Wasatch Cruisers Rubicon Run (LONG) with pics.

[Box Rocket]

Well, after an exhausting trip I'm back (along with the rest of our group). We had a great trip, but it was quite the adventure. I'll give my Reader's Digest version of the trip for you.

Started out with me finding a loaner Suburban to use a tow rig. Made for a much nicer trip. We dropped off the trailers at the staging area near Tahoma just before sunset on Wednesday and made our way to IceHouse Road and Loon Lake. Camped just below the dam on Loon Wednesday night with lots of cold wind keeping us company all night.

Day 1: We had a total of 14 trucks in our group and they all started showing up at the dam around 8:30am Thursday morning. We had nine FJ40s, two FJ60s, one FJ62, one CJ7, and one FZJ80. After taking a wrong turn, we quickly found the trail and headed over to the Alligator pit. Everyone made it through with little incident. Took a little extra work with a couple of the wagons. Everything else was pretty uneventful until we stopped for lunch at the Little Sluice. We had 5 trucks try it (all 40s). Dan George was first and made a clean run until snagging both diffs while he was exiting. After a humiliating short winch tug he was free and out of the box. Ryan (Cap'n) Davis was next and was looking good until the big rock in the middle. After we all heard the all too familiar "BANG" and got him winched out, he tore his front end apart to find out that he had broken both birfs and both inners and a hub. Had spares for all of it so he got to work making his fix while Dave Connors took his turn. Dave lost a bead after clearing the first rock. Got it re-seated with a CO2 tank and he was back at it until he busted a birf at the exact same spot Ryan did. Got him winched out and he started his repairs as well. I was next.

I had been anticipating this since this would be the first real test for my new Smurfields. As with everyone else I had a strap on my cage with a couple bodies acting as ballast but I made a clean run and the Smurfs and everything else survived! I was pumped. This was my first attempt at the Little Sluice and I made it. It was cool.

CruiserOutfit was next busted a rear axle at the first rock. He spent the next couple hours getting repaired and over to our camp spot on the shores of Spider Lake. So the Little Sluice kicked our butts with only 2 out of 5 making successful runs.

Michelle was driving our 40 from the Little Sluice over to Spider Lake and I was spotting for her as she came down one of the big ledges and stepped in a hole and dislocated my knee. I ended up limping around the rest of the trip.

Day 2: We left Spider Lake and made our way to our next camping spot at the springs. Our group seperated at the top of the slabs and several of the trucks including seven 40s, one CJ, one FJ60 and one FZJ80 took the turn off for the Old Sluice. After working through a few tight spots on the way down everyone made it past the big rock at the end until CruiserOutfit got a tire up on top of it and his Saginaw steering box blew its guts out the front. With a complete loss of steering and no replacement box, he winched out and loaded a bunch of gear into other trucks and would end up going out to Reno that night to find a new box. Back to that part of the story later.

Everyone finally rolled into the springs just before the sun went down. Allan Flandro took Kurt and they headed out to find a steering box. The rest of the group had some dinner and tried to relax. Saturday morning the bulk of the group packed up to make the climb up Cadillac hill. Dan George, Ryan Davis, Brett Porter (CJ7) stayed back to wait for Allan and Kurt to get back with the steering box and make the trek back to the Old sluice to make the repairs. Hopefully, CruiserOutfit will share some details about this leg of the trip since I wasn't there, but what I do know is that by the time they all made it to the staging area, there were two more broken rear axles, another broken hub, a couple busted shackles, and a busted u-joint on the CJ. At 2am they finally made it to the parking lot.

Back to the group that came out earlier. We had a clean run up Cadillac Hill. Eric Cline wins the best driver award. He had his nearly bone stock 40. The only mods to his truck are a 2F and a H55F and some 31s and he was packed to the gills and ran with his hardtop on and no power steering and made many of us look foolish throughout the trail! Nice work Eric!!! Our drive out to the staging area was relaxed until my steering box tore off the frame about halfway between the overlook and the parking lot. I chained it to the frame and kept going.

It was a great trip in spite of all the breakage. I count myself lucky for not breaking more. After this trip I can vouch for the toughness of the Smurfields. They were a very worthwhile purchase IMO.

Kudos to our entire group that made the trip. My hats off to you guys that stayed behind and had a workout getting off the trail. Wasatch Cruisers is an awesome group!

[Box Rocket]

here's a few pics with the rest of them HERE

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nuther one from the Little Sluice

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Dan George in the Little Sluice

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Michelle at the wheel, coming out of the trees after the Alligator Pit

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CruiserOutfit part way down the Old Sluice

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Darren Webster's 80 coming down the Old Sluice

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CruiserOutfit's busted steering box.

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near the beginning of the Old Sluice

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at the bottom of the Old Sluice. This is where CruiserOutfit busted his steering box.

[Box Rocket]

last one. The traditional "right of passage" crossing the bridge into the springs.

[theferg]

We Northerners are totally bummed we couldn't make it to this run. Looks like it was a hoot. Can't wait for next months run. I'm definitely there--even if I just come down in the civic with my Mountain Bike and digi-cam. Any idea why so many rear axles were breakin'? I am assuming all long side?--or were there some short sides? Just gettin' a little worried 'bout my stock rear FF axle shafts. I better work up some spares for sure.

[Box Rocket]

That reminds me, I was going to give a carnage report.

Here's what I can remember:

3 birfs
2 inners
3 longside rear axles
4 hubs
3 steering boxes
1 tie rod
1 main leaf
1 brake line
2 tail lights
2 shackles
1 MT/R sidewall
1 blown bead
1 blown knee
lots of dents and scrapes


...Oh yeah, and one Mitsubishi Lancer

[mantis]

Man, I got motion sick looking at your 4th pic.

Fixed it for ya

[Box Rocket]

gotta love the camera tilt

thanks for fixing it

[fj40_rico]

Originally posted by Box Rocket
That reminds me, I was going to give a carnage report.

Here's what I can remember:

3 birfs
2 inners
3 longside rear axles
4 hubs
3 steering boxes
1 tie rod
1 main leaf
1 brake line
2 tail lights
2 shackles
1 MT/R sidewall
1 blown bead
1 blown knee
lots of dents and scrapes


...Oh yeah, and one Mitsubishi Lancer

Man, That's a lot of broken stuff for just one trip.

[ginericfj80]

How did Darren's 80 do on the trip? I'm hoping to take my big boat to Rubithon 2004.

[Box Rocket]

Darren's 80 did great! He's an awesome driver and I'm sure that had a lot to do with it. The only thing he didn't do was the little sluice. Came away with some decent body damage on the rear quarters. Most of it came in the Old Sluice. If you stay out of there, I think a big wagon can make it through fairly unscathed.

[Box Rocket]

Man, That's a lot of broken stuff for just one trip.

Yeah, especially when you consider that most of that was distributed between about 6 of the 14 trucks.

[Live Rust]

/Oh yeah, and one Mitsubishi Lancer/

Who took the Lancer on the trail?

Thanks for the great pictures.


Troy

[Box Rocket]

Actually Ryan's brother jumped and wrecked a rental Lancer on the way to the trail trying to get there on time to meet Ryan at the trailhead Thursday night.

bummer

[texican]

Gads, what broke all the steering box's? Don't know that I have ever seen a busted one on the trail.

ATT. Nolen

1 MT/R sidewall

Butch

[Beanie]

Nice trail report Adam, sounds like it was an adventurous trip. One of these days I'll actually make it to a Wasatch Cruiser meeting so I can meet some of the people you talk about (I've met a few on the Pig Run, great group of people)

[Box Rocket]

Gads, what broke all the steering box's? Don't know that I have ever seen a busted one on the trail.

One of them was a FJ60 box (on a 60) that just started dumping fluid under load at the first obstacle. Pulled the drive belt and he finished the trail without power steering.

CruiserOutfit might have a more detailed theory about his but I heard him say that when his left front tire stuffs, the spring contacts the tie rod (using hysteer arms) and it binds up. When his busted, it was exactly that scenario and his box was the only one that really failed.

Mine was the other box and mine just sheared the mounting bolts. The box itself was fine and I chained it to the frame and drove out.

We were all amazed when Kurt's exploded! Who in their right mind carries a spare steering box?

[helocat]

Originally posted by Box Rocket
That reminds me, I was going to give a carnage report.

Here's what I can remember:

3 birfs
2 inners
3 longside rear axles
4 hubs
3 steering boxes
1 tie rod
1 main leaf
1 brake line
2 tail lights
2 shackles
1 MT/R sidewall
1 blown bead
1 blown knee
lots of dents and scrapes


...Oh yeah, and one Mitsubishi Lancer

Yikes thats like a list post a whole week a Moab!