I had some time to work on Spero today and I finally got a chance to replace the power steering pump. It has been squealing for a month or so and it started to groan about a week ago. I also installed a mini mobile power station. I now have 3 plugs for things like phone charges and such. I also added a 140 watt power inverter, strong enough to power most laptops or other small electronics. I eventually plan on installing a hard wired inverter under one of the front seats that is strong enough to even run power tools and high power things of that nature.

I finally got around to fixing the exhaust leak that I have had for about 2 years now. (I know I am a slacker, but in my defense the jeep sounded beefy) I replaced the down pipe and the catalytic converter with a stainless steel set from Magnaflow. After fighting the rust every step of the way it is finally done. I am glad my friend was there to help me out with it. Here is the old assembly, it had to come out in three pieces.

The old hardware was almost completely rusted through so I used grade 8 bolts to replace them.

We had to cut the old down pipe away from the cat so we made the cut where the blowout happened(seemed to make sense) You can see how large the hole was.

Here is the new cat installed before the belly skid went back on.

Here is the new down pipe.

Now I need to save my pennies for a cat back system and the exhaust will be pretty much complete. (Unless my header cracks, which they are prone to do *knock on wood*)

Well I found what was making the vibration while driving. One of the U-Joints on the rear drive shaft had no needle bearings left in one of the 4 caps. I replaced that one but I might just go ahead and replace the other one as well. I think I am going to re do the first one since I need to replace the yoke straps and bolts, may as well since it is all going to be apart anyhow. I also need to replace my power steering pump pretty soon because it is starting to squeal with the lovely sound of failing bearings. Granted this all seems like a ton of repairs if you look at what all I have done since I got Spero but it is not too bad. She does have 217000 miles on her at this point so in the grand scheme of things that is a fairly small list of repairs.

First update from TX

So I moved to TX as you know and I have not had much time to update this blog so here is a good sized one.
I will start off with the stuff I did before the move and then get the new stuff.

First up is the new stereo and speakers I mentioned in the last post. It is green right now but according to the manufacturer it can change 30,000 different colors.

Here are the speakers


I also installed a skid plate for the steering box before the move. Without it one wrong move off road would leave me stranded.


Since I have been in TX I have not done too much but there are a couple things.
The first thing I did was get some Daystar Hood Wranglers to replace the stock hood hold downs. The stock ones would allow the hood to lift about 3 inches at highway speeds and if a semi passed you going the other way it made you kind of nervous lol. The new hood latched don't allow any movement at all.


The next item was a repair I had to do. I noticed a strange noise one day and after some wrench turning I found out that one of the bolt holes that my passenger side brake caliper mounts to was stripped out. The caliper was holding on by one bolt. I ended up having to replace the steering knuckle and that was a pain of a job.
Here is a shot of the new one from the back side(I didn't feel like pulling the tire off to get a pic) the rust on it is all either surface rust from the humidity or dust from the brakes.


I also finally got my TX plates on the jeep. Also yes that is a dead water heater in the lawn. We had to replace our the other day and I have not had a chance to haul it to the dump since the trash truck will not take it.


There is one addition to the jeep I could do without. I drive 70 miles a day round trip for work and the sheer amount of bug is kinda gross lol


Now I just need to find why it is still vibrating high speeds over 40, get an alignment, rotate and balance the tires, and replace the down pipe and catalytic converter.

Quick Update

I have been rather busy lately so I have not had too much time or money to work on Spero. I did replace that lower radiator hose and I also got to replace the stereo deck (only because I got a $100 gift card from qwest lol) I will post a few picks of the new deck later. Aside from that I have not had a chance to do much more. It will be a while until I can afford any new upgrades since I have to save every penny I can because I have a big move coming up soon ;)

Repairs continue

I managed to get a few more repairs done on Spero this past Sunday. My friend Joe I replaced the front brake rotors and pads, and rewired the fog lights. We started to replace the steering stabilizer but the bolt that goes through the tie rod simply would not come out. We worked on it for a good 2 hours solid with no results. I took it to my mechanic on Monday to see if they could get it out. Sure enough 20 minutes after I dropped it off I got a call saying it was done. All it took was a 4 foot breaker bar lol. While we were working on the steering stabilizer Joe pointed out that my lower radiator hose was starting to bulge so that is next on the list before it gets to cold. If it bursts it will be a bigger pain to fix. Other than that it has just been basic maintenance. I am really ready for winter time so I can taker out and go play in the snow. :D

July Off road Trips

I had the chance to Take Spero off road a couple of times this month. The first trip was on some trails above Central City with my friend Bill and his son Clark. Spero did fairly well until we took a turn down a trail that was bit bit too rough for her to run without bottoming out. It was fun none the less but we did have to turn around and go back after it got too rough. This shot was taken at the point where we had to turn back. The rocks may seem small but you can not see the really big ones in this shot. VVVVVVV



VVVV It also had a few good muddy water crossings to play in VVVV



The second run was with my brother Danny and his friend Tyler. We hit a couple trails called Beaver Creek Road and Hall Valley. Beaver Creek road was fun and had a decent water crossing and a nice little set of whoops. It also had a little hill that was a fun climb.

VVVV Danny's truck is on the left and Tyler's is on the right VVVV


VVVVV water crossing VVVVV


VVVV Whoops VVVV



VVVV Fun hill VVVV


Hall Valley got a bit rough and rocky at a few points but the view from the top was well worth it. Spero can climb better than I had originally thought.

VVVV mildly rocky section VVVV


VVVV Funny gate at the top VVVV


VVVV A few of the views from the top VVVV





I also recently replaced the steering box (old one worked but leaked) and got new tires which did very well off road. I also added a steering box skid plate to protect the new box so I don't get stranded on the trail without steering.