What are you working on? (3 Viewers)

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I've been less active than I have liked since our club meeting, life hits fast these days just trying to play catch-up!

The weekend finally turned out nice, so I figured I would take out the 4Runner for some errands I had to run. After jump-starting the truck (really should get a trickle charger for it). I rolled down the windows and went on my merry way. First stop was 45 minutes after start so the battery should have been fine. Little did I know my alternator was giving up the ghost. After another jump start and parked in the driveway. I did some digging and found that I'm out of my free supply of good alternators I've collected over the years. Amazon to the rescue and this morning the new one was dropped off just before my alarm to wake up. Installed and ready to boogy again! Also doesn't sound like I have a bad input shaft bearing in the transmission (which I thought was the cause of the noise I had not the alternator). This is also alternator #4 I've put in since I've started to wheel.this rig, none of them ever looked caked in mud so I'm not sure of the cause of the failure but should really dive into it....

Another fix I'm working on is getting the ride quality back for road driving. I had notice that the truck liked to kick one way on acceleration and then hard kick the other way on decel. I isolated the cause to the aftermarket lower rear control arms I had finally wearing themselves out. So for the time being I installed some stock links and ordered a set from front range to replace the old ones. Currently prepping them to install in the 4Runner in the next day or so.
 
Trip didn’t completely go off without a hitch. Almost 5800 miles and fuel pump decided to go right before the tunnels on the turnpike. Could have been in the middle of the desert somewhere so I’m pretty happy about that. Also, my rear tank strap was on its last leg and broke while trying to lower the tank. New fuel pump and straps and we are back on the road again. I’ll post up pics when I get more time but the trip was a success and we had a blast. 14 days of boondocking out west while exploring places I’ve never been to before. Learned a lot about picking dispersed spots along the way.
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Two wins for today. Finally got my SC400 to pass Delaware emissions (third times the charm in this case).

And got the lower rear links installed on the 4Runner.

Ignore the copious amounts of rust and the muffler that is about to fall apart... *Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain*
 
We had another large oak tree perish and uproot, killing 4 other trees as it fell. I finally got around to bucking the tree down for firewood.
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Started digging it out and cutting up the stump as best as possible.
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Turns out it was rotted at the center and was hollow enough to fit a strap all the way through it. The tractor couldn't get it to budge though.
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Land Cruiser and recovery gear to the rescue. All those extra pounds on the 80 came in handy. The stump still put up a solid fight.
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6+ hours of digging, 5 chainsaw chains, and several hours spent bucking down and hauling away rounds and its finally out. Now I need to power wash the dirt off of it so I don't dull anymore saw chains and then finish cutting it down to firewood and small pieces I can haul out of sight.
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How it started off last fall
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Cleared the top and smaller trees early spring
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Before view
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After view
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Preparing to make the wheeling rig a trailer queen. Measuring it out level here to get the proper drop on the hitch.
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Neighbor gave me a bunch of trees she had taken down after they died. This is the last few that are left to buck down and split. There were over 20 pieces stacked when I started. I can't say I expected there to be that much.
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Big logs
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This log is close to 30" in diameter. I have a 20" bar on this saw for scale. I actually bought a bigger saw to get this done more efficiently.
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I was yoking the smaller logs with the chains and using the carabiners as a choker, hooking them to a strap and pulling them out with the Tundra. Big logs 2 - Carabiners 0. I will have to try just the straps on these I suppose.
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A pile of some of the smaller rounds waiting to get split. In the first pic you can see I have a burn barrel set up to collect and burn the saw dust and bark pieces. I had no idea there was a burn ban in effect at the time and one of my neighbors called the fire department on me ... classic.
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messing around with the old sears garden tractors...getting ready to put some stone down for more parking/ outside work area.

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A bit of lathe work. I enjoy knurling - it gives things a finished appearance. In this case to show the end with the left hand threads.

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Cut a few end caps for a tube project.


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Making a new skid plate for the 40, I was lying under the rig and looked up at the clutch slave. Pushrod was bent in almost a 45 degree angle, next few miles would have killed it. Slave is from a 80’s Nissan 280zx, matches up to the later FJ40 clutch master in bore and works with the Chevy bell housing of the SM465. Pushrod was the stock one plus some threaded rod welded on. So I ordered 2 new slave cylinders thinking it’s almost a wear part and having a spare is good, $12 each from rock auto. Same part number, just selected 2 and hit buy.

So the 2 slaves came separately in their own boxes. Part numbers identical. When I opened them, they were close, but not identical. Huh. Looking closer, ones from china, one from Tiawan. Bodies are close, probably interchangeable. But the pushrods definitely are not. Completely different. If I really needed one or the other, it was a toss up as to which I would have gotten. For any Roadkill fans, I’ve hear Freiburger rant about the aftermarket before and how they can make a mess of parts fitment. But this it the first time I’ve seen it this black and white firsthand.

In the end, it doesn’t hurt me. After examining the pushrods and my previous failure, I got some hi qwality grade threaded rod and made my own custom piece. Ground one end into a ball, fit nice into the bore of the existing slave. Made 2 spares while I was at it. So now I have 2 spare pushrods and slabs cylinders for the trail box. And if you work for Luk and see this, may want to check your OEM spec for early 80’s Datsuns. Somethings not quite right! :)

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Beginning of updated skid plate. Bend to cover the drop of the split case. More was done after this, pics later. It’s leftover 1/4” plate which was originally a column anchor bolt leveling plate - hence the 4 big holes.

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Coming to the end on the 1921 frick portable engine's crown sheet...tubes are next, then the boiler comes off the carriage for another round of stay bolts down low.

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Production run to restock Berrien Buggy show bars...

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Man! Just swinging ten foot lengths of 2"x0.120 tubing around gives you a workout!
 
Finished new skid plate for t-cases. Has about 1/4 clear to bottom of the cases and is mounted to the same crossmember i the front, and had its own mounts in the back. Old soft poly bushings on everything. It still hangs below the frame, but I gained almost 2” with reworking everything. Any further will need much more drivetrain mods to raise the split case, or figure out how to re-drill the adapter to clock it up. For now it’s better, and that’s good enough.

Trailer also got re-wired and new shackles/bushings on both axles. Brakes on both axles now work and will stop the tow rig and trailer with just trailer brakes. Much better. Ready for AOAA next weekend, hopefully weather behaves at least a little.

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Apparently I have this toxic trait of picking up derelict should be left for the junk yard Lexus cars and bringing them back to some sort of life.
Beginning of June, I acquired my mothers 1998 Lexus ES300 with 265K miles on the ODO after she replaced it with a new 2023 Lexus RX350. This is the first car my mother has purchased new off the lot since 1995!

My new to me Lexus.

A little history of this vehicle. She purchased the vehicle in 2005 off eBay of all places and had it shipped up from Texas! Hence I call it the Lexus from Texas.
it had about 80K and change I believe when it arrived to us. and boy was it a piece of work, all 4 rotors were shot and at least 2 out of the 4 tires had shifted belts. But still nicer than the 1995 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme SL that it had replace.

I have a love hate relationship with this car. I love driving it but apparently destroying it too. I have backed into it with my 4Runner, hit a deer with it, and it almost caught fire on me one summer when I was driving it up 476 to work (Leaking valve cover gaskets). But it will make a good slightly more fuel efficient substitute to the Tundra or the SC400.

This past weekend I ended up doing valve cover gaskets, spark plug tube gaskets, spark plugs and wires, cam shaft seals, timing belt, water pump, fixing a mouse chewed vacuum line, and replacing a power steering suction line that was severely cracked. Car is a little rusty underneath but drives like a dream. A few things I have left to address are the output shaft seals for the axles on the transmission, cv axles themselves and brakes. After that I plan to continue to drive it till something rusts away to the point I can't fix it.

 
New tires for the 40. The 33” Firestones had 2012 date codes and did t like rubbing on stuff at CCMC.

New ones are 35’s because 37’s would need new wheels, would not let the rig fit in the garage, and I would really need to regear, and probably hack more body than I want for the moment, and…….whatever.

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