I thought I'd put together a post that highlights all of the vendors that I have used and how I personally - honestly - feel about them. This post will be updated periodically.
Vendor: Right Channel Radios
Website: www.rightchannelradios.com
Primary Business: Everything that has anything to do with radios
Rating: 4.5
Date: 10/2009
Comments: Found this site while looking for a CB radio a while back. I didn't actually buy the radio from them at that time (found one cheaper on EBay) but bookmarked their site anyway. A while later, after having completely forgotten about the bookmark, I found this site again while searching for a SWR meter to tune my antenna (since the only meters I could find locally cost upwards of $140 and were for amateur radio, not basic cb radio). I found the right meter for my job quickly; the package shipped quickly (though I did have to confirm via email that I placed the order which is both good and annoying); the right parts came; the meter and cable worked flawlessly; their customer service rocked (the provide tutorials, both in video and text formats and sent a thank you note before shipping and after the package arrived); they weren't the cheapest but they were close.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Vibrations (part duex) 11/08
I wrote previously about both vibrations and the lack of power in these trucks. So again, I did a ton of research and came up with a plan to correct both of these problems at the same time: Contact ZUK to re-gear the rear diff and install an Aussie.
I went with the 4.88 ratio. This was a little more expensive (I couldn't just find a replacement at the junk yard... not that I really wanted to anyway), actually gives me more power than I need and would probably throw my speedometer off even more than the 31" tires did. However, since I plan to upgrade to 33" tires when these wear out, I figured I'd "do it right the first time." I ordered them from JustDifferentials.com. Good service, I just called them up and ordered them. However! I ordered Motive gears and install kit and Zuk received Precision gears with a Nitro master install kit. That was a bummer. I really wanted the Motive gears. (Next time I'll definitely make sure to clarify and have them call me if they plan to send out other gears.)
Zuk is awesome. He gets great reviews from everyone (as far as I can tell) and nothing different from me. Though, at this point, I can't vouch for his work because my frickin truck still isn't mobile. That time is fast approaching though. (I usually support local shops and dealers, but couldn't find any good reviews of any shops near me to do this work and wanted it done right.)
I pulled my rear differential with a friend. She and I had so much fun under the truck that day. We really felt like we were digging in this time. Pulling the axles was easy, removing the brake likes was messy (I have gotta find out if there is a way to plug those lines), and disconnecting the driveshaft called for some serious teamwork (we're not very strong yet so we literally had to use all 4 of our hands to loosen those 4 nuts). When all was said and done we were missing skin on our knuckles and got good and drunk.
I opted to have Zuk cryo-treat the gears (since they'll see a lot of miles and hard times in the future). I also opted for the Aussie in the rear since it gets such good reviews from the people that run them (not to mention the fact that it's cheaper than an ARB, which is just overkill for me).
I went with the 4.88 ratio. This was a little more expensive (I couldn't just find a replacement at the junk yard... not that I really wanted to anyway), actually gives me more power than I need and would probably throw my speedometer off even more than the 31" tires did. However, since I plan to upgrade to 33" tires when these wear out, I figured I'd "do it right the first time." I ordered them from JustDifferentials.com. Good service, I just called them up and ordered them. However! I ordered Motive gears and install kit and Zuk received Precision gears with a Nitro master install kit. That was a bummer. I really wanted the Motive gears. (Next time I'll definitely make sure to clarify and have them call me if they plan to send out other gears.)
Zuk is awesome. He gets great reviews from everyone (as far as I can tell) and nothing different from me. Though, at this point, I can't vouch for his work because my frickin truck still isn't mobile. That time is fast approaching though. (I usually support local shops and dealers, but couldn't find any good reviews of any shops near me to do this work and wanted it done right.)
I pulled my rear differential with a friend. She and I had so much fun under the truck that day. We really felt like we were digging in this time. Pulling the axles was easy, removing the brake likes was messy (I have gotta find out if there is a way to plug those lines), and disconnecting the driveshaft called for some serious teamwork (we're not very strong yet so we literally had to use all 4 of our hands to loosen those 4 nuts). When all was said and done we were missing skin on our knuckles and got good and drunk.
Total time to do all of the above: 4 hours with lunch and beer breaks.
I opted to have Zuk cryo-treat the gears (since they'll see a lot of miles and hard times in the future). I also opted for the Aussie in the rear since it gets such good reviews from the people that run them (not to mention the fact that it's cheaper than an ARB, which is just overkill for me).All in all, a good $1000 well spent, I think.
Camping trip #1 6/08
When my truck was mobile, I took it camping in the desert. We drove off to Nevada during the horrible fire storms that we were having last summer here in CA.
During the drive out, two things happened. The first thing was that I noticed how little power these little engines have. Driving over the Sierras I was lucky if I could get her into 4th gear. Most of the time I was in the trucker lane, going 35mph, trying not to get run over.
The second thing was that I noticed that my headlights started dimming right before I hit the very top of the pass. I coasted down the pass and pulled into a liquor store right outside of Reno. When I got back in my truck, it wouldn't start. I had no lights, no clicking and knew immediately what was wrong: my alternator had failed.
I got really really lucky on that trip though. I called up AAA and had a very awesome tow truck driver come to my rescue. We had 3 dogs in the back of the truck (not to mention the loads of camping gear for a few days in the desert) and worried about where we were going to stay with them. I figured we'd stay at a Motel 6 and find a shop near there where we could drop the truck for the morning.
Our tow truck driver suggested we stay at the Sierra Grand Resort and Casino. I was floored. No way were they going to let 3 pit bulls into a resort. But we were wrong and he was right. The staff was more than accommodating and didn't blink an eye at our dogs. Our driver also suggested we get the work done at the shop that services the AAA trucks. Generally, I'm a bit wary of this, but he was so darn nice, I couldn't say no. He said that the shop was AAA approved and that it was within walking distance of the hotel. He drove us around and showed us how to get there before driving my truck up to the hotel on the flat bed and waiting for us to unload the gear we wanted for the night.
I had a brand new alternator installed and was on the road by 1pm the following day. We stayed in a swanky suite in the hotel (instead of setting up camp in the dark), payed almost 1/2 what I would have paid here in CA to get the alternator replaced and were setting up camp all in less than 24 hours.
During the drive out, two things happened. The first thing was that I noticed how little power these little engines have. Driving over the Sierras I was lucky if I could get her into 4th gear. Most of the time I was in the trucker lane, going 35mph, trying not to get run over.
The second thing was that I noticed that my headlights started dimming right before I hit the very top of the pass. I coasted down the pass and pulled into a liquor store right outside of Reno. When I got back in my truck, it wouldn't start. I had no lights, no clicking and knew immediately what was wrong: my alternator had failed.
I got really really lucky on that trip though. I called up AAA and had a very awesome tow truck driver come to my rescue. We had 3 dogs in the back of the truck (not to mention the loads of camping gear for a few days in the desert) and worried about where we were going to stay with them. I figured we'd stay at a Motel 6 and find a shop near there where we could drop the truck for the morning.Our tow truck driver suggested we stay at the Sierra Grand Resort and Casino. I was floored. No way were they going to let 3 pit bulls into a resort. But we were wrong and he was right. The staff was more than accommodating and didn't blink an eye at our dogs. Our driver also suggested we get the work done at the shop that services the AAA trucks. Generally, I'm a bit wary of this, but he was so darn nice, I couldn't say no. He said that the shop was AAA approved and that it was within walking distance of the hotel. He drove us around and showed us how to get there before driving my truck up to the hotel on the flat bed and waiting for us to unload the gear we wanted for the night.
I had a brand new alternator installed and was on the road by 1pm the following day. We stayed in a swanky suite in the hotel (instead of setting up camp in the dark), payed almost 1/2 what I would have paid here in CA to get the alternator replaced and were setting up camp all in less than 24 hours.
Front End Rebuild (Part 1)
It didn't take me long to realize that my steering was super sloppy. And since I had embarked on a near-complete rebuild of this truck, I figured I'd replace a bunch of parts in my front end.
Again, I did a bunch of research. I found this kit that some others had used on Ebay. The box came full of Moog parts (at least that's what the packaging said). I took some advice from folks on Yotatech.com again, and got to work.
Replacing the idler arm was crazy easy. In fact, it was so easy that I opted to attempt to replace my tie road ends at the same time (inner and outer) since the boots were cracked. I got out my pickle fork and a hammer and beat them to death. After about 3 hours I managed to do nothing but worsen the condition of the boots. It didn't seem to matter which direction I hit the damn thing - it wouldn't budge.
My first conclusion was that I needed a bigger hammer. I made a trip to Home Depot and picked up a smallish sledge hammer. After another hour of banging on my steering components, I still didn't have any luck so I decided to give up and drain a few beers instead.
The next day I headed off to my friendly neighborhood Napa parts store and picked up a ball joint puller. I figured I'd probably need this to get the ball joints off after the tie rod ends, so the $15 tool was worth it. Turned out this was one of the best purchases I have made. I managed to replace all of my tie rod ends in a couple of hours with that puller.
Again, it took me a lot longer than it would probably take most people because I take all the time I need to make sure it's done properly - reading the directions over and over, drinking the right amount of beer (not too many I lost my head though).
I took her out for a test drive after that and realized that my alignment was wwwaaaayyyy off and one of my tires felt like it was dragging, not rolling. That worried me. Had I done something terribly wrong? I decided that a mechanic was probably the best bet here (since I don't have fancy protractors or anything to get the alignment correct and I was worried I'd screwed up).
I took her to the closest shop to my house and spilled my guts. I told the older guy that was helping me that I'd replaced my tie rods myself. He smiled and asked what tool I used. I told him I tried a pickle fork but after having no luck with that opted for the puller. He gave me a very approving look and had my truck back to me in less than 45 minutes. When he returned my truck he told me I'd done a good job. (How true that is, I don't know, but it did make me feel good knowing that he wasn't giving me a hard time for being a girl and attempting a job I knew little about.)
A little reflection led me to find my mistake. Apparently the steering wheel should be dead center and locked (if possible) when replacing these parts. I did measure the threads and put it back the way I found it, but swinging the tire around to get the part to fit might not have been the best idea. I might never know for sure, and this might have just happened anyway. Perhaps one of these days I'll get up the courage to ask someone. :)
Again, I did a bunch of research. I found this kit that some others had used on Ebay. The box came full of Moog parts (at least that's what the packaging said). I took some advice from folks on Yotatech.com again, and got to work.
Replacing the idler arm was crazy easy. In fact, it was so easy that I opted to attempt to replace my tie road ends at the same time (inner and outer) since the boots were cracked. I got out my pickle fork and a hammer and beat them to death. After about 3 hours I managed to do nothing but worsen the condition of the boots. It didn't seem to matter which direction I hit the damn thing - it wouldn't budge.
My first conclusion was that I needed a bigger hammer. I made a trip to Home Depot and picked up a smallish sledge hammer. After another hour of banging on my steering components, I still didn't have any luck so I decided to give up and drain a few beers instead.
The next day I headed off to my friendly neighborhood Napa parts store and picked up a ball joint puller. I figured I'd probably need this to get the ball joints off after the tie rod ends, so the $15 tool was worth it. Turned out this was one of the best purchases I have made. I managed to replace all of my tie rod ends in a couple of hours with that puller.
Again, it took me a lot longer than it would probably take most people because I take all the time I need to make sure it's done properly - reading the directions over and over, drinking the right amount of beer (not too many I lost my head though).
I took her out for a test drive after that and realized that my alignment was wwwaaaayyyy off and one of my tires felt like it was dragging, not rolling. That worried me. Had I done something terribly wrong? I decided that a mechanic was probably the best bet here (since I don't have fancy protractors or anything to get the alignment correct and I was worried I'd screwed up).
I took her to the closest shop to my house and spilled my guts. I told the older guy that was helping me that I'd replaced my tie rods myself. He smiled and asked what tool I used. I told him I tried a pickle fork but after having no luck with that opted for the puller. He gave me a very approving look and had my truck back to me in less than 45 minutes. When he returned my truck he told me I'd done a good job. (How true that is, I don't know, but it did make me feel good knowing that he wasn't giving me a hard time for being a girl and attempting a job I knew little about.)
A little reflection led me to find my mistake. Apparently the steering wheel should be dead center and locked (if possible) when replacing these parts. I did measure the threads and put it back the way I found it, but swinging the tire around to get the part to fit might not have been the best idea. I might never know for sure, and this might have just happened anyway. Perhaps one of these days I'll get up the courage to ask someone. :)
New Shocks
While my truck was sitting, I decided to replace my stock crap shocks. I wanted a soft ride since I plan on mostly using this truck to get me out to campsites, fishing holes and places to put my kayak into the water. I'm not planning to do any crazy offroading right now, and I figure I can always swap out the shocks in the future if I get there.
I went with the nicest cheap shocks I could find: ProComp ES3000 - $100 including shipping!
I replaced the front shocks first. It was pretty easy once I found out how all the bushings fit on there. It took me a couple of hours to do both sides (including jacking up the truck, taking off the tires, removing the old shocks and installing the new ones).
Replacing the rear shocks was nothing like replacing the front shocks. I think it took me about 4 hours to figure out how to get them on. In the end I used lube. Not the kind that you buy from an automotive store, but the kind you pick up at Good Vibes. LOL Serious. Worked like a charm. I gotta say, I'm really really glad that I have a leaf sprung rear suspension instead of coils. There's no way I would have gotten coils off without killing myself.
I went with the nicest cheap shocks I could find: ProComp ES3000 - $100 including shipping!
I replaced the front shocks first. It was pretty easy once I found out how all the bushings fit on there. It took me a couple of hours to do both sides (including jacking up the truck, taking off the tires, removing the old shocks and installing the new ones).
Replacing the rear shocks was nothing like replacing the front shocks. I think it took me about 4 hours to figure out how to get them on. In the end I used lube. Not the kind that you buy from an automotive store, but the kind you pick up at Good Vibes. LOL Serious. Worked like a charm. I gotta say, I'm really really glad that I have a leaf sprung rear suspension instead of coils. There's no way I would have gotten coils off without killing myself.Vibration at higher speeds...
After a couple of hundred miles I noticed that my truck was vibrating at higher speeds. This totally pissed me off. Already I'd dumped nearly $7000 into it (initial purchase, new motor + misc water pump, etc., shifter seat/bushing/boot, oil, more oil, drain plugs, insurance, registration...). I did tons of research before determining I had a driveline issue. I figured it was probably my rear driveshaft out of balance or something of that nature. But since I had zero idea how to figure this out, regardless of how much I read, I opted to take it to my shop.
Turns out the rear driveshaft was out of balance or something. They sent the driveshaft off to a shop to have it rebalanced and had it back to me in less than 2 days! After that, it ran pretty smooth for a while...
A few months later I had some new vibes at any speed over 30mph. I went back to the shop and one of the mechanics (Eric) came out to check it out for me (for free). He showed me that there was some slop in my pinion flange. I have to admit, I wondered whether or not this was the original problem but then remembered that disgusting tar-like oil that was in the rear diff before (and the hundreds of thousands of miles that had been on the truck before I bought it). So I drove it home and decided to do some more research.
My truck sat parked for a while and I gathered some other parts I wanted to replace. I haven't driven the truck since, but in the meantime I've done some other work...
Turns out the rear driveshaft was out of balance or something. They sent the driveshaft off to a shop to have it rebalanced and had it back to me in less than 2 days! After that, it ran pretty smooth for a while...
A few months later I had some new vibes at any speed over 30mph. I went back to the shop and one of the mechanics (Eric) came out to check it out for me (for free). He showed me that there was some slop in my pinion flange. I have to admit, I wondered whether or not this was the original problem but then remembered that disgusting tar-like oil that was in the rear diff before (and the hundreds of thousands of miles that had been on the truck before I bought it). So I drove it home and decided to do some more research.
My truck sat parked for a while and I gathered some other parts I wanted to replace. I haven't driven the truck since, but in the meantime I've done some other work...
Rear Differential Drain/Refill
Let's get current!
The first thing I did to my truck after replacing the shifter seat/bushing/boot was drain the nasty stuff that was in my rear differential. This had to be just as easy as doing an oil change (which is the one thing I have done on every vehicle I've ever owned). Well, it was - and it wasn't.
First of all, I couldn't get the frickin drain plug out. I know - WTF, right? I couldn't find a 24mm 6-pt socket. All I had was a 24mm 12-pt socket and that's all I could find at Sears, Kragen, Napa, etc. I sprayed the drain plug with PB Blaster for 2 days prior to attempting to get it off just in case it hadn't been removed in years (which is what I expected). It was stuck stuck stuck. I almost stripped it trying to get it off.
I finally got the plug out and noticed that the oil inside of my rear diff looked like tar. It was oozing out slowly and was black as pitch. I think tar might actually smell better than that crap. I filled it up with some MT-90 knowing that I was going to have to run her for a while and drain/fill again soon to clean out that differential. Even though that may not have been the cheapest oil to use only temporarily, I figured it might do the best job cleaning out the crud.
I replaced the drain and fill plugs with a couple of the low profile magnetic plugs I picked up from Marlin Crawler. The 10mm allen type (?) plug is awesome. It's not going to strip anytime soon and fits my tool super snug.
The first thing I did to my truck after replacing the shifter seat/bushing/boot was drain the nasty stuff that was in my rear differential. This had to be just as easy as doing an oil change (which is the one thing I have done on every vehicle I've ever owned). Well, it was - and it wasn't.
First of all, I couldn't get the frickin drain plug out. I know - WTF, right? I couldn't find a 24mm 6-pt socket. All I had was a 24mm 12-pt socket and that's all I could find at Sears, Kragen, Napa, etc. I sprayed the drain plug with PB Blaster for 2 days prior to attempting to get it off just in case it hadn't been removed in years (which is what I expected). It was stuck stuck stuck. I almost stripped it trying to get it off.
I finally got the plug out and noticed that the oil inside of my rear diff looked like tar. It was oozing out slowly and was black as pitch. I think tar might actually smell better than that crap. I filled it up with some MT-90 knowing that I was going to have to run her for a while and drain/fill again soon to clean out that differential. Even though that may not have been the cheapest oil to use only temporarily, I figured it might do the best job cleaning out the crud.
I replaced the drain and fill plugs with a couple of the low profile magnetic plugs I picked up from Marlin Crawler. The 10mm allen type (?) plug is awesome. It's not going to strip anytime soon and fits my tool super snug.
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