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Boaz MacPhereson posted:Maybe this time you'll have them mounted properly with the white letters out. I second this. quote:Also, I still stand by my suggestion of some "TRD Off Road" stickers. I further suggest that it be "TuRD Off Road" edit: Pretty sure I could vinyl-cut some. Coydog posted:FYI The Sienna takes the same TRD 3.5 inch lift that the trucks do. Yours might be too early a year for it, but you should look into it. https://www.journeysoffroad.com/siennaliftkits.html Oh, my. <furiously checks FB Marketplace for AWD Siennas? Darchangel fucked around with this message at 18:50 on Mar 9, 2021 |
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Mar 9, 2021 18:45
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I honestly wouldn't have worried about it. 90% of traditional shocks just have a metal sleeve that loosely fits over the shock body, and have done for at least 50 years. Not that I don't approve of making one's own parts and fixing anything one perceives as being not good enough, of course! Can't hurt to overbuild a bit. edit: a Creality 3D printer is at or below around $300 now. I really want one, but I blew $600 on a Kickstarted 3D printer/laser/light-duty carver two years ago that... hasn't materialized. I'm hoping it still will, but I'm afraid it's a lesson in backing 3D printers on Kickstarter. Delivery was supposed to be Oct 2019, and they raised $1.3 million, but apparently vastly underestimated production realities. Apparently their prototype wasn't nearly as production-ready as they thought (or claimed.) Darchangel fucked around with this message at 21:27 on Jun 8, 2021 |
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Jun 8, 2021 21:19
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Raluek posted:i think it looks pretty good just as it is. imo stick some mesh and supports diagonally between the bumper bar and the bottom of the radiator support, and paint it all black so it doesn't stand out. kastein posted:I'd guard the radiator with some heavy expanded steel and maybe spray bomb it all the same color as the body so it doesn't stick out so bad, then run it. There you go. That, and some recovery hooks solidly attached to the unibody.
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Jun 23, 2021 19:18
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ryanrs posted:I'm not sure what the solution is, but probably something like "don't do that or you will find yourself winching a van by hand in 100F heat". I would definitely buy a winch, mount it on a receiver mount, and install receivers on both ends of the van with quick connect cables, if I didn't want one permanently mounted. This dinkus: https://www.harborfreight.com/hitch-receiver-mount-for-winches-69106.html And use a receiver hitch or weld in a receiver tube: https://www.harborfreight.com/class-iii-12-in-x-2-in-standard-receiver-tube-69879.html (That's a 12"  - also comes in 18")
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Jun 23, 2021 23:37
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ryanrs posted:94 lbs is too much. I live in a condo and have to lug that poo poo up two flights of stairs. This Warn VR Evo 8-S appears to be 54 lbs, which is more reasonable, but still loving heavy (need to factor in the mounting plate, etc). Why would you even take it out of the van? Weld in a receiver somewhere in the cargo area and pin it in there with a locking pin if you're worried about it disappearing. Somewhere covered - out of sight, out of mind. For a winch, cheap-rear end Harbor Freight is always an option, just be aware it's a cheap rear end, and take your come-along, too. I have a 120V HF winch mounted on a plate with a wall hook cum carry handle I use to move non-op vehicles around the house (yeah...)  It's a "1500" pound, and it does a good job dragging things around on flat ground, but that's not the same thing as dragging a 2-ton van out of a sand pit. I'm just saying it's a functional winch that does winch things, for now, at least. :P
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Jun 24, 2021 23:38
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I replaced every single bulb in my Crown Vic with Amazon/eBay LEDs, and the only one that gives me trouble is the on lighting up the "LIGHTS" nameplate for the headlight switch, the irony. Going on 3, 4? years. I don't regret any of them. I'll replace the LIGHTS one eventually - I had to modify that one with longer leads, because its deep set into the housing. Currently it's just flickering a lot. Just look up on Sylvania's site what bulbs your gauges, etc. use, and buy a bunch of white ones if you want the stock appearance, or colored ones if you want a different color (or eliminate the colored socks, if that's what yours already has.) My Vic uses little 194s all over, so it's easy, but there's an LED version of everything, even the tiny little twist in T3 and T4 bulbs typically used in instrument clusters.
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Jul 6, 2021 22:32
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ryanrs posted:What do I do with this sound insulation stuff? It's thick and heavy, like tar paper but it's not tar paper. It's some plastic or rubber sound deadening sheet. I've cut it with a box knife before, no problem. You can use a good tape to tape it back together if needed. e: never mind - you done already went for it! That ended up looking pretty good. Trim the mat a bit and slap it back on there with some aluminum or butyl tape. STR posted:Wait, that lights up? Well, the icons for the various modes of the headlight switch and the dimmer "scale" do. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-z2TfRlpI8 That video shows you why you have to extend the legs if you use the LED from, say, a dash light. This guy just used raw 12V LEDs (and still had to modify it a bit). I *think* it's on all the time the car is on, so you can see where the switch is without the lights being on, which is probably why they burn out all the time. STR posted:I know the check engine light in particular has the possibility to piss off the ECU if it's replaced with an LED. The one on my Crown Vic is very dimly lit all the time. You can only see it in full darkness. It still lights properly bright for bulb check (and when it's actually triggered...) I'll probably replace it with an incandescent next time I have the gauges out, but it's been fine for years now, just as a data point. A resistor or diode in line might be enough to knock it down, but, eh.
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Jul 9, 2021 17:54
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StormDrain posted:I was going to say I only do 88 degree bends but that's a problem.... Did you see some poo poo when you hit 88?
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Jul 9, 2021 17:54
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I was going to say, while the design looks cool and all, you could get something functional with just flat stock and a bit of work. It's all the setup and programming, more than the actual milling, that a shop is killing you on. A small-scale shop that likes doing one-offs might be able to do it more cheaply, but I've never priced out something like that, so grain of salt and all.
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Jul 12, 2021 18:20
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Sgt Fox posted:You could even use a jigsaw, belt sander and some aluminum stock to make that... Dont spend more than $100. This is my vote, and what I would do. I wouldn’t use plywood for that other than as a test fab, personally. You should be able to find some scrap aluminum plate, if there is a scrapper in your area. Metal Warehouse also has decent prices for new material, and if there’s one in your area, they’ll make you a deal on drops or mis-cuts, usually. Aluminum generally works well with medium coarse woodworking blade on jigsaws and bandsaws, and even circular saws. Fine “metal-cutting” blades are usually worse with aluminum, unless it’s thin stuff. The swarf clogs the teeth.
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Jul 13, 2021 21:12
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ryanrs posted:Design decision: I will not try to integrate nice OEM-looking switches for my lights. There aren't enough spare switch slots (even in the Sienna base model), or even a flat space for a bank of switches. I'd build a console to go over the turning brake cylinders (easily removable or with access to the reservoirs, of course.) edit: oh, doy, no reservoirs, so just needs to be not too hard to pull out for maintenance.
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Sep 28, 2021 15:46
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cursedshitbox posted:ditch it. Portable winch time. Use the attachment eyelet and leave an anderson power pole somewhere to power it. FWIW, I do something like this to shift non-running vehicles around. In my case since my intended use is going to be near a 120V outlet, I bought a Harbor Freight 120V AC winch, and then mounted it to an ATV winch mounting plate: https://www.harborfreight.com/atvutility-winch-mounting-plate-60522.html And added, of all things, a wall hook as a handle: https://www.harborfreight.com/v-shape-hang-all-68995.html The winch is mounted backwards so the hook eyes are in the rear.  (my winch came with the grey plate and fairlead eye) A chain/strap/whatever hooked into those eyes and around a stationary object secures the winch, and then away we go. In your case, 12V winch with the Anderson quick connects, chained to your D-rings, and you've got a viable option. It can be a little sketch that way, since the winch will be basically suspended in the air in use, but it will work. If you've got the power cable length, you can use it the other way around. Personally, I'd just use a tube receiver and mount and build the bumper to support that, and also have a receiver on the rear for the same purpose (and also trailers.)
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Oct 8, 2021 20:52
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ryanrs posted:
I like how they made the lines follow the continuation of the upper grill's/headlights' lines, generally. That's some attention to detail.
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Oct 21, 2021 21:10
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Vampire Panties posted:The bumper looks fantastic! Bonus to a boat cupholder is you can get one of the self-leveling ones for all your off-camber needs. Alternately - I'd build a console over the master cylinders, with cupholders.
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Oct 26, 2021 16:28
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That's a heck of a hit, but looks like it weathered it reasonably well. The rocker panel isn't super important, any more that any other exterior body panel, I'd say. A lot of dedicated off roaders install what are called "rock sliders", basically steel armor for the rockers, on their rigs, for exactly this reason. Some go as far as to repace the rockers with, say, a chunk of 2" x 4" rectangular tubing to server the same purpose, if the rockers are already mangled or rusted out. I can't really comment on an aftermarket TPMS from experience, but they can't be terribly difficult to install. The old school ones required strapping a sensor on the the barrel of the wheel inside the tire, but modern systems, including OEM, just use a sensor that incorporated the valve stem. The tire has to have the bead broken, but it doesn't have to be dismounted entirely to install them.
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Nov 9, 2021 00:32
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Generally for a reversing cam, most folks just use a double-DIN head unit so as to not take up more dash real estate. Most backup cameras are 480p at best, because they are analog, and that’s what works with the head units. If you want better than that, there are plenty of dashcams that can do varying levels of HD forward and rearward. A lot have a small built in screen, and quite a few have built in WiFi so you can review and download footage with your phone or laptop without having to pop out the memory card.
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Nov 30, 2021 22:46
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Tomarse posted:I bought a rear view mirror with a built in screen for a reversing cam and swapped it out with the original one. It was pretty awesome. Looks and works like a normal mirror, then once you go into reverse half of it turns into a screen. I've got one of those on the Crown Vic and I hate it. Since the screen is *behind* the mirror, I can't see it in daylight, or with polarized sunglasses on, and the mirror itself is darkened, because it doesn't have the flip-to-darken function, and it's too dark at night with my cop-spec window tint. Newer versions just make the whole "mirror" a screen and run the camera full time. Also, the super cap in it died so it doesn't run the clock when it's off, and the time is always wrong. Both cameras still work fine, though it seems to corrupt or otherwise lock the files on the SD card every so often, so it can't overwrite old files... What I'm saying is don't buy the cheapest one.
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Dec 2, 2021 18:16
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kastein posted:I've been doing dumb car poo poo for 13 years and I misdiagnosed a bad wheel bearing as recently as a few years ago. I mean, it was on my Subaru so when I took it apart I *did* find that it was bad, so it wasn't wasted money and time, but it was not the one I was hearing, that was on the other side, which was even worse. Late, but then there's my stupid (RWD, stick axle) wheel bearing that didn't make any appreciable noise until it ate the axle, too. Then I somehow hosed up the ring and pinion setup replacing the pinion seal, and the gears whine, now. Loudest at 50-60, of course. ryanrs posted:I was hosing the mud out of my wheel wells to prep for the bearing swap, but I think I found the problem. It was wedged way in there and covered in mud. LOL.
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Dec 13, 2021 23:23
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The Harbor Freight folding welding table isn't terrible, and folds reasonably flat to get out of the way when you're not using it. https://www.harborfreight.com/adjustable-steel-welding-table-61369.html  I've also mounted a small vise to mine.  Comes in handy for welding smaller stuff. A set of various long-throat locking pliers are also useful for clamping things to the table. https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/pliers/locking-pliers/18-in-c-clamp-locking-pliers-64564.html https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/pliers/locking-pliers/11-in-c-clamp-locking-pliers-64563.html https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/pliers/locking-pliers/11-in-swivel-pad-c-clamp-locking-pliers-63865.html I actually got a set of 3 or 4 from Amazon.
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Mar 4, 2022 18:36
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ryanrs posted:I have an angle grinder and a bench grinder. I need more tools, especially a drill press, but I'm not going to buy that right away. I dunno - maybe 16-18 gauge? It's heavy enough for the size of the table. I wouldn't be using this table to make sure things are absolutely flat or square, but it's decent. chrisgt posted:I have a similar welding table that I got from amazon, works pretty well. I've welded things up in the vise before. Mine is well-used, so has no paint on the jaws or where the bolts go, making it effectively the same thing.
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Mar 8, 2022 00:17
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wesleywillis posted:Yeah, I really hate the grinding and drilling and chop saw cutting aspect of metal fabrication. Get one of the shaped dust masks with vents and replaceable filters. Much more comfortable to wear. Like this:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07X2BH1S4/ That's the particular one I got, and it's fine. There a re a *lot* in that same style. I originally got it for mowing the yard, but now use it for anything dusty or dirty. ryanrs posted:When I go to pick up the drill press, I'm first going to measure the runout with a dial indicator and a precision shaft. What should my threshold be for runout? How bad before I torpedo the deal? FWIW, the benchtop somewhat-vintage Craftsman 8" I have had some truly awesome runout (I covered messing with it somewhere in my thread) and it still drill decent enough holes now that I've got it down to... a lot less. Turns out my Craftsman is virtually identical to 10,000 other Chinese-made benchtop drill presses out there, including the Harbor Freight unit. I'm looking at getting a Wen 10" or 12" benchtop for a little more capacity and, critically, a speed control that doesn't involve changing belts. Even at it's lowest setting the Craftsman can be a little too fast in certain settings. The Wens seem to review well. Ultimately I want a shop-quality floor-standing model, of course. Or better still a vertical mill. Anyway, I was able to dink the chuck around on the taper enough to correct most of the wobble. Probably could get rid of all of it if I spent more time on it, though it really shouldn't have any with, you know, a taper... It was $free, so I deal with it. ryanrs posted:I picked up the drill press. The machine is clean and precise. Oh, sweet. Nice when you get a decent deal. edit: TIMG
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Apr 21, 2022 17:50
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SHAMEFUL!
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Jul 20, 2022 23:47
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kastein posted:E: check out Motronic's AI AC thread for a basic introduction. You technically need an EPA license to do this but if you're only working on friends and families cars and your shitboxes it's very likely it'll never come into question. The EPA Section 609 (Mobile AC) license is easy to get - I've had one for something like 25 years, took the test online - and cheap (currently $24.) I *think* these were the folks I used: https://macsmobileairclimate.org/about-609-certification/ Scroll down the page for training materials, etc. They have a $35 for the video webinar, but the textbook is plenty - that's all they had when I did it. Test is open-book (and easy if you actually read the book and have half a brain.) PDF textbook: https://macsprod.freetls.fastly.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2021-609-Certi-Train-Man-English-LR.pdf
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Oct 11, 2022 00:20
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Welcome to Owning A Car.
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Oct 28, 2022 22:32
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kastein posted:If you really wanted to get fancy you could insert multiple inserts end to end until you run out of space, then clip the extra off. Probably not needed though. "contraptioneering" Got dang if that isn't peak AI right there. Or at least peak Kastein. Right up there with "fabricobble". edit: both the word and that "tap wrench" up there.
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Oct 31, 2022 21:35
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StormDrain posted:Is this a friend of yours? Nice. I won't lie, I've always like those spaceship eggs. Kind of want to build one with a 1UZ poking through the floor. Probably just 2WD, though. Also really like those Knipex pliers. Don't know if I can spend $60+ on them, though.
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Dec 7, 2022 23:55
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ryanrs posted:Mounting a full-size spare on those vans is really tricky because of the tailgate. I think big basket-like roof racks are popular. Or you can carry a full-size spare in the passenger compartment, but it's really big and awkward. (We know the seller doesn't do this because the 5th wheel + tire would have been included in the listing.) Jeep Cherokees have a tailgate, too. Just use a swing out mount like they do.
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Dec 22, 2022 00:26
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ryanrs posted:There's nowhere to attach it. You end up either installing a hitch receiver and hanging something off of that, or doing a custom fabricated bumper which will cost about as much as that Sienna is going to get at auction. How difficult could a big chunk of square or rectangular tube with brackets be? Bumper doesn’t have to be all fancy and super-fitted to do the job. Attaching to the sheet metal is doable as well, just would need doubler plates on the inside. The factory Cherokee and Chevy S10 Blazer spare tire mounts attach to the quarter panel by taillight.
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Dec 24, 2022 20:50
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You might could add a spacer and longer studs to the top of the strut. This is how Subarus get mildly lifted. Any more than about an 1", though, and it really should be custom struts, not to mention starting to look at longer control arms, or at least adjustable ones. Mind you, since you note added weight, stiffer springs would make sense.
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Jan 30, 2023 20:20
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Boat cupholders on a gimbal might also be something to look at. edit: searching for boat stuff is also a good way to find the cup holder inserts to integrate into other consoles, etc. Such as: https://www.amazon.com/Amarine-Made-Stainless-Holder-Marine/dp/B009DCGT74 Just an example - I have no knowledge of that seller or product specifically. edit the two-th: something like this is what I was thingking of: https://www.amazon.com/SeaSense-Chrome-Holder-Plated-Insulator/dp/B0019M5F3K Darchangel fucked around with this message at 20:24 on Feb 14, 2023 |
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Feb 14, 2023 20:17
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honda whisperer posted:Off road minivan: your parts are being bent LOL
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Feb 15, 2023 23:48
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ryanrs posted:Recovery Points Installed This is correct. It doesn't need to be any color at all, actually (undyed chromate makes the zinc a brighter silver.) We're just used to the gold color from the old cadmium plating, and it really does look cool when done right. You get that multicolor effect. quote:The part has a deep, glossy black finish. Cost was $140 (zinc plating minimum fee). Pretty pricey to do a couple parts at a time, though. Man, I wish I could get my black chromate to look that nice. For that matter, I wish I could get my zinc to be as bright as industrial places get it without post-processing, but a lot of those processes, especially the brightener, are closely guarded trade secrets. Those recovery points look aces, and plenty strong. Nice work!
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Mar 2, 2023 23:49
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Oof. Sorry to hear.
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Feb 12, 2024 20:04
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Generally, torque converters are welded together, yeah.
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Feb 13, 2024 23:06
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