Hello members! Every Wednesday, we have this open thread where people bitch about their project car problems. In truth, it’s more of a therapy session given by untrained people who are equally, if not more, screwed up than the “patient.” So participate at your own peril. I myself need some real help this week, so please chime in with your opinions on what I should do about this rapidly-approaching honeymoon I’m in charge of planning.
I’m at the airport right now, about to be stuck in Toronto for the night, I fear, as there’s a delay getting to the fine Ontario city, where my layover to Germany was already supposed to only be one hour. But let’s set aside how doomed I am since I’ve got other things to worry about — namely a honeymoon.
That’s right, for the second time in my life, I’m about to be on a honeymoon, and for the second time, I won’t be one of the lovebirds — I’ll be a third wheel! Anyway, my wonderful friends Andreas and Josie are wedding on Saturday, and for their honeymoon, they’re coming to the U.S. for the first time ever. I’m in charge of planning the trip, and that includes getting the cars. Only one problem: Their arrival date, February 6, is fast approaching, and frankly, I don’t have the cars quite sorted. I’ve asked Lincoln for a Navigator, but they’re not yet sure if they can pull it off. The other vehicle will be my Jeep J10, which is the greatest machine on earth, except that it 1. Doesn’t have a heater and 2. Needs brake work.
The heater thing should be fine unless that heater core has major issues (it doesn’t leak) or if a blend door is all jacked up and requires major surgery. The brakes work, but they stop very unevenly, tending to want to kick the machine’s tail out during hard stops. This is a problem, since I’ll be loading the truck up with probably 1,500 pounds of my belongings.
I’ve got new calipers and wheel cylinders, as well as shoes (the pads are good up front), though I suspect the issue is the bad brake fluid in the system. I could just bleed it and see how it goes, but I kinda wanna just replace the old hardware since I have new stuff. I cannot, however, for the life of me, find a good replacement front brake hose that isn’t tiny. The new replacements are cheap garbage, and the outer diameter of the hose does not inspire confidence. This concern is entirely unfounded, but comparing the new, thin hose to the thicker, older one — it’s just not ideal.
Anyway, those are my problems for now. Any advice would be great; I’ll gladly reciprocate if you’ve got wrenching-related issues you need to talk through. We’re all here for each other.