Not much going on here with my Rig. Decided to go with a different set of tires that suited my needs a little better.

Picked up Some BFG all terrains in the same 33' size as the grabbers.

 

I am really trying hard to save for some High Steer on this baby. And I am also waiting to do the front end rebuild kit until I can do them both together. Seems like its going to be getting nicer out! Going to be in the 60's tomorrow!

 

Looking good, nice score on the tires! Yeah, high steer is well worth the investment, when I did my other 83' i owned a few years back I noticed such a big difference over the old push/pull setup, it eliminated all the steering play and the "wandering" i used to experience when on the freeway, it used to be scary when id get in the ruts worn into the road by all the big rigs, lol.

 

Haha Totally true. It gets hairy real quick if you are not paying attention and have to rapidly correct the steering. Its funny when I let other people drive that have never experienced that kind of steering before.

 

Nice rig and I like the tires.

 

Lookin good!!! Nice pics!!! I think youl love the high steer too with your setup will do nicely.

 

Those custom wheels on the van is something I had not thought of. Wonder what the reasoning on that was?? I am wanting to hit the yards soon. I want to get a temp and compass display out of a Dodge Ram pickup.

Also this past weekend a friend of mines Ford Lariat has a little recorder that mounts on the visor that would come in handy for directions or when the wife wants me to pick up more then 3 items on the way home.

 

Thanks for the compliments

Thanks buddy, I cannot wait to get the high steer done.

I love going to the junkyard and pilfering through the cars. Kind of like a stress reliever. haha

I need one of those recorders. My wife tells me all the time that I always come back from the store with more than what we need and not all of the items that we actually needed. LOL

 

Finally installed the New to me rear cargo light that I picked up at the U-pull it.

I figured out why the existing one I had did not work once I put it next to the new one.

Here are the pics

Old one


New one hooked up


New one on and working!


I think that I am going to try and wire another light, preferably an LED, into the rear cargo area for more light.

 

Also forgot to mention that My Blower motor crapped out on me this morning just before I got in her to head to work. Good thing that it lasted enough to warm up the cab to thaw out the window before the drive.

Super easy to do. Just remove the glove box, and then you have three bolts holding it in. I also removed the kick panel to give me more room to slide it out.

I could see how the cage could break when it gets flexed coming out.

I was an idiot and did not take any pictures. Which is odd, since I am usually a pic whore when it comes to repairs.

 

Get a surplus center catalog from lincoln ne. They sell 12v led strip lights for way cheap. Or go get the superbright led bulb for it. Pic whore...hahaha

 

Im going to look into that. I really think that the LED strip lights would be sweet now that I can light up the back cargo area with the dash switch.

HAHA you like my Pic Whore comment. I totally am. I think I am worse than a woman with taking pictures when doing a project. I am surprised I get anything done in a reasonable amount of time because of it.

 

I have thought of mounting a light in the wiper motor cover for a more useful light. It is on the list someday.

On the high steer, is that for a stock set up as well? Someday when I get my 85 running, I want it to handle as best as possible. In very few situations for the axle kit Toyota is best replacement. I think it is Marlin Crawler that has a better kit. Mine are leaking bad as I think MC is who it is that I will go with.

 

In a stock suspension setup the factory steering will work fine, its when you lift it higher the high steer comes into affect.

 

Terry, Chris is spot on with his explanation of the issue. I currently have a drop arm off of the gearbox but the steering is still pretty bad since it is lifted some. It wanders alot. I have gotten used to it over the last few years, but it can be scary of you have never experienced it.

 

Perfect explanation. I need to keep saving for it.

 

Beautiful saturday , now evening is cold and windy!!!! dangit

 

It was beautiful here today. Now it's snowing!!

 

No kidding! Gotta love Iowa weather.

 

Thanks guys for the explanation. We are getting rain but hey, at least we are above freezing. It is going in the right direction. I feel like I am coming out of hibernation.

Can you guys look at my 86 thread on the Main Tranny Shaft Bearing I have just posted? I don't have a press and am wondering if I could improvise with a similar size pipe or something to act as a press. Any suggestions? I might try finding a shop with one but most tranny shops around here are for automatic transmissions. I am stuck currently trying to get a Snap Ring off, after that I still need to rent a bearing puller, but I think it will make a big difference as I have seen these shafts be loose.

I wonder if I could put a big washer over the bearing to protect it and then find a similar size pipe and gently tap it into place with a rubber hammer?