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Thought I would post my findings from my recent Argon purchasing adventures. Went to Airgas first about 3 months ago and they wanted ~$120 to exchange my 120cf cylinder. I'm used to paying ~$50 back in PA, so I passed and headed to Praxair. They refilled my cylinder for ~$85. Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago and I needed more gas. Praxair's price still seemed high to me, so I decided to try Matheson. Matheson exchanged my cylinder for I think $54. Just thought I would pass this info along if anyone else finds it useful.

Also, I am now anther happy Absolute Powder Coating customer. Thanks @pappy and others who recommended them. A little more expensive than my past experiences, but they really took the time to understand what I wanted. Probably won't use them for little things due to cost, but if you have something you want done right I think they do a really good job.
 
marcfj60 said:
David, where did you end up going? My 05 4R a/c is not working correctly. I don't have any experience with ac systems to try to fix myself.
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Sorry Marc, you probably have your 4R fixed by now. I ended up taking my Honda to Pete's Auto at Wyoming and Montgomery. I was a little disappointed and not surprised at the outcome. My compressor clutch failed and they told me I needed a whole new compressor. I asked why not replace just the clutch and they said their suppliers don't offer it. Probably true based on my searches, but it would have saved me a bunch of money. Anyway, they were quick and it was ice cold when all said and done. I'd probably go back to them for other work.
 
2manycruisers said:
Sorry Marc, you probably have your 4R fixed by now. I ended up taking my Honda to Pete's Auto at Wyoming and Montgomery. I was a little disappointed and not surprised at the outcome. My compressor clutch failed and they told me I needed a whole new compressor. I asked why not replace just the clutch and they said their suppliers don't offer it. Probably true based on my searches, but it would have saved me a bunch of money. Anyway, they were quick and it was ice cold when all said and done. I'd probably go back to them for other work.
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Nothing gets fixed fast at my house and with the weather hopefully cooling off soon it will probably go another 8 months before I think about it again.

I did get some new front brake pads on it over the weekend after getting reports of it not stopping well and not holding a stop at stop lights. Pads were about done, the anti-rattle springs were falling apart, one of the wear indicator tabs was broken off. I couldn't get the rotors off the hub (rusted on) and there weren't any threaded holes to put bolts in to help me pull them off. I tried lots of PB blaster, gentle nudging with a hammer and eventually gave up and got out my angle grinder with a sanding wheel to scuff up the rotor surfaces.
 
Can anybody suggest a local shop to help me upgrade my dual battery system. I am interested in a higher end system that provides the following:
  • 100-150 amp hour Lithium Phosphate to fit where current aux 100 amp hour AMG battery is mounted (engine compartment - passenger side)
  • May require moving power steering reservoir to make room for larger Lipo
  • DC to DC charger that can stack voltage inputs - alternator/solar
    • My 2016 Land Cruiser has a variable voltage output alternator, which can cut off charging the aux battery in some driving/operating situations
  • 1500 watt inverter
  • Hard mount Solar on iKamper
    • ability to stack existing 100 watt solar blanket
  • hard wire upgraded fuse block with dedicated DC fridge wiring
I would really like to stay local if possible and want to have high quality workmanship. Thanks for any suggestions.
 
lurch said:
LCA bushings install service @ McBrides Spring ~$105 with tax
forum.ih8mud.com

Control Arm Bushings

forum.ih8mud.com forum.ih8mud.com
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I have had other suspension work done there, in the past , and have been happy with their work. Tell Paul, hello. He used to drive a 1940's jeep, open top. He would put on lots of clothes and just grin and bear it. Lots of fun watching him try to get that thing into crazy situations. Hope he still has the old military Jeep. 45 miles per hour top highway speed. LOL.
 
Differential work at Anvil Offroad by Dominic.

I had a brief exchange with Dominic from Anvil Overland Studio and from the sounds of it, he charges $600 for front diff work (you supply parts) and $440 for rear diff setup (you supply parts). I'll update these #s once I get confirmation from him.

When asked for the diff builder's qualification, here's his reply:

Ok, that would be me. I started axle-building over 10 years ago, was senior technician of 4Wheelparts for 3 years and have done hundreds of differentials at this point.

EDIT for updated info: Hey Ashfaq, the prices are all different per vehicle but for most Toyotas are about $600 labor for front diffs, and $440 labor for rear diffs.

​

Anvil Overland Studio​

Address: 1423 1st St NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102
Hours: Opens soon ⋅ 8:30AM

Phone: (505) 308-5180

edit: got more info from Dominic.
 
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Good to know. Who is going to be the first guinea pig?
 
pappy said:
Good to know. Who is going to be the first guinea pig?
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I sent mine off to Zuk @gearinstalls.com because his OCD totally appeals to me. It cost me around $100 to ship the 3rd member back n forth. It's not back yet as he dropped off the R&P to get them REM polished in Phx.
 
alia176 said:
It's not back yet as he dropped off the R&P to get them REM polished in Phx.
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Interesing. Never heard of the REM process. Google was my friend.
 
Here's the text I rec'd from Zuk on my gear setup:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Good afternoon Ali I have one "option" for you if you're interested.....


A REM processing of the 456 ring and pinion.....$250..... the process is kind of like a super polishing of surfaces of ring and pinion such that it looks like Chrome super smooth.

The result is a ring and pinion that you can run right up to 80 mile per hour if you want right from the start, there is no 500-mile break-in. Just drive it and you can tow with it too. The heat is so minimal with the "super polished" gears that the oil runs cool... At least much cooler than if it were not treated.

Some of my customers wanted just because they do not look forward to driving it in baby mode for 500 miles and others are thinking about a trip they must go on right after I do their gear install and they have to hit the highway almost right away and that is not good with brand new gears unless a process is done similar to this.

Takes a couple of days.

I have a REM treated 4.10 gear on the right and your 4.56 is on the left for comparison
Typically, with normal gears, after 500 miles you have to drain the oil and there are metal particles in the oil
With REM processed gears there is no particles in the oil...... unless the axle housing wasn't cleaned out very good the first time
Here is some good information to take a look at

benefits of rem treatment ring and pinion - Google Search - https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS745US745&sxsrf=ALeKk00bf4oIWIKvQArQbJKM09kwZ8BS0A%3A1611185055600&ei=n7sIYLqKJMTg9APooI_wDw&q=benefits+of+rem+treatment+ring+and+pinion&oq=benefits+of+rem+treatment+ring+and+pinion&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQDDoECAAQRzoECCMQJ1DQRli-1wFgnfMBaABwAngAgAHjAYgB2RGSAQYwLjE3LjGYAQCgAQGqAQdnd3Mtd2l6yAEIwAEB&sclient=psy-ab&ved=0ahUKEwj61Z-H1KvuAhVEMH0KHWjQA_4Q4dUDCA0


1616860140469.webp
 
alia176 said:
Here's the text I rec'd from Zuk on my gear setup:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Good afternoon Ali I have one "option" for you if you're interested.....


A REM processing of the 456 ring and pinion.....$250..... the process is kind of like a super polishing of surfaces of ring and pinion such that it looks like Chrome super smooth.

The result is a ring and pinion that you can run right up to 80 mile per hour if you want right from the start, there is no 500-mile break-in. Just drive it and you can tow with it too. The heat is so minimal with the "super polished" gears that the oil runs cool... At least much cooler than if it were not treated.

Some of my customers wanted just because they do not look forward to driving it in baby mode for 500 miles and others are thinking about a trip they must go on right after I do their gear install and they have to hit the highway almost right away and that is not good with brand new gears unless a process is done similar to this.

Takes a couple of days.

I have a REM treated 4.10 gear on the right and your 4.56 is on the left for comparison
Typically, with normal gears, after 500 miles you have to drain the oil and there are metal particles in the oil
With REM processed gears there is no particles in the oil...... unless the axle housing wasn't cleaned out very good the first time
Here is some good information to take a look at

benefits of rem treatment ring and pinion - Google Search - https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS745US745&sxsrf=ALeKk00bf4oIWIKvQArQbJKM09kwZ8BS0A%3A1611185055600&ei=n7sIYLqKJMTg9APooI_wDw&q=benefits+of+rem+treatment+ring+and+pinion&oq=benefits+of+rem+treatment+ring+and+pinion&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQDDoECAAQRzoECCMQJ1DQRli-1wFgnfMBaABwAngAgAHjAYgB2RGSAQYwLjE3LjGYAQCgAQGqAQdnd3Mtd2l6yAEIwAEB&sclient=psy-ab&ved=0ahUKEwj61Z-H1KvuAhVEMH0KHWjQA_4Q4dUDCA0
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Being able to cheat the break-in period makes re-gearing even more appealing.
 
I wish I knew about this when I had my rear end rebuilt a few months ago.
 
Anybody have a recommendation for a company that does automotive window tinting?
 
I used Horizon Auto glass on the 80 fronts and used these guys for the Benz all around. No complaints on either vendor. Horizon does all of my windshield replacements and will be re-doing the 80 fronts after they got scratched from the original interior window trim piece becoming hard over the years.
 
I second Horizon. They did the windshield on my 80. I had them add a ceramic tint to the windshield too before the windshield was installed. It has made a noticeable difference.
 
Pyro-boy said:
I second Horizon. They did the windshield on my 80. I had them add a ceramic tint to the windshield too before the windshield was installed. It has made a noticeable difference.
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oh snap, I'll be doing the same thing too as my 80 needs a new windshield. Is the tint obvious from the outside and I assume only at the top 5" or so?
 
alia176 said:
oh snap, I'll be doing the same thing too as my 80 needs a new windshield. Is the tint obvious from the outside and I assume only at the top 5" or so?
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They tinted the whole windshield. I believe it is a 35% ceramic tint. It blocks heat as well as ultraviolet.
 
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Oh SNAP, I'm so doing this on ALL of my cars. I learned something new today, thank you Vince.
 
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