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first trip, problems, and ideas on fixes

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Offline djlantis57

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first trip, problems, and ideas on fixes
« on: September 08, 2009, 11:34:54 PM »
Well the Tracker saw its first real trip on Monday.  I towed it up with my truck, and went with my neighbor in his FJ40.  All the pictures are posted here.  This is really lengthy but I REALLY want to know what some people suggest about this.  It definitely worked great off-road but now I'm looking at even more upgrades.  Might I add that I was still running my P-rated 235s at 15psi yesterday.  No problems with the tires.
I am definitely appreciative for the opportunity to get away, but from what my neighbor made it sound like, it was a simple easy break-in trail.  Not in my opinion.  Some people I talked to are very impressed I made it in and out of there in one piece, since I've talked about it today.  Turns out it's not as easy as he made it sound.  Oh well.  The damage could have been a lot worse, like my other neighbor's jeep, but that's another story...
I ran into quite a few problems.  His FJ40 is geared extremely low and locked up, etc...so he had no problem with the obstacles.  Me, on the other hand, had to ride the clutch a lot at first to keep things slow enough...until I smelled the clutch burning up.  So to save my clutch, that means I had to keep my foot off the clutch and keep it idling along so it wouldn't stall, even in 1st gear, 4LO.  But when I started going faster (by not using the clutch and slowing it down), I started hitting things and breaking stuff since I couldn't take it slow enough.  4.24:1 gears are on the wish list now for sure.  The 1.82:1 simply won't do anymore.  Also a heavier duty clutch.  Centerforce dual friction most likely.  And a hand throttle setup too.  Found myself in tight spots and needing some way to control clutch/brake/gas all at once and I've only got two feet to work with.  With my 30" tires, the clutch is only going to have more problems and the gearing is only going to become more necessary.  Besides, doesn't the 4.24:1 kit also improve high-range gearing too?
Next thing is, the Calmini rear axle skidplate/truss gets the front lip (pinion guard) hung up on rocks, and pivots it downward.  The whole skidplate rotates around the round axle tube since it is only mounted on u-bolts.  Once it rotated the slightest bit, it lost ground clearance, and got hung up easier and rotated even more.  Then it got to the point it was dragging on nearly everything, and also binding the brake lines on the rear side of the axle.  At that point I had to get a ratchet and loosen the ubolts and rorate it back to its proper position and tighten again.  I had to do that twice on the trail.  On the way back it happened again but not as bad so I left it the rest of the way down the hill.  My idea to fix this: run a U-bolt upside down, around the pinion housing in the carrier, down through the skidplate with two nuts on the bottomside of the skidplate.  Sure, those nuts mught get hung up a little easier than a smooth steel plate, but it would keep it from moving like it did.  It definitely didn't do the job right this time, it needs something to make it better.
The towbar was scary.  It made my truck fishtail twice and I almost lost control, I ended up steering into oncoming lanes to correct the weight pushingon the back of the truck.  Luckily the oncoming lanes were empty.  Since there's no tongue weight (like as in towing a trailer), the Tracker pushed the back of my truck around too much.  And this is in summer weather.  I don't want to see how it does in the slick winter roads.  Looks like I'll be driving it a lot more than I thought I ever would be.
The skidplates everywhere and the trail tough sidebars definitely got put to the test.  I didn't see a rock ledge on the way home and when my front left tire cleared it and went down, and car smashed down on the driver's side nerf bar towards the front.  It took the whole brunt of the force.  The black plastic trim around the rocker panels now rubs the bottom of the door at the very front.  Something shifted a bit and I can't figure out what.  The bar looks straight, the frame looks straight, it looks like the plastic just got shifted and needs to shift back, but I haven't done enough exploration to be able to tell.  Truth is, I've been too pissed off with the whole thing to even want to deal with it.  
So Calmini and Trail Tough both make that 4.24:1 kit.  Which one's better, or are they both made by the same manufacturer?  I'll listen to opinoins from people with either product.  Definitely want the most bang for my buck though.
I'm running the Calmini 3" kit, with steering stabilizer and front skidplate, Does the Anvil housing interfere with any of these?  I don't think so, but want to hear it from other owners.  I like the idea of running both driver's side axle shafts.  Carry onle one spare.  Which reminds me, my passenger inner CV boot is torn and spitting grease everywhere, and the driver's outer CV boot has started to tear too.
And I was thinking aobut buying a $100 spool to buy myself time until I decide to upgrade further (ARB) but I've decided to tough it out with open diffs until then and go with front and rear ARBs when I do the anvil housing in the front, and install the upgraded rear axle shafts from Calmini.  Who's running the ARBs without a problem, and who's had problems with them?  I've heard many people with JEEPS have problems with the air lines going bad, but what about Zuk owners?  I'm really curious because I don't want to spend the time and money installing an ARB if it's just going to become one more thing to have to fix/maintain on a regular basis.  And what kind of maintenance do you do to them?  And what kind of differential fluids, anything special because of the air locker???

All of these upgrades are being considered for sometime after November, closer to December-January time, depending how work and income goes until then.  
The point of the whole rig was to make it a simple hunting rig, but now I want to keep building it up for little trips like this, because I sure don't want to turn down an invite like this again.  But for now, I'm gonna have to, because I don't like tearing my stuff up like I just did.  Definitely want more upgrades...just gotta earn that $$$...more overtime...
Here's the pictures.  Enjoy em.  It was my first time on a trail like this too, so far i hear I did a helluva job for my first time with my own rig.
And let me know what you all think about future upgrades.






















« Last Edit: September 08, 2009, 11:39:14 PM by djlantis57 »
God put me on earth to accomplish a certain number of things.  Right now I am so far behind, I will never die.
90 Tracker LSi 2dr tintop 5spd: slow toy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 08 Pontiac G8 GT: fast toy
90 Tracker LSi 2dr 5spd: SOLD.......95 Tracker 2dr 5spd: parts..........90 Sidekick JX 5spd: HI, my name's DJ and I have an addiction.........93 Tracker 2dr 2wd 5spd: PS donor/poss. 4x4 swap from 95 parts

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Offline bentparts

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Re: first trip, problems, and ideas on fixes
« Reply #1 on: September 10, 2009, 05:15:20 AM »
Do the Hagen mod's to the rear axle and loose that axle truss. It's just limiting your ground clearence. Go with the ARB's. I haven't had one air line failure in the whole time I've had them. Common sense routing and sheilding the airlines go's a long way in keeping them working.
The usual stuff, and 2nd generation Air to liquid intercooled TURBOCHARGER

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Offline djlantis57

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Re: first trip, problems, and ideas on fixes
« Reply #2 on: September 10, 2009, 09:22:45 AM »
That's what I figured, as long as the air line is protected,it should be fine.  I was wondering if people ever have internal leaks.
The ground clearance didn't prove to be much of a problem, the gears were the biggest problem.  Judging by the way the axle got banged up when the skidplate wasn't present, I'm gonna keep it, I just need to fasten it to the pinion housing to keep it from rotating.
Either way, I'm definitely not going back to that place until I'm more well-equipped for the trail.  That included the little bit taller tire and the case gearset, and hopefully even lockers.  I was going to "buy time" by installing a spool but I might as well do it once right the first time, and install the ARBs.
I'm looking into the anvil housing, too, since it allows the use of 2 driver's side shafts.  Yes, I could do the Hagen widening mod, but I'm not much of a fabricator (yet)...the bolt-in mods are better for me since I never have enough time to brainstorm my own stuff.  Does the anvil work seamlessly with the Calmini 3" kit?
God put me on earth to accomplish a certain number of things.  Right now I am so far behind, I will never die.
90 Tracker LSi 2dr tintop 5spd: slow toy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 08 Pontiac G8 GT: fast toy
90 Tracker LSi 2dr 5spd: SOLD.......95 Tracker 2dr 5spd: parts..........90 Sidekick JX 5spd: HI, my name's DJ and I have an addiction.........93 Tracker 2dr 2wd 5spd: PS donor/poss. 4x4 swap from 95 parts

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Offline Minmatar

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Re: first trip, problems, and ideas on fixes
« Reply #3 on: September 10, 2009, 09:50:58 AM »
Yes it was designed for the 3+3 kit from calmini. Im looking into it myself. But i figure an SAS swap is more likely to happen in the future. Im gonna use the 3+3 this winter until i can get EVERYTHING for my sas for next summer. Ill just end up selling off the 3" Suspension lift......


Now if people would only sell me their axles.....the PNW does not like selling yota axles cause they know....their prices sure do show it.. 1050 for a set of ok revamped axles....W/O Bobbies ore Burffs.....sad days.
<)O.o(> NO!!!!! *as the sidekick rolls* My beer =(

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Offline bentparts

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Re: first trip, problems, and ideas on fixes
« Reply #4 on: September 10, 2009, 11:26:23 AM »
 ;) tcase gears and lockers and you'll amaze yourtself at where you can go! The reason I mentioned the Hagen widining mods is that it also re centers your wheels in the wheel wells after lifting, allowing the use of bigger tires without fender cutting. I'm running 32x11.50's no fender trimming, no rubbing.
The usual stuff, and 2nd generation Air to liquid intercooled TURBOCHARGER

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Offline djlantis57

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Re: first trip, problems, and ideas on fixes
« Reply #5 on: September 12, 2009, 12:36:53 AM »
Yeah I've noticed what the widening trick does.  Pushes tire forward more.  Looks like a great idea but doubtful I'll ever get around to doing it.  The rear rotation also pushes rear axle back a little bit so at full droop, the tire isn't as close to the front of the rear wheelwell.  Basically both would increase approach and departure angles and lengthen wheelbase a little bit for the better.  I have a feeling I need to be keeping this simpler...because once I start doing more and more to it, then I'm gonna eventually be looking at SAS...which would mean all the work I just did, would be wasted, and the parts be sold for nothing compared to the purchase price.  I need to keep this car back to basics.  Maybe the tcase gears though.  Cause that would just make a world of difference.  And gain back the proper gearing for the 30" tire in the high range.
God put me on earth to accomplish a certain number of things.  Right now I am so far behind, I will never die.
90 Tracker LSi 2dr tintop 5spd: slow toy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 08 Pontiac G8 GT: fast toy
90 Tracker LSi 2dr 5spd: SOLD.......95 Tracker 2dr 5spd: parts..........90 Sidekick JX 5spd: HI, my name's DJ and I have an addiction.........93 Tracker 2dr 2wd 5spd: PS donor/poss. 4x4 swap from 95 parts