musical axles...

["Mad Max"]

... so the old beater Ramcharger needs new axles and other running gear before the winter hits and so I'm out at the bone yard checking out my newly-aquired Dana 80 dually rear axle for the diesel and I ask the dude if he has any Ramcharger axles laying around and he says he has a Dana 60 rear and knows a guy with a Dana 60 front to which I say "hey that's cool" and then I'm heading home in the diesel and it hits me that I'm riding along on a nice fresh Dana 70 rear axle that'll bolt right up under the Ramcharger and it takes me about 1/2 second to determine the Ramcharger needs a Dana 70 under the back and then I call the bone yard dude to tell him that I'm going to put the Dana 70 under the Ramcharger and that I won't need the rear Dana 60 but that I still want the front Dana 60 to which he says "hey that's cool" and then I give my diff bubba a call to tell him that I'm going to bring him a Dana 60 front with 4:10's and another Dana 60 dually front with 3:54's that I need him to swap the gears and he says " hey that's cool" because he's already doing the checkout of the Dana 80 dually axle for me and then last night I order a bunch of early Christmas presents to the tune of a set of 4 Skyjacker Softride springs for the Ramcharger and a bunch of engine and other components and then I smile because the Ramcharger is also getting the fresh 727d transmission and associated NP205d x-case from my recently deceased power wagon and then I think that there's one thing that's not so cool and that is that in order to make this all work I have to take the diesel down permamently to steal the rear axle... but then I realize that that means I'll be starting the Big Honkin Project from Hell soon afterwards... and I think to myself... "hey, that's way cool. "



- S

 

[dan brooks]

I think we have a new record for the longest run-on sentence ever.

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That's cool.....



You're a heckuva lot more motivated than I am - I need to start sanding on the camper shell so I can paint it to match... and it's been off the truck and sitting on the back porch for about two weeks now.

 

["Mad Max"]

not sure which...

... I'm either really motivated or low on brain fluid... ... but it should all be a lot of fun! And today I'm getting estimates on having a heater hung in the ole shop, and that'll make working in the winter really... well, possible.

- S

 

[dpuckett]

I'd have thought all the hot air from the original post would have kept the shop warm for at least a month. :-laf Wow. GUess it is time to start thinking about heating in some parts of the world. WE're still in MAX A/C mode here- will be til Haloween. Sounds like you have your next several weekends planned out, Sam.



Daniel

 

["Mad Max"]

Hiya DP - How goze it?



Yeah we had some really cold weather a few days ago and Pikes Peak has snow on it - a sure sign that Fall is here - I bet we have snow within a month. I've been dealing with propane heaters forever and can finally do it right, and with a 33' x 36' shop the natural gas constant-temp heater is the only way to wrench. It'll cost between $2 - 3k for the complete install, but when I think about the 20* weather and 2' of snow packed up against the shop door, only to leap inside into the 72* oasis... yeah man. Besides, if I don't get the BHR (Big Honkin Rig) done by summer I'll miss the shows (specifically the Mopar Nats and Dyno Day '05 up at PDR) - and that ain't happnin'. Each trip is about 1500 miles each way, and I'm building an RV, so bring on that ole' blacktop!

But, need the Ramcharger ready for snow and ready to go before the real bombfest starts and I try not to do anything half-a$$ed, so that mini- project starts this week. I'll throw up some pics of the axle swaps (it's getting a 'diesel' axle so I guess that qualifies :-laf )

... no grass grows out here - I just trample it to death...

- S

 

[Paychk]

Wow termination dust already, I agree with Daniel about the A/C, by Halloween I might be doing the tune-up on the gas burner in the heater.

 

[Grey Wolf]

Have you considered using a Diesel fueled heater? My brother in law lives in Klamath Falls. OR and he put a #2 fueled heater in his shop (30x40) and he said it was way more efficient than the propane model. It was so much more economical that he was considering a change on the one in the house... ...

 

["Mad Max"]

I did actually think about a heater like that. The biggest issue for me is I needed a sealed unit and one that burns really clean. My neighborhood is pretty nice and I don't want to give the covenants folks anything to gripe about, and the sealed natural gas heaters are great because they don't have any exposed flame - way nice considering I'll be painting, etc.



72* inside when snowing and 10* outside = sooo nice :-laf