I've been experimenting with loadouts on my Pan America. The hard bags on it are much larger than the appear and don't have any wasted space. Be that as it is I wasn't sure if I was pleased or disappointed that $160 worth of groceries fit in them neatly.

Used a Foam Cannon and my pressure washer to do a major cleaning of @12_Gauge_Chimp 's new (to him) pickup truck.  Still have to do the interior and wipe down all the door and window gaskets with a silicone rag to prevent them from sticking but got years of grime and algae growth off of him.

Quote from: NT2C on April 15, 2024, 04:09:42 PMUsed a Foam Cannon and my pressure washer to do a major cleaning of @12_Gauge_Chimp 's new (to him) pickup truck.  Still have to do the interior and wipe down all the door and window gaskets with a silicone rag to prevent them from sticking but got years of grime and algae growth off of him.

That reminds me. I need to fix the seal around the windshield on my mom's Explorer.

Stupid seal developed a leak somewhere and now the interior gets wet whenever we get rain.

Replaced the right rear brake caliper. Found one of the bolts had fallen out and the rubber boots on the slider pins were all tor up. Figured by the time I de-rust it and buy some paint and all the little parts I'd have as much invested as just buying a rebuilt one. so I stopped by NAPA and bought one and swapped it out.

Ordered new plates for the Jeep.  Official amateur radio tags. 

Bought a set of crossbars for the roof rack on the Pilot. These are rated at 260 lbs and are a locking type.  We'll see how this set looks when I get them.

Also bought a strobe module for the Jeep from the guys and gals at Speed Turtle Engineering.  I used to do a lot of special events with the local ham radio club, usually as either Net Control or as the tail vehicle for road events like the USMC Historic Half Marathon.  That was when I had my big white comms truck with DOT highway strobes.  This module adds customizable strobe patterns to the existing vehicle lights, such as turn signals and reverse lights.  I plan to get active with the club again and this will work nicely for road events.

Ordered an OBD II splitter so I can retain my 4G connectivity and still add the new module.

Put my ham plates on the Jeep.   

Installed and programmed the Speed Turtle module.  It does a nice job and has some good patterns but I wish it were a little more configurable as to double and quad flashes with individual lights.  I can disable individual lights so they don't flash, such as the headlights, but can't control the rate or number of flashes.

Installed an auto stop/start disabler on the new Pilot.  Easy install, inexpensive module and it will help make it more reliable by reducing wear & tear on the starter and battery.

Nothing too exciting, replaced the doorknobs on the truck campers.
Now they both lock and take a key to open, as much as "Locks keep honest people honest" goes anyway.

And bought replacement spark plug wires for the Courier, 
I got a backfire on the way to the property that blew the seam (folded not welded) on the muffler and the fireball liquefied one of my ratchet straps.
So that needs to be fixed.
Maybe this will fix the backfire/driveability issue. 🙏 

Finished up installing the Speed Turtle module.  I needed to figure out a way to mount it with my 3G module and still see the end of it and have room to plug a switch cable into the side, made extra difficult by my OBDII port aiming straight down.

One of these did the trick once I cable-tied it to stay up:



The Jeep has a "leather" sleeve around the steering column so it can adjust in/out and up/down.  That made it easy to run the switch cable inside it and stick the switch to the side of the column.

The Speed Turtle module has settings tabs for three different switches, an integrated switch built into the vehicle (the "OK" switch on my steering column cluster) and one for when the vehicle is in Park.  This allows for pattern switching with switches and gives a different pattern set for when Parked. Each tab has ten preset patterns to choose from, and individual lights in each pattern can be turned on or off with checkboxes. So, for example, I could have it strobe my low beams if SW 1 is on, strobe the fog lights instead if the integrated switch is used, and only strobe the markers when parked.  Very versatile!  I have it currently setup to two different patterns depending on what switch I press, and a pattern when parked that is all the markers and turn signals, including the reverse lights.

This will give me a lot of flexibility as I get back to doing ham radio events with the local club.  I can act as a spotter on the side of the road, or as "tail-end-Charlie" for races and marathons.

It wasn't a smooth install though.  I had to have the Jeep running and it's a PITA trying to work with a 15" laptop behind the wheel so I put it on the hood.  Then I could not find the switch and cable that I KNOW I had in my hand when I went out there.  Searched the Jeep, emptied the laptop case twice, checked the floors in the house, checked my bedroom in case I left it there when I got my car keys, and cleared my entire desk and the boxes next to it.  Nada.  I went back out, shut down the Jeep, turned off the laptop and picked it up to put in its case...and there was the switch and cable underneath it.

So, I got it all connected and programmed and as I was reaching in to shut off the Jeep I closed the door on the programming cable between the module and my laptop and cut it in half. 

Speaking of falling windows, the back passenger windows on my mom's Explorer are probably going to do that since the motors are borked.

Each motor assembly is like a couple hundred bucks, so fixing them is out of the question for the moment.

In the meantime, I'll probably end up getting my brother Pete to pop a bolt underneath the window glass and have it held up that way until I can get two new motor assemblies and do a proper fix.

Quote from: 12_Gauge_Chimp on May 23, 2024, 02:47:18 PMSpeaking of falling windows, the back passenger windows on my mom's Explorer are probably going to do that since the motors are borked.

Each motor assembly is like a couple hundred bucks, so fixing them is out of the question for the moment.

In the meantime, I'll probably end up getting my brother Pete to pop a bolt underneath the window glass and have it held up that way until I can get two new motor assemblies and do a proper fix.

IIRC that's two different things so if they haven't fallen yet and the motors don't work, they should stay up. Also since that is a Ford, you can buy just the motor and its easy to put in [relatively compared to #BMWsucks] The window clips/brackets that hold them IIRC can be bought separately if your window falls and your motor works.

That happened on my 88 Monte Carlo once and I didn't need any parts, just put it back on the clip and the clip back on the scissor lift mech. Bingo, power window works.

Quote from: Anianna on May 22, 2024, 09:12:48 PM

Quote from: EBuff75 on May 22, 2024, 08:14:52 PMOh, and I rolled my eyes so hard I almost hurt myself tonight after a college friend posted about a rental car in Europe.  He was complaining because they'd upgraded his rental and the upgrade was "enormous." He posted some pictures of how it had barely fit into the garage where he's staying, with only about 1" of clearance front and back.

The "enormous" SUV?  An MG ZS crossover, which is all of 1.5" wider than my Mazda3 and 6" shorter in length than my car!  Geez, that's gotta be tiny garage! 

He said that they always try to get the smallest vehicle possible (submicro classification) when they're visiting Europe because he's so scared about driving on the roads there.  I wonder how he'd feel about my Suburban... 

Much of the infrastructure in Europe isn't designed for big cars and is not SUV-friendly.  It sounds like he may be just fine with big vehicles in the US, but not happy about having to drive one in the specific circumstance.  Parts of Italy can be especially anxiety-inducing in anything bigger than a Fiat.

Yeah now, at least in Germany, that would be a medium-sized vehicle at most.

Maybe in Italy.



EDIT: 5 cm (that's 2'', for the metrically challenged) wider than my Golf. Someone was being dramatic.

Quote from: MacWa77ace on May 23, 2024, 03:34:36 PM

Quote from: 12_Gauge_Chimp on May 23, 2024, 02:47:18 PMSpeaking of falling windows, the back passenger windows on my mom's Explorer are probably going to do that since the motors are borked.

Each motor assembly is like a couple hundred bucks, so fixing them is out of the question for the moment.

In the meantime, I'll probably end up getting my brother Pete to pop a bolt underneath the window glass and have it held up that way until I can get two new motor assemblies and do a proper fix.

IIRC that's two different things so if they haven't fallen yet and the motors don't work, they should stay up. Also since that is a Ford, you can buy just the motor and its easy to put in [relatively compared to #BMWsucks] The window clips/brackets that hold them IIRC can be bought separately if your window falls and your motor works.

That happened on my 88 Monte Carlo once and I didn't need any parts, just put it back on the clip and the clip back on the scissor lift mech. Bingo, power window works.

Yeah, both windows have fallen and the motors don't work. Motors went out first and then the windows fell.

The right side passenger window went first and that's now got a bolt holding it closed. The left side passenger window is being held up with a couple 2x4s, but those slipped and now there's nothing holding it up. So the window likely will slip down at some point.

Quote from: 12_Gauge_Chimp on May 23, 2024, 03:50:31 PM

Quote from: MacWa77ace on May 23, 2024, 03:34:36 PM

Quote from: 12_Gauge_Chimp on May 23, 2024, 02:47:18 PMSpeaking of falling windows, the back passenger windows on my mom's Explorer are probably going to do that since the motors are borked.

Each motor assembly is like a couple hundred bucks, so fixing them is out of the question for the moment.

In the meantime, I'll probably end up getting my brother Pete to pop a bolt underneath the window glass and have it held up that way until I can get two new motor assemblies and do a proper fix.

IIRC that's two different things so if they haven't fallen yet and the motors don't work, they should stay up. Also since that is a Ford, you can buy just the motor and its easy to put in [relatively compared to #BMWsucks] The window clips/brackets that hold them IIRC can be bought separately if your window falls and your motor works.

That happened on my 88 Monte Carlo once and I didn't need any parts, just put it back on the clip and the clip back on the scissor lift mech. Bingo, power window works.

Yeah, both windows have fallen and the motors don't work. Motors went out first and then the windows fell.

The right side passenger window went first and that's now got a bolt holding it closed. The left side passenger window is being held up with a couple 2x4s, but those slipped and now there's nothing holding it up. So the window likely will slip down at some point.

Gonna move this discussion...

Moved

What year Explorer, @12_Gauge_Chimp?

So, apparently, I left something on in the Jeep last night, because when I needed to go out earlier it was dead.  Still not sure what got left on but I unplugged the OBDII stuff and it's on a battery charger... which keeps thinking it's a 6vdc battery and shutting off, saying it's charged.  I'm struggling to get this "intelligent" charger to understand it's 12vdc and to kick it into high.

 if I absolutely have to I'll pull up the Dodge to the back of the Jeep and use my 30' cables to charge it.

Oh, and I discovered that the A/C in the Dodge isn't working.  One of those days.   

Quote from: NT2C on May 23, 2024, 04:38:11 PM

Quote from: 12_Gauge_Chimp on May 23, 2024, 03:50:31 PM

Quote from: MacWa77ace on May 23, 2024, 03:34:36 PM

Quote from: 12_Gauge_Chimp on May 23, 2024, 02:47:18 PMSpeaking of falling windows, the back passenger windows on my mom's Explorer are probably going to do that since the motors are borked.

Each motor assembly is like a couple hundred bucks, so fixing them is out of the question for the moment.

In the meantime, I'll probably end up getting my brother Pete to pop a bolt underneath the window glass and have it held up that way until I can get two new motor assemblies and do a proper fix.

IIRC that's two different things so if they haven't fallen yet and the motors don't work, they should stay up. Also since that is a Ford, you can buy just the motor and its easy to put in [relatively compared to #BMWsucks] The window clips/brackets that hold them IIRC can be bought separately if your window falls and your motor works.

That happened on my 88 Monte Carlo once and I didn't need any parts, just put it back on the clip and the clip back on the scissor lift mech. Bingo, power window works.

Yeah, both windows have fallen and the motors don't work. Motors went out first and then the windows fell.

The right side passenger window went first and that's now got a bolt holding it closed. The left side passenger window is being held up with a couple 2x4s, but those slipped and now there's nothing holding it up. So the window likely will slip down at some point.

Gonna move this discussion...

Moved

What year Explorer, @12_Gauge_Chimp?

It's a 2004 Explorer, NT2C.

Quote from: 12_Gauge_Chimp on May 23, 2024, 06:10:05 PM

Quote from: NT2C on May 23, 2024, 04:38:11 PM

Quote from: 12_Gauge_Chimp on May 23, 2024, 03:50:31 PM

Quote from: MacWa77ace on May 23, 2024, 03:34:36 PM

Quote from: 12_Gauge_Chimp on May 23, 2024, 02:47:18 PMSpeaking of falling windows, the back passenger windows on my mom's Explorer are probably going to do that since the motors are borked.

Each motor assembly is like a couple hundred bucks, so fixing them is out of the question for the moment.

In the meantime, I'll probably end up getting my brother Pete to pop a bolt underneath the window glass and have it held up that way until I can get two new motor assemblies and do a proper fix.

IIRC that's two different things so if they haven't fallen yet and the motors don't work, they should stay up. Also since that is a Ford, you can buy just the motor and its easy to put in [relatively compared to #BMWsucks] The window clips/brackets that hold them IIRC can be bought separately if your window falls and your motor works.

That happened on my 88 Monte Carlo once and I didn't need any parts, just put it back on the clip and the clip back on the scissor lift mech. Bingo, power window works.

Yeah, both windows have fallen and the motors don't work. Motors went out first and then the windows fell.

The right side passenger window went first and that's now got a bolt holding it closed. The left side passenger window is being held up with a couple 2x4s, but those slipped and now there's nothing holding it up. So the window likely will slip down at some point.

Gonna move this discussion...

Moved

What year Explorer, @12_Gauge_Chimp?

It's a 2004 Explorer, NT2C.

Let me see what the local scrapyard has in the way of parts.