|
|
|
|
| Author |
Messages |
|
ChevyMan0784
Lift & Lockers
Posts:699
 |
| 06/02/2008 1:30 PM |
|
| I want to hear about your wheelin trips. Great runs, bad runs, carnage, things that just blew you away, whatever. Back em up with a good story or some pics!!! I just want to hear what everyone has to say!!! SO C'MON tell us your best!!!! |
|
gimmie fuel gimmie fire gimmie that which I desire-James Hetfield
*Never give an Irish man good cause for revenge.
*Guns dont kill people, but they sure help!!
*98% OF AMERICANS SAY 'OH S**t' BEFORE GOING IN THE DITCH ON A ICEY ROAD.
THE OTHER 2% ARE FROM ALASKA, AND THEY SAY, 'HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS |
|
|
ChevyMan0784
Lift & Lockers
Posts:699
|
| 06/03/2008 8:16 PM |
|
Well ok then, I will post the first. lol.
My last trip was with Alaska'a Denali Offroad Club. We went out to a place called Talkeetna up here, about 70 miles outside of Anchorage. Its a great true Alaskan small town. Nothing bigger than a Cessna or float plan lands there, and it is far too small for a hospital. Its a place where good ol mom and pop store prevail, and Walmart is a monthly trip.
The president of Denali Offroad Club invited my fiance and I to come along. He had recieved permission from a friend to a 15 acre lot, with a skeet thrower! So needless to say, I said YES! We all went out on a Friday night, and met up at a Tesoro a few miles out. Then we made way to what would be camp, and setup shop.
The next morning after an insane breakfast, we geared up for a mid day trip. The trail of mention was about 10 miles long. Not too long, not too short. It had rained the night before, so we expected some MUD! So, we headed out to the trail head and waited up for Jack. He is an old stubbern dude, with a stock Jeep and a winch. I thought to myself, wow if he is coming along then I will be all good! lol. The first part of the trail was pretty basic, some bumper high water, gravel, roots, a little mud, some steep hills.
Then we got to the good stuff! Our first pit of doom came upon us like an opening in the middle of a dense forest. Bam! the first stuck of the day. One of the guys decided to go ahead and get stuck. After the beast of a truck the club president pulls him out, we started moving again. Being new to the club, I was in the far back. In front of me? Jack. Well, Jack decided to get WAY stuck. Something about a Superduty with 44inch Boggers, a diesel, deep gears, and locked all the way around would make even me go around the pit. But NOT Jack!!! With some bravado, he slings his poor little Jeep right into the thick of it. Then, the sound of a 4.0L singing 4,500RPMs filled the air. I looked down into the pit, and could not see his bumpers. So, out came the tree saver, and the cable. Have you ever heard a shoe come out of some real thick mud, that THWAAACK sound? After the cable wound up with tons of stored energy, the Jeep suddenly lurched forward and made that sound. Finally after a half hour of stuckness he was out.
Then it was MY turn. Since he was only a stones throw away, I decided to take her easy and not floor it through the pit. That ended up being a real bad idea. After I was winched out, I realized that my truck just wouldnt stay running. I thought "crap, just what I need right now". Popped the hood, and couldnt find a dang thing wrong. Checked the cap, rotor, plugs, wires, fuel, spark, vaccume, power wires, the works. Found nadda.
So I continued, one foot on the Skinny, one on the Fat. Keeping the RPM's around 3K. Just to keep her alive. Then Bam, smoke!!! Oh crap, again. I got under the truck and found oil all over the Pass side header. But couldnt find any leaking. After much grief, I found that oil was coming out of the pan under the starter, but only at around 3-4K. SOOOOO, I added a bit of dead dinosaur and moved on. The rest of the ride was pretty standard up until the end.
I came to a pretty steep hill. Not so steep my rig couldnt normally make it up though. BUT, since by this time I was running on around 4 cylenders, header smoking, and my new B&M wouldnt stay in the right gear. So, after several trys, I slid down the hill backwards and slammed into a tree. The other guys had gone ahead saying they were going to turn around (even the dude with another Superduty and Ag tires). I waited for about 20 mins, then assumed they just went ahead.
I decided to say screwit and turn around. So I did. As a matter of fact, I made it the whole way out (about 18 miles round trip) all on my own. With no stuck situations. About half way out though. Some dudes on quads stopped me and told me that I lost my bumper at that hill I slid down. Apparently I forgot to finish welding it up in my crazed rush to get the rig ready for the trip!!!! lol, SO I said whatever, and made it out of the trail. Got back to camp, expecting everyone to be there waiting for me. No one was there except for a few of the girls making dinner. I waited for 3 hours before they made it back. Apparently every one of them got stuck.
So, I am proud to say that the only Chevy in the bunch made it out with a 400hp (cut in half) motor, one tons, 4:10s, 42 inch TSL's and open diffs front and rear. While, the other rigs (all Fords except one Jeep) were rolling 38-44s (one with 44 inch Ag tires) Fully locked front and rear, 5:13 and better gears, one with a diesel, and all with winches got stuck.
And I got the hero's applaud. They were all positive that they would find me "around the next turn or pit". Hahaha, suckas. Not this Chevy. |
|
gimmie fuel gimmie fire gimmie that which I desire-James Hetfield
*Never give an Irish man good cause for revenge.
*Guns dont kill people, but they sure help!!
*98% OF AMERICANS SAY 'OH S**t' BEFORE GOING IN THE DITCH ON A ICEY ROAD.
THE OTHER 2% ARE FROM ALASKA, AND THEY SAY, 'HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS |
|
|
webby4x4
Forum Admin, Magazine Editor
Rock Star
Posts:2375
|
| 06/08/2008 10:20 AM |
|
That's funny! Was this an all-day-long trip... like one of those trips that start at 8 a.m. and finish up at 10 p.m.?
Rick |
|
Rick Webster
Editor, 4X4REVIEW.COM - A Tork Media, Inc. Publication
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
'74 FJ40 Land Cruiser
"Measure once, cut twice" |
|
|
ChevyMan0784
Lift & Lockers
Posts:699
|
| 06/08/2008 8:51 PM |
|
| Yep pretty much. That is almost the exact hours too!! lol |
|
gimmie fuel gimmie fire gimmie that which I desire-James Hetfield
*Never give an Irish man good cause for revenge.
*Guns dont kill people, but they sure help!!
*98% OF AMERICANS SAY 'OH S**t' BEFORE GOING IN THE DITCH ON A ICEY ROAD.
THE OTHER 2% ARE FROM ALASKA, AND THEY SAY, 'HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS |
|
|
webby4x4
Forum Admin, Magazine Editor
Rock Star
Posts:2375
|
| 06/09/2008 8:22 PM |
|
| Been on plenty of those... :) |
|
Rick Webster
Editor, 4X4REVIEW.COM - A Tork Media, Inc. Publication
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
'74 FJ40 Land Cruiser
"Measure once, cut twice" |
|
|
webby4x4
Forum Admin, Magazine Editor
Rock Star
Posts:2375
|
| 06/09/2008 8:46 PM |
|
OK, so interesting off-road story here… About 8 years ago, a few weeks after I bought my FJ40 (it was bone-stock, from the original owner), we had several days of solid rain in Tucson, AZ. Jody, my tech editor, and I had a hair brained idea to head out behind our houses into the raw desert and do some evening wheeling.
The idea was simple, get a few minutes of wheeling in that evening, come back home and enjoy some cold libations. I’m not sure at what time everything decided to head south on us, but I believe it was right before we actually got in our rigs.
At any rate, Jody jumped into his relatively stock Jeep and I jumped into my stock FJ to head out to the desert. We spent 20 minutes or so climbing up and down some hills, crossing up the suspension, ogling over our rigs. You know… standard fare.
After a while, we decided to head up on a short mesa above us. As soon as we crested the top of the mesa, I noticed that it was still pretty gooey, but the path ahead was pure sand, so I figured I’d get in the gas and hit it at full speed.
Needless to say, the FJ sunk well past it’s frame and watery sand started pouring into the door openings – not good Maverick… not good! Knowing damn good and well that my poor Cruiser was stuck inside the soggy mess, I asked Jody to head in front of me, hook up the strap and try to start jerking my Cruiser out. So this is where things went from bad, to worse.
Jody got his poor Jeep stuck just a few feet in front of me of course (We never claimed to be the sharpest knives in the drawer) and there we stood, next to our rigs, waist deep in the muck, scratching our heads and wondering how in the hell we got in that mess.
Jody, being the cock-a-doodle-doo-strong guy in the bunch, decided that he was going to get his Jeep unstuck come hell or high water. The engine turned over, the gear shifter went into 2nd gear and the go-go pedal was mashed clear through the firewall. Sand and water spun up in the air like a rooster tail on a jet boat and the poor 258 engine made sounds that I’ve never heard before (or after). A good 15 solid minutes of pedal-to-the-metal action managed to un-stuck his rig. It was an amazing event to watch, let me tell you.
So, with Jody’s Jeep on relative terra-firma, he hooked up a strap and tried to pull my rig out with a bit of finesse. After 10 minutes of the kinder, gentler extraction techniques, with zero results, we decided to give it some more gusto. So, a short 10 foot, 10 mile per hour jerk was had… again, with zero results.
The CB crackled and I told Jody to give it hell, and quit being a wuss. That of course, was one of the worst things I could do… So, Jody, not one to be understated, decided to back up a good 30 feet, put his Jeep in high-range and floored it. Just seconds before (but what seemed like an eternity) impact, I thought to myself, “Self… this probably wasn’t the smartest idea in my life”, and the next thing I know, I see Jody’s Jeep completely off the ground. My FJ, of course, didn’t move an inch. The little CJ5 just didn’t have enough mass to it to unstuck my rig.
After a few more tries, and many, many, many hours later, we decided it was time to dig my FJ out. Using nary more than cardboard and scraps of wood, we dug and dug and dug and dug with little results. At this point, it’s now after midnight.
Over the horizon, we see a full size Dodge Ram pickup truck. Acting like we were stranded on a deserted island from a ship wreck, we jumped in the air waving our hands wildly – yeah, we probably looked like complete morons… The Dodge Ram swung by, and we convinced him to pull my poor FJ out. After a good 30 minutes of trying, with no luck, our new-found buddy decided to try things from a different angle, which only resulted in him ripping off his front bumper as it got hung up on a buried tree stump. Did I mention that his truck only had 200 miles on it?
A quick look at my watch, and I noticed it was now 2 a.m. The local police department helicopter was also now flying overhead and putting the night sun on us, which, was pretty helpful.
So… how did it all end?
I used this tiny 2,000 pound winch that was mounted to my front bumper (hey… I didn’t put that thing there, it came that way when I bought it), pulled the cable and hooked it up to the stump that was buried. I managed to move the stump just enough so that the big Ram could get out again.
Our new-found friend, not being in the best of moods (but being a damn-good sport about it), backed his truck up and got a good running start at pulling my rig out.
Just seconds before impact (and again, what seemed like an eternity), I thought to myself again, “Self… this probably wasn’t the smartest idea in my life… X2”. A few nano seconds later and my rig was freed of it’s sandy doom, and the FJ is now a few inches longer because of this.
Once free of course, knowing that both Jody and I are in a world of trouble with our wives, we decided to get a few more minutes of wheeling in before heading home (boys will be boys).
When we pulled into our respective driveways (just a few hundred yards from where we were wheeling), the sun was starting to rise.
So our “quick wheeling trip” turned into a 10 hour total disaster, but it’s one of my best off-roading memories to date.
Rick
|
|
Rick Webster
Editor, 4X4REVIEW.COM - A Tork Media, Inc. Publication
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
'74 FJ40 Land Cruiser
"Measure once, cut twice" |
|
|
ChevyMan0784
Lift & Lockers
Posts:699
|
| 06/15/2008 10:43 AM |
|
| Wholly crap!! Hahaha, that is hillarious. So did the cops hassle you? Or were they ok with the situation?? If it were me, they would have arrested me. That is my luck. For sure. lol. You know, the stock rig adventures always seem to be the coolest storys in the end. Its like the little engine that could type thing. lol. Always cool to see the under dog take it all the way!! I cant believe you ripped that Dodges bumper off, he must have been ticked off somethin fierce. lol |
|
gimmie fuel gimmie fire gimmie that which I desire-James Hetfield
*Never give an Irish man good cause for revenge.
*Guns dont kill people, but they sure help!!
*98% OF AMERICANS SAY 'OH S**t' BEFORE GOING IN THE DITCH ON A ICEY ROAD.
THE OTHER 2% ARE FROM ALASKA, AND THEY SAY, 'HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS |
|
|
webby4x4
Forum Admin, Magazine Editor
Rock Star
Posts:2375
|
| 06/15/2008 10:20 PM |
|
That was the first and only time the cops were cool with us being back there. Either that, or they figured they couldn't land anywhere, and that there was no way the regular cops could make it back. :) Even since then though, we always got ran out by the cops for being back there - sucks!
The guy in the Dodge was actually pretty cool about the whole thing - surprisingly. I think I might have been pretty mad. ;)
Rick |
|
Rick Webster
Editor, 4X4REVIEW.COM - A Tork Media, Inc. Publication
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
'74 FJ40 Land Cruiser
"Measure once, cut twice" |
|
|
ChevyMan0784
Lift & Lockers
Posts:699
|
| 06/16/2008 12:04 PM |
|
Haha, yea I bet the cops were thinking (you know Bob, I think they may have learned something from all of this...) Little did they know you were thinking (man, I learned that I need 8 inches and 42s in that pit..and at least one locker!!!) hahahahahaha. Thats cool that the Dodge guy took it in stride.
When I was working for my grandpa at Perfomance Accessories (reall Trailmaster...eh), I decided to take my at the time stock K20 longbed, and chop the fenders and put 35X15X16 TSL/SX's on it. Once i did that, it was off to the "proving ground" (as I liked to call it) in Prescott. I hit this mud pit several times. But I decided that wasnt enough, and went through it crossways. What ended up happening was I got stuck on the plateu of mud where everyones ruts were. So my chassis (unlifted, lol) was sitting on a plateu of mud and rock while my wheels spun.
So this Ford dude pulls up and says " Shoot, I can pull that piece of Chevy out" (famous last words I tell ya). I say "great!!". lol. So he hooks a big ol chain to my rig and trys pulling my out backwards. I told him maybe going out the front would be better, but whatever, lol. After a few good tugs and no results, he was getting pretty irritated. So, he backed his rig up so that his rear bumper was touching my tailgate (you see where this is going yet?? lol).
He floors it as hard as he can. Hits the end of the chain, and the chain breaks right at my truck! The chain whips through the air and whips his truck from tailgate to front windshield. My damage? Zero (and not a budge either). His damage?? hahaha, folded tailgate, broken rear window, creased roof, and broke front window. Hahaha, oh my God, I couldnt stop laughing. He was soooooo mad.
End of story goes like this: Ford guy is just furious and cursing my and my piece of Chevy. I call up one of the dudes from TrailMaster. He has the 3500 extended cab (black with yellow TrailMaster banner on the side, they used it in some of the ads) with a 6inch suspension, 3 inch body and 38s (5:13 gears with a detroit). He backs up to the front of my rig, hooks up, pulls forward slowly and pulls my truck out. All without breaking the tires loose. Lol. Man, was that Ford guy just gone. He lost it. He was yelling and screaming, got in his truck and screamed outa there. Was a really fun and messed up trip. |
|
gimmie fuel gimmie fire gimmie that which I desire-James Hetfield
*Never give an Irish man good cause for revenge.
*Guns dont kill people, but they sure help!!
*98% OF AMERICANS SAY 'OH S**t' BEFORE GOING IN THE DITCH ON A ICEY ROAD.
THE OTHER 2% ARE FROM ALASKA, AND THEY SAY, 'HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS |
|
|
webby4x4
Forum Admin, Magazine Editor
Rock Star
Posts:2375
|
| 06/16/2008 11:42 PM |
|
That is SERIOUSLY messed up! That Ford guy must have been spitting nails.
Rick |
|
Rick Webster
Editor, 4X4REVIEW.COM - A Tork Media, Inc. Publication
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
'74 FJ40 Land Cruiser
"Measure once, cut twice" |
|
|
ChevyMan0784
Lift & Lockers
Posts:699
|
| 06/17/2008 10:40 AM |
|
| Hahaha, yea...I kinda felt bad for him. But, then I remembered his attitude about it before crap went downhill. Wish I had pics of that still. |
|
gimmie fuel gimmie fire gimmie that which I desire-James Hetfield
*Never give an Irish man good cause for revenge.
*Guns dont kill people, but they sure help!!
*98% OF AMERICANS SAY 'OH S**t' BEFORE GOING IN THE DITCH ON A ICEY ROAD.
THE OTHER 2% ARE FROM ALASKA, AND THEY SAY, 'HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS |
|
|
ChevyMan0784
Lift & Lockers
Posts:699
|
| 06/22/2008 8:09 AM |
|
| Well....its time for some more pics and story. Since it is 5 in the morning here, and I am finally out of my muddy clothes, and I have been up since 5 this morning, I am going to bed. I will get the story and pics together!!! |
|
gimmie fuel gimmie fire gimmie that which I desire-James Hetfield
*Never give an Irish man good cause for revenge.
*Guns dont kill people, but they sure help!!
*98% OF AMERICANS SAY 'OH S**t' BEFORE GOING IN THE DITCH ON A ICEY ROAD.
THE OTHER 2% ARE FROM ALASKA, AND THEY SAY, 'HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS |
|
|
|
| Please login or register to post a message or a reply. |
|
|
|
ActiveForums 3.7
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|