Useless Information

[PG01]

Hope you get feeling better James.... eyes are kinda important... lol

Lil bit

 

[Tonyrodz]

Just filled up with 2nd tank of Chevron 93. First tank was at 18% alcohol content and averaged 14.8 mpg with mixed driving. Refueled down south, same fuel, and headed home. After sixty some miles the alcohol content settled down to 7% and pulled into the driveway with an 18.5 mpg average. Highest ever. Truck was about 6900 pounds loaded.

Spent two days fooling with the tires after the tire store bungled the rotation. That busted bolt is starting to affect the wear pattern on the steer axle.

Still having trouble with my eyeballs, still hurts to look at the computer screen and my phone. Got to have the Doc check them out.

Def get that checked out James!

 

[swathdiver]

Finished that last tank of fuel and ran the same again. Both tanks, from different stations, same brand and octane have a 7% alcohol content. Ran a little mileage test on the highway for about ten miles, the truck got 19.2 mpg @ 70 mph and 24 mpg and then 22 mpg on two different roads at 40 mph.

It's too inconvenient to run Chevron's fuel around here, they are the highest price and the stations are few and far between. Will probably switch back to Mobil and run 1 or 2 tanks of each octane rating and see what the mileage differences are. My daughter is doing the same with her little Kia and is fueling about 3X more often. That little car did really well on BPs 87 octane, so she'll test 89 and 93 from that brand and note the difference, if any too.

Then again, maybe not! I'll run mileage tests on this tank and do a data log for BlackBear and put her back on E85. It's about $.04 less per mile around here.

Anyhow, the truck averaged 14+ mpg on both of the last two tanks of Chevron's 93. The second included hours of idling, there were 4.5 hours more on that tank than the last. Every time my wife drives the truck lately, the memory seats don't work, throw codes for a seat motor sensor out of alignment or something. I'll have to clear it again and see what's going on.

My wife and Pete's went to the same driving school, she's equally adept at tanking the mileage! After coaxing it back up to 15 mpg with all that idling, she went shopping and came back with the light on and back to 14.1.

Well that's enough of useless random thoughts. Felt great to be back in Sunday School and Morning Service though I missed the Evening Service. After seeing the doctor in the morning I'll take the truck over to my buddy's barn and get that busted bolt out of the frame. Sayonara!

 

[Tonyrodz]

Finished that last tank of fuel and ran the same again. Both tanks, from different stations, same brand and octane have a 7% alcohol content. Ran a little mileage test on the highway for about ten miles, the truck got 19.2 mpg @ 70 mph and 24 mpg and then 22 mpg on two different roads at 40 mph.

It's too inconvenient to run Chevron's fuel around here, they are the highest price and the stations are few and far between. Will probably switch back to Mobil and run 1 or 2 tanks of each octane rating and see what the mileage differences are. My daughter is doing the same with her little Kia and is fueling about 3X more often. That little car did really well on BPs 87 octane, so she'll test 89 and 93 from that brand and note the difference, if any too.

Then again, maybe not! I'll run mileage tests on this tank and do a data log for BlackBear and put her back on E85. It's about $.04 less per mile around here.

Anyhow, the truck averaged 14+ mpg on both of the last two tanks of Chevron's 93. The second included hours of idling, there were 4.5 hours more on that tank than the last. Every time my wife drives the truck lately, the memory seats don't work, throw codes for a seat motor sensor out of alignment or something. I'll have to clear it again and see what's going on.

My wife and Pete's went to the same driving school, she's equally adept at tanking the mileage! After coaxing it back up to 15 mpg with all that idling, she went shopping and came back with the light on and back to 14.1.

Well that's enough of useless random thoughts. Felt great to be back in Sunday School and Morning Service though I missed the Evening Service. After seeing the doctor in the morning I'll take the truck over to my buddy's barn and get that busted bolt out of the frame. Sayonara!

Good luck with that bolt.

 

[swathdiver]

Well, that bolt is still in there. My buddy is a welder and the Grade 8 bolt would not take to having a nut welded onto it. Kept breaking off. So we searched around the shop for some 1/4" steel plate, found some, made it into a tab with a 3/8" hole drilled into it. He then welded the tab onto the end of the bracket and drilled a new hole into the frame and secured it with a self-locking nut and bolt. Done! We heated it up, whupped it with 5lb mallets and it was not wanting to come out. He just sent back his acetylene bottles or he would have burned/melted it out.

The left side bolts were not wanting to come out either. The little 10mm heads will snap off. We were wanting to drop the swaybar but had to leave it in place. Someday I'll get that all made right to my satisfaction. This works for now.

 

[swathdiver]

AAM, American Axle and Manufacturing. Came across their website looking to compile parts lists for my differentials. A few days later I see their stickers on my driveshafts and learn that they were the OE supplier for the differentials and driveshafts. The front driveshaft can be purchased new, u-joints, yokes and all for $175. Interesting stuff.

 

[HiHoeSilver]

AAM, American Axle and Manufacturing. Came across their website looking to compile parts lists for my differentials. A few days later I see their stickers on my driveshafts and learn that they were the OE supplier for the differentials and driveshafts. The front driveshaft can be purchased new, u-joints, yokes and all for $175. Interesting stuff.

Good find.

 

[swathdiver]

Took my girls into the woods where I used to hunt. KO2s pretty much negated the need for 4WD until we were faced with crossing a stream in a swamp. My kids tossed rocks into the water and said they could see them on the bottom. I kept asking about the black section and the elder of the two said she could see the bottom and her rock. A tracked vehicle had recently gone through this way so the kids hopped back in and I put the truck in 4HI.

Moved out cautiously but not too slow to get stuck, into the water she went, going good and the front end nose dives, water washes over the hood and onto the windshield! I hit the brakes and move the shifter so fast I stuck her in park and not reverse! Heart racing, my wallet is crying and I try to put her into reverse and jam the selector down into M5, screw it, and floor it, not knowing whether or not it was a good idea! The tires dug in and the nose came up and the truck powered right up and out of that crossing like nobody's business! Thank you Lord and GM Arlington!

I'm shaking, cussing, sorry Lord, and now on a 6 foot wide trail with a 7 foot wide truck. Warnings start buzzing, my daughter left her seatbelt off, whew! A message pops up on the DIC to check my trailer wiring! Motor a little shaky for a moment and then resumes purring like a kitten. Took about a mile of being beaten with branches to turn around. Kept going past where we sank and found a better crossing to get back to the main grade and over to my favorite campground to unwind and have some breakfast, heart still racing, hands still shaking.

My youngest was sitting next to me and her first thought when we nose dived was that the shovel we brought along was not going to save us! LOL

Before and After:

 

[Tonyrodz]

Took my girls into the woods where I used to hunt. KO2s pretty much negated the need for 4WD until we were faced with crossing a stream in a swamp. My kids tossed rocks into the water and said they could see them on the bottom. I kept asking about the black section and the elder of the two said she could see the bottom and her rock. A tracked vehicle had recently gone through this way so the kids hopped back in and I put the truck in 4HI.

Moved out cautiously but not too slow to get stuck, into the water she went, going good and the front end nose dives, water washes over the hood and onto the windshield! I hit the brakes and move the shifter so fast I stuck her in park and not reverse! Heart racing, my wallet is crying and I try to put her into reverse and jam the selector down into M5, screw it, and floor it, not knowing whether or not it was a good idea! The tires dug in and the nose came up and the truck powered right up and out of that crossing like nobody's business! Thank you Lord and GM Arlington!

I'm shaking, cussing, sorry Lord, and now on a 6 foot wide trail with a 7 foot wide truck. Warnings start buzzing, my daughter left her seatbelt off, whew! A message pops up on the DIC to check my trailer wiring! Motor a little shaky for a moment and then resumes purring like a kitten. Took about a mile of being beaten with branches to turn around. Kept going past where we sank and found a better crossing to get back to the main grade and over to my favorite campground to unwind and have some breakfast, heart still racing, hands still shaking.

My youngest was sitting next to me and her first thought when we nose dived was that the shovel we brought along was not going to save us! LOL

Before and After:

View attachment 204956 View attachment 204957

Sounds like an adventure.

 

[iamdub]

Time for a lift!