Escape from Denver

[mobile chernobyl]

Any chance you ever make it out to my neck of the woods? We have miles and miles of fun forest roads that are great places to play with your tj and not worry too much about breaking things.

I love it out there - I will probably be trying to haul my dirtbike out there this summer once this amazing snowpack melts haha.

The jeep will certainly make a few trips out there. I want to try and hit a bunch of mountain passes and do some ghost town 4x4 camping this year. Moab is probably a 1 or 2 times a year trip for me - the rest of the time I'm just over landing around our state looking for new places to climb up into the mtns - usually looking for camping spots and high altitude fishing holes!

 

[MaloStapalo]

I love it out there - I will probably be trying to haul my dirtbike out there this summer once this amazing snowpack melts haha.

The jeep will certainly make a few trips out there. I want to try and hit a bunch of mountain passes and do some ghost town 4x4 camping this year. Moab is probably a 1 or 2 times a year trip for me - the rest of the time I'm just over landing around our state looking for new places to climb up into the mtns - usually looking for camping spots and high altitude fishing holes!

Definitely keep me in mind whenever you're planning things. I am always looking to get out and explore. I spent almost all summer working on the jeep so I'm finally ready to be able to use it. This trail guide is a great book, it was $33 on Amazon.

 

[mobile chernobyl]

Definitely keep me in mind whenever you're planning things. I am always looking to get out and explore. I spent almost all summer working on the jeep so I'm finally ready to be able to use it. This trail guide is a great book, it was $33 on Amazon.

View attachment 82801

That one and the northern one are great 'out of service range' books - something that I try and accomplish on any trip Haha. Hard to lose service these days with Verizon though! There's a pretty good book for moab - very similar in format.

 

[MaloStapalo]

I see you are on top of things! Holy cross is in my backyard if you ever want to get a little wild Haha

 

[rasband]

That one and the northern one are great 'out of service range' books - something that I try and accomplish on any trip Haha. Hard to lose service these days with Verizon though! There's a pretty good book for moab - very similar in format.

View attachment 82804

I have the one for the southwestern part if CO, great book for exploring the San Juans.

 

[tworley]

I see you are on top of things! Holy cross is in my backyard if you ever want to get a little wild Haha

I'd definitely like to run that one again. It may be my new favorite trail. We ran it mid August last year and leaves were already starting to change. Loveland pass if I remember was around 20 degrees when we went over that morning at 7am.

 

[jjvw]

Holy Cross was really great. I want to run it in my own Jeep next time.

 

[MaloStapalo]

Holy Cross was really great. I want to run it in my own Jeep next time.

I'd definitely like to run that one again. It may be my new favorite trail. We ran it mid August last year and leaves were already starting to change. Loveland pass if I remember was around 20 degrees when we went over that morning at 7am.

Let me know when you are interested. Would love to have someone who has run the trail before in the lead.

 

[lunchbox3]

Definitely keep me in mind whenever you're planning things. I am always looking to get out and explore. I spent almost all summer working on the jeep so I'm finally ready to be able to use it. This trail guide is a great book, it was $33 on Amazon.

View attachment 82801

I second this - great resource. There’s another one for northern (I think) Colorado, too.

Edit: duh, way too quick on the reply button. You already had it covered!

 

[tworley]

Let me know when you are interested. Would love to have someone who has run the trail before in the lead.

I need to be careful with my runs this year--Between taxes and home repairs my wallet is pretty light. Any money spent on the jeep and my wife may stab me in my sleep.

 

[strumble8]

I really enjoy holy cross as well, definatly a trail I would like to do again this year. Maybe I can get up Cleveland rock this time!

 

[rasband]

I need to be careful with my runs this year--Between taxes and home repairs my wallet is pretty light. Any money spent on the jeep and my wife my stab me in my sleep.

Amen. At least if any of us disappear from here we’ll know the likely culprits.

 

[mobile chernobyl]

Update on build:

Made it to Moab!
-Photo taken at midnight with my new galaxy S10... phone takes great 'long' exposure type night shots!

Steel bender tomorrow then the 'Trifecta' this weekend.

 

[mobile chernobyl]

So Moab went really well!

The TJ was the least equipped vehicle in the caravan of 4x4s that I went with and I'd say it was the most fun. No lockers, No ABS(or brake lock differential help!), No super low range, 'Small' 32" tires, and the more careful driving mindset of a Dana 35 in the rear all added up to a fun technical challenge vs. all the other vehicles having at least 1 better item from that list.

Some pictures to share the magic of Moab!

Here we are airing down for Steel Bender (Moab rating 6/10)
Our Caravan started (and ended!) 7 strong and included:

• 2017 JL Rubicon
• 2017 JL Sport
• 2000 4runner
• 2000 Suburban
• 2017 Tacoma
• 1990's Cherokee
• 2000 Wrangler TJ

The Suburban was probably one of the more amusing vehicles to watch conquer the rocks... 37's, beefcake axles, a coilover setup and American Muscle made it very capable!

Hopping up on a knob rock with the TJ to show the JLUR that size doesn't matter.

The next day we began our 2-day trip through the classic Trifecta trail set (Poison Spider - 6/10, Golden Spike - 7/10 and Gold Bar Rim - 5/10).

Somewhere about to start Poison Spider - I decided to throw some bull horns on my jeep to make it look angry. It ended up being a great fit for the 'bucking bronco' off road mannerisms of the TJ compared to all the other vehicles haha.

Took the TJ to the dome feature that is a 'extra' loop part of the trail - always a cool view from up here!

The TJ's short wheelbase was really fun when I started doing features I had done before in the longer JKUR I had previously. It never hung up, and just kind of effortlessly would drop off, climb and break over things that I had to be more conscious about in the past!

The articulation was pretty good - I could drop off fairly tall obsticles and have the front wheels touch down nice and softly.

We got to a point on the trail probably 1/4 to 1/2 mile before the famous 'crack' feature. We setup camp before sunset on a nice flat rock section about 1/8 mile off-trail. It was a pretty common camping site and a safe place for fires.

Mandatory glamour shot

The next morning we were up and on the trail fairly early - and being in the middle of a relatively long trail it was nice and quiet with just us and the crack. No side-bi-sides (angry bees) or other traffic.

Probably one of the hardest parts about doing the 'crack' feature with smaller tires is the initial approach. If you don't hit it right it will pretty much swallow anything smaller than a 35 inch tire without fail. We had to cheat a tiny bit and toss a few bridge rocks in to get our 32s across the gap so we could get the first wheel onto the other side...

My buddy cleared the crack first with his cherokee and only a rear aussie locker. It took quite a bit of wheel spinning and a few different approach attempts but he got it!

The next few vehicles all cleared it as well - with different approaches and techniques. Here the 4runner's rear wheel is doglegging about 2-3 feet in the air!

The suburban made it look easy and never really got to flex too much - with all 4 wheels pretty much remaining on the ground (or solidly in the crack itself) the whole time. The cruise ship length wheelbase has it's advantages!

And then finally came little ol TJ... Showing off my massive articulation here!

After this I made it probably another foot before I donated a little rubber back to the earth. I ended up needing a winch for about 6 inches before I could get traction to the dangling rear tire again (open diff was defeated here!). I'm sure there's an ebrake or left foot brake technique to help with that situation if I'm ever alone... but the JLU was parked right up the trail ready to help his ancestor out haha.

All said and done we had 7 unique and very trail capable vehicles with us for this weekend and it made for a really fun 4x4 trip! I think variety beats uniformity in this type of trip every time!

And to end the trip - This week when I got back I found a Dana 44 rear for $500 on craigslist by me with 3.73 gears. I ended up picking it up this morning and it will be part of 'Phase 2' of my build going forward... This will be fun!

It's actually in really good condition - but my plans are:

• Cromo 30spline axles
• Eaton E-Locker
• New drum brake pads and turn the existing drums for a fresh surface
• Revolution 4.88 gears and master overhaul
• Lubelocker and nodular steel cover (probably metalcloak... so cheap!)
• Possibly... remount rear shock mounts in anticipation for out boarding rear shocks.

Damn you jeep wormhole... so fun though.

 

[Squatch]

So Moab went really well!

The TJ was the least equipped vehicle in the caravan of 4x4s that I went with and I'd say it was the most fun. No lockers, No ABS(or brake lock differential help!), No super low range, 'Small' 32" tires, and the more careful driving mindset of a Dana 35 in the rear all added up to a fun technical challenge vs. all the other vehicles having at least 1 better item from that list.

Some pictures to share the magic of Moab!

View attachment 84897
Here we are airing down for Steel Bender (Moab rating 6/10)
Our Caravan started (and ended!) 7 strong and included:

• 2017 JL Rubicon
• 2017 JL Sport
• 2000 4runner
• 2000 Suburban
• 2017 Tacoma
• 1990's Cherokee
• 2000 Wrangler TJ

View attachment 84899
The Suburban was probably one of the more amusing vehicles to watch conquer the rocks... 37's, beefcake axles, a coilover setup and American Muscle made it very capable!
View attachment 84900
Hopping up on a knob rock with the TJ to show the JLUR that size doesn't matter.

The next day we began our 2-day trip through the classic Trifecta trail set (Poison Spider - 6/10, Golden Spike - 7/10 and Gold Bar Rim - 5/10).

View attachment 84901
Somewhere about to start Poison Spider - I decided to throw some bull horns on my jeep to make it look angry. It ended up being a great fit for the 'bucking bronco' off road mannerisms of the TJ compared to all the other vehicles haha.
View attachment 84904
Took the TJ to the dome feature that is a 'extra' loop part of the trail - always a cool view from up here!

View attachment 84903
The TJ's short wheelbase was really fun when I started doing features I had done before in the longer JKUR I had previously. It never hung up, and just kind of effortlessly would drop off, climb and break over things that I had to be more conscious about in the past!

View attachment 84905
The articulation was pretty good - I could drop off fairly tall obsticles and have the front wheels touch down nice and softly.

View attachment 84906
We got to a point on the trail probably 1/4 to 1/2 mile before the famous 'crack' feature. We setup camp before sunset on a nice flat rock section about 1/8 mile off-trail. It was a pretty common camping site and a safe place for fires.

View attachment 84907
Mandatory glamour shot

The next morning we were up and on the trail fairly early - and being in the middle of a relatively long trail it was nice and quiet with just us and the crack. No side-bi-sides (angry bees) or other traffic.

View attachment 84946
Probably one of the hardest parts about doing the 'crack' feature with smaller tires is the initial approach. If you don't hit it right it will pretty much swallow anything smaller than a 35 inch tire without fail. We had to cheat a tiny bit and toss a few bridge rocks in to get our 32s across the gap so we could get the first wheel onto the other side...

View attachment 84908
My buddy cleared the crack first with his cherokee and only a rear aussie locker. It took quite a bit of wheel spinning and a few different approach attempts but he got it!

View attachment 84909
The next few vehicles all cleared it as well - with different approaches and techniques. Here the 4runner's rear wheel is doglegging about 2-3 feet in the air!

View attachment 84910
The suburban made it look easy and never really got to flex too much - with all 4 wheels pretty much remaining on the ground (or solidly in the crack itself) the whole time. The cruise ship length wheelbase has it's advantages!

View attachment 84911
And then finally came little ol TJ... Showing off my massive articulation here!

View attachment 84912
After this I made it probably another foot before I donated a little rubber back to the earth. I ended up needing a winch for about 6 inches before I could get traction to the dangling rear tire again (open diff was defeated here!). I'm sure there's an ebrake or left foot brake technique to help with that situation if I'm ever alone... but the JLU was parked right up the trail ready to help his ancestor out haha.

View attachment 84913

All said and done we had 7 unique and very trail capable vehicles with us for this weekend and it made for a really fun 4x4 trip! I think variety beats uniformity in this type of trip every time!

And to end the trip - This week when I got back I found a Dana 44 rear for $500 on craigslist by me with 3.73 gears. I ended up picking it up this morning and it will be part of 'Phase 2' of my build going forward... This will be fun!

View attachment 84914
It's actually in really good condition - but my plans are:

• Cromo 30spline axles
• Eaton E-Locker
• New drum brake pads and turn the existing drums for a fresh surface
• Revolution 4.88 gears and master overhaul
• Lubelocker and nodular steel cover (probably metalcloak... so cheap!)
• Possibly... remount rear shock mounts in anticipation for out boarding rear shocks.

Damn you jeep wormhole... so fun though.

I really enjoyed this post. The pics and the commentary are great. Looks like a great time, without being so insane as to be unrealistic to guys like me with no such experience. Thank you for posting this!

 

[Thunderhead]

Great posts !

 

[Mike_H]

Looks like an awesome time! Nice score on the axle too!

 

[mobile chernobyl]

Dana 30 HP secured! Now I can build a complete set of 4.88 axles off the jeep while doing jeep stuff as normal. This will probably span a few months but I will eventually do the following:

• Dana 44 (currently geared as 3.73)
  • 30-spline cromo axles
  • Eaton E-Locker
  • Fix the UCA and track bar mounts
  • set it up for outboarded shocks (cut off lower shock mount put on new poly mounts)
  • New drum brake pads
  • 4.88 gears w/ master rebuild
• Dana 30 HP (currently geared as 3.55)
  • 27-spline cromo axles
  • New carrier for 3.73 and up w/ new spider gears
  • Fix the LCA mounts (passenger was definitely bashed into a rock) and weld on some mini skid/braces
  • Metalcloak UCA mount (passenger) and bushings with larger bolt size
  • New pads and rotors
  • New spicer ball joints
  • maybe new unit bearings
  • 4.88 gears w/ master rebuild

Here they are ready to be stripped down:

Nice and rusty!

Dana 44 driver side UCA & trackbar tower look like this axles was either involved in a passenger side T-Bone (pulling the trackbar tower towards center?) or a 4x4'ing slip off a rock and onto the passenger side rear wheel because:

The drive side drum brake backing plate is slightly bent as well as the axle (noticeable when you spin it)

I'd be concerned but from all that I've read on this forum a BFH will fix the UCA/Trackbar tower (plus a little electric metal glue... aka tig welding) and a new backing plate will fix the drum brakes. The axles are being replaced anyways so no worries there and after I strip down the axle to it's core I'll take it to an axle shop to see if it needs straightening. I guess that's what I get for being frugle and buying a $500 Dana 44 rear haha. Sounds like it'll all be good in the end though unless I find any other nasty surprises...

Onto the Dana 30 HP:

It actually looks pretty good. I got this today for $150 with no core charge. Non vacuum disconnect and has a nice useable passenger UCA tower that will be an easy (exact same as my Dana 30 LP) weld on for the metalcloak UCA bushing tower replacement.

Brakes and hubs look good - everything turns by hand easily. That is all encouraging!

Got some moving dollys from Harbor Freight to store them in a more mobile fashion in my garage until I have time to start working on them.

So all in I'm up to $650 so far for rear and front axle 'shell's to start building up! My proposed budget is about $3500 to have some stout axles under the TJ. I will be doing the regearing myself... I already have all the tools - coming from a family of tool and die makers has it's perks. I'm very familiar with the tolerances needed - they are quite slack actually compared to other things I've worked on haha.

 

[mobile chernobyl]

Ripped apart a dana 44 last night. Can say that was a first!

The innards were nice - oil came out much cleaner than my current Dana 35 (it has 200k miles of life though... can't knock it too much!)

One thing I will say is that the carrier came out very easily... I've always seen people using pry bars or diff housing spanners to get the carriers in and out. Mine came out with a tug and that's about it.

I was told by the gentlemen that sold me this axle that if I posted the carrier on craigslist there would be someone looking for it - because they wanted to by the axle for just the loaded carrier alone! So here it is... nice and 'preserved'

Continuing the tear down the axles came out very nicely - the brake assembly backing bolts only needed a little lube to undo them and I was able to zip them off and save the stud bolts. I'm probably going to rebuild the entire brake assembly and wondering if I should just take the plunge and do disc brakes... I'm actually not too worried about the e-brake power since I have a manual and I never found any issues with my current Dana 35 drum brakes so I'm thinking of just rebuilding the drum brakes with all new parts - they are relatively cheap!

Housing is empty! Just a front pinion bearing to pop out as well as the seal yet. This is about as far as I could get in the 1 free hour I had last night.

My modified Diff Cart worked very well for me - I could park my oil catch pan underneath and it elevates it enough that I can level it out with wooden blocks under the pinion side. It's very light without all the extra metal thingies inside... Now I can take it to an axle shop and see if it's actually bent or if I'm good to continue the build up!

 

[mobile chernobyl]

So I was able to get away from the flat grounds this weekend. Got out to my favorite trail - Chinaman Gulch.

It was me - My buddy in his XJ and brother in a JL

This trail has amazing views of the Collegiate mountain range in Colorado and it's in an interesting area of the Buena Vista valley that rarely gets much precipitation - so you can literally watch a huge snow storm creep over the mountains on the other side of the valley but not feel a drop of rain or snow!

The photo below is right before one of the more difficult up and overs for a full length 4x4. The TJ conquered it with ease with it's short wheel base.

Sorry. Another glamour shot. Couldn't resist haha. I was joking with my buddy in Salt Lake City about how all these bro-dozers and mall crawlers have aggressive hood font on their JK/JLs and jokingly said - "I wanna put the stupidest looking font on my hood". I think I succeeded haha. I don't normally name cars but this is more of a functional name - "Bulldozer".

Heading down a flex road. The TJ looks so silly haha.

We drove up the trail until sunset and setup camp mid-way.

This is pretty much a yearly voyage for us at this point. A great trail that is open almost year round - and offers early spring break-in runs a plenty.

The next day we got going nice and early with some 100yard steel plate shooting and then packed up camp and hit the trail again. Succeeded in getting the TJ stuck on the shovel tranny skid and finally got to use my new winch! I actually tried to wind the winch up before I hit the trail and ended up shearing the tail bolt off on the winch drum... was kinda pissed but just ended up duct taping the tail end of the 100ft long synthetic line to the winch drum and put a duct tape line marker on at 50ft so I know when I'm half way through the spool. I'll just be careful haha.

Flexin in my extra wide fenders!

One more glamour shot as we head down to the trail head

I manage to put some more "Money Marks" on my skids. I love seeing scratches, dents and other marks on the skid plates because it just validates their cost! The infamous shovel effect of the tranny skid really presented itself on this trail. I can't wait to do a tummy tuck!

Also might have to shift the oil pan skid over because the front drive shaft rubs on it as seen below. It emit's a very pronounced RINNNNGGGGG! that can be heard for 100s of yards when it rubs haha.

All in all a great trip. I only needed my winch on the sections where I was doing play lines - i.e. I could've taken a go around to avoid it most likely but I wanted to challenge the TJ. I had to re-set on one obstacle a few times to get it because I kept falling off and getting high centered on the rear diff.

The TJ is super capable as-is right now! Both my buddy in his mildly modded XJ and me were both ecstatic at how much more fun this trail was with more primitive vehicles and without lockers and 35s. We're both on the same factory sized JK wheels and tires we got cheap on craigslist and I have open diffs front & rear. The challenge is there again and that is what makes this hobby a fun one!

Some updates on the axles:
The front Dana 30 HP is still as-is. The Rear TJ Dana 44 is definitely bent... I've had Zero luck finding an axle place in Denver/Fort Collins/CO Springs so far that will attempt to true it. If anyone has any recommendations please let me know - otherwise I might do something stupid and buy a JK Dana 44 and convert it for the rear. I'm trying to stay on the cheap with this project though...