I've had my '97 40th Anny for about two months now and have put a little over 2k miles on it in that time. I'm loving the feel of the 80 and the whole family is onboard for this Cruiser unlike the project 60 I sold a while back. Not the 60's fault, it was long past it's prime and beyond my skill set to resurrect. Long term plans are to make this a camping/ ski rig with drawers, a fridge, an RTT or trailer behind, awning(s) of some type and whatever other goodies will keep the family comfortable while on the road. I'm building the plan slow but sure and robbing as much genius from the group here to do it right. Up until the point I screw it up of course.
A few bigger ticket items were done relatively recently by the PO. Cooling system updated w/ new rad, hoses thermostat, rad cap, but not PHH unfortunately. Brakes done to include new rotors, calipers and pads as well as the parking brake doohickey. Cooper AT3 285's that ride pretty well even w/ the PO inflating three of them to 80 PSI
, unbelievably the outlier was the fourth tire at 40 PSI. I get it that 80 PSI is what is said on the sidewall, but not what I expected to find at my first gas stop. Recent knuckle rebuild due to clicking on the left side, left birf replaced. PO also added the OME lift, not sure what I have exactly but there is a little lean to the left, TJM front bumper and 4x4 Labs rear. All in all pretty well cared for to my untrained eye.
The focus thus far is learning from the forum and learning about my rig. I've read the FAQ, leafed through numerous threads and tried to gain as much knowledge of how to care and feed for the new addition. Recent actions/ current plans include:
Obviously I love to hear the wear metals are good, not so much on the sodium and potassium. The creepiest part is my discussion w/
where I'm trying to slow roll the whole, "I just bought a new car, spent a lot of $, promised it wouldn't be a money pit and OBTW it might need a new HG and some other stuff while we're in there" by explaining the value of said oil analysis and what it told me. When I mentioned it showed sodium and potassium in the oil said "If you're seeing those in the oil that means a HG problem". WTH?!?!? So Mama knows 80's apparently. I'm just not sure what her mud name is, but I gotta be careful on the forum.
All joking aside, what does the forum think? I've got my thoughts on what to do next, but I'd like to enjoy some wisdom on how others would proceed given the oil analysis data. OBTW temps run 185-190 very consistently while I've had the Ultraguage onboard. Nothing out of bounds has occurred during any drives I've had to include two runs to NH and one to Philly and back. Heat both fore and aft works extremely well and the rig runs solid in my limited experience with it. I'm getting 14MPG or better on the highway, 11-12 in mixed driving in town. Normal white smoke on start up like you see on every car in the winter, no sweet smell to the exhaust, no gunk on the oil cap, no bubbles in the overflow tank and it is not eating coolant. FWIW I don't plan on getting rid of this rig any time soon, if ever. I opted for this as a third car by keeping my soon to be 11 year old 3 series and foregoing a brand new car and the associated cost. Actually transferred that cost to the 80, but you get what I mean.
As far as the name, my wife and I both flew in the Navy i.e. "Squids" and the kids find Squidly to be humorous. As long as they're smiling, I'm GTG. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and here is a recent pic from a ski trip to NH.
A few bigger ticket items were done relatively recently by the PO. Cooling system updated w/ new rad, hoses thermostat, rad cap, but not PHH unfortunately. Brakes done to include new rotors, calipers and pads as well as the parking brake doohickey. Cooper AT3 285's that ride pretty well even w/ the PO inflating three of them to 80 PSI
, unbelievably the outlier was the fourth tire at 40 PSI. I get it that 80 PSI is what is said on the sidewall, but not what I expected to find at my first gas stop. Recent knuckle rebuild due to clicking on the left side, left birf replaced. PO also added the OME lift, not sure what I have exactly but there is a little lean to the left, TJM front bumper and 4x4 Labs rear. All in all pretty well cared for to my untrained eye.The focus thus far is learning from the forum and learning about my rig. I've read the FAQ, leafed through numerous threads and tried to gain as much knowledge of how to care and feed for the new addition. Recent actions/ current plans include:
- Bought a hard copy FSM and downloaded an e-copy to my iPad
- Oil change done by my son & I w/ an oil analysis to Blackstone Labs (more on that later)
- Diffs and tcase should get fluids changed this weekend
- Birfs are full of grease, no birf soup.
- Torqued bolts to spec on the front end
- Balanced tires, new tie rods and drag links, front end alignment and adjusted preload up front (Got rid of most of the vibrations I was experiencing, wondering if it is u-joints (greased) or a slightly bent rim)
- 9011 HIR's and a Slee harness ready to go in midweek if the forecast holds
- Ultraguage II installed to monitor engine temp
- New wipers - 19" up front, stock in the rear. Added at least 15hp w/ this mod alone
- Wits' End Front Axle poster because I'll rebuild it someday soon....
Obviously I love to hear the wear metals are good, not so much on the sodium and potassium. The creepiest part is my discussion w/
where I'm trying to slow roll the whole, "I just bought a new car, spent a lot of $, promised it wouldn't be a money pit and OBTW it might need a new HG and some other stuff while we're in there" by explaining the value of said oil analysis and what it told me. When I mentioned it showed sodium and potassium in the oil said "If you're seeing those in the oil that means a HG problem". WTH?!?!? So Mama knows 80's apparently. I'm just not sure what her mud name is, but I gotta be careful on the forum.All joking aside, what does the forum think? I've got my thoughts on what to do next, but I'd like to enjoy some wisdom on how others would proceed given the oil analysis data. OBTW temps run 185-190 very consistently while I've had the Ultraguage onboard. Nothing out of bounds has occurred during any drives I've had to include two runs to NH and one to Philly and back. Heat both fore and aft works extremely well and the rig runs solid in my limited experience with it. I'm getting 14MPG or better on the highway, 11-12 in mixed driving in town. Normal white smoke on start up like you see on every car in the winter, no sweet smell to the exhaust, no gunk on the oil cap, no bubbles in the overflow tank and it is not eating coolant. FWIW I don't plan on getting rid of this rig any time soon, if ever. I opted for this as a third car by keeping my soon to be 11 year old 3 series and foregoing a brand new car and the associated cost. Actually transferred that cost to the 80, but you get what I mean.
As far as the name, my wife and I both flew in the Navy i.e. "Squids" and the kids find Squidly to be humorous. As long as they're smiling, I'm GTG. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and here is a recent pic from a ski trip to NH.
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jobs! I'm due to clean up the battery terminals, resetting the ECM will be an added bonus and allow me to stare at my Ultraguage that much more in hopes of improved mileage. 