Growing up doesn't have to suck

[Fless]

Anyone hit an eagle?

No, but I did get three pheasants in one shot in my Datsun 510. One went under, one hit the grill, and the third hit the windshield. My buddy Larry (RIP) was sitting in the passenger seat and just about had a heart attack! We laughed about that for a long time afterward.

 

[wjburken]

Anyone hit an eagle?

My wife took out a turkey once. Had feathers wedged under the trim above her windshield. Looked like a native american's headdress when she pulled into the drive. She was not sharing in my humor at the time.

I took out a group of turtle doves with my 2002 Silverado 5 days after I bought it. Busted some of the mounting clips on the grill. I took it to the dealer and the owner who is a family friend said "looks like a warranty issue" and got the grill replaced for free.

 

[Tonyrodz]

Anyone hit an eagle?

Hit a bat, got stuck in my grill. No damage tho.

 

[swathdiver]

Hit a bat, got stuck in my grill. No damage tho.

In 1990 we had a bat fly into the grill of our F-SuperDuty. We could hear him screaming for a while and when we got the truck stop he was dead. Still have his face seared into memory, scary! We have a lot of bats around the house but only see/hear them after dusk as they fly off to the bridges for the night.

We were in two vans heading down a two lane road north of Okeechobee city about 25 years ago doing 55 or whatever the speed limit was back then. Up ahead was a small dead gator in the middle of the road being feasted on by a couple of turkey vultures and this female eagle. As we approached, the vultures took off first and she was slow to alight and hit the windshield of the first van and flipped end over end and landed on the road as we came to a crash stop. We put some work gloves on and grabbed a sandbag and brought her into the truck and then back to camp. Someone went next door to a farm and called the Audubon Society. They came out with the game warden and took her to the hospital where she was euthanized because of internal injuries.

A few years later I was leaving a friends house late at night and came around a blind curve in my Buick at a good clip and took out a whole family of raccoons. They came right out in front, nothing I could do, felt really bad about that.

My wife took a rabbit right between the wheels on a road not far from the house one night. Every time we go down that road I yell out to the kids to be on the lookout for a rabbit with a reverse mowhawk!

 

[Tonyrodz]

In 1990 we had a bat fly into the grill of our F-SuperDuty. We could hear him screaming for a while and when we got the truck stop he was dead. Still have his face seared into memory, scary! We have a lot of bats around the house but only see/hear them after dusk as they fly off to the bridges for the night.

We were in two vans heading down a two lane road north of Okeechobee city about 25 years ago doing 55 or whatever the speed limit was back then. Up ahead was a small dead gator in the middle of the road being feasted on by a couple of turkey vultures and this female eagle. As we approached, the vultures took off first and she was slow to alight and hit the windshield of the first van and flipped end over end and landed on the road as we came to a crash stop. We put some work gloves on and grabbed a sandbag and brought her into the truck and then back to camp. Someone went next door to a farm and called the Audubon Society. They came out with the game warden and took her to the hospital where she was euthanized because of internal injuries.

A few years later I was leaving a friends house late at night and came around a blind curve in my Buick at a good clip and took out a whole family of raccoons. They came right out in front, nothing I could do, felt really bad about that.

My wife took a rabbit right between the wheels on a road not far from the house one night. Every time we go down that road I yell out to the kids to be on the lookout for a rabbit with a reverse mowhawk!

Since the eagle is federally protected, you could actually be charged with a crime for hitting an eagle. Accident or not. Not even allowed to possess a feather--unless your Native American and you're using it for a ceremony or part of traditional dress.

 

[RMBX]

Had a few hours to work on it today. First, I did some quick testing on the Air lift bags. I measured the amount of lift at certain air pressures, from floor to fender-

0psi: 33 3/8"

5psi: 33 1/2"

35psi: 34 1/4"

I tested both bags at the same time since one side would affect the other approximately 50% (tested and confirmed this). My Tahoe sits level, within 1/16" left-to-right so these measurements apply to both sides (also tested and confirmed).

Hey dub, Impressive build thread! I'm waiting for parts and was reading about your Auto Level mod with the Airlift 1000. Did the stock air compressor shut off before reaching the 35psi max? I'd like to copy your idea!

 

[swathdiver]

Since the eagle is federally protected, you could actually be charged with a crime for hitting an eagle. Accident or not. Not even allowed to possess a feather--unless your Native American and you're using it for a ceremony or part of traditional dress.

That's why the game warden came out. My boss at the time, when he found out the bird had to be euthanized, asked for the tail feathers and claws and they said no of course.

 

[wjburken]

In memory of your old signature photo.

 

[Tonyrodz]

In memory of your old signature photo.
View attachment 246445

Is that @iamdub's Hoe? Looks good I heard it's a real dumpster "Don'cha know"

 

[iamdub]

Hey dub, Impressive build thread!

Thank you!

I'm waiting for parts and was reading about your Auto Level mod with the Airlift 1000. Did the stock air compressor shut off before reaching the 35psi max?

No. AFAIK, it's controlled by the height sensors. It'll run to pump air into the sleeve bags on the shocks until the vehicle is level again. At 100+ psi, it should be able to lift the rear to level as long as it's not loaded beyond capacity. There may be a pressure switch that will shut it off at a preset max psi, but that pressure would still be about five times what the Airlift bags can hold. The Airlift bags aren't designed to "grow" much, at least nowhere near what the factory sleeve bags are. The sleeves are all about growth and can expand upward about 5-6 inches. What I'm trying to accomplish involves careful monitoring and experimenting with the very limited amount of growth from the Airlift bags. If it can be made to work, it would be under very tight tolerances. I'm not 100% ready to throw in the towel, but I can say for sure that if you're not lowered and are open to other options, consider those instead.

I'd like to copy your idea!

Ehh. I'd have to recommend otherwise. It was looking like a lost cause from the beginning but I already had the Airlift bags and saw a minuscule ray of light, so I had to at least investigate for myself.