Cam's Garage

May 31, 2023 If you have been keeping up with the blog over the last couple of months, you've probably realized that I have an unhealthy love for what most people would see as a normal 2006 4Runner. If you want to read about why it is so special (to me), this  post  will explain it. My driveway has space for 3 (4 if you include my wife's CX-5) cars at any given time, meaning I have room for 2 permanent vehicles and 1rotating one at any given time. That said, 1 car would have to go away for the 4Runner to have driveway space or the 4Runner would have to go. I did a formal analysis to see which car would be kept/sold: 2006 Mazda Miata In short, the Miata cannot be replaced by a second off-roader/tow-machine/Toyota V8 because I would miss having a sports car WAY too much. I am also convinced that for sub-$15,000 I cannot buy a better sports car that I could reliably daily and thrash in the mountains. 2011 Lexus LX570 This was the real debate and I conducted a formal analysis to r...

May 16, 2023 I have spent the last 8 months (off and on) working on the 1996 Seadoo GTI (came with a trailer) that I purchased for $400. For information on what I did to repair the Seadoo, see my two previous posts listed below: Buying a $400 Seadoo Rebuilding my first Carb Even though we are entering summer and the jet ski would be perfect to have, sometimes it is best to sell while a vehicle is running perfectly (and before the next inevitable problem). I also have the upcoming Cannonball Run  road trip that I need some funding for. That said, I made the decision to prepare the Seadoo to sell. First and foremost, I took some before pictures. Needless to say the Seadoo was disgusting prior to cleaning. I spent about 4 hours cleaning the Seadoo with all different kinds of chemicals (all healthy to breathe I'm sure) and removed the rubber padding on the hull (it was coming up and actually becoming a hazard for tripping). This was by far the most time that I have ever spent cleaning ...

May 11, 2023 First and foremost, I think it is important to understand the differences between "off-roading" and "overlanding."  The objective of off-roading is tackling the most extreme terrain possible. The common result of a true off-road build is the absolute most capable vehicles with little-to-no regard for creature comforts and using the vehicle day-to-day The objective of overlanding is a balance of off-road capability with overall reliability. The common result of an overland build is a vehicle capable of being used for daily use, but is capable of going most places reliably and more comfortably than a true off-roader would. For me personally, the concept of an overland build is more appealing because reliability and capability are emphasized as much as daily usability. In most circumstances, a true vehicle built for dedicated off-road use is a poor daily driver and does not serve many purposes outside of off-roading. For example, a vehicle with a 6" l...

May 5, 2023 In my last post, I purchased my new (to me), non-running 1996 Seadoo GTI and covered the initial process of getting it back up and running. Once I got jet ski running, I had about 2 months to enjoy it, taking it out every weekend including one with my sister.  Then (like all great, cheap projects), I started suffering my first issue of not being able to maintain idle. Here’s a video of the issue: Clearly the issue was fuel-related as applying any gas immediately bogged the jet ski down and caused a stall. My first thought was that the issue was related to the choke not properly disengaging upon cold start (meaning there was too much air in the air/fuel ratio) causing the Seadoo to stall. Rather than trying to investigate at the lake, I decided to bring the jet ski home to start my troubleshooting. Due to my prior missteps with the Seadoo platform (specifically with the electrical system and MPEM), I decided my best next step would be to ask experienced individuals bef...

May 1, 2023 On a random August day in 2022, I woke up scouring Facebook looking for something that peaked my interest. I had just sold the 1998 Honda CRV, so I had some money just burning a hole in my pocket. I ran across an ad for a 1996 Seadoo GTI for $1,200 (with a trailer) that did not currently run. I had always low-key wanted a cheap jet ski, so I made the decision to go check it out. Upon arrival to look at the jet ski, I walked around it and inspected the hull which was very clean (no damage to speak of). The owner (guy in his mid-20's) came outside and explained that the jet ski was actually his grandfather's that he purchased brand new in 1996 and had never seen salt water. The battery was dead, so I couldn't test anything but I decided to make an offer of $400 for the non-running Seadoo with the trailer (figured the trailer with a title would be worth $400 itself). To my amazement, the seller accepted the offer. Here were the first pictures that I took of it in t...