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Things I learned on my Moab Vacation

Bloose

NAXJA Member
NAXJA Member
Location
WI
As stated in the "Thanks" thread a big thanks goes out to all who were involved with organizing and running this event. As always I had a great time and this event kept up the great NAXJA tradition of fun well organized events. Also, a big thanks to all the vendors, new and old, who gave their support for this event. You generosity doesn't go unnoticed or unappreciated!

As with all NAXJA events I learned a lot of things, here is a partial list,

1) Oil pressure is optional (provided it's just a bad sending unit and not an actual lack of oil pressure).
2) Nebraska is the Bermuda Triangle of the U.S. interstate system.
3) Transmission hard lines and starter hot studs do not play well together
4) Rusty Nail will likely no longer rust.
5) Trying to keep up with Wayne and Derek on the way to a trail is a good way to make sure every bolt on your Jeep will loosen.
6) Rear Mono-shock setups on Jeeps don't work well.
7) No one needs a V8 on a trail only rig, but it can't hurt.
8) A V8 is a great thing to have when not on the trail (i.e. for general freeway driving)
9) Nothing beats the sound of a V8 (not even a V-twin which is a close second)
10) What is considered at home to be a hugely ridiculously modified XJ is a "sleeper" on the trail
11) We're to the point that just about any mod on an XJ just gets a passing look, except a V8 install.
12) No matter what you expect to break, you'll break something else.
13) People have spare parts that you would never expect them to have. (231 front output shaft)
14) The spare parts you might expect someone would have no one does. (8.8 drive flange, D44 wheel hub)
15) Parker will give you the shirt off his back!
16) A Tom Wood jacket is nice to have on your way home when it's snowing in the mountains and the wind is blowing really hard, even if it is way too big. Thanks Tom
17) Jay-nine orders some pretty strange stuff.
18) It's solar powered though.
19) The oldest guy on the trail will shove you out of the way and grab the wrenches
20) Jay-nine will shove you out of the way for a picture.
21) Jay-nine carries spare shocks but not for me.
22) Wisconsin lock-tite takes time to activate.
23) Loose bolts suck.
24) McCafe cups make good dust covers for your hubs.
25) Derek says he is married, than says he wants nothing to do with a relationship.
26) Wayne is VERY emotional.
27) Parker is funny.
28) His brother is funnier.
29) Parker says Jiminy Cricket a lot, which makes me laugh inside. :)
30) Oily air and balancing beads don't work well together.
31) I can make it all of the way through Nebraska without a problem, just not both ways.
32) I always have a good time at NAXJA events.
33) Midwest campfires cannot be beat but Moab campfires are a lot of fun too.
34) Wayne has a really funny friend.


I'm sure there is more but this is all I can think of at the moment.

B
 
Hey ya can't forget j-9's order also made a left hand turn and spun counter clockwise :D

And I'm only married for tax purposes :)
 
I learned:

-When you Wheel with MJR and Charles you get to see some of the finer sides of Moab
-I will either pass or be passed by Mike on the drive home
-Charles and his brother should write a book on the things they did as kids
-Don't let Josh and Tamara use your hot tub while you are not home
-For a white guy Josh has some pretty sweet moves
-Don't let Tamara name your jeep
-Derek takes "not my car not my problem" to a new level
-Derek's MP3 player has some fitting jams for a night run
-Derek saying wife is funny
-Wayne likes to drive in circles
-Wayne will not pass up the chance to wheel one more trail
-You are not allowed to back up without making the "beeeeep beeeeep" noise
-Bob and trackbar bolts like to play hide and seek
-I need to carry all colors of electrical tape to color match people's rigs
-I fail at spotting V8 powered jeeps
-Using a winch line as a tow strap will leave you missing some teeth
-Comanche's without rear lockers will surprise you, even if their driver's are from Texas
-Janine must have mastered tetris to pull off a parts packing miracle
-Brian has some creative storage locations for valve stem tools
-Dennis took "no left turn" a little too seriously
-Samurai buggies will surprise you
-Yellow and black actually look good on something other than a camaro
-Leave a jeep broken on the trail and come back to it being fixed by some good people
-I need to borrow Ron's co-driver, he will work on or fix anything
-You would think a hail storm is a good indicator it is cold outside
-I proved Carol wrong, I can drive a week without body damage
-I look like a dork in any picture Derek takes of me
-I found out I could have a blast without my brother and dad thanks to all the people that put on the trip and to the others who showed up
 
Here's a few more,

If you need your hot tub fixed Josh is an expert
Tamara's story telling is funnier than the story itself, and the story itself is really funny!
Dennis's driving scares the HE double hockey sticks out of me
I love following Dennis on the trail
If you don't listen to your spotter and break you can always blame them
You should watch your spotter and not your TV when on the trail
ARB makes air lockers not oil lockers
When pulling the air line on an ARB be sure to turn the air off first
 
Here's a few from me:

-When Hells Revenge turns into a freeway I would rather wrench on a Jeep than wheel mine.

-I never realized how much I loved my windshield until I had no roof or doors.

-Cherokee's should have come stock with V8's.

-You don't need big axles and tires to wheel Moab if you know how to drive, I guess I don't.

-It's a privilege to wheel with the buggies, or so they said?

-If you wear a Salmon colored shirt on the trail you may never live it down.

-Dennis' Jeep can still drive on its side.. sort of.

-Derek's Jeep can start and finish a trail with no left turns.

-Washers under your lug nuts is an actual repair.

-Racing stripes do not make your Jeep faster, Big hood scoops do.

Thats all I got for now.... :cheers:
 
Sounds about right....
Many years ago during a winter run at the Indian Reservation the front ARB had issues and I had to remove the air line to remove the oil and moisture in the line....
The ARB worked fine afterwards....

 
here's what i learned.

-make sure wayne remembers his "special" shoes before leaving home

-everyone seems to goto bed waaay earlier than me

-when paying for a campsite it may be a good thing to actually see it.

-me and parker in the same jeep with parker controlling the mp3 player is possibly a bad idea.

-jamming out to katy perry on a night run will almost make you drive off a cliff.

-poison spider is funner in 2wd with the rear locker disengaged

-a salmon shirt CAN be worn on the trail (unfortunately)

-Bob can tighten every bolt on his jeep before during and after every run.

-texans are game to play

-pulling the covers on the headlights will actually let them emit light

-in order to have a heater in a jeep work it must be turned on

-apparently it takes 3 engineers to figure out how to put a 44 in the backseat of an XJ, and 2 boneheads to figure out how to get it out.

-parker is biased while playing bumper cars.

-you can get used to the sound of a 231 in an MJ wanting to explode(it just takes a week.

-being able to turn left is over rated.

-bob can mange to give broners to almost every male at the FF

-winning bets gets you some awesome beer :D

-TJ's don't like to have air in their tires.

i'm sure there's more thats just all i can think of
 
And a few more...

-Bloose lives up to his name
-Don't make a bet with Derek unless you want to lose
-I'm only married for tax purposes
-You can blame the D44 in your backseat for your driveline vibes, but no one will believe you
-Don't listen to Parker when he tells you to leave your spare steering box at home
-Do listen to Parker when he tells you to change your fuel pump
-If Parker offers to change your fuel pump, make sure you're both on the same trail when you need him
-If Mike says he'll show you the ruins of the Moab Rim tram, don't get your hopes up
-Everything is bigger in Texas, including axle shafts
-Mike showed how you get in a pickle on pickle
-Cory can't find his way back from the Golden Crack, even when following a group
-Don't leave your camera unattended with Mike, he might end up with pictures of your Vegas trip
-Don't put extra firewood next to a burning fire
-You can put a glow stick in the fire, but you can't expect it to stay there
-If you order something that's solar powered and spins counter-clockwise, make sure to get your order finalized before leaving for Fall Fling
-Don't order something solar powered that will never see the light of day
 
No question I'm a slow learner. I still drive through Nebraska to go out west after all these years. Then again I'm not sure if that's slow learning or pure stubbornness. It doesn't make much difference I guess, the results are the same. :)

B
 
And a few more...


-Cory can't find his way back from the Golden Crack, even when following a group

I was definitely struggling.... :gee:

I only missed the line here by 8 or 10 feet...

100_8818.jpg
 
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