Zelephant

Ahhh, Boyd's I'll remember that. I usually go to Terryville Used Auto Parts or Arite in Berlin. I'll definitely let you know if I need anything.

khat toy

z - yea, please do. you run her thru emissions yet? hope she's runninsoon, there's some nice trails out here, and i get bored runnin' them alone, lol.

went out into pachaug today, second time this week.... i wish it would rain soon so we could have some mud to play in, lol. went down a really long trail only to find it had been rocked off at the far end....had to turn around on a trail so narrow i was glad that i have a bad paint job, yay, fun!! i'll post some pics. i'll prob be out there again tomorrow.

Zelephant

She's registered with temp. plates now. I have to get her to a shop to do the master cylinder and some smaller things, I ran into a problem installing a V6 MC that I can't solve myself without brake line cutting and flaring tools. After that, she goes to smog, and then back to DMV for perm. plates. Then she becomes my commuter to CCSU when classes start Aug. 30. I dunno about wheeling though. My truck is my only form of transportation, and I don't really feel comfortable letting my baby get beat up on the trails (wheel-wreck-wrench-repeat). She's gonna get "soft-roaded" from time to time, but that's about all I bargained for.

khat toy

bummer about the brake stuff, i just had to do a bunch to my car. cutting and flaring sux, but i can't afford the $80/hr the garages charge. hope she goes thru smog alright! what you goin to school for? i'm at uconn, now. i hate it but it's the closest that has the classes i need, (ecsu doesn't have my program...) as for wheeling, my truck is my main mode of transport, so i don't do anything crazy, i usually don't even need the 4x4 unless it rains for a few days and the mud gets deep, lol. i don't have a spare, jack or winch yet, so i try to take it easy on her. i mostly just cruise old trails and have a few beers, try to find a nice spot to sit and chill away from people and enjoy nature. i saw a fox yesterday, and some deer earlier this week, haha.

khat toy

ok, i'm hoping for some help prioritizing my next projects.... full size spare and jack are on the top of the list, but i would also like to get a front bumper and winch, a little body lift and some 4.56 gears.... any suggestions on what i should do first? will the new gears improve my milage any? i realized on my nh trip that the odometer isn't keeping correct milage since the tires are larger than stock size. i knew it affected my speedometer, but i feel like an idiot that i didn't realize it's been messing up my milage estimates, too. is there any way to fix that? can i get a new gear to fit on the end of the cable that goes in the tranny?

Zelephant

Yeah, I'm not thrilled about taking it in to a shop, but it's at a point where I literally can't do the work at home. It's not as bad as it could be, though; someone in my family is concerned about the safety of my truck and is generously willing to pay some or all of the repair bill!
I'm going to CCSU for Mechanical Engineering. Now if only they offered a specialization in automotive....

khat toy

lol, yea, i feel like i should've taken auto shop in high school, we had a vo-tech. but i just get in there and do it. i had never done brakes before, i just bought the tools and dove in. messed up the first line, had to go buy another one, but over all still way cheaper than the shop. it's cool you have family to help you, my family is either as broke as me or not concerned enough to help. what year you in?

khat toy

alright, here's some more pics of the beast...

before the new suspension...


and after...


i guess it doesn't look too dramatic, but it felt like climbing into a new truck when she was done, lol

here's the front end


the pickaxe head i had to use to separate the lower passenger balljoint from the steering knuckle... you can kinda see the mark that shows how far i had to drive it in before the bloody thing popped out...


and then i realized i've never posted any pics of my engine...




which brings me to the question... i ripped the compressor off, since i hate a/c, but someone told me i should put a dummy pulley back in to even out the tension on my crankshaft pulley, is this really necessary???

and last, but not least, my stereo...

got this deck for $40 at the junkyard, still in the box, someone had left it in their car. d'oh! it's a dual, which is certainly no jvc or alpine, but does pretty good none the less. i looked up the deck, and it's about $200 new. there was a nice aiwa deck in the body when i got it, but it has no faceplate, and i was having a difficult time finding one to replace it.

once i had the deck in, it was time for speakers....



6" 2-way pioneers behind the drivers seat, 6x9 3-way earthquakes in the rear pushed by a phoenix gold 600w amp, all self-installed. and the stock speakers in the dash, lol! the only problem is when she's really bumpin, the rear interior panels vibrate. gotta go around with a hot glue gun and tack some stuff down.

any opinions on what i should do next (other than the spare and jack?) lift, bumper and winch, or 4.56 gears? the gears is a lot more labor intensive, and i might not have time with 15 credits, but if it will make a significant difference in my fuel economy, then it might be worth it. otherwise, i think i'm gonna do the lift/bumper/winch and save regearing for next summer....

Zelephant

Yeah, it's nice to have a grandma willing to take an interest in your project, and I recognize how blessed I am, but I don't like to rely on others if I can help it. But actually, a neighbor just stepped forward today and helped out with removing the brake line and MC, so all I need to do is rustle up a flaring tool before the reman'd MC comes in tomorrow. My family still wants the truck checked by a shop, but at least I'll be able to drive it there under it's own power. BTW, I'm entering freshman year at central.
If I were you, though, before gears, bumpers, or lift, I'd put a skidplate on the front!

khat toy

lol, yea it's on the top of the priority list. i need to hit up the junkyard and pick one up, my neighbor scrapped my last one cus i left it in his yard too long.... if you need a flaring tool, i have one here, but i have to work during the day tomorrow, so I couldn't get it there til later. i think you can rent one at autozone, tho, for like $20, they give back your money when you bring back the tool. not a bad deal, it's where i borrowed the pullers for the ball joints and idler arm. and with brakes, it's always good to have a shop check it out. if they fail, it could be real messy.... a freshman, eh? fresh outta high school, or you wait a few years first? mech eng is a good field, lots of jobs, so i hear. far more practical than medical anthropology, lol. but i like what i do, so whatever. i'll prob end up practicing acupuncture or doing research as university faculty somewhere. as long as i can pay back the loans i'm living on. good luck with the MC tomorrow

2+2=4Runner

You guys have some nice trucks goin here. I have my own project 4runner and it looks like we are all in the same type of situation. Im gonna take the body off of mine, found a guy today in South Windsor that will sandblast the whole frame in a day for $500. How did that work out on your truck, taking the body off? I am right in your area too, manchester now, moving to middletown in a month. My 4runner is a drivable project vehicle that I want to lift and make it look nice as well as run smooth. When i get the frame done ill be lookin for some places to hit the trails...I used to go behind MXCC in middletown...cool trails up there. I had an 88 pickup with a 4" suspensoin lift on it...sold that for my gas guzzler dodge...bad mistake! That was 8 years ago...now im back on the Toyota wagon...still have the dodge, so i can still ahve a vehicle while im workin on the yota. Chopped an extra top that i got from a friend for an awesome custom half top...and use the full one in the winter!

khat toy

lol, yea i was checkin out that nice half top you're rockin, almot makes it look like an oversize brat (don't be offended, plz, i love subes. but they'll never be a 1st gen, ) Drivable project is the word! i need to have the whole frame done. that's a pretty penny, tho. i've just been doin it by hand in sections. i need to get some more industrial rust converter so i can cover up the raw spots on her before the weather turns. I'll probably get to some of that this weekend, and getting the steps painted and back on.

i know a few decent spots to get muddy and test your suspension, if you aren't too worried about your paint job, lol. i'd like to see a few new trails. i grew up in RI, so all the roads i know are out here in far east ct and on the border.

and i loved my dodge while i had it ('66 coronet, 8 mpg) but nothin beats a 'runner. idk what it is about them, but i'm an addict. i'll probably have one for the rest of my life, if i can manage it, and a 1st gen above all others

Zelephant

More CT people; awesome! Just FYI, the shop that checked my truck had it smogged and report that it passed with flying colors! The guy seemed a little confused about why it passed so cleanly ! Oh well, I'll take it!
Still no perm plates on it though. The DMV's like a soviet policeman giving me junk about my paperwork not being in order. It's taking time to work out.

khat toy

Z - Awesome on the smog!!! I knew she'd do good ! Sux about the plates, but at least you can get to and from school for now, eh? I'm sure you'll get it all straight. How's classes so far?

Zelephant

Classes are good aside from Psych. The prof. is a creep and says she's gonna hypnotize the class mid-semester.

You mention you're doing the frame, hows that going? You using a welder, or something else?

2+2=4Runner

Yeah, just gettin started on the frame project...gonna have it sandblasted and probably have to weld in some patches here and there, nothing too big.

khat toy

2+2 is your frame really that rusty? i think mine must have come from south or west, cus i'm sanding mine down with a wire brush no prob. not to bare metal, but enough to get all the scale off and put industrial marine grade rust converter on it. and definitely no holes big enough to need patches.

2+2=4Runner

Its kind of weird, the only area on the frame that is really bad, is behind the rear axle. The body mounts that are in the back of the body are not in very good condition. I might be able to get away with just brushing it or using a wire wheel, but I think i would feel safer if i had it blasted with the body off. That way I can get a really good look at what has to happen to make it a solid frame. I was thinking about it the other day, and decided that this has to be the next step in this project if i want to keep the truck for any extended amount of time and continue to modify it the ways that I would like to. What is the name of the rust converter you are using...I have used Por 15, have you tried that?

khat toy

2+2 - The stuff I get is called corroseal. My uncle is a marine welder at a boat yard, he hooks me up. I have never heard of Por15, where do you get it? The rear of my frame is the crappiest part too, but still wire brushable. I'm trying to get mine done too, I've had her for 10 yrs already, i'd like to have her another 10. It's just hard to afford all the stuff I'd like to get done, lol. Eventually... How's yours coming along now?

I'm hoping to get my jack and spare taken care of soon, tho i haven't had the time to go offroad since school started. Putting 300 miles/week on her commuting for school - -the gas is killing me. I gotta get the timing in my car straightened out so I can conserve a little. This weekend coming up I'm gonna get the body sealed up and get the step bars stripped, repainted/undercoated and reinstalled. And I have a power washer here to do the house, so I was thinking of cleaning off the underside of the body so I can see new leaks earlier....And depending on how the budget goes - and the loads of reading I have to do for school - I'd like to get the lift kit and front bumper/winch done before it gets too cold. We'll see, i guess.

Zelephant

I hear you on this, but I don't travel anywhere close to 300 miles per week. Probably more like 50, which I can manage gas for. I can't imagine what paying for that kind of gas is like.