New home for the Paintlab!

Click the title to go to my new home. It's still in progress. I'll be transferring as much of the info on this blogger as I can.
No more updates here.

click the title

The Winch is In!

Just finished installing my Warn M8000 w/ in-dash winch controls. I'm excited that a major mod is done! With syn line & hawse fairlead, total bumper weight is around 45lbs.

I took my time installing but with the help of my Norcal friends, it all went smoothly and I didn't electrocute myself!

24 with Bobby Lee

Bobby Lee does a HILARIOUS spoof on the tv show 24.

This is the funniest vid ever!

click the title

Trail tips & tricks from Germany

This is Peter from Germany. He is a Cruiserhead w/ a ton of great mods and ideas. Luckily, he documents them w/ alot of photos even if his site is all German.
Here's a neat example- using a bicycle patch repair kit to fix a leaking hose. Very cool idea as bicycle patches are cheap and easy to throw into a kit. I guess larger holes can be fixed w/ a tire plug as well. Anyway, great ideas click the title to get to his site.

Evaporative Cooling Radiator booster

I got a 2nd washer bottle setup and a couple cool OEM Toyota switches on ebay for $15. I got a universal setup for $15 as I didn't want to invest too much into it. The only delay is finding time to make a little mounting bracket.

Evaporative cooling (sweating, misting systems, etc) can reduce temps as much as 20 degrees in auto applications (mainly turbo intercooler application where a trick is to redirect washer bottle spray and cool things down). This idea came to me from a discussion w/ Joyce (someone that races a turbo 3rd gen 4Runner). She mentioned a trick she uses in racing is to redirect the washer bottle spray for some trick intercooler spray.

I found that in 3rd world areas, it is common for them to spray the radiator w/ water for the evap effect. when they start overheating.
The wet cloth in front of the radiator is the same effect, cooling the air before it hits the rad. In AUS, they will set a porus bag filled w/ drinking water on the front bumper; after driving all day, they have ice cold water just from the evaporative effect.

The way it works is the energy it takes to convert water to steam is heat. So, you "suck" the heat out of the metal by hitting it w/ water vapor. Same goes for your skin when you sweat.

The way I understand it, the finer the mist, the more rapid/effective the cooling. I am not sure, in the case of the radiator, if a fine spray from a washer nozzle is enough but will try this and add some simple mist nozzles later.

I don't have overheating problems. My idea is that it will reduce temps by basically giving me a "bigger radiator" during the times I hit the spray. So for those long grades w/ the AC on...or some higher stress event, just hit it w/ the spray.

It's a "free" temporary cooling booster so I think it's a worthy experiment, esp. since I live in the ideal climate for it to work best.

I will update w/ photos this weekend hopefully

Oil Level Gasket

A simple one bannana fix-

I noticed the oil level sensor gasket was leaking. Not dripping but obviously seeping pretty well enough to cake up


Simply disconnect sensor wire (press tab on wire side of connector) and 4 10mm bolts
I started pulling off the old gasket w/ a flathead carefully. The gasket was brittle and hard.


Here is a full view of the sensor assembly. Just carefully pull it out of the oil pan as the end float is delicate.


New gasket is placed in. Got it from Cruiserdan of course! Flat side down (as seen in this picture) and beveled side of gasket up. It slots in easy.


And simply pop it back in. I tightened the bolts opposing each other to get a even torque all around, not sure if necessary but I figure why not

Baja Taco

Chris is a real traveller with the 4x4 spirit!
His site is very inspirational and informative. He is very honest with his experience and information- this is a very rare quality. He also pointed me to the best coffee in Flagstaff! As a coffee lover, I am eternally grateful!

You will find alot about his truck on expeditionportal.com forums. Click the title for his great website.

Alaska Trek- The Dude & Desertgirl

Click the title for a bunch of great photos of The Dude's (&Desertgirl!) Trek into Alaska. It's an incredible journey. Read both their blogs as well, links posted eariler.

Here is a homage pic to Windex Scott! I laughed when I saw it.
Photo by Pasquale&Kristina