Spring Build

Remember that small Jeep I was so excited to get three years ago? Remember all the plans I had throughout these two years of buying parts? Now, everything is being put together. A few weeks ago I finished putting together my ford 9 inch and now my jeep is in the garage being torn apart. It seems like everyone anxiously tries to get one final build or one final adjustment in before the start of the next year of rock crawling. I may not be just adjusting or tuning some small detail, but I am just like them building myself a Jeep to take on trips over the summer.













Overall the build started very slow with one small thing being done here or there  (whenever we got the chance). This last weekend is when it finally all came together, I pulled out my transfer case to replace with an aftermarket Atlas 4:1 for a lower set of gears and pulled out the transmission to replace the clutch. After I did that, I pulled out the front and rear end as well as the springs and shocks holding them in. The next day my dad and I put in a 1-inch body lift for the atlas to fit and added new shock mounts. Hopefully, this weekend we will get more done so when my dad is off next week we can finish putting mine together and start on my dad's. Spring is a crazy time for everyone preparing for the summer and finishing any projects they had over the winter.

4 Wheel Drive Truck fest and What I Have Been Working On

This year, just like last year, I went to the San Mateo 4 Wheel Parts Truck fest. I prefer to go to this truck fest because I can talk to the vendors about the parts I am looking for and negotiate to get the best possible deal. Last year I purchased a lot of parts; including springs, ARB air locker, and compressor. This year I did not actually need anything to build my Jeep but wanted to buy some accessories.

I ended up purchasing the tire carrier for the Warn rear bumper I purchased for very cheap. I also decided to buy a winch the day before the show, but I was unsure of what winch I should get. I searched through websites like Warn, that night and eventually decided I would look to get the VR8000, but then at the show I got the M8000 because I got a better deal for a better winch.

Besides these bigger items, I found a set of rock sliders for a great deal and my third member for my Ford 9 inch just got put together with an ARB locker set up for 31 spline axels. The goal is still to get both my Jeep and my Dad's put together before May, but that goal is starting to seem very unlikely.

Jeep Blog and Overview of Uncle's Jeep

This month have not been working on my jeep, or really doing much. A few days ago I got my license, but still have to work on my jeep before I can go on any off road trips. So far, I do not have any major trips planned soon, but my uncle really wants to go. He just got his Jeep back from 4 wheel parts and is dying to go try it out. He went all out; he put a 4-inch lift, an atlas, a G2 dana 60 in the rear and dana 44 in the front, and  37-inch tires on his two-door 2007 Jeep Wrangler JK.

Honestly, I am dying to get my Jeep built to go. I can not wait, but until then I am stuck waiting while I work on it in my free time. Recently I found this really cool post from The Jeep Blog called Prepping for Overland off-roading with the Jeep Wrangler. You guys should check it out if you are not too busy.




This blog is mainly talking about the "best" Jeep for off-roading, the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. Many people may think that the most modern vehicle is the best, which it is, but other Jeeps can still perform just as well. The part of this blog post I believe everyone should see is the 4 point checklist.

In this checklist, it goes over the essentials for an off-road adventure. You should always overpack on camping gear, like food, because you may break and have to spend the night or get lost. Someone you go with should have a map of the trail to avoid getting lost; and someone should carry an emergency kit, just in case. With these three most important things anyone can survive an adventure and have fun.

New Year, New Start

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great year, but now it is about the future, not reflecting on the past. Last year was a lot of fun; I got my permit and started to work on my jeep.I did not get as much done as I was hoping and did not go on as many trips this last year as I wanted. Hopefully, this year I will somewhat complete my jeep and get my driver's licence, so I can go on more trips and drive all the trails we will be going on. This year, since it is the time to make a new year resolution, I am going to make a to-do list.

1. Get my driver's
    licence
2. Finish my Ford 9
    inch build and my
    dad's 44 front-end
    build
3. Install my dad's
    front-end
4. Install all of my
    parts (including
    rear-end, dad's
    previous front-end,
    1 1/2 inch spring
    over lift, etc.)
5. Go to Shaver Lake
    area and go on
    many of the trails
    over there
6. Go to the rubicon
    and maybe Fordyce
7. Don't break
    anything on the
    Jeep the whole
    year







As a recap of the changes that happened this last year include, deciding to put in a 1 1/2 inch spring over lift, I got the Chromoly axels but have not put together the 9 inch, installed a custom roll cage, got everything I need to install the front and rear ends, and ended up getting a center consul and radio. Overall last year was everything I wanted, but this year is when everything is going to happen and I will have my completed Jeep.

The Basics of Rock Crawling

There are many different types of terrains you can take your off-road vehicle on that are fun and unique in their own way. Some different types are the snow, mud, water, sand and dirt, but I am going to focus on rocks especially rock crawling. Unlike many of the other terrains, you do not want to go very fast over these obstacles due to the severe body damage they can cause. This and some other factors cause rock crawling to be harder to the average driver than it seems, and unlike other off-roading terrains it is more about skill and ability rather than force.

First, you have to have a correctly built vehicle to be able to actually make it through a rock crawling trail. The vehicle has to have enough clearance to make it over the obstacles and you have to have low enough gears to not bounce around causing damage and getting you nowhere but stuck. Without a lift, you would scrape the underside of the vehicle and likely break something or get high centered. Skid plates and Rock Sliders can also be used to protect your vehicle's body from damage if it hits the rocks by adding an extra protective layer of thick metal.

Other thinks you should add to your vehicle to allow you to rock crawl better could be low gears or lockers. Low gears would allow your vehicle to slowly crawl over the rocks without sliding off of them. This can happen by allowing your engine to slow your vehicle rather than using your brakes or clutch. It would also help if you aired down your tires, which would allow yourself to stick to the rock due to having more rubber on the rock and make the whole ride a lot smoother. Eventually, the price will continue to rise if you get lockers, but this is an item that would benefit your vehicle because it would allow you to climb rocks you couldn't have before by making both axels spin at all times. To avoid things like this you have to have a built vehicle and have some skill (not luck).












Second, you have to have the skill to go off-roading and it is even more important to have  the skill to go rock crawling. One huge difference between easier trails and rock crawling is that in rock crawling you want to go over the rocks instead of trying to squeeze around them. Rock Crawling is all about the flex in the suspension and knowing how big of a rock you can climb before you roll it. Rock crawling is not something you can ever hope to learn in a few minutes but is more like a skill you continue to develop and try to improve on after many years. Some simple tips you would want to know before wheeling is to try to always keep your vehicle balanced, go slow enough to avoid spinning, know how to pick a line your vehicle will make, and like I have always been told, know your vehicle and its limits.

Overall these are the most basic steps to rock crawling:

1. Build your vehicle
2. Pick the right line
3. Stay on top on the rocks
4. Go Slow
5. Have fun

Summer of Rock Crawling up at Dinkey Creek

My last post was a few months ago, so for those who do not know me I am a fifteen-year-old Sophmore at Windsor High School. This blog is about the trips me and my family take to go rock crawling with our friends. During this year and the beginning of next year, I am going to be building my 95 YJ jeep wrangler. So far I have most of the parts to build it, but I still need some parts that I'm going to get this year. 

This summer I have been very busy, one of my trips was to the Dinkey Creek Wilderness area to go on some of the trails. On this trip my uncle went and he only had a stock 07 JK jeep wrangler. We took him up to Bald Mountain, part of Dusy Ershim, Brewer, Mirror and Strawberry Lakes. The last time I went to this area was two years ago and many of the trails have changed slightly. Bald Mountain had many new trails off of it that we have not gone on before that were marked. This trip was fun and my dad let me drive his Jeep (in the pictures above) on most of the trails. One of the best parts of this trip was that no one broke anything.

Soon I will start building my Jeep, so hopefully next year I will be driving my own vehicle and going on more trails. In a couple of weeks, I will be going on the Rubicon and then I will hopefully have my Jeep done after that, but before the next trip.

Building a Custom Roll Cage

 

First I got forty feet of one and three quarter inch hollow steel pipe that my dad had at our friend Richs' house. We then bent the pipe using a pipe bender for the main supports. We had to make two identical pieces and two cross bars between to support the jeep if it ever rolled. It took us multiple tries to bend the pipe to the correct angle the first time, but the second time it only took a couple of minutes.

 

 

 

We then put small tack welds to temporarily hold the pipe in place. I wanted extra support so we added two bars from the support at the windshield to the main support in the middle. We had to make sure the angles left enough room for passengers and drivers head, but not too much to stop the soft top from fitting. It took us multiple tries to get the pipes lined up perfectly and clean off the paint and rust so the welds would hold.

 

After the front was held together we cut two pieces for the back, making them line up with the center supports. They hole had to have the right angle to fit the steel supports and still provide support. We added one more bar across the back behind the back seat but had to angle it out to avoid hitting passengers heads. We then welded everything in and created two small handles on the roll bar for the front driver and passenger seat.