Josh40601's Build Thread. (D-ranged)

3.0ranger1227 · Aug 28, 2011

We're all guilty of post whoring... My updates go in 3 or 4 different threads on at minumum 2 sites lol

Josh40601 · Sep 5, 2011

oh the Rubicon..... I can sum it up in 3 short words..... FAWK THAT TRAIL.

I broke 6 times on the trail, and had to fix it 7 different times. A trail that people do in 11 hours, took me over 30. Short wheel base is KING of the Con. Long wheel base may kick ass in Moab, it does not here. This is a trail for the ones who come up a little short

3 driveshafts, blew my front hub, sheered 2 leaf spring center pins, bent a rim, blew a front axle u-joint, and enough body damage to make John and Kyle say "damn".

When i said Bumblebee was going to run the con as her last trip, she definitely made it memorable.

This was the first time i couldn't drive home. 3 different groups of people helped me out, and one even offered his trailer to haul me the 600 miles back home. Pictures are coming next....

Josh40601 · Sep 5, 2011

here are a couple from Mammoth Mountain

Then it was off to the Rubicon Trail. I was confident, i had extra shafts, tools, bolts, leafs, and even an extra driveshaft. That wasn't enough....

Here is how it began....

Josh40601 · Sep 5, 2011

then shit started to hit the fan....

I high centered and ripped the first driveshaft into 2 separate chunks....

This became a very common position for this trip....

Then i replaced it with my spare, and kept going...

then i found out i was only running in 3 wheel drive when i couldn't pull up on this rock....

So we pulled off the trail, and swapped in a slug i had bought a while ago from ZainyD and it worked like a charm. 2 breaks within 2 miles... Not looking to promising, but easy and quick fixes, so we were back on our way.

Josh40601 · Sep 5, 2011

Right after Little Sluice is when it got REAL fun.... The center pin on my driver leaf spring sheered....

(Forgive the pics, we were more interested in fixing it and not blocking the trail)

After a new pin, removal of the overload and busted shim, recentering the leaf pack, lining the axle back up, and gettign the driveshaft back in (about an hour or so), we were back cruising the rocks again. By this time, i was done. 3 breaks in 1 day on 1 trail is enough. Although i was fed up, the groups i had met that helped me out told me it was easier to just keep going than turn around, so i listened (dumbass....)

Josh40601 · Sep 5, 2011

Well, we finally made it to Buck Island Camp, where i met the guys from Extreme Offroad. These guys were awesome. They had everything you would ever need on the trail. A shower that made hot water, portable toilets, full breakfast, welder, grinders, press, drills, easy outs, ect. Other groups nicknamed them "The Machine Shop". We camped with them and headed out to finish the last 4 miles which included Big Sluice, Rubicon Springs, and Cadillac Hill the next morning.

(If you notice, my driveshaft is VERY close to a rock... I didn't see that until it was too late...)
1/2 mile out of camp, I highcentered again.... This time twisting my last driveshaft into a u/v shape...

We cut the bad section out, rewelded in some scrap tubing they had, and continued on.
(for those keeping track, this is the 4th time i broke. While we were in camp, i pulled the other overload to find that center pin bent all to hell too, so i replaced it with a spare)

Josh40601 · Sep 5, 2011

I jumped in with this group, and they showed me the way until Rubicon Springs, where everything went well (for me at least)

Here are some shots coming down Big Sluice

As for others in the group... Here is there story...

These were the last pics we took from the trail. We "V'ed" my front rim coming through the mud hole at the springs where we took a sledge and beat it back "round" to hold the bead and limped the rest of the way out on a blown axle. Once i made it to pavement, i could only go 38 MPH, so it took another 1.5 hours to make it to our "hotel".

Some guys from San Diego offered to haul Bee back and let me follow them in their rig...

Here is Bee on the trailer. Beaten, Bruised, Broken, and ready to just kill over.

Here is the rig i was blessed to drive back home in.... Yes, it is the cover rig for JP Magaizine's November issue....

All in all, it was a shitty rock crawling experience. the people i was blessed to meet that helped will forever be remembered, and i know i have now made lifelong friends with a couple of them, but I have never broken so much in so little time (The trail is only 11.5 miles....)

Well, there ya'll go. Bee's last trip was a hellofa one....

kris97ranger · Sep 5, 2011

sucks but all in all not all that terrible of a trip the parts you broke are all fairly cheap and easy to replace (i think) at least you didnt blow the motor or doubler or somthing.

sounds like my weekend... same trail killed my truck in may so we went with my buddys truck and he killed it in the exact same spot

3.0ranger1227 · Sep 5, 2011

Sounds like you only really had 3 issues - small tires, leaf springs, and weak axles.

JK man. Bit of rough time but at least you finished the trail. Any cab damage?

railman · Sep 5, 2011

none of the pics ya posted show enough body damage to make me say "damn"

unless ya holding out on the "good stuff"......

looks like fun...other than the "breaks".....

just think...ya be home before ya know it :icon_thumby:

l8r, John

Josh40601 · Sep 5, 2011

Axles were not the problem. Tires were not the problem. Driveshafts and leaf springs were the problems. If you run a 9", make sure you have a driveshaft made of .180 wall or larger. SGT Ex already has a .250 wall driveshaft so I'm good there. Bee's wheeling adventures are over. They were awesome, but now it's time to clean the rig up, and put her back together. The torch has been passed to SGT Ex.

John, I'll take some pics once the mud is washed off. Both bed sides are demolished and the bed is now sitting lopsided. Cab damage was minimal, but don't care as I am going with a newer 4 door cab when I rebuild it

Josh40601 · Sep 5, 2011

Oh yea, I leave for KY 2 weeks from today

3.0ranger1227 · Sep 5, 2011

Josh40601 said:
Axles were not the problem. Tires were not the problem. Driveshafts and leaf springs were the problems. If you run a 9", make sure you have a driveshaft made of .180 wall or larger. SGT Ex already has a .250 wall driveshaft so I'm good there. Bee's wheeling adventures are over. They were awesome, but now it's time to clean the rig up, and put her back together. The torch has been passed to SGT Ex.

John, I'll take some pics once the mud is washed off. Both bed sides are demolished and the bed is now sitting lopsided. Cab damage was minimal, but don't care as I am going with a newer 4 door cab when I rebuild it

If your tires were bigger you would have more clearance and it may have helped with some of your issues.

Glad to see it made it through.

Josh40601 · Sep 5, 2011

I still don't think it would have helped. I hung up on ledges. I mean, I guess if I were running like a 80" tall tire I would be ok, but they would probably just slipped off the rocks anyway. Hahaha

Robert_1967 · Sep 5, 2011

Josh40601 said:
I guess if I were running like a 80" tall tire I would be ok Hahaha

Now that is something I would like to see :drool:

Robert

posted from my recliner on my laptop

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