38s on a Stock Ram

Reggie found a good deal on some 38inch Goodyear MTs and couldn't wait to put them on. The only problem was that he couldn't turn his tires without the front and back side rubbin. Sooooo...we get to do some cuttin!First the plastic fender well liner gets to come out. Then we measure and make our marks.And then we get to cut.I left all the boring steps out to show you the end product. Not to bad eh?This was the intermission between getting both fenders done. Reggie and Halsey wrestling. Halsey always ends up gettin pinned.We also cut the back side of the front bumper. And here it is with a coat of spray on bedliner. There will be more posts on Reggies project in the future. I even think he has a lift on order. So you might even see some action pics soon!

Update on the Rack

I added a couple of new things to the rack to help make it a little more usefulA hoop on the front. So I can mount some lights.And tabs to mount my Hi-Lift jack. See the lights?Here's a better view. Notice the two small reverse lights at the back of the rack. Wal-Mart special. Fifteen bucks for the two lights and everything needed to wire it up.I threw this picture in just for fun. I already have a new idea for a rack that is lighter and more functional but not till I get the bumpers done.

Bad Bad Bad Bad Vibrations

Contrary to the Beach Boys song these vibrations were bad. And I missed a second trip to Pyette Draw with LDW because of them. So to diagnose the problem I jacked the front end up and found that the rack and pinion bushings had some play in them. Thinking it was a cheap and easy fix I went and bought the bushings. That was cheap! The project wasn't easy. I think I spent more time trying to find an easier way to go about it than I would have if I had done it by the book. Which was still a little time consuming. Well after I installed the new bushings and took it for a spin the vibes were still there, not as bad but present. That's when I figured it must be something more vital and more expensive that caused the rack bushings to go. The next thing on the list was the cv axle shafts. After finding a smokin deal on the shafts they were installed in no time. Well alot easier than the bushings. Billy helped me with the drivers side which took about half an hour and Blaine helped me with the passenger side which took a little longer because the half shaft was stuck to the cv so we had to drop the strut to remove the combined unit. Thanks guys! Everything up front was smooth after that and the only vibration I had now was coming from the rear. It was the driveshaft that I turned into a twizzler after Pyette Draw. I called around and found an exact match at a Jeep salvage yard for a third of the lowest price I could find at the local auto parts stores.

The driveshafts licorice make over reminds me of a cool story I forgot to write on the Pyette Draw post. That trip I crushed my tranny pan on a pretty big rock. Those of you who had seen it would agree that it should have been leaking. Well it held that whole Saturday and on the trip home from Payson. I was suprised and thankful. Sunday morning I went outside to get a couple things that I had left in the jeep and was welcomed with a huge puddle of tranny fluid. What a blessing!

Sandras Suburban

It was love at first sight. As soon as she saw it she called me up to take a look at it to see if it was a good deal and couldn't stop talkin about it until it was hers. The interior is real nice and the guy she bought it from kept detailed service records on it for somewhere around twenty years.

The bick rack on top will be good for camping and the back has enough room for her sleep in...so she really doesn't even need a tent. Can't wait to build some custom products for it.

Improving Approach Angle

After this last trip I finally took the time to take off the fender flares and the low hanging plastic that skirted the front end of my Liberty. As you can see in the picture below the plastic fender well liners hang pretty low and by removing what I did, I get a better approach angle. I also get to start designing the two bumbers that I had in mind for fabrication and the fender flares. One will be bolt on and the other will take some cutting and welding experience. Unibody bumper mods.Another view with the fender wells still in. Notice the Dodge in the background peeking over the hood of the Liberty. That's another project to look foward to. Plans for it as of right now are a heavy duty winch bumper and custom flatbed. Both designed and built by...well I don't have a name for my fabrication company yet but I don't want to rush it. Wana make sure it's the right one. If you have any suggestions please let me know so I can take them into consideration.

Here's a view with the fender wells out and the grill back on. Not a very good picture but there will be more in the future.

Butcher Jones

This trip took place in August of 2008. Billy wanted to do something for his birthday so why not Butcher Jones. It's close and pretty fun because the obstacles change slightly with each rain or heavy traffic. The only bad thing about the place is that it loves to eat your tires up. The group on this outing included Billy (of course it's his b-day), Vance, Jesse and Carsyn and me. There will be a little more pics of me in this entry because I got some from Jess. Thanks Jesse. Here's Jess and Carsyn in what he likes to call his "Ultimate Montero" gettin ready to go up a hill that we have no name for but have been goin up it as a warm up for years. It's always a good one to scare noobs on because it gets real steep just outside of the frame there.This is the same hill, different view. Notice the tire tracks in the background at the top of that bank up by the barbwire fence. Those are Jesses. He got a little out of control with the throttle and ended up there some how and almost laid his montero over. Apparently he wasn't out of control because he got out it pretty well. I guess he was just testing the limits of his vehicle. Look at that suspension all flexed out. Articulated suspension is a beautiful thing.

The best factory 4x4 truck ever made. Even better with Vance behind the wheel. Dodge rules!

Jeep too! Here's a couple pictures of my rack Iv'e been workin on. It's still not finished in this picture but it can be used. Notice the tie down points at each corner.

Four Peaks

It was about the middle of July and Jesse asked Billy and me if we wanted to go on a short run the Four Peaks area. He was going to look for a geocache. That's a little past time of his where he gets some coordinates online and puts them in his gps to find hidden boxes. The boxes usaully contain a token of some sort that someone has left and you are supposed to take that and leave something new. Sometimes the boxes contain another waypoint that leads you to another or more until you find your treasure. If I got it wrong Jess let me know. I knew we probably wouldn't need to put in four wheel drive but I wanted to go anyway to escape the heat. Here's a few pictures of the scenery.