Wednesday, July 25, 2007
houston, we have lift off
dateline: July 25th, 2007 - 6:23 PM PST
i turn the key and the engine fires up. i press on the brake pedals and feel the resistance. i pull the shifter lever back until the 'D' indicator glows red and i feel a slight lurch - the first sign that something is different this time. i release the brake and cautiously press the gas pedal and slowly start to creep forward - the beast is moving under its own power. after a maiden voyage of about 20 feet, i press the brakes and come to a stop. the test is complete - the landcruiser is alive.
ok, it wasnt the most amazing sight ever, and there were actually a few hiccups leading up to it, but the landcruiser finally runs and drives and steers and stops all on its own. after we got the rear brakes sorted out, i told ryan we were going to try to drive it. i started it up the first time and put it in gear and...vroom, nothing happened. the engine revved but i didnt move. tried again, going through all of the gears and still nothing. scratched my head a few times and crawled underneath to make sure the transmission lever was working properly. everything checked out fine. for fun, i pulled the transfer case lever down into 4HI and then pushed it back up into 2HI and there was a distinctive engagement feeling. was i in neutral the first time? fired it up again and put it in gear - this time i felt the transmission engage. i shut it off and went inside to gather everyone up. i am sure they were not impressed by the sight of a car driving 1 mph across the carport, but i had been waiting for this day for 3 years, so i wanted them all to see it. eden even rode in the passenger seat for the madien voyage. there are still a few small things to do, and i am sure after a real test drive i will discover a whole new set of issues, but for today, it is official - the landcruiser is alive.
i turn the key and the engine fires up. i press on the brake pedals and feel the resistance. i pull the shifter lever back until the 'D' indicator glows red and i feel a slight lurch - the first sign that something is different this time. i release the brake and cautiously press the gas pedal and slowly start to creep forward - the beast is moving under its own power. after a maiden voyage of about 20 feet, i press the brakes and come to a stop. the test is complete - the landcruiser is alive.
here was the second (and longest to date) trip
ok, it wasnt the most amazing sight ever, and there were actually a few hiccups leading up to it, but the landcruiser finally runs and drives and steers and stops all on its own. after we got the rear brakes sorted out, i told ryan we were going to try to drive it. i started it up the first time and put it in gear and...vroom, nothing happened. the engine revved but i didnt move. tried again, going through all of the gears and still nothing. scratched my head a few times and crawled underneath to make sure the transmission lever was working properly. everything checked out fine. for fun, i pulled the transfer case lever down into 4HI and then pushed it back up into 2HI and there was a distinctive engagement feeling. was i in neutral the first time? fired it up again and put it in gear - this time i felt the transmission engage. i shut it off and went inside to gather everyone up. i am sure they were not impressed by the sight of a car driving 1 mph across the carport, but i had been waiting for this day for 3 years, so i wanted them all to see it. eden even rode in the passenger seat for the madien voyage. there are still a few small things to do, and i am sure after a real test drive i will discover a whole new set of issues, but for today, it is official - the landcruiser is alive.
# posted by brian dunnington @ 7/25/2007 10:00:00 PM
