Stacey and Rob's Adventure

[crazy4ink]

Well, I thought I would start this thread so that we can keep everyone up to speed on what is going on as we travel.

I'm sitting in our hotel room in Anchorage right now. Last night we stayed in Hatcher's Pass in a log cabin. For everyone going to Meet and Greet this year, this is where Stacey, Leni, Liz, Jon, Andy and I stayed. I highly recommend it. The lady that owns it is very nice, 4x4 friendly (repairs in parking lot and all), there are fire pits, and the cabins are awesome.
Hatcher's Pass Bed and Breakfast. Call them and make a reservation to stay there. The place is about 10 miles from the fair grounds where Meet and Greet in held.

But I digress.....we drove out Friday afternoon and had to drive pretty slow down until south of Denali. The ice fog was pretty thick, but the roads were alright.

Anyway, post up if you want. Hopefully, when we get to Washington state, we will be able to pick up wireless on the go internet access so we can post pics as we travel.

[Bulldawg]

Hey man, glad to hear you made it that far anyways, through hopefully the worst part of your trip!! Good luck to you the rest of the way!!

[4x4_MMMH_4x4]

glad to see you guys are doing good so far!!! will be nice when you guys get settled in i bet... hope to hear from you more as your journey progresses

[crazy4ink]

Thanks guys! Like I said, if we can get internet on the go, we'll be posting as we travel. Worse case, we'll def be posting when we get to Stacey's mom's house in Lousiana.

[naturalbornmudder]

keeping an eye on you ;D. Let us know if you need somehting. I'll be in contact in a few days or so.

[sevenslats]

Rob, There's a guy over at here Spang headed to Eielson. He was told the closest port for POV shipment is Anchorage. From what I've read of your trip so far, that is true. Any idea?

[TJVigilante]

Sounds like you're going to have a heck of a trip, definitely take some pictures on the way.

[michaeljr5]

Rob, There's a guy over at here Spang headed to Eielson.+ He was told the closest port for POV shipment is Anchorage.+ From what I've read of your trip so far, that is true.+ Any idea?


They will ship it to Fairbanks but you have to be VERY, VERY specific with the people who actually ship it. They shipped mine to Fairbanks.

[sevenslats]

Michael, how long ago was that?

[michaeljr5]

September.

[naturalbornmudder]

right off of the Johansen expressway is the VPC.

[michaeljr5]

Rob,

Uh, sorry, we didn't mean to highjack your thread.

[sevenslats]

I've been there, but the last time was when Kory left. I thought maybe the AF changed it's policy.

[Buckeye]

Good luck Rob and be safe

[nate379]

You guys stopping in Idaho?

[Kodiak Dodge]

Are you guys taking the ALCAN or are you blazing a new trail? Make sure to do a trail write up if you find some good wheeling.

[TJVigilante]

I think they're taking a ferry from Anchorage to Juneau then Washington then driving from there.

[mousee]

they're on the ferry now, so don't expect any response for a few days :)

[TJVigilante]

I wonder if they can see Augustine from the ferry, and if they're taking pictures if they can.

[crazy4ink]

Well, here we are in Juneau. Talk about a beautiful looking town! Great views and right now the temps feel awesome! I was walking around outside in jeans and a t-shirt comfortably.

No, we couldn't see Augustine.

Here is a link to some pics that we took. I would post them, but I don't want to shrink them down and lose the quality.
http://photobucket.com/albums/v494/crazy4ink/Trip%20from%20AK%20to%20MD%2006/

We'll be here for 2 days or so and then we're back onto another ferry to Washington state. Let us know what you think of the pics. For those that haven't been to Whittier yet, check out the tunnel pics. That tunnel is crazy tiny!!!

[LowNSlowNeon]

Photobucket :(

Ill see em when I get home.

Stay safe :P

[sevenslats]

Very nice. Good idea to stop in Juneau and get off the ferry. When I did that, we took a cab into town for breakfast. Not an overnight stay. Cab ride cost $60! But it was a pretty, small, rainy town. How long did you have to wait at Portage to get through to Whittier?

[crazy4ink]

Well we are in Olympia, WA, just south of Tacoma. The 2 ferry rides were pretty uneventful, actually quite boring after a couple days and running out of things to do.

Anyway, we arrive here and ++++ near wreck the Jeep. Seems the Jeep developed death wobble out of nowhere. Fortunetly, a friend of mine lives near Olympia and helped me figure out what was going on. Turns out the front trackbar (frame end) is completely shot. Another stroke of luck, the local 4x4 shop had one in stock. Waiting now on the new trackbar to get brought to my hotel by my buddy and we'll see what that gets me.

Stay tuned for more updates to the adventure...

[gamble71]

yeah, plan on taking the ferry outta here too. Is the scenery any good? Never thought about it getting boring, but still better than driving canada again ::)

[crazy4ink]

yeah, plan on taking the ferry outta here too.+ Is the scenery any good?+ Never thought about it getting boring, but still better than driving canada again+ ::)


The scenary was nice, when you could see it. The temps weren't too bad either. Watch out for the wind if you go out to smoke. There is a bar, a couple old video games, a small gift shop, a snack bar that's open for most of the time and a room where they show movies.

Bring some books to read and laptop with some good games. Having both our laptops really helped. Make sure you bring cash to pay for food on the ferry. There are no ATMs onboard and the purser will only let you write a $25 check for cash if it's drawn from an Alaskan bank.

[sevenslats]

Wow. What brand trac bar were you running?

[crazy4ink]

Well, I was running an RE Extreme Duty trackbar and it's dead. My buddy Sean and I took my old trackbar out and the joint just flopped all over the place.

Couple of calls around town and no one had an RE brand trackbar. Ended up getting a Skyjacker bar that claimed it was good for 4-6" of lift. Well, even with just 2 threads engaged, the heim joint wasn't even close to reaching. We also found out that the bolts that came with the new trackbar were bigger and wouldn't fit into my axle or frame brackets.

Quick trip to Lowe's netted a corded drill and a big drill bit. Then, to get the longer axle end bolt in the trackbar, we had to take off the passenger side of m cross-over steering. Drilled the holes out bigger and popped the trackbar in. That's when we figured out it wouldn't reach. Pulled the track bar back out, drilled a new hole in the axle bracket and put the track bar back in.

Everything seems to be fixed now and back to being rock steady. The only thing that Stacey and I can figure out that happened was the extreme cold when we left Fairbanks coupled with all the metal and parts getting warmed up really quick (was 56 degrees when we hit Bellingham, WA) was too much for the nylon pieces inside the RE joint.

Now a new problem.....also I think due to the temp change....passender side of the rear axle is leaking out the axle seal.....

[gamble71]

yeah, I consider myself fortounate to have only lost a tranny. man/machine were not meant to work/live at -50. Noticing my lift making more noise than usual, gonna go torque the bolts tomorrow, just to be sure.

[sevenslats]

Wow. bummer. Let that axle work itself for a few days. My leaks have never persisted for more than a day or two. Just be sure it isn't getting inside your brakes.

[mousee]

yeah, I consider myself fortounate to have only lost a tranny. man/machine were not meant to work/live at -50. Noticing my lift making more noise than usual, gonna go torque the bolts tomorrow, just to be sure.

Noticed that myself and was gonna' say something... totally forgot. It would "clunk' every time I pulled it in or out... of th garage :p :rolleyes:

[crazy4ink]

Wow. bummer. Let that axle work itself for a few days. My leaks have never persisted for more than a day or two. Just be sure it isn't getting inside your brakes.

Will do. Fortunetly, I swapped the rears to disc brakes, so the gear oil isn't hurting anything.

I went back out a little while ago and noticed now that the passenger side is pretty dry; no tell-tale dampness on the brake backing plate.

however, now the driver's side is damp all down the brake backing plate and some drips on the inside wall of the tire.

I'll keep an eye on everything and see what happens in the next few days.

One good thing though, I found a kickass web-on-the-go PCMCIA card for my laptop. Basically as long as I have a cell phone signal, I can get on the internet. This should make it a lot easier to keep in touch and let everyone know how the trip is going.

[ChevyKev]

Glad to hear all the probs have been fixable!

If you run into probs in the mid-west let me know!

[cruzer]

I doubt you are heading the arizona way, but if you are look me up.

[mousee]

I doubt you are heading the arizona way, but if you are look me up.

Gave 'em yer phone number :D hope ya' don't mind...

[cruzer]

Gave 'em yer phone number :D hope ya' don't mind...

hope it wasnt the 1628 number. I think tyler threw my cell phone away, he loves throwing stuff in the trash. the 1631 number is good

[mousee]

he's got it now...:D I gave him home AND cell so...

[crazy4ink]

Well here we are in southern Oregon. Today was pretty uneventful. Steering still feels really wierd for some reason, but the rear axle has stopped leaking gear oil out the ends (and not because it's out of fluid!)

Made pretty good progress today. Stopped in downtown Portland. If you have a chance to drive into downtown, don't. Nightmare traffic made for an hour wait on the exit ramp trying to get downtown. A train or a better/different way in would have been nice. (thanks for the shortcut Garmin) <--insert sarcasim here

Shooting for mid-Cali by tomorrow night. We'll see how the day goes. We only drove about 6 hours today, got a really late start, so hopefully tomorrow we'll get going earlier.

[crazy4ink]

stupid double post....don't get click happy with the Submit button....

[mousee]

clear your pm's yo...:D

[Jamakeit]

Not that you're heading this way but if you do, don't forget I'm in Mountain Home if you need anything.

[crazy4ink]

Well, here we are south of Sacramento, CA in a little town called Tracy. We made it about 450 miles today. I'm really pleased with how well Stacey is taking the ride. Every now and then we stop to let her walk around and stretch, but for the most part we are plugging down the road.

Tomorrow, our stop is north of L.A. and after that on to Flagstaff, AZ.

Jamakeit --> Thanks for the offer brother. We were going to come down through that way, but didn't want to mess with the snow and possibly icy roads. Really appreciate the offer though!!

[Timmae]

your about 80 miles form my hometown!!!! placerville if you get a chance. check it out, real small but a good little place

[Buckeye]

Well if you need anything down in the L.A. area let me know, some girls I went to highschool with and some family members are in the west hollywood area.

[AKMark]

Flagstaff is nice. Good wheelin' not to far south of there as well.

[crazy4ink]

Well, we are in Santa Clarita just north of L.A. Went and talked to Jim at JC Fab. Great guy to talk to and pushed stuff aside (appointment wise) to make room for us. Has already got parts on the way to make the Jeep right. Turns out there are some serious problems with the front end. As soon as I know more, I will post details. In the mean time, looks like Stacey and I will be here in CA for a few days.

[ChevyKev]

Sorry to hear that - enjoy it thoug - and no rioting!

[crazy4ink]

Sorry to hear that - enjoy it thoug - and no rioting!

Who me?? Isn't me that you need to worry about!!

Well, right now, here's the damage list as I know it:
- Front tie rod end
- Trackbar - the Superlift one I put in in Washington state is beatdown already
- Both rear axle seals and bearings
- Alignment
- Rear pinion is a little too low
- Front castor is a little low
- Rear driveshaft possibly needs balancing

I'll post more definite info as I find out in the next few days.

On the up side, we got a rental Mustang to beat around in for the next couple of days.

Know what the difference between a Jeep and a rental is??











There are just some places you don't take your Jeep!!!:D

[naturalbornmudder]

ouch! Ya, the difference is you didnt put blood, sweat, and tears into the rental.

[crazy4ink]

ouch! Ya, the difference is you didnt put blood, sweat, and tears into the rental.

So very true! I'm also not the only person that has put blood, sweat, and curse words into my Jeep. I couldn't have built it to it's current state without you all in AK.

BIG THANKS from Stacey and I!!! We definitely got some stares blazing down the highway at 80 mph!:D

[89YJSean]

Rob, did you get the Supercharger on yet? Glad to hear you all arn't having too many probs! Keep in touch...

[crazy4ink]

No, not getting the supercharger right now since we had some problems in WA state and now are having to get some more repairs done here in CA since some "severe duty" parts grenaded.

As it stands right now, the back axle is repaired and not leaking gear oil anymore. The front is still torn partially down and should be back together tomorrow afternoon.

[TJVigilante]

Shoulda wheeled it then, you were afraid of breaking it before the trip.....lol

Just playin dude, hope you get it worked out.

[mousee]

There are just some places you don't take your Jeep!!!:D

I about fell out of my chair on this one... That is more than true:eek:

[crazy4ink]

I know that if Budget Rentals knew where I took some of their cars, they would not be happy with me.... I have photographic proof of a rental being used to try a scale a mountain in Valley of Fire, Nevada.

[crazy4ink]

More pics have been added to the photobucket link of our trip.

Just in case anyone missed it, here is the link to our trip folder again...

http://photobucket.com/albums/v494/crazy4ink/Trip%20from%20AK%20to%20MD%2006/

[LowNSlowNeon]

photosucket :(


No looking at work.

[crazy4ink]

Well......got the Jeep back today from JC Fab.

First off, HUGE hats off and thanks to Jim and his crew at JC Fab. They made room for us with a day's notice and got everything repaired as best they could and the Jeep is safe to drive again.

Now the bad news.....Jim did point out some problems with the Jeep that are going to have to be addressed as soon as we hit the East Coast. The front and rear housings are tweaked and are going to continue to give me problems. Long story short, I'm going to end up striping the front and rear diffs down and parting them out and getting new ones. Yeah, poor me, but at the same time, that means that the Jeep may not be usable this coming summer. Time will tell though....

So, anyone interested in some D30 parts and/or D44 parts, here's the breakdown of what will be available when I start tearing them down in late-march/mid-April....

D30:
Alloy aluminum axle seals
Warn 5 on 5.5" bolt pattern manual hubs with warn out stub shafts and Alloy inner axles
Ox Locker with cable and shifter
4.56 gears
ORO cross over steering setup

D44:
Superior replacement axles single drilled for 5 on 4.5"
Tera rear disc brake setup
Detroit Truetrac
4.56 gears


Keep in mind none of these parts are going to be available until Stacey and I get to the east coast, but shortly there after they more than likely will be available since I'll have to start tearing them apart.

Post up or PM if interested...

[sevenslats]

What? how would this happen?
And of course I'd be interested inthose parts, who wouldn't. But you'd have to be out of state, wouldn't you. Oh well.

[naturalbornmudder]

thats what I want to know. How would this happen?

[AK20]

SSSHHHHH, that's just what Rob is telling Stacy so he can go full width 60's!!!! J\king Rob sorry to hear about all your bad luck with the TJ, hope the rest of your drive in fairly uneventfull.

[naturalbornmudder]

Geoff put it best...

What? how would this happen?
And of course I'd be interested inthose parts, who wouldn't
I would post up that I might be interested in some of the parts, but I kinda feel like a vulture...

[AK20]

:poke: <-------closest smiley I could find to a vulture!!!

[naturalbornmudder]

:(

this sucks for Rob and Stacey. Not exactly the news they wanna hear.

vulturing...well, that sucks too...:(

[4x4_MMMH_4x4]

get one in the rental car for me rob;) have fun and be safe with that jeep...

[crazy4ink]

No need to feel like a vulture, that's why I posted up. If I can get some money back out of the two diff assemblies, then it helps with the cost of new ones.

Looks like the most of the rear parts may be spoken for already.

Seriously, let me know.

[AKLJ8]

Seriously, let me know.PM sent...

[sevenslats]

Alright, enough suspense. What's the upgrade gonna be? I bet it's not any anrrower than 65" And there's at least 12 bolts on the diff cover/third member. And the ring gear is at least 8.9" diameter. And...
Aw, just tell us...

[AZRedRockJK]

.
Rob -

If you guys are passing through the Cheyenne Wyo area at all (I-25/I-80), please give a call. Never did get to meet you guys, and would love to check out the Jeep. We have room for you to crash, and a nice heated garage for any tweaking.

(307)635-JEEP

- Gary

Hmm.... an OX for the D30... always wanted one of those.
.

[mousee]

Went way past ya' man:( They went via California...

[AZRedRockJK]

Went way past ya' man:( They went via California...

Right... if they're in Cali, and heading to Stacey's Mom's house in Louisianna, then Wyoming is in the middle. At least the last time I looked at a US map.

.

[mousee]

California (San Diego) through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas...

Wyoming is MINIMUM 400 miles North of their current route. Although they should be in Flagstaff by now, maybe you can talk 'em into a detour:D

[AZRedRockJK]

California (San Diego) through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas...

Wyoming is MINIMUM 400 miles North of their current route. Although they should be in Flagstaff by now, maybe you can talk 'em into a detour:D

Ah, must be taking I-40 across.

.

[crazy4ink]

Yes, we are taking 40 across. As I write this, we made it from L.A. to just west of Amarillo Texas in the last day and a half. Killer hills and a terrible cross wind really hampered us, but we still did really well. Blew through Flagstaff, AZ with a wave and kept on going through Albuqurque, NM (other than food) the same.

Craig --> PM sent back

Geoff --> Not for sure about the upgrade yet, but looking at either front and rear Currie 9s or Rock Jock 60s front and rear. Not sure yet.

Gary --> Thanks for the invite, but we were well past you by the time I saw this. You and the fam will have to come to PA and wheel Paragon with Stacey and I in the future though!!!

ALL --> As of right now, it looks like all the parts from the rear might be spoken for. My buddy in WA is thinking about sending me an empty D44 housing and buying all my internals from me. Not a definite yet, but as soon as I know something, I will post it.

Right now AKCJ8 (Craig) has dibs on the OX locker and possibly the ring and pinion (if they fit his D30).
Still have the Alloy axle seals, Alloy inners attached to Warn outers with the manual hubs and rotors, and cross over steering.

[XFactor]

Glad to see things are all well with you.

[TJVigilante]

what about the brackets? Didn't even see them listed. Glad you're doing well now, after a setback like that I'd be more than peeved. I guess you're not in that big a hurry as I was coming up, then.

[crazy4ink]

What brackets are you talking about Joe? The lower control arm brackets are there. There's nothing else on the rear axle, and the front axle only has the spring pads, sway bar brackets and the lower control arm mounts

[naturalbornmudder]

crossover steering spoken for.

Alloy shafts and warn hubs...depends on price.

[naturalbornmudder]

if the OX doesnt fit Craigs, put me down as a second on the list.

[AKLJ8]

Right now AKCJ8 (Craig) has dibs on the OX locker and possibly the ring and pinion (if they fit his D30)
.I have to back out of this one. I spoke too soon. Too many bills right now...:(

[AKLJ8]

if the OX doesnt fit Craigs, put me down as a second on the list.All yours nate.......:(

[naturalbornmudder]

gears....well I could use some 4.56 gears but I may need them a little sooner than they would be available through you.

[AZRedRockJK]

All yours nate.......:(

Actually, if you look on page three, I made the comment: "Hmm, an OX for the 30 might be good". So, Nate possibly would be #3.

.

[naturalbornmudder]

Actually, if you look on page three, I made the comment: "Hmm, an OX for the 30 might be good". So, Nate possibly would be #3.


Foghorn Leghorn says...
"then speak up boy! I say...I say... I can't her ya!"

That was a confirmation? OK, I'll be #3

I've gopt my hands full re-gearing the front axle, swapping the rear axle, and shopping for 4 to 1 conversions for the 231.

[TJVigilante]

What brackets are you talking about Joe? The lower control arm brackets are there. There's nothing else on the rear axle, and the front axle only has the spring pads, sway bar brackets and the lower control arm mounts

Yeah that's probably what I need. I'm considering doing a 4-link setup, I know you got rid of the spring pads for the rear coilovers so I'll have to deal with that, but the lower CA brackets front and rear will still be useful I guess.

[AZRedRockJK]

Foghorn Leghorn says...
"then speak up boy! I say...I say... I can't her ya!"

That was a confirmation? OK, I'll be #3

We'll see what the price is set at. Rob, how old is the OX anyways?

.

[crazy4ink]

Gary, the OX is about a year old, the cable is newer since I had to buy a longer one with m increased amount of lift. The shifter is in good condition. The locker already 4.56 cogs on it too.

I paid $750 for the OX, cable and shifter
I paid $120 for the gears

PM me a decent offer and we'll haggle from there. Please keep in mind that this will be coming out and my D30 broken down, but I don't have an exact timetable yet.


Well, to bring everyone up-to-date:

Stacey and I are in Roanoke, VA about 240 miles from my dad's house. Our trip has went well so far. Only one other mechanical issue since our problems in California. We went to Louisiana for about a week and a half to see Stacey's family. Great visit and got to eat some really spicey Cajun food!!

Anyway, we were cruising through Bessemer, Alabama late last night when we heard a mysterious clunk and then shatter. We both looked at eachother trying to figure out where the noise came from. Stacey went to look in the passenger side mirror and discovered the mirror head and glass had lost the will to live and continue the trip with us, jumping to it's death on Route 40 at about 80 mph. Oh well, technically I didn't break the mirror, and neither did Stacey, but whoever ran over it got 7 years of bad luck coming!!

I'll post more when we get to the end of this crazy long roadtrip.

[mousee]

That would suck! driving down the road minding your own business and POW! you hit someone elses mirror :laugh:

That's funny... gave up the will to live :laugh: jumped to it's death :laugh:


Glad ya'll are almost there...

[michaeljr5]

Glad ya'll are almost there...

I second that. Before anything important on the jeep decides to jump to its death. :eek:

[gp_1]

Did you get to try out the towbar yet?

[crazy4ink]

Did you get to try out the towbar yet?

Nope, turns out that Mousee and I welded that on for no reason. Long story later, but I haven't used it yet.

[crazy4ink]

Just to let everyone know, Stacey and I arrived at the end of our trip yesterday afternoon. We are both glad to be done with driving long distance in the Jeep though.

Let me tell you, 4,912 miles from the parking lot of Eielson Billeting, it's great to not have to drive anywhere any time soon!

[naturalbornmudder]

glad to hear that you made it. Now down to business...;) GOODLUCK BROTHER>

[LowNSlowNeon]

Very nice... good luck..

That is a lot of miles in a jeep... LOL...

[gp_1]

MC (mission complete)

[crazy4ink]

glad to hear that you made it. Now down to business...;) GOODLUCK BROTHER>

Thanks man! Already got some stuff in line and working on even more!!!

[Chetnak]

Glad to hear your trip is over dude.

[crazy4ink]

Gary, do you still have any interest in the OX locker??