What did you do to your SMB today?

[Marco W]

My radio reception is poor (aftermarket stereo, works great otherwise) so I pulled the stereo head to check the antenna cable connection. I also unscrewed the factory exterior antenna mast to check the cable connection there. Everything was OK so i cleaned up the bit of rust on the mast threads and reinstalled with dielectric grease. Radio reception was modestly improved but not great. Next step is to check the stereo head ground to see if that is solid. If that doesn’t fix it, who knows.

No pics of this boring work so here is a pic of my dog in the van instead.

[BrianW]

What make of stereo? Some brands have better reception than others (e.g., Pioneer vs Sony).

[Marco W]

Alpine CDE-136BT

[Steve C]

What to do with a Ruenel cargo basket? I've been pleased with the versatility of my cargo basket overall, I've built a chainsaw specific box that allows two five gallon jerrys to ride alongside or just leave it open to haul an ice chest/storage boxes/firewood. The latest variation allows me to secure my Honda generator out of the elements and away from "interested" parties.

I started out with a semi-fluid plan and worked out the details as I progressed...

- The box is constructed out of 3/4" marine grade plywood (heavy but sturdy)
- Applied Raptor liner to the exterior to make it look metal and for protection
- Door hinges, latches, handles and interior hinged shelf are marine grade stainless steel
- Inside treated with exterior grade polyurethane
- Wrapped door opening with weather stripping
- Drilled partial thickness holes for the "legs" of the generator to sit in to reduce movement
- Added tie down points for straps for the generator and rotopax fuel container.
- Added hinged shelf above the generator for extra storage
- Still in the works - having an additional basket welded up to mount on top of the box for more storage.
- Mounted the box's door facing the rear of the van. With the Ruenel swing away basket there is a spot to add a padlock and no way to swing it out without cutting the lock off.

Overall, happy with the functionality, but if I was to do it over there are a few things I'd do a little differently. Thought this would be a little more budget friendly, but of course they never are - Total cost approximately $450

[Twoxentrix]

Now that's ingenious - access only when the box swings out. That's an added security feature I can certainly appreciate. Well done Steve!

[arctictraveller]

Winter is coming so a light bar on the roof seems appropriate (for off-road use only)

[Lilnuts2]

Originally Posted by arctictraveller

Winter is coming so a light bar on the roof seems appropriate (for off-road use only)

When I added a light bar on the roof of my Jeep I was amazed at the light output and the increase in visibility, highly recommend this mod for off road night driving.

[TheLetterJ]

Had 5.13 gears installed on Wednesday. Now I need to figure out how to calibrate my speedo since it seems nobody will sell me a programmer anymore. Currently, I hit the speed limiter at 74mph (gps) as the computer thinks we're going nearly 100mph... that's gonna get old real fast! Is this my best option for a 4r100?: Electronic Ratio Adapter (ERA)

A friend of mine mounted my new tires today. I went with Mickey Thompson Baja Boss MT's in 315/70r17 (same size as the Hankook MT's I was replacing.) The Mickey's must be a full inch wider so I'll need to double check tire clearances and possibly do a tiny bit more fender trimming before getting too wild. I think I'm going to switch out my rear blocks (again!) and go 1/2-1" higher in the rear which should help rear tire clearance a little bit.

I don't know if it's a problem per se, but one of the tires took the most weight I've EVER seen on a tire (as in: over 1lb) and I've mounted 42" Super Swampers. My buddy even used some fancy feature on his road force balancer to determine the best orientation of the tire on the wheel, debeaded the tire, spun it to the new location, and ran the balancer again. That made almost no difference (maybe 1/4oz.) Hopefully it's not anything to be concerned with.

I also moved my best takeoff tire to my spare wheel. My previous spare was 34.1" tall, my new spare is 34.4" and now my right hand rear door just grazes the tire on the Aluminess carrier. I'm just glad I won't *have to* open the swing away everytime I want to get in the back.

[doublevan2]

Looks real functional ! Where did you source the marine grade st/steel hinges, etc.? Could you supply part numbers ?

[Twoxentrix]

Delayed posting so I could test our new Trans cooler system. First, I have to thank Chris (unreng) since he inspired my selection and was very helpful in answering many questions - His build was the motivation I needed.
Had it installed Sept 2022 but hadn't had the opportunity to take the van out in different scenarios to see if it it was everything I hoped for. Took a couple months to 'dial it in' (achieving the proper thermostat setting since initially it ran too cool), but can now say the installation of the Derale 15870 Hyper-Cool extreme Trans Cooler, and a manual dash controlled fan over-ride switch is a game changer! (I haven't even needed to use the fan over-ride, although did test it a couple times).
I've driven the van now in many scenarios including a couple long slow steep uphill crawls, and long uphill highway sections which in the past both challenged my Trans temps - never went above 190 degrees (same roads I've hit 225 - 233).
We left the OEM trans cooler intact, and mounted the Derale cooler behind the transfer case & above the rear driveshaft. It's spliced into the Trans cooling system so it first accepts fluid from the transmission, then continues to the OEM cooler - An unexpected reward is it has also lowered the Coolant temps, seems it's taken some of the heat out prior to reaching the radiator.
The shop I use also fabbed a Drive Shaft safety loop with a thin protective plate (designed similar to a mini skid plate positioned between the drive shaft & cooler) which will provide some protection for the cooler from road debris - just haven't been back yet to install.
Definitely one of my favorite mods!
Pic shows location of cooler mounted (can see it in the upper right; prior to rear diff):