Sam,

Man, that's one that still gets me to this day. I can deal with people but for some reason it's tougher with the dogs for me. Can't watch where the red fern grows, old yeller, marley and me, the list goes on. Take solace in the memories. God bless.

That monstrosity of metal has come full circle to look really good there Don. Well executed

Lots of horror story posts on the dmax forum about power steering pump issues. sudden loss of power steering and breaks due to shearing of pump shafts. I would inspect very carefully, as it doesn't seem to take much.

E locker no se existe ya. Eaton killed it a few months back since the H2 line is dead and they are no longer mass producing it for GM exclusively. There is also the fact that AAM changed the front design towards Don's style and upwards probably had a lot to do with it too, but if you can find an eaton e locker for a 9.25 ifs GM or solid axle 03+ dodge, buy it because I can't find them any anywhere.

That'll do it.  Glad it was after axle removal

Yes, inner tube seal directly against the bearing cap. Are you leaking now?

I went through this. I'm on 1.25 acres, but surrounded on 3 sides by untouchable ravine and forest, one small substandard plot about 1/4 acre, and 2.5 acres to the south that the owner has been trying to sell and develop since 1996. nothing has happened for him yet, but he tried to sell me the 1/4 acre behind me for $125k to "protect my view" of the Puget sound off my back deck. I did some research and found out he'd never be able to build more than a shed on that lot and height restrictions were in place as well.

I agree that trees are a better option than spending your money on something that will most likely not give your home any more value, nor safety/protection, or keep you from the urban sprawl that is most definitely headed your way. if you're looking at real privacy, Lombardy poplars grow 1-6 ft per year and top out around 40-50'. strong windbreaks that the apple orchard farmers in eastern WA have been using for years. or you could do like Gene Hackman did, 40 acre spread, surrounded on all sides by way to close together, way overgrown doug firs. His former home near my place has a helicopter landing pad, but you'd never know until the copter crested the tree line because they do such a great job breaking up sound. Almost impossible to see through them too.

Really happy for you Kyle. Coming along very nicely.

Been following your exploits on the DMAX forum for some time. Glad you made it over.

Well I did pull the trigger on some new wheels and tires. I went to an 18" rim with Toyo Open Country M/T 33X12.50R18.

I buy everything via the internet...truck, clothes, tools, etc... so why not wheels and tires. I ordered through rimzoneonline.com and they had no sales tax and free shipping. The price for the package was better than I could find locally even before taxes.

It took about ten days for them to get to MN from NC and when they shipped they didn't have my phone number included so I called the local carrier and picked them up at dock. I then dropped them off new at a local Royal Tire and had them siped. We will see if that was a good move or not but in the past I have siped my BFG AT's and they ran very nice. They also mounted them once done. So far so good.

I can't find any evidence of a lift on front and there is a 1 1/2" block under the leaf in the back so not sure if that is stock. Anyhow they rub when I turned. Not bad but just annoying. So I modified the wheel wells and plastic inner liner and now they are fine unless I am turning and hit a big hole where the front drops heavy.

Sooo the reason for the post. I know have 2600 miles on them. They seem fine so far. They are much more wobbly side to side than my BFG's were but I'm not sure whether that is due to siping or just the tread design.

New they come with 16.7mm of tread depth. After the 2600 miles the fronts now have 15mm and the rears have 13mm. I know new tires will wear faster than older ones but that seems like a lot. I'll keep track but I was hoping to get at least 40K miles out of these. I rotate every 5K miles.

I'll let you know how they wear. It is all daily driver stuff on asphalt. I'm old so I'm not very heavy on the right foot (don't want to waste the money) so I don't think that is it.

Sidewall stiffness is a cost cutter. it's cheaper and easier to layer the nylon in the same direction than diagonally cross it, but you could be experiencing the difference between GM hub-centric wheels vs. aftermarket lug centric which is normal. That type of wear is typical for the first 1000 miles or so until the rubber tempers. it should slow down considerably especially since you siped them, which increases efficiency of heat dispersal. Tires breakdown from heat and friction, but temper just like other materials and depending on the recipe, silica content etc. do so at different rates. after your 1st 5k rotation note the tread depth and again on the following rotation. You started off with 16.668mm or 21/32" tread depth. min depth is 4/32" at the wear bar, an avg of your tread loss between the two rotations should give you your life span pretty accurately, as tread wear increases exponentially the closer you get to the 4/32" mark. Less lug height = less airflow = greater heat retention.

I'm betting the rate you're losing tread drops off sharply after the first 5k.

Just make Ken do it! ;)

No joke there JR. When I got it off it was cocked in there holding on for dear life. good things the inner snap rings on the stub shafts are all but impossible to remove and the cv boot wasn't torn.

Last weekend I took the family over the mountain pass again camping in the trailer. Everything was status quo, including the typical roaring from the one off brand tire I had yet to change out. (more on this later) Temps were under 200trans and 210water thanks to Nate, and we all had a great time with no injuries excluding Cooper banging his head off a rock down at the river. (he's a lab though, so rock on rock?). About 10 miles from home the "tire noise" mysteriously went away, and was replaced by an odd rumble every time I would hit a bump. Now I'm white knuckled but trying not to concern the family because my gut is down in my shoes. I knew it was a bearing. I talked about it being the bearing and I allowed myself to be convinced by some idiot that the tire was the culprit and traveled 5 times now with the trailer and family on a failing bearing. God followed me home all those trips, and this last Sunday, because we made it without incident to the house, parked the trailer, the noise even went away. I still wasn't listening to his warnings and decided it was good enough to make it into town to buy a new bearing, and drive it 40 miles to work to install it the next day. I was wrong. about 1 mile from the parts store God saw fit to slap me back into reality when the wheel almost fell off the truck. we were able to limp it into a parking lot but the only thing holding that sucker together was the cv boot and the spindle nut, as I could make out shiny new metal as the hub assembly was separating. I was sick to my stomach, didn't eat much the next day either, thinking about all the times I was doing 70mph with the trailer and the family and what could have happened. I know HE was taking care of my stubborn butt, (more likely watching after my family even though I was ignoring his influence) and I have been doing some heavy thankful prayer and asking forgiveness for my pride. Got a new bearing on her last night and good as new, but that shook me up pretty good.

Underhood welders are handy, gas powered welders in the back of a pickup are even handier. In a pinch some quality jumper cables and a few welding rods and some borrowed equipment batteries, also works quite well.

confirmed ;)

The simple truth.

I touched on it briefly on the back to school thread but in keeping with some semblance of a standard I'll update here instead of DOT'ing up the other thread ;)

Sam is still without computer, phone, car or friend privileges for the time being. He has not argued or had a bad attitude throughout this entire ordeal, in fact, he has been very mature. My stepfather who has been another mentor to him had a good hear to heart with him. He's a strong Christian and computer/tech guy from Microsoft who Sam really looks up to. (His paternal grandfather and biological father are out of the picture, and his maternal grandfather is Egyptian, [Christian orthodox, not muslim]. My father has as much trouble relating to him as he did with me so they don't have much to talk about other than football.) After that conversation Sam was very open with us about wanting to hang out with this new kid because he thought he was cool etc etc. We actually had a conversation with this kid and his parents that went pretty well, but I still don't trust him or their judgment.

Sam had a pretty rough moment last night, Sophie and I were sitting on the couch as she was telling me about her day as little ones do, and he and Cyndie were in the next room. She talked about her kitties and Sam taking her outside to play on the swings all day and then mentioned that he must not be sick anymore because he didn't vomit. She then proceeded to tell me about how he got sick all over his shoes and his pants, that his hands were red from icky stuff and was really sick the other day. Then she said, "that's what happens when someone drinks too much alcohol, but daddy's don't do that right, just brothers." I choked up a little and explained to her that no, brothers aren't supposed to do that, but he made a bad choice and that's what happened to him. She listens and hears everything around her. I was pretty saddened that we hadn't shielded her better, but he was more upset. I could hear noise from the next room and it was Sam with his head in his mommy's lap sobbing. He had heard her and it gutted him. When he calmed down he gave us all big hugs and instead of the "sorry" I had been hearing he said "thank you". He told Sophie that he was sick because he made a bad choice and said he should have listened to us and for her to always listen to us. She just responded with, "ok, can I brush your hair?" It was nice to get a laugh out of the whole situation and we definitely felt closer after it.

We have been making a point to have dinner together and have no electronics, parents and 4 year olds included and we have had great conversations about everything, ranging from what his friends are up to, what his school goals are, job interviews etc. I'm keeping a close eye out. He'll have driving privileges for interviews or school related functions coming up, but his behavior and attitude will determine the length of his restriction. I'm still praying about this, and when HE tells me it's going to be ok I'll feel better about it.

Thanks all for your support and insight here.

Preach on brother. I had initially wanted to teach music when I was a fledgling, but saw that part of education rapidly being removed from the curriculum and at the same time realized that I had a talent for making friends with total strangers and therefore a great leg up in sales. Higher pay won out over higher education, but these days should I lose my job I have nothing to fall back on. My truly valued teachers and mentors, many of which I am still in contact with to this day actually talked me out of a career in education as I believe they saw the future and it wasn't bright. All of the teachers I had respect for retired shortly after I graduated in '99, so they were part of the old system that actually gave a crap about educating students, not shoving them up through the system to achieve numbers worthy of federal funding. Students today are as you stated, starting out dumber and leaving dumber than previous generations, and I for one will not allow that to happen to mine.

Sam successfully completed a computer tech program through running start early college class this last school year and will apply for grants, loans and scholarships and work for 1/3rd the cost of his tuition. His collective grand parents will provide him with another 3rd and we will pay for the last 3rd. Providing he maintains his grades/employment we will continue this until he has graduated. My stepfather has worked for Microsoft for 20+ years and has taken him under his wing as well and has advanced his knowledge and understanding of that field above what most of his college level interns are at, so he has a good head start. Most of his peers are already on the fast track to lifelong careers at Mac & Don's steakhouse or Wallyworld, and he's taking notice. Last weeks extra curricular activities and the subsequent conversations he has had with us, and multiple friends and family members has enlightened him to the path he was starting to take and an about face seems to have taken place. I plan to report here to his continued success and lean on you all for insight and help as well.

It takes a village, but it's better to pick the smarter village. 

I don't have any housings, but 1993 working back to 1975 with INTERNAL locking hubs w250/w350 are ideal, and 1991-1977 gm will work as well. external selectro hubs are no bueno, just ask JR. Norm, aka " Ol'Kooter" might be able to hook you up w/ std internal type hubs to convert if you find a deal on the external type hubbed axle, given his dana treasure trove. nothing particularly wrong w/ the selectros, they just aren't in production anymore and you can't put anything else on there.

D70 closed knuckle front dodge isn't desirable per say, but to a powerwagon fanatic that wants to resto w/ factory parts they are priceless. check the powerwagon forums for fishing expeditions and get a good feel for real market value before you undersell.

where are you at? I have a lot of distributors all over that may have housings for you.

Great picture.  I always feel like I need to shave my tongue the morning after a cigar....

Thanks, sent that one into their facebook page and they posted it for a few days!

I hear ya on the tongue shaving thing... always wake up looking for the cat that used my mouth for a litter box. Started my scotch drinking with my best man. He was with 3rd ID engineer. 1st deployment was Fallujah in 2003 where he fell off his armored transport and destroyed his shoulder and got med boarded out. Has some pretty bad survivors remorse. Got him a bottle of 21 yr laphroaig when he got back. Not quite on back to school topic, but definitely my go to for back to school stress.

There are plenty of people out there looking for that closed knuckle 70 for resto projects that would pay a pretty penny if it's in good shape, but I would not run that with any confidence for a usable axle. I would look for an 8 lug 93 and older d60 front out of a w250 or w350 or a 78-79 ford 60 high pinion. If you have to fab up mounts anyway, now would be the time to do some transplant surgery. Parts are difficult to source and no aftermarket HD components are available at all. Other than that, I would look for frame deterioration, cracks etc at the stress points if there was body rust that had already been dealt with. You never know what someone has overlooked or is hiding. Really great vehicle to mod up in my opinion.

I'm thinkin along the lines of Ken here; sudden loss of functionality on temp guage, ac and heater. sounds electrical in the dash, possibly harness, but if the baffles aren't moving on the heater you're only getting ambient air temp. if there is bad connection to the AC controls, compressor won't kick on, and even if it does kick on, if the truck still thinks your temp control setting is at 70+ it's not going to blow cold air.

Turn the AC on, set the temp controls to coldest setting and look for engagement of the compressor. If no worky, check the electrical at the controls. if it kicks on but no change in temp, look at the climate controls. I had a VW that blew hot air even in the dead of winter with the ac on, compressor spinning, and climate at it's coldest setting. the connection on the back of the control unit was corroded and no longer made contact.

I can tell you that is why I received my little girl. Whenever I get upset she just straight up tells me what the Lord has been trying to; "you know dad, I don't like it when you talk angry, you only have to talk nice to me". Cuts straight to the heart. Then I get a big hug.

so tonight we have grilled chicken, grilled vegetables (zucchini, home grown tomato's, red and green bell peppers, home grown jalapeño's and Cajun peppers and fresh corn on the cob along with garlic and onions) and to finish the plate off we have some short grain brown rice.

That is one seriously clean grill! Looks delicious buddy.

I have 3 sisters. My Dad worked 2-3 jobs at any given time and mom was sweet but naïve. When the senior basketball team captain asked my freshman sister, who he didn't even really know, to homecoming, I was instantly on guard. This is in October for us, and Dad an I were prepping for an early morning departure over to Banks lake, potholes area of Coulee City for some serious waterfowl and upland hunting when he showed up to take her to the dance. I was legitimately putting the 870 back together after stripping it down for a once through as it had been a full off season since I shot it last, I really wasn't trying to be intimidating, just worked out that way. I asked him where they were going to dinner, and he struggled to remember the name. Asked if he was buying dinner and he said, "well we were thinking about going dutch". I racked the slide and set it down; "I don't really think my 15 year old sister should be paying for dinner do you?" My dad quietly chuckled. "well no, I guess you're right that would be weird." I pointed out that she had an 11:00 curfew to which he responded, "but the dance isn't over until midnight..." "guess you guys should leave around 10:30 then to make sure you're not late?". She was dropped off at 9:30, and didn't speak to me for a week. Turns out as soon as they got to the dance he ditched her for some other hapless girl and wound up with a statutory rape charge. (His Ritchie Rich country club parents' lawyer beat the charge). As much grief as I caught for it with my sister it was worth every bit of it.

Thanks Nate. I learned about 4 years ago that yelling and screaming doesn't work as he just shuts down and doesn't hear anything anyway. We've had a lot of success with honest conversations, treating him like an adult lets him feel like I'm not just coming down on him because he's a boy and he respects me a lot for that. I've been his dad since he was in kindergarten; his biological father was/is a disaster of hard drugs, violence, (to his mother and others), crime, and alcohol abuse on the more extreme side. He views me as his actual father for sure, and he does actually listen to and respect me, which is why this is so out of character and painful for me. We'll go for a drive, and probably swing by the cemetery where 4 of his friends are buried, one just 4 months ago, all drug and alcohol related. I plan on sitting down there with him and having a little prayer together over his good friend Colton, asking God to watch over them both. Colton had some bad depression, and we as a community failed him miserably. He started isolating himself got into heavy drugs and drinking moonshine and took his own life. It resonated with Sam pretty hard as well as the rest of us. I think a good reminder of that, and a good bonding moment with me will do him good.