Run to the Hills! - Jason's Completely Stalled Colorado GTFO Build

Stitch weld it and come back and fill in the gaps. Not sure how great the chance of warping things would be if you did it all in one pass. Just something to keep in mind when welding anything really.

 

Applies to pretty much every aspect of my life

 

So after taking the truck to the new job in Boulder the last two days, I’m very impressed with how the front suspension and the steering feel.

The LCA bushings and the steering rack bushings make the steering and the road feel much better and way more responsive. I do notice a little bit more higher frequency road vibes from the LCA bushings, but I’ll happily trade that for the handling improvements.

Time to save up a little bit and grab some frame box plates to get going on the rear suspension and frame reinforcement work...

 

HA! That was a entertaining podcast to listen to.

 

Went for a drive with my lady yesterday and we decided to see how the truck does in the dirt (and snow) after all of the front end work. Ended up driving up Hwy 7 and playing around in the snow and mud on Bunce School Road for a bit before we got sick of the SXS traffic and bailed.

The truck feels worlds better up front now, especially the bump stops from @Plastics Guy. Now I need to just carve out some time to finally get the rear suspension done to match the awesomeness of the front.

 

Looking forward on going out with you once the truck is done Gave Tim the files. When the time is right I'll give him the go ahead.

 

Yes!!! Let me know when you’re ready to have him start cutting!

 

Not much happening with the build these days since I (foolishly?) decided to go back to school and finish my degree. I’m still hoping that maybe over a week or two this summer I can either get the rear suspension done (finally) or get the crawl box install done (finally). We’ll see, I guess.

The truck does get used, though! Besides dropping the kids off at school with it because they think it looks cool, we have been doing some exploring around northern Colorado. Not much is open yet as we’re still getting some decent spring snow storms, but we have seen some cool things regardless.

Yesterday, I took my stepson out of school so we could go on what he likes to call a “dude date”. He really likes to go wheeling and run around the rocks and the forest waving sticks around like a barbarian. I think it’s pretty awesome and I try to foster that as much as I can.

Since everything is still closed it seems like, we went with the usual, somewhat played out option of Bunce School Road and the Ironclads spur loop. There was about 5” of snow on the ground, but there was a ton of runoff everywhere so shit was slippery. I was hoping that we could hit the step at the base of Ironclads and then chill out at the campsite at the top, but we got shut down at the step and then at a dug out spot on the loop going the other direction. If it weren’t just me an my seven year old, I would have tried a bit harder, but we bailed and grabbed a spot a little further down.

Despite the perpetual retardation that you see on Bunce with all of the SXS/UTV rental traffic, we still had fun making a fire and then kicking it while the clouds got lower and it started snowing. After climbing the rocks, knocking down icicles and making sure the fire died down, we made sure the fire was out and bugged out for home. Turns out we were just in time, as it became fog with visibility of about 100 feet at that elevation and it was steadily getting worse. Still, it was a fun day getting the truck dirty.

The Dude was just stoked to be able to run amok with his homebrew Infinity Gauntlet ala Thanos/Iron Man

 

Dude date

I might make it out around the dunes tomorrow. I can let you know how much is open around there.

 

Yep. Dude date. He’s a funny guy.

I was looking at those trails in one of my guide books the other day. I’d love to know if they’re open.

 

That's awesome Jason, looks like it was a great time!

 

Thanks, Mike!

We definitely had a blast. It was really amazing to be in a place that had a ton of run-off happening, but there was also 5-6” of fresh snow on the ground. Standing next to a nice fire while it was snowing and we were in and out of the clouds was pretty great too.

 

Ened up cruising around Wolford instead of the dunes. If I end up at the dunes anytime soon I'll be sure to let you know.

 

Thanks, Ryan!

If you’re ever running any trails or doing any camping up here on the north side and you wouldn’t mind me tagging along, let me know. Be great to roll with you again and learn a few things.

 

Replaced my 8” front limit straps with some 7” ones to get some adjustability back. I also added some heater hose over the jam nuts to protect the brake line if it ever tries to rub there.

Ended up strapping both sides to about 3/4” from full droop of the shock so that once they stretch they’ll leave about 1/2”.

8” limit straps didn’t leave me with much adjustment for stretching.



The 7” straps were much better. Notice how the spring is much more relaxed.



Threw some heater hose over the jam nuts and clevis threads to protect the brake line if it ever rubs.



Max droop without the strap connected. This is where the coilover tops out.



New droop limit after installing the shorter straps. I’ll probably check these again midsummer and adjust them down a bit if the straps have stabilized.


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Build progress! Woohoo!



Now put the crawler in.

 

So strapped at half inch before top out?

 

Yeah, yeah...

Next big project will probably be relocating the rear shocks and beefing the rear frame. Your crawler install has me jonesing for mine, but the rear end work is next in line.

After they stretch a bit, yes. The 8” straps stretched about a quarter inch, so they should end up right around there after they stabilize.

The straps took a little time to weld up and install, but the parts cost is super cheap for the added insurance. I really don’t like the idea of using my expensive pretty blue coilovers as the limit