Above 1200 Sq/FT The Warthog Hidey Hole

[jbmatth]

This weekend started off fun, I took my truck in to have the check engine light looked decoded. When I purchased it the seller said it didn't have any codes and no light. Well the light came on so I assumed it was one or two small things. Turns out it was 13 unique codes. I had my girls with me and they wanted to get a snack so we hopped across the street to a gas station to get apple juice and candy corn. (Side note, I actually have a cousin who married into my family named Candy Corn.) When we loaded up the truck wouldn't start, it would just crank and crank. Popped the hood to find the fuel filter head had a little diesel on the top of it. Turns out I blew a seal and it was sucking air into the line. A couple of guys asked if I needed help and one pumped on the primer as I cranked it over. That put this section of line in a vacuum so it wasn't leaking but was pulling small amounts of air in the line.

Long story continued I couldn't get the part in the town I was in so I had my wife pick it up and bring it home with her. Rebuilt it Friday night and had it ready to run by 10pm.

The next morning I went to the west side of OKC to pick up the Ranch Hand bumper off of another truck that was being parted out. I've been looking for a used one for a while for my last truck as well as this one now and finely found one, new they are around $1,200 or so and I just can't justify 40% of the cost of B.P. 2.0 on a bumper. I found this one for $250, Woo Hoo! I tried to go ahead and mount it to my truck but I broke a bolt off and had to just load it into the bed of my truck to repair at home. I drilled it out but of course the easy out didn't work and I had to continue drilling then didn't have the right size tap, M12x1.75. Picked that up and finished the install:
View media item 61660Note the cherry picker makes my life way easier many many times while working in The Warthog Hidey Hole.

Installed:
View media item 61661
Notice the five 3/4" (19 mm) bars welded onto a plate, they are about 7" (18 cm) on center:
View media item 61662
This was on a welders truck before and I would guess a farmer as well, my only guess is that they were used for high tension wire, but I would think those spools are too big to fit between the posts.

More stories to come, this was all just Friday night and Saturday morning.
JB

 

[jbmatth]

Because of the HRPT and Fathers day I hadn't mowed for 16 days and I could have bailed most of the property if I really wanted to. I was able to get the front yard and the east side of the house done before this happened:

I was mowing when I hit a bumb and the mower stopped moving, taking a quick look I didn't notice anything odd. I hooked it up to my truck and towed it to The Warthog Hidey Hole for further diagnostics, that is when I noticed the above. It didn't look good:

Turns out there is a bar that holds both hydrostats together at the bottom and a few other brackets that hold them to the frame. I broke the bar from hitting too many bumps I guess.

Good news is that the mower is still under warranty and only has 94 hours on it. I thought great I'll go pick up the trailer from my friends house who has been using it and take up on Monday to have it repaired for free! Then I remembered I don't have trailer wiring on my truck, somewhere along the line it was hacked off and had been chewed on my a goat. I picked up a harness that has 4 and 7 pin connectors, woo hoo no more adapters! There are 7 wires on the connector and 8 on the truck, the extra was for the 3rd brake light if the trailer is equipped. Okay great I thought yellow to yellow, brown to brown, green to green...Wait there are two green wires on the truck and one on the connector, no white wire on the truck, and no red on the...you get the idea. Eventually I figured it out and the red goes to black, black to white...makes perfect sense.

I decided to weed eat so I didn't have to take another shower later and hadn't done that in almost a month because it was starting to get really dry and there really wasn't a reason to. I worked on that for about an hour when the string stopped coming out. I started to work on it and realized the head had broken and needed to be replaced. Showered and took everyone to town for food and ice cream as well as to pick up the trailer.

Picked up the trailer and as I was unloading his fencing material it started pouring rain on me, then also remembered he lost one of the ramps and I hadn't gotten the chance to make a new one yet. Great ~800lb (363 kg) mower and the cherry picker wasn't going to be much help. I have some 2x8 ramps I used to use to load my dirt bike but didn't think they would be strong enough but tried them anyway and to my amazement it worked perfectly. Loaded it up, replaced the weed eater head and went back in to take a shower as I was getting rained on this entire time. That is when this began:


Monday activities, I have the mower on the trailer and ready to take up to Dexter, Ks. ~1 hour drive, but I also have an appointment to have my windshield replaced because it is hard to see out of with all of the broken and cracked glass along with the trashed wiper blades. Truck ran great and was very smooth with the extra weight of the trailer and "new" bumper.

I think I need to just take a day off and sleep at this point. LOL

JB

 

[Bob Heine]

JB, I'm not a superstitious person most of the time but I think your truck and mower are getting even with you for leaving them behind to go on the Hot Rod Power Tour. I would not park them close to the Cobra.

 

[jbmatth]

Good updates, nice work. I can see that huge grin on your wives face clearly! Good stuff keep us posted.

Sean,
You caught me in the middle of another update, I almost missed your comment. There is now plenty more for you to read up on.

JB, I'm not a superstitious person most of the time but I think your truck and mower are getting even with you for leaving them behind to go on the Hot Rod Power Tour. I would not park them close to the Cobra.

Bob,
I'll be sure to not let them intermingle anytime soon, I'd had for the other equipment to really know how I feel about them in comparison to the cobra. It'll all be fixed shortly, but that is a relative time frame for me anymore.
JB

 

[HSpencer]

JB

Thanks for the weekend up date and a very thorough SITREP on your current stats.
Looks like your battalion maintenance section will have a weeks work lined up. You currently have a roster of equipment awaiting transportation, repair parts, and shop time.

I think I need to just take a day off and sleep at this point. LOL

This statement above sounds like the best solution!!

Best Regards
Herb

 

[jimgood]

Damn, JB. Looks like you had one of those "when it rains it pours" periods. I hate when that happens.

 

[jbmatth]

Herb,
That was an entertaining read there, unfortunatly the SITREP wasn't always good news but it is news nonetheless.

Jim,
It sure did rain and pour on us yesterday and last night, it was like pouring pi$$ out of a hip boot, or a cow pi$$ing on a flat rock. My truck windshield is being replaced as I type this and I'm taking the mower up after work for the repairs. I get new tires on Friday and will also have a better scanner used to give more details on the trouble codes when that is going on. I'll also have him remove any "tuning" the previous owner did and take it back to stock on one of the positions so I can remove that as a possibility for the problems. Cross your fingers for good news.
JB

 

[BUGTHUG]

Man that bumper looks like future road rage.
I've been doing some maintaince on my Hustler too. You should of called me, I would of been glad to pick up your mower and take it to Dexter. I think I might have a extra ramp? Someone lost one of mine, and you can't buy just one ramp
Well hopefully things will get back to only a few things going crazy.
Whats the story about Candy Corn? I bet the kid got teased in school?

 

[OutlawDrifter]

in regards to the bumper....looks like a great way to string out a 5 wire fence.

weekends like those definitely are there to remind a person to savor when things all come together nicely! at least you got some good time with the family and ice cream!

 

[jabin]

Well, that's one way to get your attention, break. I'm glad you're taking it all in stride, and rolling with the punches.

I'm SOOOO glad to know that you don't roll coal or what ever **** phrase they use, but I also hate loud pipes- yep I'm getting old.

Your road trip sounded fantastic but I also love road trips. How's the family? Everyone staying health now that schools out? It's amazing how my buddies 3 kids stay healthy all summer but sick all winter.

 

[Lyndon]

JB

That was a heck of a list of "had to do" jobs...... No wonder you were going to kick back and rest.

And that front "bull bar" (as we call them), looks like a cow pusher to me. Wonder if the PO was a farmer?

Lyndon
Tired from just reading it all.

 

[JohnnieMo]

Wow. We've all had days like that. I can certainly relate. Reading through my own thread will find many days like that.

So did the fix the mower on warranty?

Sent from my BlackBerry Priv

 

[dhubbard422]

Some days it is hard to catch a break! Sounds like you've had a quite a run of trouble... Sleep and more ice cream should be in order after a day like that!

 

[chruler]

Ha! I saw the thread title and half expected to see a Fairchild A10 Warthog!

 

[jbmatth]

Man that bumper looks like future road rage.
I've been doing some maintaince on my Hustler too. You should of called me, I would of been glad to pick up your mower and take it to Dexter. I think I might have a extra ramp? Someone lost one of mine, and you can't buy just one ramp
Well hopefully things will get back to only a few things going crazy.
Whats the story about Candy Corn? I bet the kid got teased in school?

Herb,
I'm sure I'll have road rage with or without the bumper, usually it is because I am going below the speed limit and catch people wanting to go WAY slower than that. But in the cobra I am typically one of the speeders, I haven't figured that one out yet. We can talk about the ramp and see if it'll work or not for me, Alex (My friend who's wife lost the ramp) offered to buy the steel and I'll just have to cut and weld it up. Candy Corn married into the family, I'm sure she was made fun of for Candy as a child just as my wife Candi was.

in regards to the bumper....looks like a great way to string out a 5 wire fence.

weekends like those definitely are there to remind a person to savor when things all come together nicely! at least you got some good time with the family and ice cream!

Outlaw,
If I ever built a fence again I'll plan on giving it a try. I certainly enjoyed the family time and ice cream. I know things go wrong and usually have the ability to fix things that break pretty easy, but just didn't have the stuff I needed this weekend. Although I did have to have two self tapping screws for the trailer wiring and actually had just two that were the right size, now I'm out. Note to self order more...

Well, that's one way to get your attention, break. I'm glad you're taking it all in stride, and rolling with the punches.

I'm SOOOO glad to know that you know roll coal or what ever **** phrase they use, but I also hate loud pipes- yep I'm getting old.

Your road trip sounded fantastic but I also love road trips. How's the family? Everyone staying health now that schools out? It's amazing how my buddies 3 kids stay healthy all summer but sick all winter.

Jabin,
I hate rolling coal, it annoys the **** out of me when I have to breath that **** in because someone wants to just be a jerk. The only time it is acceptable for me is when you are not around other people, or at a race, no need for it in traffic. The worst times are when I'm in my cobra and they are next to me at a light and gun it, or when I'm running and have to run through a cloud of soot. I'll have that tuned out I promise you that! *End Rant. I also don't care for loud pipe other than on my cobra, but I don't have to listen to that every day either.

Family is doing great and every one is pretty much staying healthy now that school is out haha.

JB

That was a heck of a list of "had to do" jobs...... No wonder you were going to kick back and rest.

And that front "bull bar" (as we call them), looks like a cow pusher to me. Wonder if the PO was a farmer?

Lyndon
Tired from just reading it all.

Lyndon,
Around here Ranch Hand is almost its own term they are very popular and very effective. The Bull Bars as we refer to them are just a single hoop in the middle by the grill like:

The rest at the end was enjoyed.

Wow. We've all had days like that. I can certainly relate. Reading through my own thread will find many days like that.

So did the fix the mower on warranty?

Sent from my BlackBerry Priv

Johnnie,
I have seen you going through many of these similar situations that is for certain. The mower is being repaired this week under warranty. He mentioned he had only ever seen one other mower with a break like that and it had hundreds more hours on it. He did offer to sell me a new BIG mower for just shy of $7,500 with trading mine in.

Some days it is hard to catch a break! Sounds like you've had a quite a run of trouble... Sleep and more ice cream should be in order after a day like that!

DHubbard,
It is all in fun I guess, I can't change what happens so I try to fix them and move on, no need loosing sleep over it, that is unless I'm working to fix a problem. Even then I usually enjoy working on just about anything.

Ha! I saw the thread title and half expected to see a Fairchild A10 Warthog!

Ruler,
Thank you for reading my thread, I truly appreciate when people take the time to actually read and comment, it helps to provide much needed motivation. Oh how I wish it were and A10 I had hiding in there, but alas I'm not that lucky. Oh wait where did I leave that winning loto ticket...


All,
Thank you all so much for taking the time to read along on my rambling and all of the comments. I did get the mower dropped off yesterday and he expects to have the parts delivered Thursday and will have it repaired by late Thursday or Friday. I also have the new windshield installed in my truck and I love being able to see clearly again. Now back to work I go, my "smoke break" is over.
JB

 

[Lyndon]

.
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.
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The Bull Bars as we refer to them are just a single hoop in the middle by the grill like:

JB

Here I was told years ago (by a wisened old rally driver) that a bar like that was called a "galah bar". When I, in my 17 year old naivety asked why, I was told - "To stop stupid galahs leaning on the lights.....".

(A galah here is a very brightly coloured, noisy, dumb bird. And any people that fit the same description are also called Galahs).

Some people out in the outback call the bars like you have 'roo bars, because they can just knock the roos either down (and run over them) or out of the way. In most states it's illegal to have more than 4 uprights in the bar..... Like this :

Lyndon
Sun's over the yard arm - look out fridge

 

[jbmatth]

Lyndon,
I had to look up galah only to realize after I found the meaning you'd been so kind to provide the explanation. Over time I think I'll be able to understand a little more Australian but I've come to learn I don't speak very good Cajun either.

Cajun is a type of food and people typically from the Louisiana area that has lots of French roots. Great spicy food that is one of my favorites of all "ethnicity".

I would say that galah bar would hold it's own against a roo as long as it wasn't jumping upon impact. I've been impressed with the construction of this bumper so far, the main pipe is what we refer to as 4" schedule 40 pipe, the outside diameter is 4.5" (11.43 cm), wall thickness of .237" (6 mm), and an inside diameter of 4.026" (10.22 cm). Some of the mounting brackets are 1/2" (12.7 mm) thick and others are 3/8" (9.5 mm).

JB

 

[mybigwarwagon]

I have that same bumper/guard just without the added wire spool holder thingy. it is going to go on my 94 Suburban after I put an new engine in it and get the bumper mounts modified. SO probably after my 4 year old graduated from college.
\

https://scontent-lga3-1.**.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p206x206/1604633_10152255225274739_1032344319_n.jpg?oh=12e58e9677ffe44780ca00c6a422cadb&oe=57F0FD02

 

[jbmatth]

They are great bumpers, and are very stout. I am sure I'll have some of my same projects still waiting for me long after my 4 year old has a 4 year old of her own. (Scary thought)
JB

 

[jbmatth]

Wow I seem to be way busier than I want to be at this point but not much seems to be getting done. First off I just found out I'm going to nights for about 6 weeks starting next week, and will be working 13-14 hour shifts so I won't have really any time to do anything in the Warthog Hidey Hole. I feel like I really haven't gotten anything acomplished out there this year like I wanted to and don't really see an end in sight because of how many hours I've been having to work.

Oh well on with the show. I picked up the new tires for my truck last Friday and had them installed, the same mechanic tuned my truck and checked out how healthy it is. Good news is the engine is only throwing one code after the tune and that is for the glow plugs. (Glow plugs are used to heat the diesel as it enters the engine in cold start situations so it will auto detonate a bit quicker.) They are ~$20 each or 8 for $100 and only one is showing fault so that shouldn't be too bad. He checked the injector ballace rate and they are all healthy as well, that could have been a $2,500 job.

The five tunes I settled on are optimized stock (315 hp), economy (330 hp), tow (335 hp with a brouder torque curve), street performance (375 hp), and hot (415 hp). All of these were dyno verified in another truck and are to the rear wheels. That would put my engine making about 475 hp and around 880 lb-ft or torque.

My friend Alex has had our trailer for a few weeks while he works on building some fence, I had to steal it back so I could have the mower worked on. While it was at our house my dog decided she wanted to chew on the wiring that is less than a year old. I picked up new wiring but decided not to buy a new plug to save some money. I have some Weather Pack connectors that I've barely used so rather than crimping connections or solder I used these to make the wiring connections to the old plug.

I started off before taking pictures but here is a basic rundown. Here is the wiring with the 3 of the male prongs already crimped:

To make these you have to slide a gasket sized for the wire on like this shown on the end in green, and also strip about 1/8"-3/16" (3-5 mm)of insulation:

Then you take a new fitting, male in this case:

Insert it into the special ratcheting crimp tool:

Squeeze until the ratchet relieses:

And you have a perfectly crimped end, now just insert them into the plug of your choice until it clicks, and close the backside to lock them in:

As you can see I have one 4 prong connector and one 1 prong:

The setup I have has from 1-6 prong but I believe you can get more than that if you want. When you do the female side you then have a perfect weather tight connection. If for some reason the wire is damaged again and needs replaced I can remove the plug and put new crimped connectors on the wire without having to buy more pronged connectors. If I put the wire in the wrong hole I can simply insert a little tube into the end and remove the wires to rearange them. I really like these and the only complaint I have is that they are bulky compared to crimped or soldered joints.

I also redid the hinge on the drivers door on my truck so it shuts much tighter now and doesn't let as much air in and no water. Woo Hoo! While I was working on B.P. 2.0 I fixed the passenger side door so it has power now, it had a loose connection. I also cleaned up the clocked spring on the steering wheel so I have a working horn again. I managed to mow the yard twice over the 5 day weekend, and get a little blasting and painting done on BugThugs hearse. So I guess it was somewhat productive all in all.
Keep moving forward,
JB

 

[jbmatth]

It has been too quiet around here lately, so here is another update. I've had a little time to work on Herb's Hearse. I have all of the front suspension blasted and painted and even have the passenger side installed. Sadly this is the only picture I have of that side which is before the LCA and the spindle were installed:
View media item 61921
Here is a picture of the pitman arm and the worn bushings:
View media item 61922
As I mentioned I have all of the fron suspension ready to install and have begun to work on the brake parts getting them cleaned up and ready. I'm only doing one side at a time because I don't have much experience with drum brakes and want to get it right the first time.

In other news BP 2.0 is also receiving some attention, the truck has smoked a lot since I bought it, that annoying black "rolling coal" smoke. I believe this is caused by the EGR valve sticking open which allows excessive exhaust gas into the intake tract creating a rich oxygen to fuel mixture into the cylinder which doesn't allow all of the fuel to burn. That in turn gives you black smokel. To cure this I'm going the cheaper route and eliminating the EGR system alltogether. I'm also going to clean the intake piping to remove the nasty buildup of soot and junk, replacing the glow plugs, replacing the wheel bearings up front, passenger side CV axle, and the axle seals. This should be plenty to keep me busy while I wait for paint to dry.

JB

 

[HSpencer]

JB

Thanks for stopping by my thread and I am pleased to see what your doing in yours.
That "hearse" has my interest as I have always thought about buying one of the old ones I have seen around. I think it would be cool to have, but at my age it somehow just doesn't protray my current hopes and dreams for the future. STILL, it would be really trendy to be driving one around town. OR better yet for me, I would like finding one of those neat old station wagons from the 1970s maybe a ford or chevrolet about as long as a football field.
I can't wait to see the finished product on the Hearse!!

Best Regards
Herb

 

[jbmatth]

JB

I think it would be cool to have, but at my age it somehow just doesn't protray my current hopes and dreams for the future.

I can't wait to see the finished product on the Hearse!!

Best Regards
Herb

That cracked me up Herb, thanks for the good laugh. I also can't wait to get the hearse back on the road for Bugthug, I'm sure he is getting antsy to have it back again.

In other news my lift is on order and it should arrive around the end of July ready for me to pick it up. I ended up getting the Forward I10 lift which is the same as the Rotary Revolution RTP 10 just with a different sticker. I also talked them down a little more in price so after taxes I'll be into it for about $3,000 for a lift that is tested at full load for 10,000 lift/drop cycles.

I thought about it this way, if I lift a vehicle 1 time a day for most of the year I'll cycle it 333.33 times, in 3 years that is 1,000 cycles, so it should have a life expectancy of 30 years. I think that'll do just fine for me.

So before it gets here I have to finish the work on my truck, install all of the cleaned up parts onto the hearse so it will at least roll out of the way, pick up the trailer, and hope I can find some big strong friends to help me lift the columns, all while working 12 hour night shifts for the next few weeks.

Keep moving forward,
JB

 

[Grumblebum]

Looks like a cool lift JB and will be a great addition to the WHHH (or is WHH better ?).

Do you need to do much to firm up the foundation for the posts ?

I've never had to do any night shifts so hopefully the next couple of weeks scoot by and you can get back to a normal routine.

Herb, that gave me a chuckle too.

Cheers GB

 

[BUGTHUG]

parts look good Let me know when you need some help with the lift. Be fun and exciting to put one up.

 

[jbmatth]

Looks like a cool lift JB and will be a great addition to the WHHH (or is WHH better ?).

Do you need to do much to firm up the foundation for the posts ?

I've never had to do any night shifts so hopefully the next couple of weeks scoot by and you can get back to a normal routine.

Herb, that gave me a chuckle too.

Cheers GB

GB,
WHHH seems to be the right acryonm for this one, or if you'd prefer WH^3, but WHHH is more understanding.

I don't know if I'll have to do any work on the foundation just yet. The installation instructions call for 4.5" (11.5 cm) thick concrete with a compressive strength of 3,000 psi (211 kg/cm^2), and reinforced with steel bar. My plan is to get the lift and measure everything out once I can move BugThug's hearse and drill and exploritory hole where I plan to mount it. If the concrete isn't adaquate I'll have to break out the concrete saw (which I don't have, but know some people ), and the sledge hammer and make a mess.

Hopefully the night shift doesn't hurt me too much as it sounds like I'll be on nights in the fall of '17 for a 45 day outage. Oh joy!

parts look good Let me know when you need some help with the lift. Be fun and exciting to put one up.

Herb,
I'll certainly let you know, it'll be a big job and I'll gladly accept any and all help on that one.

Thanks all for the comments and following allong,
JB

 

[jbmatth]

I am still alive believe it or not, but have just been very busy between work and home. My truck developed an axle seal leak that wasn't getting any better so I took that opportunity to do a few other jobs as well. While tearing into it I remembered (read that as got lazy and was ready to drive the truck) I'd never cleaned all of the dirt out of the brake disc.:
View media item 62104
So I tackled that before I forgot it again, the cleaned up disc:
View media item 62105
And just to show you the size of the dirt pile removed:
View media item 62106
So I went about my business of replacing the axle seal (First mistake, I'll come back to that later.)and decided to go ahead and change a cracked CV axle boot for a new CV axle as well as both of the wheel bearing/hub assembilies. The job went pretty easy and the new one was in within an hour or so. Next was the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) cooler and controller. These are common problems on this engine and the only real good way to solve the problem is to just delete the entire system. What happens is the exhaust before the turbo will have soot and other stuff in it that will mix with the oil from the Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) and form a nasty gunk that clogs the EGR open which displaces the O2 in the air and reduces the amount of power the turbo can make resulting in lots of extra fuel for the O2 available. That then gives the huge amounts of black smoke the truck would roll out. Enough talk, more pictures.

The intake pipe where the EGR discharges the exhaust gasses:
View media item 62107
The intake pipe that goes into the engine:
View media item 62108
Finely the pile of gunk I pulled out of everything:
View media item 62109
So everything was installed along with the new glow plugs, which was a really easy job, 8 small nuts that hold the wiring, then 8 glow plugs out then reverse it all. The truck ran great and I was thrilled to get to drive something with AC when it has been around 103°F the past few days. Sadly that is where it ended. The other axle seal decided to let go from all of the jockeying around.

In order to pull that one I wasn't able to remove the axle shaft easily like the other side so I have to now remove the entire axle which is 4 bolts, one wiring connection, and the driveshaft. Buttttttt, the stearing stuff is in the way so I now have to move all of that out to pull the axle.

Maybe I should have kept the other truck...
JB

 

[BUGTHUG]

Sometimes you find out that a good deal on something is not always the case. And free stuff seems to always cost you time and money.
But the bright side is that you are able to fix the problem, and you know how and you have a place and tools to do it. The bad side would be if you didn't have the money, you were stuck somewhere out on the road, and this is your only mode of transportation
Hope you don't find a bunch of problems with the steering shaft and components. Just be careful that the truck doesn't fall on you!

 

[1/2 Cup]

JB, A bloke has got do what a bloke has to do.

It can be a pain but stick with it.

We have summer temps like yours, that ****** hot.

Stay cool.

Regards

 

[Grumblebum]

Man that's another couple of good piles of muck come off BP2. Be interesting to see your fuel economy now with the EGR mod done. Do you need to have the chip reprogrammed now?

I want to investigate the manifold on my truck too for the gunk build up but I'll wait until I need to do injectors and glow plugs as there are a few things to disassemble to get everything off.

Hopefully you are near the end of the repair phase now on the truck.

Are you still on night shift ? Probably cooler than working through the day, but then I guess it's too hot during the day to get any sleep.

GB

 

[jbmatth]

Sometimes you find out that a good deal on something is not always the case. And free stuff seems to always cost you time and money.
But the bright side is that you are able to fix the problem, and you know how and you have a place and tools to do it. The bad side would be if you didn't have the money, you were stuck somewhere out on the road, and this is your only mode of transportation
Hope you don't find a bunch of problems with the steering shaft and components. Just be careful that the truck doesn't fall on you!

Herb,
Haha isn't that the truth, good news is I'm still about $1,000 ahead on this truck compared to the other, it has much more power and a bigger bed. Bad news is that it is taking a lot more time and parts than I'd hoped, but it will get done eventually. I am glad I have a few spare vehicles that I don't have to worry about bumming a ride all of the time, and will soon have that lift to make jobs like this a little easier.

JB, A bloke has got do what a bloke has to do.

It can be a pain but stick with it.

We have summer temps like yours, that ****** hot.

Stay cool.

Regards

1/2,
It has been really hot even at night, one part of the area I'm working as of a few days ago when it was being steamed out had an ambiant temperature of about 125°F (52°C) at midnight! But we all had to just buck up and get work done because during the day it was much worse!

Man that's another couple of good piles of muck come off BP2. Be interesting to see your fuel economy now with the EGR mod done. Do you need to have the chip reprogrammed now?

I want to investigate the manifold on my truck too for the gunk build up but I'll wait until I need to do injectors and glow plugs as there are a few things to disassemble to get everything off.

Hopefully you are near the end of the repair phase now on the truck.

Are you still on night shift ? Probably cooler than working through the day, but then I guess it's too hot during the day to get any sleep.

GB

GB,
I'll try to post the results on fuel mileage when I get it back on the road again, it was around 15.5 MPG or so before which I was not happy with. B.P. 1.0 averaged 17, and the Green Dragon (1997 Saturn) has been around 44-45 MPG since the air con went out.

I'm glad I dug into it because I'm sure it was robbing power and contaminating everything downstream.

I am still on night shift, and will be for at least another week and maybe two depending on when my equipment gets free to work on. I turned the air con down in my house and sleep downstairs with a fan blowing and it is nice and comfortable.

Off to the races,
JB

 

[jbmatth]

Mixed update, I couldn't get the front axle shaft out of the axle housing and decided to throw in the towel. I've taken it to a local transmission and driveline shop to see what they can do with it. He said he his hopeful, but has had problems with them in the past and not been able to get them apart, if that is the case it is just a giant paperweight. So cross your fingers.

In better news I had a voicemail when I woke up this afternoon that my lift is in and I can pick it up when I am ready. Woo Hoo! I have to take next Sunday night off so I plan to go up Monday morning to pick it up. Sadly I'm not ready to install it yet, but will be soon enough.
JB

 

[BUGTHUG]

where do you have to go?

 

[frijolee]

Hey JB,

Been a while but I just caught up on the thread. Sounds like more work is getting done in the "Hidey Hole" than on it. That's got to be a great feeling. Congrats!

I also dug that your kid is helping out. You should totally frame these and hang them up!

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I'm also trying to encourage such things.
-Joel

 

[jbmatth]

where do you have to go?

Herb,

I took the axle to a shop here in Ponca, I've heard mixed reviews on them now that I dropped it off which is a very comfortable feeling. If you were asking about the lift it is in Wichita near the Towne West Square Mall.

Hey JB,

Been a while but I just caught up on the thread. Sounds like more work is getting done in the "Hidey Hole" than on it. That's got to be a great feeling. Congrats!

I also dug that your kid is helping out. You should totally frame these and hang them up!



I'm also trying to encourage such things.
-Joel

Joel,

I have been doing a lot of work in the W.H.H.H., and not much at all on it, but that will soon change when the I can get the lift home. As for my girls, I try to get them to help when I can, and they seem to enjoy it especially in the house garage because it is much more comfortable this time of year. I hadn't thought about framing them, but may just have to do that, thanks for the idea! Also I'm glad to see you back posting about your garage and hopefully your RX-7 soon.
JB

 

[taumac]

I can't believe the piles of **** your finding in that truck. Maybe by time your done the truck will be 500lbs lighter. LOL!

 

[jbmatth]

Taumac,
It would have been interesting to see how much it weighed before I started. There is no telling how much dirt and mud has come off of this thing, but there is still plenty more I'm finding. Just with this project I've probably pulled another 2 gallons out of it. EEECCCKKK! Still no word from the trans shop, I hope I have it by Friday because I have Sunday night off and plan to use that time to install it into the truck. If he can't fix it I need to know today because I have a friend that has another full frame, axles, transfer case, and wheels and tires for this truck he would sell me for $650, but I don't really need all of that or another project to part out.

Off to bed soon,
JB

 

[BUGTHUG]

you need help with a truck and trailer to pu your lift? Does the freight place help to load it?

 

[jbmatth]

Herb,
Yes Automotive Eq. Inc. will load it, and I may need a truck but don't know yet. I had planned to take Sunday night off (I'm not allowed to work more than 14 days in a row), and pick it up first thing Monday. However, I just heard they now want everyone to to Saturday day and nights off. Sooo....I have no clue when I'll be able to make it up there. I feel like I'm dancing to mariachi music and playing limbo. LOL

On a good note, the repair shop was able to remove the axle shaft and are working on finding a new one, the bearing had worn into the shaft and ruined it. I think I'm going to go ahead and buy that frame and axles from my friend to have as spare parts. It is raining like cats and dogs here right now and I'm about to start my shift, this will be fun.

Where did I put my rain coat,
JB

 

[BUGTHUG]

JB,
If you want I think I could run up there on Monday and pu the lift. I could run it on down to your WHH. Will you be around in the afternoon to receive it, and how hard is it to unload as far as weight?
Or I can bring it to my barn, and when you have the time we can take it to the WHH. The trailer will be in my barn so it stays out of the weather. Let me know! BUGTHUG