Spinning up for winter already

[mahatma]

Well, the process of addiction never seems to end. I finally purchased what I consider to be an appropriate ski vehicle. A 1998 Mitsubishi Delica Space Gear. The "Jasper" model. I knew I had to have it when I seen the name. Jasper was the name of the Husky my dearest friends lost to cancer a few years ago. I'll get some pictures up when I have a minute to myself. But, the process of getting "Alfred" ready. (Yes, my vehicles have names. They tell me their names. This one is Alfred.) I picked up a nice set of used aluminum rims to hold the winter rubber and of course purchased a fresh stereo. I went with one of the units that has a 7" screen and is DVD/AVI/MPEG4/MP3 compatible with SD card slot, front USB port and Aux port. Both the USB and Aux port are iPod compatible. Pretty nice. 6 Speakers and amp next payday. I just finished ordering up some snow chains for the 225/80R15 tires and of course could not go on a vehicle spending binge without including a fresh set of Bilstein heavy duty shocks. The vehicle is actually very very clean and attractive. The stereo will make it pimp. Going to have the speakers professionally installed with proper insulation or whatever that stuff is that makes your car speakers sound so good when installed professionally and you make it clear that the stereo should "melt your brain" without the slightest speaker distortion or rattle. It ain't free but boy is it money well spent. You know, I could be driving a Lamborghini and it would feel like a Pinto without a phat stereo. Just gotta' have 'em. Life is good guys. Life is good.

[mahatma]

I wanted to add one thing about tires and chains. I of course always roll snow tires in the winter but after wrecking my vehicle on black ice last season became very serious about using (as opposed to just carrying) snow chains. So, before purchasing winter tread or traction devices for Alfred I spoke to some of my "car guy" buddies. I say with pride that one of my "car guy" buddies is a master concept mechanic with Delphi Automotive Systems. He's also an incredible skier. What he told me was nothing truly "works" on black ice. Best avoided. But, old fashioned steel chains are the best insurance in such conditions. I asked about products like sno-socks and he said that while they do indeed go on easy as heck and do provide outstanding traction that they are not for driving. They are for very short runs like getting up your driveway or up your street at the longest because they wear out super fast and maybe worse he said they instantly become filthy to the point the only way you would even consider putting them back in your car is inside double or triple plastic garbage bags. He gives them the thumbs down. One man's opinion.

[ysb33r]

I am already sorting out the December skiing trip to Austria, but I am not driving. I worked out that flying+transfer was cheaper than driving for this trip.

[shortydude]

Congrats on the new ride. Does that one have a snorkel on it's nose? I had to Google it to see what it was and many of them have a scoop on the hood that looks like a nose.

[mahatma]

Here are a few good pictures

http://www.carsellout.com.au/mitsubi...jasper-van.htm

[shortydude]

6 cyl, so it should have plenty of power. What is the thing that looks like a rear view mirror on the back window?

[mahatma]

ShortyDude,

It's a parking mirror. You can see your bumper through it. Everyone here backs into parking spaces because the spots are so tight you would never be able to safely leave a parking spot otherwise. Those mirrors are the greatest things. Love 'em. Also, the Japanese models have "cat whiskers" which are lighted, plastic or metal rods that stick up from the very corner of the passenger side front bumper so you can see what your clearance is on that side. Expensive cars have retractable cat whiskers. It takes a little while to get the hang of those 2 things but once you do you can't live without them.

[shortydude]

That rear bumper mirror does sound like a good idea. I'd like to see them used here. I know several people that could really use one. I have used a bicycle flag pole with a whiffle ball on top attached to a boat trailer trailer hitch to make backing up into the hitch easier.

[mahatma]

Just made a great addition to the van for the coming season – a spare battery. Someone I know came to see me at work and offered me a not new but nonetheless great car battery. It’s called an Optimus. I’m no car guy but the man who came to me I know to be an upright cat who doesn’t just talk. He said I would want to say “yes” to this. So, I accepted the offer. It turns out these batteries are not cheap. Some sort of gel filled deal. The battery is 1 year old. I installed it in my van, turned it over and checked both the battery and alternator current. Both read 13.75. Great. So, I then had an extra battery. I decided to use it as an in-van power source. I purchased a battery charger, 1100w inverter with gator clips and plastic box to store them in to run my boot dryer that requires 900w to perform properly. The boot dryer also fits in the plastic box. It’s all a perfect fit and the whole setup including box cost me right at $100. Last season I spent a lot of brain power figuring out how to wake up in the morning to dry boots. I absolutely hate wet boots. Gloves are easy – just carry an extra set. Boots are a different story. I actually ended up with a propane driven dryer last season which worked great but required me to crack my windows so I didn’t kill myself while sleeping. Well, required is probably too strong a word. But, I was unwilling to perform a “real world” check to see if it was truly needed. Anyway, now I can run my real-deal, air/heat driven Dry Guy boot dryer without having to turn the engine over just to dry boots and I didn’t have to kick out big coin to do it. The items I purchased are quality and purchased with safety in mind. Overcharge protection, auto-shut off features, etc.. Amazon has great deals on these type of items right now. Both the charger and inverter were purchased at over 50% off for each item. Man, it’s all coming together.

[Faceplant]

ShortyDude,

Also, the Japanese models have "cat whiskers" which are lighted, plastic or metal rods that stick up from the very corner of the passenger side front bumper so you can see what your clearance is on that side. Expensive cars have retractable cat whiskers. It takes a little while to get the hang of those 2 things but once you do you can't live without them.

Hi Mahatma, have you ever unintentionally tagged any bicyclists or scooter riders driving through any of the alleys that are supposedly "streets" in Japan? i could've sworn i once felt my brother-in-law thwack a bicyclist's handle bar or basket in his quest to prove his Luke Skywalker piloting skills to me. i looked back as i was about to crap my pants but amazingly no wipeout by the bicyclist. But yeah, those whiskers are useful and even picked one up from the local Japanese grocery store here. i should actually open it and install.

[mahatma]

Hey everyone, I wanted to throw in a little public service announcement about taking care of ourselves. I had an ugly event last night. At about 1145 last night I was finishing up some E-mails at work before leaving (I always make a point of updating people on events before leaving work. It keeps people out of my damn business. When people feel informed they stay clear. When people feel “information needy” they can start nosing around and then I lose my ability to properly maneuver. Not the best explanation there but that’s how I work. They need to know this or that is done. Not how it got done. I get paid to worry about how and I’m too old and too independent minded for babysitters.) Anyway, I took my glasses off at one point, rubbed my eyes and instantly began to feel very disoriented. Being a type 1 diabetic (hereditary, insulin dependent) I decided to check my sugar. Well, I started shaking so violently I couldn’t even do that. So, I hit my drawer for some sugar. It worked but when I checked my sugar a few minutes later it was 475. My liver had already been given the signal to empty out its’ stores in order to save my life. Freakin’ stupid. My point is this, we all have something. I’m insulin dependent. Maybe you have high blood pressure or vitamin deficiencies or toenail fungus – whatever. Please, please, please do not ignore yourself. You are the most important thing. Take care of you first and the rest will take care of itself.

[mahatma]

Faceplant,

Thankfully, I've never touched a fellow human being with a moving vehicle. But, it happens all the time and the cat whiskers are without a doubt a real safety feature. The streets here are so narrow and so crowded and with the way pedestrians/cyclists ignore actual vehicle traffic unfortunate accidents occur all the time. Things do not always end well as you might suspect. I just take it easy. Nothing is so important that harming a child or someone responsible to feed and clothe a child is acceptable fallout. I always say that to myself as people make asses out of themselves by doing things like walking or riding directly in front of you as if you are not there. They do it because they can and sometimes they pay a very heavy price for their arrogance.

[mahatma]

Installing the new stereo is turning out to be a nightmare. First, taking off the console cover to get to "the goods" is the about a 35 minute and 15 bolt affair. Then, it turns out the previous owner had the stock wiring harness replaced with a JVC harness. Clearly, he/she had it professionally done because the job is beautiful - meaning everything is tightly zip tied up and everything is EXACTLY only as long as it needs to be. Getting the plugs out was torture. Plus, I put it all back and will do it all over again, tomorrow. Getting in the hole requires doll sized hands - which means I wailed and gnashed teeth the whole time. I'm going to clip off the head on both the internal harness and the end of my harness and cap the ends with male/female connectors to get the job done. Most likely going to take a few hours. ARGH.

[mahatma]

OK, I know everyone was worried for me on this one and was really hoping I pulled it all together. Fear not skiboarding brethren. Everything went like clockwork. Well, I did blow a fuse but hey, who doesn't. Maybe next time I'll actually pull the negative off the battery. Maybe. There was even a laugh involved. This is the first car stereo I have with video capability so the first time I seen the little pink cable that's designed to tie into your E-brake ground so the video only works when the E-brake is on - meaning you are in park thus defeating the whole purpose behind having video in the car. I mean, I get it and all. Video is not for the driver unless you are looking at it to see your backing camera or perimeter sensors. But, video is for your passengers. The E-brake ground is no different than any other ground - even your stereo ground. Soooo, off to the handy-dandy car center, $1.50 for a Y-connector and back home we go. Stereo ground and pink "party pooper" cable at the Y and the leg in at the car ground . E-brake on all the time as far as the stereo is concerned. That's how I roll.