ih8mud inspired build (1 Viewer)

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Yup, Don! The very PDX. I get in on 6 April for a couple months. The MWFD has already been there for 3 weeks so I'm getting a "wetter" report every day. Sitting in the middle of 1:100 year drought and a heat wave that has lasted since October I am really looking forward to wet and cold weather. I'd really like to meet some of the guys while I'm there. Have some beers and talk TLCs. Are you down near Corvallis? I have difficulty judging distance in the USA because I don't drive there anymore - I'm too African and lawless - after having a serious run-in with a South Dakota state troopers. 3 x in one day and we all ended up losing our sense of humour and I decided that discretion is the better part of valour and I will simply not drive there if I can help it.

I'm actually about 25 miles north east of Corvallis, making me a little closer to Portland. By road I'm only just over a mile away from I-5 freeway and exit 238, but in reality there's only a 60+ acre brush patch between us and the freeway. So, if you can go online and find a map of Oregon, I'm just a couple miles south of where I-5 crosses the Santiam River (between Salem ((the state capital)) and Albany).

It's been wet here, but that's what gives us such a green countryside, so I guess I better not complain. It is about 55* F at 6:30 in the evening, which is not too far from normal for this time of year. In the past few weeks I've seen a variation of temps from about 35* at night (just barely above freezing), up to over 70* daytime high. So, just be prepared for the typical fluctuation of temps that Oregon offers this time of year.

As far as local cruiserheads, I've yet to meet them. I just keep up with their activities through "Hardcore" part of the forum. If you were to start a separate thread in Hardcore to highlight your upcoming visit I would tend to guess that many would come crawling out of the woodwork for a meet & greet. I know I would probably be available, depending on how early in the month it is (early part of the month is better financially for us).

Lets keep in tough about a meet & greet.

Don
 
SPG. That's what's known as falling with your bum in the beer. How lucky can you get?

Don. I know roughly where the Santiam River is, I've been down I5 past there a couple of times. Once to Corvallis looking for CJ2 parts from a scrapyard down there.

Also went to a friend's brother's (Glaser) grass farm (and walnuts) down there, I forget the little town's name but it has a pub that was supposedly bequeathed to the bar cat or something along those lines. All green down there that's for sure.

I love to meet up with some of you guys. I will just have to check with my social secretary and see what she has laid on and work around that as early in the month as possible. Maybe the guys have a regular get together. We'll stay in touch.

Today was a big day here. The engine is back in the frame. Major battle dragging it to where I could lift it with the block and tackle and push the frame underneath it. Took about an hour in 100+F to manhandle it to where I needed it and then about 5 mins to lift it and drop it in place.
Checked all the torques on the suspension and axles and marked all the torqued bolts. I have to do that because I've got everything all mocked up and don't want to leave anything loose. Anyway, I guess it will help when I take it on its shake down trip I'll be able to see if anything moved. I suppose it would be wise to not just do a visual inspection after the trip, but to get it on a lift and retorque everything I can get to.

I would love to post some pics, but we have a large tribal area close to us and we share telecoms. Everybody from the cities is home for the weekend, and the system is totally overloaded and it is impossible to send or receive "big" files. Maybe very early tomorrow when everybody is sleeping off their hangovers.
 
Right on Dagha!!!!!! Just caught up on the thread! Looks like you are making some progress......

I think I mentioned doing the paint yourself in a homemade plastic spray "booth" I knew a guy who pulled off quite a few really nice paint jobs in his garage using duct tape, heavy clear plastic, and some fans. Sprayed the inside down with water before spraying and went for it. He would after do a little wet sanding and nib anything off and then buff it out to a beautiful shine. He was a lil OCD as well.

Sucks to PAY $$$ for less than expected paint and body work, especially if your OCD and going to put your good name on something before you sell it off. So good luck sorting all that out.

That 45 your looking at looks real tasty!!!! Like somebody else mentioned, peeps here would be all over that. Ive been really looking at 45's now that I have my 1970 40, and 1994 80 series. A man needs a truck, and ever since I saw some really nice 45's,.... like Mikers

For Sale: - *SOLD* FJ45 Long Bed Pickup - Modified - Northern California


that just sold here recently, there's NO truck out there that I would rather have. SO im probably a year or 2 out from a 45 of some sort.

Love the new pics especially the critters flying the "MUD" salute. That was classic.

Well have a hoppy holiday and cheers! :beer:
 
Howzit Cruza. Thanks. I considered the DIY booth route, but the dust here is really something else. I am keen on that one but I'm going to have to get it really cheap. The stuff is in such a mess it is not possible to tell what is there and what isn't. I'll talk to him when I get back in June. There are still some nice ones around at reasonable prices.

Well, the paint issue stopped a few inches short of homicide, but it is "resolved" to a degree. He is fetching all the stuff from the farm on Sunday and repays my money. He has to do it to spec by 15 June on which day I will inspect it in his workshop and if I'm totally happy I will pay him. His other option was arrest on a fraud charge. Not a nice prospect in this country.

Work continues on the Dagha Boy, but in a very desultory fashion. It is unbelievably hot and with the sun now rising quite a bit later I don't have much of a comfortable working window in the early morning anymore. Also all kinds of other stuff interfering.

I got the split rims done yesterday and will probably take them for tyres tomorrow.

RIMS DONE
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I think I'll post a pic of the tub. It's bad but at least it gives an idea of the colour.

DUNE BEIGE

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I've come to the realisation that I have run out of time. That means I have to leave it as it is, which also means I won't be able to take it for the engine work, because I've hit a snag with the left front brake drum. I can't get the bugger on it seems like the backing plate has been dented so it jams up against the drum when I tighten the drum down, locking it up solid. No time now to dismantle and fix that.

Yesterday was exactly one year from when I first started dismantling the Dagha Boy. Work only started in earnest in August last year.

30 March 2015
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30 MARCH 2016
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There has been progress.
 
You're going to have to wait a bit longer, Whitey. Sorry.

Damn. Just too many things having to get done before I leave on Tuesday to fit in tyre buying. I've got to button up everything here for the three months I'll be away. A million things to do.

The lists are formidable. (The MWFD makes calendars, lists, sub-lists, sub-sub lists and expects them to get done.)

To give you an idea of how tuff it can be, a pic of the task calendar for my birthday. No mercy for an old man.

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Fortunately I got some help from the "Dust Devils." I woke up to 17 Zebras on the lawn doing the mowing for me!

GARDEN SERVICE.

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Ja, I admit it was a bit overlong but I've been cultivating it for Hoppy the injured Nyala Bull, who is the only animal allowed in the yard.

HOPPY HOPWOOD.
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Critters everywhere, but it makes life interesting. The little Foam Nest Frog, lives on the Stoop and lives of the bugs that are attracted to the light. A really cool little guy, and an important part of the holistic mosquito control regime.

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BOOSTER

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Well, here I am safely in the US of A and slowly getting used to life in the first world. What a pleasure to go to a hardware store (Home Depot)and they actually have the product you need in stock. My local hardware store had been out of stock of hi-temp silver rattle can spray for more than 2 months by the time I left. In that time I had pointed out the problem to them about 10 times...

It has been hectic socially the past few weeks, but I have managed to get the all important parts orders in. Yesterday they started arriving...
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Very special thanks must go to Mark Coolerman. Just 2.5 days from order my parcel was delivered by USPS Priority. Amazing service! Thanks Mark.

I also managed to attend the Cascade Cruisers' monthly get together last night for some good barbeque and Cruiser talk. Thanks guys, especially Creeper Sleeper, for making me so welcome. It was real nice meeting you all.
 
How long are you going to be in Portland? If possible I would like a chance to meet.

Don
 
Hey guys. sorry for the silence but I have been on the road for the past 3 weeks. I am now in De Kalb, Illinois, then mackinac Island, NYC and then back home on 13th June. sorry I missed you Don but I will probably be back either in december or March then we'll definitely get together.
i'm laden down with parts for the Dagha Boy plus tools and other nice stuff like Plastidip which is unobtainable in SA and itching to get going again.
 
If you get arrested in NYC you may see my brother :)

It's amazing the things we get here and there are things we can't get here ... Been looking for a sprayable butyl rubber... But it's only in europe and they don't ship

Pics from your journey/parts buys? :)

We love pics... Of just about anything :)
 
I'm not far from DeKalb , Dixon (18miles) ect - hope things work out and we can hook up . I doubt anyone will want pics of our bare , soaked corn fields and miles of highway construction (sorry-I gotta eat) - just be really careful of the potholes , there's a reason there are so many large 4wd pickups...lol . Farm machinery is still moving around and some have a sense of humor - they do it at night with little or no flashing lights - nothing like meeting a very large tractor pulling a planter at 11pm...

Sarge
 
Hey guys. sorry for the silence but I have been on the road for the past 3 weeks. I am now in De Kalb, Illinois, then mackinac Island, NYC and then back home on 13th June. sorry I missed you Don but I will probably be back either in december or March then we'll definitely get together.
i'm laden down with parts for the Dagha Boy plus tools and other nice stuff like Plastidip which is unobtainable in SA and itching to get going again.

Not a problem. I fully understand what time schedules can be like. Hope all your travels are going good for you, sounds like they are.

Don
 
Well...Sunday -
My daughter called from our local gas station/convenience store (she's a clerk) and said " I have a guy here from South Africa , he's looking for you - can I send him over ?" ...lol .


We had communicated earlier via text and I was waiting on an answer if he wanted me to head in his direction and meet up part way - he lost cell service in our Dead Zone to the north so just came into town and found the gas station ...and my daughter . Now , we're only listed as 450 on the population sign but I think they're counting the dogs as well , but still - figure the odds of that meeting ...

I'm sure it was no surprise , not the first time someone comes into town looking for Sarge- "the guy with the lifted 4x4 Sami, Cruiser , whatever or a Wheel Horse garden tractor" . Now, South Africa , however did bring a different , odd tone to her voice I've never heard , almost a bit nervous ....

Johann and I had a great visit , talked Cruisers and everything else under the sun before he had to leave to avoid messing with MWFD's schedule of travel in the US . Nice having a conversation with a like-minded soul that is cut from the same cloth as so many others in our community and he's quite a unique character to boot . Wife was impressed , she said he looks like someone that has spent a lifetime outdoors like myself and has the knowledge to go along with it .

I thank you again for the "gift" - that was not only unexpected but very intriguing and deeply appreciated , I owe you one for that ...

Sarge
 
Now that would be a very welcome surprise Sarge. I'm glad his schedule allowed for that meeting.

Don
 
Hey Guys

The country boy is in the Big Apple. Sitting in an apartment on the 23rd floor just off Wall Street, about as far removed from my normal environment as is possible. We took the train from Chicago to NYC. A great experience which certainly changed my perception of NY. I never realised the state was so big and so "rural" and swampy. I really beautiful trip.

The apartment we're staying in belongs to a guy called Erin who has followed my thread and knows the MWFD's daughter. What are the chances of that?

JohnnyC, don't joke about that stuff, with my African roots I'm inclined to be not-so-law-abiding when it comes to the little things like j-walking etc. Photos to follow.

It was great meeting up with Sarge, talking Cruisers, chewing the fat and unpacking the simple solutions to the world's problems.

Don, we'll meet up later this year or early next year.

Life takes some unexpected turns, and the MWFD's daughter has just got engaged and it looks like the wedding will be next year... This means mamma wants to be in a position to be part of all this, so it looks like we'll move back to the coast soon after getting back to SA. That means Dagha Boy may get sent down in bits and pieces. On the bright side I will now have a workshop with walls and doors!!! But there is a twist in the tail, the workshop is on the Monkeyland/Birds of Eden premises so there will be no shortage of critters.
 

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