New England B.S. Thread

Nice!

What do they do test drive your truck when you get an inspection?

 

He just asked if he could drive it around the lot. Haha. I didn't care. I'd have left with thga nice Plymouth in their shop as collateral if anything broke haha

 

It's just funny because it's nothing all that special. It's a small lift and more traction / mobile pull out couch for fishing adventures

 

I am pretty tired of working on other people's vehicles. My mom had a noise in the front when braking. I found it was because slide pins were bound up causing the pad to wear unevenly so it was down to the metal on one side.

I get new pads, get them home and find out they're wrong. Look closer at the part numbers and find out Subaru changed their brakes halfway through a model year so the ones I got were for later VINs. Annoying, but no big deal. I go back and swap for the right ones.

Get back and manage to free the slide pins on the passenger side--clean them up, lube them, get it all back together pretty quickly. I move on to the driver's side to find the same issue, but one pin puts up a fight. Eventually I get it to start turning after a lot of effort...and it snaps off. No one has the bracket in stock, so I need to get an entire caliper with the bracket. I remember the brake system change issue I had with the pads so I bring the old caliper to advance to make sure they match. Guy gets me a new drivers side and it looks right so I am on my way.

Get back and find it's actually a passenger side. They're closed now, so my option is to save it for another day and drive two hours to bring my mom home and myself back, or to make it work somehow. I choose to try to make it work, worst case scenario I am out $80 for a caliper.

The only difference I saw was the metal blocking the brake line from installing in the other direction. I grind that away and am pretty proud of myself. It looks like a mirror image of the other side at this point and I get it bolted on and go to bleed the brakes. Oddly, I get no air at all out of that side and when I start it the brake light stays on and the pedal is mush because there is obviously lots of air somewhere.

I realize the flaw in my thinking was the bleeder is now on the bottom and I will never be able to get the air out--they were sided for a reason after all. I called a friend who is a Subaru tech and he says yes, that's the only obstacle and what I could do is put a block of wood in the caliper and hold it so the valve is at the top in order to bleed it, then reassemble. So, that's my goal for today. If I can't get it, I guess I buy a new caliper and maybe use this on the passenger side for two new ones rather than waste it.

Ordinarily, I wouldn't leave the wrong part on it but realistically this car only has one more winter anyway--2001 Outback with a quarter million on the clock that is starting to develop rust issues.

 

Anyone live around Shapleigh Maine?

 

Wrenching. Fun stuff. At least it wasn't raining

I think there's a couple of folks down around Sketchford way, but their usernames are eluding me at the moment.
If you ask around in here, you may have better luck.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/maine.58297/page-134

 

@Noelie84 got the tires filled yesterday, guy said let it sit overnight so foam goes down (beet juice is like beer I guess??). Took it out this afternoon and WOW, what a difference in traction and ability to push some dirt. It was like a whole new tractor and let me climb up some steep muddy stuff to get across our river. Flats might make a little mess, but 10/10 very happy for money spent.


Also, what were those tires that will let me drive my trailer fast again? Leaving for Vacationland next weekend and want to go over 50
Once I order those I will need to measure my lugnuts and order a little bigger wheel I am thinking.

TIA

 

Yeah, loaded rubbers makes a huge difference, especially with the larger tires like that. Flats with beet juice are way better than flats with that liquid calcium shit, too. If you get a pinhole that starts spraying fluid while you're driving you don't have to worry about it getting in your eyes, or rusting the metal parts it comes in contact with.

Anything radial these days will let you get more speed, really. Bias ply stuff is still limited to 55 or so, but most of your radials run cool enough now that you can do 65-70 on the highway without it being dangerous.

 

As far as the radials, this is a tiny little boat trailer, it's got maybe 12inch wheels right now, not sure how much will fit with fenders (can always bend them if needed) but do you have an idea where I should look size wise? Or particular brands that are good reliable? Never really shopped trailer tires.

 

This sounds like the infamous 'how big of a tire can I clear without a lift' question

 

Hopefully they're not little 5.30X12's; you'd be hard pressed to fit even the smallest 13" trailer tire under those fenders, if that's the case. And to get into a radial you'd have to go with at least a 13" these days. I think the smallest I've seen would be a 175/80R13, but for something light like that you could pretty easily get away with running a passenger-rated 155/80R13 instead. I suppose you could always fab up an extension bar, though.

Do you have a photo of the current setup?

 

This is the best I can do, boat is still at old place, gonna run and get it tomorrow I think. It looks like plenty of room for bigger tire and wheel, just need to find right spacing on lugs?

 

@Noelie84

Think I am going with
https://www.etrailer.com/Tires-and-Wheels/Taskmaster/TTWTRTM1758013C.html

https://www.etrailer.com/p-AM20202.html

Both are in stock, and seem like should do the trick!

 

New troopers are on. Hopefully my new bedsides arrive Saturday.

 

Finished the wife's brakes today. Passenger side went soooooooo much smoother than driver. Had a coworker help me pry the rotor off right from the start...that plus drowning everything in liquid wrench turned what was 4.5 hours for the DS to just under 2 hours going wicked slow with everything on the PS. Obviously picked up some anti seize to slather on the inner face of the rotor that seats to the hub so hopefully next time its easier in at least 3/4 corners haha

 

Usually rotors have threaded holes that you can use a bolt to pop them off.

 

yeah GM doesn't think that's a good idea apparently...at least not on the GMC Terrain/Chevy Traverse.

 

Ford doesn’t either.

 

I've only seen it on Toyotas, and it saved me headaches every time.

 

Well I'm calling it a night on this overly fun project. Yes I know I need an aux fuse block.