Brad & Jacolyn

I needed to have the pan resealed on the smart and was waiting to do it while we were at CARE the month of Nov. Ran into Roger and Kathy Moore at breakfast one morning and he told me that he needed to have his pan replaced and it was done locally. The place is called Moore Auto Sales (no relation to Roger). They did mine yesterday and the price was very reasonable. Now I will have to start changing the oil regularly instead of just topping off what was leaking out. Brad

Glad to hear that you are still going in the correct direction. A Jan. escape sounds like a good idea. We will be the the RGV at that time.

Time for an update on this thread. How are you guys doing lately. Hope all is well. Brad

That is so sad. It was a great piece of building (all scrap as I recall) and we had a great time at the tree house and Cec Burton even climbed to the top with me. And she is scared of heights. Wine tasting first may have helped. Sure glad we went when we did. Brad

Passed your regards around happy hour the other night. We are all rooting for you guys. There are about 12 of us here now. I would count for sure but it is cold outside and these darn big trucks are blocking the view from my window so I can't count for sure. Brad I would really like to see that C15 in the walker Dave.

Sorry you won't be here. 7 have arrived so far. Brad

Good luck to both of you. We pulled into Hutch today and there are 7 rigs here already. Pre rally happy hour at 4. Brad

If you are coming to Hutch it could become a project. I know at least one bad spot to drill a hole.

And that is a very elite social circle. We lost Ian last winter and I hope Izzy can fill it to maintain our spot in the circle. Dredd is rather particular. Brad

I have been happy with my Coachnet for 10 years and will keep them. The last time I needed them they towed both the HDT and rig still hooked together for 12 miles. I have found over the years switching something that I know works to something I don't know just to save a few bucks is just stress I don't need in my retired life. Brad

Save us a spot Phil. We will be there on the 7th also. Brad

I have used RV Trip Wizard for the last 2 years. I set one of the filters for big rig access and it only displays parks that list this. It was about $30 a year and you need the internet to use it. I have been pleased with it. Brad

You are building some typr of very heavy light that need caster to move them around.🤗

Jim I do not have the numbers from the fan. However, it was bought at O' Reilys auto parts and is a 12" fan they also have 10" fans but I went with the big one. The front end absolutely has to come off. Look up the directions online. It is not hard but a second person to help lift it off certainly helps. I removed the front end the first time in 45 minutes but I work slow and read directions. The second time it only took about 20 minutes because I knew what to do. Next tips. Do not cut off the plug from the original fan connection. If for some reason the job has to be done by a shop it is much easier to connect. Also be VERY careful where you drill holes for the bracket you build to hold the fan. There are lines running through the frame in places you would never guess. And when you hit one the shop will have to replace the evaporator also. Don't ask how I know this. Brad

I'll bet Mr. COB could build one but it would probably be hard on his new knee so he will need testers. Phil and I would volunteer. Brad

Glad to hear that you guys are recovering well. Keep up the PT and we will miss you at Hutch this year. Brad

I would put in 4 new batteries (dealer is generally the cheapest place to buy, believe it or not). I also added a battery minder to keep things topped off. There always seem to be current leaks that draw the batteries down.

Hi Auto shift, I have done this twice so here are your options. 1. Have the fan motor replaced. This is NOT a DIY job. It is a $300 part $400 in from the front of the car. Everything has to come off including the AC. And then everything has to go back together. Getting the front off is the easy part. That takes 45 minutes if you have never done it and 2 people to lift it clear. Not heavy just bulky. 2. Pull off the front end (have to do this either way). I did this. Then you get a pusher type fan and put it on the outside of the radiator. Unplug the fan motor and wire the the new one. Try very hard not to cut off the plug because if things don't work out they will need the plug to hook up the new fan. Now here comes the tricky part and I probably should not admit this but I'm over my embarrassment now. Everything went pretty well until I built the mounting brackets for the pusher fan. During this I APPARENTLY ran a screw through a line that is hidden inside the frame. I did not care for how some things set so I removed a screw and coolant started leaking out. SO, I ended up taking it to a shop and they had to replace everything (just like in option 1 above) plus the evaporator (I think that is the part). Everything works fine now. So, when I have to do this the next time (and there will be a next time) I'll just go straight to option 1 and pay the bill. Figure on about $1100. Brad

I would put a new muffler on and wish it well. Fastest solution and probably least expensive. Just my humble opinion but I can find lots of things to do that do not require crawling on the ground with a new back. Remember any pain you had before the surgery. Why mess with bringing that back. Brad

One other thing I can think of is the possibility of a thrown belt in the tire. Inspect the tires. The tread will not be straight if a belt is going.

I'm leaning toward a lost wheel weight OR something stuck on a rim causing out of balance. Can you isolate it to a specific wheel?

What is the secret Jim?

I put Diesel Kleen (in the gray bottle) in when I fuel. Have not had any injector problems since I started doing this faithfully. I don't know about lubricity but it is a cetane booster. I don't know for sure why the gray bottle instead of the white bottle but that is what my diesel mechanic brother in law said so I do it.

I don't know about weight but I know you can carry a new Splendide dryer in the back of a smart and close the hatch. Or a vari#200 dog crate and close the hatch.

I have been doing this for awhile now and I have talked to Leo's I know from several states. The general consensus is that unless we are doing something blatantly stupid they have enough work to do already without messing with us. Brad