mws

Just looking to put on a rooftop tent and then use it? You may be OK with the Yakima mounts.... Here's a little insight on engineering and weight limits... The restrictions on a roof rack will be determined by the dynamic loads. You can put at least double that amount if it does not move. For example, if the published load limit is 300 lbs, that means they have tested it to handle a 300 pound load while driving. A big bump turns that 300 pounds of gear into a dynamic load, meaning it will apply at least 600 pounds of force into the rack. So for them to say it can handle 300 while driving, that means it should easily handle more than 600 pounds WHILE PARKED. Avoid jumping and hyper aerobic activity in it sly and you should be fine.

Re-treads, properly done on a high quality carcass, are a great value and a great way to reduce landfill. However, there have been a few (very few, but very well publicized!) re-treaders that didn't do such a great job so most people have a negative impression of them. Do your homework to be sure who you buy from is one of the good guys and enjoy the savings!

A quick cure for the fogged up acrylic plastic OE headlights: - Wet sand with 600 grit wet or dry until all "fogging" is eliminated - Spray with thin coat of high gloss clear epoxy spray paint The paint fills the really fine scratches left by the 600 grit and makes the plastic almost crystal clear again. Voila! Not perfect and may only last a season or two, but easy to repeat and a whole hecka lot better...

Concussions are "dead" serious. Please take care of it, and take extreme care over the next few months to avoid additional whacks (unless you find Muhammed Ali's or Mike Tyson's situations "attractive" to you...) I'm looking at your helmet in these pictures... Is it some kind of 'special' downhill helmet, or is it a motorcycle helmet? Are injuries like this common in the sport? If so, seriously consider upgrading the helmet technology... After 30 years of motorcycling and a few owwies with time to reflect, I decided the one part of my body I could not tolerate permanent damage to was my brain.... And a concussion means your brain slapped up against the skull hard enough to bruise and/or PERMANENTLY damage it. You can adapt to a little brain loss, but eventually, well. Any other permanent injuries would suck, but as long as I could think and be myself, I could adapt. But brain damage? Please, God, no. My mother suffers from dementia, and I honestly cannot think of anything worse - for her or for us. Arthritis? I hurts, but we can deal. Breast cancer? We could fight it and won. Loss of brain function? All you can do is cry.

I think saying the IFS sucks because it is hard to lift is a bit strong... 99% of the time, an IFS is WAY superior to solid... I know this is blasphemous to say on a 4x4 forum, but solid axles are actually a pretty poor solution for a number of reasons. The only advantage I can see is that they are easier and cheaper to install than a good IS. Give it another 20 years and we'll all wonder what we were thinking... and why inertia had us believing it was the best way to go for so long... The Hummer (the real one) and serious baja style race trucks are a preview into what could be done. So far, production IFS's have been compromised because the manufacturers have been using "traditional" concepts and geometries that severely limit travel. So here's a glimpse into the future.... Take a close look at the rear suspension of a BMW GS1150 or 1200 motorcycle. Envision 4 of those on a truck - two pointing to the rear, two to the front. The ones up front get a little more complicated due to steering, but a variation on the hummer concept of a high mounted input shaft and gear drive to center hub will solve that... Notice, no differentials hanging down to snag and break on rocks. True 4 wheel IFS. According to my models, 30" of travel is feasible with minimal geometry problems... And with active suspension technology, it could be as safe on the streets as any average car, yet more capable off road than the most extreme rock buggies... The only preventers from it happening today are the costs to develop and the perception that most serious offroaders still believe SA's are superior to IS. And no company is going to invest millions to develop a product the target customer will reject out of hand with no consideration that they could be wrong... I understand the military really wanted to reject the humvee because the suspension was so different, but they were trapped into accepting it because the contract was based on performance, not perception.

Yeah, so it ain't pretty.... So what? Form follows function. I say you did a great job! And you learned a lot as you went, so the next one will be only better... Grind off the really high points and let it be. A suggestion: Clean the entire area, scratch it up with 180 grit, and give it a coating of POR-15. Inside and out if you can. That will HELP prevent recurrence. The problem with floor boards is double sided - the crossmembers trap moisture and corrosion inducers from underneath, and the carpet and padding trap moisture from above - so the metal gets attacked from both sides.

*** Engineer popping his head in the room *** On most vehicles, the area at the base of the windshield is actually a point of HIGH pressure, not low pressure. In a simplified way, the air kinda stacks up as it hits the windshield and gets diverted up. This may not be true on vehicles with really laid back windshields or well developed aerodynamics. To get a low pressure zone to remove heat while moving, putting the opening closer to the middle of the hood would be better for vehicles from the "chipped brick" school of aerodynamics - vehicles like our pathys! And based on my experiences, the only approaches that will look good (aka crack free) for more than a couple weeks are: - Weld on steel. Takes skill, and lots of short welds to prevent warpage. - Bond on with REALLY good prep and technique. Good stiffeners on the underside will help. Hoods flex a lot, and that leads to the cracking. So you either have to do it right, or let it "float" with tape on installation. Which ends up looking way ghetto rice. Have you considered some kind of "shaker" arrangement? It's actually easier in the long run. Make the hole in the hood bigger than the scoop, and then mount the scoop to the engine, or just on cross bars across the engine compartment. No connection to the hood = no cracks!

Remember, wheel size is completely independent of tire size... You can put a lower profile, narrower tire on a 16" wheel and fit chains much easier than a 15" wheel... The key thing to consider is TIRE size. My 255/70-16's are smaller than the 31x10.5-15 off road tires... http://www.powerdog.com/tiresize.cgi

Hmmm... I have a 305/700R4 combo sitting in the driveway... Wheels are starting to turn... Of course, being in CA, I would need to keep it smog legal. It could be a challenge to fit smog pump, A/C compressor, and alternator. Hmmm... maybe I won't sell the old V8 so fast...

Good idea! I am going to be installing a 4-wire O2 in our "Frankenvan". I will try to remember to keep the digital camera nearby. I am getting a brand new sensor and harness from casperselectronics for $90. PN 103025. This same kit could be used on Pathy - just need to cut off the one wire connector and splice it in... FYI: A 4 wire is funtionally identical to a 3 wire, except it has an additional ground wire to assure the 02 sensor circuit has a really robust reference ground.

Using the generic 02 sensor will work fine - once you splice it in. Tip o' the day: The wires used between the O2 sensor and factory installed connector are NOT copper. I believe it is some kind of stainless steel or something similar. Generally NOT solderable. So unless you are comfortable with crimp connectors and have the proper crimp tool (the $50+ kind), it is kind of a pain to convert to universal. What I do: Pick up the car side of the O2 harness off a mid 80's to 90's GM car at the junkyard and splice it into the harness on the pathy before the O2 sensor connector - it's copper on that side and you can properly solder it and heatshrink it. Now you can use the oh so typical, inexpensive, and available ANYWHERE 02 sensors for GM cars. Heck, leave the existing connector as well and you can use either one.

YES! That's the point. Negative is first off, last on. And once the negative is disconnected, it doesn't really matter if you disconnect the positive or not...

Good stuff.. One suggestion: Always disconnect the NEGATIVE or ground cable from the battery. Disconnecting either cable has the same effect - the circuit is dead and no spark shows are possible. But if you accidently touch the wrench to a metal body part while loosening the clamp, here's what happens: 1) If loosening the negative clamp: Absolutely nothing. You're shorting ground to ground - no problemo! 2) If loosening the positive clamp while negative is still attached: HOLY FREAKING SH.... SPARKS! NOISE! DRAMA! FRIGGING LIGHTENING BOLTS! MORE DRAMA! Trust me on this... I did it once. The wrench WELDED itself to the body panel in a most dramatic way. Fortunately, the heat from all the hundreds of amps of current passing through melted the wrench before the battery blew up.

You can pick up O2 sensor bungs at most "good" auto parts store. In fact, your exhaust guy (if he's any good) should have some. These are kinda like a nut - threaded on the inside to screw the sensor in, but round on the outside... Just drill a hole where you want the sensor to be and weld the bung on. Done! Try to mount sensor so the business end points down into the pipe at some kind of angle so condensation does not collect up inside the sensor.

Calculated over about 600 miles, 98+% freeway miles, cruising around 70 mph. Drove to Portland and around town a few days. Miles based on GPS tracking, not odometer. '87 V6, 5 speed, 200K original miles. 255/70-16 A/T tires (same size as 31x10.5-15's) aired up to 40 psi. New O2 sensor, plugs, wires, cap, rotor this past spring. Roof rack OFF, but the rear cross bar still attached. T-Bars cranked just enough to level truck and clear tires (maybe 1"?) Antenna down (listened to XM radio) This is more than 2 mpg better than our last trip. The only significant changes were: - No usage of A/C. Last time we ran it about 1/2 the time. - Removed mechanical radiator fan. Installed electric fan but never used it. Still nowhere near our BMW at 34+mpg, but not the 12-14 it got when I bought it. She ran fine, but the terrible mileage said it needed some tuning... Moral: A good tune up makes a world of difference, and minimizing aerodynamic drag and parasitic power drags can help a bunch as well.

Automotive Customizers? aka AC? aka home of really bad customer service? http://www.4x4parts.com/public_html/shop/i...2197d7151029832

Hmm... It seems to me that if you really wanted it "locked" all the time (and I'll avoid asking why...), then "lincoln locking" the stock diff gears would be less effort and cost.

Yeah, get used to it... Most Americans seem to be too lazy/stupid/clueless to drive a manual, so demand is incredibly low. So low that it makes less and less sense for the manufacturers to offer them. I'm hoping the increase in fuel costs will increase demand again so they don't go away completely.

Oh, that was supposed to be humor? Are you saying my life is a joke? I mean, that was like a near blow by blow description of my first experience... Except it sounds like you didn't have the Clymer manual on hand to "help". That piece of worse than useless tripe claims the thermostat is located in a different location than where it really is! That lead to another outburst of selective mechanic jargon...

How much lift? I only want an inch or two, so I will be (as soon as other projects are done) fabricating spacers out of dense polymer (UHMW, delrin, etc). Will look like a thick brimmed top hat when done - one end carved to fit solidly over the spring mount, and the other carved similar to mount to fit snugly within the stock coil. Add a couple bolts to hold in place, and voila! I am a weirdo and don't want to give up my stock sprint rates and ride quality. I have air bags to increase load capacity when hauling heavy loads.

The simple answer is.... it depends! 1) How well sealed was the cap when it was put back on the shelf? 2) What was the humidity on the day it was originally opened and reclosed? 3) What is the average humidity in your area? 4) How hygroscopic is the brake fluid? If the answers are: 1) well 2) low (under 20%) 3) Low (usually under 40%) and 4) Low (like Castrol LMA) Then it will be OK for several months If the answers are: 1) cap? What cap? 2) Raining 3) Let's see, average humidity in Pensacola is, ummm.... 4) Traditional Dot 3, 3.1, or 4 Then maybe a day....

I really like that option for all the reasons you stated. I think I will plagiarize your idea but with a couple modifications: - Some kind of grommet in the hole the hoses go through to reduce chances of vibration slowly wearing through hose. Could get messy! A piece of slit vaccuum hose slipped over the sheet metal edge and glued on with SWA (Super Weatherstrip Adhesive, AKA gorilla snot) works really well! - Some kind of vented rock guard to protect the whole thing from rocks. We drive a lot in the desert, and the big lugged off road tires tend to pick up and hurl a lot of debris. The odds of one actually hitting and cracking the cast aluminum body is pretty slim, but it is possible and I'm not one to take chances 300 miles from the nearest tow truck! I'm thinking some 1" angle iron framework around the bracket and hoses, and some kind of heavy gauge mesh "skirt" extending down around the filter to protect the filter from sharp rock punctures. Leaving just enough room to attach a filter wrench, of course!

Drivers side, rear. Between 2nd and 3rd cylinder. Could also have to do with heat shielding for the TBI air cleaner warm air system? Since I do need to pass smog, I may not be able to use this set... :sniff:

Dohhh.... I was going to take these off Robbie's hands, but then I noticed these are a different PN than what is specified for my '87 model... Anybody know the difference between: 464-1 (86 to 89 models), and 464-2 (90-95 models) I suspect they are the same bends, but different fittings?

Got the fan in... but no wiring or shroud yet. Just threw a bundle of wire and some terminals in. If she starts getting hot, I'll just pull over and wire something up! This fan is a 3 speed! Perfect.... med speed for normal cooling, high speed for serious cooling, and low speed will be used as "after run" cooling - have it kick on and off for a few minutes after shut down to cool down the engine bay.