When in Wyoming, . . .

The weather here isn't going to get any nicer, whether the global warming is really taking place or not, whether it is anthropogenic or not. We thought it would be useful to upgrade the Pundit Sedan to a Pundit 4x4 of some kind.

The Primary Pundit Offspring Transporter is the only new car permitted in the household, so I had to work with used-car dealers.

I originally had my heart set on a Toyota 4Runner, but those things are priced like p00#t@n&. It's as if they are made of gold.

After 5 testdrives and some discussions with Mama-san over goals, objectives, strategies, criteria, and finances, I threw all caution to the wind and chose a vehicle in a matter of seconds, on the basis of how it felt as I drove it to Chez Fûz's garage to see whether it would fit.



I made it fit.

Say hello to Fûz's daily driver and huntin' wagon. A '99 Dodge Dakota with the V6 and a greatly appreciated 5-speed.

Is this unusual?

TCM and I were busting caps the other day, and my FAL stopped ejecting its empties.

After looking the rifle over a bit, I saw threads where threads did not belong. Through a crack in the gas regulator ring.

Now how often does this sh17 happen?

We figured out how to get the split one off, and there is no shortage of replacements online. But is this gonna happen again?

UPDATE: often, if the ring was made by Imbel rather than FN, and mine was. The finish that Imbel applies insulates the ring from the spigot it is threaded on to. The ring heats less quickly than the spigot. The spigot expands, the ring doesn't. Pop.

I'm told lapping compound will remove enough of the finish that a new regulator will be my last.