2024 Big Bend Adventure Journal

[lwilliams34]

Gave her a long needed bath. One disadvantage to the flat hood is all of the dirt and rain makes it looks terrible after a short time. Going to try and do a rinseless (ONR) wash/wipe down in between from now on.
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[lwilliams34]

Removed the back cap, roof, and doors for a full "safari mode" experience.
My initial impressions were mixed. Not sure if I like the color matching on the roll bars and top surface where the back cap rests. Looks too unfinished for me.
I did some research and found several options for covering the cap rest area and the roll bars for a blacked out look. From the pictures I've seen it will be much better.
Loved the experience driving it though....
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[lwilliams34]

Took the Bronco to a local car show. The indoor showcase theme was Trucks, Van's, and Station Wagons.
Was able to take a close look at a 1972 Bronco. Definitely sensed the DNA that went into the new models. Overall reaction to my Bronco in Safari mode was positive. I haven't seen one yet on the road in WI with everything off.
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[lwilliams34]

Parked next to a Jeep and got Ducked! LOL...
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[lwilliams34]

Took some photos of the Bronco in direct sunlight. The Azure Gray color looks fantastic.
I looked up the word azure and it means:
Azure is the color between cyan and blue on the spectrum of visible light. It is often described as the color of the sky on a clear day. Azure.
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[lwilliams34]

Had a hang out day with the family and used the Bronco Tailgate Table and back cargo area. Grandkids also got to sit in the Bronco
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[lwilliams34]

Some Late Night Garage Photos
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[lwilliams34]

Added some signage to the garage from the recent car show
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[lwilliams34]

Purchased and installed Hot Head Headliners for the Bronco. Super impressed with the look, fit, finish and customer support. Hoping this will help with road noise, heating and cooling temps, and acoustics for my upgraded sound system.
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[tock13]

Purchased and installed Hot Head Headliners for the Bronco. Super impressed with the look, fit, finish and customer support. Hoping this will help with road noise, heating and cooling temps, and acoustics for my upgraded sound system.
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The liner looks great, what is the surface material made of? Would Velcro on the back of patches stick to it? My hard top is loaded with patches from the various state and national parks/monuments that I have traveled to so would hate to not be able to stick em to the hot hear liner!!

 

[lwilliams34]

The liner looks great, what is the surface material made of? Would Velcro on the back of patches stick to it? My hard top is loaded with patches from the various state and national parks/monuments that I have traveled to so would hate to not be able to stick em to the hot hear liner!!

The liner looks great, what is the surface material made of? Would Velcro on the back of patches stick to it? My hard top is loaded with patches from the various state and national parks/monuments that I have traveled to so would hate to not be able to stick em to the hot hear liner!!

From their website:
Yes, patches will stick to Hothead Headliners, and they will stay in place even during off-road adventures. Hothead Headliners are made from a high-quality fabric that is designed to work well with Velcro. The fabric is soft and textured, which provides a good grip for the hook side of the Velcro.

 

[lwilliams34]

Finally had a chance to test out my IK Multi Pro 2 pump sprayer with ONR.
The hood was very dirty and just needed a spot wash as the rest of the vehicle was fine.
Sprayed down the hood and used a couple of micro fiber towels to clean the surface, then applied OG drying aid to finish it off. Was wanting to try this out with my Shelby, but it has been at the body shop since July.
Sad that I didn't snap a "before" picture, but really liked the results.
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[lwilliams34]

It's closing in on November here so time to remove the Bestop Sunrider and install the Hard Top Panels for the winter.
I thought this was going to be a "10 minute job" but turned into a nightmare as I could not get the passenger side panel to lock with the hook clamp.
After numerous adjustments to the front passenger side bracket (I had to adjust these for more tension on the sunrider.. see previous thread) I realized that the rear bracket which holds on the back cap was misaligned. It must have shifted forward when I took off the entire top approx a month ago. Loosening all three bolts and sliding the bracket towards the back of the vehicle slightly allowed the modular top guide pins to fit correctly which dropped the front down into place properly to allow the clamp to engage. I will have to make a note (or physical mark) of the position of these brackets when installing and removing the sunrider each year so that the hard top panels align correctly.
I also installed the Hothead Headliners on the front panels. Really like the finished look of these panels. Went with a gray color to lighten up the interior just a bit as well.
Looking forward to testing these out in regards to heat retention during the winter, acoustic enhancement and overall road noise.
The Bestop Sunrider was easy to remove, with all but two pieces of hardware needing to be removed from the unit itself. It's light and stores easily in my overhead rack.
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[lwilliams34]

Added some Vinyl decals to the back tailgate area underneath the table.
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[lwilliams34]

Clocked my first 5,000 miles on the odometer and first Oil Change.
It's been a fantastic ride so far!
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