Operation Phoenix

[macleanflood]

If your woman was driving none of that would have happened

Absolutely true.

-Mac

 

[MagnumV8]

It was good wheeling with you again. Glad you made it home ok. That was the first time I have had to tow someone down the trail.

 

[MagnumV8]

Bob and I finally said "enough is enough" and we made Mac get in the back of his Jeep and I drove

 

[FarFire70]

Bob and I finally said "enough is enough" and we made Mac get in the back of his Jeep and I drove

View attachment 635426

Bob is a 3D printed model to fill out the HOV lane requirement....

 

[Woodrow]

Ok...so one thing that I screwed up on fixing my double adjustable control arms was pinion angle...I increased it...which I didn't notice...wheeling trip up in Washington with @Wildman and friends zero issues.

Fast forward to last Friday night...drove down to the Rubicon Trail to meet @MagnumV8 and friends to run the trail Monday.

Turns out my pinion angle increase meant my lower spring perch clearancing wasn't sufficient. Bent the passenger rear shock. Ripped off the driver from the upper mount. That caused the spring to pop off the upper perch.

Put it back together sans shock. Suggestion was to make a limiting strap... I thought that wouldn't work. As such the spring would pop out...out came Bob's Hi Lift...we got pretty good about stuffing the spring back in...five times. On turn 4 the lower bump stop extension ripped off...and I threw it in the passenger foot well thinking this makes reinstalling the spring easier.

Bzzt. Next obstacle. Axle hop. Track bar bracket came up and severed two fuel pump wires. Scotch locked them back together. Spring back in. Didn't see the bypass right next to me...tried again... completely exhausted... failing to think... rushing trying not to let folks down. Same thing happened...track bar went up...smashed both sides of the fuel pump connectors...and severed the fuel line at the connector...barb was still in the plastic hose.

Everyone wanted to camp at Rubicon Springs. I sent them ahead. Got towed 50' and joined some great folks in another party and camped at Loon Lake.

Cooked a steak. Slept. Woke up the next morning. Taped the wiring connectors together. Found some other folks with some 3/8" hose. Had some 3/8" fuel injector clamps. Fixed the bump stop. Made a limiting strap.

Drove to Rubicon Springs. Met up with folks. Finished the trail. Drove 8 hours home. Made it home at 11:30 pm.

Started ordering parts for an outboard. Poly Performance mounts. Looking at Accutune sourced Fox 2.0 RR 12.1" shocks with the adjustable knob.

Meanwhile I dug some brackets off a shelf that I bought on sale a couple of years ago. Hardware was awful chrome crap... replaced it with black oxide M8 bolts. Ordered some 1/2 13 black oxide bolts for the jack mount. Have some aluminum "thumb" screws/knobs from a mount I was going to put on the other side of my dump trailer.

I certainly don't love it. But I don't completely hate it. I don't want it on my tailgate or bumper. I think. But I will say that we absolutely needed a Hi Lift at Moab. We needed a Hi Lift on the Shoestring Trail in Washington. And I never would have made it off the Rubicon without one. I also use a Hi Lift weekly if not monthly recovering vehicles, illegally dumped RVs and around the property. I've got a healthy welt on my right arm when the jack popped off and smacked me... barely got my arm out in time.

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-Mac

That was a great example of how a small thing can cascade into a giant problem. Nice MacGyver, Mac

I also had a RJ elevated rear track bar mount take out a fuel line in Moab a couple of years ago. The ultimate solution was to move the fuel lines and electrical from their stock position out of harms way.

 

[Granite]

Projects that would take me months to figure out @macleanflood does between obstacles on the trail. I’m always impressed with your skills! And I wish I was as unafraid of breaking stuff as you are!

 

[Apparition]

Projects that would take me months to figure out @macleanflood does between obstacles on the trail. I’m always impressed with your skills! And I wish I was as unafraid of breaking stuff as you are!

I'm telling you he's like a coked up energizer bunny. (disclaimer I don't believe he does cocaine, he's just like that)

 

[mrblaine]

HiLifts are stupid and worthless. No one should ever carry one. They kill a lot of people every year just like guns. Just use the factory jack if you dont want to die. Learned all that here so it must be true



I the HiLift. Sometimes its the only tool for the job.

Great job getting off the trail.

If your woman was driving none of that would have happened

He could have traded the HiLift for a set of Rock Jock bumpstops and never had to take the jack off the hood.
They would not have ripped off the lower.
They would have retained the springs when the shock mount failed.
They would have prevented the damage to the fuel line and wiring.
I didn't realize it was illegal to winch off of the trees with a proper tree strap.

 

[macleanflood]

He could have traded the HiLift for a set of Rock Jock bumpstops and never had to take the jack off the hood.
They would not have ripped off the lower.
They would have retained the springs when the shock mount failed.
They would have prevented the damage to the fuel line and wiring.
I didn't realize it was illegal to winch off of the trees with a proper tree strap.

All true. Trying to be cheap can really be expensive.

-Mac

 

[macleanflood]

Ah ha!

-Mac

 

[macleanflood]

Ok...got down to it...started stripping things down...first, however I used my 1 1/8" crows foot and breaker bar to fix the pinion angle. Took exact a half inch out of the top link.

Dropped the fuel tank. Seriously caved in the skid. Did some preliminary sledge work but it's going to need more beating. Soaked it all in Simple Green trying to get the 1/4" of ATF and dust sliming everything... leftovers from my Chasing 231J leaks thread.

Worked on the fuel pump wiring. Don't have replacement cavities yet...but I removed the trail fix Scotch locks and replaced with proper crimps and heat shrink. Hoping I can identify the cavities on Mouser's website, depin what I have and fix.

Almost have enough Dorman parts to reconstruct a new plastic fuel line. Have 5/16" QD to plastic barbed...but the fuel pump appears to be 3/8 to 5/16" so I ordered that from Amazon. I'll approximate the length and transfer over the abrasion? sleeve.

Removed the limit strap and remains of my passenger side rear shock.

I have another Black Max rear shock on my shelf. Ordered another so I have a pair. Depending on how long Accutune takes to send me shocks...I may reinstall factory style shocks and the gas tank to minimize down time.

Poly Performance mounts are on their way...as is Curry bump stops. Accutune sourced Fox 2.0 12.1 RR with a 90 degree fitting and knob (rebound? dampening?) with a request for a TJ go fast tune for 4400 lbs vehicle with 50/50 weight distribution (that's about camping weight... appropriately 4240 "empty." I plan on adding aluminum body armor to the rear... that's plus 60 lbs...and removing the Morryde hinges in favor of @Fluxor aluminum version and tire carrier...so I feel that'll balance out.

-Mac

 

[Apparition]

Ok...got down to it...started stripping things down...first, however I used my 1 1/8" crows foot and breaker bar to fix the pinion angle. Took exact a half inch out of the top link.

View attachment 635746View attachment 635747View attachment 635748

Dropped the fuel tank. Seriously caved in the skid. Did some preliminary sledge work but it's going to need more beating. Soaked it all in Simple Green trying to get the 1/4" of ATF and dust sliming everything... leftovers from my Chasing 231J leaks thread.

View attachment 635749View attachment 635750View attachment 635751

Worked on the fuel pump wiring. Don't have replacement cavities yet...but I removed the trail fix Scotch locks and replaced with proper crimps and heat shrink. Hoping I can identify the cavities on Mouser's website, depin what I have and fix.

View attachment 635752View attachment 635753View attachment 635754View attachment 635755View attachment 635756View attachment 635757

Almost have enough Dorman parts to reconstruct a new plastic fuel line. Have 5/16" QD to plastic barbed...but the fuel pump appears to be 3/8 to 5/16" so I ordered that from Amazon. I'll approximate the length and transfer over the abrasion? sleeve.

Removed the limit strap and remains of my passenger side rear shock.

View attachment 635758View attachment 635759

I have another Black Max rear shock on my shelf. Ordered another so I have a pair. Depending on how long Accutune takes to send me shocks...I may reinstall factory style shocks and the gas tank to minimize down time.

Poly Performance mounts are on their way...as is Curry bump stops. Accutune sourced Fox 2.0 12.1 RR with a 90 degree fitting and knob (rebound? dampening?) with a request for a TJ go fast tune for 4400 lbs vehicle with 50/50 weight distribution (that's about camping weight... appropriately 4240 "empty." I plan on adding aluminum body armor to the rear... that's plus 60 lbs...and removing the Morryde hinges in favor of @Fluxor aluminum version and tire carrier...so I feel that'll balance out.

-Mac

Didn’t Jerry recommend putting the skid on some boards and driving on it to remove dents?

 

[macleanflood]

Didn’t Jerry recommend putting the skid on some boards and driving on it to remove dents?

I have a lot of hours in on swinging sledgehammers...I 'm thinking of putting it out on the dirt and swinging away...or using my shop press. Not sure my tractor is heavy enough to bend it... maybe the truck...

-Mac

 

[mrblaine]

Ok...got down to it...started stripping things down...first, however I used my 1 1/8" crows foot and breaker bar to fix the pinion angle. Took exact a half inch out of the top link.

View attachment 635746View attachment 635747View attachment 635748

Dropped the fuel tank. Seriously caved in the skid. Did some preliminary sledge work but it's going to need more beating. Soaked it all in Simple Green trying to get the 1/4" of ATF and dust sliming everything... leftovers from my Chasing 231J leaks thread.

View attachment 635749View attachment 635750View attachment 635751

Worked on the fuel pump wiring. Don't have replacement cavities yet...but I removed the trail fix Scotch locks and replaced with proper crimps and heat shrink. Hoping I can identify the cavities on Mouser's website, depin what I have and fix.

View attachment 635752View attachment 635753View attachment 635754View attachment 635755View attachment 635756View attachment 635757

Almost have enough Dorman parts to reconstruct a new plastic fuel line. Have 5/16" QD to plastic barbed...but the fuel pump appears to be 3/8 to 5/16" so I ordered that from Amazon. I'll approximate the length and transfer over the abrasion? sleeve.

Removed the limit strap and remains of my passenger side rear shock.

View attachment 635758View attachment 635759

I have another Black Max rear shock on my shelf. Ordered another so I have a pair. Depending on how long Accutune takes to send me shocks...I may reinstall factory style shocks and the gas tank to minimize down time.

Poly Performance mounts are on their way...as is Curry bump stops. Accutune sourced Fox 2.0 12.1 RR with a 90 degree fitting and knob (rebound? dampening?) with a request for a TJ go fast tune for 4400 lbs vehicle with 50/50 weight distribution (that's about camping weight... appropriately 4240 "empty." I plan on adding aluminum body armor to the rear... that's plus 60 lbs...and removing the Morryde hinges in favor of @Fluxor aluminum version and tire carrier...so I feel that'll balance out.

-Mac

Why are you even fucking with that early skid? Get the 03-06 skid, cut the flanges, overlap by 1", weld, rivet, or bolt them back together and now you have a raised, far stronger, much better skid that actually does something.

Do you need me to send you some proper heat shrink so you'll stop using that junk you have there?

 

[Wildman]

I can make you a nice steel braided rear fuel line that had the fittings so you can sue the Russel (Or Evil Energy) quick disconnects... I've made a few for other members already...

 

[Woodrow]

I can make you a nice steel braided rear fuel line that had the fittings so you can sue the Russel (Or Evil Energy) quick disconnects... I've made a few for other members already...

recommend

 

[Woodrow]

Why are you even fucking with that early skid? Get the 03-06 skid, cut the flanges, overlap by 1", weld, rivet, or bolt them back together and now you have a raised, far stronger, much better skid that actually does something.

Do you need me to send you some proper heat shrink so you'll stop using that junk you have there?

100% agree with this. The stock skid on my ‘97 was pitiful.

 

[Wildman]

Mac,
Video talking about the 4.0 rattle a little bit... Just thought you might find it interesting.

recommend

Thanks

 

[mrblaine]

recommend

We need a better way that doesn't add 2 more potential leak points.

 

[Woodrow]

We need a better way that doesn't add 2 more potential leak points.

Are you referring to the using the Dorman barbed connections and regular fuel hose, the flexible braided lines or any type of separate line for the fuel pump to hard line?