I just got back. The trip home was uneventfull, if not quick. I'll get back later with the details, got to go unload. Atleast my driveway is sloped, so I can roll the truck off the trailer <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/shiner.gif" alt="" />

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />Andre

I'm back too...
I would have reported-in sooner, but Miss Kathy had quite a Honey-Do List for me when I got home. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/ignore.gif" alt="" />


I had a GREAT time, and want to thank EVERYONE for coming <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />
(But the details will have to follow, `cause right now I'm headed for bed......... a REAL one! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/notooth.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> )


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sorry i missed it guys... didn't even know the event was happening til this weekend.

...but jessica and I are back now, done with the wedding and all, so we'll be back into the swing of things soon. seems like its been forever since we've been out on the local trails.

-Rob

Ok, I missed this one guys, I wish I could have been there.

But work called.

By the looks of the pictures posted so far we need a carnage report. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/scared.gif" alt="" />

Oh yeah, and where are the pictures from welder??

Joe

I don't know that what happened to my Amigo should be called "carnage"! A more accurate description is probably "installer brain-fart"! I forgot to put washers on the fulcrum pin nuts and the bushings slid over the nut and fell out, which made the UCAs start flopping around halfway down a trail!

As far as I know, Starchild had a tranny leak and the Jeep's driveshaft slid out and broke some bolts. I'll let them give details of that.

MAB,

how did the amigo do on welder?? I was hoping you would take it up there and have a good time.????just curious???

Well, that was a fun weekend. Thanks to all that made it happen. Bansil and team Turtle for being the driving force on this one, ehess for the Thai noodle feast and being my brake man, Joe Darlington for dragging my dead weight up the mountain, and everyone else for making the event what it was.

I didn't get in till 7:00 Friday morning, after catching a couple hours sleep at a rest stop in NC. The first trail on the menu was Welder which was a blast. After watching Blevcom21 (aka Samurai Jack) and Joe D hit the waterfall, I gave it a shot. I had the winch hooked up just in case, but thanks to some excellent spotting from Doug, I only needed it for a few inches when my open front couldn't grab hold. We proceeded up to the crevice, and played around there for a while before heading back for lunch, and so Anubis and his friend could head out. On the crevice, Rodeo guy, produced a nice POP, which appeared to be his front limited slip. When we got turned around to head back, Smiley was kind enough to point out that Mike only had one lug nut remaining on the drivers side of his new 9" rear end <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/scared.gif" alt="" />. Once the spares were on, we headed back to camp. The night run was a leisurely trip up the green trail, and we loaded up some firewood for the night.

My new drivetrain was working flawlessly until it let loose. The trans never got above 180 on the trail, and was shifting nicely. The gears are great, and I was getting the hang of the shifter. We had just finished a long hill climb on the Red trail when it let loose. Mark (Wareagle) was riding along, and I was trying to get the front diff in neutral. It wouldn't pop out of gear, so I rolled forward, it popped out, and then the racket started. I looked down to see a shower of ATF. The top two bolts that hold the T-case adapter to the trans were out, and one was just sitting on the adapter. The lower left bolt was still in the hole, but just fell out when I grabbed it. I can't get to the last one with the front driveshaft in place, but I think it's still there. Both bolts were fine, but had aluminum threads wrapped around them from where the pulled out. I thought that I lock-tighted those, but it looks like they might have backed out part way, and then ripped the threads the rest of the way. There is no seal on the rear of the transmission, so I lost everything. The shifter is a cable setup, so it shouldn't put any pressure on the case when I'm pulling on it.

The top two bolts are in a flange on the transmission and the adapter, so I'm going to drill those out, and use a nut and bolt. The bottom two I will probably drill and tap, to a larger bolt. Copious amounts of red lock-tite will be used <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Of course the break happened in the middle of the trail, at the top of the hill. Smiley pulled me most of the way up to a level area where I could let the other trucks by. I had to winch the last bit on battery, since I couldn't crank the engine, but the Optima lasted longer than I expected, and got me where I needed to go. Joe D hooked up a strap and lugged me up the next hill. We hit some loose stuff, and he ended up winching us both up. For the down hill sections, we had ehess's trooper strapped to the rear to act as brake man. Between the two of them, and me standing on the brake pedal, we made it back to camp without incident.

My pics should be up tonight. I got a couple on welder, but my batteries didn't last <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />Andre

Had a great time this weekend.

My damage was minor. Need to re-glue my Opel decal on the grille and replace a bent rear brake line which caused one of my rear brake calipers to lock up on me on the way home.

Thanks to everyone who had any part in setting this up and I'm looking forward to the next one.

-chris

Thanks for everyone showing up hope everyone had fun.

Thanks for cooking:

Anubis--wild turkey and Mai-mai?(fish) <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />
Ehess--Tai noodle dish with chicken
Starchild--Taco's
TeamTurtle--Chicken salad croisants
Blevcom21--steak a,d prokchops

A good time was had,even though saturday nite turned into benchracing session <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />


As for the above mentioned pic----I was just taking up the slack in that pic.Plus it's 3/8 cable and fairly level 3' pull with blanket/mats wrapped around cable.
Everyone was actually further away than 1/2 the cable also.
Anyways--good eye.

Thanks again.....and let's see some pics of welder. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/nana.gif" alt="" />

It was a KICK-BUTT trip! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

Wednesday, Doug and Ià (OK, mostly Doug - aka æMr. Fab & Fix-ItÆ <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> ) àgot my Rodeo back to its old former self û and MAN, it sure is good to be Locked again! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />


Thursday morning(ish), we headed over to Callalantee û set-up camp û greeted all of the early bird arrivals as they rolled-in û and then later that evening, we decided to do a brief little Pre-Dinner Trail Runà

Soon after, Doug and I were rolling along in my Rodeo, leading the pack on the main Green trailà

Doug: ôSo, where do you wanna take`em?ö

Me: ôI dunnoö

Doug: ôHA! - Me eitherö


*IDEA!*

Me: ôHey, I know! û We could go hit the old sawmill site with the creek crossing and maybe play around there for a whileö

Doug: ôPerfect!


Moments later we arrived at the creek crossing, only to find that a culvert / drive-over had been installed û almost totally eliminating the æplay around in itÆ factorà

Me & Doug: ôDOH!ö


*ANOTHER IDEA!*

Looking beyond the sawmill site, up the hill, at the steep / loose rock trail beyondà

Me: ôHow about we run up to the top of the ridge, and then turn around where it intersects with Black and come back down?ö

Doug: Yeah, that ought to take about an hourà Go for it!ö


We crossed over the culvert û headed across the sawmill site û and pointed it up the steep / loose rock ascentà Everything was going just fine until we got to the sharp right-hand turn that had been slightly out-of-view from the bottom (* sort of like the right turn on Daniel, just before the ledge / s-curve section - only this one is a lot longer and steeper climb, with a big rut running down the middle of it)à

So anyway, when it came into viewà


The Rodeo: (Revving at about 2500 rpm, in Tera 4-Low & 1st)

Doug: ôWhoa!ö

Me: ôYeah, no kiddinÆ!ö

Doug: (spotting me on the right, out of the passenger side window) ôGoodà My sideàà Goodà Now your side a littleàà Goodàààà My sideàö

The Rodeo: (Nosing the front driverÆs side tire up out of the ravine)

Doug: ôGoodàà My side a little moreàö

The Rodeo: (With the driverÆs side rear stubbornly refusing to follow suit û instead remaining down in the wash-out)

Doug: ôEasyàà Your side a littleà


And thenà

The Rodeo, Doug, and Me: (teetering back onto the rear driverÆs side tire, and looking waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay up into the trees at an extremely off-camber view of the sky <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/scared.gif" alt="" /> )


The Rodeo: (Answering æALL STOPÆ)

Doug: ôHold what youÆve gotö

Me: (not actually said, but though) ôReally? - YA THINK???ö


After taking a good-long look out of the passenger-side windowà

Doug: ôEase it back a littleö

Me: ôOKö

The Rodeo: (settling back down a bit, and returning the horizon to something that at least remotely resembled normal)

Doug: ôEasyàà YouÆre goodààà YouÆve got ità

The Rodeo: (Abruptly tilting back again - providing yet another panoramic shot of the forest canopy above and the tufts of clouds beyond)

Doug: ôSTOP!ö

Me: ôNo argument here, Bro!ö


Long story short (yeah, I know û too late <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> ), Doug ended-up catching a ride back to camp with Bryan to get a snatch block û while Eric was kind enough to take a seat on my hood and hold the passenger side down (THANK YOU! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" /> ) - meanwhile I sat there waiting with the both feet on the brakes & the E-brake lever pulled up to my right earà waitingààand waitingààà and waiting <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

In the end, Jack strapped the back of his Sammy to a tree, and He & Doug reverse-winched me back down. --- After that, with our predetermined 2 hours of 4-wheeling time already pretty much spent, we turned around and headed back to camp for dinner.


* And of course, as always, the photos practically make it look like flat groundà Oh well û trust me; it wasnÆt even remotely close to being flat!



I guess thatÆll have to do for now.


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