Author: Okierover

I'm just your average former United States Marine, married to an awesome woman, with amazing kids...and the cutest grand kids. My Profile.
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August 26th, 2003 (Post #33)

August 26, 2003
As I mentioned some time ago I picked up an exhaust from Rover Cannibal and had intended on installing it. To do this you may remember I would need a lift which I learned later a friend of mine has and was willing to be present to operate it and assist me with the exhaust. Since then I had surgery on my arm to remove a six inch plate and 12 screws that over the years had begun to give me some pain in the elbow when I used wrenches and picked up grocery sacks. But it is gone and life is good. There seems to be a rattle in one of the mufflers but I can live with it I think.

Cupholder Update
The heat of August was not conducive to me turning wood in the garage so the cup hold project is on hold. I have the cupholder in the truck and it works great. I have determined some ways to adjust the holder with small changes and am now working on the cellular phone holder. I find my cellular phone in the holder more often than a drink and believe a phone holder would be a good addition. I hope to turn some cups this Saturday before the football game (Go Sooners!).

Fuel Filter Change
I also swapped my fuel filter this last week. I was hoping to fix a starting issue that leaves me holding the key a little longer than I should to start the truck. You are supposed to remove a fuse that supposedly “depressurizes” the fuel line but had no luck learning which one you pull. I couldn’t remember from last time. So with the advice I got from Paul Davis on our Tech Board I just changed it. I would say about a cup of fuel came out when I disconnected it. As I suggested to Michael73 on the board with that much fuel coming out and getting on me make sure you change the filter when your neighbor, that chain smokes and thinks it’s cool that you “Do your own work”, is away fishing or eating at the “All you can eat catfish” place down the street. You don’t want him to cause you to burst into flames while trapped under your truck. Imagine what it will cost to have it repainted! Maybe that’s just what happens in my neighborhood, anyway change your filter, it can’t hurt unless you bang your knuckles using the wrench.

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July 8th, 2003 (Post #32)

July 8, 2003
As I stated in my last entry I had a nasty tick, tick, tick sound coming from under the hood.
Well I finally snuck out of my housework on Sunday to look at it. In between a load of laundry
and a messy bathroom I ventured out the laundry room door into the garage and out to the truck. I was not spotted in my slippery move to investigate the ticky sound. I crawled under the truck dragging my pony tail in some lovely filth and oil to find that I was 2 missing nuts on my driver’s side exhaust. So I got two more and tightened it back up and the noise is no more. I checked the passenger side of the engine and there was one missing over there. So I replaced the missing nut over there too.

If I had not been so lazy I could have gotten that fixed much sooner. I was so happy with myself
that when a friend came down to borrow a wrench just as I was finishing I went four doors down and helped him replace his waterpump on his GM Suburban. It was pretty easy after we got the fan off. This is his second waterpump in two years. My neighbor next door replaced his second water pump in two years also this last month. What is it with GM vehicles and bad water pumps?

Technical note. The Ditchfinder recommended that I get copper nuts for the exhaust instead of steel. Apparently Volkswagon uses copper to secure their exhaust and the copper nuts do not rust or corode (as much?). I asked him where I would find such things as I have never seen them in my lifetime. He is convinced they are readily available and very low cost. I think I will keep an eye out for them.

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June 26th, 2003 (Post #31)

June 26, 2003
Sorry everyone, for my absence. I have been too busy with other things to update here. I have scheduled some surgery which will make my repairs go a bit slowly as I will be down to one arm for a few months starting here in July. Also this will make my cash situation also suffer pushing some repairs and modifications to the back burners.
So with that I can update you on what I have done.

Random stuff
I took the air dam off the front of the Rover. Primarily to see what it looked like with it removed and to install quick/water resistant disconnects for the fog lamps which are attached to the air dam. That went well for the most part. I used two quick disconnects from a Chevy truck. I also removed the step sides from my truck. Also in an attempt to see what it looked like with out them. I think I like them better on the truck rather than off. Although the truck now looks “higher” off the ground and with no other way to describe it, it has a simpler look.

Exhaust
Still haven’t done the exhaust. I have a date with a lift a Rogers place but not sure if I can keep it yet. I need to get her up on the rack soon as many problems have begun that need urgent attention.

Shocks
Bought a shock removal socket hopefully making the removal an easier task. I’ll add a pic to the tools page soon. It seems my wife bought us a digital camera.

Head gasket update
My truck no longer is pushing coolant out the overflow bottle. But I now have a nice ticking sound that could be just about anything related to the head. Yes, you guessed correctly this is bad news. More investigation coming soon. Deep, deep down I’m hoping it’s just a silly exhaust leak. Although I have 129,000 miles on it.

Cupholder Goodness Update
I am working on the bracket mechanism at the moment. A search for materials is in the works and then comes the welding!! The obsessive need of mine to make it look manufactured and “clean” is holding me back a bit.

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May 12th, 2003 (Post #30)

May 12, 2003
Cupholder Goodness Project

I have turned some wood and have the first working wooden cup holder. I turned it out of Red Cedar, which is very common to Oklahoma. The wood was soft and difficult to turn due to my lack of knowledge in such areas. But it is done. I am investigating many other woods including, burled walnut, mediteranean poplar which is the wood in my Rover and of course more cedar. Something about the cedar appeals to me but it may not work out in the long run.

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April 8th, 2003 (Post #29)

April 8, 2003
Under Hood Light Project
I have completed the under the hood light project. I told you about this in a previous post. To refresh your memory I purchased a light that is normal equipment on a 1995 Chevy 2500 pickup truck. This is a handy lamp that has a long extension cord that you can take as far away as the rear tires. After you are finished with the illumination you simply reel it back in. I thought this was spiffy so I bought one for about $10 from a local pickup grave yard.

The one where I add the light under the hood.

Posted on

April 17th, 2003 (Post #28)

April 17, 2003
Need a Lift?
“Your gonna need a lift.” Kurt said, when I picked up my new exhaust at Rover Cannibal. As you probably remember my current exhaust has a bad case of rust and corrosion. Maybe just rust as there is not enough of it left to notice any corrosion. I was inspired by Mr. Fat Jack in the 1984 movie Splash in which he states to Tom Hanks while waving a hammer, “I can fix it, I’m mechanical.”

Well I got it home and after a thorough investigation at a minimum I am going to have to jack up the body a bit. Maybe more like lift the body up. Okay so I call my buddy JagGuy and he says why don’t you take it over to Roger’s. I’m thinking great, I can litter Roger’s driveway with my burden and maybe if I buy enough beer he’ll do the work too.
So I say, “Why should I take it to Roger’s?”
“He has a lift.”
“Really, you don’t say?”
He is my hero truly. He doesn’t know it yet, but he is. I haven’t asked him yet but I am assured by JagGuy he will say no problem.

Head gasket update
I still haven’t acquired the funds to purchase the gasket kit and the price of having my heads at the shop yet. JagGuy assures me that I can get another 100,000 out of the motor if I do the heads when I get them off truck. I’m all about maximizing my vehicle value so I will have the
heads re-done when they are off the truck. It makes a weekend project into a multi-weekend project.

But what am I if I am not made out of money? I have time, for I am young. Now what am I gonna drive that week? Maybe JagGuy has a spare Jaguar for me, or maybe even his Rover. Yet another thing to ask of him while he is assisting me with my heads. I have already determined this job will be a 4.5 difficulty on the Difficulty Scale.

Cupholder Goodness Update
I have unboxed my new wood lathe. I have gotten out all the tools and actually turned a piece of wood. It is harder than it looks. I have gotten some tips from Ford Stepsides and the next attempt will be better. I have a friend that felled some red cedars at his ranch and I can have as much of it as I want. I think I will try turning some bowls with that this weekend maybe.

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