DirtyComanche

No, it was only listed for about a week. Not sure if the owner changed their mind or if it sold that fast.... It was a good buy. I've been looking at other things, and prodding the banks to see how much they actually would lend me, but I don't think I'm going to commit to anything just yet. It probably would be a really good time to buy, maybe I'll be kicking myself by next summer...

So, you want to hear a funny story? That place that was listed for the $86K... That was mine. I had NO idea whatsoever. They didn't say a damn thing to me, much less provide me with written notice that it was listed and that people might potentially be wanting to look at it (like I say, I'm out of town a lot, 1 day notice isn't enough for me to clean the place if I'm not there :roll: ). However, AFAIK, nobody even looked at it as it was so overpriced. But, the owner decided to move his daughter into it for college or something. So, I was given 3 months notice about a week ago. Of course, they still hadn't fixed the water damage, so they shaved that down to 2 months notice so they have time to fix the water damage. I left him (the manager) a note (with my rent) that I'd be out by the end of the month, and that I didn't intend to fully comply with the terms given for vacating the suite (I'm not steam cleaning the carpet before they do drywall, if logic doesn't prevail I will forfeit a portion of the damage deposit that is reasonable to cover the steam cleaning cost, I do not have the time nor the inclination to arrange cleaning myself and be there when they come), and that I expect a month's rent to be refunded to me (legally, I'm entitled to it). I left my phone number (which he has) with a 'call me if there's any concerns or questions', I don't think he's called yet... We'll see. Anyways, I've lined up another place, a basement belonging to a friend/coworker. Hopefully we're both busy enough with work to not get on each others nerves. Half my stuff is already packed... Just waiting for my friend to get back into town so I can give him some cash and get a key (then start moving my junk). As it is, I'm losing money every day I'm not moved out of here and done with this; as I had to blacklist myself from trips longer than 2-3 days at work :headpop: And of course, 2 days after I find out I get asked if I can go on a 2-week job that would be reasonably lucrative :headpop: At least I explained to them why I can't go and they understand, there's a pretty fragile balance between being considered 'reliable' and 'useless' at work. I've only said no to a job once, and that was because my family was in town. Now that's twice :headpop:

A WJ? That's pretty high end to be blowing up... I guess they still ain't worth $8g or whatever the dealers are throwing out... Edit, can you take engine sensors and electronics? I'd pull EVERY CPS, TPS, IAC, CmPS, ECM and related junk that I could. Throw it all in a rubbermaid tub and you've got spares for a long time. If they really don't care, I'd take the alternators, fuel pumps (the fuel too) and pretty much everything else that was shiny. And the WJ's steering box, that's a little prize... I'm not the type of person to be left alone with a vehicle and told "Help yourself, it's all free". Maybe my windshield wiper motor will never go bad, but I've got two spares just in case!

Did you have any witnesses, or get the police involved? If I'm not at fault for an accident, I'm calling the police unless I have a damn good reason not to. Legally here, over $1000 in damage or any injury and you technically have to call them. It doesn't take much to hit $1000 in damage with the way body shops screw people. I just don't like getting the short straw when the other party starts getting creative with the story.

Hmm, well, hopefully I get sent on a good mine job or something so I can watch mythbusters all day. I had no idea the extreme4x4 (what was extreme about it other than their budget anyways) had booted her. That's what happens when you don't have a TV. :dunno:

She is sooo hot! I wish she was still on the show! I don't know where they find all those overacting idiots for the power block. If it werent for some of the good content, I wouldnt watch them at all. And then they get rid of the best "actor" they had (see above)! Sorry, I can't remember her name. Jesse Combs. She'll be back, she hurt her back (IIRC) and is on leave for a while (who knows how long). If they had actually intentionally got rid of her... They'd probably see a 50% reduction in viewers. I'll agree they're overacting idiots. I can't stand 90% of what they do.

I don't even know what those are... I vaguely recall a nursery-rhyme or the like about them... So, I think you have topped me for uselessness... But I don't think your beans weigh 800lbs and tie up the bed of my truck.

Well, you really never can have too many spare axles. Other than I don't have a place to keep it for a while.

So, in my infinite wisdom I picked up the D60 front out of a 2000 dodge cummins truck. Only because it was cheap, as in $250. And it's all there and not torched off, unit bearings, axle shafts, tie-rod, brake calipers... Unfortunately, I'm now left wondering what I'm going to do with it. I guess just keep it as spare parts for my tow pile... Which I probably won't need for another 100K or more since I just did the unit bearings and rotors/pads on it! I don't even have a place to put it. So it's going to sit in the back of my truck for now.

Short of a housing failure or shearing the pinion off... The pinion seal failing would be responsible for the leak. If the bearing races did not spin, the housing is probably fine. If they did spin, it depends how bad. As terrible as it is, providing the bearing race seating area is only .001 to .002 over-sized, the bearing races can be retained using retaining compound (green locktite, I think is the colour). The actual tolerances on the machined ares as far as relation to each other is actually fairly loose, so even if everything winds up slightly misaligned, the gear setup will still be valid if done properly. Probably. I'd rather throw the housing out at that point, but it's all junk anyways. Beyond that the gears, bearings, races, and most probably the carrier will all be junk. Also, the axle splines should be looked at for the sake of it.

Gotta be ford, or you have to flip it. Having the shift rails at the bottom tends to leak. I have my name on one... I just have to pick it up sometime.

I thought this was going to be another mullet 'how-to' thread. Mildly disappointed.

The stock stuff fits fine, or some combination of stock stuff, IIRC. But the downpipes have to be jammed in there really good. Aftermarket stuff, no such luck. Everything gets you into the frame.

No need to swap the column, it's GM anyways and should work unless there's a pile of different features.

I'd probably swap the 4.3. However, just look through my build threads and ask yourself 'Is this person of sound judgment?'

Negative. The power lines end 20K up the road.

Alright, some decent links there... I'll have to get reading.

Is that like a long-term thing? NSA hookups as long as she owns the vehicle? I guess my other question would be, is this a busty woman or a busty man?

Yes, unless you bypass it.

Google is providing me with a lot more 'Alternate Energy' BS scams than I can stomach. Or people attempting to sell me wiring diagrams (not going to happen). But as always, if I posted it here it means that I am actively researching elsewhere (unless I specifically stated that I don't feel like looking it up :roll: ). I think I found a forum that doesn't blow. Time will tell.

What I said earlier... The wiring in the column or specifically to the ignition switch would be my first suspect. If nothing happens with the key in the 'on' position, you don't have power to anything. Normally the gauges will move to their happy place (voltage being the most obvious), the fuel pump will hum or hammer, and the stereo will come on, etc. Crank is an independent function of 'on' (or at least I recall it being with these, I'd have to check a wiring diagram to be 100% sure) and it can crank till the battery is dead with nothing else coming on (the EFI being the main issue there). The ECU for the Renix is pretty bomb-proof. If it's fried, most likely it is because something was wired wrong and fried it. In which case simply replacing it won't be helping you at all. Besides, you'll get gauges and power to other things even if it is fried - it does nothing but control the engine. Reading back (which I should have done earlier), Eagle states that the ignition switch and the key switch are separate and connected by a linkage. That had slipped my mind earlier. Regardless, that linkage may well not be working. You can bypass the linkage and switch by jumping some pins on one of the plugs - I'd tell you which but my 'E' manual is somewhere else right now...

Okay, here's the deal. My parents have a cabin out in the boonies, and have had it since the late 70s. Anyways, it's pretty rustic; hand pump for the well, propane (100Lb tank) for the fridge, stove and one light, and a biffy out back. Or so it was... Change happens. The area it's in falls under a regional district, which decided that having a good ol' fashioned out-house was an environmental hazard :roll: (or something else retarded) and REQUIRED that they have a proper sewer system installed (there is a small cluster of cabins in the area) :roll: This lead to drilling a well (which was cheap, it's all sand anyways), installing an electric pump, building a shed to house a generator and a pressure tank, running pipe for fresh water from the shed to the cabin, plumbing a toilet, 2 sinks and a shower into the cabin, and running a pipe to the sewer system that was built (or payed for) by what is basically a strata (of the cabins in the area, so everyone got to pay for it :roll: ). Anyways, the system all works well enough. The pump pumps water and the $#!& flows downhill. However, the pressure tank sizing is a little small. It's good for a couple flushes, which isn't too bad. Other than then you have to run outside and pull start the damn generator again and let it fill the pressure tank back up. What we'd be hoping to do is make this system a little less involving, even if it costs a few dollars. Adding some wiring to the cabin wouldn't be a bad idea, so that one could have electric light and maybe some standard outlets. Also, an in-line water heater would be nice if it will fit in the available space, obviously it would be a propane unit but I think they still need electricity for the thermostat setup on them. I'm thinking for this all to work nicely they'd need a small bank of batteries (maybe only 2 deep cycles?), an inverter capable of both the 110V and 220V output (if such an item is economically feasible), and (if such a thing exists) a charge controller that would automatically start the generator when the bank voltage dropped too low and would shut it off when everything was charged. Also, I think a small solar panel might help keep it all trickle charged so the generator would rarely have to come on. So, can anybody provide me with any useful info? Links? Forums on such a topic? Anyone done similar?

You're attacking the problem the wrong way. Instead of fundamentally changing how the steering works, you need to make it fit. The WJ steering box was designed to provide a lot more room for a radiator, as the bulk of it sits on top of the frame rail with only the sector shaft being between the frame rails. A more standard sized radiator can be used with such a setup. I've seen it done with a few V8 swapped XJs and half-considered it for my current build (might still happen if I change engines). While full hydro probably isn't illegal, that doesn't make it a good idea if you're going to see pavement.

Full hydro or hydro assist? Full hydro does not retain the factory steering box. There is no drag link, and there may not be a conventional tie-rod assembly (instead a double ended ram with short tie-rods on each end). Generally it isn't recommended for street use, although it probably isn't actually illegal providing you use the correct orbital valve (one that still allows steering without pressure, a constant displacement valve IIRC). Inspectors may disagree. Hydro assist retains the factory steering box and drag link, along with a relatively normal tie-rod assembly. Perfectly legal, drives great.

The aerodynamic design of the car saved much damage...