JAG1

Not Dripley though....... Sorry Dave couldn't help it

I gun sight up the side of the tires and get the distance to the fender both the same on each side.

Top of toolbox I would still worry about vandals.... anything draws their attention is a no no for me. I like to leave worthless power tools in the back of the truck, but nicely cleaned up as if they something. Lol

Maybe on top of my mailbox, but nowhere near the truck.

Yep I need to do all of that and I am glad you made mention of that. All because it was 105 degrees in the valley I wanted to camp at the 8,000 ft level.

That's right.... I sometimes worry about not driving and letting it sit too much, but your right I did cook those brakes bad enough to be smoking when I stopped. It might be the back brakes need attention and may have contributed to relying too much on the fronts. Thats my next project and enjoy the fact they are disc brakes in the rear. Will make it easier.

Thats good news and I'm hoping things get back to normal. I know my visit to Montecito, Ca, was interesting..... they say people are thinking about getting air conditioning, which almost never needed, but since the last 5 yrs have been so unusually hot. Rare to see the afternoon coastal fog coming in anymore and used to be a daily occurance in the summer.

No hijack.... that's good information. Like DieselFuture The more we get after these things the better truck you'll have. Even to the point of being more reliable than anything else. Again, I thank you for telling me to replace the right side bearing after left side went out. I really think they went bad from sitting too much all winter as the truck has only 99k on it.

What is your average yearly rainfall amounts? I think it's going to be making up for the losses real soon.

Thats good advice since I was thinking it does bottom out. I went a bit tighter to get the cotter key, I will check on that . On second thought DieselFuture, doesn't the axle nut pull the shaft into tight to the bearing, so no gap?

I thought chickens only had anti- waddle bars.

We are getting a ton of rain. It's cool cause we got over 2 inches night before last, Last night hugh rain drops woke me up this morning. I can't say how much though because I let my redneck rain gauge get full, which is a plastic bowl. I'm going to have to buy a real rain gauge or maybe a little weather monitor. Yesterday while getting my truck work finished up we had a thunderstorm pass right over us it's cool to finally see some real weather.

I got it all back together and tightened everything like DieselFuture said but had to use a chinese made cotter pin. Sheesh. Anyway with the bearing off I can feel a rough spot in the bearings when turning in your hands. Thanks to MoparMikey again for saying to go and replace the other side.... he was right again. I travel long distances with this truck too

Mine are old and rusty too!

I heard no good on an automatic trans. So glad I'm learning how to do this. With the same two trucks and shops wanting $450. a side..... forget that. Napa wanted 300 bucks just for the bearing. Got it from Amazon for 204. The wholesale house wanted 240 . Should get a price from dealer just for amusement

I cooked the brakes on my last trip down south. Came down from 8,000 ft to about 2,000 ft in about 4 miles. They got hot and I think I cooked the grease in the unit bearings since one went out shortly after and just 99,000 miles. No warning, just hair raising moments getting off the road. So I'm going ahead and change out the other side for reliability. Dripley, on my 4 bolts they were so tight it sounded like they broke off for sure when using almost 4 foot long bar. I feel lucky.

You did a fantastic job and is to be commended.

Got it loose with the help of my new air hammer , but I need to know what the torque specs are for the axle nut (castle nut) and the for the 4 unit bearing mounting bolts on the back side. I plan on using copper anti seize on the mating surfaces after cleaning. Does anyone also put a drop under each bolt collar? To get them loose I had to have a 1/2'' breaker bar and add a 3 foot piece of pipe to get them Thanks for the help.

I do this with rugs from the house too and often scrub with soap and water during the process.

The guy that runs the place got in a little trouble for complaining about a customers dress code. I don't know exactly what it was about, but I do have an imagination Lol...... So now I'm headed to 'Redneck Radiator' (not the real name) for repairs since the guy does good work. I forgot I had work done there before and was a straight shooter.

Fuel lines half inch all the way? I would like to also know what the level of AC noise is generated by your new alternator. What if dirt is trapped at the bottom of the sump? Another possible advantage to having a draw straw system. You could unhook a fuel line and blow any potential fuel line restriction back toward the tank. Don't do this thru any fuel filters though, 5 p.s.i. probably enough.

I would bet that its a fuel system problem because whenever I see these kind of symptoms it's usually a clogged screen in the tank or fuel filters in poor shape. It could also be a clogged tank vent, but thats easily diagnosed by running with the fuel cap loose to see if things change. Welcome to the forum BTW..... Are there any fuel system mods done to your truck yet?

Too much work and too many solutions required to complete it is what I would say. The front suspension has to be able to handle the weight. I don't know about the frame gauge being lighter, but sheesh think of the work involved. I would be hunting for a nice second gen. and then think of the advantage of having all the extra parts for it. Man that would be cool. Like buying a truck with two lifetimes. JMHO.

How about nice smooth braided stainless steel cable if it could be adapted properly. Now that would get my color back. Lol.

No I never have. It's always full on alarm when it does it. Often it will go off after I lock the doors and then the wife decides minutes later that she is going too and unlocks using the switch on her side. It makes her really mad when everyone stares like she's a criminal. Lol.