What have you been up to lately? This is what I did.

[Big Frank]

What no VW Pickup with the folding side that made it into a flatbed?   It also had a belly box.  My dad owned one for a couple of years.

I knew they made a pickup too, but they were rear-engine not COE.

[tombogan03884]

What no VW Pickup with the folding side that made it into a flatbed?   It also had a belly box.  My dad owned one for a couple of years.

Guy up the road had one when I was a kid.
He also wore a motorcycle helmet driving it.
Draw your own conclusions.   

[Big Frank]

Guy up the road had one when I was a kid.
He also wore a motorcycle helmet driving it.
Draw your own conclusions.   

At least he wasn't one of those special people who wear a football helmet.

[Big Frank]

The insurance company FINALLY paid me for the loss of my truck and a few days later, after 8 weeks of not having a vehicle, I got a 2010 Yukon Denali. I was looking for a Chevy Tahoe but having a hard time finding a used one for sale within 50 miles. I found one that a dealer was asking $997 more than it was worth, but otherwise would have been perfect for me. I put my ATV payments on hold since I was ahead on them, and it wiped out my savings to buy the Yukon, but I don't have to make payments on it. I spent the money I saved up for new furniture and a whole lot more, but since I was pulling the third row seats out anyway, they'll serve as a couch. I'll probably build a 2x4 frame to raise them off the floor a foot or so. 80 bucks worth of lumber ought to do it. I figure that's what a few 2x4s are going for theses days.

The only engine they put in the Yukon Denali that year was a 6.2 Liter. It puts out 50% more horsepower than the 4.8 Liter V8 I had in my Silverado. Actually it's around 49&1/4%, 403 HP versus 270, but I rounded it up. When I took it for a test ride the dealer told me to keep it under 120. I did, but I got it up to 105 on the freeway. I asked my brother who gave me a ride to the dealer, you want to see how fast it will go? He said, "No.", then I clicked my blinker, got in the fast lane and wound 'er up a bit. It was fun but I'm not looking forward to trips to the gas station. I really don't drive much anyway. The Yukon is 9 years newer than my truck and has 100,000 more miles. I only took the one picture when I got it home, before I took it back to get detailed.

I still have to read the manual to learn how to program the locks, seat, steering column and all that stuff. And to adjust the pedals, and everything else I don't even know about yet. I programmed all 36 radio presets to XM stations yesterday. Right now things are set up to unlock all the doors when you shut the engine off. That's not a good idea in Flint. But don't take my word for it. Ask my next-door neighbor who was recently carjacked and has 8 broken ribs now. When I use the key fob to unlock it, I think it unlocks the front passenger door, but not the back doors. Maybe it unlocks all of them. I had my truck set up to not unlock the doors when I put it in park or when I turned the engine off and took the key out. When I used the key fob to unlock it, one press only unlocked the drivers door and I'll be setting the Yukon the same way. I bought all new lug nuts with locks for all 4 wheels today. No one will see them under the hubcaps, but I don't want anyone stealing those sweet 20s it has on it. Then I bought a new ball mount with an 8" drop, a 2" stainless steel ball, and a locking hitch pin. The hitch pin and lock on the end of it are black, so it's all color coordinated with the ball mount and the Yukon itself. The only thing left to do would be to get the ball blackened and that's a bit too much.

I bought some more gun stuff but I've been too busy to do much with it. I got an A2 carry handle mounted on the flattop upper of the Can Cannon and put my quadrant sight on it. Because of the knobs sticking out on the side of the carry handle I could leave the sight at 100 meters, not an option really, or have a minimum range of 300 meters on the sight. I have no idea how far an M200 blank will launch a 12 ounce can of soda with the sights set at that elevation, but the point blank range with the sight set for 100 meters would have to be pretty short. The X Products upper was a sloppy loose fit, which is okay for some things but not AR-15s. I like a nice tight one, and I reckon most of you do too. I even had an ACCU-Wedge in it and could not only move the upper up and down, I could rotate it around the barrel axis. There was daylight showing all the way around between the upper and lower, even around the corner and up the back of the upper. After I put a new ACCU-Wedge in it I could barely get it closed but it took the slop out. Here's a little tip: When you put a new ACCU-Wedge in, IF you have trouble closing the receiver halves, use a flat-bladed screwdriver in the corner of the wedge to press it all the way down and back . Some receiver and wedge combinations fit so loose you can just poke the wedge in with your finger and you're good to go. I kept the old wedge since it worked perfectly fine with uppers other than X Products. I'll post some pics of my other projects once I get them finished.

P.S. I also bought some license plate mounting hardware so I can put my vanity plate on the front. I think it only cost me $5 extra to have 2 plates instead of 1, but the first 1 isn't cheap.

[PegLeg45]

Very nice ride, Frank.




Some advice on the newer GM's....if it has that that silly-assed AFM (active fuel management) then be sure to use the proper oil (Dexos 2) or it'll kill the lifters. We bought a used 2013 and a year later had to put a $6800 engine in it. The mechanic said it was because the previous owner went cheap and used the wrong oil.

[Sponsor]

[Rastus]

<snip>
Some advice on the newer GM's....if it has that that silly-assed AFM (active fuel management) then be sure to use the proper oil (Dexos 2) or it'll kill the lifters. We bought a used 2013 and a year later had to put a $6800 engine in it. The mechanic said it was because the previous owner went cheap and used the wrong oil.

Ouch. 

[Rastus]

Hmmm...up to. 

Well, today I have two beehives to set on a platform we put in the pond.  It has electric fence around it and the bears are really going to get a charge out of it.  Yesterday worked on the lawnmower and cut grass.  Worked on some other things here at the house we're putting up for sale.

In the ham radio world I put up an 80 meter vertical loop.  Outside of ham hauled the tractor in for maintenance, working in the garden, putting up game cameras, cutting grass, weedeating, feeding horses and cattle, straightened up stuff in the barn, cut down a few trees, planted 4 acres of natural grass and forbs for wildlife after having killed all the fescue, knocked down an old pack shed, disced up another field before the tractor went in for maintenance (pick it up tomorrow), dropped the diesel tank in the F250 to find out how the water is getting into the fuel..waiting on parts to fix, hauled a load of stuff from the old house to the new place, installed 6 gauge wire for one of those instant water heaters (don't do that...really, don't ever get one), put up 330' of horse fence, ordered components for a new computer, evaluating two oil and gas properties to hopefully buy (with someone else's money), put up an electric fence around the garden to keep the deer out, pulled together some income tax information and talked to the accountant about it, paid bills, picked up some groceries, picked up the boat from the jerks who could not fix the motor and dropped it off with someone who can, replaced a half dozen light bulbs in the place to sell, ran off a couple of trespassers, and the beat goes on....there is more.

[Jim Kennedy-ar154me]

Well, HELL. I wish I could get 1/4 of that done in 1 day!

[tombogan03884]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGVyi11KmtE