Pulled the Mustang out today to shuffle around some things in the garage. I took it out for a drive last weekend so it fired up easily today. I noticed my reverse lights are always on, so I’ll have to check that out. It looks so much better outside than it does inside the garage.
License plates for the Mustang showed up today! Resolving the title issues took 4 months, getting actual plates took another three, as there was a COVID shutdown that delayed plates being made. Even though I have the title, once I put real plates on a car, that’s when it feels like it’s mine.
I’m also planning on picking up some vintage stamped 1968 Colorado plates.
My first stage of prep for the Mustang is to get the garage in order. I’m going to install additional lighting and clean up the clutter that’s leaning against the walls. It’s also time to fashion up a workbench.
A month or so ago, I decided that I needed a father/son outing. I had never been to the Shelby Museum in Boulder, so that seemed like a good destination. Of course, after we returned home, he broke out the Ford GTs and GT40 Hot Wheels cars we have, played Forza Motorsports, and asked if we could watch Ford vs Ferrari that night. One of the employees at the museum mentioned the movie. He held it together in front of me when Ken Miles died, but LOST it when he went to tell mom goodnight.
Anyway, we've made some future car plans, the Denver Auto Show at the end of March, and potentially a trip to Mecum in April.
I don't mind if a box is, say, retaped and everything inside is perfectly new. What I do mind is when it arrives and the packaging is filthy/grease stained, the bag inside the grease stained box is opened, and the small loose parts that are supposed to be in the bag with the large part are AWOL.
The pitman arm itself is fine, although there was grime in the splines. But it's missing the castle nut and cotter pin. Order was from NPD, which usually is pretty solid. Yes, I can go pick up the pieces I need , but when I pay new parts prices, it should come intact.
Man, this picture feels like a lifetime ago.
That Miata sure was a fun ride. I'd take it back, it had some pretty decent suspension bits on it. Some more Miata pics...
My vinyl wrapped door.
Base model Tundra! Woo!
This was a job made much more difficult than it should’ve been by online vendors. I should note that both vendors (NPD and Speedway) are pretty week regarded, for the most part. First, NPD sent the dirty and missing hardware restocked pitman arm. They basically told me to pound sand when I complained.
Next up, Speedway sent me a steering box that had also been restocked. Not only was it a restock, it was flat out the wrong one. Someone repackaged the incorrect steering box in the correct box for my year car. I received one with a 1” sector shaft, when I should’ve received one with a 1 1/8” sector shaft. Ugh. Thus, I had to have another one sent to me, and send the original order back. The new one I received was the correct one, but it had also had been a return, judging by “Steph’s Steering Box” written in sharpie on the side of the packaging. What does it take to actually receive a NEW item from an online vendor??
Fast forward to this morning, and finally with all of the right parts at my disposal (as well as a 1 5/16” socket needed for the pitman arm nut), I finally got what was supposed to be a fairly straightforward project complete!
The end result is that I now have a Mustang that steers as it should, with no slop in the wheel. My son and I took it out this afternoon for its longest voyage yet. It still needs plenty of work, but now I can mark the steering system and braking system as finished. Previously, I had already replaced the idler arm, tie rod ends, etc, so everything from the steering box to the wheels is new. Brakes are new from the master cylinder to the wheels. I guess steering isn’t complete, as I do need to replace the 13” steering wheel with an OEM style 15”.
Happy Saturday, folks! It’s a wonderful 84 degree day here right now, so time to enjoy the rest of the afternoon outside.
I’ve been tossing around the idea for a few weeks of replacing the 4Runner with an FJ Cruiser. I eventually convinced myself (and the family) that if I found a manual transmission, Army Green FJ with less than 100k on it, and under $30k, I would probably buy it.
The Toyota gods have called my bluff. Well, almost, it has just over 100k on it. But Toyota’s last forever and run great with nothing but a belly rub, right? Right! So I’ve got a green FJ in the driveway, right? No. No, I do not. I even (gulp) contacted the dealer and now have to deal with that spam, but man, I was SERIOUS when I asked them if it was still available!
But then I started thinking, which is seldom a good thing. First, my wife’s vehicle. It has become the defacto in-laws’s vehicle as my mother in law recovers from her stroke. It’s the easiest vehicle for her to get in and out of. Which then means that the 4Runner is the family vehicle. A smaller vehicle, with impractical rear doors isn’t the best move right now. Even if it’ll save a little bit of money. Besides, I already have the other toy I need to tinker with in the garage already.
That’s a big long way to say, I think the 4Runner is “it”.
Scrolling through some old pictures and liked this one of the Cougar. G’night, y’all.
My father in law came over yesterday with his rather nice 1997 T100. I don’t love the wheels that are on there, but he does still have the original wheels somewhere. The Toyota is his daily driver. His summer driver is a manual transmission 1982 Mercedes 280ce.
@bicyclebuck said in If You Had to Buy a New Car and Drive It for 20 Years, Which Would You Pick?:
@huzer said in If You Had to Buy a New Car and Drive It for 20 Years, Which Would You Pick?:
Youth sports! I signed my son up for a spring hockey team. Two nights a week. Until they added a third night. And, by golly, look, the kids love to play games, too, so the coach managed to find two (or three!) games this weekend.
I was sooooo happy when my kids decided that youth sports weren't for them. The turning point was when my daughter was invited to join a traveling soccer team. Their range included all of Louisiana, part of Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Too. Much. Travel. All for a sport she probably wouldn't be good enough in to get a college scholarship. Academics or sports. She chose academics.
As long as my son still likes it and is having fun, I'm good. He's still at an age where he's going to make the NHL, be a rock star, a race car driver, and a zoologist. Thankfully, his hockey team is in a competitive league, but his coach doesn't push or want out of state travel.
@davesaddiction said in If You Had to Buy a New Car and Drive It for 20 Years, Which Would You Pick?:
Good choice (if you can live with the face).
I like the idea of slowly building up my Tacoma into a super-capable & -functional camping rig over the course of our ownership. Looking forward to having more time for that once we're out of the youth sports phase. Ha!
The gaping maw isn't the best look, but admittedly, I don't find the face of the 4Runner particularly attractive. Darker colors hide it a little better. I do really like the overall shape/profile of the vehicle. At least once you're sitting inside, that front grill doesn't matter.
Youth sports! I signed my son up for a spring hockey team. Two nights a week. Until they added a third night. And, by golly, look, the kids love to play games, too, so the coach managed to find two (or three!) games this weekend.
I'd like to build up the 4Runner a bit as well, if I didn't have a project Mustang begging for more attention. My wife keeps asking when I'm going to sell the 4Runner to help augment the Mustang budget. Selling the 4Runner isn't a requirement, it would just help speed up the process.
@davesaddiction At this exact second, a Gladiator. Manual, I fit, it can be fun. I can see tiring of one though, so...
Lexus GX460.
@davesaddiction I've been tempted to go in the other direction with the 4Runner, and use that equity to get into a nearly new Land Cruiser. If I did that, I'd have my 20+ year car. I just can't stomach putting that much money into a vehicle though.
@whoistheleader Now I get to feel the stock suspension/tires again! I prefer the suspension on mine. It's basically just stock+, since I didn't go with anything crazy.
The 4Runner went to the dealership today for the low pressure fuel pump recall. So I guess (hope) this is one of the few times I can say that the 4Runner is in the shop. When I made the appointment, they told me since it was a half day job, I did got a free rental. Woohoo! So, what will I get? Even a Yaris, Corolla, Camry would just be something different to drive.
No, I get a blue SR5 4Runner. Not a Premium, so it's missing some stuff that mine has, and I don't think the interior "updates" for the 2020+ models has done much updating. The screen is larger, but still looks dated, and the instrument cluster looks older than mine, other than some updated graphics in the little center panel between the two gauges.
My son will be disappointed. He asked me to take a picture of the rental car since he'll be in school and though he'd miss out on seeing it if I was able to pick up mine before school lets out.
Meanwhile, since I can't figure out what I'd replace my 4Runner with if I took some of the crazy dealership offers, I guess it's staying put. There are some interesting FJ Cruisers out there, but my wife is not a fan of them at all.
@grindintosecond Seems like a perfect time for me to run the gas tank nearly to E on the 4Runner. I'm bringing it in tomorrow for the fuel pump recall, and they asked if I could try to have the tank at less than 1/4.
I liked the steelies on my Civic. That's one cheap car I'd definitely take back.
@rusty-vandura In CO, these are going for $15-20K with 120k miles and up. And I'm contemplating getting one!
