Casper's Broken Down old Grumpy Assed Build

Not worth the risk unless your willing to walk it first, it's winter and the water would be cold. I'd turn around too, that's a road for another day

 

Kinda my thinking and the old addage "if in doubt back out" played out. I just figured better safe than sorry

 

Yep. It plays out different if 1)you're better prepared, 2)with friends, 3)it hasn't been raining as much, etc. Going back is almost always an option. That's why trucks have reverse. ...

 

Cleaning in the garage. Pics are a blast from the past. '85 CJ7 4cyl, 4spd, dana axels w/ 4:10 gears. It was a fun vehicle

Mickey Thompson 35/14.5/15's



36.5/15.5/15 mudders we were up n blakey ridge road like 1990




My buddies Toyota in the one pic is part of what caused me to want a Toyota truck. I believe it's an '87 with straight axels on 33/14.5/15 Mickeys

 

Losing a few 'Internet Cool Points' is a WAY better trade off than losing your truck and being stranded.

 

Perhaps I am getting just a little wiser as I get older. Who knew

 

It's just too many people these days don't stop and think first. I won't ford any water above the rocker panels. I don't trust my door seals that much.

 

When I bought the Hooke Rd roof rack it came with 4 cheapie pods and it was driving me nuts having them sitting in the garage. I ordered a couple of wiring harnesses and went to work. I wanted a seperate switch for left and right sides so ran everything twice. These lights are ok for now but will most likely try and find some smaller ones. Were they needed? Yep cause I wanted to do it just a fun little project.

I had to make an addition to the relay shelf and ended up double stacking them. Still retained an orderly arrangement but there'll be no more electrical additions unless I expand with a better arrangement.



All my switch blanks are taken up under the AC controls and I have 1 reserved spot left of the steering wheel. I had to get a little creative with the switches but being a MT the center console is a bit different so I made it work. Convenient, clean, functional works for me.


Lights mounted fine on the sides of the rack. They don't protrude past the outside of the truck and kinda blend in with the rack. I think some other companies make some small flush mount lights I'll look later no biggie.






Now just hope none of the neighbors report a UFO sighting

 

Looks great, I like the placement of those switches! Makes use of that waste of space otherwise.

 

Thanks that was kinda my thinking. No switch blanks available sometimes ya just have to get creative.

 

So with the workers comp stuff out of the way and the Doc having cleared me to shoot I took the hunting bow to the shop yesterday and turned the weight down as far as was safe. I'll have to build some strength back up understanding I will never be what I was. I decided on the hunting bow as the physical weight of the bow is heavier, to strengthen bow arm, yet it can be turned down to a manageable draw weight. So not bad but not great shooting but it felt good.

20 yards



I'll gradually increase the weight and be ready by hunting season although I think i could wack one now if need be

 

I got excited and went out and shot again

last group at 20


So I tried 30 this is going to be a journey

 

Nice shooting!

 

Thanks Jeff it was a decent start actually better than i thought it would be

 

Hammer Hangers:

I finally got decent weather and time to install the @ARCHIVE Garage Hammer Hangers Christie got me for my birthday. Eric at Archive was great to deal with through the whole process, explained all the bennifits to me completely, and reviewed my rear suspension set up and made his recomendations. I got the Hammer Hangers and new polly bushings for the shackles.

He set me up with the full kit and I ordered the drill bits to go along with it:


I put it up on jack stands yesterday and it took me about 1 1/2 hours to get the old spring hangers off and grind the rivets flush with the frame. Then it only took another hour or so to get all the rivets drilled out, man the bits he sent are good bits. I ground the minimal rust from the frame and got it all painted and ready for the install everything went pretty smoothly.



Then the pain in the ass began getting the OEM bushings out of the shackles. Thanks to @TacoFMS for letting me come down to his house and he pressed the rubber part of the bushing out that was a huge help. I ended up putting the shackles in a vice and cutting the metal sleeves through on both sides with a hack saw to split them then used a brass punch to bend them and extract them. I started with a air hammer but it started to get into the shackle so quit that approach and settled with the brass punch. Then I cleaned up the shackles and painted them and installed the new bushings.




After the shackles everything went pretty smooth installing the Hammer hangers. My only issue was getting the socket and torque wrench into some of the places but it finally worked. I got it back on the ground and took a short test drive. I did not order the cross tube from Archive Garage I will fab that up myself another fun little project.






It didn't raise the rear much more, as Eric said it wouldn't, thank goodness as I am already stink buggin a bit

 

Well I started last weekend on the garage and got the side toward the house all cleaned up and reorganized with the replacement of storage cabinets adding some more room and repurposing an old one for gardening supplies.
Now with my hours cut to 2 days a week I find myself with time to get some more work around here done so I tackled the other side of the garage. You know the saying " shoving 10 lbs of shit into a 5lb bag well that was apparently what I had done. I emptied the whole side out and added some great shelvng to hold the totes and other things and reorganized. When I'm off again on Friday after a dump run and putting some stuff in the shed, raining now, it'll be finished.

What a pile of stuff :



With the reorg I gained an additional work bench, emptied the old shelving and made that into a steel rack for materials so they aren't on the floor or leaning against the wall, and was able to relocate one of the tool boxes and make space for the pedestal grinder. It'll be done soon I really need to figure out a place to store the 4wlr it's the only thing that makes it still cumbursome working around in there. I just can't bring myself to store it outside.






Now looking through the pics I guess I will have to go through the blue shelves and get rid of some of that stuff. Paint isn't so easy to get rid of especially automotive paint.

 

Looks good!

 

Oh I enjoy being out there so much more when i have it clean and organized. I still have a way to go but it's getting there

 

Goofing off after work today keeping my social distance







The drive back to the suites behind where i work was just too prety too resist