What Did You Do with Your 80 This Weekend? (60 Viewers)

[MrMikeyG]

@NLXTACY sure enough, I went back and looked at your thread regarding yes/no on producing the wheel stud tool. It seems the Lisle tool not fitting was well documented. F____!
I'll be sending you some funds soon...
I wonder if I can return the Lisle or if it would work on any of the other cars in my driveway?

 

[Froski]

My Safelite windshield leaks. Fortunately I live in the desert....

Mine too. Had them try again. Leaks less now

 

[steenh]

Took a 5700 mile road trip from Atlanta to Montrose, ran the Rimrocker trail to Moab and played there for two days, and then on to Tahoe to run the Rubicon before making the three day ride back to Atlanta.

Running in a 94 80 series at just below 300k when I started. I've done some of the maintenance but not all. Still need to change out the water pump and alternator, but brought spares just in case. Ran out of time before the trip but had no issues with the way the truck ran, and I ran it hard. My AC pulley did crap out on me on the way out so I had one stretch of the drive with no AC... and that sucked. I'd also just installed heat and sound deadening throughout the truck which was a tremendous help with noise and probably heat. Very different truck with that done.

The passes, especially running on the "loneliest highway in America" were a bit painful, and they never seemed to end. Must have been 10 of them. I had a lot of time to think about an LS swap if this motor ever dies

Here are a couple of pics.

Hitting a big milestone on the first leg of the journey.

Rimrocker Trail - hell of a view

Camping at Buckeye. Last year we stayed in the same place and the waterline was up to the wooden fence. This year, there were cows 100 yards from the fence. Water level was either extremely high last year with all the snow, or extremely low this year.

Pic of @Willy beamin up on top of TOTW.

Ran Fins with @Willy beamin and @JZelnick while we were in Moab

Then is was time for what was a horrendous drive for me... AC went out, hot as hell, and the loneliest highway in America lives up to it's name... but the destination being Tahoe and the Rubicon made it all worthwhile.

Meanwhile, my wife, daughter and her pup made their way across country to meet us in Tahoe in the 4Runner.

We finally all got together with a group of 80's, a 100, a 200 and an LX570 to run the Rubicon. None of us had run it before so it was a bit eye opening to say the least. The 80 handled it all really well, but damn that is a relentless trail. 30 names obstacles with about 150 unnamed obstacles scattered in between. Quickly hit my top 1 list of favorite trails. Took us three long days to get through it. I took no metal damage, but did rip up two flares. I've been going back and forth on whether to go flawless and decided to let the trail make the decision for me... it did.

Camping the 2nd night at Rubicon Springs was a treat. Swam in the river, got approached by otters, cleaned up and polished off a bottle of Woodford with friends. Doesn't get much better than that!

Looking a bit more weary than when we started, we finally made it back to Tahoe in one piece. Amazing journey, bucket list trip on the Rubicon (won't be my last time), great to spend time with family and friends from all over the country. This is the spice of life!

 

[Heckraiser]

More photos of 200's/570's on the rubicon, please and thank you.

 

[steenh]

More photos of 200's/570's on the rubicon, please and thank you.

Here are a few. I don't have a ton. IMHO, the 200's are just too big, coming from someone who has one. I didn't bring mine, and after going through the trail, I never would. The 100 did fine. Both 200's had non-trial related mechanical issues (rear locker and AHC failure) that made it all harder than it needed to be, but both made it through the trail, with some body damage.

 

[retrofive]

Here are a few. I don't have a ton. IMHO, the 200's are just too big, coming from someone who has one. I didn't bring mine, and after going through the trail, I never would. The 100 did fine. Both 200's had non-trial related mechanical issues (rear locker and AHC failure) that made it all harder than it needed to be, but both made it through the trail, with some body damage.

Relentless is a good term for the Rubi. Picking lines and obstacle after obstacle. I don't wheel as hard as some that make it look easy there.

 

[Box Rocket]

Needed a little "garage therapy" last night so I broke out the Porter Cable random orbital polisher and tried to minimize some of the pinstriping and scratches that have been added to the truck over the last few years. I'm no "pro" with paint correction but spent a little time with some rubbing compound and then finished up with a coat of wax. Wasn't able to correct everything but the truck still shined up pretty good for a 25 year old truck that gets wheeled a lot and has almost 300K miles.
IMG_4957 by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

IMG_5009 by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

IMG_5010 by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

IMG_4928 by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

 

[retrofive]

Needed a little "garage therapy" last night so I broke out the Porter Cable random orbital polisher and tried to minimize some of the pinstriping and scratches that have been added to the truck over the last few years. I'm no "pro" with paint correction but spent a little time with some rubbing compound and then finished up with a coat of wax. Wasn't able to correct everything but the truck still shined up pretty good for a 25 year old truck that gets wheeled a lot and has almost 300K miles.
IMG_4957 by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

IMG_5009 by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

IMG_5010 by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

IMG_4928 by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

Uh oh, @Dragos80 will NOT be happy with your parking job.

 

[Box Rocket]

Uh oh, @Dragos80 will NOT be happy with your parking job.

Empty lot not being used.

 

[Locked80x3]

Lucky friend lol.

Rebuilt the other axle/birf for my friend's 80. It's a messy job. New brakes, wheel bearings, seals. New Birfs and rebuild kit from cruiser brothers.

View attachment 2388030View attachment 2388031

 

[newbtrayback]

New EGR/VSV and lots of scrubbing.....

 

[Heckraiser]

Missed the photo op by two miles

 

[crx7]

Black bear, Ophir Pass, towed the Casita up to the base of Sneffels.

 

[malteserunner]

Needed a little "garage therapy" last night so I broke out the Porter Cable random orbital polisher and tried to minimize some of the pinstriping and scratches that have been added to the truck over the last few years. I'm no "pro" with paint correction but spent a little time with some rubbing compound and then finished up with a coat of wax. Wasn't able to correct everything but the truck still shined up pretty good for a 25 year old truck that gets wheeled a lot and has almost 300K miles.
IMG_4957 by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

IMG_5009 by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

IMG_5010 by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

IMG_4928 by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

Looks good!

I need to do that to mine

 

[retrofive]

Looks good!

I need to do that to mine

It will buff out just great!

 

[Wrencher93]

Just got back from roughly 2 weeks and 5,000miles in the truck. Didn't skip a beat and didn't burn a drop of oil. Only hiccup we had was the A/C deciding to blow a gasket about 2 hours from home . A handful of DD trips to work away from 240k and genuinely runs better than many 80s I've been in with half the miles. Always amazes me what these trucks will do for you if you treat them right.

Left Va and after a few stops on the road, landed in Santa Fe. First time I had been there and quickly became one of my favorite towns I have been to. Really spectacular architecture and culture...not to mention the views and proximity to amazing outdoor activity. Enjoyed it, will be back someday.

Left Santa Fe and headed for SW Colorado area (the goal of the trip). Grabbed a quick bite in pagosa on the way in and beelined for Durango. Another amazing town. Set up camp and got some rest.

Left for Silverton/Ouray/Telluride area. Hit a few trails, saw a few sites, camped, just all around had a blast. Only problem is it rained just about the entire time. Bummer, but not normally a huge problem - the springbar tent held up very well...but 2 nights straight in non-stop rain was about all I could ask from my pregnant wife, she is a trooper.

So made the snap decision to head to the desert. Moab. Not our first time there, so the usual tourist spots/trails weren't the priority. Sitting in a line of 30 Jeeps waiting to roll over a rock when its 103 outside is not as fun as its made out to be. Goal was to get away from the crowds, see some beautiful sites and not get rained on. After PMing a member here (won't mention him directly since I'm sure everyone will then start PMing him) he led us to a specific area in the Moab region that was just that - perfect. Felt like we were the only ones there. Couldn't have asked for more. Set up camp on some BLM land in the area, did a couple more trails, hiked a little, loved every minute of it.

After that, made the 2,000 mile trek home, and here I sit, planning the next one.

Some things I learned, and some takeaways (some tech related, some not) since there is always room for improvement on every trip.

- I need to switch out my sliders. My wife had trouble getting in and out the entire time, will be more complicated in the future. Slee step sliders are the cure.
- I am changing my gearing choice. 5.29/35s makes sense for me 99% of the time, but if I have any hope of more trips like this, I need 4.88s. There is a lot of highway between Virginia and Utah. A brand new set of nitro 5.29s will be for sale in the classified section soon, PM me if interested.
- The Speski barrier was the most crucial last minute purchase I made. Was so happy I had it, beyond useful.
- OBA would be really nice, but I'm not sure the extra expense would be truly worth it, not a priority at the moment - filing it in the 'nice to have' category. On Board Water on the other hand is a different story. Our gatorade jug on labs bumper set up actually worked ok for what it was (pic below), but something more sophisticated is on the horizon.

- I undervalued the importance of rear drawers. Had them in my last truck and used the hell out of them, I need a new set.
- I'm not sure if upgrading to a fridge is worth it. Besides the obvious drastic expense over even the best cooler, it adds so much extra complication. Extra wiring, extra battery or solar or both, is hard mounted and hard to remove. How is that worth it over needing to grab ice every 4-5 days? I'm not convinced. Having the ability to sleep back there in a pinch as well is very nice - not easy with a fridge if its more than one person.
- Our sleeping set up was the most comfortable camping I have ever done. Springbar tent, camptime cots, Exped Mega Mats. Was the perfect base camp. Only complaint is the stakes. Here in Va, takes a few minutes, no problems whatsoever. Out there in CO/UT...totally different story. Bent stakes and lots of curse words. Won't be changing all of this out immediately, but I don't see us going that far again with the same set up.
- Lastly and most importantly. There is no good Italian food west of the Missippi. I love it out there, landscapes are amazing, outdoor activity proximity is amazing, but good lord beyond your tacos/burritos and tex/mex, learn how to cook

Posted a few more pics in my build thread since mud only lets you post 5 at a time.

Where in VA are you? I ask because I'm currently in FL but I'm from VA and I'll be moving back soon. Would love to connect with some local mud members.

 

[jfz80]

Missed the photo op by two miles

View attachment 2394327

But that D light

 

[Bludozer]

Where in VA are you? I ask because I'm currently in FL but I'm from VA and I'll be moving back soon. Would love to connect with some local mud members.

PM'd.

 

[Heckraiser]

But that D light

Empty gas tank... check.
Burnt out D light.... wait, wut?

 

[Willy beamin]

Over the last 13 days I clocked 4616.96 miles in my 80 with the Wits' End turbo. I added Rods Hood Louvers and the fan clutch oil was changed out for 30k CST. I took @Dirty Koala Koala ideas and they paid off - thanks man. @JZelnick and I drove from Louisville KY to Boulder Colorado, Boulder to Montrose, in Montrose we met up with @steenh. From Montrose via the Rimrocker trail to Moab, from Moab via US50-(never again) to South Lake Tahoe. In Tahoe reunited with the rest of motley Degen Crew consisting of @Ohnoitsbreaux, @kreiten, @SchobTime, @Atwalz. And Nick from Torfab joined us - great guy! This is our normal crew for seeking adventures that generally included some people traversing the US. This time it was the East coasters turn. On Monday the 27th we embarked on the Rubicon Trail,a bucket list trail for us all. This has been in talks for over a year and we were ready. In our armada we had 1-200 series, 1-LX570, 1-LX470 and a handful of built 80's. Solid axle and IFS battle it out. Lots of pics, some of which I did not take so credit due to @kreiten and @steenh. The Rubicon did not let us down, what a trail! In the end my brake booster went out on big sluice, which made going up Cadillac hill fun. Jersey blew out his driver side knuckle out, the LX570 AHC went to pot and the rear of the 200 had, what I assume was/is a rear diff issues. As soon as I exited the trail @Atwalz and I had my 80 towed 2 hours to Stockton Cali so @orangefj45 could replace the brake booster, thank you Georg. Also Christo made room for me @sleeoffroad on the way home to get an alignment and new rear LCA's as mine had been bent for a while. all in all this was an amazing trip with a great group of friends. I'm grateful everyone made lasting memories, made it home safe and that we are all better for what we did and learned.