Chipskip's Taco & Treehouse (We got HAM and Bikes too)!

Oh, and a ham radio will be in soon. Seeing my wife has her ticket too.

I think a fridge will go in when I have funds, but lord only knows when that will happen...

 

I know... I know... I need to update this.

 

Visiting Amy’s dad in Kingman. First day out we went to the Hualapui Mtns for a picnic. He dad suggested the 35 mile Flag Mine trail to Yucca (FR 7101) from Wildcow camp grounds, said it would take 3.5 hours. Yeah... 5.5 hours later we made it off the trail. Sequoia really impressed me, it AWD it handle a lot. Lots of AZ pin stripping and a missing running board cover, but it made it. Also had a weird noise when the center did was locked. Will investigate when I get back to my garage and tools.

Great trail with beautiful views.

 

Main post updated.

 

New tires for the TreeHouse.
Cooper Discoverer A/T3
265/70/16

 

Also, a major day for my GS, I got the title in the mail yesterday. Only took 5 months of dealing with CA MVD. It is now registered, titled, and insured in The Great State of Arizona. Along with a new battery, it is ready to be on the road.

 

More mod money has flown the coup! Just ordered oil and filters for 3 of the bikes... $15 a quart sucks! Also ordered a new chain and sprockets for the GS, it needs them. Oh, of course I need a chain tool.

Decided to go down one tooth on the c/s sprocket. Apparently is is a much better gear ration for in town, more torque in the lower gears and makes sixth gear a little more usable (instead of just flat or downhill).

I need October to come quickly so I can start making regular money again.

 

Retooled the garage for bike maintenance week. First up, the Bonneville... now have to wait on the wifey to get it done so I can switch to the other bikes. Although I am still waiting on parts for the other two.




Also, I reloacated the oil to my work bench.



I have even cleaned the pool, and took a quick swim.

Now it’s some house stuff before heading out to a BBQ this afternoon.

 

The Bonneville is done. Amy and I did the oil, brake fluid, and chain clean/lube. It’s her bike, so she has to do the work, I am there to help and teach. I need to swing by the dealership and get brake pads front and rear.

The new chain and sprockets arrived for the GS. Going from a 16t front to a 15t, hopefully a little better off-roading or in rush hour traffic. Still waiting on oil and filter for it, should be here Tuesday.

 

Ordered Timbren SES for the Sequoia today. Towed a heavy u-Hual trailer with two u-boxes on it this weekend, while the sequoia handled ok, the rear squat was BAD. Also, ordered some slip on towing mirrors, as I plan to tow more in the future. Better to be prepared and safe.

 

I just found sliders for the Sequoia, I think she will kill me if I order them.... but soon.

 

Hows settling into the new home?

 

We don't close on it until the 14th of September. Our current house goes on the market today, so we have been busy decluttering and cleaning. Hopefully it goes quickly and we don't have to worry about it.

New house has large, flat driveway and lots of parking around, so we can do a North Phx mod day.

 

Ok, few updates..

Timbrens installed

Unloaded they don’t touch, haven’t noticed any difference. Haven’t had them loaded yet. I don’t see these a replacement for airbags if you are towing on a regular bases. When we get a camper/trailer I will add airbags. For now, for what I need, for the price, they will do just fine.



[reserved for pic of them installed]

 

Went up to Flagstaff for a HAM event this weekend and was also able to fix the latching system for my rear bumper swing outs. The wing-bolt that relentless uses did work for me, they kept fallowing off. I have gone it to greater detail in a previous post. I bought a new latch several months ago and have been trying to coordinate with different folks to get it welded on (Can't complain about other people's schedule when you are asking for free help), but nothing seemed to pan out. So, when I signed up to help for this event in Flagstaff, and I was staying the night at a friends house that had a welder.... I brought my parts just in case. Sure enough, Wally was able to help me out. Man does it look good.



The shoe string tether will be upgraded to a steel cable very soon. This latch holds everything perfectly. I even tested it on a few rough fire roads yesterday.

 

New tailgate latch works great, it stays when I want it to, and my wife can open it when she wants to.

Started moving into the new house., first order of business was to epoxy the garage. Took all day with an angle grinder, but two of us grinder down that whole floor, cleaned it, and let it dry. Yesterday Dirk laid down the epoxy and flakes. Tomorrow I am going to put a clear coat on it, just give it that extra wow factor, plus extend the life of the epoxy. Here is a comparison pic...




I really wish I had gotten a pic of the before, but the paint on it was pealing. Either way, it is way better now.

 

Garage floor is looking good

 

No pictures... sorry... but a lot has been done to the Sequoia in the last few weeks.

1- Stereo:
Have been have the speakers cut out and a high pitch screech recently. Seeing the CD and tape player weren't working on the head unit, decided to replace it. Went with a nice Kenwood that had CarPlay. Love the CarPlay already.... Waze, podcasts, audiobooks, messages, Siri, etc, etc all by plugging in the phone, no BT pairing required. Also, added a backup camera.

Also has a DVD player, so once I get that wired up (parking switch bypassed) I can play a DVD with it and have it also be on the back screen and audio throughout the whole car.

The issue with the speakers and screech is still there, so time to hunt for a used JBL factory amplifier. I don't really want to rewire everything up, so I hope this fixes it. We will see.

2- General maintenance:
Took it in and had all the fluids flushed and replaced (diffs, transmission, brake, power steering, oil). Also had all the shocks replaced, just basic shocks. Discovered the CV boots are torn and the rack & pinion is weeping. So I will deal with those soon.

3- Rear Hatch:
Damn hatch froze up again. Guess this is a common problem with 1st Gen Sequoias. I replaced the whole thing, latch, cable, and handle. This also gave me a chance to replace some bulbs in the hatch and rewire the entertainment stuff. Move the 12v plug, mount the inverter, etc.

I will get some pics when I get a chance.


Also today, the BMW GS gets new tires ordered and a few misc parts get ordered for the Bonneville.

 

Update on the stereo for the Sequoia. I love the CarPlay feature. If you have a smart phone, your next stereo should have apple or androids car feature, so worth the money.

Replaced the amp and that seems to fix all the screeching issues. Was only ~$30 on eBay for a used one. Replaced one of the 12v plugs on the passenger side with a usb plug for the direct connect to the stereo. With different colored lightening cable, it is easy to know which one it is.

Today is working on the old 4Runner. The motor for the sunroof froze up with it open about 2 inches. One of the commentator brushes broke off. I wish I had somewhere to just go buy those, but a fellow TWer has one they aren't using anymore, some I am going to grab it and get this fixed for the friend that bought it. Remind me to never sell a vehicle to a friend again. It is also lagging on hard accretion, so need to get a fuel filter and plugs, see if that fixes it.

Getting older sucks, I have a few medical things going on, with my 40th birthday this week, I guess I can expect more of that.