Precise1

Well said... B

Yeah, I saw a cheepo air tool kit at Costco for about $80 last weekend and passed it up. Next weekend I'm going to buy it and start shopping for a decent air compressor. I do enough of this kind of work that it will pay for its self, not to mention the mods that I have planned. What the hell, I love tools... B

Check first (doesn't take long) and bang last (it works often enough for people to do it). Location of everything should be obvious other than the fusible links (which are somewhere upstream of the positive battery terminal, but usually not far) and the starter relay which I believe is under the hood on the passenger side against the side where there are several relays. Check the afore mentioned and try whacking the starter a few times before worrying about wiring niceitys. Those are usually the problem 90% of the time. B

Thanks to all the suggestions, mws for the socket, my co-worker for the air compressor, another co-worker for the cut off wheel and my work place for the impact gun. I GOT THE DAMN NUTS LOOSE !!! -bounce- After soaking them for over a week, the trick was to heat them up a lot and hammer on them for about 5 minutes a piece. I made a mark to see if they rotated and after 2 minutes, I saw about 5 degrees movement. It took a full 1/4 turn before they became 'free' and spun off. The final VooDoo factor was that I had an air grinder with a cut off wheel sitting next to me that was primed for use for when my last try failed. The nuts saw it and realized they had better break free or be forever destroyed. I have some serious thread filing to do though... B

I'm assuming the engine won't turn over... Clarity helps, bro. Ok, check the battery for voltage first (ohm meter type thing)... It should be 12V+ without load, no less than 11 cranking the engine. Next check the ground cables and connections at the battery and frame (check means clean and conductive). Next check the connections at the starter (clean and conductive) and test with a meter while turning the key. Check the fusible links off the hot terminal of the battery (before and after with the ohm meter). If everything is good at this point, it is probably the starter (and or selenoid, beat it with a hammer) or a starter relay or fuse (unlikely). If you have power all the way and the starter wont crank, it's the wiring/relays to the starter or the starter its self. This should cover anything you can do on the side of the road other than testing relays or repacing the starter. B

Sorry AB, Thats was meant as tongue in cheek, and you are not paying $250 a rim, more like $75... It's just that most people here are interested in offroad performance, then looks in the same genre. You need to inspect the bored out rims to see if it has impinged on any structural elements and that it was cleanly done before you decide. Thats what Slick was getting at. Some Chevy rims can be bored out slightly to clear the nissan hubs without compromising their integrity... B

Um, so which category do you imply describes me ? Sorry if the US slang didn't cross the border, but constructive posts (as you are capable of) are desired, not eronious corrections or slander. B

No problem, thats why we are here. I guess I meant to say that even with the rear crossmember removed, the T-bars generally won't slide out of the front mounts unless you loosen the front 3 bolts so it has some play. B

Bingo, you generally have to loosen the front 3 bolts or the spline binds. B

You need an enema FL. They have been called 'rims' as long as I can remember in Cali so I'm sure that applies somewhat in other places also. ie. "I'm buying Johns rims"... Some of the same place you mentioned. They are talking about functional rims though as opposed to bling, although they look better in my book. MMM, black steel rock crawlers, now thats sexy !! You have to understand, a poser pays $250 a rim. A wheeler pays $70 a rim and $180 for the tire... B

Nice rims, Bling Boy... B

Understatement of the week... Fix any brake line leaks immediately, I don't care how small. It could be that the leak is not letting the caliper pistons retract enough, keeping the pads dragging. We won't even go into the dangerous part... B

I believe the 3.3 was rated somewhere in the 170 HP range so you would gain 20-25hp... You can probably get 10-15+ hp with headers, exhaust, intake and electric fan on your 3.0 for the same price. B

Try to focus k9sar... B

Dig a pit in the basement... B

OOps, my mistake Red... Well, so far the impact gun @100+ psi has had no effect... This weekend I'll try heating them, but I'm begining to wonder. Next step will be just to cut them off... B

Understood. My concern was that the threads were abused from having loose or overtorqued bolts. This could mean stripping down the line. No trying to worry you, but it is something I'd have checked for. Agreed with the shock crap. Get a print out of what you can get the shocks for and go back. Ask for the $ difference (and cost of 2 rear shocks you didn't want) back. A shop should always be able to buy for the same and less than you can. Then they charge you 'retail' and pocket the profit. You know you have found an honest mechanic when he has no issue with you supplying your own new parts... B

LOL @ the chew toy , but then I have heard of worse... Ok, so you payed $7k for a nice, low mile pathy. Not a steal by any means, but you got exactly what you wanted and seem more than pleased with it. Congrats again !! Now get your butt down to Best Buy and post some picts !!! B

Dowser might need a lot... B

NICE !! Yes, the best Pathy's are to be had on the west coast... I even saw an 87 with 60k on it locally (20 miles) for $2500... Ok, so so much was it after plane fare, gas and time ??? Fess up to the REAL price... B

Hmm, from what I understand, it's only the top end of the motor thats different. Does that mean it bolts up to the tranny ?? It should, but I can't swear by it. What makes me wonder is if the 99 ECU is needed, and if it needs input from dual/quad o2 sensors, etc. This is beyond what I know, but I figured pointing out potential issues was worth typing. B

Got 317 miles for 16 gallons on a cross state, up mountain trip last week. I believe my odo/speedo is a bit slow also. Suprised the heck out of me ! Nothing like that around town though... B

Lets not go there, but it does raise the Q of when the timing belt was last changed... Don't wait if in doubt, 4 people lost their motors last summer for this reason alone. That aside, yes, these are good motors. While they don't have a lot of power (especially stock) the are uber reliable and thats a major attraction to me ! B

Mine heat up quite a bit on a long trip also. All I can guess is that it is heat from the motor/exhaust being blown back. Lets face it, right under the truck is not a hospitable area... My MT doesn't get hot, and the T-case isn't being used. B

Good idea, everything else you can do yourself easily and cheaply... B