Tell Me Im Normal..

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sarca

sarca

I upped my wrenchin skills, now up yours!
10 Year
Joined
Jun 2, 2012
Threads
101
Messages
1,542
Location
Coastal NC
Website
onsc4x4.com
I know. Im a girl. Im a stubborn girl. Tell me I cant - and it rises instant determination in me that I can. Maybe Im just having a girly moment..but if I cant vent to the coolest guys I know...Tell me Im stupid, tell me Im not trying hard enough, but tell me something.

Is it just me? I went and picked up a generic coolant overflow bottle for the 40. I read around here that with minor adjustments, it works fine and its a hell of a lot cheaper than OEM.

I come home, take it out of the packaging. On each side of the radiator is the @#$! horn. There is not enough room. Could I go back to the store and get one smaller than 2.5 quarts? YES I CAN. Instead I proceed to have a private minor meltdown.

"there are no efficient easy fixes on this thing! Every @#$@ job requires multiple references to mud, frequent trips to a store and my stupid credit card hasnt seen this much action EVER. Ive been shot in the chest AND Ive had cancer - for the LOVE OF GOD Ive NEVER been this stressed out! WTF am I thinking taking on a colossal amount of maintenance at this time in my life? Im a 41 year old woman. I must been overly confident AND delusional in my ability to learn! This is the dumbest thing Ive ever done. I should sell this @#$@@ thing!"

My huz sees me pacing back and forth in front of meJane. . and he KNOWS staying inside will probably save his life. . (what a great guy<3)

I shut the hood. I bring my purchase inside. I grab a drink and suddenly stop and stare at this beautiful vehicle in my driveway from my kitchen window.
I fall in love with my landcruiser again.
Damn I love my 40. Am I completely off my rocker?
 
only as much as the rest of us with this ******addiction
 
I go hit the weights or a heavy bag when I get frustrated on them. And yes cruisers are like no other cars i've ever owned with the ability to get under your skin.
 
I usually throw heavy expensive objects around the shop when i get aggravated about something trivial and stupid. Having to replace that expensive object helps me come back down to earth.
 
I went total female and bought 5 shiny OEM hubcaps..made me feel better:princess:

It was rainy all afternoon, I decided it was time for some Battlefield 3 therapy on zee xbox (nothing like stabbing someone in the throat??)

This week its replace a brake cylinder, and my rear turn signals..Maybe Im just a weird toyota masochist. I remember how I felt in Uwharrie after we got back. MY work and attention made this beast of a vehicle survive the trails, and I wouldnt trade that sense of pride for ANYTHING.:D

Thanks guys.
 
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just move the horn.....
besides we are all crazy...at times...
I"m crazy to take my only dd on the trails.....
 
can you fab a bracket and mount it inward of the horn? it dosen't have to mount right beside trhe radiator to function.
 
x2 on the longer hose.

I've got no worries with my 40 - I own an old British car to give me my troubles. Every part/repair turns into 2 vendors and 4+ hours. I recently spent over 10 hours buying/installing a "drop-in replacement" alternator when it turned out I also needed a special bracket (source/purchase and cut/bend to fit) and a bunch of rewiring. Yay me. God forbid I mention the failed temp gauge/sender unit conversion abortion of last month. So much money, so few results. A quick dump of the wallet towards the Atlantic and I'll have a practically new Auto Meter gauge removed and for sale cheap. All I wanted to know was the ACTUAL temp in degrees, not how close to H it would go when they're known for riding the H line. Still not sure of the sender thread. Ain't metric and it ain't SAE. WTF? Triumph is the excuse I use for why I drink.

I also throw $$$ things at other $$$ things. Also buy guitars, tools and fishing crap to make me feel better.

--john
 
JohnVee said:
x2 on the longer hose.

I've got no worries with my 40 - I own an old British car to give me my troubles. Every part/repair turns into 2 vendors and 4+ hours. I recently spent over 10 hours buying/installing a "drop-in replacement" alternator when it turned out I also needed a special bracket (source/purchase and cut/bend to fit) and a bunch of rewiring. Yay me. God forbid I mention the failed temp gauge/sender unit conversion abortion of last month. So much money, so few results. A quick dump of the wallet towards the Atlantic and I'll have a practically new Auto Meter gauge removed and for sale cheap. All I wanted to know was the ACTUAL temp in degrees, not how close to H it would go when they're known for riding the H line. Still not sure of the sender thread. Ain't metric and it ain't SAE. WTF? Triumph is the excuse I use for why I drink.

I also throw $$$ things at other $$$ things. Also buy guitars, tools and fishing crap to make me feel better.

--john
Click to expand...

But triumphs are soo cool. My father in law has a similar problem with parts for his 63 ford falcon. Has a different engine and interior config than every other falcon and all vendors don't seem to know that
 
JohnVee said:
x2 on the longer hose.

I've got no worries with my 40 - I own an old British car to give me my troubles. Every part/repair turns into 2 vendors and 4+ hours. I recently spent over 10 hours buying/installing a "drop-in replacement" alternator when it turned out I also needed a special bracket (source/purchase and cut/bend to fit) and a bunch of rewiring. Yay me. God forbid I mention the failed temp gauge/sender unit conversion abortion of last month. So much money, so few results. A quick dump of the wallet towards the Atlantic and I'll have a practically new Auto Meter gauge removed and for sale cheap. All I wanted to know was the ACTUAL temp in degrees, not how close to H it would go when they're known for riding the H line. Still not sure of the sender thread. Ain't metric and it ain't SAE. WTF? Triumph is the excuse I use for why I drink.

I also throw $$$ things at other $$$ things. Also buy guitars, tools and fishing crap to make me feel better.

--john
Click to expand...

Ahhhhhhhh, I feel your pain. I used to be into Austin Healy's in my youth. Similar issues, two more tires. You are talking about "British Standard" Keep the faith, they are still all too cool in the end.
 
In the end, with older iron you either have to have very deep pockets or the ability to overcome and compromise. I've come to a place in life where I EXPECT things not to fit as stated and plan ahead that I will be spending a fair amount of time trying to get components to work together.

Not every little piece you need is going to be sitting on a shelf somewhere just waiting for you to call so it can be shipped to you. Sometimes close is as good as it gets while other times you need to start from scratch to get what you want in the end. So unless you are using totally OEM parts (that sometimes do not work just right either) you will need to think outside the box.

Places like Home Depot and Lowes are good sources for raw materials for things like brackets ect. If you go with a general idea of what you wish to do in mind you can often find something totally unrelated to your project that can be made into what you need. Go with an open mind, sometimes a part for an HVAC system can become a part for your air intake, a bracket made to join two pieces of lumber together can work perfect as that standoff you need to mount a battery tray.

Embrace the Land Cruiser :)
 
At least Japanese fuses are the same as ours, as far as I know. BIG difference in the old British fuses that even most British car owners I meet don't know about. This is probably why there is a thriving replacement harness business. Good reading at the below link if you're interested.

http://snic-braaapp.org/itech02.htm#Fuses

--john
 
NCFJ said:
In the end, with older iron you either have to have very deep pockets or the ability to overcome and compromise. I've come to a place in life where I EXPECT things not to fit as stated and plan ahead that I will be spending a fair amount of time trying to get components to work together.

Not every little piece you need is going to be sitting on a shelf somewhere just waiting for you to call so it can be shipped to you. Sometimes close is as good as it gets while other times you need to start from scratch to get what you want in the end. So unless you are using totally OEM parts (that sometimes do not work just right either) you will need to think outside the box.

Places like Home Depot and Lowes are good sources for raw materials for things like brackets ect. If you go with a general idea of what you wish to do in mind you can often find something totally unrelated to your project that can be made into what you need. Go with an open mind, sometimes a part for an HVAC system can become a part for your air intake, a bracket made to join two pieces of lumber together can work perfect as that standoff you need to mount a battery tray.

Embrace the Land Cruiser :)
Click to expand...


No doubt, and thanks for the honesty..I generally find it amusing that I can shop at a home improvement store for my 40...:D And strangely enough, my huz has the mechanical knowledge and is very good at fabbing things or coming up with alternatives - I guess this landcruiser love tends to prey on my need to do everything EXACTLY LIKE THE INSTRUCTIONS TELL ME TO! I find myself wanting to take basic welding classes and mechanical classes, but a little intimidated by it...my knowledge strength is technology..I can root a phone, replace its screen - upgrade hard drives,...pretty much ANY item that has a display on it..but you put something rudimentary - like say, an FJ40 in front of me, and half the time Im standing next to it scratching my head..its kinda strange and funny at the same time (most days!)

Im not giving up...I just need to know that you guys with all your knowledge sometimes get frustrated too - cause then I know Im 'normal'...well...sort of. :flipoff2:
 
There's a lot I can do, mechanically, on a truck, but there's a lot more that I can't. Every time I work on my Cruiser, or the 4Runner, I get to a spot or 2 where I get frustrated, cuss a little, throw a tool, etc., but it's always satisfying to be able to enjoy the fruits of my labor when I crank 'er up, back out of the garage, and go for a ride.
 
Yay!


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