It’s definitely a version 1.0 and there’s a lot to be desired in the execution, but I got the top off today by myself without having to call in any help.
Right now it hangs in the back of the available parking area of the garage , which means I can’t back the Scout in with the soft top up. I think the next iteration might involve a winch and a stronger bracing system for the top itself, and some way of scooting it backwards before it gets hoisted up. Maybe I can make some simple sawhorses and walk it backwards onto those before it goes upwards. I’m definitely going to add a third set of ratchet straps to the current setup to sleep soundly at night.
The soft top hardware is tacked in place, but I’m headed out to the store tomorrow to buy stainless hardware to mount the rails before I put the canvas on. I was tempted to put my snap top on (and I still might) but time got away from me today and I still had to clean up.
→ This is a syndicated post from my Scout weblog. More info here.
A couple of weeks ago, I started thinking about a Land Rover meetup I went to with my neighbor, who (at that time) owned a Defender 90. We met at a barbecue restaurant in Columbia, parked our trucks in a corner of the lot, and spent the next two hours shooting the shit. It was friendly, informal, and fun (I was Scoutless at the time), and I thought it might be fun to gather the IH guys I’ve met in the area for the same kind of day.
I sent out a big email to everyone I could think of, and within two weeks’ time I’ve got fifteen people committed with five trucks (many are immobile due to ongoing restoration efforts) and possibly more. The cool thing is that there are people I’ve met through the weblog and parts gathering who don’t know or haven’t met the other guys, so it’ll be good to get everyone together in one place. I also suggested doing an informal swap meet while we’re together, and hopefully there will be some horsetrading happening too.
→ This is a syndicated post from my Scout weblog. More info here.
I’ve been thinking about vehicle security this spring, as the top is about to come back off and I’ll be parking Peer Pressure all around town. Being an American vehicle of 70′s vintage, it would be childishly simple to hot-wire and steal, especially as a convertible. I’ve considered mechanical methods of theft protection like a fuel cutoff or battery cutoff switch, but given the delicate nature of 40-year-old electronics I’m a little hesitant to go digging around in the wire harnesses until I’m ready to rewire the entire truck.
There is another way, and it’s something that might take care of several issues at once. Grant sells a steering wheel security kit which basically works like a removable-face stereo: once you’re parked, you disengage the steering wheel and take it with you. This would be advantageous because it would also allow for me to get into the steering wheel and fix a broken turn signal canceling switch and swap the full-size steering wheel out for a smaller diameter sport wheel (which will be required once I put PT Cruiser seats in). This link on the Binder Planet shows the system in action, and while I think I’d go with a different wheel, I like the look of the whole thing.
→ This is a syndicated post from my Scout weblog. More info here.
This looks like a fantastic movie: Sign Painters explores the craft of hand-painting advertising signs and its recent resurgence.
This is an interesting little find. The Helsinki Bus Station Theory, boiled down to its essence: Stay on the bus.
Dusting around my collection of tube radios on Saturday, I got to thinking about why I haven’t added an iPod connector to my large floor set (considering it’s not pulling in stations anymore and chances it’ll ever get fixed are slim). Instructables has a great Vintage Tube Radio & MP3 Upgrade article which has lots of good information beyond just the upgrade– links to parts, schematics, and other good resources.
RIP, Roger Ebert. Jezebel sums up his Twenty Best Reviews, and it’s a fair measure of the man. Godspeed.