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I know a couple of you here and there know about my truck while most of you couldn't care less. I figure I'd give a quick update all the same.

I got tired of the original windshields (there's one for each side) what with the glass ever so slowly cracking and fogging and some previous owner idiot getting dirt, etc. on it and just using the wipers to clear it off (which scratched it so bad that driving into the sun was nothing but glare) and replaced them. It was a pretty easy job, all things considered and was only the third easy repair/upgrade I've made to the truck.

I replaced the rear gladhands for the air hose attachments and straightened the attachment "covers" (no idea what the proper name is). These are on the rear of the truck and are used for air hose attachments as well as any air brake systems trailers might have. It came with one of the two back there all fucked up and it had been annoying me. A few minutes with a mallet and a vice straightened up the thick-gauge metal easily.

Flasher/blinker relay blew. The hardest parts of that was diagnosis and reaching my arm inside the engine compartment while also reaching under the fender.

I also added a quick charge USB port and 12 volt "cigarette" plug port with a switch. Electrical shit makes my eyes glaze over like a bimbo so I'm actually pretty satisfied with that. The truck is a 24 volt system but wired to the first batter so it only draws 12 volts with the engine off. It has a voltage readout which I though would be handy but also allowed me some actual numbers so I could tell that the generator ("alternator") is indeed working and it's just the dash gauge that isn't working. So that's a win. About the hardest part of this was drilling the holes in the steel dash panel. One was a hole that was already there so instead of buying a tool I'd use only once, I just drilled a fuckton of smaller holes in the right circumference, pulled off the bits with pliers, and just ground it smooth with a drill and grindstone. So now I have power to the cab with a split to the bed for electrical (I have plans for that later).

I mounted a cell phone mount to the windshield frame. Had to fabricate a metal mount piece that the cell phone mount itself is attached to but I didn't have to drill holes in the truck. Ran a high capacity USB C cable down through the dash to pop out for the plug further down. Have to secure it in a couple of places but that's a nothing in my book.

Replaced an air line under the dash. No more leaks. That's a good thing since that actuates the brake master cylinder (which is hydraulic) - no air means no breaks. Instead of the air pressure staying at around 90-100 now, it holds steady at 120 PSI. Pulling the old air line out, it's a wonder it hadn't completely blown so now I need to check all of the rest of the air lines to make sure they have aged better or just replace them as a matter of maintenance.

The reflectors (all 8 of them) had no more life and didn't reflect shit so I started replacing those. Some of the bolts holding those on were rusted, ALL were covered by that old school CARC paint which needed to be ground off first. That paint is hella fucking hard. I have two left that I will probably have to grind the bolts off for since they're on the bed and exposed to the elements and they didn't respond to any solvents or even a socket wrench on one side with a mallet and impact screwdriver on the other.

I replaced and doubled down on the foam liner for the glovebox. That old shit was a stiff, cracked mess.

I mounted a truck toolbox to the bed in the back. Replaced the weather seal on that, caulked up the holes, seams, etc. The bed is far too wide for a proper fit so it's bolted directly to the bed floor with some stout rubber lining that you use on the bottom of your garage door to protect both the bed and the toolbox.

That's about it so far. All that's left, repairwise, is to fix the generator meter. I should probably replace the mirrors because those are fogged as shit. Other than that, I think it's time for me to move on to building my camper shell on the bed. I have plans for that including a large fuel transfer tank, water tank, water collection, and solar. I have the previous solar array that was attached to it and here in a week or two, I'm going to give the components a once over and start studying and learning the electrical needed to make that work. I might have to buy a marine battery charger because I have the three deep cycle batteries and you have to charge those in a specific way from what I see or you can damage them. I'm probably wrong because it's electricity so whatever.