NW WA Meet / BS Thread

We all learned a bunch on that trip for sure, and yes Alex I already bought a 35mm socket since we got back

 

I need to order another wheel bearing for trips sooner or later.

 

k scream at me some more lol

 

I was more making fun of them. For breaking such bad stuff at a place like that

 

I would stay away from All Poo. I'm not happy with my Light Racings. I bent the driver side one and the ball joints have too much slop to even come close to an alignment. I blame their quick failure on the fact they touch my coil (NOT extended travel) at full droop.

 

Ahh I see

 

I have no problem with my LRs. And I do have extended travel coilovers, 2.5" too. Maybe in not romping on things like you though? And I got a great alignment. Not sure if you got a bad set or what.

And all pro and LR are 2 different companies.

 

Yeah I know about the difference in companies. I was just mentioning that I have no desire to buy from Mall Crawlers R Us (aka All Poo).
Do you have your sway bar on? Do they touch your coilovers are full droop?

And I thought the ironman made a weird like 2.25" or something?

 

No sway bar. I'd have to get proper measurements later on. I call them 2.5s for all intents. All Pro does make some solid stuff though. And their business has gotten better since their move to Montana

 

Weird. When I jack it up and droop out the suspension the UCA rests on the coil

 

Are your Iron Man's really 2.5"s? I thought they were 2.0"s..

 

That person was actually trying to play it safe. Not that he probably needs me defending him, but the takeaway is that you can be extremely careful and still have things go wrong.

anyway, a list of what you should have on you first outing:

• If your truck is a hooptie ride, make sure it's at least a reliable hooptie ride. Broken parts = a bad time. Don't expect us to replace your transmission and weld your crap together
• Front recovery point: Note that the front loop that is on your frame is really actually meant as a transport tiedown, and there's debate if it's really safe. I'll admit I've used it. The TRD hook is OK, but the ultimate choice is an enclosed loop that is solidly welded to the frame, or part of an offroad bumper
• Rear recovery point: you all should, at minimum, have a Class IV tow receiver, such as the one that came from the factory. If you don't have one, buy one (I know SalmonTaco is selling his for around $100 right now, which is a fair price).
• Winch receiver and shackle. These are very common and pretty basic - a solid piece of metal with an eyelet for a bow shackle (link to examples). The bow shackle it comes with is probably low quality. If it doesn't have a WLL stamp on it, throw it out because it is guaranteed unsafe. Some of the ones the guys around here have are WARN, CSI, and Smittybuilt. I have the WARN because I got it cheap, but I honestly think it's not as nice as some of the others. @Benson X has a CSI and I like it better because the eyelet seems to be better shaped.
• A minimum of 2 anchor shackles in 34" size with a printed WLL of 4.75 tons You want them to be forged, not cast. Some people will call them bow shackles, others call them D shackles, even though the names mean different things. The best you can get is Peterson and Gunnebo, with Van Beest, CM, and Crosby being close competitors. Yes, they cost more, but for good reason: the ones you get from ARB, WARN, Smittybuilt, whoever, will be ~okay~, but they are lower quality. The difference is that Peterson proof tests EVERY shackle that leaves their facility to ensure that it can withstand 2x the strength they advertise. The other good companies listed will do a batch test, whereas the 'others' may not test at all - or at least they can't tell you how good of a job they check, because they probably buy them wholesale from China.
• a recovery strap. A recovery strap has an elastic element to it to provide a dynamic pull, so it is very important that you don't have too small of a strap (causing it to break) or too big of a strap (eliminating the elasticity and turning it into a tow strap). You want a maximum break strength rating of 2-3x your vehicle weight. Our trucks will do fine with a 3"x30' strap. A label should be printed on the strap indicating the break strength and working load limit capabilities. The strap should NEVER have metal, the eyelets should be reinforced. Some common, good choices are ARB (choose the ARB705), (based out of Gresham!), and Keeper, but there are TONS out there. I don't recommend the Harbor Freight, it is made out of polyester which doesn't stretch as well as nylon.
• A spade shovel. The cheap one that you use in the garden with the wooden handle is the best damn one you can probably buy. just because it fits in the truck better, and the T handle was nice.
• If you plan on going in snow, a
  $30 SOG Entrenching Tool- 18.25" Folding Survival Shovel with Wood Saw Edge and Tactical Shovel Carry Case- Black (F08-N)
  folding shovel. The big shovel is nice to help move lots of snow, but using a folding shovel with the head in a 90 degree position saved my life. It gets under a vehicle and can act as a scoop. The most badass is the
  $61 WJQ-308 Chinese Military Shovel Folding Portable Shovel Camping Shovel 18 in 1 with Original Waterproof Cases Bag Kit
  Chinese WJQ-308. Don't believe me? Watch this
• leather gloves
• an old t-shirt to use as a rag
• a set of old tools, liquids that the truck might need to drink, etc. I'm probably pretty bad at having only some basic tools instead of some of the more specialty stuff I could be carrying.
• A FULL SIZE spare tire and some method of jacking up your vehicle. If you haven't tried it lately, try out the jack you plan on bringing. If you've lifted recently, that little bottle jack probably isn't going to cut it.
• Boots or quality footwear. I've seen guys try to go on snow runs in loafers and flip flops.
• any medicine you require. A first aid kit would rock
• Something to put all this stuff in. I used to use a rubbermaid action packer, but now I managed to get everything down to an M61 Vulcan 20mm ammo can.
• In some places, they require a 2lbs or bigger fire extinguisher. ABC dry chem works best. I've never been checked for one, even though it's in the rules for places like TSF.
• WATER AND FOOD FOR YOURSELF. Stay hydrated
• A change of clothes in case you fall down or get cold

Bonus points for people who have spill kits and some way to cut down a tree limb

 

Is it the boot, or the actual UCA?

 

The boot

 

If your UCA is hitting the coil you can try rotating the coil to get the UCA to land in between coils as opposed to on top of them... Sometimes it's possible, other times it's not. EDIT** Just looked at your build. You could ALSO remove those blasted spacers.

As for the ball joints having too much play... Are your ball joints old? I know there was a "redesign" of sorts for the ball joint a while back. Mine aligns VERY well. I can take both hands off the wheel at 80mph and send a lengthy text message.

And bending an UCA... How the hell did you do that?

 

Ill just add a few things I carry too

-Paper Towels. Having a roll comes in handy when wiping things down to see better (ie muddy stuff) and also after you have finished to clean your self up. Old T-shirt works good but you get more "space" out of a roll of paper towels IMO.

-Tools...you can build a pretty decent tool kit for ~100 bucks (or less). I like the tekton brand tools and you can get a 1/2" drive socket set with ratchet for like 26 bucks off Amazon. Add in the missing sockets (21,22, ect) and you are up to around 50 for all the sockets. Then just head to harbor Freight (i know but they work well for trail tools IMO) and pick up a pliar set, some adjustable wrenches, some metric wrench set (just the set i wouldnt buy extras sine the adjustables will cover those) and some screw drivers. Add in a hammer of your choice. With those tools you should be able to do ALOT of repairs on the road. It wont cover them all but usually the other repairs need fancier tools.

-hand cleaner. Sort of goes with the paper towels but get some waterless hand cleaner. Its nice to just have. Have to change a tire or something its nice to have something to clean off your hands before you have to get back in the truck.



other stuff i carry
- ~3 quarts of oil. Pretty much the extra from an oil change goes in a 5 quart jug.
- Jumper cables. I also carry one of those Lithium Ion self starter devices which works great for jumping yourself.
-Armor All windshield wipes and dash wipes. Windshield for dust on the inside and the dash just for dust and in case something sticky get on the wheel. Windex would also work.
- Wiper Fluid. Probably not really needed but i had a bad experience where my car ran out going over a pass one time. Was slushy and had to drive ~20 miles barely being able to see out the windshield.


I have a gym bag that houses my recovery type gear and then just an old milk crate for the fluids and stuff.

 

Armor all makes some not so great products, and winded is murder on vehicles. Meguirs and stoners are some good substitutes.
You can probably skip washer fluid and just use water

 

Just an FYI to everyone.

DON'T take your truck to True Line Bellevue for alignment. Take your BMW there but not your truck. Trucks are not BMW's.

DON'T take your truck to Car Toys in Issaquah. F them right in the A.

 

It is true, I do have a factory towing receiver for sale right now.

 

Thought you loved True Line? I understand almost all Car Toys suck though