peejman

"D" is 3rd gear, "OD" is 4th gear (assuming 4 speed trans). The torque converter will lock up in either gear. If your transmission has a "tow/haul" mode, use it. It's something to play by ear.... if the truck is shifting back and forth between 3rd and 4th gears frequently, then manually move the shifter to 3rd gear. Frequent shifting (over-cycling) can over-heat the trans and/or cause rapid wear. If the terrain is hilly, 3rd gear is likely to be best. If it's flat and the truck will cruise comfortably in 4th gear, fine. This is related to why cruise control is a bad idea when it's hilly. Let it roll a bit down the hills so you have a little more momentum to carry you up the other side. Let it slow a bit going up so you don't have to push the truck really hard. Is that somewhat annoying to other drivers? Possibly. I'd rather annoy them than have to spend $3000 rebuilding my transmission. It's not so much the drive wheels as it is the heavy end of the car must be on the dolly. That's generally going to be the front whether fwd or rwd.

18 months old? Wow. My 2.5 yr old can certainly be a handfull, but I can't imagine having him on any sort of drugs. Sounds like she started out a lazy, uninformed parent. Heaven forbid that parenting be hard work. Good to read that they got him mostly straightened out. And yes, a good whoopin' from time to time helps redirect the path back to the straight and narrow.

Ditto, brakes are priority 1. I've not seen a dolly with brakes. For a trip of that distance, I'd upgrade to an actual car hauling trailer with brakes. You'll need an electronic brake controller, which should be plug-n-play. Check the brakes on your truck and make sure there's plenty of pad left. Priority 2 is the transmission in your truck. If it's an automatic, I'd install an auxillary trans cooler. They're $50 or so at the autoparts places and generally pretty easy to install. Make sure the cooling system is up to the task as well... flush/fill, check hoses etc. Don't plan on setting the cruise at 80 mph. Check the air pressure in your tires and make sure they're up to the extra load. Have you looked into having it shipped? That might save you some $$ unless you just want to make the trip. edit... also look at the dolly. Some have a pivot that allows the rear tires to track better behind the truck. That's nice, but it makes backing up a PITA.

I looked at my barrel and didn't see marks like yours had. But mine isn't sparkly clean at the moment and has 800-ish round count. Regarding the chronograph... your average of 1081 is only 5% below the listed value. That's pretty close. The 1140 may be corrected for "standard conditions" as well.

Air pressure, regular rotations, and driving style are the big 3 for tire life. Consider the air pressure value on the sticker in the door jamb the minimum and the air pressure value on the side wall of the tire the maximum. Set your air pressure somewhere inbetween. Generally, higher air pressure will help the tire run cooler and last longer. The sole benefit of the nitrogen fill is the fact that it's DRY. Regular compressed air has a lot of water in it. A typical water separater on your compressor will get most of it out. The water combined with oxygen is what causes the degradation, the difference in pressure change due to temperature is minimal. Using dry air is 95% of the difference. Racers use bottled N2 because (1) bottles don't require power cords and are smaller than a big compressor; and (2) it's easy to predict the air pressure change due to temp because it's dry. For the average Joe's car, it's a waste of money. Regular rotations are especially important for trucks due to the large front/rear weight bias. Give Morgan Tire in Kingsport a call. I picked out what I wanted on TireRack, called them and got them installed with lifetime balance and rotation for about the same cost as just the tires from TireRack. I used to live in Church Hill too... *sigh* wish I still did...

I'll have to look at the barrel in my PT145, but I don't recall it looking like that. What you see are machining marks, looks like the broaching tool was a little dull. I can't think of a good way to smooth it out other than lots of bullets down the barrel. I wouldn't worry about pressure issues. The rougher surface may actually reduce the friction between the bullet and barrel slightly. Surfaces polished to a mirror sheen can be very sticky with regard to metal-to-metal contact, particularly when copper is involved.

I've been to Littons. While the food was good, it's outrageously overpriced. Not to mention it's an hour from my house. Thanks all for the help. I'm getting one from a friend's mother who does wedding cakes and such.

Sounds like the chip in the key thing... Get a can of aerosol contact (circuit board) cleaner, an old tooth brush, a small pipe cleaner, and a source of compressed air. Hose down the key with contact cleaner and brush it with the tooth brush. Repeat until gunk stops coming off. Stick the contact cleaner tip in the ignition switch and give it a good blast. Run the pipe cleaner in and out several times. Repeat a few times. Blast it with compressed air until it's dry. You may also have to learn a new technique which involves holding the key a particular way so that it will make the connection inside the ignition switch. And yes, the key fob plus a couple other keys is all you should have hanging on the ignition. All the bouncing, swinging, and vibration will wear them out internally. Replacing the ignition switch in newer cars isn't cheap.

Welcome!

If you really want to learn, particularly with your son, I strongly suggest finding a good teacher and take some lessons. I was self-taught for nearly 10 yrs. Then I took some lessons and spent 6 months unlearning some bad habits and technique problems that hindered my progression. I learned more in 2 years taking lessons than I did teaching myself with books and such in 10 years. You'll also be far more motivated to practice when you have to go "perform" for your instructor regularly. If you decide to go it alone, there's a variety of instructional DVD's available now that will get you going much faster than staring at a chord book.

My wife's uncle had a recent bout with diverticulitis as well. Your experience sounds similar to his, though there was no mention of surgery for him. As for getting no rest... I'm convinced that the hospital is the only place they'll wake you up to give you a sleeping pill.

I'll have a pork loin and turkey breast on the smoker the day of, so I'd have to make the cake a day or two ahead of time. She's actually volunteered to go pick it up if I buy one. Either I'm lucky or she lacks confidence in my baking abilities.... I'll assume I'm lucky.

Unfortunately no Publix in this area. Food City also does very good cakes, but I've never gotten a red velvet one from them. Anyone heard of this place?.... Custom Catering Gourmet Recipes Full Service or Buffet Dining Catering, Custom Wedding Cakes, Special Event Catering

I've gotten other recommendations for Magpies, will look into that. I also know (from personal experience) that The Gondolier also has very good Red Velvet Cake.

Mrs. Peej has requested a red velvet cake for her upcoming b'day. Anyone have suggestions as to where I might obtain said cake? I got one from Sweet Celebrations in Murvul last year. Their offering was ... poor. I do have modest culinary skills and am not opposed to making one if someone has a good recipie. Thanky.

I don't OC, but the big, burly, biker dood who walked into Lenny's while I was eating lunch on Friday had his XD in a SERPA or other kydex holster. Best I could tell, no one seemed to notice. Not even my fellow gun nut coworker.

Welcome! Sparta is a pretty area, I went to TTU.

While I haven't shopped for G26's in particular, Bill's Outpost in Maryville has had the best handgun prices I've seen around. Home - Bill's Outpost Else, CCA in West Knoxville, Austin's in Oak Ridge, ...

10+1 and 10 in the 2nd mag. = 21

What he said. Keeping your guns and HCP here seems like a no problem. Taking one there on the other hand.... And thanks for travelling to such places to spread God's word.

Ask him in person first. Then make your decision regarding whether to ask him publicly. Could be an opportunity to spin it either way.

The important thing is the current potential. A stun gun has high voltage but only a few microamps, no damage likely. A car battery has low voltage but high current potential.... several hundred amps are possible. The current flow generates lots of heat and can cause local tack welding of metal parts (as mentioned), melting or distortion of polymer parts, possiby induce magnetism in some components, and could ruin the temper of springs. It takes a lot of heat to cook off a round.

This ^. Mine (horsehide) was somewhat squeaky. A bit of felt on the back of the belt clips fixed that.

Hunting squirrels is easy, just set up a couple of bird feeders and wait. Many a squirrel met it's end in my backyard when I was a kid.

Perfectly legal in the county. I seem to recall, but can't find, something about minimum distance from a dwelling. 300ft comes to mind. But again, I can't find that documented anywhere. Just be sure you do so in a safe manner, as opposed to the morons near me.... [rant] We'd heard gun shots relatively nearby for several days. Then my neighbor found a .40 bullet in his driveway. It likely came over my house to get there. When I told my wife, she said... Maybe that's what that thump was... Thump? Yeah, it sounded like something hit the house yesterday afternoon. So my neighbor and I have both spoken with the county sheriff's office. I don't like being nervous when I'm in my yard playing with my 2 yr old. [/rant]