Fifty150

For parts available in the Asian market (JDM), or items on European cars, sometimes the best place to look is on eBay. Of course I have been known to e-mail and even call dealership parts counters to get a quote on pricing, availability, and shipping. You never know. Call a dealership in England, since they speak English, and ask. If it's worth it to you, pay whatever the exchange rate is + shipping.

Thanks Don. Thanks Don.

A lot of options out there. For me, the easiest and less expensive method is to drill a hole and mount an LED. LED lamps are inexpensive, and the prices keep dropping. LED controllers are also falling in price. A simple fuse tap with 5 amps gives more than enough power to run all flashing lights I want. 60 watts is more than adequate for 3W LED strobes in each lamp. For anyone who may want to try it, use silicone and rubber o-rings so that you seal up any new opening which you created.

Have someone follow you from behind with a video camera. I would like to see how the van drives with a ton of metal. But in all fairness, you should be okay. 7 adults, at 200+ pounds per person, rides just fine.

That funnel is an interesting accessory. I asked the salesperson (female) at the dealership about it, and she didn't know what it was for. I planted the idea in her head that it was something used to facilitate stand up urination for females. Click to open expanded view FAZA 4 Pcs Female Urination Device ,Travel Camping Outdoor Standing Pee Reusable Urinal Women Funnel Portable Urine Urinary 4.1 out of 5 stars 67 customer reviews | 4 answered questions Price: $15.98 Sale: $7.99 Free Shipping for Prime Members

KVID0564.mp4

I'm not very impressed with the installation locations. The two in the front look like someone mounted a couple of foglights on the cowling behind the hood. Ford trucks are high enough off the ground, that someone in a small car may not see that coming up behind them. And those two mounted on either side of the high mount stop brake light was something that I thought about doing then quickly decided against. I didn't want any extra lights mounted on the truck that did nothing except flash. That defeats the purpose of driving an unmarked car. Anyone looking at it would notice the extra lights that aren't suppose to be there. Kind of like when cops drove Crown Victorias, all white & unmarked, but they had push bumpers, spotlights on the A Pillar, rear deck lights, and fog lights with red & blue lenses. It would have been better for them to install LED lamps in the light housings, then control them through the Body Control Module. On my F-150, the strobes are hidden in the OEM light housings. If a strobe is behind a red lens, like a brake lamp, I have a flashing red light. If a strobe is hidden behind a yellow lens, like a side marker or turn signal, then I have a flashing yellow light. The fog lights were a natural place to hide strobe lights, and work well because my fog lights are rarely on. The high mount third brake light has two white lights on either side which are described as "cargo lights" to illuminate the truck bed. It was much easier to hide strobes inside the lamp housing, than to drill the roof of the truck, and worry about water leaking.

I here that you only need to pour sugar into a gas tank, and it messes the car up. But that may be just an urban legend.

Anyone know how to remove this plastic triangle trim piece between the A Pillar and the door? Is it attached in any special way? Or can I simply insert a little plastic pry bar (trim panel removal tool), and pop it off? Any photos of that piece being removed, or what it looks like under there?

How is the first responder vehicle mod coming along? KVID0560.mp4

I encourage the build. Do. Post photos. Inspire the masses to follow in step.

Just about every modern vehicle has some sort of chip or transponder in the key. On my pickup, a cheap $1 key from the hardware store will unlock my doors, unlock my tailgate, and turn in the ignition. However, the car will not power up or start. Makes it handy for me to start the car, lock it, then allow it to warm up while I have coffee.

I never rule out Harbor Freight. I have a socket set from there that I picked up for about $3+change, plus it came with a free set of screwdrivers. It sits behind my driver's seat in the cab of my pick up. It has done more than it's $3 worth of work. A couple of oil changes, swap out the OEM stereo to an aftermarket unit, taking off body parts & removing headlights to change lamps, removing trim panels & kick plates, building furniture from IKEA......sometimes all that you need is a functioning ratchet handle & socket. Best part is that Harbor Freight has a lifetime warranty on all of their hand tools. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0137JZ2TY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I bought 5 of these for $7.54 on amazon.com a while back, since the price was right & I didn't have to buy 100. Now a buddy of mine wanted a couple, and the price for 5 has shot up to $70.54 + $4.99 for shipping. Funny how pricing and availability changes.

Open Barrel Terminals: for AWG 20-18/16-14/12-10 Roll over image to zoom in Astro Pneumatic Tool Astro 9477 Professional Quick Interchangeable Ratchet Crimping Tool Set, 7-Piece 4.6 out of 5 stars 115 customer reviews | 32 answered questions Price: $64.99 | FREE One-Day

This tool looks interesting.

All good points. There are always good points when buying a more expensive tool. But only 1 point matters. It does the job better. I'm not trying to make a career out of this. I simply want to add a few circuits. No more than 3 -5 at most. Any more, and that is just way too much wiring to run (I'm lazy). Fuse taps have always worked in the past. I have a Channellock oil filter plier. I cannot quite articulate it. But it just works better. Does that justify spending $45, when Harbor Freight has something just like it for about $5? And for what it's worth, I cut, strip, and crimp wires with a Channellock tool. Hard to believe that is being sold for about $45. This is why some of us own Snap On tools, and some guys have tools from the bargain bin @ Pep Boys.. Click to open expanded view Channellock Channellock OF-1 2-Piece Oil Filer/PVC Plier Gift Set: 12-Inch and 15-Inch 4.7 out of 5 stars 23 customer reviews Price: $43.67 | FREE One-Day Click to open expanded view Channellock Channellock 908 8.5" Wire Strippers Be the first to review this item Price: $44.98 & FREE Shipping

That really is a big difference in price point, in comparison to the little $20 tools.

High 5 from NorCal.

In my experience with Econoline vans, 56K miles is practically a new car. I wonder if these Transit Connects were also engineered to go over 500K miles.

My motorcycle fuel tank cap does not have a key. Nobody's siphoned off my 3.5 gallons of fuel yet. I'm guessing that even for the really desperate, starting the siphon action by sucking up a mouthful of fuel through a garden hose hasn't been done since the 70's.

A prepared thief simply drills a hole in the bottom of the fuel tank.

So far, the tools that I've seen are for 14-28 AWG. Anybody actually find a tool for 12 AWG and larger wire? Iwiss IWISS Wire Harness Plug Crimping Tool Open Barrel Teminal Crimper for Molex, Delphi,AMP/Tyco, Harley, PC/Computer, Automotive, Weather Pack, Metri-Pack 14-24 AWG 3.7 out of 5 stars 16 customer reviews Price: $22.69 Free Shipping for Prime Members

Are seat belts planned?

which makes a lot of sense....... Some cars require you to do things like jack it up, remove the tire, remove the wheel well............while others require you to remove the bumper, remove the grille, then remove the headlight