Buzzinhalfdozen

There are some industrial grade paints that work wonders but the common man can't get it. They have 55 gallon drums of the good stuff at my work but I can't get my hands on any. I've tried some commercially available, expensive "rust killing" paints with ok results.

For a clip I would recommend a junk yard. It sure sounds like you have a bad wire to or from the alternator or the alternator crapped out at a oddly coincidental time.

I have and it works pretty good. It just seems like once it rusts through you can never get it to completely seal up. Water works its way under the paint and rusts from the inside out. I spent a lot of time fixing rust last fall and the few spots I cut corners are showing through.

Take it from a guy that has dealt with a lot of rust issues. There is no product out there that will stop the rust once it looks like that. If it was mine I would cut out the Swiss cheese and weld in a flat plate, cheap and easy. Might not look the greatest but honestly who is going to notice or care once it's under coated. I've experimented a lot with undercoating over "fixed" rust spots just like you're planning and I can pretty much guarantee it'll bubble through in a year or two. Just hate to see you waste time and money.

I've been happy with my Fass. From what I've heard air dog is nothing but problems.

C'mon man don't be a tease! Bolt on ready or build it yourself? Who makes it?

Is the tail shaft leaking past the seal? I would think if the bushing is bad enough to cause a shake it would beat up the seal.

This is one of the reasons I got out of the auto repair industry when I did. Every one was saying I'd pretty much have to go back to school every 5 years to keep up with the technology, and buy expensive specialty tools to even think about working on newer cars. Heck even a simple oil/tire change is getting complicated. I can see a lot of independent shops getting phased out.

I almost scored a few of those heavy duty blue plastic barrels from work but missed my chance. Dang it! For bulk gas storage do you buy ethanol free or add any stabilizer?

I wouldn't worry about it as long as the floor is dry. Go in any bulk storage warehouse and all the barrels are right on the cold concrete.

Could you elaborate more on the vibration. Do you feel it more in the steering wheel or seat? Or does the whole thing shake and rattle your fillings out?

My ABS, even when functioning properly has almost caused more accidents than its prevented. So now I get to live with a couple lights on the dash because I took the fuse out. Not a fan of ABS on any car.

MOOG used to make good parts but now they are junk. I went through two MOOG track bars in less than 10k miles...second one almost stranded me 400 miles from home. Lifetime warranty but I didn't like playing that game. I now have NAPA "heavy duty" line track bar and ball joints which are tight after about 25K miles so time will tell.

Your neighbors must love you

Does any one have any experience with pellet stoves? Either wood or multi-fuel. I'd really like a wood stove but my wife doesn't want to load one while I'm gone, or deal with the mess from hauling in wood, or stare at a wood shed in the back yard.... I figured a pellet stove might be easier to sell her on.

I'm chasing a mysterious loss of prime issue on my truck right now that has me stumped. I've been bumping the starter and letting the lift pump run for its 20 seconds. Do that twice if it's been sitting for a few days. If I do this it'll fire up in a few cranks, if i don't it'll crank for a long time. If this helps then it pretty much rules out the grid heaters being bad, at 25* it should pop right off without the grids anyways. You could also try plugging in the block heater overnight and if it still does it then you know the grids aren't the problem.

Don't be concerned about driving without the front shaft in, won't cause damage. There are lots of different techniques for replacing U joints. I support the yoke in a vice and smack the yoke until the caps come out. Be careful where your swinging because it's easy to damage the "ears". A little heat helps if they're really stuck. I typically use the same vice to install the joints. Carefully line up the caps and press them in. If the caps feel like they're binding tap on the vice a few times with a hammer, the vibrations will help them slide right in.

Now you just have to figure out an auto level feature for your truck and you'll have yourself a nice reference line for late night siding jobs.

I feel your pain. I often wonder what I would do with all my free time if I didn't drive old clunkers.

http://www.deutschconnector.com/products/deutsch_connectors/deutsch_dt_series_connectors/

The damper (harmonic balancer) is the lowest pulley on the engine right on the end of the crankshaft. You'll see a thin rubber ring that runs around it about an inch from the outside of the pulley. Make sure the rubber isn't squished out or deteriating. It's normal for it to stick out just past flush.

Ok, I wasn't sure if it was the brake switch or the "signal P/N" switch interrupting the high idle when you take it out of park. I'm not sure if the apps on an auto or manual are different but I believe the ecm just needs to an "idle" signal from the apps so it shouldn't matter.

Edit: Siganal from the Park/Nuetral safety switch. Sometimes I fat finger the screen on my phone. I thought that was one of the conditions for high idle to work on an auto. Now that I think about I don't think that's correct.

Doesn't the ecm need a signal P/N switch also. Just a thought since it used to be an automatic.

Oh dear god I don't know how that guy still has all his limbs.