All in all things went pretty well last week. I will break it down section
by section..
Edelbrock Shocks:
I'd say I'm pretty happy with them. Especially for $20 each (I got the
discontinued Twin Tube line, on clearance from Summit). They took a little
bit of the edge off the ride, and when combined with the 31" tires it rides
decent for a short wheelbase 4x4 with cranked torsion bars. I used Durango
shocks out back (#20179) and 86-95 Toyota pickup shocks in front (#20104).
The front shocks are a tad short, at full droop they are compressing the top
bushings pretty well but at that point the control arm is smashing the bump
stop down as well. Backs went in pretty easy, axle end bolted right up and
frame side worked when I put the cross bar from the old shocks in with a
section of PVC wrapped around it (cross bar is smaller than bushing ID).
Eventually I want to get rid of the PVC with something better but it works
for now. Fronts bolted right up when I swapped the metal sleeve from the
upper mount of the rears to the lower mounts on the fronts.
Performance Accessories 2" Body Lift:
Went on pretty quickly, had the bumpers pulled and cab/bed lifted in about 3
hours working casually (impact wrech helps a lot here). What took some time
was drilling the front bumper brackets, but it payed off in the form of
being more or less perfect in the first shot bolting it up. The rear bumper
was raised about an inch or so from stock by some loosening bolts and
adjusting brackets (my friend did this while I was working on the front, not
sure exactly what he did to be honest). I plan on working the brackets some
more to get it all the way up to where it used to be, but where it is at
works because it doesn't look *too* goofy with my duals. As far as they go
it looks like the pipes after the cat could be cut and adjusted up without
trouble. I'll have to take it to my exhaust guy sometime and see what he
thinks. Gas filler neck worked just fine, no tight wires, all in all smooth
sailing..well except for the radiator. Fan didn't clear the tranny cooler
lines so we decided it could be tipped towards the engine as a temporary fix
until I get the Viper fan in. Worked fine for a couple days, until I was
driving down the road, minding my own business when these bikini-clad
volleyball girls having a car wash just had to catch my eye and keep me from
noticing the lady pulling out in front of me. Emergecy stop, wheels locked,
engine shifts forward and the fan eats the radiator. Right in front of the
aforementioned bikini clad volleyball girls. Not only embarassing,
expensive! I got a new radiator and changed it in the parking lot of the
car wash. Fun fun. Now my belt squeals like crazy and my idler pulley
bearing is making death noises as well. Even more $$. Looking back I
should have had AAA tow me home and had my radiator repaired or
re-cored..but at least I have a radiator out of truck to fit my Viper fan
to, hopefully less down time when that gets ready to go in.
Clear Lenses:
Look good. Friend #3 put those together while myself and friends 1 and 2
worked on the lift, can't comment on the installation but it must have been
cake as he was done in 5 minutes and they seem to fit well.
EGR Group Fender Flares:
These things fit great. Installation isn't bad either. Their "No Drill"
claim is about 40% true, but they include screws and even a drill bit for a
screw on install. I got the best fit using the clip on hardware at the top
of the arches and just used screws at the bottom ends. Fit tight, no gaps.
And they're pretty tough little buggars...I'm not going to admit I crushed
the box by half driving over them while trying to get to the tire shop
before they closed to (surprise surprise) get my tires on. I will admit
they bend before breaking, and that none are broken. And for $150 I'm
extremely happy.
Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo:
These tires look great. And if they are the vast improvement over the last
Dueler A/T that I had on a truck a while ago they will be supremely awesome
tires. Right now about all I can say is they are about as quiet as the
Goodyear Eagle ST's that came on my wheels.
Viper fan should be going in within a week or two, the LED's will be here in
a couple days, and I am working on getting a web site up for pictures and
such. Now I need to get some shut eye so I can go to work and pay for all
this crap..
Travis
'92 Dak 5.2 4x4
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