Truck Haven Jan 16-18

[Ritsui]

Had a great weekend! Broken tie rod and drive shaft issues notwithstanding, it was super fun wheeling and the best folks to hang out with.

Explorer even got a complimentary lift home as we ran off to Joshua Tree

 

[jobunn]

Great trip as usual. Just too short as usual.

Good to see some of the familiar faces but also met some new faces which is nice to see.

The limit straps I installed worked too well, maybe I need longer ones. I didn't break a CV but I could really tell the difference of lost travel and traction.

Couple of mentions: If you have to find a spot in Truckhaven at night hope you have Db_1 with you; and Maniak is a mobile mechanic shop.

 

[BKennedy]

Real glad you all had a good trip. I wish I could have made it. Mike's retirement party was a good time and I am just a little hung over. Just got back from working the Eric Church concert.

 

[Rick]

[MENTION=10244]Ritsui[/MENTION] what happened at Joshua Tree?

 

[Ritsui]

[MENTION=10244]Ritsui[/MENTION] what happened at Joshua Tree?

Actually, we had tons of fun at Joshua Tree . The tow was from Marina drive.

On our way back to the 86, the truck was swaying side to side really bad over 30mph or so. There was no way it was going to be safe on the freeway. Since AAA gives us two free 200 mile tows and Rachel really wanted to go to Joshua Tree, I decided to wait until I got home to deal with it.

Ex is safe in the garage until I can get under it and see what's up.

Thanks to everyone who stopped and offered to help when we were waiting for the tow. The local AAA tow operator (right there in Salton City) was extremely good.

 

[Stic-o]

Actually, we had tons of fun at Joshua Tree . The tow was from Marina drive.

On our way back to the 86, the truck was swaying side to side really bad over 30mph or so. There was no way it was going to be safe on the freeway. Since AAA gives us two free 200 mile tows and Rachel really wanted to go to Joshua Tree, I decided to wait until I got home to deal with it.

Ex is safe in the garage until I can get under it and see what's up.

Thanks to everyone who stopped and offered to help when we were waiting for the tow. The local AAA tow operator (right there in Salton City) was extremely good.

This is why I own a tow vehicle. But also have AAA

 

[Tbars4]

Real glad you all had a good trip. I wish I could have made it. Mike's retirement party was a good time and I am just a little hung over. Just got back from working the Eric Church concert.

Partied with Eric Church last year and that boy can party..

...and tell Mike to head to the Hammers too..

 

[DW_eagle]

Got home and noticed Dora had a bit of a gangster lean going on in the back, turns out i broke my helper / lift spring... Yay

 

[Maniak]

Got home and noticed Dora had a bit of a gangster lean going on in the back, turns out i broke my helper / lift spring... Yay

I'm blaming the external passenger...

~Mark

 

[DW_eagle]

Haha, Could be. Im assuming the leaf probably broke somewhere through this stretch, the truck was making some noises I never heard before, and flexing more than it ever has. Totally worth it though

 

[DW_eagle]

Just a few of the pics I took (or had taken of me)

 

[DW_eagle]

[MENTION=62]Maniak[/MENTION] maybe this could be why i was smelling gas out on the trail? Crushed the shell of the tank a bit and it may have been relieving pressure

 

[Ritsui]

A few more pictures...

 

[BKennedy]

Just from the pictures and the carnage list, I can tell I missed a good trip.

 

[Maniak]

[MENTION=3817]BKennedy[/MENTION], You did.. It was great fun and great weather.. 40's at night and 70's during the day...

-----------------

I didn't get many pictures since I was using my phone as GPS since I ended up leading on all the runs... Now that I think about it, maybe that's why there was so much carnage? But, we did get a 2wd open rear vehicle though a canyon/ditch with lots of flex...

Here are the poser pics I grabbed when I had the X flexed up all the way... I haven't been able to find a place local to flex it this far.. I can now see where some things are hitting but other things are working as I want..

truckhaven MLK weekend 2015 by maniak_az, on Flickr

truckhaven MLK weekend 2015 by maniak_az, on Flickr

I'm not sure how long these stock spring are going to last if I keep doing this, but they sure flex...

truckhaven MLK weekend 2015 by maniak_az, on Flickr

truckhaven MLK weekend 2015 by maniak_az, on Flickr

truckhaven MLK weekend 2015 by maniak_az, on Flickr

The spring bottoms out, right when the shock does... and more importantly, the Diff stops right before hitting the frame..

truckhaven MLK weekend 2015 by maniak_az, on Flickr

Can see the axle shaft is hitting the Beam window in what looks like both compression and extension. Also, I can't tell for sure but the steering stabilizer mount "might" be catching the beam.. I'll have to crawl under and look for more tell tale marks.. I also have to remember to install a new boot over my c-clip eliminator.

truckhaven MLK weekend 2015 by maniak_az, on Flickr


I have a couple pics on my phone (1st night camp fire/sky and xmas tree bonfire)... I'll get them uploaded...

~Mark

 

[BKennedy]

My axle shafts rubbed right there for years and it never did any damage

 

[cloaked_chaos]

Mark, if for some reason you don't have a spare tail light, I have a few extras.

 

[DB_1]

Quote of the weekend from jobunn: "I thought this was serious explorations not mediocre explorations"

A few pics...

 

[Maniak]

Well, I'm finally getting a chance to start to fix what I broke on the trip...

The first thing I tackled was being stuck in 4wd low. First I tried the a hammer on the shift motor while someone hit the buttons.. I didn't expect that to work since it really can't over-shoot 4wd low like it can 2wd. After I finished smacking the motor I noticed the white wire on the xfer case motor plug wasn't connected to anything. I pulled the shift motor and as it came out I noticed those 2 wires that I thought were never connected were at one time.. I managed to pinch wires between the skid plate and the dirt/rocks and got some nice clean cuts...

A little solder, some butt connectors and viola, I can get in/out of 2wd/4wd high/4wd low..

When I had it on the lift I also noticed my steering stabilizer looked a little off.

Untitled by maniak_az, on Flickr

The angle of the hit make it look like I actually got the stabilizer into the tie rod... I don't remember seeing that, but it's possible.. I may pull the stabilizer off as I put it on when I had potato chip shaped rims.

This weekend I'll head to the junk yard and grab 3 more spindles and a bunch of splined washers.. The spindle on the driver's side is missing a bunch of threads on the end..

After that, all I need to do is bend the passenger rear door and move the pin a bit.. The top of the door is sprung out a bit now and the door is closed too much so you really need to pull on the door handle to get it to release.

Oh yea, I need to install one of my spare taillights...

~Mark

 

[Ritsui]

Glad to hear it was all relatively minor. Never just one thing though, huh?

Finally starting my repairs too:

- Gunning it on the hill when I didn't know a tie rod was bent in half toasted my rear locker... which is why I had the X towed home. When I opened the diff, there were chunks in the oil and a big gap between the cam gears. The Aussie lasted over 7 years DD and some pretty hard wheeling, so I can't complain. I'll be installing the same locker again (with new washers and pinion shaft).

- Front bumper was 'displaced' a few inches up on one side, likely the same time the headlight and front quarter panel were thrashed. Hopefully that will get me to finally start working on a new tube bumper.

- Rear bumper was also 'relocated'. The spare tire winch was nearly ripped off and almost inaccessible. The body lift extensions are now gone and I'll just spin the winch 90° to winch the spare from the fender... at least until I get a new rear bumper/tire carrier.

- My new front skid plate was noticeably bent... meaning I may have saved my radiator and transmission cooler lines by installing it the day before Truckhaven

- Minor body dents and smashed headlight will be fixed shortly.

- Bought new tie rods and will be putting together a much more complete tool set before the next trip.

- With all the abuse, the "fishtank" rock lights are still working perfectly .