ZMotorsports Shop Projects 2.0

[ntsqd]

As it's name implies, CV-2 is really made for use in CV Joints. My Cup car prep friend told me that after extensive testing of various bearing greases that the only grease better in high heat, high load applications than CV joint grease (as a class of lubricants) was DuPont's Krytox. Their testing showed that the RF outer wheel bearing of a Cup car on a high banked oval would live a whole 500 mile race with CV grease in it. Usually.

They were picking those bearings by order cases of them from Timken and then subjecting them to many different NDT process' to weed out the best of the best. Even then it was a question mark if the bearing would live a 500 mile race. CVJ grease got them thru almost all of the races, but even then once in a while one of those bearings would fail.
When Krytox came out they tried it, and those bearings finished a 500 mile test looking like they were serviceable for further testing of the car. If you've got a weak heart then do not look up what Krytox costs in a quantity large enough to pack wheel bearings with it.

Within the group of road racers that I worked with what was thought to be the best CVJ grease available at the time came from your local VW dealer. It was their over-the-counter CVJ grease. Then VW changed who they sourced it from and that is when the shift to Redline CV-2 happened.

 

[stockerwithalocker]

As it's name implies, CV-2 is really made for use in CV Joints. My Cup car prep friend told me that after extensive testing of various bearing greases that the only grease better in high heat, high load applications than CV joint grease (as a class of lubricants) was DuPont's Krytox. Their testing showed that the RF outer wheel bearing of a Cup car on a high banked oval would live a whole 500 mile race with CV grease in it. Usually.

They were picking those bearings by order cases of them from Timken and then subjecting them to many different NDT process' to weed out the best of the best. Even then it was a question mark if the bearing would live a 500 mile race. CVJ grease got them thru almost all of the races, but even then once in a while one of those bearings would fail.
When Krytox came out they tried it, and those bearings finished a 500 mile test looking like they were serviceable for further testing of the car. If you've got a weak heart then do not look up what Krytox costs in a quantity large enough to pack wheel bearings with it.

Within the group of road racers that I worked with what was thought to be the best CVJ grease available at the time came from your local VW dealer. It was their over-the-counter CVJ grease. Then VW changed who they sourced it from and that is when the shift to Redline CV-2 happened.

Do you recall the model number of krytox? We use i believe 240 at work. Always curious what else is out there and everyones experience.

 

[Scuderia-F1]

Thanks, I appreciate that.



Thanks Anders.

I have not used any Motul lubricants. I appreciate your feedback about them.

You are most welcome Mike!
About Red Line Oil's CV-2, it might come in on the pricey side. But if you want the absolute best moly stuff, that is your hero.

 

[Scuderia-F1]

I need to find some of the Motul product and try it out. Thanks!
On the advice of a former (Winston) Cup car prep guy I use hand-packed CV-2 in wheel bearings exclusively. With a brand name, quality bearing (usually from a bearing house and not an auto parts store) I usually wear out the rest of the vehicle (or my AutoADD kicks in) before I need to replace those bearings again.
I have read of someone using it in universal joints, with a disastrous result. Not sure if simply the wrong grease for the application or some other factor was at play.

Try the Red Line Oil CV-2 for CV joints, hav had nothing but great experiences on. endurance racing cars. I always hand pack them with a 100 ml syringe (after learning the trick from the guy that builds all the wheel hubs and drive shafts over at Rahal Letterman Lenigan). Application is important, but without a great quality grease it does not matter. Porsche 993 GT2 was always notorious for wearing out CV joints in 24 hour races. Even after adding cooling ducts there was severe problems. After changing to Red Line CV-2 never had to rebuild a CV shaft prematurely.

 

[zmotorsports]

You are most welcome Mike!
About Red Line Oil's CV-2, it might come in on the pricey side. But if you want the absolute best moly stuff, that is your hero.

I may give some a try for my personal stuff, but to be honest, I can't see spending more than double on say something like standard ball joints or tie rods for a client's daily driver. Extreme environments? Yes, that makes sense, but for daily drivers that's a hard sell.

As for Redline lubricants, they are good. We used several of their products in our sleds and client's sleds when we were racing in hillclimbs and grass drags. Their Water Wetter also worked well in the sand toys and street rods.

 

[ntsqd]

Try the Red Line Oil CV-2 for CV joints, hav had nothing but great experiences on. endurance racing cars. I always hand pack them with a 100 ml syringe (after learning the trick from the guy that builds all the wheel hubs and drive shafts over at Rahal Letterman Lenigan). Application is important, but without a great quality grease it does not matter. Porsche 993 GT2 was always notorious for wearing out CV joints in 24 hour races. Even after adding cooling ducts there was severe problems. After changing to Red Line CV-2 never had to rebuild a CV shaft prematurely.

Type 4 sized CVJ's (see avatar) are why I first bought CV-2. It was only after my discussion about wheel bearing greases that I used it in those.

I may give some a try for my personal stuff, but to be honest, I can't see spending more than double on say something like standard ball joints or tie rods for a client's daily driver. Extreme environments? Yes, that makes sense, but for daily drivers that's a hard sell.

As for Redline lubricants, they are good. We used several of their products in our sleds and client's sleds when we were racing in hillclimbs and grass drags. Their Water Wetter also worked well in the sand toys and street rods.

I do not use CV-2 in ball joints or universal joints. Those get Red-I red tacky grease. I can't justify CV-2 in those joints either, and I'm not convinced that it is the best grease for those joints anyway. Having used the Red-I in an industrial setting where there was a constant water & abrasive wash occurring the Red-I impressed me with how long it would last. Seemed like a good choice for TRE's and BJ's. It's only been about 20 years though, the jury's still out.

Do you recall the model number of krytox? We use i believe 240 at work. Always curious what else is out there and everyones experience.

In the days when that team did their testing there was likely only one formulation of Krytox as it was extremely new to the market. Beyond that would be a guess, sorry.

 

[Scuderia-F1]

I may give some a try for my personal stuff, but to be honest, I can't see spending more than double on say something like standard ball joints or tie rods for a client's daily driver. Extreme environments? Yes, that makes sense, but for daily drivers that's a hard sell.

As for Redline lubricants, they are good. We used several of their products in our sleds and client's sleds when we were racing in hillclimbs and grass drags. Their Water Wetter also worked well in the sand toys and street rods.

I totally get that. Was mostly thinking about your and your son’s off-road rigs. Which I presume sees a bit more stress on these components.

 

[Scuderia-F1]

Last night I completed the work on the Jeep's chassis as far as inspection, greasing and a few minor adjustments.


The night before during the visual inspection I noted a couple of items to address so last night I attacked them upon arriving home.

First was to replace the rearmost exhaust hanger as the rubber portion was worn and beginning to tear. I forgot to take a picture of it but it's just a standard universal hanger with rubber block encapsulated in steel from my local NAPA, I keep a couple on hand as I change them out when they begin to show any wear. I also used that style on the rear of my son's exhaust last week on his WJ. It works well to isolate and still control movement so it works exceptionally well in relatively tight environments or areas.

I noted just a bit more play in my tie rod so I decided to see if I could get another notch out of the adjustment in the tie rod ends. I am running the adjustable Teraflex joints and so far in the 5 plus years I've been running them and 65k miles, this is only the second time I have adjusted them. The drag link didn't need adjusting but the tie rod I was able to get it to the next mark without feeling like it was overly tight. I think having the hydraulic steering ram on the tie rod may add a bit more stress to these joints and why they needed a little adjustment, yet the drag link did not.

To adjust these style of tie rod ends, there are four allen set screws around the perimeter of the body of the joint. Two that are standard set screws and two that have a tip on them that must fit into a corresponding hole in the inner portion of the joint. Where the longer hash marks are on the inner adjusting sleeve is where the deeper holes are located. Where they align with the two of the four notches on the outer portion of the joint is where the longer set screws go. Where the outer notches align in between the long hash marks is where the standard set screws reside.

Once the two longer set screws are removed and the two standard ones are loosened, then a special tool can be used to engage with the four pin holes in the inner adjusting ring and the joint can be tightened. Specs are to tighten to approx. 70 in/lbs. They weren't very loose but I was able to barely get to the next hash mark and swap the allen set screws around to correspond with the correct locations.


Then the allen set screws can be snugged up and moved on to the next.


Once the two tie rod ends were adjusted I cleaned the grease zerks on all the tie rod and drag link ends as well as the upper and lower ball joints in which to put a few pumps of grease into them. For ball joints I use a lithium based EP2 grease with a moly additive for heavy contact. This is a grease that Ford recommends in their ball joints and I've used it for many years now with great success. I don't use it in things like u-joints or standard chassis components as it can be a bit heavy and can prevent the needles from easily rotating so for those components I use a good quality lithium based EP2 chassis grease. I also put a couple pumps of grease into the RCV joints while I had the tires/wheels removed. For these joints I use the RCV grease that they sell on their website but to be honest, it looks and feels exactly like the moly fortified grease I use on the ball joints.

I thought I would show how I know when to clean the cups on my grease holder. I hadn't used the EP2 grease with moly for a few months and when I removed it from the holder I noticed that the plunger handle had lubricant on it. I assumed that the lubricant had leaked from the grease gun over time.


After cleaning off the plunger handle on the grease gun, I simply popped off the lower cap of the PCV tube and sure enough, it had about an inch of lubricant in the bottom. After dumping it in the oil drain bucked, I cleaned it and reinstalled it onto the PCV tube.



I think in the ~6 years since I have fabricated this grease gun rack, this is only the first time I have had to clean a cap, so I was pleased to see that it worked as intended.

Thanks for looking.

By the way, is that an Alemite grease gun? I have a pistol grip Alemite that I really like. Actually I like it so much that I’m considering changing out my other guns for Alemite as well. I’m probably just a little bit retarded that is even considering stuff like this.

 

[McRae]

Type 4 sized CVJ's (see avatar) are why I first bought CV-2. It was only after my discussion about wheel bearing greases that I used it in those.

I do not use CV-2 in ball joints or universal joints. Those get Red-I red tacky grease. I can't justify CV-2 in those joints either, and I'm not convinced that it is the best grease for those joints anyway. Having used the Red-I in an industrial setting where there was a constant water & abrasive wash occurring the Red-I impressed me with how long it would last. Seemed like a good choice for TRE's and BJ's. It's only been about 20 years though, the jury's still out.

In the days when that team did their testing there was likely only one formulation of Krytox as it was extremely new to the market. Beyond that would be a guess, sorry.

It's Krytox GPL217 that's commonly used for this application in motorsports. GPL297 is even better, but obviously even more expensive. If you use it make sure to understand how toxic it is in certain circumstances, otherwise you might end up in a hospital bed...

 

[hbabler]

Mike,
Can you give us a list of the online suppliers you like to use for things? I seem to remember you suggesting a website for shop or tire supplies that I should have bookmarked. I’ve been looking back through the thread and I can’t find it . Now that may be because I’m crazy and it was another thread so if I’m nuts just tell me.

Even if I’m wrong I’d be fascinated to hear who you like to buy from.

 

[InDaRed2]

Thought I'd post up a little tech tip so maybe help to save some money. I don't know about everyone else, but I find myself using a variety of supplies during the fabrication process. A couple of those items are 2" and 3" Roloc style discs in various grits.

Well rather than purchasing both 2" and 3", merely purchase the 3" because as you know, usually only the outermost half inch or so gets used when using these. Then when the outermost part is no longer cutting, rather than discarding the disc, install it on your 2" mandrel and trim around the outer circumference with a pair of shop shears. This cuts away the worn outer area and leaves a 2+ inch diameter disc with fresh cutting grit to consume. Now when it's gone you can do the same with a 1" mandrel if needed or discard at that time, but you'll end up using more of the disc that you paid for and not have to stock two sizes.

Just thought I'd share that little tidbit if you didn't already know.





More pictures to follow.....

Mike, you need to make one of these.

https://trick-tools.com/MM-oo1-Roloc-Quick-Change-Abrasive-Disc-Cutter-19842

 

[CGarage]

You are most welcome Mike!
About Red Line Oil's CV-2, it might come in on the pricey side. But if you want the absolute best moly stuff, that is your hero.

I disagree, respectfully.

TRC Paragon 3000 Moly outperforms it based on lab testing results.

 

[CGarage]

I have not had any time to give the Jeep a thorough cleaning since we returned from our annual Ouray, CO trip nearly a month ago, so last night I ran to the local car wash and gave her a full undercarriage and body washing.

Pulled her back into the shop and ran a chamois over it, double checked the fluids and wiped down the interior and ran a vacuum through it.


I then checked my list and found a couple of small, quick items that I could knock off while it was in the shop. The Weatherpack connector for my license plate light/3rd brake light has been bugging me for a while and was on the list to replace. Since I have the smaller Deutsch DTM connector assortment, I decided to replace the Weatherpack with a Deutsch DTM 3-pin connector.


Weatherpack connector cut out of the circuit and the 3 pins crimped on the receptacle side going to the lights.


Then I crimped the sockets on the Jeep side and installed into the plug.


Routed the wiring to keep from flopping around and connected it, then ensured everything was functioning as intended and check that item off the list.


I noticed in Ouray during our last trip that the front of the large Mac's Black Box storage drawer in the back of our Jeep was feeling like the front was coming disconnected from the drawer section. I haven't had time to look at it until last night and sure enough, there was a small crack starting on one side and a bit larger crack where the front was starting to pull away slightly from the body of the drawer on the other.

I didn't have time to fully unload the drawer, remove it and weld it so I came up with another plan to gusset the corners before they cracked any further. I dug through my scrap drawers and found a piece of 1" x 2" aluminum tubing. I cut 1" off and then cut it to form two gussets.


Mocking into position so I could mark where the holes needed to be drilled and miss the drawer slide. I then took them to the drill press and drilled four holes in each to accommodate 3/16" stainless steel rivets.


The gussets riveted in place and the drawer front is rock solid again.


Another item crossed off the list.


All shined up and ready to pull back into the house garage.



Thanks for looking.

Your workmanship, technical know-how, tools on hand, and most importantly, writing ability, are vastly superior to any other mechanic I know.

Well done.

I bought Deutsch Connectors for my brushguard mounted fog lights last year and need to get around to doing the swap to the more elegant Deutsch connector.

 

[Scuderia-F1]

I disagree, respectfully.

TRC Paragon 3000 Moly outperforms it based on lab testing results.

They don't ship to Sweden so haven't been able to test it. About lab tests, some times they are just that in my opinion. I will be looking around to be able to test it though. Can't have enough of good stuff, thanks for pointing it out.

 

[CGarage]

The U.S. has some excellent small refineries in Texas that produce amazing lubricants. These are all small volume specialty manufacturers.
Texas Refinery Corporation is one of them.

 

[PhantomEB]

Good to know on the Utah mudflap rule, how prevalent is it outside the big city? I only see me dragging the bronco down for Moab and Sand Hallow and maybe some other bronco events.

 

[zmotorsports]

By the way, is that an Alemite grease gun? I have a pistol grip Alemite that I really like. Actually I like it so much that I’m considering changing out my other guns for Alemite as well. I’m probably just a little bit retarded that is even considering stuff like this.

Sorry, for the late response Anders. Been out of town for the past week or so.

That red piston grip grease gun in the picture is actually a Proto. It has been my favorite grease gun to date until I purchased one from Lock N' Lube recently. Now that is my "go-to" grease gun and the Proto was downgraded to number 2 with the moly grease.

Mike, you need to make one of these.

https://trick-tools.com/MM-oo1-Roloc-Quick-Change-Abrasive-Disc-Cutter-19842

That looks pretty slick. May have to look into machining something like that someday. However, having the cut angular edges on the cut-down 3" discs actually works well for material removal.

Your workmanship, technical know-how, tools on hand, and most importantly, writing ability, are vastly superior to any other mechanic I know.

Well done.

I bought Deutsch Connectors for my brushguard mounted fog lights last year and need to get around to doing the swap to the more elegant Deutsch connector.

Thank you very much. I am flattered by your comments and appreciate them.

The U.S. has some excellent small refineries in Texas that produce amazing lubricants. These are all small volume specialty manufacturers.
Texas Refinery Corporation is one of them.

I purchased a couple tubes of these a couple years ago based on a recommendation on this forum and have been pleased with them thus far. I did a little research before purchasing and they received high reviews and ratings. I saw them also mentioned in a Plant Maintenance publication that I subscribe to for my day job.

Good to know on the Utah mudflap rule, how prevalent is it outside the big city? I only see me dragging the bronco down for Moab and Sand Hallow and maybe some other bronco events.

I don't know that I would say it is limited to the big city. Ogden is much smaller than the capitol Salt Lake City and both my son and I were cited on a secondary street in a rural area of Ogden.

That being said, I removed them when traveling for off-road destinations, mainly because I hate the looks of them and I'm towing the Jeep and not driving it. I have never had an issue in any of the smaller communities where we wheel. Areas like Moab, Green River, Price, St. George and other off-road destinations I have never experienced any issues. Probably because they know where their bread is buttered and don't want to drive away revenue for silly mudflap violations.

We have been going to Moab since the late 80's and I have to say that the Moab of today is NOT the same as it was even as recent as 5 years ago. They have transposed into something I barely recognize these days with all of the transplants bringing their money and ideologies into Grand County.

Several of us had a lengthy discussion about this very issue last week while at our gathering in Spearfish, SD. Many from the group we were just with last week are heading to Moab next week for the annual rally and the list of those wanting to participate is greatly shrinking. Unfortunately, that is what Moab is trying to do these days, shrink the off-road usage and visitors.

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike,
Can you give us a list of the online suppliers you like to use for things? I seem to remember you suggesting a website for shop or tire supplies that I should have bookmarked. I’ve been looking back through the thread and I can’t find it . Now that may be because I’m crazy and it was another thread so if I’m nuts just tell me.

Even if I’m wrong I’d be fascinated to hear who you like to buy from.

I'm not certain what particular products or materials you are referring to. Yes, I have a wide range of vendors that I purchase from for various items, but I also purchase from as many local suppliers as possible, providing I can acquire the products I want that is.


I am fortunate as the area my wife and I moved to about 8 years ago is heavily laden with some great vendors and suppliers. I have a Bolt & Nut Supply house, Grainger, metal supplier and a few others all within a 5 mile radius from our home.

For other small materials or supplies, I would say I use McMaster Carr quite a lot for odds and ends.

If there is anything specific, please don't hesitate to ask and I can try to provide where I purchase.

 

[ntsqd]

Some time back I asked you about what RV roof vent is used in the, shall we say more "Premium Motorcoaches", and I went with your suggestion of the MaxxAir brand. Just got back from our first trip with them installed and I couldn't be happier with them. I chose the fairly basic model, no automatic anything, just a variable speed reversible fan, and no all-weather cover (I forget what they call that part) because those wouldn't fit between the solar panels on our narrow roofed pop-top camper. The locking knob is particularly inspired.
Thanks again!

 

[zmotorsports]

Some time back I asked you about what RV roof vent is used in the, shall we say more "Premium Motorcoaches", and I went with your suggestion of the MaxxAir brand. Just got back from our first trip with them installed and I couldn't be happier with them. I chose the fairly basic model, no automatic anything, just a variable speed reversible fan, and no all-weather cover (I forget what they call that part) because those wouldn't fit between the solar panels on our narrow roofed pop-top camper. The locking knob is particularly inspired.
Thanks again!

Glad to hear that. We've been pleased with them on all three of our coaches over the years. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[zmotorsports]

The wife and I just returned from our biennial trip to Spearfish, South Dakota for our FMCA 4-Wheelers Gathering.

It was a fun packed week of sightseeing and off-roading adventures. We saw some old friends and met a lot of new ones. Unfortunately, our tight group of RV'ers and Jeepers that we have been traveling with since 2009 has greatly shrunk over the past 3-4 years and there are only a few of us still RV'ing compared to the 18-24 couples that we started out with back in 2009 when we were accepted into their group. It's been exceptionally hard to watch some pass, some get to where they can't travel any longer and those that have hung up their keys and settle down into their last years to be close to family. We had such a great group of people, and we were so eagerly accepted into the group that we have been able to travel with and experience so many things with that is has been hard to watch our group dwindle down to almost nothing lately. Several I feel closer to than my own family and my wife and I have learned so much from and have been so blessed to have them in our lives.

The wife and I have been the youngest in this particular group since we were adopted into their tightly formed group and we always knew that there would come a time when most would hang up their keys, however, we were not prepared for the wave of emotions as our group would shrink. We understood that we have been more fortunate than many others to have been able to travel by the means we have and meet so many wonderful people, but we also thought as we progressed along life's path, there would be others either our age or even younger coming into the RV lifestyle and we would therefore be able to continue the tradition(s) and maybe be that couple to others that we have been so blessed to have as mentors and people we looked up to who have been doing this for a long time. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. Younger people or even people our age are simply not choosing this lifestyle at the rate we thought and those that are most don't want to be part of a group.

We departed home on a Friday afternoon and arrived in Spearfish, SD mid-afternoon on Saturday. That gave us Saturday evening and all day Sunday to sightsee and enjoy some of our favorite places in the area. As we attended the very first happy hour of the gathering last Sunday evening for a Meet & Greet as well as trail sign-up and agenda planning, we discovered that there were only 2 couples that we knew of the 29 couples in attendance.


We didn't get away from home until around 1pm on Friday afternoon so we made it as far as Rawlins, WY for the night and stopped in a campground for the evening.

Saturday we were slow to get going as we took our time and enjoyed the morning coffee before pulling in the slides and heading out.

We stopped at a wide spot in the road just outside Edgerton, WY along Highway 287 and fixed a sandwich for lunch.


Saturday afternoon we arrived at our campsite in Spearfish, SD. we had a great site for the week and were relatively close to where the group site was for our Happy Hours.


Seeing as how we had the evening to ourselves as no other attendees had arrived we headed out to one of our favorite places to eat in the area, Buffalo Jump Steakhouse in the big metropolis of Beulah, WY, which is only about 20-miles from our campground in Spearfish. Seeing as how it was Saturday night, I splurged and had their prime rib with baked yam. Freakin' delicious.


The wife had a Tuscan grilled chicken dish that she said we excellent.


As we were leaving we passed the bar and had to snap a picture of the other attraction to Beulah. I didn't try them......


The next morning I had to get a picture of the clear blue sky as we had a nice crisp morning air about. Just perfect for a cup or four of coffee.


Seeing as how we had the whole day to ourselves we took off for a drive through Keystone, then the pigtail bridges down into Custer State Park to see the abundance of animals. On the way back we took Hwy 87 up through the Needles Highway and back to Spearfish. We covered about 200 miles round trip and saw a **** ton of animals.

This is a coyote who was attempting to get some lunch in the village of prairie dogs. The prairie dogs were all chirping and screaching to alert the community. It was quite a spectacle.


The burros have gotten a bit lazy. In the past they came around car to car begging for food, but on that particular day they hung out under the trees and the people came to them offering snacks. They're not stupid.


With only a week before the Buffalo Roundup in Custer, they were preparing for the event. Fences were being erected and grandstands but the bison were all chilling out.





Stay tuned for more pictures......

 

[zmotorsports]

Continuing on with the trip.

After leaving Custer State Park, we continued up Hwy 87 along the Needles Highway and through the Needles Eye.




One other afternoon we arrived back to camp early from a trail run and we had a few hours before Happy Hour so rather than sit around camp, we took off and went to Mt. Rushmore as it has been a couple of years since we were there last. We much prefer the evening timeframe as the nighttime program is awesome, but we couldn't make the evening program this year. It's still awesome to see, regardless of time of day.


We also snuck off and went to Devil's Tower one afternoon. It's been about 8 or so years since we were there last, it hasn't changed much, other than the amount of people. So many people in fact, that they have now installed a stoplight system to allow only enough vehicles into the parking area as ones that are leaving. The parking area has also more than doubled since our last visit.



Upon returning to camp that afternoon, just as Happy Hour was beginning the clouds thickened tremendously. The moment Happy Hour was over, the skies opened up.


Then the hail began. We had dime sized hail pounding the area for about 10+ minutes.


The next morning we ran Cement Ridge and tail-gunned the group. This is always a scenic trail with a short detour to the fire watch tower near the end of the trail. The colors were just beginning to turn on Monday morning. I mentioned to my wife that I would bet by the end of the week the colors would be in full contrast.




Our group of Jeeps from the watch tower.



Stay tuned for more....

 

[zmotorsports]

Continuing on.

As we came off the trail from Cement Ridge, we aired up at the far south end of Spearfish Canyon and then proceeded north back to camp. We came around the turn just back Roughlock Falls and spotted these mountain goats grazing on the side of the highway.


For some reason I didn't take many pictures of the trails we ran during the week. I actually forgot much of the time as the wife and I were just enjoying each day on the trail. We were asked to be trail leader one of the days so we took the group down into the Camp 5 area along the dry river beds. My wife gets very anxious when we lead because she hates the attention to be on us and doesn't want to mess up. I tried to calm her down and tell her if we make a wrong turn the worst that can happen is we flip back around and get back on course but she still gets very anxious.

I on the other hand don't mind leading a trail when I know the area but I am less inclined when I am unfamiliar with the area. We had a shortage of people volunteering to lead this year so when we were asked one evening at Happy Hour I agreed but could tell the wife wasn't exactly pleased with my response. I am quite familiar with the Camp 5 trail but I also figured I would combine it in with a bit of the Galena area and then incorporate Moses Hill loop into it if time allowed.

I was approached by two couples with new JLUR's inquiring about the trails rating of a 3.0. I explained that most of the trail in my opinion was a 2.5 with a couple of rock gardens that I would classify more of a 3.5 than a 3.0 but it is quite subjective. I was glad I was honest with them because they opted to pass on the trail we led and I was glad when we got to the first of the two areas I was concerned about. While the boulders aren't what I would call huge, they are strategically placed to require good driving and a well-equipped vehicle. Once the wife and I made it through the first obstacle, I had the wife pull the Jeep up several hundred yards while I went back to spot the rest of the group through it. Several of the people stated afterwards that they questioned the 3.0 rating as well. I simply stated that the rocks have gotten somewhat larger over the past several years due to erosion and being undercut. The group did a good job of listening to my spotting instructions and we got everyone through unscathed. Two others in the group were well seasoned off-roaders and have two nicely built TJ's so they needed no instructions. I was there for moral support.

During Wednesday evening's Happy Hour the group voted to have an "off-day" on Thursday. Many travel full-time in their RV's and like to take a day off during a week-long rally or gathering to do things like laundry or run errands before they head to the next event. Where the wife and I are among the minority of people who are still working fulltime and on vacation, we hate to waste a day away, so we took off and ran back into Custer State Park again, logging another couple hundred pavement miles. This time we got an earlier start as I wanted to try a few of the dirt roads in the park and take a different route back to the Needles Highway. We also spotted a great place for a picnic lunch a few days earlier so we took our time and enjoyed our lunch spot watching the bison in the area wandering through a river bottom and away from the huge crowds.

Here is a spot near the Norbeck overlook as we were nearing the entrance to the park. Don't mind the muddy wheels and undercarriage of the Jeep as several of the trails had some pretty good mud holes from the earlier thunderstorms in the week.


Our lunch spot alongside a row of trees and river where the bison were wandering past us while we sat and ate lunch. They weren't in the least bit concerned about us.


As we approached the area where we saw the burros earlier in the week, we noticed they were not there. We figured they were either full or were run off by the bison. We found them around a few more turns begging for treats.


Now it was our turn to feed them. Luckily the wife packed some baby carrots just in case we came across them.


Then it was this guy's turn to snack on carrots.


As we were heading towards Hwy 87 we found a dirt road that went up and over the mountain and dropped down near the west entrance. We no sooner hit the pavement when we spotted a couple of big horn sheep grazing on the side of the road.




Around the next turn, there were another dozen or so. They weren't the slightest bit interested in what we were doing.


Driving north on Hwy 87 we approached the needles portion of the Needles Highway. The spires are breathtakingly beautiful against the azure sky.



More to follow.....

 

[zmotorsports]

Continuing on through the Needles Highway scenery.




Sylvan Lake just near the northern exit/entrance to the area. Some of you may remember seeing this area in the second National Treasure movie as there were several scenes shot here.


As we joined up with Hwy 385 we entered the Black Hills National Forest.


Highway 385 just north of Pactola Reservoir was all under construction so rather than go back through it, I scanned my tablet looking at our mapped trails and I remembered taking one to Rockford City several years ago. We thought it would be pushing it as far as getting back in time for Happy Hour but rather than rush we decided to take the detour. We were very glad we did as we saw a lot more animals along the detour. Another small herd of mountain goats here, then a couple of elk that we missed getting a picture of. We had several deer run across right between us and the car in front of us in one area and multiple flocks of wild turkeys all along the drive back to camp.


This guy even let us stop alongside him and get his good side.


Seeing as how we had missed Happy Hour by this time, we decided to grab dinner on the way back to the coach. I was craving a juicy burger and the wife wanted a salad from Oggies in the Lodge at Deadwood. Their food never disappoints. The burger was just the ticket.


The wife and I ran our last trail on Friday and had a great group of people on the trail. We found a nice spot alongside a creek bed to set up our lawn chairs and swap stories while eating. That night at Happy Hour we said our goodbyes and thanked the hosts. Even though the official last day of the rally was Saturday with a Sunday departure for the majority of the group, we needed to head home Saturday, so we had a day to get things done around home.

Saturday morning the skies looked like rain was just moments away but we snuck out before it started. The last two nights were much cooler than earlier in the week with overnight temps down into the low 40's.

Here we are all hooked up, slides retracted, satellite stowed and ready to hit the road.


We stopped at Independence Rock just outside Muddy Gap, WY to stretch out legs and fix some lunch.


As we were motoring along I-80 westbound towards home, I had to snap a picture of the Superior, WY turnoff. There is nothing here these days, but this is where my grandfather originally called home when he came over from the old country in 1912. He went through Ellis Island and being from Tyrol he spoke a broken dialect of Italian and there were no translators that spoke the odd language. After being processed through Ellis Island and coming to America for a better life, they put him on a train to Superior where he was to work as a coal miner. He saved up enough money to go back and bring my grandmother in 1919 (I think that is the year) where they both resided in Superior saving up money for a better life. My father and both my aunts were born in Superior between 1921 and 1925 where my grandparents continued to work and save until they had saved up enough to purchase our family's farm in Ogden in 1936 when my dad was 11 years old.

My wife, son and I took a trip back to Superior, WY with my parents and one of my aunts in the late-90's and were able to get much of the information firsthand from my dad and aunt. We had just purchased our first motorhome and as my dad's health was diminishing we asked where he would like to go for a short weekend getaway. He mentioned he would like to see Superior again but didn't know how that would be possible being on oxygen and in poor health. We had the genset on the coach and plenty of room for all of us so that was one of the last outings we were able to take with my parents before my dad's passing in 2002.

My wife and I were reminiscing about that particular trip and as we approached the turnoff, I had to grab a picture of it.



That concludes the pictures from our South Dakota trip.

All in all, it was an awesome trip. We had a great time and saw a ton of animals and some breathtaking scenery.

I also was quite pleased with how everything ran and looked, especially seeing what some of the issues people have been having with their newer coaches who were in attendance, and hearing of several that had to cancel because of mechanical issues and not being able to find qualified shops that wanted to work on RV's. Seeing as how our club is based around both motorcoaches and Jeeps, much of our discussions while sitting around Happy Hours were not only of the trails, but also of our RV's and Jeeps.

I listened to many complain about the lack of repair shops willing to even work on motorcoaches these days as many simply turned RV's away and didn't want to touch them. Those that did, I heard horror stories about botched repairs or several weeks to months of delays and poor customer service excuses.

These discussions made me realize that I am more than happy with my older coach and older Jeep compared to newer ones with so many issues. Many of the issues on the coaches were due to newer emissions equipment such as the DEF head issue that has plagued so many rigs over the past few years. I also saw so many of the newer JL and JT Jeeps with nuisance code and after nuisance code along the trails and highways. I don't think there was a day that went by that someone didn't have to have a code cleared or some odd quirk to deal with on their newer Jeeps. I think ours and the two TJ's were the only ones on the trails that we ran that didn't require some form of intervention during the week.

We knocked down 1300 miles in the coach and put another approx. 850-miles on the Jeep over the past week and everything ran great. Really makes me thankful for what we have and for the extra effort that I've put into them to keep them nice and in working order. It makes time away from home so much more enjoyable than worrying about when the next issue will pop up.

I know there will be items that come up from time to time but it sure made me thankful for what we have and the condition they are in. Also, it makes me so grateful that I have a loving and understanding wife that supports me throughout our adventures.

Thank you for following along.

 

[zmotorsports]

Reserved.

 

[SilverJimmy]

So sad to hear about Moab getting “Improved” by the newer residents. Same thing has happened to Flagstaff. In the mid 90’s I think Outside magazine did a story about what a great Cowboy, Logger, Indian, Rancher, Cattle Town and that it was one of the best places to move to. And boy, did they! And almost every one of them thought Flagstaff would be perfect once they were able to ban all the Loggers, the Cowboys, get rid of the cattle, and put an end to the Native American Pow Wow that had been held in Flagstaff every year for decades! Wasn’t Moab almost a ghost town until the Jeep enthusiasts discovered it? I knew the end was coming when they successfully closed the Lions Back. There may or may not have been valid reasons to close that. I’ve never been four wheeling in Moab but I grew up in Page, so there wasn’t any incentive to go look at more sandstone, or play on it!

 

[zmotorsports]

Upon arriving home after an 11-1/2 hour drive Saturday, the sky looked like it was threatening rain so we disconnected the Jeep upon pulling up in front of our home and backed the coach directly into the shop for the night.



The sun was setting and casted some beautiful colors on the mountains to our east.


Sunday morning I ventured out to the deck with coffee in hand to enjoy some time relaxing and looking at my yard before getting to work on the day's tasks. My son was gracious enough to mow my lawns while we were gone and they looked fantastic upon our return.




I then headed out to the shop to give the coach a bath. We stopped for fuel just outside of Fort Bridger, WY (100-miles from home) and while fueling I cleaned the windshield and noted how few of bugs we had on the front.

Sunday morning that was NOT the case. I think we hit more bugs in the last 100-miles than we did in the first 1200 miles of the trip. WOW, they were dense on the front of the coach.



After completing the cleaning duties, the coach was backed into the shop until the next trip.

Thanks for looking.

 

[zmotorsports]

So sad to hear about Moab getting “Improved” by the newer residents. Same thing has happened to Flagstaff. In the mid 90’s I think Outside magazine did a story about what a great Cowboy, Logger, Indian, Rancher, Cattle Town and that it was one of the best places to move to. And boy, did they! And almost every one of them thought Flagstaff would be perfect once they were able to ban all the Loggers, the Cowboys, get rid of the cattle, and put an end to the Native American Pow Wow that had been held in Flagstaff every year for decades! Wasn’t Moab almost a ghost town until the Jeep enthusiasts discovered it? I knew the end was coming when they successfully closed the Lions Back. There may or may not have been valid reasons to close that. I’ve never been four wheeling in Moab but I grew up in Page, so there wasn’t any incentive to go look at more sandstone, or play on it!

Yeah, it really is sad Sterling.

What's funny is the transplants to the area are calling it "progress" yet the few longtime residents that we know call it sad and are resentful. Several of the business owners that my wife and I knew from the area have now left and moved on within the past several years.

I have never seen such a definitive line drawn in the sand between off-roader and non-off-roaders as the past 3-4 years. Even businesses on their doors out front have signage that states either they do support OHV or do not. I have never seen the like before and it's unsettling for sure.

 

[zmotorsports]

Once I had the coach washed and backed into the shop, I figured I would run and give the wife's car a wash as it was filthy from a rainstorm the day before we left, and it was a dirty rain.


While fueling I checked the logbook and determined that it was very close to needing a service. Close enough that I didn't want to try and wrangle it away from her over the course of the next week or so. Her car racked and tires/wheels removed, oil drained and giving it a good once over.




Oil changed, tires/wheels rotated and torqued back on the car.


Before heading in the house for the day I figured I would tackle one more job before the week began. A few weeks ago while using my IR die grinder, I had replaced a leaking swivel fitting and noted that the collet seemed to have some play in it, the bearing more specifically. This is one of my older die grinders so rather than toss it and replace it, I figured I would order a couple of bearings. My son mentioned that the bearings had arrived while the wife and I were on vacation so I took a few minutes to replace the bearings.

Die grinder disassembled and parts inspected. I took a bit of a gamble on just replacing the bearings and ordering them sight unseen, but I know I keep my tools oiled and felt relatively confident that the internals would be in good enough condition to merely warrant a bearing replacement. I ordered both bearings rather than just the larger, outer bearing below the collet.


The collet body was not being very cooperative in coming off, so I had to use a little heat to soften the Loctite which I was almost certain it would be coated with. Sure enough, that was enough to do the trick and yes, there was red Loctite on the threads.


Parts cleaned and ready to remove the old bearings.


My small puller made quick work on the large bearing behind the collet. The housing and bearing came off as one, then I just used a small drift to tap the bearing out.


Both bearings removed and they were both in need of replacement.


Bearings replaced and motor assembly put back together in preparation for insertion into the body.


All reassembled and ready for another 20+ years of service, hopefully.



After that as it had been a long day, especially going up and down the ladder too many times to count cleaning the coach, I was spent and ready to go in and relax. We had the kids coming over for dinner and we were able to see them and our grandson who is now 18-months old. One of the drawbacks to taking vacation is the wife and I missing our kids and grandson. That makes it hard to be away.

Thanks for looking.

 

[Bob Heine]

Mike, based on the number of new Jeeps, Broncos and older Hummers where we live you would thing there were endless off-road opportunities. The highway overpasses are about the steepest trails we have and other than mud bogs in the Everglades, not much in the way of challenging trails. Our eldest grandson and his family live on a straight, flat dirt road that develops deep potholes in the rainy season but that's about it. I suspect these people buy their off-road vehicles with no clue how to responsibly use public or private land that might present off-roading opportunities.

I liken it to racing fans who attend events at Sebring, Daytona and Homestead. Way too many of them believe the drive home after the event is their continuation of the race. I gave up attending the 500 when the trip home became a bumper-car event.

 

[ScepterToad]

Nice trip report Mike. Looks like a really good time and certainly a beautiful part of the country. SD is on our list of places to see in the near future. When we stayed at Wall a few years back, we really enjoyed the scenery and definitely want to explore that area of the country.

Did I see a ring and pinion sitting on the bench there? I think I've watched your video series on gear changes several times and I'll for sure watch it again before I tackle the Jeep. Hopefully in the near future. I wanted to regear before buying tires, but I think before winter sets in I'll have to get tires. The MTs I have are wearing faster than I thought they would.

Speaking of tires, I was reading some reviews on the Mickey T Baja Boss AT. Did you happen to have any issues with balancing yours (lots of weight required)? Seems like that's the only complaint people have with them.

 

[Finallygotit]

OK, this cloud formation looks like an arm and hand coming out of the sky.

 

[zmotorsports]

Nice trip report Mike. Looks like a really good time and certainly a beautiful part of the country. SD is on our list of places to see in the near future. When we stayed at Wall a few years back, we really enjoyed the scenery and definitely want to explore that area of the country.

Did I see a ring and pinion sitting on the bench there? I think I've watched your video series on gear changes several times and I'll for sure watch it again before I tackle the Jeep. Hopefully in the near future. I wanted to regear before buying tires, but I think before winter sets in I'll have to get tires. The MTs I have are wearing faster than I thought they would.

Speaking of tires, I was reading some reviews on the Mickey T Baja Boss AT. Did you happen to have any issues with balancing yours (lots of weight required)? Seems like that's the only complaint people have with them.

Ketih, yes, you definitely need to put South Dakota, specifically around Deadwood, Spearfish and Custer on your must-see list of destinations. I can't recommend it highly enough.

As for the ring and pinion on my workbench, yes that is an old 4.56:1 rear from my Jeep. I think I show replacing it back a few years ago in this thread.

I will be doing a regear of the front and rear axles of an early JKU here shortly and may do a video on it as well as show it here.f

I really like the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T's that I've been running for the past few years. I like them better than the Nitto Ridge Grapplers that I ran previously and will more than likely run them again as my next set. They balanced well, better than the Nitto's, and seem to be wearing well. At first impression when they arrived, I thought them to be a bit more aggressive than what the pictures showed and more than I expected but they handle both pavement and off-road exceptionally well. I do rotate them twice as often as most all of the rest of my vehicles. In the past I rotated tires about every 3500-4k when I serviced my Jeep, but this set I rotate once in between service intervals so around every 1800-2000 miles and they seem to be keeping the lugs squared off nicely and not feathering due to the larger block patterns as some tires I've run in the past.

 

[zmotorsports]

OK, this cloud formation looks like an arm and hand coming out of the sky.

Ya know Dan, I took the stinkin' picture and didn't even notice that until you mentioned it. I was just admiring the rock formations and lack of traffic during our second pass through the park.


I don't want to come off as sacrilegious or anything, but it looks like God was giving me a fist bump. If so, I'll take it, I could use it.

 

[CGarage]

Awesome, as usual.

What snap-on work surface mat is that ???

P.S. It’s time you come out with some ZMotorsports swag and merch.

 

[Dodge]

Don't want to come across as negativity, but could the "cloud formation" just be a reflection on the windshield of your hand on the steering wheel? It is awesome regardless!!! All of your pictures are just awesome!! Thanks for sharing.

Ya know Dan, I took the stinkin' picture and didn't even notice that until you mentioned it. I was just admiring the rock formations and lack of traffic during our second pass through the park.


I don't want to come off as sacrilegious or anything, but it looks like God was giving me a fist bump. If so, I'll take it, I could use it.

 

[Finallygotit]

Don't want to come across as negativity, but could the "cloud formation" just be a reflection on the windshield of your hand on the steering wheel? It is awesome regardless!!! All of your pictures are just awesome!! Thanks for sharing.

Ya know, I think you're right. I think I see the steering wheel in that hand.

 

[PugetDude]

Don't think I ever saw a cloud with fingernails.

 

[csp]

I knew the end was coming when they successfully closed the Lions Back. There may or may not have been valid reasons to close that. I’ve never been four wheeling in Moab but I grew up in Page, so there wasn’t any incentive to go look at more sandstone, or play on it!

Lions back is on private land, so it didn't take much to close it.

One hidden gem in the Black Hills if you're a history buff and interested in "repurposing" is the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead. I've been to that area many times, but never paid that museum any attention. The mine which created the greatest volume of gold in the contiguous US is now home to a research facility dedicated to dark matter and neutrinos, taking advantage of the great depth of the mine. My wife booked an Air BnB just a couple of blocks away in late July, so we had to pay their museum a visit.

 

[LXCam]

Don't think I ever saw a cloud with fingernails.

Well if you’d just start drinking earlier in the day…