What did you do today for your bug out vehicle?

[NT2C]

Drove it many hundreds of miles at speeds that may or may not have been "excessive".  (We're not counting the drag race on some Missouri back road with a group of teens in an off-road rig.  Yes, I won, and gave them a 30-second head start. I may have shifted to plaid.)

Also put many gallons of gasoline through its system.

[EBuff75]

Stopped in at Discount Tire today and ordered some General Grabber A/Tx tires for the new Suburban (they have to be shipped in from California, so I won't be able to have them installed for another week or so).  Total cost: $1332  Last time when I got these same tires (3.5 years ago for the red Suburban) it was just over $700 after a $100 discount from the manufacturer.  I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around that change in cost! 

I tried to get those last month and they couldn't even order them in a reasonable amount of time. Great tire, very sticky on the pavement.

Mine took an extra few days to arrive because they couldn't get all four of them from the same warehouse and had to split up the order.  I had them on my old truck and really loved them!  Quiet, smooth, good traction in both dry and wet, and great traction in snow/ice!  On top of that, they're actually made here in the US!

[NT2C]

We've had them on our pickup for about 15 years now. Got 72k out of the first set and I expect the same from this second set. Never once got stuck with them. Not on muddy job sites nor in northern states heavy snowfalls.

[NT2C]

I'm in a grumpy mood today.  Valkyrie Off-Road took my money and sent me a receipt with my brackets marked as being back-ordered, and I can't get them to answer their phone or multiple emails regarding expected shipping times.  I've tried phoning several times and it just rings a few times before going to voicemail.

I've contacted my bank and opened a dispute over the charge but this leaves me with a nice set of pod lights and no way to mount them other than those crap amounts that clamp to the edge of the hood and rust almost immediately.  I do have a pair of those coming tomorrow but I'm loathe to use them on my thin aluminum hood.  The only other place I've found that makes brackets which attach to the hood hinge studs is in Australia, charges 3x for an aluminum pair what Valkyrie wanted for stainless steel, and they don't ship to the USA.  This sucks.

Y'all want to guess what showed up on my doorstep in Virginia today? 

Looks like I may have to stop by their shop on my way through SLC in a week or so.  My bank paid me back the full amount weeks ago and these guys deserve fair payment for the product.

[MacWa77ace]

Apparently BMW power windows are notorious for 'just falling down and not going back up'. I didn't know about this issue with them until it happened to my wife's yesterday. One more reason not to own a BMW though, and to rag on her about her 'oh, so free car', so that makes me happy.

So now I'm going to learn how to fix that. And apparently its a 20 step process just to take the door panel off. But I'm going by what my wife described watching on YT. 

I've fixed a fallen power window before on my 88 Monte Carlo SS, which fell off the track, pretty simple to put back on, no parts needed. But on BMW this is usually caused by a bad regulator that breaks for no other reason than being a BMW part, and has to be replaced every few hundred uses = ~$59 part plus 20 hrs of labor. 

[Rednex]

Mac you had an 88 Monte Carlo SS , I had an white 87 Monte Carlo SS Areoback.

All I did today for the truck was drive it to work, so i have money to buy it more stuff.

[NT2C]

Washed the Jeep and trailer.  Okay, that just means they are outside my hotel in a thunderstorm.  Water is water though.

Oh, and cycled many gallons of gasoline through the engine.  MANY gallons.  MPG with the trailer is about 1/2 without, running 90% on cruise control at posted limits.

[slipkid42]

Changed the oil and air filter on my Jeep. 

[MacWa77ace]

Mac you had an 88 Monte Carlo SS , I had an white 87 Monte Carlo SS Areoback.

Still Have! I've had it since 91. It was always THE car I wanted, when everyone else wanted Firebirds, Camaros, TransAms, and then when I raced one [55 mph start] with my '88 FZR1000 one night, [I didn't downshift or I would have killed it of course], it kept up with me just turning full throttle in 5th gear, no downshift.

So I said that's it, and bought one. It's stock except for the wheels and rims, exhaust, and transmission. 

This is it's package, different rims and tires. [internet pic]


And this WAS my bike but it was stolen in 94

[flybynight]

Haha I've got one of those in my barn. It's my son in laws car. Been sitting there under two car covers for 8 yrs. We just took the covers off last month to check on it. Still looks good. My son in law says it needs a new engine , But he drove it in 8 yrs ago when they moved back to KS. He doesn't have time to mess with it but will not get rid of it. Sometime when his work load eases up it will be back on the streets

[Brekar]

Well keeping in line with the thread, I priced new tires for my truck. it's gonna be pricey. $902 for 4 tires on a truck I paid $400 for. Winter is coming sooner rather than later, and I'd rather not have the same garbage tires that are on my truck currently.

And in keeping in line with the topic of awesome G-Body cars. Here's mine. This is my 1st car, a 1979 Pontiac Grand Prix. I've owned it since I was 16. My father and myself tore it down to the frame, and completely restored it. It has a 327 small block engine with a 2 speed powerglide transmission and dual exhaust with cherry bomb glasspacks. it has a little damage from a tree falling on it, and Pontiac using a cheap plastic to cover the bumper.



Here it is the day it rolled out of the shop.

[MacWa77ace]

@Brekar I like those sweet rims too.

That plastic bumper gap? what's that stuff made out of, rubber and neoprene? It always deteriorates, right? Can you get aftermarket replacements for that or fabricate a replacement? [fiberglass?]

I have a friend from highschool that still has his VW bug. My SS is my second car and third vehicle. I didn't have it in HS. To bad, that car would have moved me up in the clicks for sure.

[Brekar]

@Brekar I like those sweet rims too.

That plastic bumper gap? what's that stuff made out of, rubber and neoprene? It always deteriorates, right? Can you get aftermarket replacements for that or fabricate a replacement? [fiberglass?]

I have a friend from highschool that still has his VW bug. My SS is my second car and third vehicle. I didn't have it in HS. To bad, that car would have moved me up in the clicks for sure.

Thanks. Those rim came with the car when we bought it back in 1996 and I liked them so much I never changed them. They are some kind of Weld Racing Crager rims. Yeah that bumper gap was made out of something like that. It always failed from UV deterioration and heat. They make aftermarket ones now made out of strong ABS plastics or fiberglass that are guaranteed for the life of the car, and are supposed to be paintable. Yeah I always drew looks in high school when I fired that thing up. My dad put a nice mild cam in that 327, and it sounded amazing with glasspacks. I may have gotten in trouble a few dozen times for doing huge burnouts in it.

If you're looking for any G-Body parts here is a good place to start. 

Mike's Montes

G-Body Parts!!!

[Rednex]

So today I changed the oil in Xterra, checked other fluids, filled if needed , checked tire pressure, and filled the gas tank. Checked everything the same on my truck , it don't need oil change for like another 3K miles.

[EBuff75]

Finally scheduled an appointment to get the Suburban rust proofed.  It's in really nice shape and I'd like to keep it that way, despite all the salt we use on the roads here!  I decided to go with Krown Rustproofing, which uses an oil-based spray, rather than the wax.  It's supposed to do a better job at working its way into every little nook and cranny to really get things sealed up. 

The unfortunate part is that there are only a few locations in Michigan and I'll have to drive about an hour to get to one of them, as the one that was only a couple of miles away has closed.  So I'll be taking the day off from work, since my appointment is in the middle of the day.  I'll have to think about what other errands I can run that day, since I'm not usually out and about during working hours!

[NT2C]

Again, searched the house and all my gear from the trip looking for my wife's key fob for the Jeep.  She says I took it off her keys and took it with me as a spare in case anything happened to mine.  I don't remember this and where would I carry it anyway?  If I carried it anywhere in the Jeep then anyone could open the door by just lifting the handle.  There was no place I could carry it that would prevent this, unless I took it with me anytime I left the vehicle.

I have no memory of what we/I did with her key fob.  I bought a replacement for $10 on Amazon, but it requires a $70 programmer or to have a locksmith ($150) or the dealer ($300) program it.  (and will need the key inside cut to fit.)

So, do I buy the programmer for $70 and hope it works?  Or...?

[EBuff75]

Again, searched the house and all my gear from the trip looking for my wife's key fob for the Jeep.  She says I took it off her keys and took it with me as a spare in case anything happened to mine.  I don't remember this and where would I carry it anyway?  If I carried it anywhere in the Jeep then anyone could open the door by just lifting the handle.  There was no place I could carry it that would prevent this, unless I took it with me anytime I left the vehicle.

I have no memory of what we/I did with her key fob.  I bought a replacement for $10 on Amazon, but it requires a $70 programmer or to have a locksmith ($150) or the dealer ($300) program it.  (and will need the key inside cut to fit.)

So, do I buy the programmer for $70 and hope it works?  Or...?

The local True Value hardware store was able to program mine for $35/fob.  You might check around to see if there is a non-locksmith option.  Or you could check with an independent car repair place.  

The only reason I went to True Value was that I wanted the remotes right away and my truck's repair appointment was still a few weeks out (the mechanic / owner had already told me that he could do the programming).

[Beowolf]

5 tire rotation for the Jeep. I changed the oil last week, but didn't have the time or inclination to do the tires at the same time.

Come to think of it, I should probably change my rear diff fluid sooner rather than later.

[NT2C]

5 tire rotation for the Jeep. I changed the oil last week, but didn't have the time or inclination to do the tires at the same time.

Come to think of it, I should probably change my rear diff fluid sooner rather than later.

How many miles do you have on it now?

[Beowolf]

5 tire rotation for the Jeep. I changed the oil last week, but didn't have the time or inclination to do the tires at the same time.

Come to think of it, I should probably change my rear diff fluid sooner rather than later.

How many miles do you have on it now?

Little under 32k, so due for rear diff fluid change.