hex0rz

Alright, so I was giving this a though and tried to think of where I could get my hands on one ofr the dodge. I fancy the custom bumpers for our trucks and like the thought of being able to have a winch setup and some extra protection while going in the mountains. Looking at some sites, I find that the bumpers are expensive for my liking. even if I can get a winch on them, would I even be able to put a plow on as well? I'm looking at getting a plow in the future as well and would not prefer to have to keep switiching between the two. I'm considering making my own bumpers at this rate... --- Update to the previous post... What, nobody wants to play with me?!

So I dug into the subject a little deeper last night. Looks like some fellas on CF discussed this very issue as well. They were trying to actually figure out if a product was worth the while and ended up going with it for all their needs. Its suppose to actually be better than the competition like Rhino and line-x. I said this before and it was about the time the car dealer people say, but at 4 years I got rid of my truck to get this one. I really do not want to get rid of the truck, because I have put alot of money into it already that I would never see again. I'm not a fan of newer trucks, so the only way I would ever get rid of it is if I could ever find that rare '98 12-valve with the newer features like my '99 and was a long bed with a 6-speed. Has not happened and the wife says I'm committing adultry looking at other trucks. Anyhoo, the CF guys really got me sold on the product as well. You can even mix in any color you want and even have the OEM paint color. I was thinking about doing a 2-tone color. Probably make it the OEM color of silver I have and then make the lower portion black. Thats an ultimate protection in my book! Still can retain the OEM look, too! You can also make it coarse or smooth thick or thin. My bet is you could really make it work out well! Here is the thread to the topic: http://www.cumminsforum.com/forum/accessories-installations/173825-als-liner-diy-spray-bedliner-kit.html I think I would do everything I have in this stuff, trailers, bumpers, equipment, list goes on and on!

Thats odd, I had my Airdog 165 II motor poop out on me a year into owning it and I discussed it over with Kyle. I guess I had favor with him because I had my warranty card in. He had it ground shipped to me for free.It seems like the consesus was that Kyle was a good man to deal with. I can't really say what may have been up his arse that day.As for your deal goes, IMO going with a raptor is like a band-aid on a gunshot wound. Its still wide-open and can bleed like a stuck-pig.I personally would go with either a FASS or AD100(at the least) next chance you get. You need more than just the ability to move the fuel. You need the preperation that these systems provide. If its one thing I learned about diesels, the fuel is like the blood for the body.As far as the VP goes, get the raptor back on and see if she runs. Performs like it should have before the pump went out and if it continues to throw codes.When I first got my truck, I did not know squat about the need fore fuel psi. The guy before me put gauges in and had an aftermarket pump, but anything but idle and the gauge always read ZERO. I drove like this for about 6 months before learning I needed to do something about it. Here I'am still on that same VP with no problems. I may have suffered performance wise, but I do not know any different unless I ride in someone elses rig or vice versa.

Diesel is still hovering at $4.15-$4.25/gal here in my neck of the woods. Go to Spokane and you'll be paying $4.39/gal.I think my biggest killer is speed. Up here the speed limit is 65-70mph. I usually do just that. I have been averaging 18mpg. Driving here in my town with it kills me even more considering I can do whatever I need to and get back to the house without the dang thing ever being warmed up.What is becoming more interesting is that our gas prices have risen to $3.95/gal last time I looked. The gap on diesel and gas is closing, here.Haha, moparman, up here, the mts. have not even though about thawing out until July! Then you have the mud-season to deal with, too. I really only get a 3-month window to be in the mountains up here. The rest of the time, you don't wanna be up there! Which is okay, cause at the moment I'm only doing my hunting and no firewood, yet.

I don't think sore describes it! This will be interesting. He was making the fittings for Airdog. Now what 'am I gonna do if I break a fitting?! Dunno where I will be able to get the necessary parts to make my tee setup for my fuel gauge now, too...

YEEEAAA!I seriously think doing a spray bedliner on the whole exterior of the truck is the way to go for N idaho! Anyone ever though of doing it or have done it and what did you think or do you think of it?To me its a no brainer. No more scratches, more dent resistant, dont have to worry about rust, probably easy to clean. I would think the advantages outweigh the dis.

I would be willing to equate it more along the lines of used oil. Not ATF though. I just figured 5 gallons in a 34 gallon tank would not be detrimental.I suppose it would be more feasible doing if I had a p-pump instead.

Alright, so my log splitter uses 5 gallons worth of hydraulic fluid. I have to replace it all before I start splitting more wood again. I sure would hate to let it go to waste and/or pay to get rid of it. I could always throw it in the fire a little bit at a time, but I wonder if I could use it in my fuel?

Okay, so I got my exhaust fixed. I just had the section of the exhaust above the rear-end replaced. I forgot to take a picture of it. My exhaust guy was a little surprised to see it rusting as it was a piece of stainless.Once he replaced that section, the rattle went away! Yay!

If this country got back on course like it was intended to be from the start, I would be tickled 'till I sh!t myself...Maybe I just have too much of an eore type of attitude when it comes to this issue, but I seriously do not think our country is ever gonna recover. Its going to hell in a handbasket and there is NO turning back. :banghead:

This is why I told the wife a VW Diesel would be the ticket.Although, the european vehicles and us models differ in mpg. Up where we live, we also have to consider navigation through the snow. A low clearance FWD car usually is not the best solution up here.If only someone could create an AWD diesel SUV. Not a huge suv like a suburban or something. I have yet to see a vehicle like this.Subaru makes a diesel, but its a newer vehicle. I don't like the newer vehicles.

Need a video now!

Okay, got my EGT probe in today. Its an Isspro. I'm not sure what the one was that I got when I bought the truck, but they are different. Fittings were different than the one on the truck. Luckily, the probe was the same diameter. Came with a ferrule, so I stuck that in with the old fittings and tightened it down. Seems to hold. Thought it was not gonna work initially!Upon driving, I noticed that the gauge reads different values than the old one. As in, upon decent acceleration, I can make the EGT's go up to 800 degrees. Then cruising at 30mph or so, it hovers at 400. When I park and idle for a minute or so, the EGT's fall quick and show a lower temp. reading than compared to my old one. Rarely did I see my EGT's go below 350 on the old one. Now, it will go to 300 and lower fairly quickly.So all in all, sure, it was a good thing to replace. Shows a more accurate temp reading, but does not seem to vary much compared to the old one when driving. Time will only tell, I suppose.

As with anything, the addage goes: "You get what you pay for" If you skimp on buying a quality welder, you will regret it. Especially since you mentioned you want to keep safety in mind. With the projects you are looking at doing, a 110 volt welder is what you want. 220 is overkill, unless you plan on doing thicker, structural type of stuff. For me, my ultimate setup would be a 110, 220, and TIG welder. But thats some bookooo bucks there. Save your money a little longer and buy a GOOD welder! Get one that you just plug-in. If you try and get one that uses an onboard generator, you are looking into big bucks. I personally own a Lincoln Electric 110volt welder. I can use flux-core .035" wire for thicker stuff or switch to .030" wire and use shielding gas for thin stuff. Also, having wire-fed style versus a stick style is usually easier for people who are just getting into welding. Stick welders can definitely penetrate though. Remember, you may have a great welder, but you also need to practice your welding and understanding what techniques to use so you have a strong, safe weld. BTW, they do not necessarily have a big name made for themselves, but they are well-spoken of in the communities that they focus on: Parker metalworking I dunno if they are still in business or not, but I bought my plasma cutter from them a while back. They deliver a pretty quality product but can also keep you from breaking the bank. They have all sorts of machines they do. Give them a try as they may have a welder you are looking for.

Okay boys, I got me a bare bones trailer here. Used to be an old enclosed trailer for a roach coach kind of thing, IIRC.Father in law was not using it, so we tore it all down to the frame. Its rusted up, and the dovetail welds are separating from the frame rails. Trailer tongue hitch says its rated for 5k pounds. It will probably need new trailer brakes. Has not been used in a loooong time.Ultimately, I wan't to convert it over to a firewood trailer, if possible. If not, maybe make it an utility trailer?Before I can go ahead with doing anything, I was hoping someone on here would be able to help me out on picking out what kind of steel to go with. Its gonna need to be beefed up more if I wanna put some weight to it. May even have a tandem axle setup with springs if need be.The frame is currently comprised of 4" U-Channel with 1 5/8" inch legs. U-channel is 5/16's thick.Frame width is 5ft and length from tongue to end of frame is like 15 feet.I want to make it a total of 8ft wide and maybe shorten it or keep it at its current length.Anyone have any ideas to help add structural ridigity? If I add in steel pieces to make it 8ft wide, that adds in strength, but it will still be able to bend lengthwise. Should I plate the U-channel, make it a boxed frame, etc?Just wanna bounce ideas off you guys here. Trying to get a feel of whether or not it would be worth bulding up for a firewood trailer or just buying one considering how much may be needed to make it hauling worthy. If not, That would force me to make it a utility trailer...

Does this do a good enough job to keep things cool when hauling a heavy load? How does it function, does it exchange heat with the coolant?

Now, that is interesting. I figured you would be able to just stop and it die on you like a manual. Looks like the truck has some torque! --- Update to the previous post... O yea, that is the other thing, I was reading that if its locked and you do not allow it to unlock to let it shift you can break parts?

I was looking at 4" because it seems like it helps with keeping low EGT's?

So I was under the truck looking things over and I noticed that it does not look like these trucks do not have oil coolers? Or is the oil cooler integrated with the radiator for the engine coolant?The automatic has what looks like a heat exchanging system to the coolant and then the fluid goes to a radiator in the front?Are these systems adequate if I'm going to be towing/hauling stuff? I plan on getting a 5th wheel in the future. Probably won't buy anything that grosses over 13k pounds.

For a while now, I have been debating if I should put a TC switch in. I know of the benefits I could get from it, but what about the negative?I want to do the switch because I want to maximize the fuel milage by reducing the fluid coupling of the automatic, and reducing heat.Anyone done it and what to do and not to do with it? At that rpm do you shut it off at? Also, could this be a good way to substitute for being able to use an exhaust brake?

Alright, so I figured out why the rattling noise is occuring. Upon inspection with a mallet and a mirror, I checked the exhaust pipe over.The U-bend over the rear-end is rusting out. I would have never seen it if I did not use a mirror..My theory is the pipe is rusting out to the point a bunch of the rust is collecting and making the notorious rattling noise.So, I could either fix the area thats rusting, and keep patching the exhaust like this until its all replaced, or I could go with a new exhaust system.I wonder if a 4" exhaust would be of any benefit for me? Called my exhaust guy and he said the pipe would have to be special order as no one in our area can bend 4" pipe.He quoted me $450 with a 4" kit installed by him. Should I go with it or order online and DIY it? Or should I stick with a 3" system and get it all replaced or just fix the spot thats rusting?

With mine, if I quickly accelerated, it would start squealing. If I laid into the throttle and opender her up until 75 or so, it would squeal and not stop for a while even when idling. The car lot I bought the truck from duped me. They put on some belt dressing and probably hit the tensioner with lube and told me it was the belt. A few months later, probably when the lube dried out, it started to squeal again. I isolated it to be the tensioner. IF you wanna save yourself some dough, buy some belt dressing and hit the belt with it. If it stops squealing, see if it returns. If it does, hit the tensioner with some pb blaster or wd40. If it goes away, see if it comes back. You might even be able to measure belt deflection to see if the tensioner is weakened and is bad. Its really your call on what you wanna do. My money is on the tensioner if the wear on the belt is good and/or it is not due for a service interval.

Nope, its just on its way out... They are not cheap to replace either! They're like $80 IIRC. Torque: 32ft. lbs. IIRC

I have never touched the exhaust, so I dunno. When I bought the truck, the exhaust was straight piped. Where I assume the muffler and cat converter were, they put in 4" flextube. It was rusting out, so I had my exhaust guy put a 3" straight pipe. It is all now 3" straight piped from the turbo back. Its got a 5" miter cut exhaust tip.

When I cruise down the freeway at 60mph it is usually at 700 degrees with the injectors I have now. It would have taken me to go 70mph to hit that EGT. Well, I better order a new one then, just in case for peace of mind. Wish I had a potentiometer so I could apply a specific amount of mV and test the EGT gauge. I hope this is not the cause for my funny noise. As in I cooked my turbo or something from faulty EGT readings... --- Update to the previous post... Oh boy! So I just ordered one. Hope I did not pay alot for it. Only place I could find one: http://www.dieselpowerproducts.com/p-5910-isspro-k-type-thermocouple.aspx Hmm... I wonder if an article should be composed for diagnosing EGT problems.