The Frog Blog

[rocknxj]

The road to Darwin is pretty cool, with old mining equipment and shafts along the way. I need to go back and finish the trip, as we only got part way there before needing to head back to camp. There's never enough gas or beer for a trip like this.

The campsite at Panamint Springs is pretty rustic but it's cheap and the trip was well worth the time. Be prepared to spend $6 per gallon for gas if you forget your gas can back at camp like I did...

 

[Forceful Llama]

Ahh. Death Valley is probably my favorite place to camp. Frog looks good too with those flares installed!

 

[rocknxj]

Just wheeled trails near Parker Az for a few hours today. Easy trails but amazing scenery. Flat towed the XJ behind the Tundra (300 miles) and it worked well. Good test for the Oct Moab trip.

 

[rocknxj]

I thought I would post a few pics from the Arizona trip over Easter week. Even though I never found anything too difficult, it was good to get out and find dirt. This will likely be the last trip to the land of Az before heading back up north.

Yeti towed the XJ great. It was good to know I could accelerate past 70 mph uphill while flat towing. An average of 14 mpg while towing is not too shabby, either.

I ended up cutting my wheeling short due to a sliced KM2 sidewall on my last trip to the Parker area. I had no problems with my grippy Kevlars.

One of the cool things about wheeling this area is the number of old mine shafts that can be found.

Spring wheeling with nobody for miles around is cool too.

Nuts, beer, and a winch. Essentials of the trail.

I stumbled upon True Grit in my search for something a bit more challenging. This was one of the trails I found on YouTube before I left. Unfortunately, it wasn't much more than a rocky trail with one obstacle at the end that I walked right up.

 

[rocknxj]

There are plenty of places to get lost out there.

Yeah, more mines. This one is near Desert Bar, a cool oasis in the middle of nowhere.

I was able to convince the wife to wheel with me the next day. That rarely happens. Finally, somebody else to take pics...

This was a decent trip, but I miss trees, rain, and northern California terrain. I'm really getting tired of the desert.

 

[Skipper51]

I love the desert! Beautiful country and spring makes it even more special.

 

[XJDaniel]

WOW!!!! Stayed up till 3AM last night reading this whole thing. I'm going to keep up with this thread/blog. Your write-ups are great and inforamative and your event coverage makes me want to get out on a trail. The Frog has come a long way and has looked great through all of it. Would love to meet you and the Frog at this year's 30th in MOAB. Hopefully we make it down.

 

[rocknxj]

WOW!!!! Stayed up till 3AM last night reading this whole thing. I'm going to keep up with this thread/blog. Your write-ups are great and inforamative and your event coverage makes me want to get out on a trail. The Frog has come a long way and has looked great through all of it. Would love to meet you and the Frog at this year's 30th in MOAB. Hopefully we make it down.

Thanks, man. Welcome to the family of . I've been tempted to sell the Jeep a few times but always change my mind after every wheeling trip, then end up adding more parts and spending more money on the POS. is a great place to swap stories and I always enjoy the times I wheel with the guys in the Sierra Chapter, and now the SoCal chapter. The 30th in Moab is going to be epic and a great chance for all of us to get together and tell even bigger lies...I mean stories. Since you're in Utah already, we will all expect you to be there. :clap:

Thanks again for the kind words. I feel a bit out of place living in SoCal, but continually updating the FB in the Sierra Chapter, but I am planning my return very soon. Plus, my kid in the Green '01 XJ lives in Rocklin and I'm looking forward to wheeling with him in the near future. Hopefully he will meet up with me on the Rubicon on Father's Day weekend. I miss the little punk.

As for 2013 upgrades, I swapped to Goodyear MT/Rs on 10" steel rims, Bilsteins, added flat Bushwhackers, and just did a OTK tie rod flip this weekend. I had hoped to swap to a LA lift, but down here is SoCal, I feel that I'm already capable for the trails I've run. We'll see how that goes after SoCal Fest in Big Bear at the end of the month. That might change my mind and I'll write up my long arm swap. If not, I'll look for a rear locker or something else to upgrade prior to Moab. Hopefully my XJ makes it past Big Bear, the Rubicon, Deer Valley, and other short trips down here.

 

[MikeMc]

Great pictures. Looks like a lot of fun.

 

[rocknxj]

Had a good time at SoCal Fest at Big Bear last weekend. Jeep did great on John Bull, but that trail pales in comparison to many norcal trails. I'm looking at adding an affordable rear locker like the Power Trax no-slip for my 8.25 so I'll be ready for my upcoming trips to the Rubicon in June, SierraFest in August, and Moab in October. I like the cost and ease of installation of the Power Trax, but I'll need to research what else is out there before deciding.

http://www.jeepinoutfitters.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=850

 

[srmitchell]

I hear those are pretty well mannered, better than the super noisy aussie I had. I actually sold my 8.25 aussie, it was horrible having two lunchbox lockers in tight spaces.

 

[MikeMc]

I have that in my 8.25 and it is completely silent but it still behaves like a typical lunchbox. Offroad it's 100% awesome. On road it locks and unlocked when it feels like it. Mostly in town it will often lock and chirp the tires going around corners regardless of how little or how lot of throttle I give it. Pretty much a mind of it's own in town.

 

[Skipper51]

I like my True Track. It does well on and off the road the little bit I have used it. Going to the Molina Ghost run at Hollister Hills this weekend so I will get another chance to see how it does.
Oh yeah it does really great in the snow.

 

[rocknxj]

I ordered my Powertrax no-slip locker today. Not sure if it will arrive in time for the annual Hi-Lander's poker run on the Rubicon during Father's Day weekend but it will be installed in time for Sierra Fest for sure. That'll help if I get stuck on a log like last time. Shameful.

 

[rocknxj]

edited

 

[rocknxj]

Started the Powertrax no-slip locker install today but it looks like i'll need to order a different kit for my 4.56 gears. Powertrax (richmond.org) web site calls for a
Cross shaft pin 80-0278-1 for that gear set, but only shows that required for 27 spline. Not sure if I actually need that for my 29 spline, or if I can get away with grinding down some teeth as others have done. Also, 4Wheel Parts only shows the one limited slip Powertrax locker available for the 29 spline, but the one I have won't work. Funsies.

Edit: I have the trac loc 8.25 and Powertrax no-slip locker for that differential. The instructions simply say to remove the side gears and spiders. It seems to me one would need to remove the carrier to do this. What am I missing?

 

[rocknxj]

Got the Powertrax installed today. Fairly easy install and it drives great. I even learned how to remove spider gears ha ha. Looking forward to testing it on the Rubicon next month.

Next up are a pair of longer leaf shackles to level out the back end of the jeep. My upper bushings are shot so it's time for a bit more height.

 

[XJensen]

That's great! When are you running the Con? I would love to meet you out there if I can get my jeep back together.

 

[rocknxj]

Hey, Josh. I'm doing the annual Hi-Lander's Poker Run on Father's day weekend. This will be my 5th year and it's a pretty good event. Not sure if I'll tow the Jeep behind the motor home, or behind the Tundra and tent camp it.

Otherwise, my next trip North will be during Sierra Fest after the Poker Run. Hope to see you at either run.

Oh, and we are also looking for a house or other property in Placer County and I'll likely park the Jeep there once we buy, so I'll always have it for the great NorCal trails. I'm done with the desert.

 

[rocknxj]

Here are a few shots from SoCal Fest at Big Bear a couple of weeks ago. I made sure to wear my SierraFest shirt ha ha. We had 40 rigs attend and had three groups run stocker, moderate, and the slightly tougher John Bull run.

The camp site. First time I've seen real trees in a year.

Big Bear is like a mini Tahoe.

John Bull is a pretty easy trail for anyone with taller than 31" tires and a traction aid of some sort. The granite is fairly grippy and there are only two or three obstacles that might slow you down. More if your wife is with you like mine was. Still, though, there was an amazing amount of carnage within the group from sheared control arms, to bent tie rods and busted shocks. The most interesting trail fix was a log jammed along the unit body rail to hold in a busted rear leaf bolt.

Anyway, my new Bushwhackers held up well despite my 33" Kevlar's rubbing against them front and back, and the new Bilsteins and OTK tie rod flip worked great. The tie rod end fiber lock nut did work itself loose by the end of the trail, though. I'll need to figure out a more secure way to bolt the tie rod down. I did manage to blow up my portable air compressor and need something to replace it. I'd love to have an air tank but I blew that budget on the Powertrax.

I've done Kennedy Meadows, Big Bear, Kleghorn, Johnson Valley, and Jawbone, in addition to Havasu and Death Valley/Panamint trails in the last 10 months. I really miss NorCal. Anybody want to buy some sand?