San Diego BS Thread.

Hello gang, I have posted 3/4 of my latest Baja trip from last week, on the Trip Reports forum in the Off Roading section here: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/mission-santa-maría-2022.761251/

Here are a couple of teasers from the road to Mission Santa María:

 

OK, the entire trip photo-filled report is finished! See it here: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/mission-santa-maría-2022.761251/

Ride down the Widowmaker with me!


See the mission, built in 1768... before it vanishes forever!


How it appeared on a 1949-1950 expedition... by muleback:

and last week:

 

I got a 95.5 2.7L 4cyl and I’m trying to find a shop to get quotes for a head gasket job, what are your guy’s recommendations for a reliable shop. I know if the truck shop in Miramar already. Thank you in advance

 

Sliders from NW2 Offroad in Poway.

 

It will be once I figure it out! I may also look into a 3d scanner for being able to replicate and modify parts that already exist. Figured I would start out with a cheap one to get my feet wet and this one had good reviews but tile will tell.

Nice! Made a couple of test pieces last night that went really well! Can't wait to start making parts, I'd like to make some small pieces of armor for my dirtbikes to start.

Sweet, I downloaded Cura this morning and was messing around with it, looks like I have a lot to learn, that's for sure. I will check out Fusion360, I can use all the help I can get while trying to get familiar with this stuff...

Yeah I am starting with some PLA-plus and its pretty easy to work with but I don't have anything to compare it to so it will be interesting to try out different types of filament.
And I did some research and it got some really good reviews and was rated higher than the Ender 3, but I guess we shall see. So far it printed the test files without any trouble yet when I tried to print a file I got online for upgrading the filament spool feed arm (which tends to break), I figured I would get ahead of it and make one myself since once I break it I won't be able to print one with a broken printer, lol.
As a complete newb when I try to print that part after using the Cura program and the slicing Im unable to print it properly, seems that its laying the first layer too thin in comparison to the test pieces that lay down a much thicker base pass.
Im wondering if I need to go back into Cura and see what the code says ad compare it to the test files that I know work and see what the difference is so I can adjust it in the actual program rather than the feed settings.
Ill play around with it again tonight since I am lucky to get 4 hours of sleep anyways so I will see if I can figure out how to make that stronger arm successfully!

 

In Cura, go into printer settings, set it to your printer. Then go into the filament setup, and click "Generic PLA+".

Both of those menus have some settings for temps/layer thickness etc. Once thats done, click the drop down menu for slicing, start with the preset up there. Typically the first few layers are thinner, then it will build up to the specified preset.

Also make sure to calibrate your machine, including e-steps (extrusion). "calibration cube" is a good file for it, and itll show you if theres any loose tolerances. "Chep" and "teaching tech" on youtube are great resources!

 

Hope all you peeps are doing well! Apparently summer is here for a couple days, yesterday was 94 and today was 101 at the hottest point, holy shit I'm not acclimated to that heat and its waaay too hot for me. I think I'm slowly dying from overheating, or quickly, really depends on where I'm standing at that moment, but honestly..direct sunlight is probably close to 400 degrees or so, or at least that's what my built in thermostat is telling me. I assume it may need to be recalibrated since 400 degrees should kill me within a few minutes. And well, I'm not dead so it might be off by a few percent or so, lol!!

Thanks Mike! I can use all the help I can get...I haven't had time to mess with the printer since the first day since I have been so Fking busy with work (even though in my work thread it looks like Im not doing shit, I just don't post pics of work stuff anymore because I got lazy with posting lately, slacker!!) but I have been watching some videos and tutorials on 3D printers so I feel as I am better equipped to deal with issues now than before, but wow there is a lot to know! I'm glad I have a strong mechanical inclination so I can figure out things most of the time without help. I could only imagine for a person that isnt used to doing technical stuff this could be extremely overwhelming, but once ou start to wrap your head around it you start to get a general understanding of the system and the What, why and where pitfalls that occur.
I will go play with the Coura to get more familiarized with the features and all the other tweaks that can be made. But there are quite a few variables to play with for sure which is nice for when you really need to dial something in.

Once I get it figured out I want to start making parts for Tacomas, however I am not sure how I will go about making prototypes, does it make sense to get a 3D scanner in order to copy parts that already exist and then I can modify them from there or is there another way to go about it?

 

Short answer is no. 3D scanners will not give you an easily editable model. There are a few software packages out there that try to correct this, but in my experience they're garbage as soon as you start getting into things with compound curves. Not to mention they are usually very hardware intensive, so you're going to need a higher end computer. That said, they can be used more along the lines of creating a 3d tracing paper to create your own parametric models. Again though, depending what you're scanning, you'll still probably need a higher end pc as the model created by scanners can contain literally millions of triangles.

 

Hi gang... The Mission Santa María trip page is ready for viewing... Bring your low range 4x4, with lockers or A-TRAC!
https://vivabaja.com/msm2022/

 

So what you are saying is that my Commodore 64 computer is not up the task? lol
My wife has the good home PC that is set up for graphics and has lots of RAM and a good processor so It should be able to swing it. I started playing with some software that isnt terribly difficult that should allow me to make some stuff to try out, time for some trial and error..

 

I mean, I know someone who uses a 20+ year old computer to do his modeling, but that's because he is using software he learned when he was in the video game industry to do it and they aren't around anymore. It has a 56k modem still in it....

 

@GOTH.TACO

 

For those well versed in CA regulations, is it possible to keep non-personalized plates on a car I might be selling?

Most/all of the stuff per google is regarding personalized plates.

 

Plates stay with the vehicle in CA. If its got a front, you could snag it and say it "fell off"...

 

I've been rolling without my front plate for years. Never had an issue. "Knock on wood"..

Just in case I have it behind the passenger side seat. "It fell off" is definitely what I've planned on saying.

 

So then I guess there is no CA compliant way to retain these plates… typical California.

I’ve never really understood the “drive around with no front plate when it’s required” argument. They are issued for a reason. Most vehicles come pre drilled with holes.

 

no. Because there is nothing special about the plate it is more hassle for them to switch standard plates to a vehicle than they find worth it. Your best bet is "they fell off and/or were stolen" and need to be replaced.

As for driving around with no front plate, not all of us are sporting stock bumpers and many after market bumpers DON'T have predrilled holes. Others just don't like the untidy look of a front plate. It's irrational for sure, like wanting to keep a non-personalized plate. Everyone has their kinks.

 

I never mentioned putting the plates on another car . Which I guess hurts my argument.

And yeah I understand your point. But probably 98% of people who drive a car with no front plate are in a stock vehicle with a hole pre drilled by the dealer. But yes, for the small niche of folks on this site and similar, I 100% understand why they might run without a front plate.

 

Guilty, did that for close to a decade before switching to AZ plates where they only issue rears.

Guilty again and again, I personally dont usually like the look of front plates on most vehicles, especially if they are hanging off or look out of place on something aftermarket. Also I have like 10 plates up on the garage wall from past vehicles Ive owned. I like the look, nostalgia and story behind them (Ive owned a ton of vehicles).

 

Lack of front plate, significantly cheaper to register, no insane smog bs… wait remind me again why we live in CA?!