[AlbatrossCafe]

One side of my headlights would flicker and then instantly turn off. Replaced the ballasts and it fixed the problem.

 

[AlbatrossCafe]

New Firestik attachment:

New front shackles (one was lost):

New LED side marker lights:

 

[AlbatrossCafe]

Added LED Strip lights to the rear. The rear hatch light is weak and gets blocked by my stuff anyway. This will be a huge help for night skiing and camping. See post for more details: Rear Hatch Floodlight Idea.....

 

[eighty]

Are you actually using a CB?

 

[AlbatrossCafe]

Are you actually using a CB?

Yeah, when I can. I'll use it when running with other groups sometimes. I carry HAM, CB, and GRMS radios and never feel like I get to use one more than the other which is annoying. CB I mostly listen in when on the snowy mountain passes and traffic is a cluster F - truckers keep me updated to what is happening better than anything else

 

[JM303]

Yeah, when I can. I'll use it when running with other groups sometimes. I carry HAM, CB, and GRMS radios and never feel like I get to use one more than the other which is annoying. CB I mostly listen in when on the snowy mountain passes and traffic is a cluster F - truckers keep me updated to what is happening better than anything else

I’ve had the same experience. My CB has been a handy tool quite a few times while driving over mountain passes here in Colorado during storms. Truckers can be super helpful calling out real-time snow/road conditions.
Also, I might have to copy you LED strip mod for the back. Looks awesome and simple, specially helpful when night skiing.

 

[MTN]

Took my canoe mounts off the top. Decided it was probably time given that I haven't used my canoe since August of 2018 and won't until sprint 2020...


Here's how they held up.

http://imgur.com/Q5zqIXC

Also a couple pics on how the Dephep is holding up. I rarely carry stuff in it. Powder coat doesn't seem to be holding up well around the grate.

http://imgur.com/E3nEEHU

Under the canoe mount L-brackets:

http://imgur.com/3gxkdv9

Scrap it and get an expedition one rack that doesn’t rust.

 

[AlbatrossCafe]

Scrap it and get an expedition one rack that doesn’t rust.

Not quite worth the $1500 to save a few rust spots that even I at 6'2" never see

 

[AlbatrossCafe]

Saw this $6 storage solution I saw on here the other day for under the rear floor area: Portable Storage Case

It fits great. You could fit 2 for sure - not sure if 3 would work if you rotated the 3rd 90 degrees or something. I put my spare sensors, some spare nuts/washers & plastic push-rivets in there for now. There is still a ton of space. Great for sorting little parts like that. I'm sure I have more scattered around my X somewhere that I could put in here instead. And only $6?? No brainer!

 

[AlbatrossCafe]

OK, so I did a kind of "experiment" that did not turn out so well. I took the worst of my trail damage (which was starting to rust and flake off badly) and tried to stem the wound. I got a color match kit with primer, paint, and clear coat for my b-day a few years ago, so I gave it a shot. I didn't care too much about dents/scratches - more about just getting the color right and stopping rust. That area had some some my worst pinstriping as well, so I decided to do a bit more while I was at it.

The color turned out to match well and the paint is SMOOTH, but I couldn't quite get the shine of the original. IDK why. I did coats of clear coat and then tried to buff it out with sander & polish as instructed, but I couldn't quite get the clear layer. I figured "when it's dirty, no one will notice" but you still notice LOL. I think it's funny. It's just on the door so it could be worse... if I ever see a metallic green at the junkyard I'll harvest the doors for replacement. If I had to do it again, I would probably only paint over the worst rusted parts. The color match is good enough that in a small area like that it would be inconspicuous even without the clear coat being perfect.

You tell me what you think is worse, the before or after? haha

BEFORE:

AFTER (CLEAN):

AFTER (DIRTY):

 

[eighty]

That bottom edge is very abrupt.

 

[Brunnie]

And now you know why body shops paint the whole panel, or feather the paint from the damaged area into the good area.

 

[AlbatrossCafe]

That bottom edge is very abrupt.

And now you know why body shops paint the whole panel, or feather the paint from the damaged area into the good area.

haha yup ^^^

I'll see how it sits for a few days. Options like these from car-part are tempting.... can't imagine shipping is very nice though

 

[zanethan]

OK, so I did a kind of "experiment" that did not turn out so well. I took the worst of my trail damage (which was starting to rust and flake off badly) and tried to stem the wound. I got a color match kit with primer, paint, and clear coat for my b-day a few years ago, so I gave it a shot. I didn't care too much about dents/scratches - more about just getting the color right and stopping rust. That area had some some my worst pinstriping as well, so I decided to do a bit more while I was at it.

The color turned out to match well and the paint is SMOOTH, but I couldn't quite get the shine of the original. IDK why. I did coats of clear coat and then tried to buff it out with sander & polish as instructed, but I couldn't quite get the clear layer. I figured "when it's dirty, no one will notice" but you still notice LOL. I think it's funny. It's just on the door so it could be worse... if I ever see a metallic green at the junkyard I'll harvest the doors for replacement. If I had to do it again, I would probably only paint over the worst rusted parts. The color match is good enough that in a small area like that it would be inconspicuous even without the clear coat being perfect.

You tell me what you think is worse, the before or after? haha

BEFORE:

AFTER (CLEAN):

AFTER (DIRTY):

I am by NO means an expert in paining but in my experience you’ll never get paint to blend on a hard edge like that. A better way to go about it would have been to do the entire door. Even if it didn’t match it would have been significantly less obvious.

 

[IntellectualRedneck]

either do the whole door or use a heavier paper that you can curl and tape the rounded profile so you can feather the edges

 

[BlackbirdSR71]

Doesnt this just need some wet sanding - maybe a few - to take off some of that orange peel texture of the clear coat?

 

[AlbatrossCafe]

FWIW if you look at it from about 25 feet away through a leafless japanese maple you can't tell a difference

 

[AlbatrossCafe]

So when I got the new wheels end of last summer I paid $20 for some cheap black lug nuts off fleabay. They are already massively rusty. They were also getting stuck in my impact wrench... soft metal or something and every time I tried to take them off i would have to pry them out of the socket.

My OEM chrome ones have held up decently but the 21mm lug size didn't fit with the new wheels. So I ordered some "fancy" lug nuts. McGard supposedly makes some of the best - literally guaranteed not to rust, and they were 19mm size. Pretty pricey at about $100 for 28 of them, but I hope they will hold up for the rest of my ownership of this vehicle. It's subtle but I like the chrome lugs in the black wheels look.

 

[dmski]

Time for maybe a full wrap or something? You would be surprised on the shipping stuff. I recommend going through LKQ if you can find a paint matched door since they actually ship for free up and down the west coast if you can pick it up from one of their locations. I've done that for my front and rear diff's and it's worked our really well.

 

[AlbatrossCafe]

Did a pre-season check on my 4WD components, CV boots, etc. Listened for weird noises, checked for leaks. Cleaned up paint while I was at it. Only thing that is really outstanding is that my brake lines rub my tire at full lock (barely) because of how I put them so that they cleared the limit straps. I'm thinking it is OK since they hit so rarely...