RobertDingli

I might take our inflatable kayak along. The weather has been rather nice lately.

I was super excited about fittings my new driveshaft today. My previous GBR unit failed the pivot ball, lost the needle rollers and damaged the central bearing pin. Since the pin is part of the forging that is welded to the main shaft, I was up for a new assembly. I found a US made driveshaft supplier on eBay that not only had a very good price for a D2 HD driveshaft ($299), but was also happy to return the first unit he sent me and make a custom length shaft with an extended spline. It turns out that my previous driveshaft would have maxed out at full droop. Discos with a lift over about 2†require a longer front driveshaft. My calculations and direct measurements show that an additional 20 mm is required to be comfortable for my 4.5†lift and 6 deg castor corrected radius arms. This driveshaft can extend way more than that. However, I found that the double cardan joint was binding in one direction. The uni carrier was interfering with the cardan joint. Note that these uni carriers are larger than my previous driveshaft. I took some measurements and found that the angle was only about 13 degrees which was half of the angle achieved in the other direction. Flap disc to the rescue and a little more clearance was made. I tried to remove the same amount of material on each side. Now there’s over 24 degrees to play with. This is almost the same as the other side. Don’t worry, I touched up the paint before installation. I took it for a spin and the highway vibration that has plagued me since day 1 has disappeared. No mote complimentary seat massage effect while cruising down the highway. There was previously also a notchiness to the driveline at low speeds which has gone. The drive is now pretty smooth with only the MT tyres to be heard. If your running a reasonable lift, it won’t hurt to check your front driveshaft, especially if you suffer from driveline vibration. The only way to grease the pivot on my truck is to remove the driveshaft at the transfer case end and use a grease needle. They should be greased at every service.

I’m keen to join on the 10th and camp out, returning on the 11 th.

Sorry guys. I am also going to have to pull out. I have a work event where I will be part of a virtual discussion panel.

Leaving Cupertino now

The way I understand it, the day trippers will have to make a call and turn back at some stage during the day on Saturday. The overnighters can venture further on Saturday before returning on Sunday.

I might go up early Saturday and meet at the designated spot in Auburn. I will still camp Saturday night.

I also had the TF diff guards. They lasted two trips. I was able to beat them back into shape and reweld the cracks before giving them away. I have since fitted the tactical rovers units. They require some welding to attach a couple of tabs to the axle housing and a little grinding to get everything to fit nicely. After welding on the tabs, they are a bolt on fitment. They have the benefit of protecting the underside of the diff and extending toward the driveshaft to protect the drive shaft pinion. I am very happy with the tactical parts and would buy them again. They were actually cheaper than the TF option and made in California by a small person business that supports our club. The underside of the diff is actually pretty strong and it’s really the front cover of the front diff and rear cover of the rear which are the weakest areas. I was prepared to loose a 1/4†of ground clearance for the extra protection all the way under the diff, especially around the drain plug. Front Rear - note how the drain plug is protected Apologies for hijacking the DV thread.

After calling numerous suppliers of ARB Airlocker spare parts with no luck, I decided to try a repair. I drilled out the stub of tube left in the sleeve and silver soldered the tube back into place. Before After

I thought I could use a ‘spare’ day to get to a couple of leaks in the front axle. The air locker was leaking more and more and the right side axle seal was leaking. Unfortunately, the air locker leak was a little more serious than anticipated and wasn’t going to be fixed by some new seals. I did reset the backlash and will now order a new air ring to complete the job during the week.

What brand of bushing were those? So far my SuperPros have held up but if they fail like these, I will be testing their lifetime guarantee. It will be interesting to see how the rubber units compare. With Johnny jointed body side mounts and disconnected sway bars, the axle end radius arm bushes become the limit to cross axle flex. I suspect the axle mounting flanges actually flex and so it’s worth keeping a look out for any cracking in the steel.

I’m interested in camping Friday and Saturday nights. Let us where might be a good place to aim for for Friday night. I’m open to staying in a motel / cabin as required.

Don’t forget the portal axles

The forged TR wheels are 100% made in the USA. The HD series Flowformed wheels are cast overseas and machined in the USA. https://secure.trbeadlocks.com/FAQ.aspx I have the HD17 and am very happy with them. It’s a little hard to scratch them for the first time, but you get over it very quickly.

And you should make sure that the new wheels will fit over your future portal axles. Better buy the portals now to be sure. Then if they are as good as they look, I might buy a set in the name of solidarity.

Sounds like a good opportunity for Don to go to 40s. 37s are so last decade.

My plans are the same as your Eric. I’ll meet you at the pub on Saturday around noon, camp for two nights and head home Saturday. I will have Jason with me.

Have a fantastic birthday Don. I’ll catch up with you for a quiet drink over the weekend.

Thanks Eric. I won’t bother going to the campsite before lunch then. Heading up from Cupertino, leaving around 7.30 on Saturday. Happy to travel in a convoy with anyone prepared to drive at a comfortable pace for a lifted truck on 35s Robert 408.637.0426

So where should we head to when we arrive on Saturday? Swanson, Summit Meadow and Dinkey Creek campgrounds are all in the vicinity. Should we just head up towards the Bald Mountain trailhead and look out for smoke signals? We will probably arrive at around noon. Can’t wait.

Definitely. In past years my L322 has struggled due to its weight. It’s also amazing hard to pull a stuck heavy vehicle that’s buried in the snow. I’m looking forward to trying the D2 this year with it higher tire patch size to weight ratio.

Yes, it was scary towing a trailer that year. There were times when I thought the L322 would not stop and we were only moving at walking pace. Andrew is very lucky there was a good snow bank to catch him.

I’ll come up Saturday morning. If people are snow camping then I’ll join in. Nida will definitely stay at home but I should be able to convince Jason to attend. If Camp Edison opens then that would be fun too but it’s still RTT for us either way. In previous years I towed the Winnebago trailer to Camp Edison and ‘camped’ in comfort. This is OK providing the roads are not as icy as two years ago. I’m not going to take that risk this year.

I will join regardless of the accommodation or location. If we end up staying in a motel or cabin, I will bring my dear wife along. After all it is Valentines Day on the Sunday and I am sure she was dreaming of spending the day wheeling. While I would prefer to have my wife along and hence stay in a nice place, I would also be interested in any other dispersed camping trips this snow season.

I would like to attend and will also join the group for camping or motel accommodation. The GARR website is currently having difficulties processing payments and I will try again later. Edit - now registered