Month: June 2008

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Project-JK Moab Easter Jeep Safari 2008
Day 4 – Canyonlands Elephant Hill Trail

June 25, 2008 wayoflife 2

This Project-JK Moab Easter Jeep Safari 2008 YouTube video represents the final installment of our EJS adventures and is of our Day 4 run across the Elephant Hill Trail. Located south of Moab in Canyonlands National Park, Elephant his is by far one of the most beautiful trails you can run in the Moab area and is a must see for anyone visiting the area. You will have to pay a small entrance fee in order to get in the park but trust me, it’s worth every penny. The Elephant Hill Trail itself isn’t very difficult but there are a few sections along the way that have big enough rocks and ledges to negotiate that will give a stock Jeep some trouble and is most likely why it gets a “most difficult” rating. The trail is run as a loop and I would highly recommend that you take the time to hike the 1/2 mile trail out to the Confluence Overlook as the view is simply breathtaking.

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Adventures on the 395

June 24, 2008 wayoflife 2

To celebrate the kids getting out of school for the summer, the doojers, WOLette and I decided to make a 3 day trek up the good ol’ 395. Leaving on Wednesday night, we met up with the doojers in Culver City and made our way to Lone Pine where we stayed the night with the hopes of getting a fresh and early start in the morning.

LoD Jeep JK Wrangler Signature Series Rear Bumper Tire Carrier Installation Write-up

June 16, 2008 Cindy 17
The all new LoD Signature Series JK Rear Bumper/Tire Carrier is a beautifully designed full width rear bumper that will compliment your Jeep JK Wrangler while providing heavy duty protection from the rocks. Constructed out of 3/16″laser cut steel plate, this bumper comes complete with D-Ring mounts, tapered ends for maximum departure angles and is available in texture or a matte black powder coat finish. However, in addition to all these standard features, this, the LoD Signature Series JK Rear Bumper/Tire Carrier is also available with a standard adjustable toggle latch, huge 1-1/2″ solid hinge pin with cap and locking pin that holds the tire carrier open. And, if that weren’t enough, you can also get this rear bumper with an optional, trail rack, jerry can mounts, 4″ recessed halogen reverse lights and an LED 3rd brake light.

Off Road Evolution Jeep JK Wrangler
EVO Front Lower Control Arm Skids

June 4, 2008 Cindy 1
One of the most common things most people hit on their Jeep JK Wrangler’s when playing on the rocks is the lower control arm mounts at the axle. They are after all located next to your tires and positioned low to the ground and a simple slip off of a rock can have you coming down on them and hard. For the most part, this really is not that big of a deal as the factory control arms can take quite a bit of abuse especially at the joint but like many other JK owners I know, I have found that the axle mount flanges have a tenancy to bend and significantly even from mild impacts. And, over time and repeated abuse, these flanges can and will break.

By the time I got my Jeep JK Wrangler into Off Road Evolution, the inner flange of my control arm axle mount was already showing signs of cracking. Needless to say, I decided to have these flanges reinforced with a weld but also decided to beef them up with a set of Off Road Evolution EVO Front Lower Control Arm Skids.

Off Road Evolution Jeep JK Wrangler
C2 Front Axle Reinforcement Gussets

June 3, 2008 Cindy 9
With the Jeep JK Wrangler practically built to fit 35" tires or bigger right out of the box, it really is no wonder that this is exactly what many JK owners have already done with their Jeep or are planning to do in the near future. Unfortunately, there is a minor drawback in going bigger that a few of us are starting to see and that is the front axle C’s will start to bend.

As it would seem, the front axle C’s on both the Dana 30 and Dana 44 front axles are somewhat weak and the strain from running bigger tires will be enough to bend the C’s to the point where a measureable and visible amount of camber to one or both front wheels can be seen. And, while some adjustment can be made to correct this with offset ball joints, this adjustment is limited and will not prevent bending of the C’s in the future. So what can one do to prevent this from happening? Install a set of Off Road Evolution C2 Front Axle Reinforcement Gussets on your Jeep today!