Where did the year go?

Time for an update. It has been a busy year with tight cash flow. That limited the traveling this year. Hoefully next year things will improve. Nasty rainy day today so stuck inside.

I have been doing a little tinkering here and there. Finally got my GPS Navigation set up complete with a used laptop, some software. I am running my Garmin GPSV as a receiver with a mag mount antenna on the hood. That keeps my Accuracy around 10ft. Problem is it only has 19megs of memory so I either have to reload often on trips or selectively load where I am going. Was sort of a bummer when you didn't have the nice stuff like Restaurant finder. From that I am feeding an old Compaq 7800 Armada I picked up from work when they sold off my old shop. Can't beat a $10 laptop. Only 8 Gig drive but it really does serve my needs. This laptop is only going to be used for navigation, some Internet access with a Aircard of data link from my phone and on rare occasions I might make a dump from the camera but with extra memory cards that will be pretty limited.

The biggest downs side is it is a heavy old laptop. That might me an advantage since it is obviously old it might make it less attractive to a thief. It had NT on it and that was causing me issues. I finally ran across a OS for the right price...FREE. Somebody I knew had a couple new copies of Win2000 Pro with the registration that were going to get tossed since they are out of date on the systems they were original bought for 6-7 years ago. I actually like it and it seems very stable. The GPSV came with Mapsource 4.01. It was Ok but is didn't have a few features like Keeping the direction traveling at the top of the screen. I got pointed at a free down load to Garmin nRoute. It fixes ALL the complaints I had with the Mapsource software. It also has the voice directions that the wife and I are having great fun with.

I used an old Gamber Johnson mount that came out of a decomed truck and was headed for the trash. http://www.gamberjohnson.com/index.php I had to abandoned the actual mount for the laptop becasue of the size and the location of the gimble mount on it. Because of my old laptop I needed to shift the forward about 2 inches and it simply didn't have the mount in the right position to do that without adding a second bracket extension that would also add another inch to the height. I went with a piece of 3/4 ply wood and some industrial Velcro. That allowed the laptop to sit almost 3/4 of an inch lower then the GJ mount. I plan to replace that with a piece of aluminum plate at some point and that will gain another 5/8's.

I had to pull the forward part of the center console to get to a place I could mount the assembly on. The 4Runner has a heating duct that blows under the seat for the rear seat passengers so that meant I couldn't mount off the side of the tunnel easily. The shift boots on that part were leather and in really bad shape after 21 years. I have future plans that made its days numbered anyway. Little clean up on the boot plate and paint and it won't look to bad with just the rubber boots the leather boots on the removed console covered. The GJ mount is nice in the fact that with no tools I can remove the head when not in use. I have a second one of these mounts I plan to put in our Suburban tow rig where it will be a lot less of a space problem.

Excuse the mess, We are in a major drought and outdoor water ban. My truck is a pigsty inside and out as a result.

The Inverter is my travel one for use in my work truck. I will be replacing it with one permanently mounted in the back so I don't have the cooling fan noise bugging me all the time. Temporary I ran a second cig plug to the battery to power this one. The factory cig plug is wired with 16 or 18 gage and simply not up to the draw of a inverter so I had to get power from the battery. I have some clean up on the mount as well now that I have the mounting points picked. The brackets will be painted black. The Gray bracket will be cut down and welded to the vertical tube. The place it is mounted on the side of the dash is actually where the factory screw is that holds the lower dash to a metal mounting bracket. It is a very sturdy point on the dash that required no holes drilled.

It's the little things

Got the front diff in. Did a couple modifications as well.

The front diff is a factory 4.88 from a 93 that had Auto tranny and the 31 inch tire option. It has ADD and while I could have easily swapped it to a solid driver side I decided to keep it. The reason is I am going to hook it up because it will allow me to kill the drive to the front wheels without getting out. So it will give me 2 low. If I need to cross some pavement then back into soft conditions a quick flip of the switch and the front axle is disconnected.

It will also allow me to do "digs". A "dig" is basically power breaking. Front wheels locked rear wheels spinning. What you can do is walk the back wheels sideways by steering with the front wheels locked if you need to reposition the truck for a better line. You can do it by unlocking a hub but now I can do it by flipping a switch. If I am ever stupid enough to lock the IFS front that will also help with steering in 4wd.

Next trick:

When I picked up the diff I notices two of the bolts for the half shaft were out. Asked the guy about it and he got a big grin on his face and told me why. In stock configuration if you bust a CV you have jack the truck up remove the wheel and unbolt the lower ball joint. That will allow you to swing the hub out enough to get the half shaft out.

With two bolts removable you can get the half shaft out by fully extending the suspension and turning the wheel to the lock. That will let you have just enough room to worm it out without even taking the wheel off. Just put the opposite side up on a rock to get the broken side fully extended.

The front wheels were on ramps so I couldn't crank the wheel but using the jack to extend the suspension I can almost get the CV past the flange so it looks like it will work.

I pressed two of the bolts out and filed off the knurls that retain them so they can be pushed out by hand. Just have to use a wrench on both the nut and bolt but no big deal.

The last modification may have been caught by the observant already. Here is a better picture.

One of the IFS weaknesses is the lower control arm mounts. Most people will never have a problem unless you really start to run big tires and wheel hard. 33x12.5 is bigger then the designers ever planned for and thats what I already have on the truck.

What will happen is the brackets will start to flex and fatigue and crack at the frame. Part of the problem is in stock form the rear lower control arms do not have a cross brace. Its a bad enough problem that the aftermarket makes a brace. http://www.downeyoff-road.com/SuspensionComponents/index.htm (little over half way down.).

If you still haven't figured it out I made a brace using a factory brace and salvaged brackets from a spare front suspension I got from a Buddy that did a SAS. All the parts are stock just welded on the rear lower mounts. ;) Had to notch the brace to clear the diff but still plenty strong. Eventually I will cut a skid plate that will also help triangulate the control arm mounts and make them even stronger.

Locker

I had to burn up some roll over vacation days. Bonus came in just in time so I managed to buy the parts I needed to re-gear and install the electric locker. I went with the 4.88 gears. It should put me right back at stock RPM's with the 33's and make my speedometer accurate again. Weather went bad on me at the end of the week and it took me a lot more running around to get the needed parts then I thought it would.

Didn't get as far as I had hoped last week but I did finish up with the control circuit and the gear install tonight. It worked perfect first try! :victory: Here is the two articles I referenced for this mod: http://carterswebsite.com/4runner/mods/locker/

http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/tech/electric_locker/

The control circuit is actually a little bit of a mix of the two main set ups from each article. I felt the control set up of the top link was the better design but I wanted the extra status lights of the second link. I really feel this is important because if you didn't get it fully unlocked you could damage the locker and without a disengage light you would never know.

The Green Status light comes on when fully locked. The red light lets you know that locker is in progress of locking and once fully locked the Red light goes off and the Green light comes on. The Yellow light lets you know that the locker is disengaging and once it fully disengages the light goes off.

I used a momentary switch but the circuit design uses limit switches and once it hits the limit of travel it cuts the power off by interrupting path to ground for the relay trigger. The dash switch triggers the positive. It should be fine with a standard single pole double throw switch. The Momentary (on) off (on) does add a little safety in that if you release the switch it also kills the positive to the coil. Still mulling it over. It would be nice to just flip the switch instead of having to hold till it completes its cycle but it only takes a few seconds to cycle. Tomorrow when I get home from work I will start yanking the axle out from under the truck and clean it up. If The weather holds and I don't have to work late I think I will have it all installed by the end of the week. Might even have time to swap in the front diff as well.

Update just to keep it current.

Not much traveling. Gaining more confidence in it after the rebuild. Truck is still in building stage right now and will be for a while. Have been making arrangements to buy the gears for the rear end to correct for the larger tires. That will get it ready for extended trips. Maybe a run down to FL in March. Still mulling over the light weight expedition trailer I plan to build. A big redesign has been made to make better use of the materials I have available. Its back to a sleep in design. Came up with my idea and somebody posted this on EXPO. http://www.pbase.com/rophoto/trailer Some great ideas but it will be a little smaller then that. Main body will be about 7ft long overall and about 50 inches tall. Some storage on the tongue. Shooting for a dry weight of 500-750lb. Just big enough to get my Lawn tractor in the back if I need to haul it to moms. Tomorrow is Zan's 6th birthday. We are going over to moms for a little birthday celebration this afternoon. Should be fun. Letting her pick where to have dinner. She said she wanted a quesadilla so looks like Los Reyes for dinner. Just fine with me. Good food. No pictures today.

Wanderlust

"Wanderlust (Middle High German: wandern, to wander, and Lust, desire) is a German loanword. It is commonly defined as a strong desire to travel, or by having an itch to get out and see the worldWanderlust (Middle High German: wandern, to wander, and Lust, desire) is a German loanword. It is commonly defined as a strong desire to travel, or by having an itch to get out and see the world."

Getting it bad.

As a kid my family traveled and camped a lot. 4 weeks a year we would wander somewhere. Colorado was a favorite destination. Riding in the back of a vw412 for 12 hours strait at the time seemed tiring. Living out of a camper small enough to be pulled by that car for 7-12 days at a time. Looking back on life they are some of my fondest memories I have. Watching the land change with every mile as I stared out the window as we left Detroit for somewhere new. No TV at all the whole time just the radio and Paul Harvey shows.

In 1979 we moved from Troy Michigan to Marietta Georgia. Folks had enough of the snow and rusted out cars. I even remember the day my Dad snapped and had enough of it. It was about 6:15 am on a Monday morning. It snowed all weekend. Shoveled the driveway several times. I was a paperboy at the time. I had to deliver to 56 houses before school. Streets were deep in snow so today I was walking it with a sled. Nope none of this throw it out of the window of your Camaro BS. I walked it up each door and put it in the paper rack on the mail box next to the front door. Yep even the mail man pushed a cart in those days. Some people would request the paper between the storm door and front door. It was extra tip money. I was 11 years old at the time.

So the Day dad snapped I was standing right next to him......I think I heard it....It was a low grumble in his throat as we stood in the garage and watched the door open and realized the wind had drifted the snow over 6ft and almost totally covered the garage. Dad looked at his rusty 914 Porsche and new he would be driving Moms equally rust VW 412 to work that day. I grabbed my Sled and drug it through the Laundry room to the side door to get out and go get the papers at the front of the neighborhood.

That summer we were vacationing south. Went to FL, AL, GA, SC. Dad was stationed at Warner Robbins in the 50's During the Korean conflict. GA and Macon in particular war places Dad knew. A year later we were in Marietta GA house hunting on or Vacation and my Dad had already put in for the transfer. We moved into our new home October 8 1979...My Birthday.

I think the more temperate weather lessened my Dad's wanderlust. Didn't seem to travel nearly as much. Went on a couple trips. 1 week in most cases and sometimes only once a year.

In November of 81 Dad bought a brand New VW Vanagon to replace the rusty 412. It was a stick shift. Mom kept driving the Auto 412 not wanting to deal with the hills and clutch. It was like the Taj mahal to my sister and I. We each had out own seat and could spread out some.

In 83 My Dad succumbed to a heart attack. Mom in fear of not having any money sold everything, The Vanagon, the camper, Dads 1961 BWM 69RS 600 for pennies on the dollar. Gave me the 412 and bought a Datsun 210.

Did very little camping since.So here I am married, 2 kids and wanderlust. My Friends scattered across the land. Somehow most have settled along the lower US. Phoenix seemed to attract several friends. My sister in San Angelo TX, Another friend In Dallas. Open invitations by Internet friends in CO.

4 Years ago We lost Janice's Dad. We inherited a 1959 Airstream Basket case. My wanderlust on the rise..we are slowing doing a frame off restoration for Family trips. Have a monster 454 powered suburban to drag it along at 10mpg. Visions of camping dancing in my head. Making pancakes on a Coleman stove for the kids. Daughters squabbling over something, Ivy aggravated over it with her hands wrapped around a hot cup of coffee. Seeing the sights just like when I was a kid just in a lot better accommodations.

I also have a 1986 4Runner that I am preparing for Expedition travel. Back country camping in places like Monument Valley, Valley of the Gods, Running the 4wd pass into Silverton Colorado, The Maze, Needles, Yellowstone and doing as much as I can on dirt roads and trails. Wife's fear of heights has her not wanting to make these trips. She won't do well on a 10,000 ft pass with a 500ft drop off on her side of the truck.

One Day I will set my camera on the hood of my truck and I will take a picture of myself exactly from this spot.

Why the hell a blog? An introduction

Honestly, I just thought it would be a place to put my travels and thoughts. This is actually my third blog. This one will cover my travels both alone and with friends and family where as my others are sort of personal space where I keep in touch with friends.

I don't have many pictures of myself. The lovely lady of mine has a few but not going to go digging for them. This particular picture is a few years old. I don't have the beard and mustache or even that truck anymore. Still have the gut though.

I'm a daddy of a beautiful little 5 year old girl. I have a moody teenage Step Daughter, two dogs and a Lovely wife that I have been married to for 11 years. She puts up with my BS for some reason so I can't ask for much more.

I had a big wake up call on 10/31/2003 at 6:25pm in the form of a heart attack at 37 years old. It's heredity rearing its ugly head. I'm doing ok now but it scared the hell out of me. I have 20-30 minutes of time that I can't account for. Three stints after it was all said and done. took me a good solid year to get back to where I felt good.

It taught me a big lesson about making the best of what you have. I feel I am a different person from the experience. I'm thankful for every day I wake up.

This is my little one Zan. According to www.howmanyofme.com she is the Only one in the last US census. My wife and I think that's pretty cool that we managed to come up with a totally unique name for her. We thought we were making it up but it is a name in some Asian cultures and it means "happiness". We have also found in Persian cultures it means "the mind", "knowledge,understanding" or "Reasoning and Logical Thinking". In Chinese it means "praise". They all fit her quite well. Zan's Big sister Melissa. She's a moody teenager that knows it all.

My lovely Bride Janice. Strongest person I know. She has to be to put up with me. We actually met on the computer through a local BBS called Hotlanta. Just hit it off and we have been together ever since.

The last two members of the family are Britney (brown) and Rusty (red) aka "The destruction twins" . They are half Britney Spaniel and half Llewellyn Setter.

I intend to document my life and travels. I have a great many interests and I thought it might be interesting to put them down and have something for my kids to read when they are a little older.