Back to 4x4

Well a few things....

1) I should have driven and rechecked the ole tape measure alignment I did today before leaving my folks, it needs professional help (thanks TTB steering šŸ˜“).

2) To all of the idiots out there who say they drive these things at 65 down the highway with no sway bars I have this to say.... STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM MY NECK OF THE WOODS.... I firmly believe that any single member of the Biden family has more brain power and common sense then you do

3) Should have went ahead and changed the front brakes instead of doing the wrong thing and leaving then there because they "looked good"

4) Need to retorque the new ubolts, and check the rest of the suspension nuts and bolts. For some blame reason I never did (fu*king idiot, you know better)

5) Definitely need to invest in the exhaust system sound deadening device. The straight pipe is just a little toooo.......straight piped

But anywho, it managed to make it to town, the gas station, domino's, and back to my abode. It was a little sketch at times, like I said definitely needs a pro alignment with the sensors and the readings, and also needs the sway barses on the front. I ain't saying the one in the back was working hard, but it needs a 3 day vacation after those 16 miles.
 
20230418_075532.jpg


That's the old inspection sticker on the windshield. Seeing as how it would have been inspected last in 2001, and the sticker less thing didn't start until 2006/7, I'll assume sometime in 2002 is the last time this was on the road, and when we got it, the motor was already apart for blown head gaskets, so we've had it less than 20 years. I guess my mind is starting to go šŸ¤Ŗ.


Anywho, small update:

1) Found some loose stuff, tightened it up, drives less sketch now.

2)After some time driving, the brakes have worked themselves in a little bit, and it stops less sketch.

3) I'm getting way better fuel mileage than I expected with 4.10 gears.

4) I really need to get the speedometer fixed so the odometer will work again. Stupid phone app doesn't save itself if you turn it off or have to reset the phone, that's annoying when the fuel guage doesn't work....yet.

5) Really need to fix the fuel guage

6) Need to nut and bolt this thing one more time before I put anyone else in it

7) I'm gonna talk to someone I know that has built a couple drag car chassis about making me a small cage for the back that I can attach harnesses or belts to for the kids. If that's not really feasible, I'm gonna buy a Tahoe or suburban seat and narrow it.
 
I also eyeballed the alignment, and I screwed up. Did it on concrete without anything to let the tire move, so I put too much in it. Redid it on the dirt after tightening things up, got it looking a lot better. That definitely helped with the sketch thing. I drive at or under the speed limit in this thing, but u can still tell the front sway bar isn't there, really need to get that taken care of before kiddos get in this thing.
 
Coming up on 6 months of driving this thing, turns out I was kinda wrong in the beginning. The major sketch wasn't from lack of sway bar, it was from stuff being loose. Still had some "light" feeling in the front end, so I mounted my shorty bumper that I had on my old explorer, and stuck the winch on the front. The weight of the winch helps out a ton with the front end, and it's just a patch until I get a sway bar, but it drives well enough that I feel safe with my kids in it. Oldest one sits up front with the shoulder belt, youngest still fits in a harness booster, so the 3 of us can ride just fine. Haven't had the time or money to set it up for all 4 of us to ride, so the wife gets left out, unless it's just us.

Speaking of the wife, I did take her on a short ride, she said it was too loud, so I finally bought a muffler. Yeah I know, I said my straight pipe was only temporary, but temporary turned into 5 months, and here we are. Went with a dynomax super turbo muffler, and I have no idea what it sounds like while driving, but it's quiet enough at idle and cranking that I can come back from work in the morning and not disturb anyone. I would like a 2.5 inch tailpipe since the muffler is 2.5 in/out, but factory 2 inch works for now.

The exhaust is so quiet now while driving, that I will have to fix the speedometer. I used my app and learned the exhaust sound to gear for my speed. Well now I can't hear it, and I'm going too fast, and the phone doesn't stay on the cluster during turns.

Other than that I will need to try changing some sensors maybe, getting a heavy fuel smell through the exhaust. No check engine light, so I'm gonna go off my OBD1 knowledge, and make some educated guesses. Might pull the plugs first to see if I maybe have an overactive injector.

Will update when I've done something more. No pictures as nothing has really changed.
 
Back
Top