BigBrother-84

Restrictor arrived today. For the newbies like me who wonder what it looks like, here it is. It… restricts. Not sure if it acts as a tube valve, but there’s a pin in the center…

Really interesting! Thanks Jim!

I LOVE them! Did a short test, there is a BIG difference between Low and High adjustment. Not equipped here for a precise adjustment (no flat parking facing a wall at our chalet). I made a partial adjustment on a straight flat road, so not lighting to the sky , pointing in a reasonable direction. Will fine tune when coming back home tomorrow.

Seats are beautiful! And take care!

Hi Jon, I'm not a pro, but changing your tires height (and so their diameter) might have an impact on your speedometer accuracy. Just keep it in mind, you could have to replace the cable driven gear. Maybe others could comment about this. Big Brother has 31" tires (31.5" when I mesure them), with stock steel wheels. Is this what you are talking about?

While restoring Big Brother, I decided to upgrade the headlights, tired about the standard H4 sealed beams. We quickly get used to modern vehicles lighting power and sealed beam were looking yellow… So I went with LED kit solution. Although they were much more powerful than H4 sealed beams, I was still not satisfied. Don’t know if the truck height is the cause, but I wasn’t able to adjust them correctly: There is almost no difference between High and Low beams, and coming vehicles are continuously flashing me. Here is this LED kit (bought from NAPA, Car Lighting District brand). PA11703CL Upgrade Kit and the LED bulb, CLD HEH4: This kit was ok for driving around here, no big distances, no big yearly mileage. But I’m going on a long road trip next September, and wanted to replace it with something performant and allowing a good High-Low adjustment. Today, I pulled out the LED kit and installed a Koito one. Gentlemen, sorry but each time I see this brand name, I realize that these Japanese marketing guys are surely not speaking French. Ok, let's keep serious. So today, I installed this Koito kit. Sorry… Instead, let's call it "Daniel Stern Kit". Or, "DS Kit". This will allow me to keep concentrated and focus. Now, where was I… Oh yeah, talking about the headlight kit swap. I also bought DS's harness so the DS Kit is powered directly from the battery (with fuses and relays). The original wiring stays in place and is not modified, used only to control the lights (on-off low-high). Was almost plug-n-play. Here is DS wiring Diagram: And the DS Kit: Let's compare the "look" between the LED kit and the DS Kit: Now, let's wait for the night for testing it!

These trucks are happy when they work! And taking bars to the work site is a step ahead, progress Jonathan! There’s a well known member here who likes to say «progress is good»!

Ok, got it, thanks! Will proceed in the engine compartment.

Decal installed. Time will tell, but for now I tested Alcohol and Gasoline on a corner, the print is resistant.

I used 6Ga wire (big pipeline to not loose current, long 14’ run). I think the second model would fit nice. Gary, why not install this fuse at the other end, in the cabin, instead of weather/dirt engine compartment?

The inverter arrived! There are two 40A fuses, plus ON/OFF switch. Looks good for me, but should I add a fuse on the positive wire, just in case of accidental shorting? If so, what AMP?

Thanks Jim! I agree, the red choice was finally the good one for that big guy. I still really like Adam's Blue two tone too! And, again, I am sincerely sorry for your tailgate Adam. Sure you're going to fix it with no traces of this accident.

LOL! Absolutely not! I thought you were sorry about my colour choice, red instead of blue. Kind of «sorry about your red choice, not too late to change it for blue». Now I'm really laughing, about my poor English understanding! Adam, sorry for the tailgate damage!

Jim, thanks for . 🤪 I was certainly not wide awake this morning, when I modified the inverter ground source. Working from the side of the truck, I mistakenly thought that there were more than one wire attached to this pole. It’s a simple washer… Conclusion, my starter relay is for the starter only. Gentlemen, I apologize for this confusion.

Ok Gentlemen, let’s admit that it wasn't my brightest idea… Anyway, ground connexion now fixed, directly on the battery negative pole. Gary, we architects can fortunately rely on engineers for these trivial mechanical and electrical questions. But some if us probably have a bit of engineering genes, and are interested to understand the basics (no more, thanks). That’s my case. So, I sketched a simplistic diagram and now understand that I was seeing the Starter ground. It’s a chance that the light tester has a good resistance, otherwise jumping the Relay could have start the engine. More seriously, I am wondering why there is not uniquely the starter circuit linked to this Relay pole. What other circuits have to run only when the Relay trigger is closed?

Nice, love it! Know what, I hesitated between this blue and Light Canyon Red for Big Brother’s new two tone look!

You sure about the mileage? There could be a “1” before, but these speedometers do not show more than 99999.9 1000 miles per year doesn’t sound a lot…

That’s logical, yep. I didn’t think ahead when I tested, looking for a good ground. Will verify what’s going on tomorrow. Thanks for taking care of me!

Ok, I’ll check that. I tested (light 12V tester) the negative pole (truck not running) and it appeared to be permanently grounded.

Ashes are very thin abrasive. I use them to clean my fireplace glass doors, with Windex and cloth. Absolutely no scratch on glass. Beats any “specialized” (and toxic) fireplace cleaner stuff.

I’ll see if there is a fuse coming with the inverter (not received yet). If not, I’ll fuse the positive wire. And yes, the black and the red wires start from each side of the relay. Direct positive and direct ground. I used #6 wires, to have the least resistance as possible, since there is around 12’-13’ between the power source and the inverter (crew cab…).

1- Wired from engine compartment to rear backseat, for an inverter. 2- Polished (finally!) the air box cover.

Ok guys, coming back a year later. But even a late progress is a progress, isn’t it? So, another item checked on my todo list! Shined a replacement air filter cover and installed the LMC decal: Before and after: Not perfect, but I’m satisfied with the result. I first polished using firewood ashes and humid cloth. Then I rubbed it with sanding sponges. I ended with Eagle One Nevr-Dull, and polishing with a soft cloth.

Ready for inverter, wired! From the solenoid: Through the passenger grommet: Under the carpet, ending behind the rear bench seat: I bought this model, enough for my needs: