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After finishing HITR trail we parted ways with the group of new friends and headed to Moab for a couple days on the slickrock trails there followed by a couple days exploring Arches National Park then out through canyonlands via elephant hill and beef basin on our way back south through bears ears headed back toward i40 and eventually east and home.

But first things first i have a ujoint going out and concrete has a blown rear pinion seal. I had a pinion seal in my spares that he used to button up his rig but somehow I've packed two front driveshaft ujoint spares. Ugh.

Rolling around in a Utah credit union parking lot cursing my fate and trying to source a joint locally i hear the phone ping. Its beno.... dudes, where are you?

Somehow when we last parted he left in an opposite direction for another state yet is somehow cruising in to town shortly and tells me he will deliver me a ujoint within the hour. Folks, this is the type of LC service you just cant find anywhere else. :beer:

Repairs 5 and 6 complete, we are now set to explore for a few days; and what a time it was !

Ive been to moab a few times but always on a Mtn bike. The traction and terrain is insane and we were pumped at what all the 80s could accomplish here
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But were admittedly a little deflated when this guy passed us in a stock beater ford LOL
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Did you vote in the jerry can poll thread?
Sure you dont need them every time but when you need one, and esp in BLM BFE, then youre damn glad you have one. Actually the second time it was utilized but first time was on HITR donating to a poor jeep driver on fumes a few hours from blacktop.

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Same can be said for the spare tire! While a repair kit is handy to have it has its limits :/
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All fixed up and done with the playground that is mainstream Moab we start the long journey home by heading out through canyonlands. Some of the most incredible scenery ive witnessed to date in 30 years of traveling
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After canyonlands we continued south before parting ways..... concrete was headed back to the grand canyon now that further access was opened up and beno had planted a bug in my ear...... there was a party going down day after tomorrow...... In Mississippi

I was told the cottonland cruiser's crawfish boil was not to be missed.


We got this :D
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While this would be borderline torture testing for a lesser vehicle. The 80 never skipped a beat. Drove straight through to tupelo to stay with family and then cruised down the next day to hang with the CLC crew at my first ever crawfish boil. Damn fine people, food, and party.
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Unfortunately, time to head home by way of PA for a friends birthday. 30 days, 7224 miles, 13 states, 3 repairs, and a slew of epic trails later I have a new found respect for the 80.

Sorry for the long winded summary and photo dump but all in keeping tabs with what ive done with, and why I love my 80.

To be continued with boring maintenance and the occasional mod .......
 
Just read this whole thing. Awesome chronicle and evolution. I hope I can make time for some adventures like this before I'm too dead (I figure I'm 66% dead right now). Also I gotta get the armors before I break something.
I've got some driveline issues also I need to figure out. When I read your posts about the drive shafts I was like "That's what I'll get" and in the very next post (1 year later) "went back to OEM," haha..
 
Good times amigo... what an epic trip man... Though I know you and me both paid for it afterwards. ;)

Yeah, I was headed in one direction then got the call to, well, head to Telluride instead. :) I was in one of these....

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It was nice to catch up with you all in Moab though....

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And I know you won't miss another Crawfish Boil. It's the way a LC party should be done.

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I love the "smoke" in the air in this pic.... :lol:

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Catahoula's are kind of "different" lol. Great thread and thanks for sharing.
 
sweet rig, im curious what did you use to plug your fender holes?
 
Post 75 on page 4 has some info

The plugs were from lowes home improvement. Hillman #881199 variable depth push fastener GM $.80 per pair

I did have to find a smaller size for the small holes where i had to drill the brackets off the doors for the rear flares.


Also ive seen different 80s have different holes. Some slotted. Some not. I used a little rtv on the lose plugs to keep in place. Some required shaving the plug because the fit was too tight.
 
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That trip was great! Was thinking about it over the last week. The only thing we did wrong is trying to cover too much ground once we got out west.

I'm kind of thinking a pure overland trip is needed to the northern NV area that we explored with Andy and crew a couple of years ago. I'm thinking 2018....
 
So after 7000 miles of seat time I really didnt have many complaints of comfort but i snagged some pro car seats that came up for sale in state.

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Loving them so far but cant wait to pit them to the test on another long distance adventure.

Now i just need to find a solution to the seat belt recievers that were integral to the 95 seat. Any ideas ?

I could canabalize the OE seats but they are in good shape minus stripped gears and would like to sell them whole and functional

Cruiser yard has some 91-92 belts and recievers that have the floor mount but while maybe priced appropriately $400 for 25 year old belts doesnt seem like my best move. A shame the 95 belt wont fit a 91/2 reciever or id just grab that half
 
Hmm. Only seven years since an update
No excuses this time. But if you’ve read this far you’ve seen the trend of procrastination 😂

A lot of fun and a little bit of tragedy since 2017

2018 was a LOT of WNC solo trips with life and learning to lose a parent and care for the other. season of life. Put a lot of great therapy miles in the truck and saw a lot of obscure places in the mtns in NC

I did learn I love the pro car seats posted above. Reduced driver fatigue on road and even more so offroad.

This never gets old
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My lil slice of heaven on big laurel
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Pinstripes are a right of passage in appalachia
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snuck another front axle rebuild in during 19 and got back on a set of 315 BFG km2’s and got to play in the north east this time. A small great group hitting rousch and then also fall crawl in Gore Va

Winter project in neighbors new garage. I need one of these. front axle rebuild with new OEM spindles, calipers, rotors and pads. Added new wheel and hub studs too
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Meeting a lot of great folks at CapitolLandCruiserClub fall crawl event in Gore VA
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And a small winter fun run to Rausch off-road park in PA with some of the Gotham City crew.
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2020 brought a new job that took a lot of time and a social entanglement that brought a lot of drama and distraction. This calls for more woods therapy! But first some new suspension bits.

@Delta VS panhard relocate first
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Took a trip to TN for the slinky release party at mill creek overland . Got to run into @Box Rocket again and picked up a set of 75mm heavy’s while there.

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The slee 4” / OME J setup was over ten years at this point but man what a difference. The new setup rode fantastic
It was a lot softer with a bit more sway so I grabbed a white line bar from @2KCruiser. Each installed a couple months apart they both made a noticeable difference. Together they were amazing.

I just needed more castor now and it would be super dialed in. Sitting on slee plates only.
 
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2021 was a blur with the great photo migration loss with a phone incident.

Getting to exploring southwest virginia. Some really great semi maintained routes. Always hunting for what I’ve always searched…Just a lil space of my own.

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Did make a OldNortheStateCruiser club run up to anthracite off-road park for the Coal Miner Cruiser Classic.

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hopefully find a few more pics.

I did finally do ‘unacceptable to me’ body damage after 16+ years. Crushed a driver rear door and bounced a tree of the quarter. 🫤 Saturday. Third day wheeling. Had done same trail each day but traffic and a lil rainstorm changed the lines and my fate.

Bound to happen and surprised it held out so long with some of the trails it’s seen and groups I’ve joined lol

I mighta (definitely did) source a door and pick it up on the way home
 
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I could put that door on but ……. Nah.
Let’s go exploring instead. Plus it would need paint and, well…..,you know.

Switched focus in 22. Did a lot of eastern wanderings. Couple trips to OBX. A trip to low country SC and wildlife preserves.

Highlight would probably week long trip starting with battling hurricane Nicole on Portsmouth island OBX. From there we traced the most coastal roads available from cape lookout all the way to the VA line above Corolla NC. This included exploring alligator river area as well as croatan natl forest. Both very desolate and intriguing environments . One a swamp and one endless longleaf pine forest.


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A week later joined some Star City Land Cruisers guys for a winter run on Potts mountain trail. Great guys. Great trail.

I’d like to blame the muddy rocks but …
Thought I had it, didn’t, spun the tires and slid off a rock and turtled the 80 impressively.

So that winch I mighta shorted with the battery mishap a couple years and couple pages back. Yep. Dead.

Keen eye will see Ive grabbed a set of TRD wheels and back to 37s. Nitro Terra grappler this time. Ran them before and like them and been putting more travel miles on the rig for the last couple years.

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2023. Over two years since I’ve been able to get into my drawer behind the driver seat. It’s gonna be like winning the parts n gear lottery one day day.

but let’s go camping. Well camping took a different meaning this year.

Had 2 different friends each pick up some land. One some land on the new river in Lansing NC and the other a cabin in the mtns of VA both on some fantastic waters for browns brooks and rainbows 🎣

Spent many weekends at each that summer escaping the heat of home. The trips became more and more gluttonous and glampworthy each time. Tailgate tacos. Best DJ and bar in town. Falling asleep to the rivers babble. Biscuits n gravy. I can dig it

A bunch of mountain roads brought brakes back up. Threw on new oem reman calipers pads and rotors in the rear. A new battery. Some fluid changes. That’s about it.

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I’ve always made a birthday run since I got the 80. And this year was no exception. Thai year, A small group of some of my best friends outside and within the Landcruiser circle. And the crew that doesn’t shy away from cold weather camping ⛺

@concretejungle who is mostly responsible for this cruiser addiction 😁 and I’ve known since childhood was along. Was fitting as we’ve been on many adventures over the years. He was on my first 80 adventure and ultimately also on what would be my last.

We spent a couple Nights in a dark sky area of SW Virginia around Grayson highlands park. Mostly Lounging around camp and taking day hikes around camp and along the AT trail. Mighta had our fill of cold and wind and ducked down to lower elevation and did some
Gravel meandering's looking for that spot for the night that called to us all.

Always cool to have the wild ponies come through camp.




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