We’ve been keeping rather quiet lately much to the angst of folks waiting for upgrades, the next run of kits, or status reports.  The quiet that precedes the storm perhaps. In this status report we’re going to quickly cover what we’ve been up to while we’ve been quiet.  As those that know us best will attest, we weren’t twiddling thumbs or giving ourselves a rest, we’ve been pushing harder and producing more to get ourselves to the retail release(finally) of the 2010 Bostig Conversion. 

The new developments for 2010 are many, here are some of them:

Simplified cooling system - on-road testing before final rev custom billet aluminum thermostat housing easier bleeding easier filling (12) hose connections and clamps eliminated (6) hose sections eliminated (2) 3-way tee’s eliminated restrictor/sensor  housing eliminated pressurized expansion tank and bracket eliminated
2010 Turbo upgrade - 3rd/final rev currently in on-road testing ready for point release to pre-qualified testers driver feedback system mounting  - 1st rev near completion turbo specific lower heatshielding - entering production 2 weeks bracketing - complete exhaust - complete intake routing - complete engine management - complete tune development - complete, current v3.08 2  kits in production for point release 3k milestone passed
Cradle/Skid plate  - 2010 cradle redesign to support skid plating complete and in production of first group 1st rockbar/skidplate design completed, made it to first production run, install, and was scrapped in favor of a full redesign with new cradle for greatly improved ground clearance Cradle midsection redesigned with backward compatibility to v2.0 cradles(pictured) 1.82" improved ground clearance Improved mount points for skid plating on midsection Outer/middle subsections for smaller shipping size to lower shipping cost 3 frame mounting points per side on 2010 outers(not pictured) rev 2 Skid plate - early dev, approaching proof of concept
Dual  starter support  for 2wd and manual Starter block and adapter plate rev - complete Starter block and adapter plate prototype production complete First internal Install/testing about to begin Allows use of a second commonly available mid-eighties Honda accord starter on the engine side Both starters can be used together for ultra low speed/high torque rock crawling(similar to older jeeps) Redundancy means that if a starter has a problem, it can wait until after the return home to be fixed, great for overland travel
Intake extension redesign CNC machined Billet aluminum construction No RTV,  stock factory silicone gasket sealing on both sealing faces Engraved bostig logo and attractive surface finish for improved bling Moves throttle further to driver’s side to allow it to also drop .75" lower for better decklid clearance Machined so Jim doesn’t get aluminum headaches from welding intake extensions anymore
Company matters Bostig Inc. is now a fully employee and family owned private corporation 2009 was our first year in the black since starting the conversion dev in 2004 New chief engineer Nate Nadow replaces engineers Ben and Ethan as they move west to Colorado Company gym time, we attend the local gym for an hour 3 times a week as a group
Documentation & Education New illustrated written documentation is underway for the entire conversion, most of it is still awaiting the development freeze to be completed. SK-A is completed, other sub-kits are awaiting dev freeze. HC oilpan example is available in the written docs section under support(must be logged into website to view link) New videos derived from the new written material are also on the way Combustion and Engine basics video series script is at 2nd draft. Advanced combustion and engine management are in 1st draft.