Michaels's Discovery

michaels

Explorer
spent some time at Beasley knob with good friends and sweet trucks:
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had a few hairy moments:
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view from the driver seat:
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and passenger:
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michaels

Explorer
some more trail:
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the scenery was beautiful:
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and some nice wildlife, although this was all we saw:
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also, i realized that this is perfect height for a sleeping platform if the weather is foul, or in a pinch:
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overall, it was a wonderful trip, and i'm enjoying this truck immensely. i went out for some night wheeling the other night and got her good and muddy, and then washed, waxed, detailed, and vacuumed the truck for good measure. i'm very satisfied with the cargo area so far. i'll find specific spots for the gear. so far i have two chairs, a four person tent a pillow, sleeping bag, and mat for the left side. hopefully i can fit my stove in there as well. the pots, pans, and non-perishable food with go on either side of the box. flip open covers constructed of the same materials are planned for the side cubbies, as well as a drawer with a 100 LB, heavy duty slides for ease of storage of smaller items.

next on the list:
a hella 4K euro lamp for the middle
superwinch EPi9.0

hopefully i'll have them both in the next month or so.
 
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michaels

Explorer
one more picture; it's of my first wheeling trip to a local ORV park with the dealership:
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these are also up for grabs, if anyone is interested...
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michaels

Explorer
UPDATE: i slept in the back last night. it's most comfortable diagonally across the back. also, an air mattress is a very big necessity to do this, especially for multiple nights. all i had was my blowup (THIN) therma rest.
 

michaels

Explorer
got my driveshaft rebuild. all spicer parts with new flanges, DC ball, and greaseable joints. 5-134x are the ujoint numbers i think. i didn't get it rebalanced, but it doesn't vibrate at any speed.
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it's preeetttyyyy. and beefy on that end. had i known how much the flanges and such would cost with the labor, i would've spent a few more bucks for a tom woods. oh well. it works fine for my application.
 

revor

Explorer
michaels said:
got my driveshaft rebuild. all spicer parts with new flanges, DC ball, and greaseable joints. 5-134x are the ujoint numbers i think. i didn't get it rebalanced, but it doesn't vibrate at any speed.
DSC_0100.jpg

DSC_0098.jpg

DSC_0097.jpg


it's preeetttyyyy. and beefy on that end. had i known how much the flanges and such would cost with the labor, i would've spent a few more bucks for a tom woods. oh well. it works fine for my application.

Doin' it right all the same!
 

michaels

Explorer
revor said:
Doin' it right all the same!

:safari-rig: although i was a little bummed on the price at first, it really is top-notch work. i won't have to worry about my driveshaft, except when i'm greasin' it up at oil changes. i don't wheel in a "try till you break it" crowd, so i really don't have to worry to much about strength.

winch is next and HD axles. i'd like to go to a toy swap (AHEM, keith...) and e-locker after that for the rear.
 

michaels

Explorer
Cargo

here it is all packed for a four day trip. the Coleman Extreme is an excellent cooler. there is still ice in it and water bottles are frozen six days later.

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nothing moved around at all once i repacked it like this. anything that was not soft was strapped down with heavy duty straps. i had a bit of rearranging to do after one day on the trail.

i'm going to carpet the left cubby. i decided i don't want a drawer there at all, and i'm goign to add tie-down loops to the actual box and finally secure the box to the floor via the stock tie-downs and jump seat brackets. the box on the left that held all the dry food is too flimsy. i'll be getting a pelican 1610 or 1650 instead when money permits.

a SUPERWINCH EPi9.0 should be here within the next month. i finally found a buyer for my wheels and tires.
 

michaels

Explorer
stu454 said:
A very nicely set up D2.


Stu. i regularly head out to Amicalola and Beasely Knob for the weekend. i can usually do a trip once a month or so. if you're ever interested in a trip, PM me. i have a few friends in georgia (pnorvell and jeff_wright on here) that i head out with and we always have a good time.
 

michaels

Explorer
superwinch EPi9.0 with 3/8"x100' synthetic line from winchline.com:
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i've started making the new bumper. i have the main beam so far. hopefully i'll get the mounts done tomorrow. it's a little complicated to do on a DII, but i think i have something figured out. there will be six bolts holding it onto the rear, and the sliders/quarter panel protection will be mounted to the frame:

mock up of the quarter panels. there will be 1/4 sliders hidden behind the flat stock:
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anybody know of a good place to order about four square feet of flat stock?
 

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