The Getaway...Crom's build and adventures

Awesome truck man. Im planning on visiting Yosemite national park by the end of this year. Any suggestion on what i should go check out?

 

Thanks! I want to go too. Lately I've been feeling trapped, and it's been hard to get away.

Good to hear!

This is what I've got coming my way:

Front

• JBA UCA
• Wheeler’s Front SuperBump Bumpstop
• OME 2885 Front Coil Set
• OME 90021 NitroCharger Sport Front Strut

Rear

• Wheelers rear super bump stop
• CS047R Dakar Leaf Spring set
• $81 D29XL Leaf Spring
  D29XL Extra Leaf Set for CS047R Leaf Springs
• OME 60091 NitroCharger Sport Rear Shocks
• U-bolt flip kit.
• Longer brake lines
• 3* axle shim

Thanks Nate. I really admire what you've done to your truck. It is very capable and it will take you all kinds of great places. I almost went with the BAMF relocate kit, and shackle flip like yourself... Maybe in the future 5+ years I'll do that. I had to smile too, because like yourself, I've done a number of projects at night as it was the only time I had to get stuff done.

^ This. The tube is for Kodiak steel tent poles. I like having them ready for when I pull into our campsite.

Thanks. The place is vast, so what you see depends on where you go. The world goes to Yosemite Valley and I recommend spending one day there, but don't camp there, it's a zoo. Bring your swim suit and swim in the Merced river, it's best if you get off the beaten path, just park and walk out to the river and you can have private space. If you go up on Tioga Pass you can swim in a few Alpine lakes, and it's incredible.

I do recommend visiting one of the three groves of Giant Sequoias trees. Truly amazing.

In this photo below, I am standing next to the tree. I'm wearing blue jeans. Trees are enormous.

 

Great, Thanks for the advice man.

 

Welcome!

Will do!

 

I also have been working hard to 'prefurbish' the OME Dakar leaf pack.

• I've taken them apart,
  
• cleaned them,
  
• repainted them,
• lubed them with Dry Moly Lube.
• I discarded the extra overload,
  
• added the
  $81 D29XL Leaf Spring
  D29XL AAL,
  
• added a 3° axle shim
  
• I reassembled the leaf pack,
• cut the bolt short.
  
• I also added "OZ-T's EPDM" pond liner patch between the leafs that had no silencer pads. Thank's OZ!

In hind sight, cutting the bolt is unnecessary, and the pond liner stuff didn't last long at all. I'm currently using zip ties to separate the leafs to make them quiet.

The reason I ditched the extra overload, was because I didn't want the extra "lift" in the rear. I added the AAL for extra load carrying capability. The axle shim plus AAL height made up for the missing overload height, so my leaf pack yielded about the same as a normal Dakar pack would have.

 

The OZ-Tness (lol) is self adhesive. I honestly don't have high hopes for self adhesive stuff, but I thought I'd give it a try. I did spray moly on the surface so it hopefully wont bind, so maybe it will stay... time will tell.

The truck is a family rig, so safety comes first. It's as simple as that.

 

The variations on build leave me wondering about the why/reasoning behind the build, and it's expected performance. I may or may not leave the second overload leaf out, or remove the third leaf. Today I put my leaf packs together again, with the thought of a 7 leaf pack.

 

Just curious about cutting the bolt short, is that because of your U-bolt switch?

 

I did mine like Dingk

 

Thanks for sharing the build and pics, informative and creative ideas!

 

Thanks. It's fun.

So I took out the extra overload leaf which is about 1/2" thick, I added a 3* steel shim, and also added the OME AAL. I think my 'custom' arranged leaf pack will provide about the same 'lift' that one would expect from a normal Dakar leaf pack. I wanted the stronger-stiffer leaf pack, hence the AAL. My hope is that the truck has a bit of rake when I'm not loaded--just like a factory setup, but with more load capacity.

So I may have been too quick to shorten the bolt, but I don't think it will matter. Yes it's for the U-bolt flip kit, and fitment of the bump stop. I cut the leaf pack bolt so that it will sit flush with the center hole pictured below. What I didn't realize before I shortened the bolt is that the bump stop I got (Wheelers) has a little hollow tower for the bolt to go into, so protrusion of about 1/2" or more above the flip plate may be okay.

Side note on the flip kit, I screwed up when I ordered them and I should have ordered with the holes tapped, these are the little 5/16 holes at top and bottom of plate pictured below. It's an option to order them from All-pro tapped for $10.

I tried to tap them 3/8-16, new-sharp-quality-made tapered tap and everything, but hand tapping these holes is proving to be an exercise in frustration, I even tried a hand drill, that sucked too, so I found a machine shop that will do it for me tomorrow for an economical price. That's the last hurdle I need to clear to put the rear suspension in.

 

...awaiting news of your progress in placing these leaf springs. Hope it goes well and is not too difficult.

Planning to place mine 5/17/15

 

Great build! I love the pictures from your trips.

 

Lol, thanks! They are.

We've been really busy since October of last year - green cycle, to NTC, right back into green cycle. I'm really looking forward to a chance to breath - 16 days away.

My girlfriend is moving up to Fairbanks, AK for the summer, and I've got a few mods and trips planned. The build thread is about to grow!

 

I think I may install mine this Friday!

Thanks Hunter.

Sounds like it will be a good summer for you!

 

In early Novermber 2014 I organized and led an 11-man backpacking expedition into the Santa Rosa Mountains. Our target was the remote and extremely-difficult-to-reach mountain called Rabbit Peak (6,640). We would reach Rabbit Peak on the second day by way of overnight camp on Villager Peak (5,840). It's a 5,000 climb just to reach Villager Peak, and a 3-mile roller coaster of +/- 3,500' to reach Rabbit from Villager. All water must be carried for two full days. It took a lot of work, and a few months to properly organize and prepare so many people.

Here is my truck with (4) peoples backpacking stuff



The desert just before sunrise


Some of the crew getting ready for the climb




The ridge where the climb begins


As fate would have it, it was unseasonably warm on go day, but we were committed to going up nonetheless. Fate can be cruel too, it just so happens that I got sick the day before departing to the desert. I recovered enough to get my ass out into the desert and was stable for a number of hours and partly through the night before climb day. The next morning I felt awful, but manged to climb 2,000' before surrendering to the pain of being sick. I returned back to the trail head alone, but stayed in radio contact with the alternate leader. On the way back to the truck I found a .50 caliber machine gun shell! I was so excited because I had known that in WWII era the military used Clark Dry Lake as a shooting / bombing range. I had been out there many times, but never found one before. Unfortunately I was so sick that I lost it before driving away to Borrego Springs.

Looking south. Lute, fault, Borrego Bad lands, Pinyon Mountains


Our vehicles and the trail head zoomed in 12 optical zoom from about +500' from desert floor. This photo is taken from the exact spot as the one above.


I drove into downtown Borrego Springs, and the owner of Hacienda Del Sol took pity on me and put in a suite right away. I took a hot shower and settled in and slept for 6 straight hours.






Later I woke up around dinner time and ate a little food and drove out to and explored Clark Dry Lake. I maintained radio comms with the team on the mountain to make sure things were going well. It was reported that it was a very tough slog with the hot weather and heavy packs.

A mild trail that leads out to Clark Dry Lake.




This is where the team was camped out for the night. Villager Peak, 5,000' higher than where I took the photo.


Here is a picture one of the guys took on the way up to the summit. It shows the seriousness of the climb. Notice the hikers on the left.


And a panorama from above


Taking shelter and food break on way to summit


I returned back to the hotel after sundown and slept for 12 hours straight. The following day I had a little breakfast and met the crew at the trail head when they arrived and provided them with ice cold Gatorade.


It was a hell of an adventure for the guys on the mountain. I was grateful to be upright and walking around. Little did I know at the time, but all in all I was sick for (5) whole days.

I've been up that mountain (4) times and it's always an adventure. It's heavy duty any way you slice it!

 

Prior to that I've led about a dozen back country backpack trips ranging in size from 3-10 persons. Logistically speaking though, Villager was the biggest challenge because of the combination of extreme factors, mainly steep climb, constant dangerous terrain, heavy packs, hot weather, full sun, etc.

I made a decision in January to take a break from group backpacking and focus exclusively on family camping and outdoor family activities. When my kids are older I'll pick up the pack again. The mountains aren't going anywhere.

Big bend looks interesting. I have not explored that far east before. I'm going to work another 20 years and retire, and then I'm going to explore like a motherf***er. I'll add that place to my list now.

 

I sort of mispoke. When I said I had not explored that far east, I meant I have not driven the Tacoma that far east. I just remembered that I have been to Texas. I was in Austin, Texas and swam in some rivers there a very long time ago. And yes! Utah is a wonderful state that has a lot to offer for the outdoor enthusiast. I've been there too. I stayed in Salt Lake City, UT for two full weeks in 2006. I explored the magnificent Wasach Mountains and surrounding areas. I drove down from Salt Lake City to Arches National Park and Dead Horse State Park. It was purely accidental that I found myself in Moab on Easter Weekend, the offroad Mecca of the world. It was a really exciting treat to see all the rigs there in town. I returned to SLC with my wife in winter 2008 to do some skiing and vacation. It's such a great place. I'd love to get back there.

Goofing around at Arches

 

Great report. Looked like my kind of trip.

 

Sub'd.
This is the kind of stuff I aim to do with my truck. I'm not a huge off-road guy, but I love getting outdoors and going to where nature reminds us how small we are. Great build- I'll be following along closely.