Inspiration

Change in Plans?

In Future Plans, Inspiration on 21 November 2011 with 1 comment

So thinking about some of the issues we’ve seen with Brian’s bumper and the sag in the hinge has us thinking. In my post on the Binder Planet, I put out the call for other hinge alternatives, and we got some information about this hinge setup. It’s meant for a top-mount system, but Brian and I talked over an alternative that would work if we can find someone with a metal brake to fab it up for us:

It’s a C-shaped piece with two holes drilled for the hinge sleeve, and a third tab added in the center for extra rigidity. It gets mounted to the face of the bumper, then the sleeve is welded inside the holes, and none of the geometry of the bumper needs to be altered.

Chewbacca’s New Hat.

In Friends, Inspiration on 6 May 2011 with 2 comments

Mr. Scout sent me this earlier today; it’s the top I got him for his birthday last year. It looks perfect on that truck.

City Bound.

In Inspiration on 20 April 2011 with no comments

Top down, 70 degrees. I need to get new windshield wipers. Hell, I need a whole new windshield.

Quick February Trip

In Inspiration on 13 February 2011 with 1 comment

I got Peer Pressure out of the garage, down to the gas station and around the ‘Ville this Saturday while the weather was somewhat warm. The motor ran smoothly and everything felt just as loose and wobbly as it had when I parked her in November. The forecast is for low 60′s this coming week, which means I may try to do an early-morning dump run before work.

Blast from the Past.

In History, Inspiration on 14 January 2011 with 2 comments

I was poking around on our backup server last night looking for some pictures and came across some old shots of Chewbacca in and around the blizzard of ’03. This was one of her shining moments and paradoxically the final nail in her coffin; After digging out there wasn’t anyplace we couldn’t go in 4-wheel drive, but I don’t think she was ever right after bathing in road salt that year.

Hidden Tunes Via An iPod.

In Future Plans, Inspiration, Purchasing on 11 January 2011 with no comments

Here’s a really interesting article on the Jalopy Journal with some good information about hooking up an iPod to a hidden amplifier. The interesting part is the iPod dock connector, which I’d never really thought about searching for before. I believe the Kenwood head unit I have is equipped with RCA jacks that will support AUX input, so I may switch over to that instead of a mini stereo cable out the front.

Update: I’m out of luck with the Kenwood unit (it’s got no aux inputs on the back), so I may just sell it on Craigslist. I never liked the control/button setup anyway.

Seat Base Repair

In Future Plans, Inspiration, Repairs on 31 December 2010 with 1 comment

This guy did some seat base repairs that are exactly what I need to do with mine.

Plumber’s Light Bar.

In Inspiration on 25 December 2010 with no comments

Good Times.

Rear Bumper Fabrication

In Design, Friends, Future Plans, Inspiration on 9 December 2010 with no comments

Mr. Scout and I have been talking about getting materials together and building a pair of rear bumpers jointly to save on materials and time, and he sent me a link this morning: a write-up on a project from the Binder Planet. The author built it for an 800B but the design could be modified for a Scout II pretty easily, we figure. The part that interests me is the swing-away tire carrier and Hi-Lift jack mounts, which would clear up a ton of space in the back of Peer Pressure.

Ride to Work.

In Inspiration, Trip Logs on 6 December 2010 with no comments

I still feel a little queasy from the exhaust fumes, but it sure was nice to warm Peer Pressure up and drive her into work. I wonder if a hardtop would cut down on the smell.

I did represent the Scout on my Christmas list; at the top was a new gas tank sender and J-hooks, as well as some inexpensive speakers and a Service manual. Come on Santa!