Insert clever tagline here

Last night I just planned on installing some accessories for the stereo but I figured since I had the center console out I would also install my Mopar STS while I was in there.

A while back a friend of mine gave me a set of Energy Suspension shifter base bushings that he never got around to installing, so I figured I’d throw them in. You basically pull out the OEM bushings, install these and reuse the metal center section to bolt things down.

I also relocated the aftermarket FM antenna I had tucked behind the head unit to under the dash top. The signal is MUCH stronger there, as now I get damn near every FM station in the area. Before this my radio would seek through most all frequencies. I also stuck the Sirius antenna in the defroster vent to clean things up a bit. On the column is the microphone for the Bluetooth hands free feature on the radio. Works great! The Sirius hardware is neatly tucked under the driver’s seat.

Lately the majority of my time as been consumed with my SRT situation. Now as things are settling down I have some more time to work on other hobbies. Up until now all of the homebrewing I have been doing has been from Extract Kits. Brewing with extract is okay, it’s much easier and faster, but the results are not as good as brewing from grain. So the next batch of beer that I will be making will be made completely from grain, with no extract used. However, in order to accomplish this I need one additional piece of equipment. A Mash Tun is a vessel that you use to mash the milled grain in order to create the wort that you will eventually boil to brew the beer. There are many options to obtaining/building a mash tun, most all of the homebrew supply sites and stores offer pre-built or kits for building one. With some searching online, I found an easy DIY solution that would get me into all grain brewing for little cash. I basically followed Don Osborune’s how to that is located on his site. Cheap and Easy Mash Tun. My cost was slightly higher than his, because I used a better cooler than he did.

Parts.
Coleman Xtreme 50-Quart Cooler on Wheels from Walmart
Approx 5′ of 3/8″ Tubing from Northern Brewer
Small Tubing Clamp from Northern Brewer
Braided Stainless Steel Supply Line from Lowes
Small Stainless Steel Worm Gear Clamps from My Garage (can be found on NB or at Lowes/HD)

Assembly.
Gather all of your parts, Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine is Optional.

Cut the ends off of the stainless steel braid. I used some pipe cutters I had, but a hacksaw would work well for this also.

Using needle nose pliers, remove the tubing inside the braid. Leaving a floppy stainless steel outside. Be careful not to prick yourself with the frayed ends.

Set the braid aside. Push the tubing through the drain in the cooler. I found it easier to go from inside out, vs outside in. Your mileage may vary based on what cooler you use.

Clamp the braid on the end of the tube inside the cooler. Fold the other end of the braid over itself a few times and clamp it closed.

Slide your tubing clamp up the outside tubing and place it an inch or two from the outlet of the cooler.

Wait for your significant other to leave, and then leak test your new Mash Tun.

I should be trying my first All Grain brew in the next couple weeks. I’ll update with my experience.

Thanks to my friend Sean and his neighbor, we were able to get rid of the wrecker shell last weekend. He also picked up the long block too.

Thanks again to Sean, Dustin, Gabe, Juan, Jamar, Erik, Jesus, and everyone else from the LVSRT family that came and helped me get my parts off that old car and ready to install on the new car.

Finally, I am able to park both mine and my fiancee’s cars in my garage and now I have room to get started on installing the fun stuff on the new SRT.

Now the fun begins

Damnit.

I noticed a chunk of metal in one of the stock wheels I’ve been rolling around on while my 5zigen fn01r-c’s are getting ready for powder. Luckily, Juan’s loaner wheels were available at the shop, Snail Motorsports so I ran over there and picked them up. Unfortunately, they’re painted black. So I got a great idea…

I thought it was kinda funny

I also realised that there has been quite a bit of car and tech talk on my blog lately, but no mention of beers. So I wanted to mention my beverage of choice while swapping my wheels around…

New Belgium Ranger IPA. At 70 IBUs its more bitter than most, but not overwhelming. ABV is on par for an IPA at around 6.5%. I first discovered it at Lee’s discount liquor, but then I noticed that my local Walmart sells it for about $7 a 6-pack.

Just a quick update. Since my last one, I’ve sold the fold out Jensen deck to a friend and ordered a new deck from a friend that does car audio professionally. Should be in soon.

Finally had the tint done. 13% all around. Thanks to RobDGAF@LVSRT

The other day I played around with the idea of removing the factory antenna. Since the connector behind the dash was broken by one of the previous owners, I’m going to install an aftermarket powered antenna. I dont have the budget right now to have the hole in the fender properly shaved so I thought plugging it would be the next best thing. I found these plugs at autozone that looked to be large enough to cover the entire hole, and some paint damage that was there from the base of the antenna rubbing against the fender. I used some touch up paint first to prevent further chipping/pealing of the paint.

Those plugs are great for both the antenna hole, and the spoiler hole. There is one large plug, approx 1 1/4″ dia, and 8 smaller ones.

Right now it is held in with some double stick tape, as it is just a proof of concept. I bought a second plug that I will paint with Mopar rattle can touch up paint so it blends better with the fender. Eventually, the hole will be properly filled and the entire fender painted.

I’ve been helping my fiancee, Ashley, set up her own blog for the NBA playoffs. Check her out over on Skirt on the Sideline. I also talked her into a twitter page, @skirtonsideline so you can follow her updates and comments.

Did a couple of little things this weekend. I packed the 5zigens up and took them to Juan’s shop, Snail Motorsports to be dismounted and get ready to prep for powder. The color should arrive soon, and I’ll be over there helping him do the prep work.

A while back a friend gave me a broken Jensen in dash DVD player. I spoke to Jensen and paid to have it repaired out of warranty. It arrived Friday afternoon from service. I took out the Sony deck that the car came with and installed the Jensen.

I’m not sure how I feel about it yet, I dont like how it covers the HVAC controls when its open. It came with the cables to hook up my iPod, but I can’t get it working. I emailed their tech support for answers, I was going to buy the Satellite radio for it but I’m waiting until I get an answer on the iPod. But it isn’t a bad deck for the less than $200 I have invested in it.

The wrecker shell is ready to go, I threw away some junk that was in it. All that is left is the body harness, most of the rear suspension, and a dented trunk lid.

My garage looks like a neon exploded in it.

Things are starting to come together for the new car, all I need to do is order a clutch and I can start transferring everything over.

Ubuntu 10.04 LTS is almost here. I plan to upgrade a couple of my machines and write my review here. Stay tuned.

So after my car sat for 2 weeks at my friend Gabe’s garage my battery completely died. It wouldn’t hold a charge for more than a day, so the fiancee and I had to car pool to work for another week while I decided what I wanted to do. A few of my friends out here have fabbed up brackets to make Red Top batteries fit in their cars, so I figured I’d do the same at some point. Well the time came sooner than expected, and so I spent some time making it work for now. I’ll clean it up for the real install, but this is just enough to get me to work.

First I had to get rid of the factory air box to make room for the Optima. The K&N that the previous owner installed came in handy with the welfare short ram.

There is a bit of a size difference.

I’ve got a clean, powdercoated (courtesy of Juan @ SnailMotorsports) battery tray ready to go in when I do the real build, but this will work for now.

A $4 strap kit and the car fires right up. It actually starts easier than the previous battery did before it went flat.

I’m almost ready to start the real build. I’m on week 3 of my wait for my DCR Oil Pump, and I have a local that is supposed to be buying my old trans so I can get some $$ together for a new clutch (ACT Xtreme 6-puck). Once those arrive, the game is on.

I Laughed.