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herm

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Everything posted by herm

  1. Welcome! You scored - 5 Gs and full service records - sweet! and of course I'm partial to the green ones myself. There is virtually nothing about these trucks that can't be collectively diagnosed and repaired (coached) by the good people on the msg boards.
  2. It's a crap shoot not knowing what the undercarriage of the seats are like. They make no claim as to what they fit - and there is no brand, like a recaro model number, to cross reference. I think you'll be on your own to fab brackets, and that means you may not retain full adjustability. they are not a true NISMO part - they stitch TRD or MOPAR or anything else in that space. Also, what is PVC Leather? I'd say they are vinyl seats, not leather. They look cool, but the foam may compress in 90 days and then you're sitting on hard plastic. I'd say it's a pretty risky purchase, but you may get lucky? Let us know how it works out.
  3. Crutchfield gives you the diversity antennae adapter for free with the head unit, along with the DIN kit. The speaker harness kit is extra, but not needed if you're doing new speakers anyway.
  4. Maine has gone back and forth with legislation on lift laws. In 2007 they relaxed the rules to allow up to 4 inches, but the more difficult rules concern tire size. They have a complex formula that attempts to limit tire size to two sizes larger than what the door jam sticker reads. In 2003 they banned all lifts over 2 inches, and many people had to drop vehicles back to stock. Now those lifts are being reinstalled, what a PITA! Enforcement is always vague. It comes down to inspection stations, they make the call on pass/fail. The other liability issue is a post-accident scenario, where the state police do a vehicle autopsy. At that point the driver can be held responsible for driving an unsafe vehicle, which can compound legal issues if you are involved in an accident, especially one that has fatalities. The whole point of this began as a reaction against the monster trucks that use anything from a professionally engineered Skyjacker lift to hockey pucks and 2x4s... and of course what sucks about that is most of those are purely mall-cruisers! There are a lot of loopholes, or vague specs. The way the law reads concerning a 4 inch lift is a direct measurement off the frame, so where does leave a unibody? The enforcement is also vague - it all revolves around the annual inspection sticker. And they don't clearly state if bumping up a tire size two sizes is dependent on the manufacturers offerings or straight math. Maine also prohibits the sale of diesel cars, like VW TDIs, but it is legal to buy them in a neighboring state and liscence them here. None of it makes much sense to car/truck guys. m.
  5. The (not so) Hidden Hitch only has those 4 bolts - replaces the factory tow plates, and is rated Class III, but I never tow anything heavy. It's primary function is to act as a factory bumper retainer for ditch crossings. It paid for itself when I backed into a low concrete barrier in a parking garage, of all places.... would've totally munched the factory bumper. And then there was the girl who rear ended me, not a scratch on the pathy but it made such a mess out of her Pontiac...
  6. For many of wheeling on original CV axles with over 100k: would you consider replacing them a preventative maint issue? Or would you say a trail situation that stresses a CV to break is essentially the same risk for a used vs new CV? m.
  7. 1997 w/115,000 miles. Original wheel bearings, never serviced, seem to work fine. The fronts are a PITA to get to, so I figured I'll wait until they actually go bad, and then drop in a new set. m.
  8. zx6r240sx - where are you? I may be interested in your stock steelies for a winter set.
  9. You can put 31 x 10.5s on your stock steel wheels on a 97XE. They will rub at full lock on the inside of the frame (uni-body), but only at full lock - parking lots, etc. The clearance on the strut base is close, but not a problem. The advantage is they won't stick out past the body on the factory steelies like they do on the 15 x 8 aftermarkets w/ 4 in backspacing. But a 10.5 wide tire does set up better on an 8 inch rim, ultimately the wider wheel is a good choice. m.
  10. what year pathy did this wheel come on? I don't recognize it... I'm looking for a set of basic rims to run a winter tire. thx, m. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/15-FACTORY-...sspagenameZWD1V
  11. My '97 is showing rust on both rear hatch hinges - moreso than yours. It appears to be light surface rust, not actual rot. I noticed my rear window seal leaks in one spot - when I use the rolltop cover-thing on wet days there is a small puddle on it. I have NO areas of real rust, or even minor bubbling, which says a lot considering I'm in Maine. I did paint the rockers two years ago with black Herculiner to cover the rock chips, but they were cosmetic, no sub-surface rust. My rear bumper sections did bubble pretty badly on those cheap metal outer pieces. Not to much to complain about for a 10 year old vehicle. m.
  12. For what it's worth, if I was to do it over, I'd start with an SE. The larger alloy wheels and gearing alone are worth it - at this stage (vehicle age 1996-98) you shouldn't see much a price difference.
  13. My guess is if Dean is "designing" the build, it will exceed a Class III level hitch. He's not known for weak upgrades... m.
  14. I looked at the FJ pretty closely. I don't think it is any more capable than my R50 - other than the locker and traction control widgets. Ground clearance was the same or less. Rear visibility is terrible, it's a cave back there. It may be geared lower, I'm not sure, but overall it won't physically go anywhere my R50 can't. Of course I'm jealous of the instant aftermarket support it has. I'm gald to see the industry as a whole 'wake up' recently - the Rubicon, the Xterra and Fronty off-road packages, the FJ, even the H3 - they are all great to see, and maybe I'll end up in one of them in a few years when they get on the used market. I never understood why Nissan didn't offer NISMO packages to compete with the TRD in the early 1990s. It seems Nissan is catching up nicely now. I still have several years of abuse left in my R50, assuming I don't make a mistake out there... m.
  15. That's what most people say about us! Go lurk on ih8mud.com and you'll see there are quite a few mid 90s Lexus Land Cruiser's being used very, very well by thier owners. They get the same crap we get from heepers... and then drive right past (over?) them. This is a great thread: http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=57788 m.
  16. Like Vengeful said - this is the common misconception with Warn hubs - you still retain all the shift-on-the-fly aspects of factory hubs, BUT you gain the ability to disengage (turn 'em off). If you have the dial on the hub set to 4 x 2, you cannot engage 4wd from inside, you cannot shift-on-the-fly. But if you have the dial set to 4x4, it acts just like a factory set-up. The advantage is on hwy trips when you know you won't be in 4wd you can disengage them (4x2 setting) and then you don't spin the front axles for no reason. For serious wheeling, if you break a CV, you can disengage them and still drive home. If you're lifted, you don't stress the CVs all day for nothing. Gas milegae increase is marginal... but you can argue they 'pay for themselves' over time. Most of us keep them locked all winter, and engage/disengage in non-snow and ice seasons. Did I forget anything? m.
  17. My Warns have never frozen up, and I get quite a bit of winter. I would think if you had a center cap, open ended of course, all that would do is provide a place for slush, snow, ice, salt, mud, stones, etc to pack in and make it worse. I'm always kicking, scraping or poking ice and snowpack out of my wheels in winter, it throws off the balance, among other issues. Warn hubs work fine all by themselves. m.
  18. Dean - you've been running for years without front sway bars, correct? No drawbacks - just take it easy on high speed manuevers? I wonder if my inspection station would notice them missing.... m.
  19. I was behind this jeep and had to snap a pic. I guess it didn't live up to expectations?
  20. So I've been told on the AC board... I'm old and slow ya know? m.
  21. New Nissan pathfinder ad: http://www.cartoonland.de/?s=pathfinder&submit=Go
  22. There may be no connection to the KN filter - it could be coincidence. My cruise has been dead for years. Dealer tried three diagnoses after local mechanics couldn't figure it out, I replaced several parts the dealer identified as bad (I bought them at salvage) but it remains dead... current best-guess is a bad wire in the steering column harness, which is too much effort. I can live w/o cruise. m.
  23. The problem with military jerry cans is weight - it's awful hard to haul them up and down from the roof. And of course you need to make sure your rack is up to challenge of that, especially under the demands of wheeling. I have three 2.5 gallon plastic fuel cans for rooftop use - just regular cans for chainsaws and stuff. I place them in milk crates for protection - that way the plastic gas can base is on the plastic milk crate base, which shouldn't be able to rub or cut through. If you want to be totally safe put a piece of dense foam (like sleeping pads) or neoprene (old wetsuit jackets) between the gas can and milk crate. Lash the milk crate to the roof rack, and then lash the gas can inside the milk crate, and maybe even through to the roof rack. I prefer multiple smaller cans because then if one leaks you don't lose all your fuel, and they are easier to handle. If you're out with multiple vehicles and one person needs gas, or is bailing early, they can take a can and you're not left empty. If you're stuck in a thick tree-lined trail, the branches will be whacking the milk crate, not the gas can. I explore some remote stretches in Northern Maine, but rarely need extra fuel. If most of what you're driving on is dirt road - even good dirt/gravel road - you're usually driving under 50 mph. You should easily have 250-275 mile range, and it's hard to find continuous, no-gas-for-sale stretches that far. But I like to carry gas in case I get hopelessly lost, or to help out someone else. m. PS - and you are correct - NEVER carry fuel inside the vehicle.
  24. I've only seen hitches in black... I think you'll have to take it to a paint shop. m.
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