The Dumb Question Thread

Lazerrred

Bought an X
The overload had this one really long bracket. The two smaller brackets contain all but what’s now the bottom leaf. Do I need to add another bracket that contains the full pack?

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Dayam, that looks like it may act like a small plow and catch all kinds of shiat. But wouldn’t two brackets and some pre bend kind of defeat the purpose of an Overload. I’m clueless, but me thinks it would rattle like crazy too. Oh wait, just noticed it “appears” it is captured in the one bracket, so yeah it wouldn’t need but one bracket. & my guess would be put the bracket forward. Still clueless.
 
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Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
If you remove the overload, I'd probably put one bracket on there to contain the leaves. My alcans have two brackets on each side, FWIW.
 

AlbatrossCafe

First Fill-Up (of many)
Location
Western WA
Anyone here have a good technique for muscling the front diff in yourself?

I could do it before by putting it on my hips & essentially thrusting it in (lol) so that I can use my hands to put the bolts in while my lower half supports the weight. Now that I am TS'd and on 35s, where I put the truck on jackstands makes that kind of hard. I usually benchpress the diff into place while a helper messes with the bolts.
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
I had to pull the crossmember where the pinion is, lift the front passenger side with a jack and get the bolt in with no nut. The use a block of wood and the jack to get the pinion bushing in place. Then I could lift and install the drivers side bolt. Did that by myself twice when doing the swap.
 

TerryD

Total Tease
Supporting Member
Location
Covington, Va
Anyone here have a good technique for muscling the front diff in yourself?

I could do it before by putting it on my hips & essentially thrusting it in (lol) so that I can use my hands to put the bolts in while my lower half supports the weight. Now that I am TS'd and on 35s, where I put the truck on jackstands makes that kind of hard. I usually benchpress the diff into place while a helper messes with the bolts.
Floor jack?
 

AlbatrossCafe

First Fill-Up (of many)
Location
Western WA
Floor jack?

Seems like the obvious option until you realize the diff is the most awkwardly balanced thing ever. Like 80% of the weight is in the one corner, so it doesn't balance on the jack. You end up having to stabilize the diff with one hand and pump the jack with the other (hard to reach) and then you don't really have a 3rd hand to get everything aligned. Idk, maybe I just need to give it another shot.
 

TerryD

Total Tease
Supporting Member
Location
Covington, Va
Seems like the obvious option until you realize the diff is the most awkwardly balanced thing ever. Like 80% of the weight is in the one corner, so it doesn't balance on the jack. You end up having to stabilize the diff with one hand and pump the jack with the other (hard to reach) and then you don't really have a 3rd hand to get everything aligned. Idk, maybe I just need to give it another shot.
Get some scrap lumber and build a cradle for it
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
Seems like the obvious option until you realize the diff is the most awkwardly balanced thing ever. Like 80% of the weight is in the one corner, so it doesn't balance on the jack. You end up having to stabilize the diff with one hand and pump the jack with the other (hard to reach) and then you don't really have a 3rd hand to get everything aligned. Idk, maybe I just need to give it another shot.
Yeah. That's why I did it one bolt at a time. Once you get half of the bolt in on the passenger side, a floor jack and a piece of 2x4 can seat the pinion bushing.
 

outback97

Wheeling
Supporting Member
Location
SLC, Utah
Dumb question of the day: If you're driving in the dark and you see an approaching car that has their headlights turned off, do you turn off your lights very briefly, then back on, to let them know? I've been driving over 30 years and this was always a thing as long as I can remember.

It worked too, you'd see people turn them on after they noticed you doing this. But it doesn't seem to register with anyone now... are drivers that oblivious (likely) or is this just not a thing that people recognize?
 

ffxcores

[fully disclosed]
Supporting Member
Location
Virginia
Dumb question of the day: If you're driving in the dark and you see an approaching car that has their headlights turned off, do you turn off your lights very briefly, then back on, to let them know? I've been driving over 30 years and this was always a thing as long as I can remember.

It worked too, you'd see people turn them on after they noticed you doing this. But it doesn't seem to register with anyone now... are drivers that oblivious (likely) or is this just not a thing that people recognize?
I think people are too dumb/oblivious. In northern Virginia the thing I see way too often is people driving with DRL on at night. There’s a soft glow in the front (enough that it’s visible on the back of the car ahead when stopped at a light it in traffic) so they think headlights are on but no tail lights. I’ve pulled next to them in some cases and the dash clusters are dark so you’d think they’d realize but they don’t.

Also with so many people running aftermarket lights that are improperly aimed it seems like everyone is constantly flashing high beams all the time.
 

outback97

Wheeling
Supporting Member
Location
SLC, Utah
I think people are too dumb/oblivious. In northern Virginia the thing I see way too often is people driving with DRL on at night. There’s a soft glow in the front (enough that it’s visible on the back of the car ahead when stopped at a light it in traffic) so they think headlights are on but no tail lights. I’ve pulled next to them in some cases and the dash clusters are dark so you’d think they’d realize but they don’t.

Also with so many people running aftermarket lights that are improperly aimed it seems like everyone is constantly flashing high beams all the time.

I grew up and learned to drive in Minnesota, where it seems like you're always driving in the dark in the winter; maybe it's a regional thing but I know it also used to work here in Utah where I've lived for 25 years. And to clarify, I'm not flashing high beams as one would do if someone in opposing traffic leaves theirs on, I'm actually turning the lights off and on again.

View: https://giphy.com/gifs/life-from-crowd-rcOlpTCkM1GAE
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
The problem is modern instrument clusters and bright ass DRLs.

Back in the day you didn't have a cluster that was lit all the time. It was only lit when the headlights were on. Now, shiats lit up like an Xmas tree 24-7. Combine that with the bright DRLs that probability produce as much light as old halogen headlights, and further complicate the shiat with people who don't know what the "Auto" setting on their headlight controls does. Well......
 

outback97

Wheeling
Supporting Member
Location
SLC, Utah
The problem is modern instrument clusters and bright ass DRLs.

Back in the day you didn't have a cluster that was lit all the time. It was only lit when the headlights were on. Now, shiats lit up like an Xmas tree 24-7. Combine that with the bright DRLs that probability produce as much light as old halogen headlights, and further complicate the shiat with people who don't know what the "Auto" setting on their headlight controls does. Well......

I think all of that is true.

A lot of the examples I am thinking of lately though are older cars with no forward lights on at all, no DRL, and presumably no really bright dashboards.

I think it's what both of you guys mentioned plus obliviousness.
 

ffxcores

[fully disclosed]
Supporting Member
Location
Virginia
What shocks should I get when that time comes, only fronts or do the leafs also?
I originally did just shocks all around, but the get like with my floppy leaf springs I was putting twice as much work (or more) on my new shocks and killing them. I’d say it depends on how wimpy your current ones are. Mine only had about 75k but the previous owner did lots of towing a boat.
 

ffxcores

[fully disclosed]
Supporting Member
Location
Virginia
If I got one of those breather fittings for the heater core, could I install without having to drain/refill? The breather is specifically so I can burp it and not have to mess with all that, right? I just had my radiator flushed about 8k miles ago.
 
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