Getting ready for the meet...

July 18-22, 2011, near Silverton, CO

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Smuz
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Getting ready for the meet...

Post by Smuz »

Well, here's my annual post about getting ready for the meet.

Mouser's the candidate to go this year. He's in the shop right now for a new clutch and general going over. I'm gonna be taking him to Kansas Rocks Off Road Park in mid-June for a good test. I don't foresee any probs.

I gotta start on the 5th wheel next week and see if I can get a trailer hitch on it, the batteries changed, and a multitude of smaller probs taken care of. If not, I'll just have to camp again. Time will tell.

My biggest concern at this point is that Alice didn't do well at altitude last time we were there. She's really worried about this trip. I guess we can always pack up and leave if she has probs.

Let's hear from the rest of you about your trials and tribulations getting ready.
The above is my opinion. It is subject (like all my opinions) to debate, disagreement, rude gestures, and loud raspberries.
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Re: Getting ready for the meet...

Post by stevec »

Yes, altitude can be an issue: Silverton is at about 9300', the Eureka campsite is around 9500' I believe, and the passes are around 13,000'. Best thing to do is not gain all that altitude in a day. If you are at sea level, try to plan a stop for the night somewhere in the middle, say around 4-6,000' elevation, and let yourselves acclimate slowly.

When we were in Hawaii a couple of years ago, we drove up to see the observatories at the top of Mauna Kea (13,800'). At about 9000' there is a visitor center - they require you to stop there for at least an hour. Even with that, we took a short hike up near the summit, and we all could feel the altitude sickness.
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Re: Getting ready for the meet...

Post by stevec »

Regarding my getting ready for the meet:

Truck: Ready to go. I need to check, but I think the tranny is still under warranty. :roll: Probably will change the oil before I go.

Camper: Took it out of storage last weekend. Looks fine. Will be taking it out Memorial Day weekend, so any issues should show up then. If anything, I might need to replace the batteries, but that should be it. I will also have a (very quiet Honda) generator, since we'll be camping there the whole week.

Trailer: Again, I'll know next weekend, but it should be ready to go. I'll bring two spares with me this trip, so if I get a flat I won't have to stop at the next tire store.

LJ's: Right now I'm planning on bringing the LJ81 (Chip, as Amber calls it) and Rocky (the RHD), mainly because they offer the most protection from the elements. (Also because I haven't replaced the clutch bearing on Cheez Whiz yet!) I think I need to rebuild the master cylinder on Rocky, but that shouldn't take too long. Bought new tires for Chip, and blasted the wheels this week. Hopefully this weekend I can get them painted, and get the wheels mounted and balanced. That's all I need to do; there are a couple of other things I'd like to do with Chip, but they won't impact this trip much either way.
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Re: Getting ready for the meet...

Post by Myers »

[Miss Alice (lj20) - Was going to do pistons/rings but about decided to wait until later. Will check dual stage fiberglass reeds which are now 1 year old. Received new front tires from Coker and they are mounted and balanced. (The ones I removed were new at Cooke City in 2007) Will remove the correct amount of leaves from the new “Old Man Emu” front springs that I installed last fall prior to Disney. (they were built to fit Samurai). Plan to add the leaves I remove to the back springs. Hope for more level front to back and maybe just a little lift overall.. Also plan to find and install new brake hoses which will also include annual brake fluid flush and brake adjustment. Clean innards of cooling system and install new antifreeze.

Trailer - A woman backed her SUV into left side fender during winter while trailer/truck was legally parked with me out of it. :pissed: Result? I am in the process of building a new fender which will need powder coated afterwards.

Tow rig – Clean up. Change oil and have full gas tank when leaving.

Bride – We will celebrate 52 years :hail:in August so will probably just load up her and her casino sniffing nose as is :whip: .
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Re: Getting ready for the meet...

Post by nickademusss »

I have worked most of the bugs out of Yoda, its starts reliable, and I have driven it every Friday to test reliability, fouled out a plug last week but cleaned it and it runs well again.

It leaks a little oil from an injector or two, but nothing bad, I will have to rent transportation some kind of U-haul, I guess we wont be camping, we will stay in Silverton.


Any ideas on the cheapest rental solution? I wont be towing anything with my truck...

I am also keeping an eye on my work schedule, I work on emission monitors at coal fired power plants, its the systems that report to the EPA, if they break I am on the hook to make sure they get fixed before the plant gets fined. Thats the only thing that will keep me from coming for a few days, I cant stay all week. so whats the best days to be there?

Oh I will also bring some of my camera gear, I may have to stop for a few pics if the scenery is good :) I am now shooting old school with a 4x5 cut sheet field camera, the images are so much plainer than any digital you can get 8) http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickademusss/5763275209/
I will also bring the Nikon's for the LJ's, I also wouldn't mind doing some group shots for the site...

DO any of you bring a CB or something?

Hope I can make it!!!
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Re: Getting ready for the meet...

Post by Myers »

We also hope you can make it

Fouling spark plugs happens. Good to keep an extra set along.

When we made our reservations Silverton was filling up due to a large group of some sort (not lj10.com)

More pics will be great.

I believe Stevec, SMUZ, Tweedybird and SuzukiTom have CB's? I have an old Cobra that came from somewhere. Don't know it it works or would be compatable with what they have but have thought about finding out and maybe putting it in.

I was just starting to do the get ready for Silverton when we both caught some sort of crud which we still have even after Dr. visits and meds. As a bonus I also received a spider bite in the same location Forrest Gump got shot in. Guess that would be a great area to live the life of a recluse in and leave me paying for the bite, the pain, the Dr. and the $70 med plus the spider's free cruise down the shower drain.

Good luck. Hope you can make it...
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Re: Getting ready for the meet...

Post by nickademusss »

I have an old 40channel hand held CB, I think it still works, If not Yoda would look a little more para-military with a whip antenna and a small CB under the dash. Dont know the range of the old hand held, I think it takes like 10 "AA" batteries! Not sure its worth it. lol

I will try to book the hotel soon, I see a few towns within an hour of Silverton as well, may have to go there, I have tent camping gear also if theirs a place for that near you guys, if it has a bathroom, the wife would like to tent camp but not being from the area we are not sure where would be the best place.

It looks like I will be renting a truck and a trailer, the mileage is cheaper for the pickup with trailer, so I wont need any ramps either, the box trucks price per mile is just way to high....

:whip:
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Re: Getting ready for the meet...

Post by stevec »

I've got a CB in the LJ81, and will bring a handheld for the LJ10. It sounds similar to yours, though I have a cig. plug to run it off of.

We'll be camping at the Eureka townsite, just northeast of Silverton on county road 2 (on the away to Animas Forks from Silverton.) There is a lodge up there somewhere now, should be fairly close to where we are camped. There are also places to stay in Silverton. There's a big Toyota event happening the weekend of July 23-24; I believe it actually starts Friday, and most of those guys will probably be showing up Thursday. If you can get reservations now, that would be a good idea.

My "to-do" list just got longer. Batteries in the camper are fine, but the sink faucet leaks, there's a leak under the sink, and one of the awning mounts is coming off. Also need to put new tranny mounts on the LJ10. At least the LJ81 is ready...
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Re: Getting ready for the meet...

Post by stevec »

As far as "what days to be there", we'll be there all week. The Toyota event means it'll probably be really busy Friday, but other than that, it's just a matter of when you can be there and what trails you want to run.
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Re: Getting ready for the meet...

Post by Myers »

nickademusss wrote: I will try to book the hotel soon, I see a few towns within an hour of Silverton as well, may have to go there, I have tent camping gear also if theirs a place for that near you guys, if it has a bathroom, the wife would like to tent camp but not being from the area we are not sure where would be the best place.
:whip:
For what its worth, wWe have reseverations at Triangle Motel in Silverton (970-387-5780) Just a shot in the dark after finding most were already taken. No smoking no pets but just remembered I did not ask if beds were optional. Have been to Durango but not Silverton so don't have any idea about good or bad. Since we have been going to the meets I have done both while reserving rooms by looking at pictures via the internet. More bad than good I guess with the worst probably being the first at Cooke City, MT. As you know pictures can lie.
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Re: Getting ready for the meet...

Post by nickademusss »

Are the trails we will be going on close to the Eureka camp site?

The wife is bent on camping, we havnt done it in years :)

I hate reserving a room, knowing that its not refundable if I get called out for work :(
Most of the non-chain motels there are like that, after a few calls...

We would love to find a place to camp even off of one the trails if thats possible, not sure on the rules there. Back in TN you can camp anywhere, just dont feed the bears.

weather permitting :whip:
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Re: Getting ready for the meet...

Post by Myers »

Campers at Soda Butte Campground at Cooke City, MT are what feeds the bears.
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Re: Getting ready for the meet...

Post by stevec »

The Eureka townsite is a great palce to camp - it is right next to the river, and the white noise from running water will give you a great night's sleep. This is where the group will be camping. I believe there are vault toilets just across the river where there is an ATV staging area. We are within a few miles of most of the trails, and many can be accessed without touching pavement. I think the only exception is Black Bear Pass, where we'll need to drive down to Silverton and up Red Mountain Pass.

Remember, Eureka is close to 10,000' elevation, so bring your cold weather sleeping bags, especially if you are tent camping!
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Re: Getting ready for the meet...

Post by Myers »

A big item just got crossed off of my "to do" list. Late yesterday I finally completed building the new LH fender for the trailer. Started sandblasting it about 6:30 (cooler)this morning and just got back from taking it to the powder coat place.
:whiskey: :whip:
Last edited by Myers on Fri Jun 03, 2011 2:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Getting ready for the meet...

Post by nickademusss »

Sweet!

Thats probable what we will do then, do they allow camp fires, or has Smokey the bear banned it? (not a bad thing, just wondering)

tried my little cb, it works, but its so small I can hardly hear it, oh well, might pick one up in time :)
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Re: Getting ready for the meet...

Post by branam101 »

I really envy you guys and this trip. My buddy and I rode bikes to CA following RT 66 in 2001 We came back through Vegas,4 corners to Silverton and Durango then across southern KS down to Tulsa then down to I 40 into AR. The Silverton/Durango area is beautiful. Wish I could come out there. Oh well maybe next year. As far as the CB radios go, you could stop at a Loves or Pilot truckstop and pick up a small Uniden or Cobra radio for around 40 bucks. You could get a magnetic antenna for around 15 to 20 more. They work pretty decent. Also the family band walky talkies work pretty decent as long as you are within a mile or two of each other
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Re: Getting ready for the meet...

Post by nickademusss »

The small uniden is what I will go with, had one a long time ago and it wouldnt stop working!

I would like to have a whip antenna on Yoda just to make it look a little more mini military!

:whip:
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Re: Getting ready for the meet...

Post by branam101 »

I had a 510 xl that I used the first 3 years I drove a truck. It worked great till I was getting out of the truck with it and fell, slinging it about half way across the parking lot. It broke the circut board and it would work till I hit a bump then it would short out. Now I have a bigger Uniden with the NOAH weather channels built into it. Its worked great for the last 6 of 7 years. Most drivers don't use them any more, with all the satellite radio and I-pods and such. It's sure handy to have one to find out which lane is open in a traffic jam, instead of being that guy looking at the orange barrels.
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Re: Getting ready for the meet...

Post by McKFam »

Long time no contact. (my fault)

Been a long year with health, work and family. I am still alive that is the good news.

As for this meet I really want to come. My LJ is still just a great as ever. Do not drive it much but that is par for the course. The good news is that I have that week off. The bad news is that I am back at my uncles ranch in Utah and kids are at a youth program there and I do not think I can escape to Colorado. Any other week and I may be able to pull it off. Durango would be doable from AZ but darn it is just bad timing.

I will have to share my latest find. Not an LJ but another RHD car. 79 Fairlady Z. If you do not know what a Fairlady Z is you may want to google it. (Japanese 280ZX) 100% Japanese Looks like it came out of time warp. Military guy brought it over and then sat for 22 years. I will post some pictures sometime. Drove it from Indiana to AZ.

Hope you all have a great time and I will make it some time. Promise.

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Re: Getting ready for the meet...

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I've not seen a RHD 280ZX - must be rare! I've always liked the older convertible Fairlady's from the '60's.

We finally had a nice weekend here in the PNW. Mostly sunny and temps near 80. Ripped the rear wall off the camper, replaced some rotten wood, and put it back together. The awning holds much better now! Also got the leaks fixed, and put it back in storage (we have a lot of guests coming the next few weeks, and I'll need the space in the driveway!) Also got the new BFG's mounted on Chip, as well as some longer shackles. The spare tires I picked up for the trailer are on wheels with the same bolt pattern, but a different offset, so I need to swap them to different wheels. Also need to do new brakes and tranny mounts on Rocky, but that is all that is needed. Will try to find time to make a rack and install a water tank on Chip, hopefully this weekend.
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Re: Getting ready for the meet...

Post by Smuz »

OOH! Campers! I'm in the process of getting my 5th wheel ready for the trip. What a PITA! First I hadda replace the hot water heater (thank you Tweeder), then I hadda replace the kitchen faucet and and about 2 feet of piping. Who's bright freaking idea was it to use that stupid odd sized nylon tubing in there? I think I got the plumbing done (I'll pressure test it Mon.). I'll take pics.

Now I gotta pull and check the wheel bearings and brakes this coming week and take Mouser to the local off-road park next weekend to run him thru his paces and make sure he's ready. I'll take pics.

Then I gotta build a trailer hitch for the fifth wheel and mount and wire my rear view cameras. I'll take pics.

Then I gotta get the "Amazing Purple Pig" ready.

Ah, hell, I'll be there.
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Re: Getting ready for the meet...

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nickademusss wrote:The small uniden is what I will go with, had one a long time ago and it wouldnt stop working!

I would like to have a whip antenna on Yoda just to make it look a little more mini military!

:whip:
Uniden is prolly one of the best out there. I'd avoid Cobra like it had the plague. I bought 6 Cobra 19's a few years back to equip myself and my sons. I got two left that work. Piss on cobra.

You may wanna rethink the 102" whip antenna. Those will beat the daylights out of anything or anybody close when you go under trees or such. A good Firestick is much better.

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Re: Getting ready for the meet...

Post by nickademusss »

Smuz, yeah Uniden stuff has never let me down, as to the whip, I was kidding, it would make it look like a giant radio control car! My dad still has and uses a 25 year old Uniden Scanner to listen to the local Fuzz, and EMS.


I got the muffler shop down the street to replace my homemade (not by me) exhaust manifold Friday. It was a huge diameter and leaked in several places. Thanks to Jacob its a factory one now. I had them do it because they had all the crap to weld it back properly. I am going on Vacation the end of next week, so the CB installation will have to wait, I also have a Jerry can holder and jerry can to paint and mount, that may not get done.....

What else should I do to Yoda?, it seeps a little fluid from the trans and transfer case, and a little oil here and there but nothing that would make a puddle in a couple of weeks time. As far as running, its been driven up to 45mph at least once a week since it got warm. I also dont have water leaks.... The only thing I notice is that the gears whine some, not sure if thats normal, they sound like the 1945 jeep next door. The clutch grabs a little when its cold too, a little jumpy, but it could be the non-factory clutch cable and where the previous owner mounted it.

Hope to make it!
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Re: Getting ready for the meet...

Post by Myers »

nickademusss wrote:The clutch grabs a little when its cold too, a little jumpy, but it could be the non-factory clutch cable and where the previous owner mounted it.

Hope to make it!
The clutch on Miss Alice was jumpy. After about 3 years of daily driving it is more smooth now. Always thought it to be rust in flywheel /clutch disk resulting from being stored in a barn for 12 years or so.
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Re: Getting ready for the meet...

Post by Frankenstein »

Myers wrote:
nickademusss wrote:The clutch grabs a little when its cold too, a little jumpy, but it could be the non-factory clutch cable and where the previous owner mounted it.

Hope to make it!
The clutch on Miss Alice was jumpy. After about 3 years of daily driving it is more smooth now. Always thought it to be rust in flywheel /clutch disk resulting from being stored in a barn for 12 years or so.
You could try and slip the clutch a time or 2. If there is some rust or stuff in there it will be gone after you've done that!
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