I'll get all the kinks worked out and then it will be time to start over....
That's basically what happened to me and you can see where I'm at right now. I'm guessing I'll eventually graduate to Vern's level when I get to his age.........
Someday I'll have to persuade Vern into a weekend up at Royal Blue- I've heard way too many cool things about that place.
If that time ever comes, I'll be jammin some kind of DS/dirtbike... truth be told, I'd benefit from getting back into the dirt.
Best time I ever had growing up on bikes was when me and 2 buddies went camping at Land Between the Lakes just over the border in KY- we rode every kind of dirt there is up there, camped out of the back of our trucks, cooked over the campfire. Gotta get back up there someday...
I'll get all the kinks worked out and then it will be time to start over....
Round four on this Jeep for me! I had practice on earlier ones though!
That's basically what happened to me and you can see where I'm at right now. I'm guessing I'll eventually graduate to Vern's level when I get to his age.........
It is always good to have a plan! (my level.....no one has ever aspired such a low level this late in life before!
I wish I had time and funding to play with my Jeep right now.....but I don't.
A stroker motor needs close attention to quench. Simply throwing a crank and rods in the motor without the correct pistons will give you quench in the .070 range if memory serves me. You either need to deck the block and get correct lenght pushrods, or get some custom pistons.
If the quench is wrong, it will ping like hell under load. I set both of my Jeep motors up at .038 and they both ran detonation free on 93 octane with 11/1 compression.
Go ahead and invest in a set of roller rockers. The stock ones wear if you run the motor hard. A double row timing chain set will keep everything in time better than the whimpy stock chain.
Go on line and check out the goodies at Hesco (Hurley Engine Service Company). You will be amazed at what they do, and who some of their customers are .
If the oil rings wore out, there is something very, very wrong with the air filtration system. Typical example of silica loading.
I would think that all the damage had been done prior to me getting my Jeep. I just did the cowl intake mod... but that was only a few weeks ago. Not long enough to be the cause. I'm sure I will be happy as a clam when I get it back.... a motor that runs right and lower gears.... it'll be like putting a 9 drive in my 12 GRINS ALL AROUND!!
Until you land! It helps you find things that were not strong enough or just a little short on limits of travel.
I think this picture was from the fourth time I did this. It was the first time I got all four wheels in the air vertically. Things I learned; 1. rear drive shaft travel was a little too short(broke rear universal and bent drive shaft in half) 2. front springs were not strong enough(lost 3" of ride height.....new springs) 3. front shocks could bottom out after crushing axle up travel stops(another set of Ranchos and new heavier bump stops).
Mark, you are heading the way of needing to trailer it to events. Remember when I told you this would happen? Bigger tires, lower gears, and more power are your friends, but increased traction becomes your enemy, now you will fight twisted axles, broken universals, and bent suspension parts.
hey bubba... you said to go with 33's from the get go... and I didn't listen... now I'm pay'n the price... and since I smoked the motor... may as well up grade the gears... and get them 33's..... and... and...
Never mind.....it is too late. As I mentioned before, you should have sold this Jeep when it was stock and bought one already on big axles with a V8 and 38" tires from someone who has become bored with off roading for a couple of grand more. It would save about $6000 in the long run.
But for some reason, many of us go through these progressive stages spending a lot of time and money leaving piles of scrap parts in our wake.
You kept the Durango, that is good. Now get a trailer that the jeep will fit all four wheels on that is full width. You will need the trailer to be wider by a foot than what you need now, because when you up grade axles on the Jeep it will fill the gap.
If you want to play in the MUD. Get some Interco TSLs. They com ein a variety of patterns. The Three that are worth buying are the TSL bias, Tsl/LTB, and TSL/Bogger.
They also make Radial TSL in three types, but they are for MALL POSERS. (you don't seem to be the poser type to me).
The TSL bias is a good tire in mud and is pretty tear resistant. The LTB is a brute of a tire with MASSIVE lugs. It isn't available in 12.5 x 33. It is 13.5 x 33. The Bogger is just short of being a paddle tire. It is the best in mud, but will quickly get you stuck in sand. And you need to TURN the tire hard, so you need plenty of power or the lugs will pack up.
All of the above tires are "DOT approved", but be aware that they tend to be a bit out of round and hard to balance (may need truing if you use them on the street).
If you use them on the street, the TSL bias has good manners and is reasonably good in the rain. The LTB does not much like wet pavement, and the Bogger is down right right scary on wet roads.
We only do mud in this part of Florida, there are no rocks (ok a limestone quarry or two around Ocala). If you are going to run "small" tires, these are the proven performers. Any thing else is a street tire with a little more aggressive tread.
You can stop where ever and when ever you want, but it is not easy! Especially when you go wheelin' with folks that have advanced vehicles. The "I want to do that" syndrome is hard to resist.
I have gone out with folks sporting 'truggys' and 'rock crawlers'. I have no desire to go as far as they have due to the expense and the need for another vehicle to avoid cutting my Jeep apart to make it run with them. I like it to still look like and be a Jeep, even though a bit extreme, it is not cut down to be unrecognizable.
I'm going with these bad boys... Goodyear MTR's Good in the mud... good on the rocks... not a lot of noise on the road.
I like the hill climbing and obstacles for he most part. Mud just don't do it for me... pain in the but to clean up. I like to keep my stuff some what clean. After my last trip thru the dunk tank, I made 2 trips to the car wash and then hit it with my power washer... and I still had that sandy crap/mud coming out of the frame and other nooks and crannies...
like to keep my stuff some what clean. After my last trip thru the dunk tank, I made 2 trips to the car wash and then hit it with my power washer... and I still had that sandy crap/mud coming out of the frame and other nooks and crannies...
From a good day of off roading I expect to pressure wash mine first to knock off the lumps, then soap with a brush with pw rinse, then hand wash mitt with soap and pw rinse, each including the frame, engine, and inside. Gently flush the radiator fins, soap them up and do it again, this is where an A/C condenser gets in the way.
Then, a couple of days later, mud will still be coming out of places when I inspect for damage, torn up bearings, water intrusion, loose parts, and cuts in the tires. I do my best to get the mud out of all of the hinges and any parts that move, then I lube all of those moving parts with motor oil in a pump squirt can. If you leave that crud in there the moving parts will tend to lock up as they rust together.
Once you have sunk it into a pit like the "Dunk Tank" it will forever have mud in places that you do not know exist.
Posted on Wednesday, December 07, 2011 - 03:41 pm:
I took a little trip to Germany on Monday & came home yesterday with a '97 Land Rover Discovery 300tdi.
It was like meeting an old friend or finding your favourite slippers, now just got to fettle it a bit.
Already been online & ordered a rake of service parts as I didn't get much history with it. Filter kit, cambelt kit, ancillary belt, & a set of bearing shells. That should ensure a solid bottom end.
The best bit though, it's a cable operated pump (one of the last) so not much electronics to go wrong.
Bodywork's straight too, but I've got a few bits & bobs to keep me busy on it, broken rear door handle, leaky sunroof, etc etc.
The Grand Cherokee is up for sale & I can't say I'll be sorry to see the back of it.
Posted on Wednesday, December 07, 2011 - 03:49 pm:
post some pics!
my neighbor was looking at Land Rovers but they want a arm and leg for them here....and most of the time the rust holes are so big you toss a small child thru them.... but they still want top $$$$
Posted on Wednesday, December 07, 2011 - 04:47 pm:
My mate Dennis aka LakeBueller up in Green Bay has a couple one of which he parked in a pond a couple of years back.
In the US you never got the bulletproof 300tdi only the V8.
The 300tdi is a 2.5l 4 pot turbo & intercooled direct injection diesel, not particularly pokey only 115 horse (ish) but extremely strong & very easy to work on & parts are pretty cheap.
Mine's got the 5 cog manual box.
Like the Defender & the Range Rover it's permanent 4wd with hi/lo & diff lock.
I drove it back yesterday cruising about 60 it's so comfy (if a bit noisy) I'd no aches & pains after over 7hrs, & 1 of those crawling through the snow coming over the Jura mountains.
I'll post pics when I get the chance but the weather's been crap here the last week.
Couldn't believe the snow on the tops yesterday, I was ripping those roads on the XB only 10 days ago.
Here's a pic of one of my previous ones as a taster, I used to buy em to sell, a nice little sideline til the revenue put the mockers on it.