GasMeister’s Bile

I put a new set of tires on the Hummer yesterday. I have had a plan for a while to get something more aggressive, but common sense got the best of me. I went with Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revos. They have a good deep tread for off-roading, but still drive nice in the city.

I bought a set of stock rims I found on Craigslist for $300 about a month ago. Unfortunately, they did not come the the TPS (tire pressure sensor) modules, but I managed to pickup a set of four for only $120. I mounted the new tires on the extra set of rims to allow me to finish using the miles left on the old tires. They still have lots of tread for city driving.

I put a lot of work trying to get the old set to fit in the storage unit. With some effort and sweat, I managed to accomplish the task.

The day was wrapped-up with dinner on Redondo Pier and walk by the coast in Palos Verdes.

I got a great birthday gift this weekend from Microsoft, a red ring of death on the XBox. I went ahead and bought a new one just because I didn't want to wait three weeks.

The new unit is kinda like the first one I had, 20GB drive, single controller w/headset, but also had an HDMI port. This means it has the new motherboard that is supposedly without the RRoD bug. WOOHOO!

I submitted a repair ticket with Microsoft and it looks like I can get it fixed for free since it is still in the three year period. WOOHOO again!

We had been talking about a second XBox for a while since Ellen and I want to both play online (Texas Hold'em and Uno), so I guess it will happen now.

Thanks, Microsoft!

I almost purchased another car this last weekend, a 1964 Pontiac Grand Prix.

This one wasn't in bad shape. All the numbers matched (yes, it still had the sludge-amatic that they came with back then) with a 326 CI engine.

I just don't have a place to put it. Way too long to fit in my garage and I sure will not park it on the street.

*sigh*

Maybe later . . . when I have room.

It has been a while since I posted anything meaningful on my blog. Here is a modest attempt to catch everyone up . . .

Ellen and I got a sudden itch to go look for a house to buy. We have been dumping a good chunk of our earnings into rent and want something to show for out hard work. While walking to dinner one night, we passed by a townhouse hat was perfect. It was about 1600 square foot townhouse with a two car garage and a large storage room not included in the square footage. we got to the point where we were starting to sign all the disclosures when we realized it was too much for us to afford. Well, we could afford it, but not with the life style he have accustomed ourselves to. Luckily, we were able to get out of the deal with a minimal loss.

During the house ordeal, we analyzed ourselves and saw some area we could work on to help save money. For starters, we are selling the pickup. It is hard for me to let go, but it sits parked most of the time. We only use it as a backup vehicle. Since both of our every-day vehicles are both under warranty, it seems pointless to keep paying registration and insurance on a car we only drive maybe once every two months. We have a lot of good memories with the S-10. It was the main trip vehicle for years, not to mention all the work trips I took it on. Looks like it will be going to a good home though. A fellow co-worker want to buy it for his son who needs it at college. I think it would be a good vehicle for him.

I also put a bluetooth kit in the Hummer. I was using the OnStar with the Verizon package, which brought it to about $45.00/month. now I just use my cell phone.

Well, it is getting late and close to my bedtime. Y’all take care.

The heat wave came in and attacked us this weekend, but it didn’t keep us from keeping our cool. We saw temps as high as 95. Before you tell me how much hotter it is where you live, keep in mind that I have NO air conditioning, not even a swamp cooler. Yeah . . . I bet you had the A/C on long before it got that hot, eh?

SATURDAY
Dennis, husband of a coworker of Ellen’s, came over Saturday and repaired our refrigerator. The compressor seized due to overheating. I guess all that cat hair in the coils wasn’t good for it after all. We had to take several trips to get the parts needed for the repair, but ended with success after about four hours.

We went for a swim afterwords at Ellen’s parent’s apartment complex. We completed the evening with dinner at Spires, a local coffee shop. The temp was back down into seventies when we finally got home.

SUNDAY
We completed the rest of our weekend chores. Both cars got filled with gas and washed, I got a hair cut and Ellen restocked the refrigerator. I spent a good part of the day increasing my Xbox Live gamerscore by dedicating some time into Lego Indiana Jones.

I have been experiencing some pain in a tooth, so I am going to have to go to the dentist some time this week. I am actually overdue to see her anyways.

It is finally cooling down enough to go to bed. Gotta catch a few winks.

Our refrigerator died. Perfect timing since we had company all weekend.

Oh well, at least I can still play Lego Indiana Jones!

I finally got the video clips posted from my last trip to Hungry Valley.

First, we went down Sterling Canyon:

Next, we spent some time at the 4×4 practice area:

We worked our way to the east through Homestead Trail:

A lot of time was spent on Freeman Trail (not filmed) to get us Flat Fannie and then on to Quail Pass:

The trip was concluded with Pronghorn Trail:

Enjoy!

I took a fellow coworker, David, off roading in Hungry Valley last Wednesday. Fortunately, he a pretty good photographer, so many good pictures were taken on this trip.

We mounted his camcorder on the windshield and should have the videos online this week sometime.

You can see the pictures here: LINKY

I got another chance to take the Hummer on some dirt. I took a friend with three of his kids to Hungry Valley by Gorman, California. We had a total blast! I got to do a few things in the Hummer that I haven’t tried before, like climbing stairs!

We got a treat traveling through the poppy reserve. Many of the flowers are in full bloom.

As usual, here are some pics: LINKY

I also have a short movie clip: LINKY

Finally got my Pioneer AVIC-D3 installed in my H3 this weekend. I had a few lessons learned, but overall, it went well.

I used the Metra GMOS-04 harness. I have the Monsoon system with OnStar, so this seemed logical. The GMOS-04 also provided a few other leads, the speed sensor, reverse sensor and parking brake (even though I chose not to use it). The only problem I had with the harness was using the wrong illumination light. Use the Orange/White wire!

For the mounting kit, I used the American International GMK382 double-DIN kit. I had to cut out the middle bar to allow the AVIC-D3 to fit. A little careful work with a file will make it look it was never there. I still had to remove the tab that supported the stock radio in the rear. I really didn’t want to use a saw or grinder in there so I just broke it out using a pair of pliers.

The GPS antenna gave me another challenge. I used a little L brace and mounted it where the factory GPS antenna would go. The magnetic base of the antenna held it firmly on the L brace. Only problem was that it did not get reception there. Thanks to TonyH3, I found the best location is under the plastic runner that runs along the top sides.

As usual. I have taken a few pics and have updated my mod list:
AVIC-D3 Installation Pics
Mod List