Wisconsin Tacomas and bad financial advice

my buddy loves it around town, til he gets too lazy to put them back on and you are driving for a while at 55+ and deaf afterwards.

 

Interesting. I did a deep dive on Brennan’s IG and it looks like he was out around the same time too…I’d never seen them anywhere else but I’m admittedly far more likely to overlap with the guy making parts for Buick 225’s in flat fenders than the overland crowd. I have a couple of his tool bags that kickass too. All a one man show in a garage

 

@Thatbassguy you're interested in a jeep, you say?



Edit: this is my own lust coming through. Would love to have a fj40 crawler some day.

 

Beauty of the Wrangler is in taking both the top and doors off. We bought a '95 YJ when we first got married. Loved driving around in the summer like that. Downside is the wind and noise at interstate speeds. As I have gotten older that part appeals to me less and less, as well as the high speed handling of a short wheelbase straight axel vehicle.

The wife would be totally ok with getting another Jeep. Problem is a 2 door just isn't practical enough for our needs.

 

An old 40 series would be fine, as well.

It would be tough to want to wheel a classic, though.

Yes, seems like it would be a lot of fun in perfect weather and at moderate speeds. But, probably not as fun for traveling.

The 4 doors are still pretty cool, but I really like the idea of a little maneuverable 2 door.

 

That’s why you need 2. One to keep nice. One to beat

 

Of course! That's double the spending/double the fun!

 

Those have been out for a while though.

40 series suck to wheel. Unless you swap out for efi.

As far as the Jeep goes, if you're gonna wheel it.... Get a tow rig. It's a Joop. It's gonna break.

 

New toy to replace the worn out M12 portaband. I should never bring my wallet into Viking.

 

Most places take Apple Pay these days

 

That's so convenient!



For going broke.

 

How are you using that tool that it is worn out? Just curious.

 

It still works. It's cracked from being "dropped" a few times, but it's been getting the job done. This purchase was a want more than a need.

 

Damn dude that sucks...definitely agree everyone be safe out there.

My dad was (and is) one of the best mechanics I know and did it professionally for 20 years. Had a car fall on him when I was like 10 years old, luckily he escaped without any problems. He was even using jack stands and I think one mechanically failed, but because they both didn't fail he escaped. Definitely important to use them if you value your life, and also make sure yours are in good order & fully locked in position so you don't have a very bad and possibly final day. Jack stands allowed me to enjoy an additional 30+ years with my dad. DO NOT just use a floor jack and crawl under.

 

I stress the need with my students... and still see posts where they are NOT using them. Sorry to hear this.

 

Horrible. As much as I like looking around underneath my 4runner, it’s good to get reminded not to get too comfy, and that redundancy in jackstands is a good thing.

I had been using metal ramps for stuff that didnt need tires off. I got to a point where I trusted them pretty well, since they havent failed in the 20 some years Ive been using them (the same set). Then it dawned on me how stupid it was to trust aging stamped steel ramps just because they hadnt killed me, yet.

That’s when I decided to build myself a heavy ass set of ramps from 2x14 lumber I had sitting around. Strategically screwed together to hopefully avoid splitting that would cause them to come apart under weight.

Even then, it does no good to trust anything holding up a car more than you have to.

 

100% agree with your last point of trusting none of the methods longer than you have to, but for what it's worth your stamped steel ramps are probably just as safe as anything else out there (assuming they aren't rusted out and visually look OK, not damaged, etc). I'm using a set of Blitz brand plastic ramps that I bought as a teenager some 20 years ago. I have a second set now too, and I doubt I'll ever need more in my lifetime. They don't go bad unless abused.

Ramps are universally safer than jack stands if you can use them for your job. Material defects in ramps probably cause failures at a negligible rate, and there is about zero risk of falling off ramps from sideways swaying. Jack stands have higher rates of failure from materials/constructions and operator error or interaction. Not using ramps or jack stands and relying on a floor jack for safety further decreases that safety margin nearly to zero. Best option is to always spend time and be as safe as you can. Don't rush safety.

 

I have a rusty set of ramps also that my dad gave me. I should probably retire them but I still like them more then using jack stands where possible. Because the tires are left on and if they were to fail there would be plenty of room under the truck where getting severely squished isn't a issue. Heck half the time I don't even jack up the truck to do maintenance work underneath. Now the Wife's CRV on the other hand....