Precise1

Got ya Repack, lug nut key... About locking the spare, I'm thinking with aftermarket rims (nothing too fancy) but with a fresh AT or MT, some a$$es get tempted... With the things I have had stolen over the years (sony am/fm CASSETTE, rear speaker box $50 new, driving lights, licence plate, useless spare on rim in back of pickup) I don't wonder anymore what might be worth trading for $10 of crank or whatever. Anything I would value gets locked down... You are lucky to have good junk yard sources, while there are 2nd Gen Pathys everywhere, there are virtually none in the bone yards here in north Ca.. B

LOL, that is definitely sweet statikus !! Um, but then mine is street legal And I ride it everywhere, including touring states at a time And it was only 1/10-1/30 the cost And mine is probably almost as fast !! :bow: BUT, if $ or common sense wasn't involved, YEAH BABY !!! Gimme the keys !! B

Congrats Repack !! Yours has a built in lock ??? Hmm, I dont think my 95 does... I'm going to need something when I replace the spare with a matching rim and good tire... B

Oh, Yeah Baby !!! Where do I get one of those 88 !!?? A bit low in the HP; that'll need to be beefed up, but I have the technology... 2 wheel drive would be very nice to try ! Slick, there is no such thing as TOO much aerodynamics. It is only aerodynamics, the more the better. Trust me as the owner of a 140HP motorcycle that was designed in a wind tunnel... 2001 Honda CBR1100, this one is not mine, but an easy pict of the exact bike. I have a few mods, and without the rear hard bags... -bounce- :bow: B

I can't tell much from the plug picts (nothing jumps out at me) but I can tell you have an oily motor. It IS possible that the little bit of oil on top of the coolant after drain is just from contamination while draining. k9sar is right about adding oil for the compression check, that is the way I learned to do it. The rings need the oil to seal, and besides an incorrect pressure reading, other components may be leaking above the 'dry cylinder' pressure reading, adding to the confusion. No suprise here that the T-stat was damaged, you discription pointed to it. Your up,down,up,down temp gauge could have been from air, surging, or amounts of 'cool' water being forced past the T-stat by pressure. Don't forget to examine the radiator cap; if it is weak or the seal damaged it will allow blowby when hot FAR below the 15 PSI it should be. Also remember, a pin hole or bad seal on a hose will allow water to escape fairly rapidly under pressure but not leak in the driveway or steam excessively at a stoplight. Sounds like you are on the right track and it may not be the heads, but ASSUME NOTHING !!! Doubt and check every possibility... It'll be worth the effort in the long run. Bernard

Hey 94 Pathy, I'll be out there as soon as it warms up and you send me a plane ticket... Really, unlesss everything is rusted together, it wont be that hard, just takes some time. Definitely have a friend help, it'll go faster and easier. GL !! lgranch, I guess I could see how that might work, but seems kinda tight... I just followed the manuals directions and since I was indexing the T-bars anyway, it made no difference. With a little luck, I won't have to try it again for another 100k ! B

LOL, Ok, you do not HAVE TO take the T-bars out... I bungie corded them up and to the side, but after wacking my head on them a few times, I just pulled them all the way out for convenience. Not like it is hard since you have the cross member out already. B

LOL El Mad, you aint the only one with a hole under the petal foot... It wasn't me, but the PO that it happened to and he "failed" to mention it, but it was obvious when I moved the floor mats... Oh well, I'll deal with that some day, but it's not an emergency in my book.. Was working on the truck the other day, and saw a quarter about to drop through, so I grabbed it thinking "Thats .1 gallons of gas !!!" Yes, you had better take wheels off, buy some brake cleander, and see what is up. It could be grit type stuff inbedded in the brake pads/shoes, in which case you had better change them before they score the disks/drums. 4x4's are tough, but weren't designed to be burried with impunity... Don't let that slow you down though, just don't get stuck next time Bernard

SO VERY NICE 88 !! That looks like the beefy set up you need to put up with your mods and antics... While I don't need that heavy duty components (yet ?), I'm jealous !! Nice fab work on the idler arm brace, it almost looks like part of the kit. If you hadn't have mentioned it, I wouldn't have guessed, but after studying it (and running stress analysis programs) I see that it is different... I'll let you know soon about something I think you will want to compliment your most recent upgrade. Now, go out and try to break it !! Post the picts Bernard

Hey Slick, truely sorry to hear about this issue... I'll be honest, it doesn't sound good. Before anything though, you have to identify the problem and then the cause before proceding. "it started eating coolant and overheating, it also suddenly starting burning oil and using more gas. Sounds like head gasket to me... The compression check as 88 suggested should be done... it will allow you to "map" the motor and give you an idea of the affected cylinders (looking for water doesn't tell all) "if you touch the upper rad hose, it will burn you.. if you touch the hose/pipe running from t'stat housing.. you can leave your hand on it and not get burned, the same with heater hoses going into firewall" This tells me that you don't have good circulation, or very little. It could be a faulty T-stat, I have heard of that before.... Could be that it is blocking the flow, and allowed your motor to overheat, taking out the head gasket... IF that is the case, you may have a claim against the manufacturer. Your BF's bro's suggestion of "stop leak" and drive it is not a good idea in my book; dont drive it at all until you get things figured out. No point in ruining the heads (hopefully they are not). Are the 'bad' cylinders where the BF's bro drilled ? I'm guessing not, but he might have done more harm than good. Again, compression check it, and dont drive it like it is. I know none of us are rich, but you may want to consider buying a "rising sun" 30K mile or junkyard/crashed pathy motor to drop in the truck. You can change all your goodies over and have it running in no time (your previous experience), then figure what is up with the old motor, and if it is fixable, then you can sell it... I'm sure that wouldn''t be hard... Compression check the motor before going any farther !! Hope I'm helping; if there is anything I can do, just ask ! Bernard

Very Nice Bud !! That will keep you happy for years ! I say splurge for the 19", but you have dual monitor support. Get 2 17"... Trust me on this, run dual monitors !!! I do and it is invaluable at times, and just down right cool the others. Theoretically I can support 9 monitors, but the desk just isn't big enough... B

Just passing it along... Summit has a buy 3 Rancho rs9000 shocks and get the 4th free. I don't know if it is from Rancho, or just through Summit, but I figured I'd pass it along... http://store.summitracing.com/default.asp?target=promo.asp

Yep, I'm amost certain that it is the CVs... You are begining to bind them when you have the steering cranked. This is bad; you can destroy them. I believe that most manuals tell you not to turn sharply in 4x4 (and dont stomp on the gas either), hence the classic 9 point turn you will see a lot of wheelers do in a tight spot. Kinda a pain in the butt, but better than replacing the VC's often... B

Yes, you have to pull 2 crossmembers, the T-bars, the crossover exhaust pipe, both driveshafts, both shifters, and various little things like electrical connectors. It really isn't that hard, just time consuming. Biggest problem would be frozen bolts, but if it was out 3 years ago, they shouldn't be too bad. A garage, jack/tranny jack, manual, and decent set of tools are what you need. Theres no real magic, just common sense, good work habits, a manual and some time will see you through. I figured $800 labor charge was worth wrenching for a few days (I took my time) and besides, I took care of some other things, checked the truck out well, and know it was done right... Bernard

I have a slight whistling noise at lower rpm, especially when I let off the gas. MM has the same, but louder due to a K&N cone type filter he runs instead of the stock air box... This leads me to believe it is just something inherent in the intake design. Unless yours is EXTREMELY loud and performance seems to be effected, I wouldn't worry about it. Just tell people that your turbo whistles a little... B

I feel your pain Bud... While not as bad, I had a similiar experience with an autobody shop receintly... I suggest visiting the mechanic and explaining that in order for the pistons to come out and the new rods to go in, you actually have to LIFT A WRENCH or two; they don't just pop out on their own due to boredom !! Listen to the 7 lame excuses he comes up with, ignore them, and tell him to either work on the truck, or you will have it towed to a mechanic with a less holistic approach the vehicle repair... At least you have another car to drive though, I've ridden the superbike in the rain too often this winter... Good luck. Bernard

Hey NR, I know you were asking oilman, and maybe he has a different reply, but you will have to do a 3" BL, 3" susp lift and maybe some fender hacking depending on the backspacing of the rims... It is not going to come easy... Word of advice... Most all of this has been covered MANY times... Use the search function and read. There is a wealth of information at this site, you just have to look it up. B

Np oilman, I do understand, and probably did from the start, but I thought your "Chromies=NOOB" statement was a little to broad and not thought out very well. I totally agree with "rediculous chromies" being used off road, and using what is or cheap options, not to mention separate tire sets ! Like I said, if I was to buy rims for my truck, they would be $50 black rock crawlers... Sorry if I went overboard... Personally, I hate chrome, PERIOD ! B

2 doors are for the people who can't figure out how to open the other two on 4 door and/or dont have friends.... B

Nice lawn dude !! B

LOL man, thats why I offered ! Between heckling one another, leaping to conclusions, flying off the handle, running off at the mouth, going overboard, getting carried away (we get a lot of exercise) and belittling Sheeps we generally do that 'helping each other' thing here, as long as it doesn't interfere with the afore mentioned. While I'm not THE expert, I can be clever at times and am more than willing to help. PM me anytime ! The name is Bernard

Hey NR, when I comes to smashed Pathys, I have a LOT of recent ecperience. With the front end anyway... I'm just on the finishing cosmetic details now, but let me know if you have any Q's, I may be able to help... B

Sheesh, he calls a twin air bed "cargo" and uses it for "other" things... I wonder what he has for hardware back there ?? Wait, he IS hardwaretoad !!! Oh, god, I forming some sort of sick mental image... MEDIC !!! B

LOL, while it aint no rubicon, take a look at Mudfinders picts and see... Then, while you are snickering, drop your truck into the same rut. For the record, I see a different path I'd take in the photos, but then thats 'cause I'm a weenie and hate bending things and getting stuck... B

Jeeps are a good source I hear, and they can be free if you cruise the malls and are quick with a jack.... No, really, check out the local U-Pull-It or call the other junkyards... There is a sticky at the top of the garage page that will tell you the years you are looking for. I'd guess $50 for 2 used TOPS... Definitely do it, you wont be sorry !! Dont forget to crank/index the T bars... the best 2" free you will get with out a vacuum pump. B