What did you do to your truck today??

[Just call me Sean]

Tensioner pulley failed on the 99 and threw the belt. Wife called me and said the power steering wasn't working, I told her to pull over. I heard a funny noise when she left so that's when I put two and two together and figured what happened before I got there, I just didn't know which pulley failed. Had to drive a bit to an open parts store, put on new pulley and added water, was hoping it didn't get too hot. It started overheating so pulled over and added water twice to get it home. Broke the radiator cap in the process. At home found the rubber cap on the optional heater hose hookup on the radiator had ruptured, didn't notice because it's right by the radiator cap so I thought it was water I spilled. I had a new rubber cap and a used radiator cap I had laying around, it seems to be fine now.

[MiniD]

I can now replace the interior door handle on my 1995 Tahoe in 20 minutes. I shouldn't be this good at it.

[special-K]

Originally Posted by Just call me Sean

Yea, I've been wanting to do it for a while. A little custom touch that probably nobody will even notice.

First pic, passenger side stock, drivers side changed. Second pic both changed.

What did you do? I can't tell I think the more you give to look at the better chance someone will run into you. Kinda tongue n cheek but a bit of truth. I've hear people who ran into someone from behind when braking "I was focused on the third brake light"... many feet forward of the rear of the vehicle. My friend built a big rear bumper out of 4 x 6 tube with a drop down for the 2" receiver. First week someone rear ended him. He painted red chevron stripes on it and right away someone rear ended him again!

Originally Posted by MiniD

I can now replace the interior door handle on my 1995 Tahoe in 20 minutes. I shouldn't be this good at it.

How many times is this now?

[MiniD]

Originally Posted by special-K

How many times is this now?

3 times. In all fairness, I did some radio/speaker work that had me removing the door panel a bunch more times. I've replaced the driver's side once and the passenger side twice in 3 years.

[Just call me Sean]

I did it for me, probably won't make a difference to most everyone else. Been checking them out every time my wife goes to work. Admiring them, making sure they're still working. The passenger side didn't work today momentarily, I'm pretty sure the board is separating from the back like they do. My melting them together held about as well as the old one. So I'm working on the next version, eliminating the board so the connections are solid instead of friction. Then that should be the end of my brake light problems finally, which is what started this whole thing.

[special-K]

It's a cool mod or even upgrade. I'm the same with what I do. I do it for myself. But you might have started a trend where everyone does it and it won't matter to the mass that you were first

Safer is better (usually )

[MiniD]

I've found that the best way to save on the light housings/wiring is to go with LED.

[Just call me Sean]

LED bulbs don't really help when they don't make contact with the board.

So I finished soldering both sides, put them together, tested them, and filled them with boat resin to keep everything together. Unfortunately, the resin refuses to dry. I've had enough with it for now, I ordered two new boards.

[hatzie]

Originally Posted by Just call me Sean

LED bulbs don't really help when they don't make contact with the board.

So I finished soldering both sides, put them together, tested them, and filled them with boat resin to keep everything together. Unfortunately, the resin refuses to dry. I've had enough with it for now, I ordered two new boards.

Potting the board is a good idea.
Some marine resins are UV curing.
What happens when you expose the resin to black light?

[Just call me Sean]

Originally Posted by hatzie

Potting the board is a good idea.
Some marine resins are UV curing.
What happens when you expose the resin to black light?

I used some resin I had left over from reconstructing my dashboard. It uses hardener, but I set them out in the sun anyways until I knew it wasn't going to dry. I squirted more hardener on top, only the hardener dried a little. I need the bulb tabs so I pulled them all apart, clipped off the wires and threw them in gasoline. That stuff is nasty and it wasn't coming off. I burned the gas off them twice and they were still sticky, so I left them soaking for a while. I just burned them all again over a candle and the gas soaked in to the stuff but I still had to burn them for a while. Now they're clean. I'll do it all over again but this time I'm getting fresh epoxy.

[special-K]

Can't say you didn't try

[Just call me Sean]

I guess the trying isn't over. The new boards are about the same quality as the old ones. The passenger side works fine but the upper parking light on the drivers side is touchy. I had to jamb a sliver of wood in it to make it work. Something interesting though, I've come across three different designs of the boards.
First are the ones on the 99, second are the replacement design, and I just checked a bulb on the 93 and it has a third different design. The 93 has the superior design, pictured below. Doesn't look like it would be easy to try and modify, and all the connections are solid. The replacement design has snap in bulb sockets while the 99 has them melted in place.

[MiniD]

They don't suffer the same delamination/heating problems. It's more of a pre-emptive thing than a fix.

[Just call me Sean]

Attempt #5. This one came out pretty decent I think. I'm going to let it dry for a while even though it should be fully cured. Two trucks, so three more to go.

[pjmoreland]

Repainted the roof and had the windshield replaced a few weeks ago to address a leaky windshield. It's raining for the first time since then, and it's staying dry inside.

[Just call me Sean]

Just as I thought, the guy at Discount Tire lied to me. I figured he was lying but it still pisses me off. The Goodyear Wranglers I usually use are not discontinued, they just don't sell them anymore. Also, the Generals I got for the 99 aren't in stock when I specifically asked for something they keep in stock. Twice they haven't been in stock. Well, Walmart sells the Goodyears and they have them in stock and they sell them loose. These damn tire shops are pushing me to Walmart.

[special-K]

Originally Posted by Just call me Sean

Just as I thought, the guy at Discount Tire lied to me. I figured he was lying but it still pisses me off. The Goodyear Wranglers I usually use are not discontinued, they just don't sell them anymore. Also, the Generals I got for the 99 aren't in stock when I specifically asked for something they keep in stock. Twice they haven't been in stock. Well, Walmart sells the Goodyears and they have them in stock and they sell them loose. These damn tire shops are pushing me to Walmart.

I see that a lot, pushing a customer to buy what is in stock over fulfilling the customers desired purchase. "They stopped making them" does not equate to "We stopped carrying them". In fact, one is truth and one is a bold face lie. But that's not wrong, that's just business. Sorry, I can't go with that!

Last winter I bought the set of Coopers I wanted off of Discount Tire Direct. They showed the quantity in stock when I ordered them. I get a call back from them a couple days later. The guy wants to know another tire I would want since my selection was out of stock with no ETA.
"I ordered the tires I wanted that showed in stock when I paid. If you don't update your website I'll turn you in for bait & switch"

Out of stock, no ETA. How about these el Cheapos? It's only bait and switch if we do it intentionally.

"I specifically ordered the highest quality tire for the most reasonable price. You know know now they are out of stock. Bait & switch if you don't update"

Offers made for other crappy rubber

"Nope"

Would you want BFG All Terrains? They're more aggressive than you ordered

"I just ordered shocks based on what I spent on the Coopers. I didn't want to spend more and now I can't"

I'm offering these at the same price. We are losing money, the opposite of bait & switch.

"I accept that offer"

I know their big concern is moving quantities of tires over giving customers what they want. I used that against them. If I just asked for a refund their volume would have dropped by one set. Volume is their bottom line. Those BFGs were priced about $400 higher than the Coopers

[Just call me Sean]

Got my wreath on.

[Just call me Sean]

Finished the other taillight. I'll install them later, after the one I just finished dries for a few days. The hazard flasher quit working right a while back so I changed it also.

[Just call me Sean]

I didn't even bother to go there. It's such an ordeal when I buy tires that this time I checked online first instead of just going to the store like I usually do. Generals not in stock, could have ordered it but I wanted to go get a tire now. Started looking at what was in stock, was going to get two at $80 each but they're blackwall and I like raised white lettering. So checked elsewhere and saw Walmart had the Goodyears in stock. Didn't even call, just went there and got a tire. Didn't have to talk to a salesperson, just a cashier that rang it up. It was $105.

[pjmoreland]

Had to drive to the San Francisco bay area for work this week, so I used the opportunity to stop by a Pick-n-Pull wrecking yard along the way that I haven't been to before. Scored a bedliner in nice condition. There was a horse stall mat in the bed of my truck from the previous owner. I shoved that heavy thing out of the bed to install the liner. For the life of me I couldn't get the pad back in afterward. Fortunately, a female employee of the wrecking yard was walking by and offered me a hand.

Got 17.0 MPG over the approximately 300 mile round trip driving at around 70 MPH the entire time. I'm really happy with that.

[Boog]

17 mpg is respectable for these trucks. Good road trip.

[special-K]

I like those stall mats but they are hea-ea-VEEE! Great to score a good headliner. I find nice ones stained from a pop bottle (I assume) explosion, usually. 17mpg would be wonderful to me.

[Just call me Sean]

I put the lights on my truck about a week ago. I tried to get a decent picture then and again just now. I guess my truck isn't as photogenic as my wife's. Both are of the brake lights. I have the other pair for my wife's truck soldered up and waiting for me to feel like putting them together and pouring them.

[pjmoreland]

That's nice and bright. You had mentioned possibly modifying the backup lights to make both filaments light up. Have you taken a look at that?