Epic, been busy reading this for well over an hour :laugh:

The trials and tribulations of Rover ownership, I know it only too well.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/landrov...3053891895.jpg

wth is going on

Well, in other news.. MagPie spring a leak.

Attachment 55449

But even before that news, i must share that I almost lost my sh-t last night while driving to a bday party. Everything has been working just fine, motor purrs like a tiger etc. Randomly about a mile from my destination, the ticking started and it was super loud. My mind went straight to the oil pump grenaded and the motor was going to follow suit within a few mins. Pulled over, shut everything off and popped the hood. Checked for leaks etc but nothing obvious. Checked dipstick and there wasn't a bloody thing on it. F-CK ME AND THE HORSE I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE RIDEN RATHER THAN DRIVING. I had just checked the oil a few days prior and everything seemed to be ok. Naturally, the oil and coolant that i usually keep in the truck had been taken out for a project i was doing. Ended up spending an arm and a leg for oil at a small auto parts store and added 2.5 quarts or so. Got home and everything was fine.

Changed the oil this morning (which is something i had been meaning to do) and opted for 5w40 rather than the 15w40 i had always been running prior -- Rotalla of course. Noticed the coolant drips while climbing under to get the drain plug. Checked all the hoses and clamps but as you can see in the pic above, the drips are centered on the lower shroud and the drag link. What's right above? The tstat housing. No obvious signs of leaking, nothing wet but i was able to twist the housing tighter by about 1/8 of a turn :dunno: I marked it so i can keep an eye on it if it's to loosen again.

Attachment 55450

The other day i also removed the rear cig lighter and replaced with a combo cig / USB port thingy.

Attachment 55451

"Borrowed" this image from the FJ cruiser forums (thanks LandCruiserSteve!) for how i want to set up my AUX wiring for future upgrades. Adding a second battery to the mix would be a super simple endevor as well.

Attachment 55448

Steve spilts the Blue Sea 5026 12 circuit fuse block up into 2 blocks as to not overload everything which seems smart to me. His post HERE goes into more depth about what / how he wired up everything.

Headliner is back in.. Finally.

Attachment 55446

It was rather annoying to put the headliner back in solo but alas its back in with only.. 2 bolts left over :dunno:

I wasn't super impressed with the outcome of painting honestly but the color match is decent so thats something. If the headliner has to come back out for whatever reason, i'll probably opt for it to go straight in the garbage and source a new one and have it covered in fabric.

I have 3/4 of a gallon of paint color matched if anyone wants :dunno:

Looks pretty decent to me for a painted headliner. Admittedly I prefer headliner material on my headliner