ZMotorsports Shop Projects 2.0

[zmotorsports]

You not alone in your endeavours, I change everyone’s (my two trucks, my car, gf’s CRV and Mom’s SUV) oil twice a year at worst. Spring and Fall.

My car and the GF get tires/rims swapped out as well rotated. Moms gets rotated. This allows me to judge whether to change out brakes and top up all fluids. The two trucks and quad get maintainence as per their usage.

Nothing wrong with being on top of things!

At least I'm not alone. Sometimes I wish I could be a little more passive about things and not worry so much but it's not in my nature so I tend to overdo things.

Thanks for stopping by and checking in on my thread.

Mike, I change the oil and filter in my vehicles annually because they don't get driven much. I need to pay better attention because two years ago I did the annual change in the Corvette and when I went to add the date and mileage sticker to the door jamb discovered I had driven it only 49 miles. The Cadillac CTS-V was the 'new to me' toy and took most of my seat time that year. Something about those LS motors!

I hear ya about those LS engines Bob. I can't seem to want to drive anything else but my Jeep this past year, although I did just order new tires for the Duramax as I should start driving it a bit more.

Thanks for stopping by and checking on my projects Bob.

 

[polexican23]

. Preventive Maintenance is kind of one of my pet peeves so I seem to focus on it and unfortunately I'm sure I over-maintain at times.

Think it is time to write them out. could be a whole new thread, a very active thread.

 

[zmotorsports]

Think it is time to write them out. could be a whole new thread, a very active thread.

Ha ha. Yeah, I've got a few. My wife says I'm "quirky". I don't think she means it as endearing as I think she means it.

 

[aka Larry]

Ha ha. Yeah, I've got a few. My wife says I'm "quirky". I don't think she means it as endearing as I think she means it.

I have the same problem. I think 'quirky' is just a nice word for 'weird'.

 

[gearhead1960]

Ha ha. Yeah, I've got a few. My wife says I'm "quirky". I don't think she means it as endearing as I think she means it.

Not "quirky" in my house....."****"!

 

[zmotorsports]

On Saturday I changed the engine oil and filters on our coach.



Rear end up on jack stands so I could get under it. I also greased all of my S cams for the brakes as well as the driveshaft u-joints.


I filled the oil filter to ensure quick oil flow. This filter takes about 2-1/2 quarts.


Oil filter and coolant filter replaced.


I also replaced both fuel filters as well as the hydraulic filter. Tonight I will remove the driver’s side tag axle tire so I can access the desiccant cartridge for replacement then I can move on to the front axle and raise it do I can grease it.

Yesterday morning I noticed the flag was hanging up across the canyon east of us. A property owner last year who owns the property in the canyon had a cable stretched across to display a huge American flag.

 

[GRN96WS6]

Is it the pic of does that oil filter side mount? If so doesn't it drip when you pre fill?


That is one HUGE flag! [emoji631]

 

[zmotorsports]

Is it the pic of does that oil filter side mount? If so doesn't it drip when you pre fill?


That is one HUGE flag! [emoji631]

The filters are vertical. I'm just standing on my head under the coach to take the picture.

I heard the dimensions of the flag last year when he put it up but I can't remember off of the top of my head, but yes, it's a HUGE flag.

 

[mmsheb]

Here is the flag and flagpole at Acuity Insurance in Sheboygan, WI. The flagpole is 400' tall and the flag is 70' x 140'. It is along I-43 and is a landmark visible from quite a distance. I have no affiliation with Acuity Ins. but just passing along the info. I happen to live about 4 miles away but am in the process of building a house that will be less than a mile away. I'll probably be able to hear the flag blowing in the wind!

There are some additional facts on their website.
www.acuity.com/about/flagpole

 

[zmotorsports]

Tonight I accomplished some more headway on the coach service.

I removed the driver’s tag axle tire/wheel in order to access the air system desiccant cartridge. I replaced it with a new Haldex cartridge.




Reinstalled the tire/wheel and torqued to spec. using my 3/4” Proto torque wrench.








Next I dumped the 6-gallons of DexIII that I grabbed on my lunch hour today into the hydraulic reservoir.

Lastly look at what showed up tonight.....

My new Nitto Terra Grapplers for my 2006 2500HD Duramax.


I tried a new size this time. I went with a 295/65R20 in a 10-ply (Load Range E). These are about an inch narrower and .4" shorter than what I’ve been running so should barely be noticeable.






Thanks for looking.

 

[TTMotorsports]

But compared to a bfg they are even bigger. Bfg runs small in all sizes. I have 37inch bfg on my tacoma. Test fit some nitto 37s and they rubbed everywhere and were a solid inch taller on same wheels both being new.

 

[zmotorsports]

But compared to a bfg they are even bigger. Bfg runs small in all sizes. I have 37inch bfg on my tacoma. Test fit some nitto 37s and they rubbed everywhere and were a solid inch taller on same wheels both being new.

Yeah, I'm comparing advertised specs to advertised specs. Also the BFG's are completely worn out so not a fair comparison side by side as far as height. I mainly wanted to show the tread pattern difference and the width. Hopefully I'll get some time this week to throw the truck on the lift and get the tires and wheels off to be mounted and balanced.

I'm new to the world of Nitto as I have been a BFG fanboy for the past 25+ years now and really haven't run anything else until now. I have been so impressed with the Ridge Grapplers on my JKUR that I decided to try their Terra Grapplers on the truck.

 

[Mark_17]

I've had Terra grapplers on my truck for the past 5-6 years, I love them. I don't plan on running anything different

 

[zmotorsports]

I've had Terra grapplers on my truck for the past 5-6 years, I love them. I don't plan on running anything different

Thank you. That's great to hear. I was waffling but opted to try something different and I had read good reviews about them.

I was very pleased with the life, wear and handling (both on and off-road) of my BFG All-Terrains on my Jeep but not impressed with them on my heavier truck.

Thanks for the feedback on the Terra Grapplers.

 

[purplezr2]

I had terra grapplers on my previous truck which was a 98 dodge 2500 diesel. I loved them for traction and noise. They did seem to wear quickly though. That said I would buy them again for my current truck possible if I could find a decent price on them.

 

[zmotorsports]

I had terra grapplers on my previous truck which was a 98 dodge 2500 diesel. I loved them for traction and noise. They did seem to wear quickly though. That said I would buy them again for my current truck possible if I could find a decent price on them.

Thanks. I had heard they were quiet on pavement but hadn't heard that they wear fast so I hope that's not the case., although I don't drive my Duramax much. I've had the current BFG's on it for ten years now and have only put about 41k miles on them. My truck had 58k on it when I purchased it in April 2009 and just turned over 99k a week or so ago. I put these KO's on it right when I bought the truck because the tires on it were bald.

 

[rattle_snake]

Hope the new shoes work out well. I had the G1s 'crapplers in a D rating and they went to poo quick on my F250, pulled/tracked really bad. I would assume the g2 in E will be better/different. Also ran the 295/60-20 in Toyo MT, I like that size being a little narrower. Those old BFGs would look cool on your utility trailer...

 

[sanddan]

On Saturday I changed the engine oil and filters on our coach.



Rear end up on jack stands so I could get under it. I also greased all of my S cams for the brakes as well as the driveshaft u-joints.


I filled the oil filter to ensure quick oil flow. This filter takes about 2-1/2 quarts.


Oil filter and coolant filter replaced.


I also replaced both fuel filters as well as the hydraulic filter. Tonight I will remove the driver’s side tag axle tire so I can access the desiccant cartridge for replacement then I can move on to the front axle and raise it do I can grease it.

Yesterday morning I noticed the flag was hanging up across the canyon east of us. A property owner last year who owns the property in the canyon had a cable stretched across to display a huge American flag.

Mike,
Every time I see your RV bay I'm filled with envy. I so wish I had that space to work in with mine. Oh well..... Maybe in the next life. Very cool to know you have such great neighbors, love the flag! I'm sending you a PM on tires and TPMS.
Dan

 

[zmotorsports]

Hope the new shoes work out well. I had the G1s 'crapplers in a D rating and they went to poo quick on my F250, pulled/tracked really bad. I would assume the g2 in E will be better/different. Also ran the 295/60-20 in Toyo MT, I like that size being a little narrower. Those old BFGs would look cool on your utility trailer...

I hope the version #2 tires do better than what you experienced Justin.

As for the old BFG's on my utility trailer there is no way they would fit under the fenders although they would look cool on there.

Thanks for stopping by and checking on my latest projects.

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike,
Every time I see your RV bay I'm filled with envy. I so wish I had that space to work in with mine. Oh well..... Maybe in the next life. Very cool to know you have such great neighbors, love the flag! I'm sending you a PM on tires and TPMS.
Dan

Thanks Dan.

I have been so blessed to be able to have been able to build the setup we now have. I owe it all to my wife because if she wouldn't have lit the fire under my *** there is no way I would have moved as I was comfortable not having a mortgage. Now every time I walk out into my yard or into my shop I have to pinch myself to see if it's real.

Thanks for following along Dan.

 

[Mark_17]

Thank you. That's great to hear. I was waffling but opted to try something different and I had read good reviews about them.

I was very pleased with the life, wear and handling (both on and off-road) of my BFG All-Terrains on my Jeep but not impressed with them on my heavier truck.

Thanks for the feedback on the Terra Grapplers.

Happy to be able to add something useful.

My truck is only a 1500 but I've got a hopped up 6.0 (bored, cam etc) and I drive the truck hard.

Still put at least 40k+ miles on the G2s

 

[zmotorsports]

Happy to be able to add something useful.

My truck is only a 1500 but I've got a hopped up 6.0 (bored, cam etc) and I drive the truck hard.

Still put at least 40k+ miles on the G2s

With 40k miles on them they seem similar to the mileage out of my BFG's. I'm hoping for a bit more out the Nitto's but to be honest, I don't drive the truck much so even if they last 40k miles it will take me around 10 years to acquire that many miles on them and they will be ready to swap out anyways.

Maybe I should start driving my truck a bit more.

 

[zmotorsports]

I finished up the chassis work on the coach last night.

I noticed my air pressure dropping overnight during our last trip out but haven’t had time to really investigate until now. I traced it down to the pressure supply side of the door seal solenoid valve. This same fitting leaked on me about four years ago on a lengthy trip but I was able to cut the 1/4” line and reuse the PTC (Push To Connect) fitting and proceed with the trip. Well it looks like it started to leak again.


This time I opted to replace it with a compression style fitting and be done with it.


New fitting installed.


Last item on the chassis was to raise the front end off the ground so I could check wheel play and grease the front end.




That pretty much completed preventative maintenance on the coach and she’s ready to go for the next travel season.

Thanks for looking.

 

[QwikKotaTx]

Nice torque wrench. I too am fond of the Protos.

 

[zmotorsports]

Nice torque wrench. I too am fond of the Protos.

Nice collection. I only have a couple Proto torque wrenches but the they have served me well.

Thanks for stopping by my projects thread.

 

[zmotorsports]

Last night I cleaned up the shop from the RV servicing and prepared the oil for disposal then commenced another small shop tool project that I’ve wanted to do for a while now.

It will involve my transmission jack.




Before closing up the shop I cut most of the parts that will be needed.


Stay tuned for more pictures of the project as it progresses.

 

[Finallygotit]

Me thinks this will be a jack for differentials.

 

[zmotorsports]

Me thinks this will be a jack for differentials.

You would be correct Dan.

I'm tired of getting axles ready to removal then lowering the vehicle down onto jack stands and having to crawl underneath to removed the last few fasteners before raising the vehicle up away from the axle. This way everything can be done while standing under the lift and the axle can be more easily shifted into position during the re-installation process. I had this on my white board for a couple of years now but I have a couple of axle jobs coming up over the winter so I thought I'd knock this tool out and put it into use and get if off of the white board.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Dan beat me to it! Nice addition!

 

[QwikKotaTx]

I smell a plasma torch firing up.

 

[zmotorsports]

I smell a plasma torch firing up.

Possibly for the radius but the vertical bandsaw for most of the flat work.

I may even add a few speed holes just for shits & giggles.

 

[QwikKotaTx]

Possibly for the radius but the vertical bandsaw for most of the flat work.

I may even add a few speed holes just for shits & giggles.

Good idea!

 

[JasonJ]

Speed Holes ... have you ever seen them not work? I rest my case.

 

[zmotorsports]

Agreed.

Speed holes make everything more cooler. [emoji12]


Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal

 

[zmotorsports]

Today was a pretty productive day.

I pulled the tires/wheels off of my 2006 2500HD Duramax so I could have my new Nitto Terra Grapplers mounted & balanced.




Waiting for the call from the tire shop that they’re mounted and balanced.




Installed and ready for a test drive.




While I was awaiting the call that the tires were ready for pickup I machined the bungs for the axle fixture that I started last week.


After picking up the tires & wheels this afternoon and while the outside temps were pleasant I pulled the coach out of the garage to tackle a not so pleasant job.

I noticed that the last couple of trips this year that I had some liquid getting past the black valve when I’d remove the cap to dump my tanks. I wanted to get them replaced so the coach is all ready to go for the next travel season.

Valves and center section removed.




New valves at the ready.


New valves installed and fasteners all tightened to spec.


Wet bay complete.


All in all a pretty productive day and I got several items crossed off of the white board.

 

[PhantomEB]

I need a white board!

 

[Bears Fan]

I hope you didn't dump that down the storm sewer

 

[csp]

Howdy neighbor! *******'s full!

 

[zmotorsports]

I need a white board!

It's the best way for me that I've found to track routine maintenance as well as repairs otherwise I become overwhelmed and don't get anything accomplished. This way I can see the tasks, organize them based on time required and/or like tasks going on in the shop and most importantly, I can see them get erased off of the board. I have found for me the last part is important otherwise I don't feel like I am getting anything accomplished.

 

[zmotorsports]

I hope you didn't dump that down the storm sewer

Howdy neighbor! *******'s full!

Yeah, I figured that would bring on some comments. It wasn't a fun task but one that needed to be done which I am glad is done so the coach is ready for next year's travel now.