- Thread starter
- #21
Made it to the border. I’m spending one last night in the US (Laredo) and then I’ll cross at the Colombia bridge port of entry into Nuevo León. As a policy, I always cross during daylight hours. Cartel members can be reasoned with, but Mexican vampire strippers are no joke.
The good:
I drove 1776 miles across America on her 250th birthday and got to see old friends along the way. I also added Arkansas to my list of visited states. It was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot about this vehicle that I’ve spent way too much time and money on over the past eight years and had not ever really had much chance to drive.
The engine is breaking in well. Power and fuel economy are increasing. I got 21 mpg on my last fill up. The little turbo that Diesel42 put together was the star of the show allowing me to cruise at 65mph with a good head start.
The best massaging seat available is the cheap, wooden-beaded seat cover loved by taxi-drivers the world round.
I can drive anywhere. I’m pretty sure in first gear I could let that little diesel engine idle up a cliff. As long as I’m not looking to go anywhere fast, it’s unstoppable.
My red brake alert light came on. I added brake fluid to the reservoir and the light went off. Simple and elegant. Everything I need and nothing I don’t.
The DakotaDigital gauges are awesome. After installing and programming them, they just work. Fuel level is accurate, oil pressure, voltage, speed, etc. it all just works.
The mechanical lockers I installed in front and back are surprisingly road friendly. Every once and a while when I accelerate in a low gear the rear will chirp a bit, but it’s like flying a C172 when you accelerate and the plane pulls a bit to one side because of the direction of the rotation of the engine. It’s very manageable, and not a big deal.
The old man emu suspension is pretty comfortable all things considered.
The ghetto power steering system that was cobbled together by a previous owner works well enough and hasn’t caused me any problems.
The Isuzu NPR alternator is a beast. After modifications to fit the bracket, it puts out almost plenty of juice as it is rated for 110amps.
The bad:
Even with the five speed FJ60 transmission installed, fifth gear doesn’t do much more than 4th gear already does. With 35” tires, and the aerodynamics of a cinder block, I’m not going anywhere fast.
Road noise sucks even with the noise dampening mat I installed. Heat from the firewall, transmission and transfer case pretty much cancel out the work the Vintage A/C system is doing.
The retrosound radio is meh. I found myself just connecting my phone directly to my Memphis sound soundbar using Bluetooth, or using noise canceling headphones. If I were to do it over, I’d save the money and skip the retrosound. Even worse, a knob fell off and I can’t find it. My OCD will make me buy new knobs to replace it and they are $48 for a set!!!
My city racers headlights stopped working when I hit a bump the first night and I had to drive the rest of the trip on high beams.
My air filter is probably too small for the engine/turbo. I didn’t have problems with egts getting too high, but I feel that some testing is in order and maybe a larger air filter. I have a tiny oil catch can (it’s a personal problem) and it fills up every ~350 miles or so as the engine is breaking in. If I forget to change it, I get oil vomited all over the underside of my hood. Some oil spattered on my air filter further restricting the airflow.
The metal bracket that holds my coolant reservoir broke. My windshield washer fluid pump stopped working.
It would benefit from an intercooler but I don’t think there is enough room to cram one in.
The ugly:
The soft top that I had custom made in Colombia was a great value… but it didn’t hold up and wasn’t made for longevity. The straps disintegrated in the UV light, the cheap zippers broke, and the front was held to the windshield by a piece of metal stock that was pop riveted to the windshield. That proceeded to pop off as wind buffeted it. It will hold for the rest of the trip, but will need serious repairs and redesign or will need to be replaced all together.
My Colombian mechanic thought it would be a good idea to put black, foam, pipe insulation on my roll bars to protect people from bumping their heads. That has disintegrated in the sun and black crap gets on everything. Plus, condensation has gotten under it and caused rust to start. I’ll have to strip it all off and sand/paint the roll cage.
I vaguely remember my Colombian mechanic telling me 8 years ago that he couldn’t find the correct weatherstripping for under the windshield. I assumed he had rigged up a suitable alternative. I assumed wrong. There is no weatherstripping there so when it rains outside, it rains inside.
Despite replacing both door locks, only one door shuts properly, and only the other door locks properly.
Now, enough of this highway driving. Time to take it out into the deserts and mountains where it belongs.
The good:
I drove 1776 miles across America on her 250th birthday and got to see old friends along the way. I also added Arkansas to my list of visited states. It was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot about this vehicle that I’ve spent way too much time and money on over the past eight years and had not ever really had much chance to drive.
The engine is breaking in well. Power and fuel economy are increasing. I got 21 mpg on my last fill up. The little turbo that Diesel42 put together was the star of the show allowing me to cruise at 65mph with a good head start.
The best massaging seat available is the cheap, wooden-beaded seat cover loved by taxi-drivers the world round.
I can drive anywhere. I’m pretty sure in first gear I could let that little diesel engine idle up a cliff. As long as I’m not looking to go anywhere fast, it’s unstoppable.
My red brake alert light came on. I added brake fluid to the reservoir and the light went off. Simple and elegant. Everything I need and nothing I don’t.
The DakotaDigital gauges are awesome. After installing and programming them, they just work. Fuel level is accurate, oil pressure, voltage, speed, etc. it all just works.
The mechanical lockers I installed in front and back are surprisingly road friendly. Every once and a while when I accelerate in a low gear the rear will chirp a bit, but it’s like flying a C172 when you accelerate and the plane pulls a bit to one side because of the direction of the rotation of the engine. It’s very manageable, and not a big deal.
The old man emu suspension is pretty comfortable all things considered.
The ghetto power steering system that was cobbled together by a previous owner works well enough and hasn’t caused me any problems.
The Isuzu NPR alternator is a beast. After modifications to fit the bracket, it puts out almost plenty of juice as it is rated for 110amps.
The bad:
Even with the five speed FJ60 transmission installed, fifth gear doesn’t do much more than 4th gear already does. With 35” tires, and the aerodynamics of a cinder block, I’m not going anywhere fast.
Road noise sucks even with the noise dampening mat I installed. Heat from the firewall, transmission and transfer case pretty much cancel out the work the Vintage A/C system is doing.
The retrosound radio is meh. I found myself just connecting my phone directly to my Memphis sound soundbar using Bluetooth, or using noise canceling headphones. If I were to do it over, I’d save the money and skip the retrosound. Even worse, a knob fell off and I can’t find it. My OCD will make me buy new knobs to replace it and they are $48 for a set!!!
My city racers headlights stopped working when I hit a bump the first night and I had to drive the rest of the trip on high beams.
My air filter is probably too small for the engine/turbo. I didn’t have problems with egts getting too high, but I feel that some testing is in order and maybe a larger air filter. I have a tiny oil catch can (it’s a personal problem) and it fills up every ~350 miles or so as the engine is breaking in. If I forget to change it, I get oil vomited all over the underside of my hood. Some oil spattered on my air filter further restricting the airflow.
The metal bracket that holds my coolant reservoir broke. My windshield washer fluid pump stopped working.
It would benefit from an intercooler but I don’t think there is enough room to cram one in.
The ugly:
The soft top that I had custom made in Colombia was a great value… but it didn’t hold up and wasn’t made for longevity. The straps disintegrated in the UV light, the cheap zippers broke, and the front was held to the windshield by a piece of metal stock that was pop riveted to the windshield. That proceeded to pop off as wind buffeted it. It will hold for the rest of the trip, but will need serious repairs and redesign or will need to be replaced all together.
My Colombian mechanic thought it would be a good idea to put black, foam, pipe insulation on my roll bars to protect people from bumping their heads. That has disintegrated in the sun and black crap gets on everything. Plus, condensation has gotten under it and caused rust to start. I’ll have to strip it all off and sand/paint the roll cage.
I vaguely remember my Colombian mechanic telling me 8 years ago that he couldn’t find the correct weatherstripping for under the windshield. I assumed he had rigged up a suitable alternative. I assumed wrong. There is no weatherstripping there so when it rains outside, it rains inside.
Despite replacing both door locks, only one door shuts properly, and only the other door locks properly.
Now, enough of this highway driving. Time to take it out into the deserts and mountains where it belongs.
