Back in Black

33" Dunlop Mud Rovers on flat black spokes. I think these will work, though I might eventually paint the rims.

A Glut of Rubber

OK, so I must be obsessed or something. Well, no, not really. That cut in the sidewall of one of my 32s has been bothering me, so I've been on the look out for a new set of tires, or at least two to swap.

Well, the other day I noticed a set of 33" Dunlop Mud Rovers on wagon wheels on CL. Thought about it. Thought about it some more. Finally emailed the guy last night and he still had them. Went to look at them tonight and wouldn't you know it, they followed me home and are now on Hanky.

Yes, this probably puts the 35" debate to rest. Will probably look to move them on to someone who can use them, or possibly trade for ??? These suckers are worth about $1200 new, but I won't be asking anywhere near that...

Will post pics tomorrow when it's light.

If They Don't Want It, Is it Stealing?

So there is this small utility trailer abandoned on Rt 175 at Tamar Dr., like a mile and a half from my house. Been there for like a month. When I first saw it, the tongue was leaning up against it, like it had broken off.  After it sitting there for three weeks, I finally stopped to check it out. Not bad. Lots of surface rust, but solid. New wheels. All the wiring and the tongue is gone. But, it's just a straight tongue that bolts on. Easy fix. So, I'm thinking I can just take this thing home and fix it. Check the MVA site to see what kind of hoops they would  put me through to tag a salvaged trailer. Lots if I don't have a title. So I figure I ought to call the Police to see what they say. Nope, can't just take it, even if it's been sitting there forever. They have to run a VIN check (good luck finding one). If they can't find one or the owner doesn't claim it after they run a check, they tow it away and auction it off somewhere, some time. The duty officer even said that it would be a whole lot easier if I just took it, but can't let me. Bah. Phooey.

Decisions, Decisions

These new wheels won't fit on the rear passenger side as-is, but since I've already trimmed a section out of the driver's quarter, I figured I'll put them on that side to see how they look with the truck sitting on it's weight. Pretty damned good.

Then, since I can't drive it around with 3 35s and a 32, I put the rest of the 32s back on. For comparison, here's how it looks:

Mind you, the rear does sag just a bit, but is clear that there will need to be more than just a little trimming to make these bad boys fit. Given that I planned on cutting off the ds quarter anyway, doesn't seem like I have a lot to lose. Might have to put those add-a-leaf's I have on the rear to kick it up another inch or so.

I still have to repair the floor and mid mount on the driver's side, so I have some time to think about what I really want to do.  SOA, 4.09 sounds pretty good. :-)

Free Like a Baby, not a Beer

So, like I said, these bargain tires I got are gonna cost me a fair bit more if I'm going to be able to use them. Tried putting them on today just for kicks to see how they would look just sitting still. Fronts fit great and look really good. The rears are, well, tight. I jacked from the bumper, so even with the axle unsprung, there was only about 1/2" clearance between the tire and the front edge of the quarter. If I lowered it, it would have pinched the tire. Looks pretty cool though. It actually looks like it would interfere even with a significant amount of additional lift. Check out the pics. The last one is the 32" tire next to the new 35". By the way, the front tires are Dick Cepek MTS and the rears are BFG Mud Terrains. The look darned near new, but are definitely used a bit.