Spring is around the corner! What's your truck prep?

[Bow_Tied]

FINALLY!!! The warm weather is upon us!!

What is your routine for getting your rig out of winter mode and into summer/wheeling mode?

I need to do an oil change and brake service. And a good CLEANING!

[Adam]

Normally I just do nothing but since I actually have a little money saved...

My list:
-Front brakes
-Upper control arms (Bought new Rough Country ones)
-Centerlink and Idler arm (new grassroots one)
-Mount ARB
-Replace headers (found a hole in one and a crack in the Y pipe)
-Change all fluids
-Alignment

And most importantly; check the A/C

[Snafu]

I am starting to panic with everything that needs to be done...truck, cars, house, yard...ahhhhh!

Don't be surprised if you see me run screaming...lol

The usual, cleaning; washed the truck, got the first layer of gunk out of the interior (girls are so messy), mechanical (oil, filters, check diffs/tranny, service brakes, oil up underneath. Then ideas of things to do...lift first

[Nd4SpdSe]

A few things. A lot of the work that needed to be done last year, but still, a few things need to get done:

- One of my MTR's beads, so that tire is scrap, which causes me to replace not only that tire, but the other on the axle, so in that case, I might as well replace all 4 tires rather the en just 2, and (finally) go to 33's. With that, I'm still on my studded winter tires, in which studded tires were legally suppose to be removed for April 15th, so not only are the tires I'm currently on illegal to have on, but all MTR's are unavailable until the end of May. With that, I'm taking the truck off the road and get some work done since I can't drive her...

- The lower rad support is unsafe from rusting away. So I'm going to disassemble the front it, remove the old one and replace it. Rather then spend $250 on a new one, I'll make one myself with probably $10 worth of steel.

- Since I found out I've been running the wrong rad all these years. I picked up a new and proper radiator from RockAuto. That'll get installed when the new rad support gets made.

- I replaced my clutch line and clutch slave cylinder earlier this year, but there's a piece of remaining factory line which is seized to the flex line that runs to the slave. I've picked up a new line from RockAuto, so that will get put on.

- I did a remote starter/alarm half-asses during the winter. I want to get that properly installed. I need to locate the parking brake switch since that decided to almost stop working completely after I did the remote starter. Which is funny cause I didn't connect that line cause I couldn't find it...

- Despite doing the brakes over Christmas, my parking brake doesn't do squat. So I'll disassemble the rear brakes and see what's going on.

-Seal up the snorkel. My snorkel-to-Volant adapter isn't completely sealed, so I'll remove that and try to give it a better seal. I also want to make a better upper snorkel bracket. It was done quickly so it doesn't vibrate at highway speeds, and I want to make that bracket less noticeable.

- Manual trans fluid change, and should also check the diffs.

- Swap the power steering pump. The old pump was going and covered in Napa's lifetime warranty. I swapped in the pump from the Frontier but it's only been good for several weeks itself. I've got the new pump on hand. Just gotta swap it.

The trailer is coming along well. It should be usable, but far from finished, for AW. The main thing is to get the top lifting and supporting the tent and it's occupants as well as the corner legs. If it wasn't for the truck's tire issues pushing that work up sooner then expected, I'm still expecting the lift system to be done before the end of May. I also need my trailer to be usable to help me move on July 1st. The trailer will get my old 32 MTRs from the Xterra now. In the end, the main thing I want to make sure is to take my sweet time and get it made and done right and how I want it, so what gets done gets done, and what doesn't get done this years will get done maybe next year, maybe the year after. Fuel tank will for sure make it on. I'd like to see an awing on it this year. Hopefully a begining of the storage box up front for AW. I was planning to go and take it to ALMS this year, but I was just made aware of a change of command that's happening that Friday and that we're specifically not allowed to take a holiday that day, so we'll see what a memo will do...

[Snafu]

Oh, yes, replace some parts that I have kicking around and never got to it like the rubber bushings on the rad and to add a separate tranny cooler (maybe temp gauge for the tranny too)

[Morpheus]

I put the truck on charge the other day, took it out of the garage tonight, let it run for a bit, gave it a quick wash.

I've still got a bearing from something howling from under the hood. I need to sort that out, still a left over issue from last summer's dunk.

[Scotto]

There's a list of things for the truck. I'm currently about half-way through replacing/remaking lower rocker guards. I've also patched some rust holes that emerged in the rear door. There's some cancer here and there on the truck, and have the metal and bondo to get it back to ship-shape. Just need the time. Also have new ball-joints for the tie-rods. I also have to track down some bushings for the idler arm. Lastly, the e-test is coming up, so I need some 2ndary cats to jam on there for the visual part of the inspection.

Scott

[Snafu]

Would doors from a fronty work? There are some up for grabs that are in Solar yellow

[Nd4SpdSe]

Apparently they are the same!

[Adam]

Surprisingly I have not found any rust "holes" yet but the few surface spots I do have bleed down the side and make it look like poop.

[Scotto]

By rear door I mean the hatch.


Sent from my iThingy.

[Simon]

There's a list of things for the truck. I'm currently about half-way through replacing/remaking lower rocker guards. I've also patched some rust holes that emerged in the rear door. There's some cancer here and there on the truck, and have the metal and bondo to get it back to ship-shape. Just need the time. Also have new ball-joints for the tie-rods. I also have to track down some bushings for the idler arm. Lastly, the e-test is coming up, so I need some 2ndary cats to jam on there for the visual part of the inspection.

Scott

Yours had secondary cats from the factory? Mine only has primaries. I figured yours being a 2000 as well, you'd be in the same boat.

[Simon]

Just did both ball joints on the drivers side of my truck. The passenger side had it's lower replaced a year ago, so I didn't touch it. Need to put skids on both trucks, and finish cleaning up Pezzy's bumpers so they can go on the new truck.

Both trucks need a good wash and wax, hopefully I have some time for that next week.

[Adam]

I forgot I even had skids...never got around to installing them!

[the x kid]

More lift and bigger tires.

[Scotto]

Simon - no there were no secondaries. I putting secondaries in it so that it has some cats.


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[Simon]

Gotcha. Proceed!

[Scotto]

Worse job ever. Getting the bolts out of the headers was brutal. As you know, very little access. And the secondary cat on the driver side wouldn't go in. Too much stuff in the way. Torsion bar. Drive shaft. Frame rails. Could have dropped the front drive shaft and/or the transmission cross member. Decided to cut the cat pipe and use a s.s. band wrap to reconnect the pipe.

All good now. Truck wonderfully quiet with better bottom end torque. The back pressure from the cats must help out a bit.

Quite a job.


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[Adam]

Those band clamps are great. That's what i used to re attach my Y pipe after cutting it during the trans swap.

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