Dave's write on the Swamp lake
WELL, WELL,...WELL..
Back from Swamp Lake,...I Had a score to settle and,........DID...thank the
LORD!!
I'll give my rundown and I hope everyone else does as well.
I'll post a couple of pics now and a few more in a day or so.
Fri.AUG 11, We got to Eddies place late...sorry you guys had to wait for
us...thanks to Eddie and his Wife for hosting us all and putting up with us...
A good time and good food.......good to meet a few more faces.
Sat 8-12, After a slow start on the long grade up to Shaver, We lost Woods, (Ken
and his Wife),...hope you are both safe and sound, we waited till we knew they
had a tow truck coming, hope to see you both soon..
Not too much later 1-2 miles into the trail...Floorguys( Craig & Michelle and
there girls), computer fries?????..Controls all the fuel injection and engine
controls..........go figure......after numerous mountain climbing and several
cell phone calls....found a Computer about 2 hours away and then
back????....Craig opted for a tow out to trail head....Thanks Jeepdog for the
help and Mike( in a CJ to be named later) for the escort and the tow.
So...Bonecruncher,(Curt and his boys), Eddie(AMC Commando), and I
(with my wife Danys,my son Josh 22, and my daughter Stacie 17)..press on. From 7
Jeeps to 3 and we haven't seen a rock yet...
As we go, merrily along...about 5 miles in, good stuff, rocks and off camber and
all....nothing too serious...really just fun....and Eddies B/N just stopped. (At
least we were on flat ground)...we tinker around and find nothing....Eddie
restarts and everything's fine....(maybe just a sloshing and flooding
prob??)....Well now Curts B/N won't start....and this just seconds after joking
that Eddies computer might have blown...Ha Ha..ha....(Eddies all Carb)....lol
Curts Fuel injected B/N won't start...hmmmmmmmm......talk about starting to
think we should have stayed home......after a few minuets of diagnostic....we
find the fuel pump hot wire pinched......grounding out...but can't find the
blown fuse...
Enter the cavalry....Mike and Don return....Mike finds the fuse....we splice a
wire around the damaged section.....(Have that looked at Curt)......and Off We
Merrily Go...up to 5 again....down the hill to Rooster rock.....before we get
there...I smack into a rock and completely puncture my steering stabilizer...I
cant turn now, a few minutes later I removed the stabilizer and ...OFF WE GO
AGAIN.....and up Rooster...uneventful...but still every Jeep had at least one
front tire airborne at some time.....Except maybe Don......That Jeeps
impressive,....
Not a 1/2 mile past Rooster...we get to a vertical shelf....2'feet
HIGH,.....Mike, in a RED CJ5...bringing up the rear....looses a rear
driveshaft...???...Who knows why.
Mike gets to the vertical shelf,...hooks up the winch,.....front wheel drive..
(DID I MENTION WE ARE ALMOST EXACTLY HALF WAY THROUGH THIS TRAIL)....we get
Don(Jeepdog)...strapped to Mike then pull.....POW.....did I say pow...more like
SNAP CRACKLE POP!!!!!...We tear the wheel off the CJ!....TEAR IT OFF
MAN!!!!....... (THIS IS A DANA 44 MAN...YOU AIN'T SUPPOSE TO BREAK THIS IN A
CJ!!!!) Both ball joints are out of the knuckle....axle shaft ujoint
exploded..... wheel,...hanging by the tie rod and brake line.....actually not
hanging....because the Jeep is sitting on them...but they are now at a 45 degree
angle to the axle,. not good...
It is about 5-6 o'clock pm...sun going down.....We are stuck in the
trail...hmmmm,..after much deliberation and brainstorming we begin an
attempt...to REINSTALL both ball joints.... we have an extra axle shaft w/
ujoint...it is the wrong length. no prob....we just change, swap, the inners
with the new outer and ujoint....well...the inner is all bent to
hell......great!!!!
After using a 2lb. sledge to straighten the yoke of the inner axle...and hours
of pounding the outer from the other axle....(did I mention loosing the needle
bearings in the tiny cups and having to sift dirt to find them all..).. we
finally get the axle back together... well after all the hammering...it is not
such a tight fit...( the caps in the yoke)...so lets weld the caps in, ...Good
thing Don had a welder! We also realize the ball joints won't stay in...can't
find the ball joint retaining ring,.... we decide to weld that also...( My most
serious thanks to DON...no Joking aside,...for bringing that welder...We never
would have pulled this off without it)...
So then....now we only half to bolt the knuckle back on,...reinstall the
shaft,....and the tire, and we are back to 2 wheel drive right.????....
Meanwhile back at the ranch...all cell phones have died in vain attempts to
contact more help...(Can you say.....CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW???).....a small group
of wheelers have passed and promised to call Floorguy..
You know the one that ,lost a computer????.... to see if he can find some help
and parts to meet us with.........
We get the axle together...bolt the knuckle in place....guess what?
The welds will NOT, I repeat, NOT!!....clear the inside diameter of the
knuckle...ouch!!!
So...anybody have a grinder?.......NOT...5 Jeeps...and all we find is one tiny
3/16" rat tail file.......start grinding the knuckle to clear the welds....(the
welds broke the chisel we tried).......so we file the knuckle....
After a couple hours of this we find a suitable chisel...and begin to chisel the
knuckle, ......must have been around.....1-2 AM when we finally can beat the
axle past the knuckle,.....now,...after the beating, the locking hub will not go
over the axle......(can you say round rat tail file for fixing splined
shafts....???)............I thought you could.....file file file.....then use a
Saws All blade...no Saws All of course,....to fix splines....but around....2 am
the CJ5 sits on it's own wheels again....(still stuck but hey....)
AFTER A LITTLE CREATIVE WINCHING...we get the CJ clear of the trail...with the
intention of fixing the rear driveshaft in the AM...
I turn out the lights around 2 am...hit the sack. Did I say how much I like
wheeling?
8-13...AM, sometime,...Sunday morn...Thank you Lord for another day...
After a breakfast, much coffee, and a meeting, we decide to forge ahead..
(IF.???PARTS ARE COMING THEY MIGHT MEET US...WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING BESIDES
SCREWDRIVERS AND WRENCHES TO REPAIR A DRIVESHAFT ANYWAY....).....so......
Off We Merrily go again...Someone said this was the easy side, so we are looking
for a drag, and push, and get out of hear, day........
There is one challenge left,....called V-rock......Not the worst thing there
is...but,??.........Round river rock, uphil,l......between two, Jeep size
boulders...with a nice right turn at the top...while dragging CJ5???....(Does
anybody know what 6wheel lockers look like???)
Everyone made it fine, but Don was pulling Mike and made it look easy...I was
last and they had me nervous as could be.....but the Jeep worked great.....( I
WILL TAKE THIS MOMENT TO SAY....MY JEEPSTER WALKED ALL THE WAY THROUGH SWAMP
LAKE LIKE IT WAS A PARKING LOT........now that I am home in my
driveway.......lol)
After that we stopped for lunch, guess it was around 1:00 pm..
About the time we were done with lunch...guess what we ..hear..???
Helicopter tow service?...I wish.....lol.....Here comes the CAVELVRY...
Up the hill comes Floorguy Craig ( I guess the message got through..)
and a local friend named Bruce.....in Bruce's CJ7....(Of course the hard stuff
is over now)......but they whip out another welder.....and a Saws All
( can you say batteries are cool???), and an extra driveshaft with the correct
slip yoke........A little cutting, welding, and VIOLA,....Mike is now back in
4-wheel drive...
Down to the parking lot, back to the RV @ Eddies and home,....got Home around
8pm......
I had a great time!!!
Thanks Eddie and your wife for hosting and blazing trail.....your B/N was
Cool...did a great job....
Curt, you had you hands full with two great young men....but you never slow to
lend a hand,......thanks......I would wheel with you anytime...
Ken and your wife...nice to meet you....sorry things turned out the way they
did...we will see you next time..
Don and Diane...again...good company....and many thanks for doing so much of the
hard work,....ALL THAT PULLING MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN ACCOMPLISHED BY A LESSER
DRIVER AND VEHICLE....,....great job Don!!!!....Thanks!!!
Craig thanks for coming back Sunday, After being towed out Sat.... It would have
been real easy to say, "Wow....that sucks.....you guys are in trouble"... Thanks
for the welder, saw, and driveshaft.....
Bruce,. from Hardcore 4X4,...there's a plug....Thank you for bringing your CJ7
and Craig back to help...That was a fine gesture....thanks Bruce
Thanks to my son Josh 22, for all his help....running strap...stacking
rock...whatever...I am proud of him.. To my daughter Stacie 17, thanks so much
for helping set up camp under adverse conditions...and staying in a good mood in
spite...I am proud of her...
Mike and his passenger,....Craig's father in law Will,...Thanks for all the rock
stacking and help...Mike, thanks for being the escort then the excitement
later.....could not have done it without you....
Will be back to do this again.......
A great big thanks, to my wonderful wife Danys, for putting up with me the last
2 months, getting ready, and keeping a cheerful smiling face during all the
trail shenanigans.......I OWE HER BIG TIME.
Thanks babe!
Now...do we do the Rubicon...I keep getting asked???
