I'll post a few pics here, more when I have more time....... (There are better, just getting a few up)

ST. Louis:


Opening Day


Corbin's first mud


UA Taco


Lifting a Dodge:


Fire:


Group


Bridge over Lake Superior



Group

Group


15 minute axleshaft swap
[img]http://www.trailseeker.com/4x4/ua/aj/ua1127.jpg[/img]

Excursion's owner manual:
[img]http://www.trailseeker.com/4x4/ua/aj/ua1128.jpg[/img]

Eveleth Minn.'s Finest at work
[img]http://www.trailseeker.com/4x4/ua/aj/ua1129.jpg[/img]

TED!!!!
[img]http://www.trailseeker.com/4x4/ua/aj/ua1134.jpg[/img]

Dodge
[img]http://www.trailseeker.com/4x4/ua/aj/ua1144.jpg[/img]

Hard Rock Minnenapolis hostess:
[img]http://www.trailseeker.com/4x4/ua/aj/ua1170.jpg[/img]

Downtown Minn...
[img]http://www.trailseeker.com/4x4/ua/aj/ua1166.jpg[/img]

Ferry ride across the Missisippi:
[img]http://www.trailseeker.com/4x4/ua/aj/ua123.jpg[/img]

14 bolt parts:

[img]http://www.trailseeker.com/4x4/ua/aj/ua152.jpg[/img]

More lifting Dodge

[img]http://www.trailseeker.com/4x4/ua/aj/ua160.jpg[/img]

My Dodge
[img]http://www.trailseeker.com/4x4/ua/aj/ua162.jpg[/img]

In Nebraska, almost back....

[img]http://www.trailseeker.com/4x4/ua/aj/ua1179.jpg[/img]


More later, but we did survive the 1400 mile roadtrip home (mine was Corbin's was like 1250 and Dallas still has a flight) Ex is still MIA.

Looks like a great time!! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

Be looking out for next pics.

Outstanding pics! Glad you guys made it back to work with the rest of us schmoes.

What is this fluid looking stuff that looks opaque?


I still think Corbin oughta swap down to 6 lugs (machine the 14-bolt hub) instead of up to 8 bolts... of course, it might be easier just to swap 3/4-ton outers on that 44. Lose those spacers either way, with the problems they caused...


This looks like Stinky's hind end... is it the right green?


Aaron, will you need to quarter-cab the B-pillar, or d'ya think it will buff out. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" /> Or will you just hammer it until the door closes?

Any way you cut it, that's a lot of work for a set of tires. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

Randii (who wishes he had the vacation time to have come along)

Great pics.

I love the Downtown Minn. shot. I was in Time Square this past weekend with my buddy (we took his car). We were looking up at all of the lights and he said, "We should have brought the Amigo covered in mud, because this would make a great picture".

Door is being held shut by a ratchet strap right now..... nOt sure which direction go -- permanent door removal or getting a body shop to fix it....

Here is my UA summary
Started out leaving Rock Springs Wednesday afternoon, Keith picked up Dallas at DIA Wednesday night. Loaded the Excursion and trailer up and left at the crack of noon Thursday. Did some site seeing in Kansas and Northern Oklahoma on Friday (saw the first commercial oil well in Ok). Saturday crossed the Mississippi and went through St. Louis up to Rockport Illinois.

Sunday began with a bang, dented the door jamb on the Dodge (about 6&#8221;) and broke my first ever 9.25&#8221; rear axleshaft. Thus, I was the first breakage of UA 2004. The Avalanche and Brian Richmond&#8217;s Dodge took a ton of body damage on the first trail.

Fixed the axleshaft, then the wheel spacer on the Amigo separated and we had to fix that. We then played in the rock garden some, and destroyed an upper control arm mount on the Amigo which allowed the 14 bolt housing to rotate taking out the pinion yoke and Ujoint.

Monday morning headed out and the CV rear drive shaft for the Amigo grenaded taking out the yoke on the 14 bolt again. Removed the broken parts, continued on the way in front wheel drive. Took a ferry across the Mississippi, when we got the call that the Excursion had thrown a rod and it went through the block leaving our co-driver stranded in Pittsfield Ill.

Proceeded into Missouri where the Amigo lost a front pinion bearing. We fixed the upper control arm mount on the rear axle, swapped the front drive shaft to the rear and then towed it to Rockport where Tom, the owner or Rockport Off-Road park lent us his shop and found us a replacement yoke.

We then headed up to Marseilles Ill to the Cliffs Off-road park.

At the Cliffs, Dallas and Corbin rebuilt the Amigo front end, I headed out on the trail, blowing a bead on the first obstacle. We then continued on until the park owner declared no more full-sizes on the trails as we were tearing up too many trees. Turning around, I dented the driver&#8217;s fender on a tree.

On the way back Brian Richmond lost a d/s on his Dodge. That night, there were locker, tranny, axleshafts, and body panels being swapped in the parking lot.

Wednesday we headed up north, stopping to play in some mud, which the Ultimate Taco ingested, then we got stuck in a torrential down pour but made it to lunch only two hours late.

We finally got to the Apple Valley Farms park in Wisconsin about 9 pm, put the new front driveshaft on the Amigo and watched another locker replacement. Thursday we wheeled hard, breaking a right front axleshaft and ujoint on the Dodge. The Dodge swap was done during lunch however the Amigo broke a CTM ujoint and Warn axleshafts and spare parts were not available. That night, there was a huge fireworks show by Rob Bonney of 4 wheel supply and a roast for Rick Pewe (it was his birthday).

Friday we took the long way to Eveleth in Northern Minnesota, no real excitement. Swapped axleshafts in the Amigo in the parking lot at the hotel while Chris Durham swapped a broke ring and pinion on Jerrod Jone&#8217;s Cherokee. That night after dinner, we hit the local club, where Eveleth&#8217;s finest inquired about my lack of mud flaps. After posing for a picture, everyone was cool and we were able to continue on.

Saturday went to the Iron Range Off-road park. First rock garden, I broke a front axleshaft and u joint, got that back together and hit the rocks. Tim Hardy put his Samurai on its side and it took nearly six people to right it. The final trail of the day was a rock garden no one had ever tried. Pewe broke a shaft on the Taco and winched out about three quarters of the the way through. Tom Haus drove the whole thing. Brian Richmond, after swapping in a new computer ( I happened to have a spare) got up the first major climb before the entire electrical system on his truck died. We were able to winch him back and show up two hours late for dinner.

Sunday we headed to Minneapolis, visited Mall of America and drove around down town some, then headed through Iowa, past Des Moines. I made it back to Rock Springs 8 pm Monday, Corbin and Dallas back to Denver by about 6 pm,

What did you think of our one and only off-road park? Pretty good use of a mining tailings dump, if you ask me. Unfortunately, that's about it for public wheeling land around here, except for one other state park in central Minnesota.


Dang, right in town and no phone call?? <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/shame.gif" alt="" /> We coulda met for a <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" /> or two...

Dont look at me, I passed the info along.. told them I thought you and Mike were in the twin cities... alas, whatcha gonna do? I bet they had other things on their minds... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/nana.gif" alt="" />

I vote to fix the Dodge's door, unless you want to commit to being a trailer queen ALL the time. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

Was the Amigo running the same rear control arms I saw in Moab? Corbin just can't seem to catch a break (avoid one) on that rear suspension... is it the relatively short links vs. the relatively tall lift?


So when ya gonna buy a compact truck, Aaron? <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

What's up with all the lockers replaced in the parking lot? Auto-lockers snapped when attached parts let go and shock-recoiled? I think I'll keep my ARB, blue lines and all (well, mine are stainless).


I love the singularity of the descriptions in this sentence... it gives the impression of one club, and one cop in the one-horse, one stop-sign town. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> :laughing: A quick Google search seems to verify this: http://www.fact-index.com/e/ev/eveleth__minnesota.html

Randii

This was actually a new suspension on the amigo, quite similar to the late model troopers actually, except with longer links and coilovers. The upper link crossmember hoop had a brace going back and down to the frame that crumpled and failed allowing the hoop to rotate backwards. This caused the pinion to point way up, which lunched the joint. Other than that, this suspension seemed to work very well.

Dallas

I want a picture of the Excursion's engine block.

Please tell me you got a shot of that.

Anyhow - how do you think that those rigs stood up to the abuse compared to everyone else? More carnage? Less carnage? More failures, less failures?

I'm curious because more than a few people look at the way I've "cobbled together" my rig and expect trail breakage once we get under way. And it usually turns out I'm lending something or other to get their D35's and 5-bolts moving again. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />