May 20th Tornado

Red path was the F4 May 20th tornado. Green was the F5 from May 3rd, 1999.

Several of you have emailed to check on us. That really means a lot to us. Thank you.

Me and all mine are safe.
My oldest daughter (#1) went over to a friend of our's home. They have a safe room under ground. They watched the storm form and touch down. They scurried for safety and said for quite some time they could hear the roar as it passed by.

RovErica (#2) was traipsing between her new job in Norman and her apartment. She was at her apartment when it hit. Mrs. OkieRover was at the Norman Regional Hospital Heathplex waiting for the wounded. They sent most of them to the trauma center at OU in OKC. NRH's Moore hospital was destroyed. They moved those patients to the Porter Avenue campus in Norman.

My son was in north Norman and I was at my office near the capitol in OKC when it hit. I had to drive east of Lake Stanley Draper to get around the mess and home.

Thanks for checking on us and say a prayer for the victims and the first responders who are dealing with the aftermath.

Thanks for checking on us and Happy Rovering.

Slow Down, Buy Fewer Tools to Fix Your Mistakes

I've got to learn to SLOW DOWN. I was in a bit of a manic state Saturday. I had so much I wanted to get done, I didn't know where to start. You've been there.

This time I cross-threaded one of the bolts that holds the right rear brake caliper to the hub. So Monday on the way home I have to make a stop at J&B to buy another tap. I won't be surprised when they tell me they don't have that "weird bolt pattern". But I've got to try. When I told my future son-in-law about this, he told me he owns a complete set of taps and dies, but it is at his father's house. A LOT OF GOOD THAT DOES ME!

I told him he needed to store that in my garage. He was smart and didn't commit to bringing it to my home to be "stored". I just created a new definition of the word "store".

store [stawr, stohr] noun, verb, stored, stor·ing, adjective

17. To use discretely when I screw up a bolt or threaded hole, especially on a Saturday when all the stores that might, even remotely, have the tool I need are closed.

I'll get around to submitting that definition to the committee over at Webster's after finals are over later this week.
More after the jump....

Rolls Royce Anyone?

You don't see one of those everyday. Rolls Royce Limo. Funny I see one of these while NPR is discussing The Great Gatsby and the excesses of the roaring twenties.

What's the line from Scarface?
Nothing exceeds like excess.

Thanks for reading,  and Happy Rovering.

Accessories You Didn't Know You Needed

I've been looking for accessories for the Circumnavigation Trip. I'm pretty sure I need a few things to dress up the Range Rover.

First, I need a roof rack. I have one picked out. I think I'll get the 50x50 rack. Its small enough to load the things I really need.

It's not terribly expensive. I couldn't buy a welding unit and materials for what it will cost me to just buy one already made.

I have thought about how I would load a canoe if I were ever to buy one. The short roof rack would not be long enough alone. I would need to add a Thule bar to finish it out if that ever presented itself as a problem.

I will need some fuel cans. The natural response would be to get some "jerry cans". They are very "Rat Patrol" like and have a cool factor of 11. I have seen some other systems that I like equally well and they would be lower profile and less apt to be stolen.

This is the exact thing that came to mind when I first started thinking about auxiliary fuel tanks.

My neighbor has these strapped to his ATV's. They ride flat and are perhaps easier to mount. They can be stacked as well.

Of course this would be totally awesome. Rear bumper mounted fuel tank and spare tire. This is from Rock Rover out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. I've inquired about a bumper for a Range Rover Classic. I'll let you know what they say. If they can't do it, this looks like a good reason for me to learn to weld.

Other than a ring-mounted mini-gun, I'm not sure what else I might need.
Look for more posts on outfitting as we get closer to our Circumnavigation Trip.

My OkieRover Facebook page got a message from Myles in OKC, he has a 1993 and wants meet up and talk Rovers...That will be fun. Always good to meet a fellow Land Rover owner.

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.

Motor Man

Some days I wish I were a diesel motor. JagGuy took this silly picture of me during the engine swap a few years back.

We sourced another motor and did the head gasket repair. We also had the heads reworked by Buddy Rice's Speed Shop in OKC.

The motor has been cracking on nicely ever since. At some point however, I would like to swap it out for a TD5.

Someday...

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.

Classic Iron

You don't see this everyday.
It was beautiful. Roof rack, immaculate paint, and the driver had a smile on his face you couldn't wipe off with an angle grinder.

I'm afraid to ask what it cost to restore it.

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.

Close Enough

This is why we need vehicle inspections in Oklahoma. I took this picture on Robinson Street in Norman.

Look at the one wheel still attached to the trailer, it has 5 of the 8 lug nuts. Three studs were busted off. He didn't even bother to have tires for the other axle. And, AND! he had it loaded with a Bobcat. Making it obviously overweight for a single axle.

Is it any wonder he hasn't killed anyone yet?
Where are the cops when you need one?

Please be safe out there and not stupid like this guy.

Thanks for reading being safe and Happy Rovering.