Truck Prep

Get some BFG ATs in the size you want and don't look back. The 35/12.5s are 7lbs heavier than your 33/10.5  47lbs vs 54lbs.  For the amount of wheeling we do vs onroad driving we do they work great, just don't air down too far below 18psi.   I have 33/12.5s on the caR50 and the trailer and didn't have any problems last year and not dealing with the tires was nice.

I'm a big fan of the Dick Cepek Mud Country tires....Tire rack has them priced reasonably.  Same carcass structure as the other decent offroad tires - 5 ply tread / 3 ply sidewalls.  Made by Cooper Tire.  They're actually round and balance well, and they're not terribly noisy compared to other mud tires, and they're much cheaper than MTR's, etc, which can be tough to source in 35x12.50/15.  I have 35s.  Difference in truck height between 33s and 35s is only an inch for garage clearance.  The meany just barely fits in my garage with the roof rack.

 

As for running AT's, yes, you'll probably be fine unless we get wet weather, which is impossible to predict.  We will see some higher elevations that could have some snow as well, but then again, it could all be dry and nice.  What I can say is none of the trails are overly technical when dry.  Add mud and snow and that could be a different story, but like I said...impossible to predict.

 

 

$214 each on Tirerack.com

 

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...amp;fromCompare1=yes

After looking at the Swampers again last night, I think I'm going to stick with them.  They're really still in pretty decent shape and... well, free. 

 

Thanks for the link to the Cepeks - I don't know why those didn't show up in my search.

 

 

The other big thing I want to tackle before the run is refreshing my joints... all new ball joints, tierod, draglink, and trackbar ends... plus some more normal maintenance like packing bearings, changing diff fluid etc.

 

Luckily, the post I made on XOC listing the part numbers for the steering from way-back-when is still up!

I just have to figure out what size the heim joints are that came with the Calmini trackbar.  I assume the D44 ball joints are standard.

 

Edit: There's also the radius arms, which have johnny joints on one end... I'm not sure how to check those to see if they are good - they're so beefy they probably won't budge if I yank on them.

I recently put the General Grabbers on the S-10, I like them a lot so far.  Not as much traction as the Goodyears (which have more traction than swampers), except in gravel, in gravel they are better.  However they aren't bad anywhere and they're supposed to wear really well for street use.

 

The bonus is that 35x12.5R15 tires are only $200 each at Discount.

 

I was having trouble with the Goodyear tires falling apart due to the desert bashing I was doing.  I put big cuts (1"+) through 3 of the treads within a month, all while Goodyear had them on backorder so I couldn't replace them.  Luckily Discount let me cert out the 3 bad Goodyears for the Generals so I only had to buy the one.

 

Personally, I wouldn't trust a 5 year old swamper unless you've been storing them indoors when they aren't on your rig.

Your ball joints are standard D44 for a 80 and later Grand Cherokee. I think yours came off an 84.  

 

The J-joints should have a zerk to grease.

I swiped your steering upgrade info for the How to forum here so that info will be preserved on N4W.

 

 

I'm going to kick the tire decision down the road a month - but I ordered new ball joints and trackbar ends and I'm going to get all new TREs for my steeering

Some part numbers for future reference:
Dana Spicer 706116X BALL JOINT SET

Calmini trackbar heims:JMX-12T, JMXL12T

Jeff's Bronco Graveyard has them for $55/side for the Spicer ball joints:

 

http://shop.broncograveyard.co...r/productinfo/22185/

It turns out the kevlar Wrangler MT/R is available at Discount for the same price as the Dick Cepeks at Tire Rack - which makes them actually a lot cheaper because no shipping...  anything bad to say about those?

That's oddly cheap for those.  Queef said something about those being the old MTR's, but the kevlar ones are the current ones.  Brent has been tearing those up on a regular basis and actually went to something else because the MTRs were hard to find in the 35" size, but if the tires are freshly date coded, it's a matter of preference.

Brent destroy tires? 

I think I was running too low of pressure, but yea the MT/R Kevlars run about $220 apiece at Discount, not sure where you're getting your pricing from Andy.

 

The General Grabbers are $199 at Discount, plus they actually had them in stock.  The Kevlars were back ordered for the last couple months of the year, they came back in stock on 12/24.

Thought they were more....

Swampers ..

TSL Bias

I like round tires...

Haha - keep in mind I'm trying to find tires that I can drive on from Austin to Phoenix and back in addition to using on the run... So bias ply hardcore off road tires are out.  I'm tired of trailering off road tires out there.

I put in an "order" for the Goodyears tonight but they are not in stock, so we'll see what they say when they contact me tomorrow.

I also ordered a new red top.  I've been neglecting the Xterra for several years so I'm doing everything I can think of to minimize my chances for problems

A diehard platinum is a better battery.   Made by Odyssey.  Optimas aren't what they used to be.

 

I've heard that about them, but Amazon had a good price and I refuse to deal with non-sealed batteries anymore so I jumped on it.  MTRs are being transferred to my store so I'm getting 'em!

Where are the pictures of your MTRs?

I've heard that the quality is improving on the Optimas, but for just a bit more than the Optima you can get the Diehard (AKA Odessey) from Sears and it is a better battery.

Totally agree.

And the diehard platinum is sealed too just like an optima.

I got a bunch of stuff planned to get my 96' TLC up to snuff..

 

Belly Skid Plate by Slee http://www.sleeoffroad.com/pro...cts_80belly_main.htm

Step Sliders (have to because of the kidos) by Bump It Off Road http://bumpitoffroad.com/80-step-sliders.html

Custom made Tire Carrier http://forum.ih8mud.com/thread...tire-carrier.833682/

Replace my tie rod ends and steering absorber-- Japan 555 Brandhttp://cruiseroutfitters.com/steering.html

 

 

Thinking about - 315/75R16 Tires, Rear LCA replacements

 

Cannot seem to find - Front Bolt on recovery points for D-Rings and a Rear Diff Skid

 

I rebuilt my steering back in October, before my surgery, so that's out of the way.

1. Start a brake overhaul this weekend. I might have more than one issue. Passenger brake caliper and/or master brake cylinder. I lost my brakes on a tight turn 3 weeks ago. Couldn't identify any pinch points, line swelling issues, or leaks, so kinda at a loss to diagnose. A week later a brake on the pasenger side started scraping only when I leaned into a turn; why I though a caliper was sticking or failing, but that shouldn't explain the one time loss of brake pressure that returned to normal 2 seconds later. Will be taking tires off this weekend and working backwards to see what's up. Master cylinder might be on it's way out, maybe? 11 years old. Any input is always appreciated.

Other than that, just the typical prep:
2. Change the oils.
3. Put skid plates back on.
4. Buy 2 more fuel cans and figure out how and where I'm going to mount them.

Check that vacuum line to the booster for condition / cracks, dry rot, etc, and make sure it seals good.

Did you lose brakes all together or did the pedal just get really hard and the truck didn't want to stop?  If the latter, it most likely has to do with the booster...either it's not getting vaccum or the booster itself could be failing.

 

As for dragging calipers...check the pads for goofy wear...check wheel for any "chuck" to see if you have wobble in the wheel bearings, and make sure your caliper bolts are tight.

 

Dumb question...hows the brake fluid?  did the brake light on the dash come on?

 

 

I made a hard U turn and as soon as I straightened to stop at the light, the brakes didn't work and pedal went to the floor, but recovered fine when I pressed them again and stopped just short of hitting a car. This is why I thought I pinched a line, but I couldn't duplicate that issue. I have not checked the vacuum to the booster yet, but I thought a hard pedal was a sign of a bad booster. Fluid level was the first thing I checked and new fluid was ran through last winter. I traced the lines from the master cylinder throughout the truck; all good. I replaced rotors and pads in 2012. Repacked wheel bearings late 2013, when I rebuilt the front suspension, so almost 1 1/2 years ago. Once I get those tires off, I'm hoping to find the answer. I'm just trying to cover all my bases before I start tearing into this thing, because I always get a surprise. My lot in life.

That just sounds like air in the system then.  Could be a MC going bad....

 

Try bleeding the system.  Start with the left rear, right rear, then right front, then left front.  Be sure to keep fluid in the MC through the process.  Your son can help by pumping the pedal.  Open bleeder, have him push to the floor and hold, close, release, and repeat until you find the air in the system.

 

 

I bled them last weekend. I planned to bleed the brakes again after I checked that wheel. Alex makes a good helper. He did it for me last time. Thanks for insight Andy. I'll just make sure I run though everything.

take a good look at the banjo fitting going to the caliper.  I've mashed those with the steering stops before.

 

Thanks Steve, I'll take a good look at it.

38 days and counting.  How is my truck broken?  Let me count the ways.

 

1. The new fuel pump I just put in is not pumping fuel.

2. The CB stopped transmitting last time I was out.

3. The ARB compressor is dead.

4. There's new play in the steering wheel.

5. The power brakes are questionable at idle.

6. I'm sure there's more.

7. There always is.

 

On the bright side the new gas tank does not leak.

...so you got that going for ya....which is nice.

 

D'Oh!  You gotta get it in to get it on.

 

After I seated the plug on the pump properly fuel pump victory is mine.

Your just now learning how to get it in the hole?..... You poor thing.

If you want to bring your rig over during the week sometime so we can look over the other issues feel free to Steve.

 

I just might take you up on that.  I need to do a radio check with the fresh CB mic.  The ARB compressor problem is a broken hex screw bolt that holds the motor shaft bushing that the bottom of the compressor piston rotates about.  The easy-out didn't work but it is drilled out to 5/32 and a 10-24'ish size tap should let me fix it with a new cap screw.