a 4G with some nice OFC high count cable i had laying around.
Next I replaced the belt with one of the ones given to me and then replaced the tensioner pulley as well. Also did some arts n crafts, belt diagram and colored the jeep cause a.d.d.d.d.d.d....
Next was suspension! All front control arms and coils. Front coils were rotted and sagged out. Lower arms had worn out bushings but thanks to Detroit axle for the cheap win on the arms and random company on coils 😂🤘 rear upper link got shipped separately sadly and won't be here till Tuesday.
Found the passenger side lower arms upper body side bolt had wallered out the inside a little so random tab kicking around made for the perfect weld in fix.
Sitting pretty on her new shoes. Took it for a rip up the block and she's tight and scoots awesome! Besides the exhaust leak it feels mechanically sound
Did notice the tail lights don't come on with the headlights though. But the turn signals and brakes work. Seems to be a common issue so I'll get that figured in the morning. But for now here it is
Oh and my official total cost on this is now $1948.83 👌
Hauling tires away and clean up
Replaced leaking valve cover gasket on the driver side. It was the worse side, still gotta do the passenger side but it looks like a nightmare. Also replaced the TPS due to a random idle. Would go up n down etc. then ran an extra ground to the throttle body, theory behind it is that it smooths out the sensors. Did a Stillen ground kit on my titan years ago after seeing a video showing how the affected areas were sensitivity/ increment wise before and after install. the sensors showed a smoother increase in numbers with the ground kit versus without. also replaced the main alternator cable after i saw the end had a bit of corrosion forming. jumped it up from a 8G to a 4G with some nice OFC high count cable i had laying around.
Next I replaced the belt with one of the ones given to me and then replaced the tensioner pulley as well. Also did some arts n crafts, belt diagram and colored the jeep cause a.d.d.d.d.d.d....
Next was suspension! All front control arms and coils. Front coils were rotted and sagged out. Lower arms had worn out bushings but thanks to Detroit axle for the cheap win on the arms and random company on coils 😂🤘 rear upper link got shipped separately sadly and won't be here till Tuesday.
Found the passenger side lower arms upper body side bolt had wallered out the inside a little so random tab kicking around made for the perfect weld in fix.
Sitting pretty on her new shoes. Took it for a rip up the block and she's tight and scoots awesome! Besides the exhaust leak it feels mechanically sound
Did notice the tail lights don't come on with the headlights though. But the turn signals and brakes work. Seems to be a common issue so I'll get that figured in the morning. But for now here it is
Oh and my official total cost on this is now $1948.83 👌
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- Location
- Sandy, Ut
2M in the FJ40. It's an ooooollld Icom IC-2100H that I've loaned our for Canguro chase rigs in the past. Over the years all our chase crew members have invested in their own radios so this one was collecting dust. I finally mounted it in the Mongrel so I've got a dedicated ham and external antenna. Sure beats the handheld. Even from the cover of my house garage, I can cleanly hit the 146.620 repeater with great TX/TX sound.
_Auzzy_
Web Wheeling Extraordinaire
- Location
- Richfield Utah
Love having a radio but man do I hate it when I pick up the weirdos who seem to think they're a radio dj
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- Location
- Sandy, Ut
I'm not super worried about that, mostly use it on Simplex with the Utah Offroad Recovery Team and have repeaters memorized for emergency uses. I don't troll for chatty old men
ebryson
Active Member
- Location
- Bountiful, Utah
Teaching myself how to weld today, with a little help from @mbryson. Got a cool practice welding kit from somewhere awhile ago and decided today was the day to try it out. Here are some of my samples with a little Hobart Handler 100. I wouldn't say I'm good, but I definitely feel like they'd hold. Did a little destructive testing on the bottom one to make sure the welds held and they did which made me feel a bit more accomplished.
- Location
- The Land Northward (Bountiful), Utah
If you know what this is you know what I did today...
Looks like an rv toilet flush valve?
What model razor is this? I rode a modded one this weekend and now I’m in the thick of figuring out what I need to build one.
That one is a SX500 but the MX500, SX500 and MX650 are all essentially the same bike and a good starting point. You can be crazy and drop like $2k on all the parts from Electro and Co or do it in phases and save cash through DIY. I don’t know that I’ll ever do a “full” build on mine but I could spend a few hundred more on a tuneable controller for sure. My neighbor just did one and it’s killer.
- Location
- West Haven, UT
Been a busy week or so in the shop between getting a few personal projects completed as well as some side jobs.
Following the Jeep JK track bar repair I had a 2010 Buick LaCrosse needing a radiator.
The entire front of the car had to come off to gain access to the radiator. Bumper cover, headlights, crash bar and all associated trim had to be removed after draining the coolant.
Then the small trans. cooler and A/C condenser had to be disconnected from the radiator and moved just enough to gain access to the radiator. After the fan assembly was removed and leaned inward, the radiator could come out the front of the core support.
Old radiator out and switching clips and connectors over to the new one.
Ready for reassembly to begin after a little cleanup.
I sure am enjoying the mobile cart/shelf that I bought earlier this year. It is working out great for stacking parts during a large project such as this.
New radiator wiggled into position.
Once the hoses were reconnected and the cooling system sealed up I pulled a vacuum to ensure there were no leaks. I do this before final assembly in the event there is a leak that needs to be address as it is better to find it at this stage vs. when everything is put back together.
Held a vacuum for about 30+ minutes so the system is nice and tight.
Cooling stack reassembled and ready to accept the crash bar, headlights and bumper cover.
Thanks for looking.
Mike
Following the Jeep JK track bar repair I had a 2010 Buick LaCrosse needing a radiator.
The entire front of the car had to come off to gain access to the radiator. Bumper cover, headlights, crash bar and all associated trim had to be removed after draining the coolant.
Then the small trans. cooler and A/C condenser had to be disconnected from the radiator and moved just enough to gain access to the radiator. After the fan assembly was removed and leaned inward, the radiator could come out the front of the core support.
Old radiator out and switching clips and connectors over to the new one.
Ready for reassembly to begin after a little cleanup.
I sure am enjoying the mobile cart/shelf that I bought earlier this year. It is working out great for stacking parts during a large project such as this.
New radiator wiggled into position.
Once the hoses were reconnected and the cooling system sealed up I pulled a vacuum to ensure there were no leaks. I do this before final assembly in the event there is a leak that needs to be address as it is better to find it at this stage vs. when everything is put back together.
Held a vacuum for about 30+ minutes so the system is nice and tight.
Cooling stack reassembled and ready to accept the crash bar, headlights and bumper cover.
Thanks for looking.
Mike
- Location
- West Haven, UT
After finishing up the Buick radiator I moved on to my Jeep.
With 150k miles now on the original alternator I thought I'd replace it as a preventive measure. I generally rebuild my alternators and starters, however, the shop I used to purchase my parts from has now closed since the owner passed recently. I knew the quality of parts they bought and used in their own rebuilds so my confidence in the parts was high. However, with so much garbage available these days I didn't want to risk it so I ended up purchasing a new OEM alternator. I will carry the old one in the coach as a backup but with 150k miles I felt like it was a good time as I generally see these Chrysler alternators fail in the 130k-140k mile range and even sooner in the Jeeps because people stack on so many accessories and the charging systems get abused. Mine was still functioning perfectly but I will feel better knowing it won't leave me when we're 40+ miles off the pavement in the back country.
Original alternator removed after loosening belt tension and removing intake duct.
New and old for comparing part #'s and clocking to ensure everything is correct.
New alternator installed and buttoning the engine bay back up. All that is remaining is to install the engine cover after a test start.
The next night I tackled a job on the coach that has been on the "to do" list. The serpentine belt and the A/C V-belt have some age on them and as preventive maintenance I figured it would be easier in the shop to replace them than on the side of the road.
They are actually still in really decent condition however.
Very slight amount of glazing but still overall good condition and could have continued to be run without too much worry.
Serpentine belt installed first and then the A/C V-belt installed and the tension set.
Thanks for looking.
Mike
With 150k miles now on the original alternator I thought I'd replace it as a preventive measure. I generally rebuild my alternators and starters, however, the shop I used to purchase my parts from has now closed since the owner passed recently. I knew the quality of parts they bought and used in their own rebuilds so my confidence in the parts was high. However, with so much garbage available these days I didn't want to risk it so I ended up purchasing a new OEM alternator. I will carry the old one in the coach as a backup but with 150k miles I felt like it was a good time as I generally see these Chrysler alternators fail in the 130k-140k mile range and even sooner in the Jeeps because people stack on so many accessories and the charging systems get abused. Mine was still functioning perfectly but I will feel better knowing it won't leave me when we're 40+ miles off the pavement in the back country.
Original alternator removed after loosening belt tension and removing intake duct.
New and old for comparing part #'s and clocking to ensure everything is correct.
New alternator installed and buttoning the engine bay back up. All that is remaining is to install the engine cover after a test start.
The next night I tackled a job on the coach that has been on the "to do" list. The serpentine belt and the A/C V-belt have some age on them and as preventive maintenance I figured it would be easier in the shop to replace them than on the side of the road.
They are actually still in really decent condition however.
Very slight amount of glazing but still overall good condition and could have continued to be run without too much worry.
Serpentine belt installed first and then the A/C V-belt installed and the tension set.
Thanks for looking.
Mike
- Location
- West Haven, UT
Now up to last night where I knocked off another "to do" item off the coach list.
Last summer I noticed that the wiring harness for the taillights in our 2003 Monaco Dynasty were looking a bit rough and I noticed that the bulbs were fitting quite loose in the sockets and were causing issues with sometimes not working. I am somewhat anal and OCD about running lights not working properly when I see them on other's vehicles so as soon as I noticed the issues I investigated and determined the sockets were getting worn but also the housings were becoming distorted slightly due to the heat in the engine bay. Also the gaskets between the taillight housings and lenses had failed and allowed dirt and exhaust soot to coat the inside of the lights which dimished the light output.
Last fall I ordered new taillight housings from a 1973-1987 GM truck along with new socket/pigtail assemblies and gaskets. They have been sitting on the shelf since last fall and I finally made time to replace them and tidy up the wiring harness.
The passenger's side was the worse probably due to the exhaust running under the right rear corner of the coach. The original harness was removed and the deteriorated and crumbling convoluted wire loom was removed. Here I already replaced the socket assemblies with the new ones using bare connectors and heat shrink to minimize the size of the wire loom and to help conceal it as best as possible.
Rather than use the same convoluted casing I chose to use some woven casing that should be a bit more resilient to heat and provide a nicer looking and longer life repair. Here I cut a small notch out of the inside to allow the wires to exit and a smaller section of woven casing to join as a branch.
Passenger side harness completed and bench test using my PowerProbe to power up the running light circuit.
And the brake/turn signal circuit.
Moving to the driver's side it was much the same way but the convoluted casing was in a bit better condition than the passenger's side.
Also because I can't leave anything alone, I noticed that the lenses were a bit dull so I grabbed my 3" cordless Milwaukee polisher and some plastic polish to brighten up the lenses before reassembly. Lense on the left has been polished with the right yet to be done.
Driver's side assembled and ready to be installed in the rear end cap of the coach.
Passenger's side wiring harness looks so much better and the bulb fitment is back to OE.
Same with the driver's side.
Fully assembled and ready to close up the engine bay.
Thanks for looking.
Mike
Last summer I noticed that the wiring harness for the taillights in our 2003 Monaco Dynasty were looking a bit rough and I noticed that the bulbs were fitting quite loose in the sockets and were causing issues with sometimes not working. I am somewhat anal and OCD about running lights not working properly when I see them on other's vehicles so as soon as I noticed the issues I investigated and determined the sockets were getting worn but also the housings were becoming distorted slightly due to the heat in the engine bay. Also the gaskets between the taillight housings and lenses had failed and allowed dirt and exhaust soot to coat the inside of the lights which dimished the light output.
Last fall I ordered new taillight housings from a 1973-1987 GM truck along with new socket/pigtail assemblies and gaskets. They have been sitting on the shelf since last fall and I finally made time to replace them and tidy up the wiring harness.
The passenger's side was the worse probably due to the exhaust running under the right rear corner of the coach. The original harness was removed and the deteriorated and crumbling convoluted wire loom was removed. Here I already replaced the socket assemblies with the new ones using bare connectors and heat shrink to minimize the size of the wire loom and to help conceal it as best as possible.
Rather than use the same convoluted casing I chose to use some woven casing that should be a bit more resilient to heat and provide a nicer looking and longer life repair. Here I cut a small notch out of the inside to allow the wires to exit and a smaller section of woven casing to join as a branch.
Passenger side harness completed and bench test using my PowerProbe to power up the running light circuit.
And the brake/turn signal circuit.
Moving to the driver's side it was much the same way but the convoluted casing was in a bit better condition than the passenger's side.
Also because I can't leave anything alone, I noticed that the lenses were a bit dull so I grabbed my 3" cordless Milwaukee polisher and some plastic polish to brighten up the lenses before reassembly. Lense on the left has been polished with the right yet to be done.
Driver's side assembled and ready to be installed in the rear end cap of the coach.
Passenger's side wiring harness looks so much better and the bulb fitment is back to OE.
Same with the driver's side.
Fully assembled and ready to close up the engine bay.
Thanks for looking.
Mike