BBCNN Run: Rubicon 8-15-08 (1 Viewer)

[chicago]

BTW, Dan,
What time are you planning on leaving on Friday?
Im trying to get that day OFF, so I might be able to head up with you if thats okay!
Ill know for sure on Thurs.

Anyone know how to get there?

K

 

[flexing40]

Wrights Lake

Approximately 4.5 miles past Strawberry, you will come to Wrights Lake rd. on the right hand side of Highway 50. These might be good coordinates, N38° 47.2191' W120° 12.5539' Approximately another 8 miles to Wright Lake.

See images

 

[rusty_tlc]

Rusty...
Not to "nit pick", but we are doing Barrett Lake Saturday, correct?
Wrights Lake and Barrett Lake are different I thought. Were MEETING at Wrights and WHEELING INTO Barrett Lake. Since Ive never been, I dont really know any better and hence the question.

Who all is going as per the meeting last night? As far as I know just you me and Shawn, Dylan won't be up until Sat Morning last I heard from him.
There were two new guys at the meeting, sorry I don't remember their names. Anyway they may go.

K

Correct we meet/camp at wrights Lake and wheel to Barrett lake.

BTW, Dan,
What time are you planning on leaving on Friday?
Im trying to get that day OFF, so I might be able to head up with you if thats okay!
Ill know for sure on Thurs.

Anyone know how to get there?

K

I hadn't set a time, I just need to get up there early enough to make a pot of stew for everyone. Probably need to be out of here by 10:30 or 11:00. If I shoot for 10:00 I might make it.

If you can live with precision timing like that your welcome to caravan.


I plan to make a BIG pot of stew to share, I've been told I'm not a bad camp cook. If someone wanted to bring some rolls or bread that would be great.

 

[rusty_tlc]

Approximately 4.5 miles past Strawberry, you will come to Wrights Lake rd. on the right hand side of Highway 50. These might be good coordinates, N38° 47.2191' W120° 12.5539' Approximately another 8 miles to Wright Lake.

See images

Thanks Mike.

 

[chicago]

IN THE FINAL HOURS!!!!!

Rusty Dan got me thinking about my battery tray, so i decided to see if there was anything I could do before hand.
I removed the tray and its in REALLY BAD SHAPE!
I picked up a universal on from NAPA...NO GO! Thought I could fab one up...no steel plate. FAWK!
I called up Fallon Dan (the local landcruiser parts source!) He has one that he can sell me that is in pretty good shape!
However, I wont be able to get out there and pick it up till tomorrow after work or, if they give the day off, Ill be able to get out there first thing in the AM.
Bottom line...Ill be either LATE, or sometime MID DAY/ late afternoon!

I hate the last minute stuff, but I guess that its good that I checked. It probably would have been OKAY, but its better late than LATER when theres a problem.

So Rusty, dont wait for me...Ill just see you up there!

THANKS KROKAR DAN for hooking me up last minute!
I hate to call like that, but...I REALLY WANNA wheel this weekend!

I just HOPE that I get the day OFF! That would make things A LOT easier.
However, It my own damn fault!

K

 

[rusty_tlc]

I be packing and s*** like that.

 

[CaliCruiser]

I'm out

I was finishing up a few loose ends tonight and started going over a few last minute things and found something I didn't plan on. As I was bolting up the passenger side caliper, I hand starter it a few threads and something didn't feel right. These were my spare knuckles I bought off 'Mud and the guy I bought them from failed to mention that both of the caliper mounting bolt tabs cast into the knuckle are stripped out. I don't have a 12mm x 1.25 tap only 1.5 and 1.75. . . I would repair it tomorrow and finish everything up Friday night, but I have an alignment appointment tomorrow and have no way to get around that one. Anyway, I'll catch you guys on a run soon, I am bummed I have to miss my second trip this year (Rubithon) because my junk is not ready to go.

Have fun and drive safe!!!

Dylan

 

[chicago]

I'm out

I was finishing up a few loose ends tonight and started going over a few last minute things and found something I didn't plan on. As I was bolting up the passenger side caliper, I hand starter it a few threads and something didn't feel right. These were my spare knuckles I bought off 'Mud and the guy I bought them from failed to mention that both of the caliper mounting bolt tabs cast into the knuckle are stripped out. I don't have a 12mm x 1.25 tap only 1.5 and 1.75. . . I would repair it tomorrow and finish everything up Friday night, but I have an alignment appointment tomorrow and have no way to get around that one. Anyway, I'll catch you guys on a run soon, I am bummed I have to miss my second trip this year (Rubithon) because my junk is not ready to go.

Have fun and drive safe!!!

Dylan

DRRRRAAAAAG!
FJ45 run?

K

 

[CaliCruiser]

dying to know how you guys did. . .

 

[rusty_tlc]

Many thanks to Shawn and Keith. I owe them a tremendous debt. Not only did they give up their weekend to help me get my rig home but they did it with good humor.
The story of how we started out to do a weekend run on Barrett Lake and wound up with an FJ40 here

May take a few post.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

Cool. Subscribing. What happened? I was thinking about you guys while I was working the salt mines all weekend.

?Broken Pinion?

 

[rusty_tlc]

A closer look

Hi Shawn!

 

[rusty_tlc]

Wrights Lake campground was packed when I got there Friday so I scouted out a spur road outside of the restricted area and started cooking stew.
Keith and Shawn showed up later. We had dinner and enjoyed a nice evening in camp, sharing stories and generally chatting.
Around 9:30 trucks towing rock buggies started passing our campsite. AFAIK nobody kept count but there were a lot of them. I heard a couple more come in during the night.

Next day we decided that maybe Rubicon might be a better run given that the trail head was so close.

 

[rusty_tlc]

Cool. Subscribing. What happened? I was thinking about you guys while I was working the salt mines all weekend.

?Broken Pinion?

Cutting to the chase, it was a broken anti-wrap bar, the pinion was collateral damage.

 

[rusty_tlc]

I got on a ledge and used a little to much gas, something popped so i stopped and looked under the rig. Because of the way the bar broke i really didn't see the break so I got back in and tried again, by this time Shawn and Keith were pretty far ahead of me so i was wanting to catch up. I cleared the ledge with no issue and started on up the trail, I hit the next set of ledges a little fast and the rear end hopped, POW! @#$^#@^^@! The front wheels were turning and the rear were stock still. Looking under the rig you could see the rear drive line hanging free. The pinion gear was sheared off.

 

[rusty_tlc]

The rig backed up fine but driving forward sucked the broken pinion into the diff and bound up the rear end to the point the front wheels alone couldn't move it. We positioned Keiths rigs as a dead man and used my winch to drag the rig onto a relatively flat spot where it could be worked on a little more safely and it wasn't blocking the trail.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

So did you just pull the pinion and tow it out, or did you have a diff to swap in? It makes a FF a lot more attractive, doesn't it?

You had a coarse spline pinion, I'm guessing?

Time for some polys in the rear too. What are you going to use for gears?

One other suggestion is to add a long helper spring leaf to the rear pack, to stiffen it up and make it less likely to wrap.

I am really close to carrying a spare differential on trips. This is one more example that's pushes that day closer.

 

[chicago]

All in all it was a really good trip. I got to START to pay forward the debt that I owe to Jack and Dylan, and I learned some very valueable lessons in the process. We actually had a good time while repairing the rig for the day. We laughed, joked and talked smack...kinda fun giving the circumstance at hand.
We got as far as the top of the granit bowl when we got the call from RustyDan on the 2M.

Here are a couple of the pics that I was able to shoot off!

K

 

[chicago]

smore!

 

[chicago]

a few more