Mr. Pickles

My bad. But yup, air-something.

Yup, its a real pain to figure out the wiring at the amps. I did that at first, and then later went back and re-wired the hole thing after all. And for the crossovers, you can go with simple passive ones that run in-line. They're less than $10 a set at Best Buy, probably Radio Shack too. If you run an aftermarket amp, it most likely will have the crossover built in though.

It would be nice to have the compressor onboard to make adjustments. I have Gabriel airshocks on the rear my 95, and I need to go to the gas station to fill them up. The little compressors that plug into the cigarette lighter don't have enough pressure.

If you're bypassing the amps, running wire to the speakers directly really is the easiest and quickest method.

You may want to just look into heavier springs or air shocks to help out with the load, rather than only raising the rear.

Crazy! That is definatly the front end of a 720 truck, just like my old 1985. Would this be another case of Redneck Autobody? Looks like a case of beer, boredome and a welder. The Z24 motor is gutless as hell, but it will go forever. I sold that truck at 255K miles and it still ran like a champ. I've seen some mod parts for the motor, even headers on A/C, but I'm not sure you're gonna squeeze out much more power from that motor. Definately do your own tune-up, I went to take it in to a shop, and they wanted to charge for a V8 because it has 2 spark plugs per cylinder.

Works for me and anwers the question. I'm not touching it.

Matterhorn, so you did the whole MSD box and everything? Is it very easy, and is there any noticable gain from it? I've seen it and thought about it, but wasn't sure.

Me too, run a can of octane boost an/or cleaner through for a few days, then get it nice and hot and run it through. I even passed in my old truck... with no catalytic converted. Bashed it out on the inside, but still passed.

Except that it tracked perfectly, and still does, until you hit the brakes. There was no pull until after the brake job, and I had the alignment done 2 weeks ago. Time to go back and just plain demand they do it all over again, I suppose.

Doesn't matter what deal you can cut, you'll still pay WAY more $$$ if you try and keep it in the end. The option to buy is never structured close to the cost of just purchasing it in the first place.

You get nothing in return, and get the shaft if you decide in the end you want to keep the vehicle. All you're doing is making someone's payments for them and borrowing their car for a while.

But how about calipers that are brand new? 1 week old and problems instantly.

Mine did that until I had the alignment done for the 4th time 2 weeks ago. Then it was perfect, no pull whatsoever, until my brake meltdown last Friday (see the other post). When I picked it up, the guy at Midas tried to tell me something was wrong with the front end, because it was pulling hard to the driver's side. I said it was the brakes, but he insisted not. It is. Drives perfect, but since they put on the new brakes it now mysteriously pulls. Of cooouuurse it isn't their fault, though...

Mine is doing the same after sending it to Midas over the weekend for a complete front end overhaul (again). Any ideas on this? Anything over light pressure on the pedal practically puts it in the next lane.

I'd be interested in something like that too. I'm not looking to spend $500 on some monster, as I don't plan on mounting a winch, etc. and I have a brand new bumper because of the recent wreck. But, and here's the kicker, I want something chrome to match the rest of the chrome because, yes, I like it shiny! sssh

Just a thought, but on my old 85 Nissan 4x4, the rear brakes always squeeked, and locked up easy when you first started driving (in rain, etc.). It had always done this, even after new brakes, full inspections, etc. etc. I just got into the habit of dragging the brakes out the driveway and it would go away. Point being, sometimes they just seem to do something strange and there's not much you can do about it. Get them checked out of course, though.

Bet that helps in Seattle, where the parking spots usually require some amount of lube to get into. Sorry, had to go there...

Yup, in Auburn, WA (about 25 miles south of Seattle). Its the only one around and is actually PACKED all summer long. Huge lines to get in, but nice and cheap. Toss in some blankets and a cooler, and you're good to go.

Gotta love it. I live 1/2 mile from a big, multi-screen drive in movie theater. Dark tinted windows help too... -bounce-

I use Fram too, always have, with no problems. Gotta love their grip on the filter, I hate trying to twist loose a nice, slippery, old plain metal filter while your leaning over the fender, scraping up your arm, yada yada. I usually change my own oil unless its really cold out. I'll take it in maybe once a year for a good look. On another note, has anyone tried the newer "High Mileage" oils out? I used Castrol last time, and it seems to help with a bit of smoking that was developing. Just put it in the Camry over the weekend, and it actually sounds better. Its quieted some of the random groans of the old girl.

Ripped off for sure, but the prices were actually about half for parts, half for labor. They charged 69.95 each for the calipers, plus the brake lines and resurfacing, then a ton for labor. Didn't have much choice, it broke on the side of the road many miles from home on a Friday night. I thought it would be under warranty (is anything ever?) and left it at the shop because it was only a few blocks away. I surely didn't have the time to shop around on Ebay, as its my daily driver. This is getting old, our 2 vehicles have sucked about $4000 out of my pocket in the last couple months. pssd :oops:

They run a ton of $$$. I just had mine done over the weekend at Midas (2nd time in 1 1/4 years :oops: ). What a joke. $550 for just the calipers, brake lines and resurfacing of the rotors (but they threw in free pads- whoopeee). It was over $700 the first time around with rotors also. They say the brake lines failed, causing the driver's front caliper to lock up on me going down the freeway. Luckily, we were only 10 miles into a road trip, and maybe 5 miles from my parent's home. "Dad, please come help!..." It was so hot, you could feel the heat a couple feet away and see the waves of heat coming off. Supposedly baked the caliper. I limped a few blocks and had to leave it at Midas after hours. My question was why didn't they replace the brake lines when I had all the work done before, but they say that isn't their standard deal. And nope, no warranty at this point. What a joke, $1300 on just the front brakes in just over 1 year.

The stud isn't the issue. Although, they've broken one on the Pathy before and refused to fix it, saying it wasn't their fault, it must have been defective. And this was at another location. Read the thread about "Front end play." I personally saw the guy doing my alignment put a wrench onto the bolt on the control arm, then beat the hell out of it with a hammer. I made it home (2 miles) then on the way to work the next day (1 more mile), it popped out. The front end dropped, the Pathy pulled into the next lane and I very nearly was in a wreck. I was just about to get onto the freeway. Imagine if this happened at 60mph. I limped it to another Les Schwab only a few blocks away. The store manager proceeded to tell me it was in no way their fault, and they wouldn't touch it because they don't do that work. He told me it must have been like that when I took it in! Then they offered to recommend a towing company, and that was all they could do. So, I went to the regional manager, and he said the same. Then the corporate office, and got the run-around, calls not returned, told they wouldn't do anything, etc. Their negligence nearly caused a wreck and cost me a couple hundred bucks. I had to get it towed to another shop pay to repair their mistake. The truck was in good shape on the way in, then I watched the guy beat on it, and it mysteriously broke immediately after. They had many, many chances to right the wrong, and not only wouldn't, but outright lied about it. So, this is not some simple outburst over something that isn't a big deal. I've gone there for many years and had no problems before, but lately they have alarmingly and drastically gone down hill. They also recently, at another location, siped my dad's and his friends brand new BFG AT's, on a Dodge Ram and a Chevy. They did both too deep, causing a bunch of chunks of tread to fly off and ruin the tires. They denied responsibility for that too, claimed they must have been out peeling their tires around town. The company is a joke, their training apparently is non-existent, and they won't stand behind their work and mistakes. For most jobs, that isn't too big of a deal, find another shop. But this company was trusted with the safety of myself and my family and friends riding with me, and they screwed it up. Then, when they had many chances to make it right and keep me as a customer, they not only blew it, but lied. That is why I'm against Les Schab and am spreading the word. I don't want someone else I know having a similar experience.

It was messed up at Les Schwab, the evil horrible bastard local shop. I won't trust taking it back. See the short story under the "Front end play" thread. After they totally screwed me over and cost me time, money and a tow to another shop, they wouldn't do a thing to help. I went all the way to corporate headquarters, and even they basically told me to piss off. So, I'm hell-bent on doing this myself and keeping moron's hands off my baby. And gladfully spreading the word to anyone that listens: BOYCOTT LES SCHWAB, they don't stand behind their work and are downright dangerous. Jim is against them too apparently.