Readers Cheap
Thanks for the "51 Cheap Tips" article (March '09). I would be willing to bet that the readers out there have some great tips that could be shared with all Jp magazine readers. How about doing a reader's cheap tips down the road somewhere? I'll even throw in my cheap tip: Ever lose something down behind the gap between the dash and the firewall in your JK? Go get a foam pipe insulator from your local hardware store (about two bucks) and cut it to length and slide it into the gap. It works like a champ and you never have to worry about losing your wallet, pen or cell phone behind the dash again.Miles NewsomeWichita Falls, Texas
Strap Smart
You really need to hire someone that is older than a Wrangler! On page 21 of the "51 Cheap Tricks" article in the March '09 magazine there is a comment about a windshield strap and how convenient this little tie down is. I agree, it holds the windshield down to the hood very well, just like it was intended to do. "We think it was supposed to be for the top" doesn't anyone ever put their windshield down or is that forbidden in the land of the bear? At least the photo has it on the right footman loop (the only one on a real Jeep). I'll keep driving my '85 CJ-7 and keep reading since I've been doing it for as long as this magazine has been around. But I'm not sure whether to laugh at you guys or cry.Troy WilcoxRavenna, Ohio
We went to our resident electrical wizard Pete Trasborg for a response. Here's what he had to say:
There were like four or five of these straps in my TJ, and there are just as many of them in our '01 Wrangler Red.
Sure, one could be used for the windshield, although I've never tried it, and I'm not sure it's long enough. You only need one in theory to hold down the windshield. What are the other three or four for? Seems to me like more of them are for the top (or other uses) than are for the windshield, otherwise, why include so many of them?
I've used them more often (even on my CJ's) to wrap around the top or top bows and keep them from rattling or the top from blowing out. It works great for that use. Even though I thought one could be used for the windshield, I'd rather talk about what I know and have personally done.
I don't put the windshield down on my Jeeps cause the seal never seems to seal correctly again after that, and I'm not overly worried about knocking the windshield off on a tree or a rock. Plus, in New Jersey it is illegal to drive with the windshield down.-Pete Trasborg
Dauntless Cooling
Nothing has seemed more directed to me than the Spendy Cooling tip in "51 Cheap Tips" (March '09). Great article by the way.
My dauntless-equipped M38A1 project has been put on the back burner for about a year due to a few minor things, one being a radiator. No worries, I've been wasting my time on two other pre-'75 Jeeps in the meantime. Anyways, all the replacement radiators I've seen have been over $300, which I'd rather not pay unless I need to. I've scoured junkyards to no end, trying to find a decent radiator small enough, with the correct inlet/outlet. With no luck, it was an omen to see this article. I went to the Griffin website (griffenrad.com) but had a hard time navigating it. Maybe I'm just an idiot. Thanks a ton! Strider380Via jpmagazine.com