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As some of you may know (or not) my family and I decided to take a trip out to Colorado for about 2wks. We departed August 4th with my 100 series loaded down, our Flagstaff popup camper in tow, and stress levels at an all time high (I will get into that later). We planned to arrive at our campground in Ridgway, CO on the 5th and make it back home the 16th. All together it was a 3,174 mile round trip and that included everything - driving there, to all the different cities and exploring each one, all the trails we ran, and the trip home. Our desire to come out here and explore the area started 2yrs ago when we flew out here and got a rental car to drive around Denver and the surrounding areas. We were amazed at the area and sights to see but sad that we were in a Chevy Malibu instead of a Land Cruiser (but mainly because we were in a Malibu). After that trip we always wanted to come back, but drive this time, and explore just a handful of the amazing trails the San Juan's has to offer.
It started with getting my car ready for the long roadtrip there and back, and also making sure it was ready to handle the trails without any problems once we got there. That's where Bobby @CruiserCoLittleRock came into the story, and he played a huge role in making sure my 100 series was mechanically sound for this trip; and for that I say thank you Bobby. Thank you for everything you did to make sure my truck would run and drive smoothly, and was capable of getting my family there and back safely while having some fun in the middle. Before it went to visit Bobby I did a few easy things on my own to get it ready. That included a new fuel filter, spark plugs, coil packs, extended diff/tranny/trans case & axle breathers, cabin air filters (I have the illusive door on my 2000 LC), engine air filter, cleaned the MAF sensor & throttle body, cleaned battery cables & terminals, installed a new grille, cleared sunroof drains, and I relocated the front A/C drain hose to drip on the ground instead of the sway bar link. Then off to Bobby's it went to get a fresh new front suspension! This included new SPC upper control arms with offset upper ball joints, new lower ball joints, CV axles w/new boots, inner & outer axle seals, inner & outer wheel bearings, hub seal, TB/WP, idler pulley, tensioner pulley & cylinder, and oil filter. I finally got the truck back after he completed all of this work 3 days before departure. While picking it up he noted to me that the A/C clutch bearing was in the beginning stages of failure, and my power steering pump was running loudly and suggested I flush it with synthetic ATF. After frantically trying to coordinate with an alignment shop that would agree to work on aftermarket UCA's and that could fit me in so last-minute, I came across Discount Tire & Brake down on Kanis and they agreed to do the work. However, because of the new UCA's and the fact that the ball joint bolt cannot be torqued down until the alignment is completed, it could not be driven anything faster than a crawl onto a flatbed. So off it went to Discount Tire on the back of a Metro Towing flatbed!
Once there I decided to go ahead and replace the entire A/C compressor instead of just getting them to install a reman clutch bearing. They did so and evaced/recharged my A/C system for me. Also, they measured my brake rotors with a caliper and determined that they were overdue for replacement. Unfortunately for the 100 series, this means tearing apart the front bearings (freshly packed by Bobby) to remove the front rotor. You win some you lose some...oh well. With a fully loaded truck and camper I exceeded 10,000lbs so I definitely wanted new rotors & pads all around. They did so and also replaced inner & outer tie rods and flushed power steering with synthetic ATF while they were at it. With all of this last minute work it came down to the wire getting the truck back. I actually picked it up the morning I was leaving and our expected departure time was only delayed about 2.5hrs. Luckily the alignment at the end went smoothly and finally it was time to hook up the camper, load the truck, and head out!
With a 10:30am departure on the 4th, our first stop was Amarillo, TX where we would spend our first night in a Homewood Suites. First pic is the morning of departure while it was still on the rack at Discount Tire getting new rotors & pads. Second pic is when we stopped to eat at a local place somewhere in the Texas panhandle. Finally, around 9pm we pulled into our hotel for a break. This is when the real story starts...While out in the parking lot trying to switch the camper fridge to run on propane instead of 12V, I watched a drunk (or texting) guy drive his Honda Civic into the ditch adjacent to my car at about 40mph. Somehow his momentum worked in his favor and he went straight through the mud and popped right out at the end. Have you ever hit a mud hole at 40mph? If so you know how the mud with splash on everything within a 20ft radius, including any vehicles or people nearby...
It started with getting my car ready for the long roadtrip there and back, and also making sure it was ready to handle the trails without any problems once we got there. That's where Bobby @CruiserCoLittleRock came into the story, and he played a huge role in making sure my 100 series was mechanically sound for this trip; and for that I say thank you Bobby. Thank you for everything you did to make sure my truck would run and drive smoothly, and was capable of getting my family there and back safely while having some fun in the middle. Before it went to visit Bobby I did a few easy things on my own to get it ready. That included a new fuel filter, spark plugs, coil packs, extended diff/tranny/trans case & axle breathers, cabin air filters (I have the illusive door on my 2000 LC), engine air filter, cleaned the MAF sensor & throttle body, cleaned battery cables & terminals, installed a new grille, cleared sunroof drains, and I relocated the front A/C drain hose to drip on the ground instead of the sway bar link. Then off to Bobby's it went to get a fresh new front suspension! This included new SPC upper control arms with offset upper ball joints, new lower ball joints, CV axles w/new boots, inner & outer axle seals, inner & outer wheel bearings, hub seal, TB/WP, idler pulley, tensioner pulley & cylinder, and oil filter. I finally got the truck back after he completed all of this work 3 days before departure. While picking it up he noted to me that the A/C clutch bearing was in the beginning stages of failure, and my power steering pump was running loudly and suggested I flush it with synthetic ATF. After frantically trying to coordinate with an alignment shop that would agree to work on aftermarket UCA's and that could fit me in so last-minute, I came across Discount Tire & Brake down on Kanis and they agreed to do the work. However, because of the new UCA's and the fact that the ball joint bolt cannot be torqued down until the alignment is completed, it could not be driven anything faster than a crawl onto a flatbed. So off it went to Discount Tire on the back of a Metro Towing flatbed!
Once there I decided to go ahead and replace the entire A/C compressor instead of just getting them to install a reman clutch bearing. They did so and evaced/recharged my A/C system for me. Also, they measured my brake rotors with a caliper and determined that they were overdue for replacement. Unfortunately for the 100 series, this means tearing apart the front bearings (freshly packed by Bobby) to remove the front rotor. You win some you lose some...oh well. With a fully loaded truck and camper I exceeded 10,000lbs so I definitely wanted new rotors & pads all around. They did so and also replaced inner & outer tie rods and flushed power steering with synthetic ATF while they were at it. With all of this last minute work it came down to the wire getting the truck back. I actually picked it up the morning I was leaving and our expected departure time was only delayed about 2.5hrs. Luckily the alignment at the end went smoothly and finally it was time to hook up the camper, load the truck, and head out!
With a 10:30am departure on the 4th, our first stop was Amarillo, TX where we would spend our first night in a Homewood Suites. First pic is the morning of departure while it was still on the rack at Discount Tire getting new rotors & pads. Second pic is when we stopped to eat at a local place somewhere in the Texas panhandle. Finally, around 9pm we pulled into our hotel for a break. This is when the real story starts...While out in the parking lot trying to switch the camper fridge to run on propane instead of 12V, I watched a drunk (or texting) guy drive his Honda Civic into the ditch adjacent to my car at about 40mph. Somehow his momentum worked in his favor and he went straight through the mud and popped right out at the end. Have you ever hit a mud hole at 40mph? If so you know how the mud with splash on everything within a 20ft radius, including any vehicles or people nearby...
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Oh well, we plan on hitting both of those on our next trip out in that area! I mean come on, do you even go to Colorado if you don't swing by Slee with a pocket full of cash??? 
; then hopped on I70 and headed East through Breckenridge, Vail, and finally into Golden. Being our first time to dip our toes into the Colorado trails we were a little nervous at first, there's a HUUUUUUUGE difference between trails here and there. But nonetheless we were beyond amazed and impressed with what they had to offer.
