Beefing up time

Well, I finally got around to getting my rear control arm mounts replaced. I was getting REAL tired of going on a ride and splitting the rear bushings after 5 minutes in the rocks. So I checked into Ballistic Fab to see what they offered. Here is what I got http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/Heavy-Duty-Frame-Link-Mount_p_1511.html

I was particularly impressed with the skid aspect to keep the rocks out of the control arm joints. The guys at AllSouth did a great job removing the old beat up mounts and welding the new ones on. So now I am ready to enjoy wheeling without having to change bushings after every trip! I also had them replace the front bushings since they were wallowed out and also replaced the trasnfer case output seal since it was leaking pretty good. Hope to get it out soon and get back in the rocks! Moab is in 7 months!!

Lots of news

Well, the day finally came to head to the hospital and have our 3rd baby. Gates is doing just fine and keeping mommy and daddy up late at night. He is a blessing and would not have it any other way. I see a future Jeeper in the future. But I will wait till he is atleast 2 to take him. Briggs started then and it made him very comfortable in the rig. So lot's of future fun!! My wife has been great as to let me work on a few things here and there and I have been busy! Finally got my genright heat extractors on and they look great! It was a bit nerve racking taking the saw to a perfectly good hood! All in all it was an easy task, just time consuming. Measure 10 times, cut once! I also had time to look around for a daily driver/ tow pig as well. I have been looking for awhile now to no avail. I was a bit picky though. Had to carry the entire family, had to be able to tow the jeep and had to have a cool factor as well. So it just happened to be right around the corner... my dream rig! I found an '88 6.2 diesel GMC high sierra suburban for sale. I was not expecting much as I went to look and expected to see a ripped interior, some strange smells and bad parts. But what I found was something else. The sub was immaculate and clean! 1 owner and well maintained! So I had to have it and bought it the next day. So I plan on fixing a few things here and there and modding it... mildy. So far I have painted the grill, wheels and rear valance. Replaced 2 radiator hoses, fuses, fixed the interior lights, changed the oil and flushed the trans. Just little things. I just got the trailer wiring fixed today and I hope to tow with it soon. I have to take the Jeep up to have some new lower control arm mounts put on and all my control arm bushings replaced along with the slip yoke seal. Been leaking for awhile and so might as well do it all at once. Hopefully this will be the last of the repairs on the Jeep for awhile. But atleast I can give her a rest and use it for the trails now!

A little more armor

I have been looking for some rear diff protection for awhile now and I have found numerous options but none were in my price range. Most diff covers are anywhere from $60 - $125! Well a guy on my GATR forum put his dana 35 up for sale and it happened to have a SOLID diff cover. These are about as good as it gets. It is 3/16" thick and actually adds a little more rigidity to the rear due to the thickness. I offered him $35 plus my old cover and he took the deal. I am glad too as I have taken some good hits and have put a few decent sized dents in the cover. A couple more and I may have shoved the ring gear out of whack all together! I planned on this being an easy hour job, remove the old cover and drain fluid, make a new gasket, install new cover, fill and done. Yeah right! I ended up breaking a socket and having to use my extractor set to get a sheared bolt out. I was a bit frustrated! And then on top of it all, I did not have the correct sized allen wrench to get the drain plug out once the cover was on. You live and learn! So in the morning before work I have to go to the hardware store to get the right size allen wrench so I can fill the rear with fluid so I can drive the Jeep. Man, sometimes I think it's worth having somebody else do it. But, I highly suggest getting a set of extractors for sheared bolt heads and such. I have had the set for years and never needed it and they worked flawlessly! I am almost finished with the clean up and hope to have everything done before my son is born... any day now!

All dressed up an nowhere to ride!

Well the time has come to start putting some TLC back into the Jeep. My wife is due with our 3rd baby anyday now so the rides will be on hold for a few months and so what better time to get it back into shape. After a year of hard wheeling, the trails have taken a toll on the suspension and parts. After the Harlan trip the Jeep was a disaster. Mud was everywhere and I knew the suspension needed some lovin so it was time to clean and replace parts. I started by painting the frame, axles, control arms and the springs (with a brush) bumpers and sliders. Also repainted the doors and still need to repaint the wheels, corners and flares. Going to try and pull the dash parts out and paint them as well. Overall the Jeep looks great and I will for sure hate to get it in the mud again. I still have to replace all the lower control arm bushings, change the rear fluid, trans case fluid and oil. Going to check the plugs, and every nut and bolt on the Jeep. I also am getting ready to put my Genright heat extractors on soon. The weather will be changing to cooler days so the hardtop and hard doors will be making there way back on the Jeep sometime. I actually enjoy cleaning and making the Jeep look better and I know the Jeep is thanking me... in it's own way.

Harlan Rocks!

Well, the trip to Harlan was a success and nothing broke! Logged 664 miles round trip including offhighway miles. The park was great and lots to see. Weather was scattered showers and mid 80's for the highs. Got in to the campsite around 4:00 and waited for the others to arrive. Some came in that night and others where coming in the next. Friday we woke up and hit the trails. We went to the middle rock garden and played on the railbed rockgarden. Drove around and explored a bit and eventually met up with some others that came in and went to the mason jar trail. It was way too wet to run so we headed back to camp. Saturday we lead some guys back to the middle rock garden and then off to the lions den trail. This was the most insane trail I have ever seen! 5ft drops, boulders to rip off the top, trees to take the paint, it had it all. Non of us had any rig worthy or ready to come out with damage so we just did a walk thru. We went back to the mason jar trail and ran it since the soil had dried up. I lost a bikin top to a tree and front light to a tree but it was all in fun! Ready to head back again soon. But my 3rd child is due in October so I won't be wheeling for a few months. That's ok since it's time for a mini overhaul on the ole Jeep. Just needs some TLC from the rides and a good cleaning. These rides take alot out of the parts and I have been a little neglective. Updates to come!

Here is a link to all my pictures from the trip... http://s238.photobucket.com/albums/ff272/krawler00/Harlan%20KY%209-09/?albumview=slideshow

And a link to my youtube site... http://www.youtube.com/user/krawler00

Let the fun begin!

Stage 1 of our truck build is complete. Nice new paint and all cleaned up. Briggs and Sydney love it and Sydney has figured out how to drift! ha ha. Briggs and I are ready for the rocks at Harlan. We leave in 1 day!

New ride and parts!

Well, I got the Jeep back the other day and the damage total was not too bad. Carnage consisted of a replaced bearing cap bolt, right side axle seal and a driver side u joint which had some play in it. I can't complain about the u joint since both almost 10 years old! I have been wheelin my Jeep for about 8 years in some of the nastiest terrain in the south and never lost a u joint. I had the shop tack weld the caps so that the caps can not come off and cause damage. May make for a little longer trail repair but it will keep the joint in place. When we left the shop my wife wanted to stop at the local goodwill to look for some pieces of furniture for our newly renevated (repaired) sunroom. We got a good bit of stuff and had to make 3 trips back and forth to get it all. Well, it just so happened that while I was waiting to get my desk and bed a new drop off came in. It was a used 4x4 power wheels truck. I asked the guy if I could have it and he told me it had been sat out by the curb by a neighbor. He said it did not work and was in need of repair. Well, Briggs wanted it and all parents know how that ends. Briggs jumped in and to my suprise, hit the gas and it took off! It needs some work and cleaning but hey, I think all 1st 4x's need that! So after getting it home we needed to charge the battery but had no charger. We headed to the local walmart hoping they had something there that would work. We got lucky and found a charger that was made just for the power wheels. Truck was free and the charger was $36. Not too bad. Briggs want to paint it black so I will update our build as we go. Should be fun!

Break Time

Well, about 2 weeks ago I went on a wheelin trip to a place called Beasley Knob in Blairsville GA. Been there before and the trails are mild. Lots of hill climbs. One trail named 93B was a bit of fun and made 2 guys flop. So while wheeling this time we encountered a good bit of wet soil and it made things on this trail quite interesting. It was really tough that day and I ended up damaging the front axle without knowing. Well, 2 weeks later I am backing up the yard and hear a loud popping coming from the front. I decided I had better pull the diff cover to investigate. Glad I did as I found a bearing cap bolt sheared off. I have a wheelin trip to Harlan KY planned for Sept 10-13th so I should have it fixed by then. Hope nothing is serious. Just another part of the hobby. uuuhhhh.

Welcome to the new blog!

Well, I decided to finally get a site going and share in my adventures in wheeling and wrenching. Let me introduce myself and give you all some history on me. I was born in December of 1975 in Snellville GA. I grew up in Snellville and had lots of room to play with 4 wheelers and dirt bikes. Always enjoyed camping and hiking since a kid. I remember going hiking, camping or boating almost every weekend and so it just stuck with me through the years. I still love to hike and camp and just be outdoors as much as possible. My first wheeling memories were in a 2wd isuzu amigo and it was a blast. After the years I finally got a Jeep, thanks to my wife and the fun began. I am a member of a GA club called the Georgia Trail Riders. We ride about once a month and travel the southeast in search of the best rock parks we can find. I share this hobby mainly with my son Briggs who will be 4 this December. It has been alot of fun and has given me a chance to see some fantastic spots and meet some great people. I hope you check in from time to time and see whats been happening in the rock world! God Bless!