its what you dont see that hurts

So there i was, at work when my boss says that we can go home early. Im thinkin cool, my wife doesnt expect me home at all so i got time to go wheelin for a bit. My friend thinks the same. We load up in our trucks and find some minor hills to play on. That gets boring real quick. So we venture out on to the beach. This is no sand beach either. Im talking some nasty goo with tall weeds. So there I was following my buddy(96 blazer) and he comes to a stop on a mucky trail. well i dont want to stop cause i dont want to get stuck so i go around him like a mad man of course. (Gotta show up the chevy) when all of a sudden I hear the worst noise in the world, a rock hitting the front a-arm and sliding on the frame rail to the rear leaf mount. Mind you i was doin about 20 when i hit this rock. Well as it turns out this rock was actually a boulder, and it bent my a-arm to the point that its still drivable, but right turns are not pretty. It took three of us, and two other trucks (including the blazer) to get me off the boulder, all the while it is dark and cold outside. Now i have to explain to the wife what happened and how i can fix it. Morale of the story, look where your goin, and slow down. I definately learned my lesson.

 

[TarHeel085]

man that REALLY sucks, what side did this happen on?

 

[sod40sport]

its on the passenger side. It drives ok, but like i said the whole damn wheel is shoved back about 1/2 to one inch. im hoping that i just loosened the crap out of something, and with a little tlc can massage it back into place.

 

[Diff Whack Daddy]

I know how you feel

If you notice my name you can appreciate how I unearthed a basketball sized boulder doing 25mph in a sand wash.

 

[TarHeel085]

if ya need a new shock mount, i have a BRAND new one for the passenger side.

 

[sod40sport]

like i said its cold and dark, so im gonna wait till i get to work tomorrow and take it apart and inspect the damages. I just might have to take you up on the shock mount. Cross fingers

 

[Michigander]

wow... tough break

Essexville? I'm origanilly from Midland! How much wheeling do you usually do? Where do you usually go?

 

[sod40sport]

me and my buddy usually go once a week. there are a couple spots near by, nothing big but still fun. We are gonna go check out the mounds sometime this month, and probably gonna head up to caseville to see whats up there. I gotta fix mine first though. Next year we are goin to silver lake. Cant wait for that.

 

[Michigander]

Cool. Let me know when you are going to the mounds and I'll try to meet you there. Carefull at Silver Lake... you saw my whoops there right? It sucked... anyways, life goes on.

I'm planning on running Gladwin and West Branch when it snows. My family has a cabin in Alpena so I'll be up there too. I plan or running to Drummand late spring while it is soaked from the snow. Let me know if you are interested in any of this!

 

[sod40sport]

im bringing my truck to the dealer on the 10th to get fixed. Estimated cost is over 2k. They have to cut and weld on the frame cause i shoved a crossmember back about 2 inches. My wife dont want me to drive it anymore, but hey its my truck right? I think we are planning on goin to the mounds on this weekend. probably sat the 8. Dont know for sure though.

 

[Michigander]

Alright.... my 4x4 has been acting iffy, but I could meet you there, so let me know.

What dealer do you use? I still haven't found one I like (I hope you're not using Midland's).

 

[sod40sport]

well were not goin anymore. His girlfriend is coming up and he wants to spend time with her, and since my truck is broke for the time being its not gonna happen, but it will in the very near future. As for the dealer, i just go to who my insurance tells me too. If i dont go through my insurance company, i go to the place i bought it, and they take care of it. It would be cool to meet up with other people and go wheelin. The most amount of people ive actually wheeled with was 4 people in 3 trucks. So i will let you know if and when we go.

 

[01EB5.0]

Hey,
This spring i will be doing a few runs up at Silver Lake. Let me know if your interested and I'll keep you posted as to when we go.

 

[sod40sport]

dont know if my wife will let me, but sure. just let me know when.

 

[01EB5.0]

Ok. As long as you have 4WD and don;t have a lowered truck you should do fine at the dunes. It is a lot of fun and there are always a bunch of stock trucks there, expeditins, explorers, last time i saw a 2002 Explorer there..it did very well for a stock truck.