[butthead]

Nope, my son sand blasted them and I prep and spray flat black. They will look the same just less peeling of the coating. KM

 

[butthead]

May leave them off for a while till Cathy complains, about getting in. KM

 

[snakebitten]

Put hers on.

 

[butthead]

MY BOV stopped venting, a Turbosmart VeePort electronic. Took it off and checked it out, no hanging up with the mechanical, the ohms across the leads checked to TS specifications. I suspected some problem in the vehicles connecting harness. Ordered a vacuum operated Supersonic BOV from American Trucks (the BOV was delivered 2 days latter, fast shipping and handling). The install of the BOV was easy did not even need to pull the IC out. The problem came with plumbing the vacuum signal hose. 2 adapters were supplied, one to install between the intake manifold and the MAP sensor which did not fit. The other a quick fitting for the vacuum/pressure right after the throttle body which fit the nipple fine, problem the plumbing to the check valve, Turbosmart used 1/4 inch my 2017 2.7 has 3/8 inch.

OEM black hose under the gray.
Up to my local hardware to scrounge parts, came home with some 3/8 hose and 1/4 to 3/8 hose barbed reducer.

The cord is tied to a bobby pin retainer clip for the fitting, a fix for fumble fingers!
Works fine and I adjusted it a bit softer venting. KM

 

[butthead]

Time to upgrade my Icon IFP 2.5's to Icon 2.5 CDCV's. Been waiting a while.

The IFP Icons had been in for 45000 miles and need a rebuild. Now with all 4 corners set to #3 on the CDCV's (out of 10) there is a noticed improvement in ride. The lower setting on the front can be felt. Ride height is 1/2 an inch taller but sould settle some and there is 1/2+ inch of adjusting to bring it down some more. Settle them in, an alignment, and good to go for several more years! KM

 

[SrpRacing]

How do you like the SPC UCAs? Have they held up well?

 

[butthead]

The a-arm's are in fine shape, the ball-joints are a bit sloppy after 2 years hard use. New replacements on the way. Seem short lived joints but a lot of washboard surfaces, trails and such. Will definatly check them out after the new are in. The frame bushings are like new! KM

 

[butthead]

Update on the ball joints 1 was bad, sloppy and rattled. Had grease but I think the retainer top ring broke, a nylon cap. New joints both sides, the suspension is noiseless and solid.

Measured to the body roll at the bottom it sits dead level. I have since run the adjusting collars to the top for min lift, a drop not quite 1/2 inch. Have put some twisty and rough roads on since with the shocks set at #2. A soft ride but firm and tar stripes across the highways are barely felt at all. Probably stay at #2 settings till spring then harden it a bit. KM

 

[butthead]

Figure after 5 years ownership a quick cost breakdown is due. I ordered with the intention of starting at the base and making what I want in a highway/trail driving truck anchored on pastimes of camping/backpacking/fishing/hunting/canoeing and simply traveling about WI and the USA.

Not listed are worn items, tires, shocks, U joints, maintenance, and DIY cheap projects. So as it sits.

2017 RCSB XL, 2.7, 3.73, ELocker, 101a package. Off the dealership lot $28000

LED SuperNova V3.0 LED's. $300
Decked Drawer System. $1100
BDX Tuner with BCB tunes and revisions. $500
Pypes 4 inch Catback exhaust. $450
COBB Intake. $375
DX Pulley Wheels. $600
Icon 2.5 CDCV fronts. $2200
Icon 2.5 CDCV rears. $1300
SPC UCA's. $550
Sound system, Kicker Key/Morel 692 Ultra Tempo/Rockford Fosgate PS8 $600

Total mod costs. $7975

Total investment to what I have. $35975

Started with the goal of $40000 budget. I'd need to add all the worn parts, shop work, and maintenance to approach my budget. I have a truck that I envisioned, fun and responsive to drive, comfortable on a long trip.
Not showy, kind of a "sneaky old guy" truck! Best of all there are still some $$$ in the piggy bank to play with.
And someone else seems to enjoy riding in it! KM

 

[butthead]

More of a simple conveniance addition. Been lookig at and exploring dash/backup cameras. Hard if not impossible to find anything not sourced from China, so that hindered till I stopped worrying about that. Garmin offers a variety of backup cams that work with my DriveSmart GPS but no dash cams that display on the GPS. So went for an oddball 3 channel mirror cam, Rexing M3 3 Channel 1080p Front +1080p Cabin +1080p Rear Mirrored Dash Cam w/ GPS | Rexing USA. Dash/backup/interior all in a larger rear view mirror than I have. Have played around in the truck with it and it works great! Need to finalize the hardwire install and mounting the backup camera inside the cab, no fogging or dirt/snow problems. Will get back with some videos later. KM

 

[butthead]

Been messing with snow and cold but got the mirror in and the wires run still using the 12V dash power for now.

drive thru town,

drive into town, rear view cam

Working good. KM

 

[snakebitten]

Movie Star

 

[butthead]

Yeah, sure! Need some cam adjusting but it looks good, except for the grizzled old fart. KM

 

[butthead]

After 5 near 6 winters of frozen door locks finally decided to take it in. This has been the worst year for this problem with cycles of high humidity followed by cold fronts. Did a bunch of research on the gaskets, latches,and lock mechanism. Called my dealership and found they replace the gaskets and locing bar, add shields to shed moisture, grease the whole mechanism and cable. All under a customer satisfaction program. Dropped off 9;15 AM yeasterday it was finished up 10 AM today.

Work was done, time will tell if effective. KM

PS: Near 4 months of winter weather and no frozzen doors! km

 

[butthead]

2 snowstorms and temp from teen's to high 40's with no freezing! Only a week but hopes are up. KM

 

[butthead]

Finally a 70+ degree day with sunshine! Finished up the wiring and install of my Rexing 3 channel cam setup. 3 wires to the fuse box a switched source, full time power, and ground. Tuck in all the wiring, put the Rexing mirror cam on a universal mirror mount to fully be rid of the OEM mirror. Reinstalled the mirror/cam and checked for function and camera allignment. All very good!

Decided to use the backup cam as a rear view full time camera, mounted in the cab, instead of as a backup plate mounted only on in reverse camera. Set to loop in minute long intervals recording to a 265GB chip I get several hours of coverage on all 3 cameras before overwriting. Now off for some long trips! KM

 

[SrpRacing]

If I may ask, what universal mount did you use? Seems to have worked very good.

 

[butthead]

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Removed the mount loops and just used the back plate, the straps came with the universal mount and the Rexing also has a strap mount. For a bit of added stability double sided tap is used tween the mirror cam and the universal mount plate. I holds quite steady! KM

 

[butthead]

Good day to mess with my truck. Out with the old,

In with new NGK 6510's, cleaned the sensors, ran a KAM reset. Oil and filter last week with a new air filter and the UPR drainvalve. Fresh for the spring. Old plug ran fine but were showing the 25000 miles since new, sooty and opened gaps after near a year on the 93 octane performance tune. Runs better than new now! KM

 

[butthead]

Thought I'd put this in here. Runs quite well! That tire chirp was a 1/3 throttle shift to 3rd. KM