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And then after hitting the road somewhere between 5 and 10 more tanks of gas!
Are you going to be taking Route 1 and 101 all the way up? That sounds like an absolutely amazing drive. I did Route 1 down from San Fran to San Diego a few years back and can't wait to get out there again in the future (with the G now of course)
Your truck looks great. Best of luck with the move and hoping for smooth sailing.
Yep, good luck with the move and happy trails!
I'll be on my own road trip a few days after you, so I'm prepping for that along the same lines as well. Will be good to get on the road (and no road) again.
Man.... don't get me started on the gas, but I know what I got myself into
Yes doing the 1 then hopping on the 101 all the way up. Going to have my last night in Portland to see friends then shoot straight up from there. Figure I will likely cover the remainder of the 101 on a trek next year.
Definitely looking forward to the trip, loaded everything up in the back including the dogs and now decided I need to fabricate a little platform to bridge the tire wells so the dogs can fit comfortably.... never a dull moment.
Limey, take tons of pics! I can't wait to get off road in the PNW! Good luck and have fun on your trip as well!
Ok so got my "shelving" system and additional storage figured out.
Bought a 4'x2' PB and a 2'x1' piece of maple (All they had at Lowes, no one was cutting pieces, and I really was in and out)
Was going to support this with some 8" wooden posts, but got more storage with two suitcases and got my roadside toolbox off the roof, which I would have had to take down every night we stopped @ 60lbs it's a pain but has everything we need in the case of an emergency.
Dogs on Dogs
The black and white Dane could jump right up. My senior (15yo) Weimeraner had to be picked up, which I do even without the shelf, since his hips are toast.
Took them around the block to do a dry run, they were pissed when I made them get out.
Super simple setup, I have some eye bolts that I will mount to the bottom and secure to the u-bolts on the floor, as well as bungie cording all the toolbox and suitcases.
My moving company will be shipping the entire house, but we will likely beat them to the new place y 4-5 days and this will definitely have us set with the essentials while we wait for the rest of the house to show up.
One thing I found is that my door striker was loose, I tried to tighten it and align it for about 10min, in 100F weather with no luck... anyone know a trick to lining these up? Every time I tightened it the bracket would shift... has me scratching my boiled head.
Super excited to get this simple solve in place. Also have a 5" fan on the way that will plug into the 12V outlet in the back that I will suction to the window to help cool down the hounds.
Have a safe drive. I've only flown to Seattle to visit my bro but never drove. He's been trying to get me to drive up there w the G but just haven't found the time.. Good luck
Have a safe drive. I've only flown to Seattle to visit my bro but never drove. He's been trying to get me to drive up there w the G but just haven't found the time.. Good luck
Thanks man! Super excited for the trip.
Earlier in this thread I failed at recovering my headliner myself w black suede, found the remainder of it and "successfully" covered the wood in black suede... I think it will last all of this trip since my dog's beds are on it, but a lot cleaner looking than raw wood!
First stop is going to be just north of Big Sur on our first night. Hoping to get a few stops in along the day to see how my pace nets out.
I'll give a full perspective on the drive loaded up w the wife, dogs and a few odds and ends.
I drove one of my old Land Rover builds from SF to Vancouver, but took the most direct route. The most fun on that trip before leaving the US was seeing MT Hood pop up out of nowhere and the amazing mountain driving.
Got around to tackling the brakes before the trek, likely replacing the sway bar bushings this weekend and doing one more test fit of the truck.
Brakes on the 08' G55 are pretty simple, the calipers are very basic and nowhere near as beefy as the Brembo Calipers in newer W463s or my W211 E63 even.
Tools needed:
Gloves, lots of em
Shop rags, it can get messy and you may need to clean your tools periodically
PB Blaster, all the bolts have Blue Loctite, so good idea to put some penetrant on the bolts to persuade them out.
10mm Socket (For the break wear sensor)
11mm Socket to bleed the brakes
21mm wrench, plus another one for leverage of the caliper bolts
T50 Torx bit for the rotor screw
Blue Loctite
DOT 4 Fluid
Pads, I went w Ceramic to help lower brake dust and get some more miles out of them
OEM Rotors
Good quality anti brake pad anti squeal https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/brake-pad-silicone
Jack/Jackstand (I did one side at a time, as I didn't need the front of the truck floating around)
Hammer to knock the rotors loose
Brake pad spreader ( You will need to close the piston to fit the new brakes)
Metal brush to clean the hub/rotor surfaces (I used a new sponge w a scouring side, did the trick)
Prybar (Needed to loosen the brake pistons to remove from the rotor, on the Brembo newer calipers you can use the break pad spreader, since the top is open and uses pins)
Pretty straight forward w this year truck.
1.) Jack the truck up at the diff tube nearest the back of the wheel and put a jack stand in the appropriate spot on the rail
2.) Take off your tire and spacer if you have one.
As you can see this is definitely an older style caliper. The Brembo calipers are a lot larger and use pins and a clip to hold the brakes in the top... Which makes it easier to do just brake service.
3.) Remove the two 21mm bolts holding on the rotor the passenger side you can get to both with a socket and wrench, the drivers side the bottom bolt would need a special tool.
I just used physics and some elbow grease and bypassed a socket
4.) Remove the brake wear sensor 10mm bolt, it's long so be careful with this. The PB Blaster was liberal on this thing. Last thing I wanted was a bolt to break, which I think could likely happen if you heavy hand it.
5.) Pry the brake that is on the piston so you can loosen the brake enough for the caliper to clear the rotor (mine was heavily grooved so took some time)
6.) Set the caliper aside, I could rest mine on the steering linkage with no issue to the lines.
7.) Use the T50 TORX bit on the rotor to remove it from the hub. You'll need a hammer to get the rotor off the hub. A good hit from behind will do the trick.
My old rotor was thrashed, the lines are a good visual indicator to tell you how healthy your rotors are. Mine had no lines.
8.) Prep the new brakes w some good anti squeal. The brakes I ordered from FCP EURO had a small laughable pouch that came with the brakes. Not even enough for one pad. Liberally apply then spread it all on like butter on toast.
9.) Put the new brakes in, you will need to decompress the pistons, this is where the brake spreader comes in. I also take the cap off the brake master cylinder at this step.
10. Apply the small clip to the caliper, if it fell off. One side fell off the other side it never budged. Apply blue Loctite to all the bolts and get them back on.
At this point I had my wife help out and jump in and pump the brakes 10x's then hold on the last one. Use an 11mm open end wrench on the bleed screw, open it a bit. Fluid will come out. Then close it. Repeat a few times and you should have a nice peddle feel. Add fluid as needed.
11.) Put the spacers and tires back on. STOP.
Was a pretty easy job. I did check my rears and they look pristine.
Took the truck out to get much needed lunch and the truck stops like a charm, and I don't have any more squeal!
Did a quick drive w the misses down Sunset ave to grab lunch and they felt great. Going to get a quick highway drive Friday morning to head to Santa Monica, which will be my only drive at speed before we head to Seattle.
My previous pads were toast. So these are actually quite noticeable w the OEM rotors.
I will say though, I was blow away that my '08 brakes were so simple. With all this weight and power I'm amazed that these calipers are such old tech.
May look to make a real upgrade in this space if I decide to get a boat next summer thats too small for a boathouse that will require me to tow more.
Curious to know who else tows w the earlier W463s and how their braking is.
Haven't really towed a sizable boat since I lived in Florida about 15yrs ago, and even then I had a Crew Cab Nissan Titan that towed everything I put behind it like it was nothing.
Did a quick drive w the misses down Sunset ave to grab lunch and they felt great. Going to get a quick highway drive Friday morning to head to Santa Monica, which will be my only drive at speed before we head to Seattle.
My previous pads were toast. So these are actually quite noticeable w the OEM rotors.
I will say though, I was blow away that my '08 brakes were so simple. With all this weight and power I'm amazed that these calipers are such old tech.
May look to make a real upgrade in this space if I decide to get a boat next summer thats too small for a boathouse that will require me to tow more.
Curious to know who else tows w the earlier W463s and how their braking is.
Haven't really towed a sizable boat since I lived in Florida about 15yrs ago, and even then I had a Crew Cab Nissan Titan that towed everything I put behind it like it was nothing.
I too was surprised at how old-tech the brakes were, and how relatively small they are. I will say that I do find the overall braking ability of the car pretty good considering how heavy it is.
Sometime next year, I think I'll start doing research on how to upgrade the brakes to a larger caliper. The PO to my truck changed front brake pads ~10k miles ago so I should be okay for a little bit. I see that the W211 E55/E63 come with much larger "Brembo like" calipers that can be had for a relatively good price used, but will probably need some custom brackets to mount up. And I will also have to check over rotor thicknesses between the 2 models as that may actually be the limiting factor.
Do you have 18"s on your E63? I saw it was the the 'smaller' OEM size so in theory, we shouldn't have any issues using the calipers themselves on the G platform, and with 31mm wheel spacers, there should be enough backspace clearance also.
I too was surprised at how old-tech the brakes were, and how relatively small they are. I will say that I do find the overall braking ability of the car pretty good considering how heavy it is.
Sometime next year, I think I'll start doing research on how to upgrade the brakes to a larger caliper. The PO to my truck changed front brake pads ~10k miles ago so I should be okay for a little bit. I see that the W211 E55/E63 come with much larger "Brembo like" calipers that can be had for a relatively good price used, but will probably need some custom brackets to mount up. And I will also have to check over rotor thicknesses between the 2 models as that may actually be the limiting factor.
Do you have 18"s on your E63? I saw it was the the 'smaller' OEM size so in theory, we shouldn't have any issues using the calipers themselves on the G platform, and with 31mm wheel spacers, there should be enough backspace clearance also.
I still have the stock 18"s on my E63 and love the look.
The brakes are definitely a lot more advanced. I am wondering if the '09 G55s have these brakes, since they have all the interior updates.
The price for the Brembo two piece rotors is abou $1,100 per side. I opted for the single piece rotors when I did my brake refresh on my E63 which were about 1/3 the price.
I agree the brakes are stout and do justice to the truck, but I was floored when I tore them down. The calipers on my 04 Discovery were tiny by comparison, but they had the same 30+ yo tech, I'll go w the old adage if it ain't broke. But sh*** I've seen the brakes and calipers when doing the suspension work, but until now I never really gave it a second look.
It's been a great drive so far, trying to hit a lot of the PCH but the fires are keeping us on and off the 101.
Tomorrow we head from Monterey Bay to Crescent City. Going to do a mix of the 101 and the 1 time / fires permitting.
So far the truck has been great, and my impromptu storage has worked flawlessly for the dogs, only down side is that when the dogs stand up I lose my rearview.
So far with an additional 600-700lbs of luggage, dog platform and dogs I am averaging about 10.4mpg
After about 80miles I had to hit a gas station to stiffen the rear suspension by two clicks, so now 4 clicks from the softest setting. It's night and day now. Tomorrow I may go for one more click. Prior to the adjustment it was a bouncy castle in the back. So extremely happy w the Fox 2.0 shocks.
I have one issue, I got a front right tire sensor missing error code. I checked the pressure and it's to my liking, but the tire that has the warning (albeit intermitent) doesn't have a plastic valve cap. I'll try to find a replacement tomorrow and do a quick reset.
Definitely get a lot of looks w the G, and usually stay in the right or middle lanes, but get her the onions when I need to get out of the pack.... so far it's been a blast.
Tomorrow we hit the Golden Gate bridge, then go through some of the redwood forest. Love this little rig I built!
Must be quite a site when both dogs are facing us, everyone's getting quite a mooning.
We're all exhausted and ready for an early one tomorrow!
Ok so got my "shelving" system and additional storage figured out.
Bought a 4'x2' PB and a 2'x1' piece of maple (All they had at Lowes, no one was cutting pieces, and I really was in and out)
Was going to support this with some 8" wooden posts, but got more storage with two suitcases and got my roadside toolbox off the roof, which I would have had to take down every night we stopped @ 60lbs it's a pain but has everything we need in the case of an emergency.
Dogs on Dogs
The black and white Dane could jump right up. My senior (15yo) Weimeraner had to be picked up, which I do even without the shelf, since his hips are toast.
Took them around the block to do a dry run, they were pissed when I made them get out.
Super simple setup, I have some eye bolts that I will mount to the bottom and secure to the u-bolts on the floor, as well as bungie cording all the toolbox and suitcases.
My moving company will be shipping the entire house, but we will likely beat them to the new place y 4-5 days and this will definitely have us set with the essentials while we wait for the rest of the house to show up.
One thing I found is that my door striker was loose, I tried to tighten it and align it for about 10min, in 100F weather with no luck... anyone know a trick to lining these up? Every time I tightened it the bracket would shift... has me scratching my boiled head.
Super excited to get this simple solve in place. Also have a 5" fan on the way that will plug into the 12V outlet in the back that I will suction to the window to help cool down the hounds.
It appears that you don't need this anymore, but here is adjustment for rear door striker and latch
Thank you @YCHU ! I will look into getting this all set over the weekend.
Finally in our new home in Seattle and the truck was a blast to drive.
Pros:
- Could easily overtake and drop people that were idiots in my rearview
- Command of the road, over the mountains had plenty of power
- Brakes Brakes Brakes. Glad I did the brakes before the trip they saved our skin a few times.
- The mountains and elevation were a breeze w the engine braking of this truck
- Room for everything inside and on the roof
- Lots and I mean LOTS of stares, especially when we got into hill billy country
Cons:
- Gas Mileage, got about 10.2mpg at about 1300 miles there were a lot of gas stops, and I usually stopped at half a tank to avoid any incidents
- Dogs lol. The platform I built was perfect.... until a dog stood up, then I couldn't see a damn thing. Couple of hairy moments but we came out unscathed.
- Comfort I think I will be looking to upgrade the older seats in my '08 with newer seats before any other lengthy trip in this truck (Are there any posts to someone doing this?) The seats in my E63 are the ones in the '09 W463 and I really wish I had them.
- Steering wheel, I primarily drive with my left hand at 12' and occasionally my right at 3'. The wood was actually fighting my hand after a few hours. Just too damn hard. I will likely take it off and get it covered. Was not expecting that.
- Wind Noise, it was minimal, but when we were in the mountains it got a bit much, but not a deal breaker
Overall had a great trip, saw some devastating fires saw some beautiful country / redwoods / ocean bluffs. Would likely do this again in the E63 if we didn't have the dogs but the G55 was top notch.
I got a lot of looks from everyone. Kids were the best, pointing and staring at it like it was a military truck cruising down the road.
Great to hear you got up to the Northwest without any issues. Hope settling in goes quickly and painlessly so you and the wife and dogs can go explore the outdoors!
I've been using a rear view mirror/screen + camera for a few years on my other car and it's been great. I purchased one for the G but haven't installed it yet - waiting till I have the headliner out to run the rear view camera wire. May be a solution for you as you add more things to the rear. I purchased the Vantop H610 from Amazon.
KohbarHomes installed CLS seats in his G500 resto and documented how the wiring had to be overhauled. They looked great overall with much more padding + bolstering. I was also looking into Scheel-mann seats as an alternative since they've been reviewed well by other model G owners, but $$
I purchased a leather steering wheel wrap/cover but still have yet to install it since you have to sew it on. Will take several hours that I haven't had yet. The leather is soft and feels good to the touch, but only after installing and using it will I know if it's comfortable/durable. I purchased from Amazon from a company called Mewant that makes them for several other makes/models.
Now that I have my truck where I want it, and a much smaller garage. I picked up a new project to knock out now that I am back in a 4-Season state.
Converting this '79 CX500 into a cafe racer to cruise around Seattle next spring. Should be a fun project as I just enjoy the truck. Hoping to go camping once before the weather flips (fires permitting)
Got the bike for about $600, super steal. The previous guys that took on the project left me with a bunch of head scratching, but it will be a good base for where I am taking it.
Quick photoshop mock up of where I plan to take it, with some other nods to the vintage-ness of the bike.
Feels good not having much to tool on the truck. I'll update once I get it offroad up here in the PNW.
Well... I guess I've enjoyed issueless driving for too long.
Just got a CEL, P0410. Secondary Air Injector fault.
Went under the dash and checked the large 40 Amp fuse, which is fine.
Took out the driver's headlight quickly between meetings to listen for motor issues in the pump and I hear nothing. I don't smell anything like burnt electronics either, although the other day I did smell something when outside that definitely smelled like burnt electronics coming from my driveway. Wondering if there are any other relays that control this as well.
Tomorrow going to put 12V on it and see if it even spins over, if not time for a new pump.
I can drive it as is, but it won't pass smog (Which isn't an issue in WA State for the age of the truck) bigger issue is that over time the cats will clog since the engine isn't burning unused fuel.
Anyone else run into this issue with their trucks? I can't seem to find much info online.
Did a quick drive w the misses down Sunset ave to grab lunch and they felt great. Going to get a quick highway drive Friday morning to head to Santa Monica, which will be my only drive at speed before we head to Seattle.
My previous pads were toast. So these are actually quite noticeable w the OEM rotors.
I will say though, I was blow away that my '08 brakes were so simple. With all this weight and power I'm amazed that these calipers are such old tech.
May look to make a real upgrade in this space if I decide to get a boat next summer thats too small for a boathouse that will require me to tow more.
Curious to know who else tows w the earlier W463s and how their braking is.
Haven't really towed a sizable boat since I lived in Florida about 15yrs ago, and even then I had a Crew Cab Nissan Titan that towed everything I put behind it like it was nothing.
My buddy used to tow his Ski Nautique with his '03 G55 all the time. No problems at all, but like all towing situations you need to give yourself sufficient spacing for stopping. He was running 35" tires too. A brake upgrade would help, but not sure it's necessary. Although I should mention this was in Texas, so it's not like he was pulliing through mountain passes or anything. Mostly just flat ground.
I'm amazed you fit luggage AND dogs in the back of your G. Very inventive set up and you are definitely maximizing the space back there. Cute pups!
My buddy used to tow his Ski Nautique with his '03 G55 all the time. No problems at all, but like all towing situations you need to give yourself sufficient spacing for stopping. He was running 35" tires too. A brake upgrade would help, but not sure it's necessary. Although I should mention this was in Texas, so it's not like he was pulliing through mountain passes or anything. Mostly just flat ground.
I'm amazed you fit luggage AND dogs in the back of your G. Very inventive set up and you are definitely maximizing the space back there. Cute pups!
Thanks for the info.
Yea that setup definitely allowed us to pack extra while waiting for the movers to arrive.
Pups settled in nicely
Only downside was when the dane stood up... :| I had zero visibility LOL
Tools needed:
T15 Torx Bit
10mm Socket
Phillips Screw Driver
Fuse Tap (easiest way to get switched power) https://amzn.to/3n5fcuL
Wire cutters
Interior Tools https://amzn.to/3ljapVS
Wire Crimps
Patience
You'll need to put the key in the truck and put the gear selector in P+/- to give room to take out the ashtray.
Make sure your E-Brake is on!
Two phillips screws hold in the ashtray.
Next moving upward are two pesky *** T15 Torx screws, take those out and pull straight forward. You may need to use interior tools to persuade it out.
On to the top grill / center speaker
Peep your eyes on the differential buttons, they gotta come out. Use the interior pry tool to pry the top, then bottom out. It should pop out.
In the cavity that is left you will see a 10mm bolt, undo that.
Now that bolt is out you can remove the HAZARD Bezel, just use the pry tool and then pull straight out.
There are now two screws exposed that hold down the center speaker cover
(Mine were broken, someone has been here before)
Now just carefully pull up on the center bezel, assure that the AC ducts are coming loose and pull out.
Finally just two more T15 Torx screws on top of the radio.
Once removed, pull the radio out and you have access to the wiring.
** Moment of Truth **
There's a blank in the top right that the AUX connector fit in w no issue, plugged it up to my AUX dongle then to my phone, pressed the AUX button..... SOUND! It works!
Now time to get a wired BlueTooth connector sorted and plugged in.
My initial route was the Cigarette lighter, but this was 12V always on. While the BT receiver doesn't take much, I wanted a switched low amperage source.
After doing some digging I decided to use the Rear Heated Seat fuse, 5A, right under the glovebox.
Here's a good video on how to access Glovebox Fuse panel
I decided to get my ground source from the ground for the cigarette lighter, since it was an easy tap.
Went with a fuse tap for the No.50 fuse terminal (Rear Heated Seats). Did a quick test to assure it is a switched source, and it was. WIN.
Got everything wired up, tested the BT connection... another WIN.
Buttoned everything up played some tunes and now I have a slightly more modern truck for about $75 in parts.
Thank you @shiann for pointing me in the right direction w the center speaker, now that I've had it off, definitely on the list of things to fix. Definitely going to be painting it very soon.
Hope this helps someone remove the radio and get AUX in their older truck!
08-18-2020, 01:00 PM
Will be good to get on the road (and no road) again. 
