My latest Adventure, update 7/11/21

[bigdog9191999]

Another big item done is all but two windows in the house have been replaced. Now are all Anderson.

Here are a couple before. ( They where all the same style, and the 20 pane was a fixed window. )

 

[bigdog9191999]

Holy crap!!! I can't believe it didn't grab the wheel and lock up on you.

That was after a minimum or 30 miles!. It started to light I thought I had picked up a stick from the yard after a windy day we had.

 

[bigdog9191999]

Had some issues with oil pressure a little low in the car. So got it in and torn down.

Figured while had it apart might as well do Lim gaskets and valve cover gaskets

Swapping oil pump to be sure.

New water pump and cover reinstalled

All but the belt and a couple little things to see how it improved. Still lower than I would like, but will be sent till it makes noise then will swap the motor and be done.

 

[bigdog9191999]

And one of the better things as of late is some new lights for the Tahoe, and beat part is they are gonna be free!! And they are truly pretty awesome!



New lights

Before

After

 

[bigdog9191999]

Not that it is much of a comparison. But here is the hoe and the Denali with led bulbs in the factory projectors.

And some low high. And let me tell you, there is no real comparison. The high pattern is a little odd. But they are stupid bright, and I am loving them. Today I drove to work in the rain and visibility was almost exactly the same as no rain.

 

[Rocket Man]

Another big item done is all but two windows in the house have been replaced. Now are all Anderson.


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Here are a couple before. ( They where all the same style, and the 20 pane was a fixed window. )


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New windows make the biggest difference in a house, especially if you’re going from single pane.

 

[bigdog9191999]

New windows make the biggest difference in a house, especially if you’re going from single pane.

And the originals were. The difference so far is incredible. Combined with blown insulation this last spring. I am kinda looking forward to see how this winter is. It already acts like a different house.

Before we would turn the heat down for the night and it would be a couple hours before it kicked on again. Now it may kick on once by morning. ( Not super cold yet either).



Also there is supposed to be like 18" of blown, and we had maybe 4 ( you could see most of the trusses).

 

[Rocket Man]

And the originals were. The difference so far is incredible. Combined with blown insulation this last spring. I am kinda looking forward to see how this winter is. It already acts like a different house.

Before we would turn the heat down for the night and it would be a couple hours before it kicked on again. Now it may kick on once by morning. ( Not super cold yet either).



Also there is supposed to be like 18" of blown, and we had maybe 4 ( you could see most of the trusses).

Nice. I had my attic, crawlspace and ducts insulated and last winter was the first afterwards. It was a huge difference, not just in the heat bill but in the comfort too. You’re gonna love it.

 

[OR VietVet]

A few small updates. Sometimes I really enjoy the view of the backyard.


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Ended up having some noise in the Tahoe, found a missing caliper bolt!


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Then about a week later on the way back from a wedding heard some noise from the front of the Denali. Ended up the front caliper was seizing up much like the rear ones usually do. At 60 ish for loaded calipers, and about that for rotors. So I just swapped it all out because we don't play these games.



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SOME NOISE!!!!

 

[bigdog9191999]

SOME NOISE!!!!

She could be all yours. Make that 455 sing!

 

[Mater]

I use to own that 455 grand am never got it running but has a lot of good rate parts on it to make a solid street car

 

[bigdog9191999]

alright, not been to much to update really. the single biggest thing was a vacation we took beginning of Feb. we started with a few days in Florida for wife's little sister getting married, then we headed out for 9 days on a cruise. was my first flights ever, and her first time on a ship that big.


have to say was one of the most incredible trips we have ever had. it will be hard to share just a few of the hundreds of pics we took. our stop a naussu was canceled, but we stopped at Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, st Thomas, st Kitts, and st martin.


but first lest start this trip from the beginning. so here in Michigan at the end of January it was -10 and quite a snowstorm with many inches. a few days before we left it warmed up an rained and was almost no snow left at all , a few days after we were gone it was nearly 50. so thanks again to the Tourettes weather of Michigan. the weather and skys were super clear for the flights down and made my first flights absolutely beautiful!








ok so i guess this will be pictureless till i can figure something out as apparently all my pics are too large to upload directly. i will tell the rest of the story here and if i can get some pics to load i can ut and paste them together in the right spots




we stayed our first night in Wakulla springs, beautiful old mostly marble. hotel that has some neat history (wife and father-in-law used to dive the springs some years ago).. in the morning, we watched some manatee swimming in the springs and when some guys swam around, they came over to see what was up. very neat to watch for sure.


we visited with her grandfather in the morning and drove over to webster where the wedding would be. made a late-night drive after the wedding to Orlando and caught a nap before flying to Miami and getting to the port to board the boat.

 

[bigdog9191999]

Flight down.

The bride photo bombing.

The venue

 

[bigdog9191999]

Tall guys on small planes.

A little out of order. But allllllll the marble, thresholds, baseboards, up about half the walls, counters, everywhere

More Manatee

First ocean for the trip, the Gulf of Mexico

 

[bigdog9191999]

Our room window

One of many awesome views

Waterfalls we hiked too and slid down in the Dominican Republic

 

[bigdog9191999]

I believe this was Dominican

Next two are Meagan's bay in St Thomas. One from above, and one on the beach before we swam

And one of the bay were the ship was docked.

 

[bigdog9191999]

Believe this was Maho bay, ((. We're the planes take off and people get sand blasted as it is on the end of the runway. There are many vids on YouTube of this airport/beach

Got to see the biggest cruise ship currently on the water in the world today at open sea in the Atlantic on the way home. (. Fun fact, it was royal Caribbeans newest/largest, and smallest/oldest at the same time. )

And a cool shot I took

 

[bigdog9191999]

And a couple of the main area of the ship, and our basic route we took ( although did not stop in Nassau due to weather.




Mari gras party

 

[bigdog9191999]

Ok, since we have been back there has been some good progress happening, on a multitude of things. A couple of bright ideas ( retrofits done). Some minor pickup progress, and a couple other personal things that I will share near the end of today's updates.



First thing I did was got the vacation pics on the TV. Man do it look good.

Ordered some Amazon led bi-xenon projectors. Knowing I had a pair of mini H1's and I wanted to do the car and the Denali. I figured for like $80, I would give them a try in one .

They actually seem to have a decent pattern

And this bad ass thing at a local bike shop when I went to look for a new helmet

 

[bigdog9191999]

Ordered some fog lights that came from the same company as the headlights in the Tahoe. And damn do they do a job compared to the crap the car had stock. And they look better.