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Comment by Kevin F Smith on November 11, 2014 at 5:57pm

I ordered the ORD swaybar drop link/disconnect kit for the Blazer, plus new bushings last night, and they shipped it this morning...so soon I can call the suspension completely done.

I cut out all the parts for the new catapult design today, and designed a desktop version of a similar design.  The trigger on the desktop is outstanding!  Torsion rope spring loaded, and you just bring the armature back and it loads and locks with the trigger.  SWEET!!!  

Our catapults just keep getting better and better!

Kev

Comment by Kevin F Smith on November 8, 2014 at 7:25pm

Sounds like a plan!  We can't wait to see you guys again!

Kev

Comment by Jimco_W001 on November 7, 2014 at 5:48pm

We will have to take your Chevy K-5 out back next year at the GORV's camping Jamboree.Maybe once around the 2nd meadow and then through the woods?Also just changed the oil in my tractor.Used high quality regular W30 oil with a paper oil filter.The tractor is a 1955 Ford 640. So I feel this is the best way to go because of it's age and the fact that I have been doing it this way for 14 years now.I'm running synthetic oil in most every thing else though.

Comment by Kevin F Smith on November 7, 2014 at 8:07am

Oh yeah...and tighten up the belts on both the RV and the Blazer...but those are quick and easy jobs.

Kev

Comment by Kevin F Smith on November 7, 2014 at 8:06am

LOL Jimco!  It sure would be nice if I had as much confidence in synthetics as you do...I have to change the oil in the RV before we leave here and would be nice to only have to do it once a year.  I'm also going to change the RV fuel filters and adjust the RV steering box before making the long trip out west.  The last thing I'll be doing to the Blazer before we leave here is install new sway bar bushings, and an ORD sway bar quick disconnect kit...which compensates the angle of the lift, and allows it to be removed quickly and hung out of the way for playing offroad.

Kev

Comment by Jimco_W001 on November 6, 2014 at 7:06pm

Kevin,my 28 year old Chevy station wagon sure has been good to me.I changed the oil and filter today.Used Mobil 1 5-30 EP with a synthetic media oil filter.Now I'm good for another 15,000 miles.Or one year.Which ever comes first.

Comment by Kevin F Smith on November 6, 2014 at 4:10pm

I got the new B&M Megashifter installed yesterday, although it kept getting stuck in the lower gears.  A spring wasn't installed right by the factory and was jamming things up...but a customer service guy at B&M walked me through troubleshooting it this morning, and after some bloody knuckles and creative language, I got the spring back in place (its not going anywhere now), and its shifting great!

Yep. They have great customer service on the phone...not so much on their website or via emails.

I kind of like the way this thing shifts though the forward gears now! Quick and flawless once I figured it out.

And the new steering stabilizer made a HUGE difference! What was on there was not only blown, but was the wrong one, and installed with the wrong bolts, so it kept hitting the tie rod on turns, and since the rubber was all worn out, it was clunking. No more clunk, and the new Big Bore nitrous stabilizer from Rough Country came with all new bolts, so its now installed correctly and doesn't contact the tie rod anymore. Not only that, I can take my hand off the wheel now on a flat road, and the truck goes straight! Not bad for big fat tires and a 4 inch lift!

I even fixed the indicator arrow on the transfer case shifter and got its light bulb working. It required some creative filing and drilling and a piece of metal added in place of one of the missing plastic fingers...and a good bit of epoxy...but it works now! I even freshened up the paint with some Testers blaze orange model paint and a fine brush.

Kev

Comment by Kevin F Smith on October 27, 2014 at 6:19pm

Nice do nothing day today, and probably my last one until vacation.  In addition to building catapults, I have some projects I want to get done before we leave on vacation:

Relocate the Boondocker converter way closer to the battery bank (in the same compartment as the washer/dryer).  Also going to do some creative wiring so that I can just hit a switch to turn off the converter when on inverter power, instead of unplugging it and plugging it back in all the time.  While I'm at it I'll add a switch to isolate the washer/dryer, since its computer does not like modified sine wave AT ALL.

Build shelves and organizers in the washer/dryer cabinet for Patti.

Run plumbing and electric to Patti's new dishwasher, which sits on top of the washer/dryer cabinet.  And also make some metal brackets for the feet so I can secure it to the top of the cabinet for traveling.

Make new plywood dinette access panels (under the cushions) since the stock particle boards ones have given up the ghost and are being held together with Gorilla Tape.

Jack up the front of the rig and adjust the steering box play using the Frederic method (where the heck is he anyways?).

Repair the damage to the body at the rear right storage compartment...which might require removing the rear bumper to do correctly.

Change the oil and filter.

And that is the list for the RV.  For the K5 Blazer before vacation, I want to:

Install a NEW B&M Megashift floorshifter so I can use my lower gears manually (its all busted up and missing some parts, and has the wrong bracket, so it only shifts into Park, Reverse, Neutral, and Drive...it would be nice to use 1, 2, and 3 offroad...lol!).  Its cheaper to buy a whole new unit from Summit racing (about 240 bucks delivered), than the missing parts to make the old one work.

Replace the steering stabilizer in the front with a dual stabilizer unit from Rough Country.

And if I have the time and money, replace the stabilizer bar bushings, and install an ORD stabilizer bar quick-disconnect kit...which also lowers the stabilizer bar brackets to improve geometry with the lift.

So I'll be stupid busy from this point forth!!!

Kev

Comment by Kevin F Smith on October 24, 2014 at 7:09pm

Night and day!  Its like driving a new truck!  Smooth as butter on the rough stuff, and handles on the road like a brand new truck (if they still made brand new trucks with solid front axles...lol!).  Next mechanical repair is to replace the messed up B&M Megashifter with a brand new one so I can manually shift into the lower gears (what's in here is missing parts and has the wrong bracket), and then the next one is a dual Rough Country steering stabilizer setup, and then the next up will be the ORD stabilizer bar quick disconnect setup with new bushings.  And that will do it for mechanicals for a while while I move on to cleaning up the electrical and wiring.

Kev

Comment by Jimco_W001 on October 24, 2014 at 4:27pm

All right Kevin.I'm glad to hear things are better now.How's the new lift kit riding?

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