2021 RAM 3500 Tradesman | AEV Prospector | FWC Grandby

[ramblinChet]

Harry E. Mueller is a third generation locksmith company that has been locally owned and operated since 1927. When I purchased my Schlage B60N6 deadbolt and attempted to install it I noticed that there was one additional part required specific to my installation - a circular snap-in face plate. I stopped by both local big box stores and neither had any idea of what I was asking even through I had a Schlage part number and drawing. As you might imagine, when I walked into Mueller's the lady knew exactly what I was looking for and even gave me the part for free.

I feel bad for not checking with them first and purchasing the part from this local locksmith. Yes, it may have cost a few dollars more but the service alone it worth many times that. In my opinion, we all must begin to spend more money locally and insist on a higher level of service.


For reference, on the left is the old circular snap-in faceplate that came with the Defiant lock, it was too long and interfered with the deadbolt mechanism on the new Schlage. On the right is the correct length part that was supplied for free by Muller's.


Here is a picture of the installed lock. Note the grime and grit from just a few miles of driving through town and now try to imagine many thousands of miles of trails off road. These locks live a rough life!


Switching gears - I wanted to share some information I have collected over the past four years of driving my truck. For whatever reason I decided to snap a picture at the 1,000 hour mark to record the overall mileage and more importantly, the ratio between the idle and driven hours.


Same information collected at the 2,000 hour mark. Note inset picture taken earlier in the day which displays overall mileage.


My most recent picture at 3,000 total hours of engine time.


Here is a summary of the data collected along with a few basic calculations which show additional information. I find it interesting that my % idle hovers around the same percentage. I suspect part of that is due to how I take time to warm up my engine during the first start of each day since I make sure my engine reaches 104° F before I move my vehicle. It only take a few moments most days and my goal is to make sure lubricant is free flowing and equally distributed prior to placing a load on any of the components.

Another interesting bit of information relates to my average MPH. It seems most of my time is spent on backroads driving 35-45 with a good amount of time spent at 55-65 MPH when traveling a significant distance. While on the trail I normally average 10-15 MPH although there have been times where I was stuck at 3-5 MPH or other times where I was making good time at 20-25 MPH for short distanced.

 

[ITTOG]

Harry E. Mueller is a third generation locksmith company that has been locally owned and operated since 1927. When I purchased my Schlage B60N6 deadbolt and attempted to install it I noticed that there was one additional part required specific to my installation - a circular snap-in face plate. I stopped by both local big box stores and neither had any idea of what I was asking even through I had a Schlage part number and drawing. As you might imagine, when I walked into Mueller's the lady knew exactly what I was looking for and even gave me the part for free.

I feel bad for not checking with them first and purchasing the part from this local locksmith. Yes, it may have cost a few dollars more but the service alone it worth many times that. In my opinion, we all must begin to spend more money locally and insist on a higher level of service.
View attachment 869876

For reference, on the left is the old circular snap-in faceplate that came with the Defiant lock, it was too long and interfered with the deadbolt mechanism on the new Schlage. On the right is the correct length part that was supplied for free by Muller's.
View attachment 869877

Here is a picture of the installed lock. Note the grime and grit from just a few miles of driving through town and now try to imagine many thousands of miles of trails off road. These locks live a rough life!
View attachment 869878

Switching gears - I wanted to share some information I have collected over the past four years of driving my truck. For whatever reason I decided to snap a picture at the 1,000 hour mark to record the overall mileage and more importantly, the ratio between the idle and driven hours.
View attachment 869879

Same information collected at the 2,000 hour mark. Note inset picture taken earlier in the day which displays overall mileage.
View attachment 869880

My most recent picture at 3,000 total hours of engine time.
View attachment 869881

Here is a summary of the data collected along with a few basic calculations which show additional information. I find it interesting that my % idle hovers around the same percentage. I suspect part of that is due to how I take time to warm up my engine during the first start of each day since I make sure my engine reaches 104° F before I move my vehicle. It only take a few moments most days and my goal is to make sure lubricant is free flowing and equally distributed prior to placing a load on any of the components.

Another interesting bit of information relates to my average MPH. It seems most of my time is spent on backroads driving 35-45 with a good amount of time spent at 55-65 MPH when traveling a significant distance. While on the trail I normally average 10-15 MPH although there have been times where I was stuck at 3-5 MPH or other times where I was making good time at 20-25 MPH for short distanced.
View attachment 869882

I don't believe anyone (OEM's, labs, performance parts companies, etc) has ever come out and said officially what the best startup process is but there have been studies about it. Most I have seen indicated the best method was to start up and immediately drive highway speeds. The reason is because the oil heats up faster and thus is less viscous. The higher flow rate of the oil was key. Not an indictment, just other info to think about.

 

[ramblinChet]

I don't believe anyone (OEM's, labs, performance parts companies, etc) has ever come out and said officially what the best startup process is but there have been studies about it. Most I have seen indicated the best method was to start up and immediately drive highway speeds. The reason is because the oil heats up faster and thus is less viscous. The higher flow rate of the oil was key. Not an indictment, just other info to think about.

Thank you for your reply and in large part, I agree. It seems like modern vehicles do very well being started in all sorts of conditions and then immediately driven. With modern lubricants and materials we seem to have largely conquered the old-fashioned warm-up routine.

But I guess that is where I am still stuck at to a limited degree. Being that most of my years as an adult were spent in engineering and technical work which included automotive, aerospace, and robotics - I still am fixated on taking a few moments to permit a complex mechanical assembly to settle in following a cold start. My mind considers the fact that the lubrication should be within its designated operating range and has had a few moments to achieve full circulation. And from working with many different types of metallic components with a wide range of thermal characteristics and fitment sometimes being measured in microns, I just like things to warm up just a hint and enjoy some lubrication before applying any additional load on them.

And machines communicate with us if we listen and mine certainly sounds quite different when starting up at 15° F compared to 85° F. As a military aviator, "temps and pressures" were constantly being scanned and the gauges were even indexed so the optimum reading was normally at the 12 o'clock position with small pieces of tape used to mark the minimum and maximum allowable range. Quick scan, everything is pointing straight up, all is well. If one was going sideways and was outside the minimum or maximum, additional investigation may be needed so break out the checklist.

Yeah, I am a bit weird I guess - I have a short mental checklist that I work through before I jump in and drive away. Maybe it's because I have been so close to death a few times in my life and these checklists are more of a superstitious ritual. For me, I'll just smile and wait a minute or so until my coolant hits 104° F, check temps and pressures one last time, shift into drive and be easy on my girl for the first few miles...

Happy trails!

 

[ramblinChet]

It has been nice spending a few weeks back in the town where I grew up since time has been flying by the past few decades, I figured it was a good time to catch up with a few old friends. One of them works at Eriez Magnetics and it was great to spend the day with him, tour the company, and sit down for a nice meal.

Established in 1942, Eriez is a global leader in separation technologies. Our commitment to innovation has positioned us as a driving market force in several key technology areas, including magnetic separation, flotation, metal detection and material handling equipment. The company’s 1,000+ employees are dedicated to providing trusted technical solutions to the mining, food, recycling, packaging, aggregate and other processing industries.

Another good buddy worked at Lord Corporation in the Engineering Test Laboratory and I was able to once again, spend a day with him touring the new plant, enjoying lunch at the shop, and then a full plate of buffalo wings after working hours. Decades ago I worked at Lord and began at the the original lab which was called "the Annex," and eventually moved up to the new "High Energy Laboratory" where I worked on the V-22 Osprey program. In short - we designed, built, and operated custom hydro-mechanical machines with load cells, and a variety of other sensors, to replicate actual flight conditions in a controlled laboratory environment. Below is an example of one of the test machines - on the left is an isometric view while the right shows the rear.


Here is a brief summary of Lord:

We leverage nearly 100 years of experience in manufacturing and developing adhesives, coatings, thermal management materials, motion management devices and sensing technologies that significantly reduce risk and improve performance. In collaboration with our customers, we provide innovative solutions globally to the automotive, aerospace, industrial and oil and gas markets.

The inset picture on the upper left is a High Capacity Laminate (HCL) elastomeric bearing used in a helicopter rotorhead. An HCL is manufactured using many layers of elastomer (rubber) sandwiched between metal plates. This one component must posses high axial stiffness (centrifugal force), low torsional stiffness (pitch), along with a tailored cocking stiffness (flap/lead-lag). It was fun working in the lab and the inset picture off to the right shows another test machine. Pic on the lower left is part of the lab.



Back in the '90s all of our test equipment was painted Atomic Blue - I still love that color and it was interesting to view many of those test machines still being used in the lab to this day. Darn, who are those good looking young bucks in that three decade old picture!


Of course I took time to stop and say hello to a few female friends when I was home. One of them is blonde hair, blue eyes, 6'0", maybe 130 pounds, and talked so much my ears are still sore. What broke my heart was hearing that she had two young boys and her husband has passed unexpectedly years ago. While falling asleep that night I prayed for her, and especially for those boys. I woke up the next morning with an idea - go buy them each their own set of tools.

I guess my though was - their minds are young and still forming, their hands are always touching something, so why not help develop their mechanical aptitude a bit earlier? I hope this will provide them with some sort of advantage and they eventually may become a technician, or engineer, or just a guy who can fix things himself. Please understand that I normally would not share something like this but it's very important for each of us men to help develop young boys into young men. I'm asking you to consider purchasing a simple tool set and give it to a boy that you know.

These ones have an assortment of basic tools and only cost $59. We are at a time in history where society is begging for young men who are able to work equally with their minds and hands. Buy tools for a son, grandson, nephew, or even the son of a friend - they will figure things out, they will teach themselves, they will learn valuable skills. To me, it's some of the best money I have spent in quite some time and the excitement those boys displayed made my eyes glassy.



As you may have figured out, I have a soft spot for traditional architecture, especially older Catholic churches. This beauty is Saint Patrick Church on the lower East side of Erie where all the Irish lived back in the day. Most of them worked as longshoremen as the lower East side is within walking distance from the waterfront; most of the women worked as domestic servants in other homes. This was tough work for little money yet the Irish banded together, saved their pennies, nickles, and occasional dimes, and had this masterpiece built.

The column-free architecture will amaze you, the painted windows will leave you breathless; the life-sized, hand carved, wooden, Stations of the Cross will tug at your heart and soul.


The fourteen Stations of the Cross were hand carved in Munich, Germany, over a century ago and are one of two known examples within these United States. My words alone and these pictures do nothing to convey what I truly felt standing in front of each Station, examining the craftsmanship, the art, the beauty. The closest thing I can compare it to was like stepping inside of a story and becoming a part of it.


I have so much respect for the craftsman and artists who worked to create these scenes. This is Station IV: Jesus Meets His Sorrowful Mother. This Station represents unconditional love and looking at the facial expressions, the coloration, all the minor details, I was just taken back by how accurately the artists were able to capture these feelings and emotions. I don't know, I just have a tough time imagining me cutting and shaping wood, mixing paint, and being able to create anything that even remotely resembles another human.


And as I sat in the church alone, with my eyes closed, and worked to clear my mind; I heard a noise, and a man walked in. He said he was going to turn the lights off which illuminated the Stations of the Cross but asked if I would like to see the altar illuminated for a moment before he left for the day. As the lights came came to life I began to see an amazing creation which took two solid years for Italian craftsman to complete. The High Altar alone weighs 22 ton and is carved out of Carrara marble. A building such as this would cost $48 million to build but unfortunately it would be impossible since there are no longer enough craftsman and artists capable of creating such beauty. When compared to the ugly lifeless buildings being built today - this is a masterpiece created by master-craftsman!

Now go out and buy a boy some tools - inspire him to work with his mind, his body, his soul. Prepare him for battle.

 

[ramblinChet]

Trans Pennsylvania Adventure Trail

Part One of Two​

After saying goodbye to family and friends in north-west Pennsylvania I was itching to get back on the trail so decided the Trans Pennsylvania Adventure Trail (TPAT) would be perfect. The TPAT is a 334-mile journey which begins at the New York/Pennsylvania border, passes through a half-dozen Pennsylvania State Forests, and ends at the Pennsylvania/Maryland state line. Years ago I completed the 1,080-mile Mid Atlantic Backcountry Discovery Route MABDR and although the section of MABDR that passes through Pennsylvania appears to be similar to TPAT, it turns out there are completely different in most every area. I will not hesitate to say that the PA section of the MABDR and TPAT share similarities, but are so different, I recommend completing both.


Since it was late in February my first task was to perform some research primarily to get an idea how of how much snow was in the area I planned to travel. Snow on the roads where others travel frequently and cellular service is always available is one thing - driving into snow on dirt roads in the mountains alone where others rarely venture, and cellular service is often unavailable, is entirely different. Vehicles slide off steep shelf roads, some folks freeze to death, and often rescue crews are unable to operate in many areas.

I pulled information from two different resources - the USDA Forest Service and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (inset). Both information sources generally agreed and it looked like I would only be experiencing a few inches of snow in most locations. Game on.


The night before I arrived to the beginning of the trail I slept outside a small fuel station in rural Pennsylvania along with a handful of 18-wheelers and enjoyed the cold weather along with a dusting of snow (inset). When I arrived to the trailhead at the NY/PA line I was feeling great - it was sunny out and there was virtually no snow so I was expecting this to be a very easy adventure through the mountains while heading south.


Hours later as I was passing through Colton Point State Park it became obvious that due to the forest canopy and low angle of the sun relative to the earths surface, the mountains has not experienced as much direct sunlight and there was still a fair amount of snow. What was even more interesting was the fact that vehicles traveling on these forest service roads had packed down the snow so it was thick and dense along the road whereas the snow off of the trail was light, fluffy, and very thin.

In short, the road was packed down pretty tight and if any snow was going to be the last to go - it would be this hard-pack. Keep in mind also that the snow on the north face of the mountains never sees much sun so it is deeper and harder compared to the snow on the south face which sees the sun and is thinner and softer - sometimes slushy or gone all together. This is important information to consider when traversing mountains during the winter months.


So here I find myself dropping down a steep shelf road towards Pine Creek near Blackwell, Pennsylvania. As you can see from the inset shot of a topographical map on my GAIA navigation, I am heading north and the trail before me is literally a sheet of ice. One thing I always do when traveling off-road in austere conditions is I am always testing the level of traction I have available. This means I drive primarily in 2WD and often test my braking and steering - in this case just placing my foot near the brake pedal set off the ABS system so yeah, there was no traction available.

In this case I decided to hug the ditch side of the shelf road since there may be a bit of traction over there and if I did lose control it is likely that I would slide to the right into the ditch as opposed to sliding left and rolling off. In retrospect, this was a foolish move and at a minimum I should have dismounted and explored on foot. The only trouble was that it was so steep and slippery I would have fallen and possibly been unable to return to my truck.


After rolling forward a few more feet and realizing I was in much too deep, I pulled over to the side to install my heavy-duty 8.2mm pewag chains. Although this involves laying down on the frozen ground to reach around the back of the tire and fasten the inner link, it only took me around twenty minutes to install all four chains. Keep in mind that initially I attempted to begin my descent with no chains, for a moment I considered only two, but the wise part of myself suggested that if I did not install all four I might end up regretting it.


Here is a close-up of the chains just tearing into the hard ice. Of course I tested my braking and turning ability and I might as well have been on dry pavement. And although this was the very beginning of my descent down into the valley, it was still steep and slick enough that when I exited my Prospector, I slipped and fell.


And minutes later, I come around a corner to find two other vehicles that slid off the road. In this case the new truck on the left just slid off and the two hunters were standing off to the side attempting to figure out what to do. Just in front of me was a Trooper from the Pennsylvania State Police who had slid into the ditch side while attempting to provide service and was stranded also. I stopped and we all talked for a bit so I was able to confirm they had a wrecker inbound to help them out. I was glad I took a few minutes to install all four chains even if it was only for a few miles of trail.


After all of that I traveled down Pine Creek a few more miles and stopped into Hotel Manor to grab a warm meal. I met some great people and we spent the evening discussing rattlesnake hunting in the local area. The one gentleman works in the timber industry and has been bit three times while his daughter assured me that since they all coil up clockwise, all I need to do is walk around the anti-clockwise so they uncoil themselves, and once they are flat, just pick them up by the tail. I might go back when it warms up and give it a try. Here I am pushing deeper into the 265,000 acre Susquehannock State Forest looking for a place to spend the night.


Time is never time at all, you can never ever leave, without leaving a piece of youth...

 

[ramblinChet]

Trans Pennsylvania Adventure Trail

Part Two of Two​

In my previous post I had mentioned that the Pennsylvania Section of the Mid Atlantic Backcountry Discovery Route (MABDR) and the Trans Pennsylvania Adventure Trail (TPAT) followed a similar path but where mostly two entirely different trails, so you should plan to explore both. Here is a screen shot with the TPAT (red) and MABDR (blue) overlaid showing how similar, yet different, each is.


Well this was quite the surprise compared to the intelligence I had gathered prior to beginning this journey. Neither of the Current Snow Depth maps that I had previously pulled showed any snow south of State College, Pennsylvania, but here I was in Rothrock State Forest just south of there and there certainly was snow present. My estimate was that I would be dealing with snow for maybe the first hundred miles and here I was over two hundred miles into the trail and still experiencing snow predominantly on the north face of mountains.


Yikes, another causality on the trail. I was climbing another steep shelf road that was very slippery, but not solid ice, and came upon this scene so I pulled my truck over, set my parking brake, and stepped out to see if anyone was in the vehicle. The drivers side window was broken out, there was no one present, and the engine was cold. I came upon a hiker at the top of the mountain and she confirmed that the accident had happened a few days ago.


When I was a young boy I can remember spending the weekend at hunting camp with my grandfather and I really enjoyed it. As I grew older it became common to "drive down" and spend the weekend at a friends hunting camp where we would build huge fires, drive Jeeps on horse trails, and do all sorts of other things young guys do when they have escaped the confines of polite society. One thing I enjoy while driving through the nearly two dozen Pennsylvania State Forests is driving by the hunting camps and imagining all the wonderful and memorable times had by so many.


This may not be the prettiest picture but it does a fair job of showing what central Pennsylvania looks like in late February. It may be overcast, still a bit chilly, and very little greenery, but spring is just around the corner, and life will being once again!


This is a shot taken while climbing up into Tuscarora State Forest just south of McVeytown, Pennsylvania. It was early in the morning, the sun was shining, and the temperatures had risen maybe thirty degrees or so. The inset picture is of a roadside memorial to someone named Lorie who apparently died here. I hope and pray Lorie has been purified in Purgatory and achieved the holiness necessary to enjoy forever-life in Heaven.


This is a special place called Three Square Hollow Vista that I have visited maybe three or four times over the past five or six years. The first time I visited was when I was searching for the crash site of a military C-119G that crashed in October of 1956 killing the entire crew. I located the crash site less than a mile away and since it was October I decided to sleep at the crash site out of respect for the crew. It was a moonless night, cold, and windy; I remember falling asleep praying for those lost souls and listening to the wind whipping through the bare trees on the mountaintop.


As I continued to move farther south I began to notice subtle changes in the forest. It seemed up north there were more hardwoods such as maple, birch, etc., while father south I noticed more pines, oaks, etc. As much time as I spend in the forests I need to perform a deep dive into the strengths and best uses for various types of trees. There was still snow on occasion but it was slushy and generally provided fair traction.


This is the Long Pine Run Reservoir within the Michaux State Forest in Pennsylvania. If you perform a bit of research you will discover there is a secret World War Two POW camp deep in the forest used to imprison and interrogate German POWs. Years ago when exploring the area I crossed paths with a retired US Army Colonel who escorted me to the area.

On my final day on the trail I stopped to enjoy lunch and was greeted by a young Jeep guy named Travis. One thing I really enjoy about how I live my life is being able to meet people and for us to sit down and enjoy a nice conversation. Years ago when I was trapped in my eat, sleep, work, repeat, life - it just seemed like I never had time to really just sit down and enjoy a conversation with another person. We had a great talk, enjoyed the warm sunny day, and wished the best for each other after talking for over an hour and covering a variety of topics.


Here's my custom two-tone paint job courtesy of five days and nearly four hundred miles of Pennsylvania State Forests, backroads, and such. This trip turned out to be quite a bit more challenging compared to what I had researched and expected but having a capable vehicle loaded with specialized equipment made all the difference in the world. If I traveled with others on a regular basis much of what I carry could be spread out between multiple vehicles but I enjoy spending time alone in the forest, exploring, rolling though at my own pace, stopping where I want to stop and staying for however long I desire.

Maybe that will change someday - I hope so. Visiting all of these places and experiencing all of this beauty is great but at the end of the day, I only have myself to share the memories with and that's kind of sad in a way. I'm going to miss Pennsylvania and I'm not sure if I will return within the next year or so. It's time now to head down to Virginia for some overdue upgrades, a bit of maintenance, etc. The road has got me hypnotized and I'm a-speedin' into a new sunrise...

 

[ramblinChet]

This is the AEV Prospector badge on my passenger door which has been slowly failing over the past several months. These badges are premium quality that look and feel just as good as any OEM badge so I was surprised to see them beginning to fail. My plan is to email AEV and ask about replacements or what can be done to fix these. And in case you are wondering, no, I did not install these - they were applied when AEV built my Prospector in Michigan back in 2021.


Here is the drivers side AEV badge which is even worse - it actually flutters and taps the door at certain speeds while driving. If anyone has had a similar experience and can share any information that would be much appreciated. I will keep everyone updated and hope AEV will work to resolve this minor issue. They are great looking badges!


Okay, maybe I am a bit of a geek but it felt so good to fire up my Fluke 87V MAX True-rms Digital Multimeter, take a measurement, and have complete confidence in the result. Throughout much of my life I have worked with NIST ISO 17034 traceable instruments from companies such as FUTEK, GP:50, Mensor, etc. running through data acquisition systems (DAQ) from IPETRONIK, Yokogawa, etc. I just have this desire for accuracy that goes beyond the norm but hey, that's geeky me.

In this case, since I just returned home after being gone for seven months, I was finally able to open up the boxes on my two new LiTime 12V 100Ah Group 24 Deep Cycle LiFePO4 lithium batteries that I ordered and had delivered in May of 2024. I was concerned that I may arrive home to find both batteries were dead and damaged beyond repair but fortunately, with an accurate measurement of 13.17 Vdc, that tells me the batteries are 60-70% charged. That's impressive and I am looking forward to installing them within the next week or so.


Now that I arrived home to perform maintenance and upgrades, I decided to being with something easy like replacing the OEM halogen tail lights with OEM LED ones. This required two new lights and harnesses, along with changes to the Body Control Module (BCM). The changes I made to the BCM were:

• CBC Features: LED Reverse Lamps Present - Yes
• CBC Features: LED Stop Lamps Present - Yes
• CBC Features: LED Rear Turn Lamps Present - Yes
• CBC Features: LED Tail Lamps Present - Yes
• CBC config I/O Usage: Left Rear Turn Lamp Diagnostics Present - Pin F27 - Yes
• CBC config I/O Usage: Right Rear Turn Lamp Diagnostics Present - Pin F31 - Yes
• CBC config I/O Usage: Separated Lighting Brake Lamp Dropout - Yes

I should have upgraded the tail lights to LEDs back when I upgraded the factory halogen headlights to OEM projection LEDs. I had considered the upgrade but at the time didn't believe there was that much of a difference in overall performance. Well, I am here to say that the difference is so significant I feel the money was well spend and my next vehicle will most likely come from the factory with the OEM LED lights up forward and back aft.


Another task I accomplished was the installation of two Goose Gear top plates on my Zarges K470 aluminum boxes. These top plates turn the K470 into a solid step and firm seating area. Although the add a bit of additional strength I believe another great advantage is the very low thermal conductivity of the top (wood?) compared to the bare aluminum. For reference, the thermal conductivity of wood is ~0.08 W/mK (Watts per meter-Kelvin) whereas aluminum is 205.0 W/mK, or 2,563 times more thermally conductive!

Honestly, I am not sure these Goose Gear tops are worth $90 each but Zarges had a special on them when I was ordering two additional Zarges K470s a few months ago so I figured I would try them out. Installation was easy and I used a 7/32" (5.6mm) drill bit to drill the four mounting holes for the stainless steel M5 button hex bolts. The two open holes you see in the center off to the edge provide clearance for rivets on the top of the box. Providing that clearance was a classy touch and also provides for an easy way to align the top plate prior to drilling.


Here is the layout of my interior and it has been this way for the past three years. Everything I carry with me such as clothes, sleeping bags, dry foods, etc. can be found in the four Zarges K470 aluminum boxes - note the Goose Gear tops now installed. The National Luna 80L refrigerator is down below in the middle and carries all my drinks, meats, and other perishable foods. It's a simple but effective system and in an emergency, I have have all five components removed and outside the vehicle in under one minute. They are all sealed against dust and rain so nothing inside would be impacted if I left them out in a storm.


This beautiful custom painting was provided to me by a close-friends daughter. It was really a pleasant surprise and although I thanked this aspiring artist, I'm not sure I did a good enough job in expressing how much I enjoyed receiving this handmade gift. What amazed me is the proportions and colors are accurate along with the overall setting. Thank you Gia!!!


This wash took place at the auto hobby shop at USCG TRACEN Yorktown. It's $3 for thirty minutes and they provide you with a covered bay, water, hose, bucket, soap, and an assortment of brushes and sponges. To me that's a fantastic deal. They also have six bays inside the building with three lifts, tire changer, full sets of Snap-On tools, hydraulic bearing presses, engine analyzer, and disposal for vehicle lubricants and fluids. Lift bays are $5 per thirty minutes.

It has been at least seven or eight months since I have really taken time to fully wash my truck. There have been a few times I have stopped into a car wash and sprayed it down although I never use a scrub brush. Most often, if I hear we are going to be having a heavy rain in the area I will schedule travel for that day and take advantage of a "free" car wash. What I really need to do it just commit to a full car wash every four to six weeks. Now she's bulletproof, she keeps her motor clean...

 

[nckwltn]

I inquired with AEV about getting set of the prospector badges to put on my doors in place of the large "RAM 2500" lettering. They wouldn't sell me a set because my truck didn't come with them. Still would have been cool to have AEV Prospector lettering on the door, but I can respect they don't want to just sell these to anyone. I'm sure you'll have no issues getting a set. If you can't, I'm sure you can get some replacement adhesive backing. The backing from my RAM lettering was thinner than 3M VHB, but the same kind of material.

When I de-badged my doors I used one of these to clean up the remaining glue-residue without harming the paint at all. 10/10 recommend: Amazon ID: B079RRN7G4. Even if you're going over the top of the existing badge location, you might want to clean up the glue-residue to ensure the tightest fit possible.

 

[ramblinChet]

Since I am stopping home for several weeks to take care of maintenance and upgrades I am taking a very good look at parts of the car where I normally do not spend much time. One of them is the frame and underside and I must say that I disappointed in the fact that it has taken me up until now to address this. When the truck was brand new I had planned on having the underside coated with a heavy protection that required annual application but I always made excuses why something else was more important.


After watching a handful of videos discussing an comparing lanolin coatings such as Blaster Surface Shield, Fluid Film, and WoolWax. There were a few videos that did a great job comparing the coatings over the span of several years and it seemed to me that a thorough annual application was more important when compared to the specific brand. With that in mind I ordered a half-dozen cans of Surface Shield along with two CanGun1 spray can tools. One can is enough to tire my finger out so that fact that I have six to apply convinced me to spend the extra few dollars to make the experience a bit more enjoyable.


Just a few days ago I emailed AEV to let them know my AEV Prospector badging was delaminating and to ask their recommendations regarding a fix. Of course, just a day or so later I was driving down the road and it heard a constant tapping on my drivers door so I pulled over the the badge was almost entirely disconnected. I quickly performed a bit of online research which led me to several 3M adhesive products - I was able to locate one, 3M Black Super Weatherstrip Adhesive, just a few miles down the road so I pulled in to purchase the product. This temporary fix seems fine for now although I am expecting to hear of a more long term solution from AEV.


My Diode Dynamics SS3 White Max LED (combo) Pods are in terrible condition. Fortunately they have an eight year warranty and with one phone call last August, Diode Dynamics shipped me a pair of new SS3 bezels at no charge. If you remember, it was a day or two later when I began heading out to Colorado, Oregon, and Wyoming, to dive into the wildland fires, so this is the first time I have stopped home since departing. It seems on average I am gone anywhere from six months to a year at a time and then I return home for a few weeks to take a vacation, perform some maintenance, upgrades, etc.


The first inset picture is of my DD SS3 Max disassembled - I am impressed with the interior components and especially the lens design. The exterior, not so much. You can see with the new bezels the front profile looks great but when viewed from the side the rear sections look excessively worn. I will contact Diode Dynamics, share some pictures, and see what their recommendations are.


Nearly a year ago I had to cut the locks supplied by AT Overland for my RotoPax holders since they were corroded and frozen. As a temporary measure I stuffed a few machine screws that I had handy in the holes and have been using them since. My goal was to select a product that was more appropriate for this application so I purchased two stainless steel 3/16" x 2" Ring Grip Quick Release Pins to test.


A very good friend of mine whom I worked with at NASA LaRC was heading out to a private range that I formally was a member and asked me to meet him for the afternoon. He enjoys collecting and shooting historically significant pieces such as AMT Automag, Coonan Arms, Magnum Research Desert Eagle, Wildey Survivor. He has several of each and many are from other private collections that have never been fired, until now. This day we took out two pieces both chambered in .45 Winchester Magnum and had a great time shooting the hand cannons.

 

[ramblinChet]

This past week has been spent focusing on all of the small parts and tools necessary to complete the upgrade of my electrical system. There are so many small pieces of the puzzle it can be overwhelming if you try to imagine and examine everything at once. I noticed myself being slowed down by the process so what I did was pull myself out, refocus on a few key parts, and begin doing what was necessary to get the job done. Time is critical so I'll figure the rest out on the fly.

Below are a series of hole saws in 38.0, 44.5, 51.0, and 52.0mm diameters. The 38.0mm will be used for five holes necessary to install a Blue Sea Accessory Panel, the 44.5mm is for the NOCO AC Port Plug, 51.0mm is for the 15A Weatherproof Outlet below to be used internally for my Victron Energy Inverter, and finally the 52.0mm is for Victron Energy gauges. Most of the holes will be in the large Zarges aluminum case that I am mounting everything in. Sure, I could have skimped on the 51.0 and 52.0mm tools but I like to do things to the best of my ability. I'll be doing lots of drilling too so some new bits are always a safe choice.



After some final calculations I decided to upgrade my design from 2 AWG to 1/0 AWG for one part of my system. This wire will be used to connect the house batteries in parallel and also to connect that battery bank to the main DC bus. I crunched the numbers several times and yes, I could easily get by with the 2 AWG but there was so much more headroom with the 1/0 AWG I decided to spend the extra few dollars and go for it.

And yes, I even considered using larger 2/0 AWG but the largest lug my Ancor Lug Crimper handles is 1/0 AWG so that made my decision easy. I was building in sufficient overhead so even though the 1/0 AWG was somewhat overkill, the 2/0 AWG was entirely unnecessary for my application. Note this is only the black wire.
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I searched for the better part of an hour for the red 1/0 AWG in a 25' spool and it was out of stock everywhere. A few retailers suggested stock may return as soon as 25 March but as I mentioned above, time is of the essence, and a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush! I found one roll and called to confirm it was in stock, placed the order immediately, and paid a premium price. In the end it will all be worth it though. Life is about taking chances and seizing opportunities when they present themselves. One of my goals this year is to continue progressing in the direction of thinking less and acting more.



It seems to me that I had previously ordered 8 AWG but after a short search I was unable to locate it and after searching for the red 1/0 AWG the plan of the day was think less and act faster so my order was placed. I don't need much of this wire although I do need it for one component so that was good enough for me. The good thing was that both rolls were in stock and they will arrive ASAP.



Once of the Victron Energy components I would like to manually shut off when not in use is the 500 watt inverter. With that in mind I reviewed the instructions and selected the toggle switch and cover below that will be mounted externally on the Zarges case so instead of opening and closing the case to turn off the inverter, I flip the switch. The toggle cover will serve as a reminder that the inverter is powered if the guard is flipped up. When closed, it opens the circuit so the inverter can be confirmed to be off with a quick glance.

The button head bolts and rubber vibration clamps will be used to position and hold the wires. If you are installing wiring into a vehicle that moves such as an airplane, automobile, boat, etc., the wiring should be secured so it does not vibrate or pull at the connections. When this takes place a loose connection increases resistance, which created more heat, and the connection eventually fails and can initiate a fire. I have no desire to be bouncing down the road in a vehicle on fire in the middle of nowhere.



A few nights ago I took a moment to open up AlfaOBD and connect to the Body Control Module of my vehicle. I made a change (1) so both the driver and passenger window now have the express down feature. My truck began life as a Tradesman and only the drivers window has the express function enabled. This will help me when random women approach my Prospector from the passenger side to flirt with me. Pop that window down and turn on that charm and handsome smile!

Of course I also attempted to turn on the very desirable off-road pages (2 & 3) that Power Wagons have but no joy, it never works. I hope maybe someday there will be a software upgrade and that beautiful off-road page will just pop-up. Another wish was for my power mirrors to automatically tilt down when in reverse (4) but that did not work either. Does anyone know what they are referencing when they state "CSM Present?"



And finally, I wanted to take a moment to expose you to the power of Artificial Intelligence. My younger brother works at Microsoft up in Seattle and has been promoting AI for a long time. Recently, I began to play around just to familiarize myself with the process. When preparing to pose this update I had a great idea - how about provide Grok with a brief description of my planned electrical system and as a specific question regarding wiring.

I'm a mechanical fella so electronics are not my cup of tea but over the years I have struggled and when it comes to a 12 Vdc system, I feel pretty good regarding my understanding. Now answering a question such as the one I entered below would take me hours of research, pulling up system specifications from the manufacturers, creating a list of components, performing some basic calculations, checking my work, passing it over to a trusted friend for review, etc.

Grok answered my question in great detail within a few seconds. This system is somewhat infantile and with limited power. Imagine what will be at our fingertips within our lifetime? The great thing is AI can be used for good purposed but like any tool, it can also be used for bad. I was shocked at how accurately it provided this detailed answer on a somewhat obscure subject.