Jump to content
NCLR - Northern California Land Rover Club

Rubicon for Dummies...

DHappel
 Share

Recommended Posts

DHappel Mentor

DHappel

Posted
Posted

...Or at least people who wouldn't normally take it on.

There has been some discussion about doing an intro run on the Rubicon for the late model LR3/4/RR/Defender/etc trucks that wouldn't normally come out for Rovicon or one of our regular Rubicon trips but are still interested in at least giving it a try.  I've mentioned it in the past and it came up again after this year's Rovicon.

Here's what I'm thinking:

Definitely want to do this mid-week to avoid traffic.  We will be slow moving and nobody needs the pressure of people breathing down your neck or an audience giving "questionable" advice.  We would start at Loon Lake entrance with a goal of getting to Spider Lake - basically what we do for the first day of Rovicon.  IF everything goes really well we could push on to Buck Island Lake but I wouldn't count on that.  We'd then camp and wheel back out to Loon the next day.  That's enough of the trail to give you a good feel and let you decide if you like it and if you want to get deeper into this sort of rock crawling.  You'll get to taste the gate keeper, granite bowl, Walker Hill, etc.  Plenty to keep you entertained!  The views aren't half bad either.  😁

I would invite anybody who wants to give it a try but isn't super comfortable to join, though we do want to keep the group fairly tight.  Truck-wise, I'd recommend a 32" tire, sliders, and a winch.  Steel bumpers would be a plus as would extra skids.  A rear locker would be strongly recommended as well.  (based on an LR3/4 platform...others may vary)

If you are considering it, be aware that although we'll do everything possible to minimize risk the chance of damage is definitely there.  Either body damage or mechanical.  It's entirely possible to do this without breakage but you need to know and accept the risk.

As for timing, I'm thinking maybe the last week of October - assuming I don't kill my own truck on Fordyce before that.

So anybody have an interest in seeing America's premier trail in-person?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
drafdog Collaborator

drafdog

Posted
Posted

I would be interested! Always wanted to do the Rubicon in the D2, but even more in an LR3. It does the beg the question, how much underbody armor do you need? I have a rear TR bumper, TR rock sliders, and ARB front bumper. Would I need more?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DHappel Mentor

DHappel

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Wow, more interest than I expected.   

I'm pretty open as to the exact "when", but we do need to stay mid-week.  Mon/Tue; Tue/Wed; Wed/Thur   Probably better than trying to come out on Friday since there are usually some folks coming in on Friday while we'd be coming out, but we could go that way if needed since I wouldn't expect too much traffic on a Friday.  I'd probably lean toward Mon/Tue since that abuts the weekend and should be easier for most people (I'd guess...been a long time since I had a regular schedule)

As for what you need - Sliders and a working winch are must-haves, especially for the late model trucks like the LR3-on.  Any extra under-body armor would be a plus.  When I did it with my 3 I had TR sliders, tcase, and gas tank skid and I used them all.  You WILL hit stuff with the bottom, it's just a matter of how much/how hard.  I honestly don't remember what sort of skids came stock on the 3 but I think it did have some (?)  You don't NEED aftermarket bumpers as the stock LR3 bumpers are nice and tight, but do expect to scuff them.  Steel is of course nice as it's more durable and can take a hit.  I do expect to run slow and careful but as always, you roll the dice, you take your chance. 

You will want a spare tire and a jack you can actually lift your vehicle with.  High-lifts are nice (I always carry one) but a simple bottle jack is sometimes better depending on your specific setup.

For the LR3 guys, an extra tie rod isn't a  bad idea.  I did bend one on Cadillac Hill with my truck.  It's cheap, small, and easy to change on the trail if needed.

A GAP tool would be highly recommended as well.

You will want to be running a lift of some sort, be it rods or software.  You will also need a good tire, AT or MT and a compressor to air up.

If you are in a solid axle truck like a RRC or Defender, a small lift, sliders, dif guards, and upgraded rear control arms would be on the list.  The stock rear arms seem to be made out of dried spaghetti.  

To reiterate, not planning to run the whole trail, just go in as far as Spider.  Basically we'll do the "day 1" of Rovicon.  That will be plenty to give you a good feel for what the trail is like, see how comfortable you are with it, and if you want to make any changes to your truck for future rock crawling trails.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DHappel Mentor

DHappel

Posted
  • Author
Posted

As an aside, I need to keep this a small group since I expect to move slowly and deliberately.  With the interest it's getting I'm going to limit this to club members.

#membershiphasitsprivliges

Luckily I think everyone who's posting or reading this is a club member anyway, so not an issue.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Tyler Mattson Collaborator

Tyler Mattson

Posted
Posted

Depending on the dates and my work schedule I'd love to tag along. I don't have a independent truck capable of it but I'll bring my 88 or d1 and stay at the back out of the pictures.  And I'm happy to help spot,stack, and sacrifice the first born to get trucks through.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
drafdog Collaborator

drafdog

Posted
Posted

Hm. I have the TR sliders, but not the gas tank skid. I had an idea to design one and send it to "send cut send" to have some protection. Haven't gotten around to actually cading it or even drawing on paper. 

 

https://app.sendcutsend.com/customer#/quote?action=builder 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jethro Rising Star

Jethro

Posted
Posted
Depending on the dates and my work schedule I'd love to tag along. I don't have a independent truck capable of it but I'll bring my 88 or d1 and stay at the back out of the pictures.  And I'm happy to help spot,stack, and sacrifice the first born to get trucks through.

I'm down to be photog if I can line the dates up!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jethro Rising Star

Jethro

Posted
Posted
Hm. I have the TR sliders, but not the gas tank skid. I had an idea to design one and send it to "send cut send" to have some protection. Haven't gotten around to actually cading it or even drawing on paper. 
 
https://app.sendcutsend.com/customer#/quote?action=builder 

Send cut is rad


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Link to comment
Share on other sites
SDS Proficient

SDS

Posted
Posted
9 hours ago, drafdog said:

Hm. I have the TR sliders, but not the gas tank skid. I had an idea to design one and send it to "send cut send" to have some protection. Haven't gotten around to actually cading it or even drawing on paper. 

 

https://app.sendcutsend.com/customer#/quote?action=builder 

Nice resource I didn’t know about. Thanks Oliver!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
drafdog Collaborator

drafdog

Posted
Posted

I'm a huge maybe, would love to do it. I'll have to see when my finals are, and if I can get my car ready. Assuming I don't have finals, I may tag along! if someone would let me ride with them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...