The Difficulty Scale (Post #580) 11/12/2018

The Difficulty Scale

This is a brief explanation of the Difficulty Scale. I am not the most mechanically inclined person on earth. I am not even in the top 20% of the population. Obvious questions come up when someone who owns a Rover makes that statement. A few of my favorites are,
“Why did you buy a Rover then?”
“You’re not the sharpest knife in the drawer are you?”
There are others I’m sure you’ve heard. This is my scale. I have some friends that my 5 is their 3, notably the Evil German Dude and Jag Guy. They can disassemble motors in the dark, asleep, and not lose any parts. So this is the scale that I use to gauge how hard a project might be. There are five levels one being the easiest, five being virtually impossible for me.

Level One

Easy.

A talented 5 year old could do the work. If you can’t do this level, get a 5 year old they would love to help.

Level Two

Technical.

You may have to read the instructions. Usually requires more than the Official Land Rover On-Board Tool Kit. You’ve heard “It ain’t rocket science.” That is a common term used for this level.

Level Three

Moderate.

You are gonna get dirty doing this level. Mistakes like taking it apart and putting it back together more than once are common. At this level after you render the vehicle undriveable you will find you may need a new or special tool you don’t own, and must reassemble the vehicle to go and purchase it because your wife has the minivan.

Level Four

Hard.

Higher math skills desired. You will have the vehicle apart for more than a few hours. Pray for good weather or decent shop where the work can be done in a semi-climate controlled environment. Three-dimensional spacial skills are used at this level. A high degree of praying to the Rover gods wouldn’t hurt either.

Level Five

Impossible.

The ability to understand particle physics is good here. Find a mechanic or an automotive Superhero that will work for beer or who owes you money. Often this level has conversation like, “No, I don’t know what happened, send a tow truck.” or “I think I have a Visa card with that amount available on it.”

May 9, 2018May 16, 2023

More Bears? (Post #578) 5/9/2018

Bears?

When did bears become a thing in the first place?

Actually I’ve known the bears were back for a few years. We were down in southeast Oklahoma around 10 years ago and all the trails had bear warnings.

These aren’t grizzly bears, they aren’t even brown bears, they are black bears. Think of them as smaller man-sized bears that, like there ferocious cousins, will kill you if you are stupid. Imagine the scene from The Revenent but the bear is smaller.

When in bear country, read that as Oklahoma and Arkansas, you should always take bear precautions. As always keep your food up high, make plenty of noise when hiking trails.

Apparently there are many misconceptions about bears. Some people think taking a selfie is a great idea. There was a recent news story about a bear enthusiast who was killed along with his girlfriend while trying to take a selfie with a grizzly bear. I call that natural selection at work. It’s just dumb.

“In the unlikely event a bear charges to attack, you should aggressively fight back against the bear, according to the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. Do not attempt to “play dead” during a black bear attack, the agency says.“

Good to know. I’m pretty sure after fighting a bear for 5 to 15 minutes I might appear to be “playing dead” but trust me I’m laying down because I’m out of shape and need a rest. I may have also run out of bullets. Maybe I will give a class on defending yourself from a bear attack by fighting like a rabid ninja turtle.

That quote from above is from KFOR who posted a news story about the increasing population of bears in Oklahoma. The heat map is a good start but be aware if you are on a river bed you can encounter bears.

Mountain Lions and Big Cats

I for one am much more afraid of our mountain lion population in Oklahoma. They have been seen all over the state, even in semi populous areas like the South Canadian River south of Norman and north of Newcastle Oklahoma. I recently saw the carcass of a small mountain lion in the median of highway 62 a mile and a half north of the river. I emailed the Oklahoma Wildlife Department and it was gone the next day. The OWD has had a stance in the recent past the denied the existence of big cats in Oklahoma. It’s hard to deny when you hear one at night.

So if the ice storms, tornados, earthquakes, prairie fires, bears, and mountain lions don’t get you, feral hogs just might.

Don’t even get me started on Bigfoot!

To wrap up,

bear selfies are a “hard no”
take bear precautions when camping east of I35 and up near Black Mesa
while less likely to be encountered, mountain lions are out there and they will mangle you too
feral pigs have a mean streak a mile wide and there is no daily limit

I feel better that I have provided this very valuable public service announcement.

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering

March 22, 2018May 16, 2023

Operational Pause (Post #577) 3/22/2018

I’m not dead.
I haven’t posted in a while mostly because I’ve been working on the new house. I haven’t planned any trips for this Spring either. This is also due to the house remodel but also the uncertainty surrounding my ignition module issues of late.

I’ve run the BWB and taken a few short trips in her. I replaced the alternator as a preventative measure. This is part of the thought that the alternator may be failing and cause an over voltage or spikes that cause damage to the ignition module.

As the remodel budget shrinks, summer will be upon us. And as you know, camping in 90-100°F heat is not terribly fun. Perhaps that is an excuse to travel to higher altitudes like New Mexico and Colorado.

Who knows?

Thanks for reading an happy Rovering.

October 24, 2017May 16, 2023

Headquarters Relocation (Post #576) 10/24/2017

I’ve been reminded by Facebook that I have not posted in a while.

Here’s the latest:
Okierover Headquarters is moving to Newcastle, Oklahoma at the end of the month. We found a house with an acre of land and managed to downsize a bit. It was my former high school English teacher’s house and a one owner built in 1973. Mrsokierover has promised I can build a shoppe so I’m pretty chuffed.

The Big White Bus is still in the shoppe. That’s fine because one I have no money right now due to moving expenses and closing costs. I also have no place to park her because the driveway is covered with PODS. AND, my tools and garage are in a terrible state with all the packing going on.

Mickey is still diagnosing the issue. At this point I still believe that the issue is heat related but that remains to be seen. I am still convinced it is ignition related. The shear number of components that could cause the issue will make for a rather complex decision tree. More on this after the move.

I want to remind you all to #Hibernot as winter approaches. If it stays wet in the middle states we might even have real winter. You remember winter it’s that season when it gets cold outside and frozen precipitation falls from the sky. Last winter may have spoiled a few of you. So prepare yourself to get outside.

Okierover bought an F150 Lariat Edition to haul the camper. It is ridiculously outfitted with features. Of course having air conditioning and a radio is quite an upgrade compared to the spartan Big White Bus as Mr. Fisher so aptly stated. We took the OkieF150 on the last overland trip to Southeastern Oklahoma. It was pretty nice to drive around with air conditioning and listening to satellite radio. A guy could get spoiled if he wasn’t careful.

That’s all for now.

As always, thank you for reading and Happy Rovering.

June 24, 2017May 16, 2023

Video Blog: Panhard Rod Bushings (Post #573) 6/24/2017

Professional driver, do not try this at home.

I discuss panhard rod bushing failure and deathwobble.

I demonstrate how knackered my panhard rod bushings were.

Removing the failed bushing requires you to use a “punch”, I used a socket which is slightly small in diameter than the bushing, to press the failed bushing out. It is similar to the process of pressing them in except when you press in new ones you used a socket that is larger in diameter than the bushing.

I demonstrate how to press in new bushings. Find the beveled side of the panhard rod and the bushings will go in easier than the side that is not beveled. I used a vise to get the bushing started. This helps with getting the bushing “square” in the hole before you apply the press to the bushing.

Getting the tool lined up correctly is 90% of the battle.

Victory is mine. The bushing is pressed in. You do this for both sides.

I had trouble with the width of the bushing sleeve and it require a bit of grinding to get it mounted. I used a bench mounted grinder. Just take off a little of the material and try to fit. If you need more, grind off a little more then refit. I went to the bench grinder four times to get both sides right before mounting with the bolts.

Thanks for watching and Happy Rovering.

July 4, 2016May 16, 2023

Celebrate Freedom and Independence (Post #561) 7/4/2016

My daughter RovErica captured this picture tonight. It’s kinda ironic, we are celebrating our independence from Great Britain today and I drive a British vehicle.

Happy Independence Day or as the British call it Happy Treason Day. Either way remember the sacrifices brave men have made to allow you to sleep under the warm blanket of freedom tonight. A lot of lives have been traded to give you that.

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.