Pics of Rubicon Run July 4th 08 in a BII

[87xjmike]

Despite all nay saying I got from people once announced I’d try to run with this POS $400 rig you see that I got as is; we made it through. Ran almost the entire con with stock 84 b2 axles and drive train on 35’s, geared low with an auburn lsd in the rear. Made it from Loon Lake to Buck Island and back to loon, only carnage experienced was a flat tire. Luckily we made friends in the beginning of the trail, who convinced us to go to buck island with them, they towed us up a total of 3 hills on the way back from buck only. Didn't need a tug the entire first two days coming into buck island. A lot more down hill going into buck.

Bought this thing as a joint venture with a buddy $200 each and we made it through the a big portion of the con without a single break, I’m pretty stoked. People were breaking all weekend, it made for an interesting challenge trying to get around these guys going through the con for the first time.

Flexed up coming out of gatekeeper

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I’m really impressed with what these ttb’s can straddle, great ground clearance. We're keeping them but stepping up to exploder axles front and rear.

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A lot of friendly folks on the Rubicon no doubt.

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Campsite at buck

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And again

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Coming into Buck Island

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Jeepers taking the wrong line in the Sluice box

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The two characters I came with enjoying the entertainment in the box

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Zuki stepped right up the soup bowl

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A member of the group we followed through the con
Blew a burfield joint trying to make it up the bowl

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We didn’t get any pics of the gnarly stuff we went through seeing as it was the first time either of us had driven through the con, distracting us from anything other than getting through it all.
I only saw one other b2 out there and he cracked a leaf spring in half right after gatekeeper. He had a straight front axle though. We were the only people I saw on the con without a straight front axle. Someone’s gotta represent the twin traction beams. Everyone we went by that was broke or just sitting on the trail were amazed we were making it through, and some people just gave us nasty disgusted looks. It all was quite entertaining.
Its nice having a beater you don't give a shit about, i scraped every panel of this thing on a rock and laughed each and every time i did it.

 

[86freebie]

luv the pics. i have some buddys who are telling me to go with them. they can always pull me out. i have 32's on the truck with stock dana 28 geared out at 3.73. before i go i would like to get the d35 under the front geared at 4.10 or 4.56(preffered) this is not a daily driver. it already only get 14 to 16 miles per gallon.;brownbag;

 

[87xjmike]

Yeah gears are important, i'm not sure what this thing is geared at but it feels low as it does great with the 35's (rebuilt 2.8/rebuilt 4speed manual/1350 bw)It had 38.5 tsl swampers on it when i bought it i don't know what the guy was thinking. From what i'm told the dana 28 is a weak axle but it held up to soo much abuse out there i don't even know how i didn't break anything. I really like the ground clearance it offers over the dana 35 and a straight front to. I should just step up to exploder axles to eliminate the stress factor. Although i'd hate to take something out that isn't broke and is holding up to abuse. So i'm now torn.

 

[Hahnsb2]

I saw that posted on Pirate (you were asking about it before buying it), glad it's holding up!

 

[87xjmike]

yeah the guy was asking $700 for it, i ended up offering 400 because the engine had no oil, it had a birds nest in the engine comp. and a carb with a big chunk taken out of the bowl. Long story short i wouldn't give him more than 400, he took it, i traded the 38's for 35's, put some new fluids in everything, squeezed a dish sponge through the gaping hole in the carb bowl and took it wheelen. And it dominated. Although i'm sure the complete neglect for the body pannels helped to get through a lot of the sections on the con.
Its green stickered until 09. :icon_bounceblue:

 

[CJREX]

Awesome! :icon_thumby:

 

[bobbywalter]

i dunno. i have seen completely stock open diff jeeps on 215's make it pretty easy if you stay on the main road..hell a 2wd buggy can make it on the mains..


so how did you fare in the box? soup bowl didnt break anything?


damn. i didnt think a ttb could run through the soup bowl locked without busting somethink let alone open.


as to taking a wrong line in the box, how does one do that? where your buds were one time i seen a piece of d60 joint take out a dudes leg. gets crazy in thar!!!!



theres alot of stock b2's that run through there as well, and the ones i seen though were busted. glad you made it through:icon_thumby:


beams can get it done too.

 

[87xjmike]

i dunno. i have seen completely stock open diff jeeps on 215's make it pretty easy if you stay on the main road..hell a 2wd buggy can make it on the mains..


so how did you fare in the box? soup bowl didnt break anything?


damn. i didnt think a ttb could run through the soup bowl locked without busting somethink let alone open.


as to taking a wrong line in the box, how does one do that? where your buds were one time i seen a piece of d60 joint take out a dudes leg. gets crazy in thar!!!!



theres alot of stock b2's that run through there as well, and the ones i seen though were busted. glad you made it through:icon_thumby:


beams can get it done too.

Like i said it was the first time i went through any portion of the rubicon, but the only road that we went through could not be done by most stock trucks imo. Stock rubicons sure but Gatekeeper, sluice, the walls at buck; all that shit was tough. The closest thing to stock we saw out there was the blue yj that was with our group, he had about 2.5 inches of lift on 32's open/open, he was a brilliant driver and was still struggling hard. . He had to go on to tahoe from buck because he high centered on a leaf spring putting it in permanent negative arch, i'm sure it snapped on his way out, but i haven't talk to him since. We did see another yj with a shackle lift on maybe 32's but he was broke, so i don't think you can count that one. I'm told it changes every year, it could be a lot more rough since the last time you saw it. I went around the bowl and box, theres no way we could have done them with a b2 open front end lsd rear on 35's.

 

[metalmacguyver]

Thats some awesome pics. I hope I can get out there some day to try it.

 

[bobbywalter]

they went up cadillac broken probably why you have not heard from em:icon_surprised:



yeah gate keeper is a mother at times. when i was there a stock 90's bronco had made it in but was left behind at that point as it was the weakest vehicle and they were worried..


its a funny story with a not so funny ending, but too long for here.


it was a group of russians if that puts anything to ya about it, they were wondering if it would be safe there and get not stolen:icon_rofl:


you definatly know how to baby it, or that 2.8 is only putting out 90 hp. i would have exploded non welded d28 shafts playing on the slabs with 35's just going to gatekeeper:black_eye:


i also knew theres no way a 28 was going in the bowl or box obviously, but the fact you run the regular gammit is awesome. awesome cause you did it with 35 in tires. you are either the luckiest bastard out there, or actually have some natural talent. having seen the place first hand i have a hard time believing it was luck.


we dont have anything even close to that place here in michigan

 

[87xjmike]

Thanks for the kind words. The 2.8 and 4speed tranny had actually been rebuilt before I bought it. So it seems to have relatively decent torque at the moment for its anemic displacement. We slapped in a super trap nock-off muffler to add a disk to give it a little more backpressure, I think this helped with the torque a little seeing as it has no cat and virtually no tubing after the collector.
While I and my buddy I purchased this rig with don't have much experience in rock crawling (accept for the occasional trip to moon rocks NV), we were getting a lot of compliments for lines and tactics taken out there. So I’d say it’s a combo of luck and talent. I don’t mean to gloat but we both do a lot of desert racing and IMO if you’re not good at driving then you’ll quickly kill or hurt yourself bad doing that shit.

It seems that in order to safely get through the majority of the con you have to immediately adapt your driving styles and talent to that terrain or else your shit out of luck and on your lid or broke. I'm hooked now though, i'm bringing a vid. camera next time and making the girl we brought perma camera girl because we have no pics of the gnarley stuff, which is what i'd obviousley like to see most. I'll be doing another trip before the end of the summer with exploder axles.


That russian comment is funny as hell, i can relate. We have bad problems with russians in the sacramento area stripping cars that are left on the street all night.

 

[KELLY88]

Awesome pictures. It's amazing how you wheeled that beater without care for the body and still didn't break anything. Hope to make it out there someday.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Thanks for the kind words. The 2.8 and 4speed tranny had actually been rebuilt before I bought it. So it seems to have relatively decent torque at the moment for its anemic displacement. We slapped in a super trap nock-off muffler to add a disk to give it a little more backpressure, I think this helped with the torque a little seeing as it has no cat and virtually no tubing after the collector.

The 2.8 is a good engine if the feedback system is working (or if you put a different carb on it with a duraspark ignition)

If I had a manual transmission I would be on the hunt for another one, for as sick as mine it still pushes my truck around pretty good. They are a nice solid stupid simple engine.:icon_thumby:

That does look it would be fun to do, but I couldn't bring myself to do it to my truck though. Just mud roads and seeps for me.

 

[87xjmike]

Awesome pictures. It's amazing how you wheeled that beater without care for the body and still didn't break anything. Hope to make it out there someday.

If it was between a line that forced us to spin the tires hard or take a line that we could roll through with more ease but had to squeeze through using the body panels and rocks as a lean-to to keep us upright, then body panel destruction it was.

 

[bobbywalter]

Thanks for the kind words. The 2.8 and 4speed tranny had actually been rebuilt before I bought it. So it seems to have relatively decent torque at the moment for its anemic displacement. We slapped in a super trap nock-off muffler to add a disk to give it a little more backpressure, I think this helped with the torque a little seeing as it has no cat and virtually no tubing after the collector.
While I and my buddy I purchased this rig with don't have much experience in rock crawling (accept for the occasional trip to moon rocks NV), we were getting a lot of compliments for lines and tactics taken out there. So I’d say it’s a combo of luck and talent. I don’t mean to gloat but we both do a lot of desert racing and IMO if you’re not good at driving then you’ll quickly kill or hurt yourself bad doing that shit.

It seems that in order to safely get through the majority of the con you have to immediately adapt your driving styles and talent to that terrain or else your shit out of luck and on your lid or broke. I'm hooked now though, i'm bringing a vid. camera next time and making the girl we brought perma camera girl because we have no pics of the gnarley stuff, which is what i'd obviousley like to see most. I'll be doing another trip before the end of the summer with exploder axles.


That russian comment is funny as hell, i can relate. We have bad problems with russians in the sacramento area stripping cars that are left on the street all night.

that racing experience speaks volumes to me and was something i suspected.. had i known your intentions prior i would have hooked you up with a brake controller and lined ya out on grinding the spindle seats in the knuckles and welding the 28 shafts. bogger at rrorc started full welding them years ago and it seems the added meat goes a long way toward them lasting.


i am a run it till its gone kinda guy and cheap is good when its all for fun.


a good modded d35 can get thru there easily with low power, not too sure bout the box though. the 2.8 probably is only making 90 hp but they do it well.

 

[87xjmike]

Hmmm, is there a write up anywhere on welding the shafts, and spots to grind the seats and why? I read up about grinding the shaft yoke for less binding under extreme travel applications but don't know about the spindle seat.

 

[87xjmike]

some more randoms

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me in the passenger

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I was the only one with a camera, i tried giving it to my buddy to take pics of me driving through the rough sections be he kept on getting caught up in the
"spotter mindset" thinking about nothing else. As did I throgh the rough, we were more worried about preserving the 28 than anything else.

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My morning hands and face cleaner of the first day after camping next to the box

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[NorCalBronco]

Awesome pictures, thanks for sharing... Nice to see a BII out there surviving! I was staying at my parents vacation house right up next to the con all that week, I gotta get a rig out there someday.

 

[bobbywalter]

yeah i swam over n spyder and circled it on foot too. cold ass water:icon_surprised:.


the group i was with took a 500 foot cable and we strung it from the tree at the top of the hill on the box side, then on down to the big boulder where the wall is on the low side.


we took turns riding a pully down the cable and jumping in the water before we would splatter on the wall. big fun.:icon_hornsup: i have alot of video from those trip as i was riding bitch. well i always have to ride bitch cause i cant afford the time to run my junk out there from detroit

so i know what you mean about not being able to get pics.


as to the spindle holes, you use your grinder in an x pattern to lightly clearance the hole so the welded up shafts will fit through. just try to fit em in and grind where it needs it.

welding real slow and stopping constatly to cool with water or oil quench even
nets a good strong d28 joint, BUT it increases the liklihood of snapping the shaft off in the 23 spline side gear which is usually a bitch to get out. sounds like you guys can handle it though, and you can get a shit ton of them shafts
and lockouts usually for cheap or free. just add joints and mig wire. drill the caps too and grease em with a needle and you can go a ways with a welded 28 and an easy foot.

though you may want to do a brake controller mod intead of welding the diff.

 

[melvinscott]

Oh cool! I think I have to go with my friends soon. What model do they usually use?



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