a few pics from saturday...

[blkTJ]

Thanks to all involved for a great time out at JV. Nice to meet you Jim. Jeff, thanks for the lift. Some of the pics I took can be found here...

outer limits

[Allen]

My favorite one.....





Allen

[Wind_Danzer]

Holy poopie!!!

Please tell me that wasn't Sergey's rig.

I personally think this is a damn good idea... who's umbrella:



BTW, I see it's not Sergey's Jeep, that's a positive.

[TJRON]

Hey! I've done that! Some fun, eh?



Is that a Ready Welder case I see laying there? If so how'd you like it? Probably a PIA in a tight spot like that. JimB used the first part of a lot of sticks to fix mine.

[Jim M]

What a great day! Eight people, four Jeeps, and one trail. The night before was cool and calm, the day was warm, but not too hot, the company was perfect, and the trail was a ton of fun. Days like Saturday are why I love this sport/hobby/lifestyle.

The umbrella belongs to Blaine and Katherine. They have learned how to survive in the harsh desert environemt of Johnson Valley. Shade is a requjirement and at a premium. Bringing your own just makes good sense.

BTW, I drove Blaine's Jeep through the first part of Jack this morning (Sunday). Kick ass trail and Jeep. If anyone wants to discuss the merits of the automatic transmission, let me know; I can testify to it's qualities.

Great pics. Thanks for posting them Little Buddy , and it was great meeting you.

[Stu Olson]

It would seem that all returned home safely so that is good news for sure.

[mrblaine]

Thanks for the kind words Jim. It was an absolute pleasure to have your presence in our group of friends that wheel together. I sorta stayed out of the lifestyle thread until I had a more clear view of what I wanted to say. It's now apparent that this is a lifestyle for Kat and I. Almost everything we do revolves around spending time with our friends who wheel and wheeling.

You are a welcome addition as well as one hell of a great rockstacker and a not too shabby jeep pilot. It was wonderful to compare perspectives between east and west. I was a bit surprised to understand that your wheeling style was so similar.

I know I've been on trails with similar quality groups, I just don't remember when. To say the day was without large amounts of adversity would be a lie, but the unflappable nature of everyone was a joy to behold.

To watch rigs that we have all worked on together walk through the trail like a casual stroll to the mall for an ice cream just added another level of satisfaction to the day.

We should have timed the valve stem replacement for Stu, I still don't think he believes that we can change one before you can get the bottle jack out and get the tire off the ground.

[Jim M]

Some people are still not home. I'll be in OC through tomorrow (Monday). All the Jeeps got home though.

P.S. Scott Hill was out on Friday, but got sick and had to head home Saturday morning before the run. Robert called and checked on him last night and he was still ill, but made it home safely.

[Jim M]

I was a little surprised at the speed that the stem was changed too. It was almost as fast as glueing a tear shut. Not that anyone would be silly enough to put glue on a hole in a tire...

[TObject]

I liked this weekend so much, I was like, "Back to work on Monday..." Wrong! Just got a call. I have to go back to work right now. Oh well, the weekend is over.

There is more information on this run here:

http://www.jeepbbs.net/forums/showth...&threadid=5013

[mrblaine]

Originally posted by Jim M
I was a little surprised at the speed that the stem was changed too. It was almost as fast as glueing a tear shut. Not that anyone would be silly enough to put glue on a hole in a tire...

We need to play with that stuff some more. I found it quite interesting that the rip we glued on the trail stayed stuck and the cut that leaked was an extension of the original.

Now all I need to do is find a source for it and an abrasion resistant outer patch.

Definitely worth tinkering around with though.

[Jeff Weston]

Originally posted by TJRON
Hey! I've done that! Some fun, eh?



Is that a Ready Welder case I see laying there? If so how'd you like it? Probably a PIA in a tight spot like that. JimB used the first part of a lot of sticks to fix mine.

Yeah, my trackbar mount decided to play Hide And Go Seek! After having to do a 10-point turn I figured something was not cool. In hindsight, my steering was getting progressively worse yet I didn't see the mount failing earlier when I had a look. Fortunately, I had the Readywelder and even more fortunate, Blaine was there to patch it up. Thanks again Blaine. A cross brace is definitely in order.

I had a fantastic time. The weather was beatiful (no wind) and the group really gelled to get all the rigs through with minimal damage and good times in the process. I'm constantly amazed at what these vehicles can do and how small the lines sometimes can be. JV has a way of making you feel really good about yourself after you crawl up a nasty waterfall and brings you back down to earth when you hit the diffhanger just past the top. By far the most frustrating thing was getting stuck prior to reaching the obsticle. Whoops!

Anyway, HERE are the pics that I took. Let me know if the link doesn't work.

[mrblaine]

Jeff, I don't want to be a member of Imagestation. I would like to see the pics however.

[Paradiddle]

So - did Sergey bring the big sandwich and the potted meat this time?

Jeff

[Robert J. Yates]

That qualifies as one of the best wheeling trips I have been on. The company was great, the rigs all worked, the weather was perfect and the trails were over the top.

Jim, nice to put a face to the name. Thanx so much for dinner, it was much appreciated.

Blaine, thanx for all you help and advice on getting my rig dialed in. I was quite pleased with its performance.

Kat, thanx for the wonderful dinner Friday nite.

Scott - hope you get to feeling better.

Jeff, nice to see you out on the trails - lucky for the welder eh

Sergey, its always a pleasure

Lastly, some product reviews

Tera Belly-up skid - While this skid has served me well, this was the second time it has been caved in and its now headed for the scrap heap or to somebody who needs one to get started on going flat. It just doesn't hold up to the rigors of Johnson Valley so I will be going to the Currie skid.

Tera Oil Pan skid - if you have one bolted to your rig using the tranny mounts, take it off immediately. I am now missing the 2 dust cover ears off the bellhousing portion of my transmission due to the pan being bolted to them. Prt of this was my own fault but the design is not worth the potential for some serious carnage.

All in all, even with the damage to my rig, it was an awesome weekend of wheeling. The damage doesn't seem ot hurt as much when you know that your rig worked flawlessly in such a harsh environment.

[Jeff Weston]

Originally posted by mrblaine
Jeff, I don't want to be a member of Imagestation. I would like to see the pics however.

Oh, I forgot that it wants you to be a member to view them. I'll upload them to my ISP provided webspace tonight and re-post the link.

[Chris L]

Sounds like you guys had a great time. Wish I could have made it. I had a prior commitment doing some volenteer work for the fish and game dept, inspecting a big game guzzler out past desert center. Still got to wheel a little bit though.

[Jeff Weston]

Originally posted by mrblaine
Jeff, I don't want to be a member of Imagestation. I would like to see the pics however.

I uploaded them to my ISP provided storage SPACE. Sorry, I didn't resize them so you'll probably want broadband to view them (about 400K each).

[blkTJ]

after I posted I noticed a link to one of the pics didn't work. here it is.

[blkTJ]

Originally posted by Robert J. Yates
[BTera Oil Pan skid - if you have one bolted to your rig using the tranny mounts, take it off immediately. I am now missing the 2 dust cover ears off the bellhousing portion of my transmission due to the pan being bolted to them. Prt of this was my own fault but the design is not worth the potential for some serious carnage.
[/B]

Robert, are there any modifications to the tera skids that would make them worthwhile?

[Robert J. Yates]

Originally posted by blkTJ
Robert, are there any modifications to the tera skids that would make them worthwhile?

Possibly, depending on how much you want to work on it. I can say this, it will provide you with a starting point to get flat (ie, dealing with the ancillary modifications such as exhaust, body/motor mount lift ect.) and as long as you know that it has its weaknesses and will need to eventually be removed, you are more than welcome to it.

Jeff W. Cool pix - thanx for hosting them. T1 at work is the bomb

[Paradiddle]

Robert - would you have hit your oil pan on that obstacle if you weren't running the skid?

Curious.

Jeff

[Robert J. Yates]

yes. backing off the obstacle in reverse is what ripped the skid off the tranny.

[blkTJ]

Originally posted by Robert J. Yates
Possibly, depending on how much you want to work on it. I can say this, it will provide you with a starting point to get flat (ie, dealing with the ancillary modifications such as exhaust, body/motor mount lift ect.) and as long as you know that it has its weaknesses and will need to eventually be removed, you are more than welcome to it.

Jeff W. Cool pix - thanx for hosting them. T1 at work is the bomb

I should have been more specific. I meant the oil pan skid. I will be going with a Currie belly pan.

[Robert J. Yates]

...not without alot of fabrication then. Skip it and figure something else out - trust me

[Jerry Bransford]

Originally posted by Robert J. Yates
...not without alot of fabrication then. Skip it and figure something else out - trust me

Well the Tera oil pan skid plate news kind of sucks, I just installed one of them a few months back after hearing high praise for it. Maybe I oughta just get another TurboCity plate and epoxy it on this time.

[Jeff Weston]

Originally posted by Robert J. Yates
[BTera Belly-up skid - While this skid has served me well, this was the second time it has been caved in and its now headed for the scrap heap or to somebody who needs one to get started on going flat. It just doesn't hold up to the rigors of Johnson Valley so I will be going to the Currie skid.

[/B]

My Tera Belly-up skid isn't happy after this weekend either. It's pushed up enough to put my cat into the tub and it's making an awful racket when accelerating once the thing heats up. It's also got a nice dent by the front driveshaft. Overall, it's served me well but JV seems to be demanding a bit more than the BU can give.

Oh yeah, props also to Blaine and Kat for Friday's grub. Great chicken and the "foil potatoes and onions" were tasty too. As for Steven's self heating meal ...

[JeepKat]

It was the best weekend ever! Except for one very, tiny, minor, insignificant detail??..I didn?t get any pictures of my husband driving his Jeep! So now I?m in the Dog House and Blaine thinks that I am infatuated with Robert because I took so many pictures of him. Jim it was a pleasure meeting you, your welcome to join us anytime. and thank you again for a wonderful dinner Saturday night.

Here is my favorite picture of Robert

My favorite picture of Scott Hill

My favorite picture of Jeff Weston

My favorite picture of Sergey

My favorite picture of Jim M

My favorite picture of Blaine


I didn?t post every picture I took this trip, but here?s a few more for your viewing pleasure
http://www.justaddrocks.com/Johnson_...y_oct_3__4.htm

PS. You can buy Griptonite Flex glue at Lowe?s

[Chris L]

What? I don't get a fovorite picture?

[JeepKat]

Originally posted by Chris L
What? I don't get a fovorite picture?

You only get a favorite picture if you show up for the run and I don't remember seeing you on the trail or at the greet and eat for Jim M

But just to make you happy

Here's my favorite picture of Chris L.