Midwestern XJ limps home from Rubicon

[2MUD-IN]

I posted this on another thread, but decided it was more appropriate in it's own thread, since I was asked for a trip report.

As you scan through the posts from about 2 weeks ago, some of you may know I was coming out to do the Rubicon, and I was coming from Missouri. I hooked up with another XJ'er from Oregon at the trail head last Monday, and here is what I posted about the trip:

Trail was rough on me. I thought I had built this thing to take the punishment.....WRONG!

Items that broke, or what happend:

-upper link of my 3 link broke on front end, so it sent the axle housing and pinion spinning upwards, and went through my oil pan.
-track bar (when the housing spun, it ripped it off at the axle mount)
-oil pan
-D60 front yolk
-front u-joint
-both front shocks...they look like an "L" now
-put one front spring back in...it shot out when the axle housing spun....didn't ruin it, just a pain to get back in...ever try to put a 12" lift coil back in place on the trail?

second break:
-rear shock mount
-rear shock

3rd break:
-steering heim

4th break:
-transmission mount

final break, within 1/2 mile of the trail head:
-track bar frame mount (used a come-along to secure it to get off the trail....grade 8 bolts held, but the mount just ripped away from them).


This is the quick version. I got to Spider Lake on Monday when the big break occurred. Didn't get any further than that...and it took us until Friday afternoon to get off the trail.

I'll get some pics scanned in soon, and up on the boards. I know everyone likes carnage pics.

Oh ya, to round out the trip...I got a speeding ticket when I left about 1 hour away from my house, and my F-250 Diesel decided to foul a couple of fuel injectors while I was out there. Luckily, Ford was working on that while I was hiking in parts to fix my XJ.

Thanks to AAA for their tow...thanks to Maita Ford in Auburn for fixing my F-250 quickly (Mike "Moose" Russell)...and thanks to Foothill Offroad in Auburn (Virgil Haddox) for sourcing parts for me, and not charging me out the a$$, considering my situation. And, one last shout out to Vern Mitchell from Modesto Differential, for welding up my tranny mount out on the trail. Glad he was out there to weld it up right....I tried a trail weld...obviously, it didn't hold

Let's just say I'm glad to get home.

Anyone want to buy a set-up XJ? Or, I'm considering parting it out...but will probably keep the front D60

 

[CRASH]

Ready to do some serious damage!

I think you need to change this line in your sig......

See my reply to your last post in the other thread.


CRASH

 

[FarmerMatt]

Another one falls to true western rock crawling.

All kidding aside I'm really sorry to her you had such a bad time on your first trip out west. I wouldn't get rid of the XJ if I were you. You now know where your weak points are, fix them & run the heck out of it. In other words, don't worry be happy.

Matt

 

[Ted Z]

that's the pic i have on my wallpaper at work....

bummer about the carnage....

 

[2MUD-IN]

I changed my sig...it's more appropriate now.

 

[crazy4mopar]

Did you go out of your way to break stuff?

 

[CRASH]

You've got a good sense of humor about the affair, I can appreciate that after my carnage two weekends ago!

CRASH

 

[Tucker]

I agree with Crash, you're taking this very well. Sorry for all the breakage, but live and learn, I guess. Wouldn't have thunk it with the pics and specs on your rig. Better luck next time!

 

[Goatman]

Why do you want to sell the XJ? Are you going to quit wheeling?

What else would you build? Anything has to built right, and it's always an evolutionary process as we each figure out what works best for the parameters we've chosen to build around.

 

[Jes]

Just remember, the Rubicon is one of the easier trails we run.

Jes

 

[4ward]

You should bring that thing to the East if you really wanna tear that thing up. I could show ya some sticky situations that don't take so frickin' long to drive too. The Con is fun, not that tough though. SOMEDAY, I'll get to do JV and see what all these crybabies are talkin' about

Sean

 

[Gary E]

Ouch looks like the con was out for blood!

What broke on your upper link? looks like it was the main instigater of damage.

and what broke the steering heim, too much angle or was that all part of the upper link also?

and what broke the 60 U-joint?

Trying the learn from others experiences approach

 

[2MUD-IN]

The upper link had a nut welded to it to thread the heim. It was a good weld, but failed. Foothill Offroad TIG welded it, and then MIG welded on top of it. It won't break again in that spot.

The yolk broke when the ujoint grenaded, and when the axle housing spun up into the oil pan.

The steering heim broke on a downhill decent with a sharp turn at the end. The extreme pressure from the weight of the rig, and the sharp turn, was too much for it to handle apparently. Or, it was weakend earlier in the trip, and it just let go at that point.

 

[Gary E]

Oh when you said u-joint I was thinking axleshaft joint not DS joint that makes more sense.

 

[MJR]

Sorry to hear about your damage. Like others have said just fix it up and wheel the hell out of it. I ran the Barrett Lake and Rubicon Trails in 2001 with the other folks (had a 3" lift with 31's no less). Truely awesome trails.

 

[SeanP]

Wow! I am sorry to hear that your trip was, um...problematic. I hope that you had folks on the trail to help you out.

I am just about ready to leave tomorrow morning and I am still welding stuff on my XJ. Hope I make it further than you did.

SeanP

 

[2MUD-IN]

I hope everyone makes it further than I did!!! hehehe.

You wouldn't have enjoyed wheeling with me. You would have been the parts shuttle, and still wouldn't have been able to finish the trail...it took 3-1/2 days to gather the parts, get it fixed, and off the trail.