That V8 tho...

[Chris GTO TT]

Should be a breeze now that you know what you are doing

[Jeff V.]

Now that I know how much of a difference it makes to empty the damn thing first

I'm hoping I don't need to actually pull it. I might be able to undo the straps and lift up the front enough to get the bolt out. Most of the interference is the skid plate. That comes out with 4 bolts. That'll be easy since I just had it apart, and I gave all the bolts a generous coating of anti-seize.

[aaronatstate]

[quote=""Jeff V.""]Now that I know how much of a difference it makes to empty the damn thing first

I'm hoping I don't need to actually pull it. I might be able to undo the straps and lift up the front enough to get the bolt out. Most of the interference is the skid plate. That comes out with 4 bolts. That'll be easy since I just had it apart, and I gave all the bolts a generous coating of anti-seize.[/quote]

Sounds like you'll be ordering the springs today

[Jeff V.]

Springs, bushings, bolts, shackles...

I just want to put a used spring in it and be done for right now. I haven't even told you guys about the brake line fiasco yet. And the Mazda needs maintenance before we take it up to Michigan in a couple weeks. There's a whole lot of mission creep happening here.

[vegasidol]

FB friends have already seen these:

[vegasidol]

So, from my perspective...

AMAZING! I was looking forward to this all week! (actually, more like a year! This was our 3rd attempt at doing this class).

We had already done a 101 'learning' course a while back, but no wheeling. The morning was more of a informational repeat of 'about' off-road, but we learned some additional items. Like, using 1st gear to go downhill WITHOUT your brakes! It was really freaky to do so at first, but totally cool.

There were three 'levels' of trails. Beginner, Intermediate and Expert. Of course, we thought we'd only be doing beginner for a 101 class. The main 'loop' in the park was already 'beginner'...then we turned off and immediately said, 'This is a 101 course?!'. We started over steep, narrow downgrades and turns, and uphills...'smaller' rocks (tennis ball size)? Then the group slows down and our leader gets out to coach each vehicle in our group of seven through our first set of 'larger rocks'. The photo above is a good example. He knew what option each of our vehicles had and told us what route to take, and which way to turn our wheels. It was pretty amazing when Jeff was told to take a center line on our first big pile that he had the Jeep in front of us go around to the left. He was pretty sure our dif had plenty of room...Jeff was skeptical.

Like butter! Jeff was like WOW! He couldn't believe we could do that. It upped our confidence.

I'll be honest, the narrowness of the trail, and the trees freaked me out more than anything. Getting 'kissed' by a tree. The body is still so good on the H3, I just wasn't ready for the first dent.

Jeff drove just over the first hour, and asked me if I wanted to take a turn. I was a bit intimidated...and I wanted to know more of what we 'could do' before taking over, but I'm glad he pushed me to go, I basically got 10 minutes in before we broke. As a matter of fact I was driving when it 'broke'. I felt so much more confident driving, and listening to the spotter that the jarring of going over the rocks, and not listening to the 'sounds' of the tires and body moaning...just trusting it would 'be okay'. lol?

We heard this terrible rubber (tire) noise after...and we were hoping it would stop after getting on flat ground...and it didn't. Jeff checked, and saw the issue. We had to 'honk' to alert our group to stop...and the WHOLE crew came to see the broken hummer.

Someone helped hold it together with a strap so we could drive out. I'm glad we didn't need to be 'followed' even though we were at the far end of the 380 acre park. Quite the adventure navigating out! I'm glad the trails were marked well, and I'm good with maps.

The waiting for rescue was the worst part (for me). My dad has a way of 'complicating things' and was convinced he could find someone to rent us a car trailer. But the Sprinter just isn't appropriate to tow the H3 and trailer weight, despite what he thinks...so it took him 3 hours to come get us.

In the end...Jeff is AWESOME! We certainly couldn't have had this adventure without Jeff being such an amazing mechanic (or being out $$$$ for someone else to tow/fix)

I know this was my adventure that I pushed Jeff into...and he ultimately is the one doing the wrenching. But I loved it! Especially during covid...where we can't do a lot of anything else. This was so exciting! The day...weather was perfect! But I know it won't always be, and it can be such a PITA to break.

I want to do more though! So...upgraded and stronger parts it is, so less breakage. This would be easier to do if we had more local friends to 'get a ride with' if/when things break. Or, maybe we should just follow the truck in another vehicle on our own, if we need to go home...

We have to do some items on the Mazda and get back to MI in a few weeks, but I really hope we can go out again...somewhere this year. There are a few closer places. And I do have an old coworker who does this...just need to coordinate/hang with him more.


TL;DR - Had fun. Broke truck. Jeff fixed. $$$ Do it again?

[vegasidol]

We were in the upper right corner when breakage happened.

Edit: I was on 115-Pinball when it broke.

[ChargerX3]

Your pics didnt load for me on here.

Glad you guys had fun and pushed your off-road boundaries. Things will break out of the gate if a rig hasn't been properly flexed. Now you just get to upgrade to reliable parts and have more fun.

Jeff, are you convinced on wheeling, or would you rather stick to paved roads?

Do you get to come back to the park to make up the other half of the day you lost?

[Jeff V.]

This is interesting. One of the guys at the rock park mentioned it to me. This place is ~30 min away.

https://www.generalspringkc.com/product_p/22-1485.htm

[Duck Vader]

I'll admit I did enjoy offroading a bit but the anxiety with breaking my daily made it too much. I prefer sticking to the roads and only going off road enough to get to camp sites and stuff. Don't miss the double and triple black diamond stuff.

[Jeff V.]

I emailed General Spring and asked why they don't have a local pickup option in their online ordering page. They said they'd have to check and see if they had the springs in stock. Otherwise I'll have to have them shipped regardless. I'm still waiting for a reply.

I also emailed 4 Wheel Parts to ask what the lead time is on the ARB springs. Radio silence.

[ChargerX3]

Just weld those puppies up in the meantime.

[Jeff V.]

I'm not sure where I'm supposed to get half of a leaf spring eye, but sure, I'll get right on that.

[aaronatstate]

[quote=""Jeff V.""]I'm not sure where I'm supposed to get half of a leaf spring eye, but sure, I'll get right on that.[/quote]

Hose clamps bro!

[ChargerX3]

Is there not a junk yard replacement/upgrade?

[Jeff V.]

I can't get a used one within a 3 hour radius. Even if I could, the price is so close to the new ones that it doesn't make sense. I don't know of anything else I could scavenge one off of. I already looked at Colorado springs. They're the wrong size.

[ChargerX3]

That blows.

[Jeff V.]

Well, we're getting the ARB "Old Man Emu" springs.

I gave up on waiting and called General Spring. They don't stock them, and I'd have to pay to ship them no matter what. So $260 turns into $325. The value proposition is fading.

I also gave up on waiting for 4 Wheel Parts to get back to me about the ARBs. Vira heard of someone waiting for 30 days to get a set, but I figured I'd call them anyway just to see. I talked to someone who was actually really helpful. They had two in stock, albeit at different warehouses. But due to the logistics, they don't qualify for free shipping to the local stores. The stores order direct from the manufacturer for some reason. Maybe that's where the 30 days comes in, if they're coming via slow boat from Australia or something. Anyway, I asked what shipping was. $12 each. He also told me if I finished the order on the website, they'd order from the manufacturer again. Why does this company even have warehouses? So I triple checked everything, made the order while I was on the phone, and now we'll hopefully have upgraded springs in 7-10 days. $540 out the door.

[Chris GTO TT]

Nice!

[vegasidol]

[quote=""Jeff V.""]Well, we're getting the ARB "Old Man Emu" springs.

I gave up on waiting and called General Spring. They don't stock them, and I'd have to pay to ship them no matter what. So $260 turns into $325. The value proposition is fading.

I also gave up on waiting for 4 Wheel Parts to get back to me about the ARBs. Vira heard of someone waiting for 30 days to get a set, but I figured I'd call them anyway just to see. I talked to someone who was actually really helpful. They had two in stock, albeit at different warehouses. But due to the logistics, they don't qualify for free shipping to the local stores. The stores order direct from the manufacturer for some reason. Maybe that's where the 30 days comes in, if they're coming via slow boat from Australia or something. Anyway, I asked what shipping was. $12 each. He also told me if I finished the order on the website, they'd order from the manufacturer again. Why does this company even have warehouses? So I triple checked everything, made the order while I was on the phone, and now we'll hopefully have upgraded springs in 7-10 days. $540 out the door.[/quote]

Nice job hon!