Happy Sunday Nor Cal. Hope everyone has a blessed day.

I am going to take advantage of the free smog test and free $500 voucher for repairs that the San Joaquin Valley Air District is doing until the end of the year. I saw an ad on Facebook saying I could get a free smog test, and if it fails, they will give me an electronic voucher for up to $500 in repairs. After it passes the second test I get a free certificate. That will save me some money. I am guessing that after sitting for 5 years the truck will not pass smog. I know the PO replaced the cat, but there could be other issues. Besides, he did say it was in need of a tune up, which makes sense to me. I would be willing to bet the spark plug wires are not in the best of shape after sitting that long. My grandson came by Friday and spent the night. We got the gas tank patched, and the oil and filter changed. The lumber rack has been sold and the guy is coming by tomorrow morning to pick it up. That will give me the money for the battery at Walmart. I will buy a thermostat, and coolant today, as well as a couple of gallons of gas, so when I get the battery tomorrow I will be ready to get it started. A fellow FTE member is going to give me 4 snowflake wheels and 3 center caps and all the lug nuts from his 98 Ranger, I just have to drive down south to go get them. I tried getting center caps for the wheels that are on it, thinking they were Ford wheels, but apparently they are not, as they are too small and won't fit. So I will just resell them on eBay. So, God willing, the truck will be legal before Christmas.Just need to find out how much the registration will be at the DMV, but my grandson has already told me he will loan me the money for that if need be. God is good!

Jim

 

If you guys get a chance, step outside tonight about a 1/2 hour after sunset and look toward the SW. Jupiter and Saturn are going to be this close together ' '. Tomorrow (Monday, Dec 21) they will be closer together than they've been since 1240 (780 years); almost on top of each other. Depending on conditions and your eyesight, they may appear as a single star. We've been watching them get closer and closer for the last month or so. You will need a clear view to the SW, as they are not very high above the horizon, and they will drop below the horizon about 90-120 minutes after sunset.

 

Happy Monday Nor Cal.

Jim

 

One of the things I've used over the past few decades is to mix orange juice concentrate with tamari, 50/50, and use it as a marinade.
The best approach I've used it to double bag the meat and marinade in zip-lock baggies.

 

I've been known to put an aluminum pan full of water in the bottom of the smoker. The firebox is offset, so the smoke picks up water vapor as it heads towards the rack. It's not a complete answer, but it helps.

 

I have a metal bean pot I keep in the smoker , for moisture you can use Apple juice , liquor , or a combo of everything , key is to keep moisture in the meet .

 

I've heard of apple juice being called the "Texas Crutch" in BBQ competitions.
I'd rather completely cook ribs and render fats by baking first, then smoking for flavor and color.
Ribs get a rub, then double-wrapped in aluminum foil. When they're done baking, they go to the smoker.
I've been known to apply glaze to the ribs with an oil-less air compressor and a textured paint spray gun while they are on the smoker.

There was a guy that once told me "Y'know, there's about 300,000 ways to apply heat to meat... and only a FEW of them are WRONG!"

 

What year is the truck? Does it have OBDII protocol? You could download, or ask your grandson to help with downloading, free diagnostic software online. Something like FORScan or Torque. I think that there's actually a Ford diagnostic app on Google Play. Check the truck for "emissions readiness". Search for codes. Then clear the codes and check engine light. With modern vehicles equipped with OBDII, they just plug the computer into your car's OBDII port, and the computer cycles through the sensors as it controls your vehicle's idle speed. My pickup used to go on to the spinning metal rollers, get the frame secured with ratchet straps, and the front wheels were chocked, while the smog tech got into the truck to step on the gas and shift through the gears. All the while, there was a snifter sensor up the tailpipe. They always had weird issues. Different smog techs would fail the visual inspection because they believed that the cold air intake was illegal. "Believed". They didn't bother to look up the California Air Resources Board Executive Order. I have a glasspack muffler with a turndown exit. They always had a hard time trying to get the snifter sensor into the turndown exhaust exit. 1 guy told me I had illegal exhaust. But those guys could never catch me for what was truly illegal in California. They never noticed things like the underdrive pulley. Nor could they figure out that the computer was operation with a custom tune.

With the new smog check method where they plug the smog computer into the car's OBDII port, I have problems with passing the smog test.

I had a flex fuel Ford Econoline. When it went in for smog, the smog tech angrily accused me of doing something, he didn't know what, to cheat the smog computer. With E85 fuel, all of the emissions readouts were at or around zero.....like 0.03% or something crazy like that. Ethanol burns clean. I don't know if it would help or not, if you added a little ethanol into the tank. Pump gas in California is suppose to be 10% ethanol, or E10. It could make it worse, since your Ranger wasn't engineered to use it. E85 fuel is about 107 octane. Just wondering if a half gallon mixed in with your full tank would help clean out years of gunk. Same way people use Seafoam. Another old wives tale was pouring nail polish remover into a full tank of gas. Nail polish remover, which is acetone, is being used in experiments with jet fuel, at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. But they are working with jet fuel, there's a refinement process, and they're not simply dumping nail polish remover into the gas tank.


Not taking anything away from God, but your grandson is good.

 

Food Network had a show where the host would scientifically explain chemical reactions of sauces and marinades, and what happens to fibers in meat at different temperatures. As I recall, certain acidic things like pineapple and citrus juices help break down meat. As well as carbonation. Beer, soda, and baking soda all deliver carbonation to break up meat fibers. Then there was something about meat being a certain temperature, where the muscle fibers relax, and fat and collagen melt.

Slow and low is great. But sometimes I just don't have the 6 hours, or whatever. I thought a good marinade would allow me to just refrigerate in a sealed container, and it's tender waiting for me to cook it. Not too many fancy or exotic ingredients. I am thinking of cuts like flank steak. Where with the right marinade, I could cook it in a few minutes. Just enough to sear the outside. Lazy cooking.

Because I'm frugal by nature, I gravitate towards low pricing. But it's lead me to cuts like tri tip, flat iron, top round, inside skirt, and Picanha. And being lazy, I go for the sear 5 minutes per side, rest 5 minutes, and thin slice into bite size pieces.

Of course, I could solve all of those problems by only buying ribeye, dry aged for 21 days, and paying about $40 per pound. Or import grade A5 Wagyu from Japan at $240 per pound. Then it will be a tender steak every time.

Any of you guys in The Central Valley, who know about cattle ranching, please chime in with what you think is good for cooking beef.

My next couple of meals will be from a pork leg. I couldn't resist. A whole leg at $0.77 per pound. I guess the 1st step is to bone it out. Make a pork stock with the bone. Then come up with a few different ways to cook the meat. Or, I could light some applewood, and just cook the whole thing in my grill, overnight over low heat. I'll need a 12 pack of beer to drink 1 every 30 minutes. And a pellet gun for the raccoons, skunks, coyote, mountain lion, and whatever else roams in the night. I don't want arm myself with an AR-15. A pellet gun will make enough noise to scare them, and give them just enough of a sting for them to run in the other direction.

 

The Ranger is the one in my sig. A 1992 XLT with trailer towing package. It does not have OBDII as that was not available until 1996. I want the check engine light to come on. That is the only way the San Joaquin Air Quality District will give the free smog check/$500 voucher. When I bought the truck the PO said he had replaced the catalytic converter, but that it would need a tune up. So once I get a battery for it, and can actually start it up, the CEL should come on. Of course, because it has been sitting with no battery, any codes it had will be reset. So I may have to drive it for a bit. Something I don't want to do outside the parking lot because it is on a Non-Op. I don't want to risk a ticket, and then have to pay 5 years of back registration. I am hoping that the guy who wants to by the lumber rack will come by this afternoon and get it. So I can get the battery. The smog test appointment is next Monday, I'll have plenty of time to see how well it runs by then.

Jim

 

You could luck out. Maybe it'll pass.

 

That would be sweet. With the cat replaced already, I doubt it would be something major/expensive to fix, maybe a MAF cleaning, or what I would suspect, brittle spark plug wires.

Jim

 

Big culprits for failed emissions: EGR valve, O2 sensors, PCV valve..... sometimes your engine is running too rich, engine misfires....things like that are not cheap on older cars. It doesn't matter. If you spend $XXXX to get the Ranger back on the road, it's still cheaper than buying a new car. I just got rid of a '99 Honda. Cost to keep the car was thousands more than the car was worth. Too many deferred repairs. Clutch was out. Needed brakes and tires. Passenger door window and sunroof didn't work. All electronics on center console didn't work...no radio, air conditioning, heat, defrost...... Interior was worn out. Seats, carpet, headliner, dash..... Exhaust system was rusted out. famous Honda clear coat and paint peeling.... Timing belt, water pump, belts, and hoses..... spark plugs and wires were due.... The engine was still good because it got scheduled oil changes. I drew the line at $5,000 for a $500 car. To make it right, we were looking at a restoration of over $10,000. I didn't even like the idea of over $5,000 just to keep it running.

 

Pasta for dinner tonight. Hand made. I found this tutorial online. It's exactly how I learned to make noodles. Flour and egg. And yes. It's really that easy. A few minutes of work. You can actually taste the difference.

 

I know I won't be spending $5,000 on the Ranger, unless it is over a five year period. However, I have already spent just under $1,000 on it, but that includes the $500 cost of the truck. I will never buy a new car. And after I pay off the Toyota, I will never buy another vehicle from a dealer. I understand they have to make a profit in order to stay in business, but $9,300 for a van that cost $5,800? I am my own worst enemy when it comes to finances, and buying vehicles. I let my emotions make the decisions and then complain about it later. LOL I don't like the instant depreciation of a new car when you drive it off the lot, and I don't like monthly payments that take 3 years to pay off. If/when I get my credit card bills paid down or off completely, then I will have a lot more money per month to throw at the Ranger. Right now, my plan is to get it legal, then once a month make an upgrade or improvement. I am wishing now that I had taken some body shop courses at Cypress Junior college when I took the automotive repair courses. Still, I plan on buying a Body basics book, and a few tools and trying my hand at it. However, that is a low priority and will have to wait. Main priority is getting it past smog and then registration. Going to go to the Clovis DMV today to get a one day permit for Monday so I can drive it to and from the smog shop without getting a ticket for no registration. On the way back is the Walmart super center where the battery is. There is a closer DMV in north Fresno, but the Walmart super center down the street from that one doesn't have an automotive service center, (how can they call it a super center without that? LOL).

Jim