What did you do today?

[Jon]

I'm thinking of making a dedicated switch that needs to be turned on to activate the lights in the guages, the volt guage, my electric fans and everything in my 'some day I'm gonna make a console' unit.
It would be easier to run a single hot wire to run this new stuff than dig around trying to find the "appropriate" or correct place to wire this stuff from the wiring harness.
For the gauge lighting, I could incorporate a dimmer switch that looks nice in the console.
....the someday I'm gonna make a console, console.
If I do this, I'd like an audio alarm like the one that yells at me when I forget to turn off the headlights .
I'd use that to shut down everything on the guage cluster and console.
The console would need a head unit with a radio and a couple USB ports for charging a cell phone and bluetooth speaker.
Im still in the dreaming mode.
...maybe an amp and side speakers?
....drink holder, cell phone pockets....
.....ice maker, paper towel dispenser. Still pondering.

What about the heated seats?

 

[zannej]

Highup, the wires aside, the dash looks good!

Rusty, I hate when the government officials make appointments and don't keep them. My friend's gf had to go to another town about an hour away to do a face-to-face meeting to renew her food stamps. They set her appointment at 12:30. They were at lunch from 12 to 1. So we got there and the office was locked with a sign about the hours. Why the hell did they set an appointment when they were closed? We had to sit there and wait (and I got her there early just in case there were problems).

Jon, heated seats are great for back pain.

I'm going to need to wait until next month to get the truck maintenance done because the septic tank draining price is setting us back. But I'm getting dental work next month too. Ugh. $700 worth of dental work. And the truck probably needs at least $500. The transmission fluid alone is $200. I know how to get the oil changed, how to inflate the tires, how to fill the wiper fluid, and how to change the cabin air filter on that thing. I lack the arm strength to remove the nuts to change the tire because they get tightened with a power tool at the shop. I've broken a few tire irons trying to remove them in the past.

My friend confirmed my pump is set to 230v. Still trying to choose the correct controller. 3 out of 4 people said I need Normally Open and one said Normally Closed. I think I will go with open since that was the consensus and would make sense. Pump won't be turned on until the connection gets closed from a signal telling it to turn on when the pump is low.

 

[Jon]

Highup, the wires aside, the dash looks good!

Rusty, I hate when the government officials make appointments and don't keep them. My friend's gf had to go to another town about an hour away to do a face-to-face meeting to renew her food stamps. They set her appointment at 12:30. They were at lunch from 12 to 1. So we got there and the office was locked with a sign about the hours. Why the hell did they set an appointment when they were closed? We had to sit there and wait (and I got her there early just in case there were problems).

Jon, heated seats are great for back pain.

I'm going to need to wait until next month to get the truck maintenance done because the septic tank draining price is setting us back. But I'm getting dental work next month too. Ugh. $700 worth of dental work. And the truck probably needs at least $500. The transmission fluid alone is $200. I know how to get the oil changed, how to inflate the tires, how to fill the wiper fluid, and how to change the cabin air filter on that thing. I lack the arm strength to remove the nuts to change the tire because they get tightened with a power tool at the shop. I've broken a few tire irons trying to remove them in the past.

My friend confirmed my pump is set to 230v. Still trying to choose the correct controller. 3 out of 4 people said I need Normally Open and one said Normally Closed. I think I will go with open since that was the consensus and would make sense. Pump won't be turned on until the connection gets closed from a signal telling it to turn on when the pump is low.

zannej we dont need heated seats here None of that white stuff. The seats actually cool down as well
I just wonder where the man sits under the bonnet to work everything out

 

[C.J.]

I'm thinking of making a dedicated switch that needs to be turned on to activate the lights in the guages, the volt guage, my electric fans and everything in my 'some day I'm gonna make a console' unit.
It would be easier to run a single hot wire to run this new stuff than dig around trying to find the "appropriate" or correct place to wire this stuff from the wiring harness.
For the gauge lighting, I could incorporate a dimmer switch that looks nice in the console.
....the someday I'm gonna make a console, console.
If I do this, I'd like an audio alarm like the one that yells at me when I forget to turn off the headlights .
I'd use that to shut down everything on the guage cluster and console.
The console would need a head unit with a radio and a couple USB ports for charging a cell phone and bluetooth speaker.
Im still in the dreaming mode.
...maybe an amp and side speakers?
....drink holder, cell phone pockets....
.....ice maker, paper towel dispenser. Still pondering.

Wonder if it would be worth the cost of going to a car stereo place or some other kind of outfit that could find the correct wire to hook up to so your gauges power on and off with the ignition switch. Knowing me I would forget to switch off the lights on the gauges then come out to a dead battery after a long weekend of not using my vehicle. The headlights that stay on for a few after you exit the vehicle still trip me out cus I gotta make sure they turn off.

I’m a firm believer in leaving things stock because I’ve fiddled with things before and had less than stellar results, dead batteries or someone now wants to break into my van and steal my radio. I wanted to upgrade the radio in my van so I could play my own music through it but I wasn’t about to go to the level of Mark Brown town with my stereo. This is about as stock of an upgrade as one can get without taking chances. Best part is I already know how to set the stations and change the clock.

 

[Mark Brown]

Best thing you can do if ignition in is just tie into ignition. Easy peasy.
I've got my volt gauge tied into mine, car off... voltage off, car on... well you get the idea.

There are lots of good ones to use, its simple to do. Under the hood I use the fuse for the blower motor, its something silly like 40A maybe 30A so drawing an extra amp or two to run some gauges won't hurt a thing. Cigarette lighter is one close to the cluster that works great too.

Never stop searching!

 

[highup]

I know you're concerns with accidentally leaving the switch on, CJ. I had a small rocker switch with a red LED in it and it's installed next to that new gauge cluster but I just put in. It's right below the cigarette lighter. That's the switch I used to power the old Honda radio that I had in there.
I also have an electric fan that came off of a Dodge intrepid. I tossed the factory clutch fan that wasn't working and went electric.
I never got as far as installing a temperature switch for it. If you're going to sit in a traffic light for more than a couple of minutes I'll flip it on and once I get moving I'll flip it right back off. It's something you're easily get used to.
The Dodge intrepid dual fan and shroud is a very common swap for these s10s. With a few slight chops here and there if it's the radiator like a glove...... Ok, a mitten.
I'll take a look at that switched ignition wire Mark. It's been so long since I looked at the fuse panel I don't even know what's available in it. In at least first generation s10s it's an absolute nightmare doing any work up under the dash. It's even difficult looking at or pulling a fuse because the fuse block is so far up under the dash.

 

[Mark Brown]

Welcome to my nightmare!
I need to pull my dash, steering column, heater core, harness.... well you get the idea... because rats got into my shed and devoured my old firewall blanket, now I have a donor car in the driveway that I have removed one from but I am dreading the weekend I have to pull all this apart again. It was a gd nightmare getting everything to work the first time, let alone again.

My ignition on is easy to reach, just a plastic shroud and I tie right into the ignition switch in the steering column, then routed a 14 gauge down to the volt meter.

 

[C.J.]

I know you're concerns with accidentally leaving the switch on, CJ.

Yep. I’d turn it off 99 out of 100 times but that one time I forgot to turn it off would hurt.

 

[C.J.]

I had some time to kill this morning before I showed up to my job so I hung out in a parking lot for a half hour. All I have to say is that judgement free zone is BS because I judged every pair of spandex and yoga pants I saw. It was better than counting golf carts.

 

[Mark Brown]

...no there isn't anything creepy about a middle aged man parked outside planet fitness in a rape van, perfectly normal. Nothing to see here, move along

 

[C.J.]

No free candy for you one year!

 

[Floorist]

I have a neighbor. We have tried to work with him about his dog. It is constantly loose and tries to bite. My daughter was here while we were gone today and it would not let her out of the house. The mail carrier maced it. She called animal control. The officer told him, council member or not, it would cost him $100 if it got out again. Today was the 8th time it had tried to bite someone.

 

[C.J.]

The trick with dogs is to (accidentally) step on their feet. Trust me, they will stay away from you after that. Works with customers dogs.

 

[Floorist]

The trick with dogs is to (accidentally) step on their feet. Trust me, they will stay away from you after that. Works with customers dogs.

You would be bitten by this one before you got that close.

 

[C.J.]

You would be bitten by this one before you got that close.

Taser? Golf club? Throw the toaster in the pool after the dog jumps in?

 

[zannej]

Sad thing is, usually dogs are like that because they have crappy owners. People in town don't bother to keep their dogs fenced in or tethered. There is a judge who lets his aggressive dogs run the neighborhood get in other people's yards and kill their pets. Animal control (what passes for it) won't do anything about it.

Jon, we don't usually get snow down here either but I love the heated seats because they reduce my back pain. I wish I could isolate the bottom of the seat from the back of the seat for heating purposes because I would love to just turn on the back part. If I could ever design my own vehicle, I would have heated seats in both front and back and I would have controls to allow both seat and back to be on at same time or have them turned on separately. I'd also have the heating go all the way up to the shoulders- maybe even have controls to specify which part of the seat was heated too (lower, middle, & upper). Sure it would add more wiring and things that needed control-- but maybe it could be controlled with a touch screen and or voice command. My truck lets me hit voice command switch on the steering wheel and tell it to set AC temperatures for passenger and driver separately.

Today I got woken up before 8am by the septic service. Phone woke mom too and she was mad that it wasn't even 8. I didn't even know what time it was. I just dragged my fat a$$ out of bed, put pants on, and went out to show him where the tank was. My dog was having fun running around in the wet grass. She stepped in cow manure with her wet front paws and then jumped up on me several times. Since Mom woke up she was able to write the check to pay the guy. He didn't put the lids back on the tank until he got paid but I don't know if that was intentional. He almost forgot one of them and I had to remind him.

I chatted with mom for a bit and then napped. Got up and cooked for her, fed the cats, refilled their water, brought in a heavy package from the porch, refilled water for the dogs, went out and got pictures inside my well shed-- had to be careful because a-holes with wings have built nests. I'm going back out tonight while they are sleeping with a can of wasp/hornet spray and 86ing them.

Napped again for awhile and then cooked for mom and ate something. I didn't eat earlier. My energy levels are low again so I'm about to take another nap.

 

[highup]

Welcome to my nightmare!
I need to pull my dash, steering column, heater core, harness.... well you get the idea... because rats got into my shed and devoured my old firewall blanket, now I have a donor car in the driveway that I have removed one from but I am dreading the weekend I have to pull all this apart again. It was a gd nightmare getting everything to work the first time, let alone again.

My ignition on is easy to reach, just a plastic shroud and I tie right into the ignition switch in the steering column, then routed a 14 gauge down to the volt meter.

I'd come over and help, but I don't live anywhere near you. Besides that, I'm not good with cars and mechanical thingys.
That sucks. I can't imagine dealing with heater cores on anything past 1970. I had a '66 Chevy stepside and I recall it almost being plug-n-play.
Better now than winter I suppose.

 

[highup]

Sad thing is, usually dogs are like that because they have crappy owners. People in town don't bother to keep their dogs fenced in or tethered. There is a judge who lets his aggressive dogs run the neighborhood get in other people's yards and kill their pets. Animal control (what passes for it) won't do anything about it.

Jon, we don't usually get snow down here either but I love the heated seats because they reduce my back pain. I wish I could isolate the bottom of the seat from the back of the seat for heating purposes because I would love to just turn on the back part. If I could ever design my own vehicle, I would have heated seats in both front and back and I would have controls to allow both seat and back to be on at same time or have them turned on separately. I'd also have the heating go all the way up to the shoulders- maybe even have controls to specify which part of the seat was heated too (lower, middle, & upper). Sure it would add more wiring and things that needed control-- but maybe it could be controlled with a touch screen and or voice command. My truck lets me hit voice command switch on the steering wheel and tell it to set AC temperatures for passenger and driver separately.

Today I got woken up before 8am by the septic service. Phone woke mom too and she was mad that it wasn't even 8. I didn't even know what time it was. I just dragged my fat a$$ out of bed, put pants on, and went out to show him where the tank was. My dog was having fun running around in the wet grass. She stepped in cow manure with her wet front paws and then jumped up on me several times. Since Mom woke up she was able to write the check to pay the guy. He didn't put the lids back on the tank until he got paid but I don't know if that was intentional. He almost forgot one of them and I had to remind him.

I chatted with mom for a bit and then napped. Got up and cooked for her, fed the cats, refilled their water, brought in a heavy package from the porch, refilled water for the dogs, went out and got pictures inside my well shed-- had to be careful because a-holes with wings have built nests. I'm going back out tonight while they are sleeping with a can of wasp/hornet spray and 86ing them.

Napped again for awhile and then cooked for mom and ate something. I didn't eat earlier. My energy levels are low again so I'm about to take another nap.

Call Judge Judy.

 

[Mark Brown]

I'd come over and help, but I don't live anywhere near you. Besides that, I'm not good with cars and mechanical thingys.
That sucks. I can't imagine dealing with heater cores on anything past 1970. I had a '66 Chevy stepside and I recall it almost being plug-n-play.
Better now than winter I suppose.

Heater core isn't bad at all. It is just a matter of getting to it. Just a wee little radiator on the inside. Just so happens to be buried by all the other things I magically have to take off first.
If only I had taken my bloody time in the first place and put the damn blanket back on.

 

[highup]

So the rats don't bother the cars outdoors?