PresidentialROVINGS Summer 2006 Well here we are, already at the midpoint of the Summer. Hopefully everybody has had a chance to get out and spend some time in the mountains of this wonderful state? If not, we still have tons of Club Events coming up ready and waiting for your attendance. Speaking of club events we have two really big ones coming up. First up is the Club BBQ is scheduled for Saturday, August 26th and will be held once again at Matt Schulz’s House in SE Centennial. Check the club website for more info and directions. As usual the club is paying for the main course and we only ask that everybody bring side dishes. The second big club event that is coming up needs no introduction. The Solihull Society National Rally is in Moab from September 2730. The deadline for registration is August 15th and it is creeping up on us fast. This year we will be assessing a $30 late fee for all applications received after August 15th. So make sure you get those sent off soon! Also be sure to call the Moab Valley Inn prior to the registration deadline to reserve your room and don’t forget to tell them your with the “Solihull Society” to get your discount. They can be reached at 435-259-4419 and ask for either Terra-Lynn or Willie.
were great presentations on very fascinating subjects. We are looking at several different possible speakers for the upcoming meetings. Some of the topics we are considering are Trail First Aid and GPS/Mapping as these both seem appropriate for the upcoming National Rally. The next General club meeting is scheduled for August 8th and will be held at the Rockbottom Brewery in Westminster. We encourage everyone to have some dinner at the meeting as the Rockbottom generally requires $500 to be spent to reserve the room. If everyone has something to eat and maybe a few drinks we should easily fulfill that request. Please RSVP Hans at hans.schulze@ solihullsociety.org by August 1st so that we may pass this information on to the Rockbottom. For now that is all and I hope to see everyone on the trails real soon!! Larry Grubbs Larry.grubbs@solihullsociety.org
In other club news the turnout has been great at the last two general club meetings. We had our very own Graham Jackson speak about his 9 month expedition through Africa followed by Beth and Bill Sagstetter’s presentation about their latest book “The Mining Camps Speak”. Both
RoverXchange
A Newsletter for Land Rover Aficionados
RoverXchange The Rover Xchange is a quarterly publication of the Solihull Society 4-Wheel Drive Club, Inc. All material in Rover Xchange, unless otherwise noted, is the property of Solihull Society and may not be reproduced without permission.
Solihull Society Contacts President – Larry Grubbs larry.grubbs@solihullsociety.org VP – Greg Chernushin greg.chernushin@solihullsociety.org Treasurer/Secretary/Membership Hans Schulze hans.schulze@solihullsociety.org Trail Events Coordinator Ralph Bradt ralph.bradt@solihullsociety.org Special Events Coordinator Pam Haigh pam.haigh@solihullsociety.org Rally Sponsorship Coordinator Norman Hall norman.hall@solihullsociety.org Land Issues Coordinator Jim Hall jim.hall@solihullsociety.org Newsletter Marina Wolf marina.wolf@solihullsociety.org Website Admin Joshua White admin@solihullsociety.org Website – www.solihullsociety.org Newsletter Articles and Photos – Articles must be submitted in either Word (.doc) or text (.txt) format. Digital photos can be emailed or mailed on CD in either a JPEG, TIFF or EPS files. The articles can be submitted either via email (admin@soliullsociety.org) or mailed on a CD to Nathan Hindman at the following address: Nathan Hindman, 2301 North Shore Dr., Longmont, CO 80503. Materials will be returned upon request. Advertising – $25/issue or $100/year (4 issues– get 1 add’l issue free) for 1/4 page ads. Payment must accompany all camera-ready ads. Make check payable to Solihull Society. Free classified ads to members. $5/issue to non-members. Club Membership – $60/year includes membership in the Colorado Association of 4-Wheel Drive Club, their newsletter, the Rover Xchange newsletter, and all the trail rides you can take! Make check payable to Solihull Society and mail it to the following address: Solihull Society PO Box 480864 Denver, CO 80248-0864
RoverXchange Volume 10, Issue 6
IN THIS ISSUE Presidential Rovings
2
Bill Burke’s Trail Leadership Course Review
4
Disco II CV Joint Trail Fix
6
National Rally Trail Assignments
9
Looking forward to trails, events and meetings. A member writes about the trail leadership class. What to do when your CV Joint dies on the tail.
Check out the trails, dates and leader line-ups for this year’s rally.
2006 Event Schedule
12
General Meeting
13
Rally Moab Information
14
Trip Report: Slaughterhouse Gulch
15
Classifieds
18
Your favourite trails all lined up. Find out when and where the next meeting will be held. Information on how to register and where to stay.
Parts and accessories for sale by club members.
Front cover: In the tub on Pritchett Canyon. Back cover: Climbing Hell’s Revenge. Below: Navigating Pritchett Canyon. Photos by Hans Schulze
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A Newsletter for Land Rover Aficionados
Summer 2006
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Bill Burke’sTRAIL LEADERSHIP COURSE by Bryan Kreitz
Why do we drive in the woods? Why do we explore? Why do we test our comfort levels by doing something we have never done before? “Why” typically doesn’t return the best information when we ask ourselves the questions about our lives. It’s too open-ended and doesn’t allow us to measure our perspective. On the other hand, “what” and “how” offer new possibilities to grow. What can become of me by exploring? What can become of me by not taking the opportunity to explore? How can I challenge myself by taking to the mountains? How will spending time in the woods bring me closer to my family? It’s a beautiful world that we live in. We know it most of the time because we live here. We see our State’s beauty most days as we take to the streets and head off to work, school, the mall, or perhaps to say goodbye to someone we care for.
Bill Burke instructs Mike on a controlled slide exercise.
The need to explore is tied deeply to masculine energy. This is not exclusive to the male but rather an energy that exist in varying degrees in all of us. It is this element of our evolutionary success that has led to our survival for millions of years. How strong is this innate drive in you? I believe that concentrations of the sorts that hold strong beliefs in exploring and an orientation towards growth are good sorts to surround ourselves with. In March of this year, your Solihull Society sent a new class to Bill Burke’s 4-Wheel Drive Education Course. For two days, our class spent time with Bill learning from the best. Instruction was given on best practices for Trail Navigation, Stuck Assessment, Spotting Techniques, The Psychology of leading Trails, and Recovery.
The ride back at the end of the first day offers breathtaking views.
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For some students it was an introduction in to the art and science of leading an off-road outing. For others, it was polish on years of wheeling and leading events for the club. In the end everyone walked away with new tools for enhancing the ability to enjoy our wonderful and beautiful state in the comfort and safety of our Land Rovers.
A Newsletter for Land Rover Aficionados
The essence of the message that is portrayed throughout the class is to be prepared. The act of offroad driving or 4-wheeling presents an inherent risk. What is interesting is that so does driving to work. The purpose of the class is to educated trail leaders on how to mitigate those risks and how to reduce the probability that a risk will actually come to fruition. While prevention is the ultimate goal, being able to assess a situation and lead a participant through an obstacle or assist them in recovering their vehicle is also an important skill to evolve. This class will be participating in this season’s club outings and supporting this year’s Land Rover Rally in Moab, UT. As the number of trained trail leaders increases in the club, the quality of outings will also increase. Raising the level of experience for members helps foster solid membership and will contribute to the clubs success in coming years.
Dave Bennett digs his tail pipe out after a steep climb.
On a recent outing to Slaughterhouse Gulch, 5 individuals from the class participated in the outing making the guide to participant ratio nearly 2:1. Driving a vehicle in an off-road environment is a mental exercise. It is about finesse and composure as much as it is about vehicle capabilities and horse power. Having the opportunity to spend time with a trained trail leader is not only an amazing opportunity to see the beauty of our state but and opportunity to learn and grow. The 2006 Season of the Solihull Society Outings has started. New opportunities are here now to explore,
Bryan Kreitz performing the controlled slide as instructed by Bill Burke.
take on a new adventure, and grow. Oh yeah, it’s a lot of fun too! So as you pull this newsletter from your mailbox and bring it in to your home, take a moment to ask yourself. When was the last time I stretched myself a little bit further? When was the last time I took to the mountains and shared the beauty of this state with my family or a close friend? What can I gain from spending time in the woods? How will an outing change my perspective on life? Who will I meet that will change my life, for the better? On behalf of this year’s Bill Burke Class Graduates, I invite you to explore and grow with this year’s club events. I hope that the end of the season leaves you looking forward to next year? See you on the trail!
RoverXchange
A Newsletter for Land Rover Aficionados
Disco 2CV JOINT TRAIL FIX
by Steven Light
As prices on Discovery II’s continue to go down, more and more people are getting more & more aggressive in building up & wheelin’ their Disco’s. As such, many of us are running into more complicated recovery & breakage situations. Any Four Wheeler, or group of Four Wheelers, should have the basic parts necessary to make trail repairs. This includes the right tools, and the right spares. An economical way to accomplish this, for those that tend to travel in the same group, is to pool resources to purchase specific spare parts for those most likely to break on the trail. Those who typically drive the only Disco II in the group they wheel with may have a larger investment ahead of them.
ing or declining section of trail, do not side-slope yourself (ie: do not turn perpendicular to the trail). Proceed to relatively level ground; this will be possible in the overwhelming majority of situations. To perform the field fix necessary to limp home, you’ll need the following tools: 2 hi-lift jacks (you’ll probably have 2 among the group, but worst case you can use one), 1 jack stand, wheel chocks, a 1 _” (32mm) socket, breaker bar, combination wrench set, allen wrench set, duct tape, shop rags, a knife (utility knifes work best but a pocket knife will do the job), a wedge or chisel, and both hard rubber (not necessary but nice to have; easy on
The reality, however, is that we wheel on a budget. Given the premium we pay for upgrades, modifications, and bolt-on’s, our budget is often very tight, and may not include spare axle shaft / CV assemblies for both sides. As Disco II’s grow in size, so does the risk of breakage: specifically to driveline & suspension components. Among the weak links of the built Discovery II are the CV joints. While a grenaded CV may ruin your trail run, it need not leave you stranded. First, find level ground. If you are on the approach-end of an obstacle, back down. If you are mid-way through, either winch out or get towed out. If you are on an inclin
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A Newsletter for Land Rover Aficionados
parts) and metal mallets. It’s nice to have a socket set, and speeds up the job, but it’s not absolutely necessary. The biggest challenge will be removing the hub nut. This nut is torqued to over 200 ft/lbs and should not be removed with the vehicle jacked up. First, take the handle off one of the high-lift jacks. Use the handle as a leverage sleeve over the breaker bar handle facing towards the front of the vehicle. Position the socket so that the breaker-bar handle/hilift handle are at approximately 45 degrees. Stand on the hi-lift handle and push down while pulling up on the driver’s side tubing of your front bumper bar. If you don’t have a bull bar on your bumper it will be a little tougher, but
not impossible. It may take you numerous attempts before the nut loosens; you will have to give it plenty of umph. Once the hub-nut loosens. Loosen up the lug-nuts, use the other Hi Lift to jack the vehicle from the front end of the rock slider, and place a jack-stand underneath the driver’s side axle tube for safety. It’s always safe to chock the rear wheels when the front is lifted. Remove the wheel, exposing the rotor. (Those of you that have changed your brakes know that there is a small screw on the rooter that attaches it to the hub. Typically, you have to drill out this screw to replace the rotor. I would strongly suggest not replacing this screw for those who drive their Disco off-road. The screw does not do much for you, and unless you carry a drill with you, it will make removing the rotor on the trail impossible most of the time.) Remove the caliper & place it out of the way on the radius arm; no need to remove the brake lines. To remove the rotor, tap it firmly with the rubber mallet until it loosens up & comes off, exposing the hub. The ABS line will be attached to the hub. Do not attempt to pull the ABS line out! If you look closely, you’ll see a small allen-head screw near the connection. Unscrew it with an allen wrench until the ABS sensor slids easily out. Separate the hub by unscrewing the 4 bolts, the rubber mallet may work well with the wrench here to get them off as they are on quite tight (and should be replaced as such). To coax the hub into separating, you may have to employ a chisel/wedge. Tap firmly, but do not pound the hub
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into submission as damage may occur. Alternate between tapping the hub, and tapping the chisel into the seam. Remove the hub to access the CV joint/stub-axle assembly. When handling the rubber gaiter, you’ll notice loose bits of your grenaded CV joint. When you open up the assembly, be careful not to stick your fingers into the rubber gaiter to survey your damage. The pieces may be very sharp and you may slice your finger (ask me how I know this….). You may now remove the axle shaft – the entire CV joint/shaft
assembly will slide out. Note that your axle will be up on the jackstand, so there should be minimal leaking. The rubber gaiter is moreor-less permanently attached to the stub. Use the knife to cut the gaiter from the stub & clean away whatever grease remains. Now that you’ve taken the whole kit apart, putting it together will be a fairly simple reversing of the process. There are three main considerations in putting it back togeth-
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A Newsletter for Land Rover Aficionados
er. First, pour some 90-weight down the axle tube. It seemed to me that I lost quite a bit, so I poured in roughly a quart. Stuff 2 shop rags down the axle tube. Put a third around the cup & secure it firmly with duct tape. Do not be afraid to use too much duct tape. Second, ensure you put the stub shaft/ wheel bearing back in!! This is the only thing holding your hub & wheel assembly together. Finally, reverse the disassembly process as it regards the hub, rotor, caliper, etc, & ensure your hub nut is cranked on tight. Before driving, lock your center diff. Do not remove the front driveshaft - it is not necessary & may damage your differential gears. You are now ready to limp home in rear wheel drive. Stop every so often to check your hub nut & ensure it does not loosen up. Your hub nut loosening would be EXTREMELY dangerous, so err on the side of caution. It goes without saying that, as you limp off the trail, your performance will be severely effected by being in rear wheel drive. Drive as conservatively as possible and stay behind another vehicle at all times in case you need to be towed thru an unavoidable obstacle (rock, mud, water, etc).
some anti-seize on the splines of the new stub shaft before reattaching the hub, wheel, and hubnut. You may notice some shrapnel when you drain your diff fully. I would suggest running a telescoping magnet throughout the axle tube from the side you broke; this will pick up additional metal. Finally, once you replace the CV joint & refill the differential, drive around for about a week, and then drain & refill your diff again. This should help clean out any remaining debris from the field repair. Provided you have cranked the hub-nut as tight as humanly possible, you can drive home in rear wheel drive if you don’t have immediate access to a spare. Again, stop every so often & check that hub-nut visually. Stay under 55 mph. Drive conser-
Once you get back to your spare, whether it’s at home, at the shop, or back at camp, you can replace the CV joint / axle shaft by the same procedure, though hopefully with the help of floor jack. Brush
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A Newsletter for Land Rover Aficionados
vatively and you’ll make it home with no problem. Once you’ve made this repair, it’s fairly straight forward.
MOAB
2006 National Rally Trail Assignments
TRAILS
LEADERS
TRAIL NAME & RATING
Thursday 9/28
Friday 9/29
Saturday 9/30
Pritchett Canyon - 5 BFE (extreme rock crawling) Behind the Rocks - 4+ Cliff Hanger / Amasa Back - 4 Flat Iron Mesa - 4 Golden Spike - 4+ Moab Rim - 4+ Hell’s Revenge - 4Poison Spider - 4Metal Masher - 4 Strike Ravine - 3.5 Kane Creek Canyon - 3.5 Fin’s n’ Things - 3.5 Steel Bender - 3.5 Seven Mile Rim - 3.5 Rose Garden Hill - 3.5 Top of The World - 3 Arches / Klondike Bluffs - 3 Hell Roaring Rim/Gemini Bridges - 3 Dome Plateau - 3+ LaSal Pass - 3 ColoradoOverlook–PetrifiedForestHike-2 SecretSpire–DellenbaughTunnelHike-2.5
N/A N/A Larry Grubbs
Larry Grubbs N/A N/A Hans Schulze
David Garbs Larry Grubbs Hans Schulze Moderate Christian Wolf Craig Davis
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Hans Schulze David Garbs Karen Kreutzer Scott Stultz James Haver Mike Jablonski Craig Davis Ralph Bradt David Dye Bryan Kreitz Mike Hansen John Crouse Susan Kitsch N/A Mary Molter
N/A David Garbs Craig Davis Mike Jablonski Marina Wolf
Mike Hansen James Haver Mike Jablonski Scott Stultz
Ralph Bradt David Dye Bryan Kreitz
David Dye
N/A Susan Kitsch Mike McClure James Haver N/A Mary Molter John Crouse
Susan Kitsch
A Newsletter for Land Rover Aficionados
Mike McClure
Karen Kreutzer John Crouse Jim Molter N/A N/A
DealershipDISCOUNTS Our members receive exclusive discounts at Denver area Land Rover dealer-
The Colorado Denver East Dealership offers Solihull Members:
15%
DISCOUNT ON PARTS
service and labor is only $85 per hour
The Colorado Flatirons Dealership offers Solihull Members:
15%
DISCOUNT ON PARTS
The Colorado Springs Dealership offers Solihull Members:
15%
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DISCOUNT ON PARTS & LABOR
A Newsletter for Land Rover Aficionados
10 Signs You’ve Bought an Old Land-Rover 1. You buy specially imported, glossy magazines with pictures of half-naked, oiled up, muddy -- trucks. 2. You buy Orange Go-Jo hand cleaner by the gallon. 3. You can name, and have on hand, four or more different viscosity oils. 4. You swivel-head drive past every junkyard. 5. You go get AAA Plus membership (and use it up to their maximum tows per year). 6. Your insurance agent has never heard of an 88-inch Station Wagon. 7. You’re applying for multiple gas credit cards. 8. When giving friends a lift, you always hear yourself say: “Smell? What smell?” 9. Your friends are buying stock in gas companies. 10. The vehicle came with a history, boxes of spare parts and a shop manual under the seat.
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www.solihullsociety.org • Naturalandun-naturaleventscaninterferewithourplans. All difficulty ratings are based on stock vehicle with some driver experience.
JULY Date Saturday, July 1 Sunday, July 2 Sunday, July 9 Saturday, July 15 Sunday, July 16 Sunday, July 23
Event RD and Pierson Park Grizzly Lake Crystal Mountain Jenny Creek Kenosha Pass Pomeroy and Mary Murphy
Rating Difficult Moderate to Difficult Difficult Moderate Easy Easy to Moderate
Event Wheeler Lake Bill Moore Lake Blanca Solihull BBQ
Rating Difficult Moderate Difficult Very easy
Event Kelly Flats and Heart Attack Hill Red Cone and Georgia Pass Apex and Kingston Peak 2006 Land Rover National Rally
Rating Difficult Moderate to Difficult Easy Easy to Difficult
AUGUST Date Saturday, August 5 Saturday, August 19 Saturday, August 19-Sunday, August 20 Saturday, August 26
SEPTEMBER Date Saturday, September 9 Saturday, September 16 Sunday, September 24 Wednesday, September 27 to Saturday, September 30
OCTOBER Date Event Saturday, October 7 to Sunday, October 8 Holy Cross Saturday, October 14 Eagle Rock and Baldy Mountain
Rating Difficult Easy to Difficult
DECEMBER Date Saturday, December 2
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Event Holiday Party
A Newsletter for Land Rover Aficionados
Rating Really Easy
GeneralMeeting
Summer 2006
The August meeting will be at the Rock Bottom Brewery in Westminster, August 8th. A banquet room is reserved for us, so please join us! Please R.S.V.P. by August 1st if possible. The Rock Bottom can be reached at 720-566-0198. 10633 Westminster Blvd., #900 Westminster, CO 80020 www. Rockbottom.com.
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2006NationalRally
The Solihull Society Land Rover Club National Rally 2006 Schedule of Events! WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27th • 4:00 to 7:00 PM - Rally Check-in at the Old Spanish Trail Arena. Put up your rally “goodies” and trail schedules. Solihull members will be available to discuss trails, etc.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28th • 8:00 AM - Meet at the Old Spanish Trail Arena for trail runs. *Late rally check-in available from 7:00 AM on! • 6:00 to 8:00 PM - Cocktail Party at Buck’s Grill.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29th • 8:00 AM - Meet at the Old Spanish Trail Arena for trail runs. • 2:00 to 7:00 PM - Vendor day with special events at Old Spanish Trail Arena.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30th • 8:00 AM - Meet at the Old Spanish Trail Arena for trail runs. • 6:00 PM - Banquet with awards and raffle at the Moab Valley Inn. *The Moab Valley Inn is holding a block of rooms at the discounted price of $65.00 per nite. Be sure to mention that you are with the Solihull Society Land Rover Rally to get this special rate.
MOAB VALLEY INN: 800-831-6622.
Please be sure to get your registration form sent in by the deadline of August 15th to assure your spot at the rally. There will be a late fee of $30 per application no postmarked by August 14
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A Newsletter for Land Rover Aficionados
TripREPORT
SLAUGHTERHOUSE
Slaughterhouse Gulch is a popular trail for off-roading most of the year due to its low altitude and closeness to Denver and was the first moderate trail of the Solihull trail season. Christian Wolf and Bryan Krietz has recently completed training with off road guru and living legend, Bill Burke, and assumed the roles of trail leader and tail gunner respectively. Our trail leaders took their job seriously and pre-ran the trail the previous weekend designating it “stock certified” in Bryan’s 100% stock Disco. Our initial meeting place was designated at the popular Conifer Safeway but soon many of the south Metro club members (Hans might call them Yuppies) arranged a caravan from a Highlands Ranch Starbucks at club dentist and suburban rebel Todd’s Ptormiller’s request. Now a Starbucks in HR is kind of like a surrogate chain community meeting center in the ultimate planned community
with a parking lot jammed with Hondas, Minivans and SUV’s that have never touched even a dirt road. In the midst of this scene our of Pleasantville II were several modified and lifted Rovers some with trail damage and modifications that made them look like some gang of ruffians had intruded on the chess club’s summer picnic. The picture was completed with the arrival of Danger on his road bike (NOT a bicycle) to see us off since he was riding that day. Present at this gathering were five of us including Scott Stultz with his newly 5 inch spring equipped truck ready for testing, Todd in his black Rangie with daughter riding shotgun, Mike and Jenny Burris as well as Peter in his white Disco. From here we lined up and left the well scrubbed streets of HR in a caravan of purposely slow moving British aluminum ready for adventure and unnecessary fuel consumption. Waiting for us at the Conifer Safeway were three more discos (including an
Andy Snow tackles the moguls at the top of the hill.
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by Andy Snow
XD) , a green Defender and a blue Rangie. Present in this group were some Solihull first timers including Paul Reyes (Rangie) who just transplanted to Conifer from San Diego and Stefan with his son Paul (XD). We also had some non Rovers including Kevin in a Wrangler and Christian’s brother, Nate in a Tacoma pick up. Once we all had time to gas up, get coffee replenished and collectively review all the off season mods of which Scott’s was the highlight, we were then summoned by Christian and Bryan. I will say that it was clear Christian and Bryan had been trained well, first order of the day was the protocol for spotting. Too often a crowd of spotters have made this a confusing babble with hands and fingers waggles in different directions but we were instructed that there was to be ONE spotter and the driver always had the right choose their guide. Once we agreed on channel 4 we set off with Bryan on a FRS in the rear. We arrived at the ad-hoc “parking lot” soon inside the entrance to the Slaughterhouse gulch trail head and aired down. I was excited to work this trail over with my new 3” lift and Rovertym diff guards for my third trip to the “house” . Last time here was in November in the snow with my friend’s jeep club and I was embarrassed failing to cross the moguls after the top of the big hill and had to back out and take the easy bypass. Although the jeepers were nice, I couldn’t help but think they were saying to themselves that Rovers are not comparable the jeeps with their massive flex. Our eight Rovers, one jeep and one pick up headed down the forest road with patches of snow.
When we reached the bottom of the big hill we stopped to re-consolidate the group. I remember mentioning to Christian that we may want to warn folks to take the easier right side of the moguls at the top underestimating the skills of the group we had. Everyone climbed the hill easily and as second in line I watched Christian effortlessly navigate the hard left side of the muddy moguls. OK, now my turn, this was my big moment to defeat the mogul section so I went right at them trying to recreate Christian’s line. I could feel going deep in the hole with left tire down and rear up then my AT’s began searching for traction and the spinning began with mud flying as I tried to work the obstacle. I’m stuck and a bit cross axel so time to back up. Christian was right there to work as spotter and we tried several other lines and even tried to work over to the right side but at that point I had become postioned between trees and run out of maneuvering room. A crowd was all around watching and the suggestions were flying so I chose Scott to guide me out who I inadvertently spayed with mud (some gratitude!). We decided it was winch time, I was
reluctant to do that as it signified failure but a good time to get some real world winching experience. I tried to get out of my truck to help but I was reminded the driver stays with their vehicle so Christian, Nate and Scott rigged up a tree strap and unfurled the winch line. Once I was hooked up, Christian guided me though the recovery using hand signals I remembered from a Bill Burke class I’d take in the past. The winch worked flawlessly and I made it out and everyone applauded but maybe next time I’ll do it unassisted! Everyone else made it though some needing spotting but Paul in his Rangie went through no problem. Try looking at on the Roverholic web site to see the trail cred this guy has and we are happy to have an experienced guy like him in our club. Another highlight was Scott’s 5 inch lift equipped Disco. With digital cameras ready, we recorded his impressive flexy test run. The last one through was Bryan in the stocker but he sailed through and at one point lifting up a high wheelie in the moguls but proving good driving will get the job done. Once we recollected and got on the trail it became apparent some-
Christian Wolf spots Bryan Kreitz through the moguls.
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thing was wrong with Kevin’s jeep. Radio calls from Bryan confirmed that they were stopping to examine the problem. We waited at the lead for some time and finally got the call that the jeep had suffered some motor mount problem and could only continue at a cautious pace. We wanted to go back down to see if we could assist but Bryan assured us the situation was under control and any more help would be too many cooks in the kitchen. The next obstacle was a small step blocked in with rocks which required a right side approach then switching left to avoid the rocks. Some of us had to backup up and retry the line and after several attempts Peter coaxed his Disco through with some helpful spotting and repositioning. Kevin’s jeep carefully circumvented using the easy approach and made it though. Paul, Scott and Bryan of course made it through without adjusting. Our next stop was the mud pit at which Kevin decided this was the time to head for dry pavement with Todd as his escort in case of trouble. Coming up on the open area with the ever changing mud pit was quite a sight. Inside the brown patch were several customized trucks that looked like something out of the road warrior movie. In particular was a special built buggy and a large i-don’t-know-what American rig hand painted in a particularly menacing grey post-apocalypse camo. Both also featured gi-normous, swamperesque tires that I’m sure were created at the BF Badrich tire factory in the 7th circle as well as high lifts – try taking these guys to Highlands Ranch!. The rigs were also shadowed by a few buddies in jeeps like flies at a picnic. They worked the pit growling up and down the sides while we parked our Rovers on the high ground to watch and eat lunch. Quickly we noticed one particular section that despite all the tire and
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A Newsletter for Land Rover Aficionados
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WinchesterGreyexteriorovergreyleather withwaterproofseatcovers,PW,PL,alarm, tint,A/C(convertedtoR134A),cruise,CB Radio,remotecontrolledAlpineAM/FM/Tape with 6 CD changer, 600 watt amp and 6 InfinityKappaseriesspeakersplus8”subwoofer in custom cabinet.
Drivetrain:
-ECR4.6LRoverV8275hp,over300ft/lbs torque.Formoreinfoontheengineproject visit:http://www.eastcoastrover.com/Richardson.html -LT230T-casewithMaxi-Drivecrawlerlow gear(4.3:1)and1.4:1Hithru3.54diffgears - ARB lockers front & rear, Maxi-Drive HD frontaxles,RoverTrackssuperHDrearaxles - Safari Gard Stage III lift – 3”progressive ratespringswithBilstien7100seriesgas shocks (12”rear, 10”front), and stainless steel extended brake lines - Goodyear MTR 285/75-16 tires
Protection:
-SafariGardfrontandrearbumperswith aluminum skid plates -SafariGardRockslidersanddifferential guards -RockWareFrontDriveshaft/Exhaust/TCase/Frame Slider skid plates - RockWare HD drag link and tie rods - Land Rover lamp guards - Mantec raised air intake/snorkel
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Recovery:
- Warn XD 9000i Winch with full accessory kit - Recovery points – front swivel D-Ring, rear receiver mounted D-ring - 48” Hi-Lift Jack – mounted either on rear seat floor or Wilderness roof rack
Recent Service Items:
- All new ball joints and bushings with last 12 months - New alternator – AC/Delco 130Amp conversion - Brand new ABS Pump, front rotors, pads and calipers - Spark plugs, all fluids, wheel bearings and service items checked regularly 255-85 BFG mud tires-good shape ARB rear locker Rockware rear drop kit. Maxi Drive rear axles 110 transfer case w/ Maxi Drive rock crawler gears C B radio 2-Tuffy tool boxes mounted in rear Custom rear interior cage w/mounts for 2 Gerry cans and wired in electric cooler Custom rear drive shaft Limb Risers Mantec Snorkle Wing covers Wading kit Front mounted Hi Lift jack Custom passenger grab handle Anti-theft device Many spare parts
$ 35,000 Contact Bob Lohman 303-671-6995 patandboblohman@comcast.net
A Newsletter for Land Rover Aficionados
www.solihullsociety.org
Disco Parts For Sale Front bumper 2004 HSE (no fog lights or washer squirters) $200 Factory brush guard with LR driving lights (no wiring harness) $200 255-55-18 goodyear tyres. 4 with 11.5K mikes and 1 new $250 Stock Front Springs and 4 Stock Shocks $Free to a good home. email me at: mcshansen@comcast.
Do you have stuff that you need to sell? Didyouknowthatclassified adsarefreetoclubmembers? Simply send an e-mail with a description of what you’re sellingalongwithaskingprice andcontactinformationand we’ll run it for free in the RoverXchange classifieds. Send it to: newsletter@solihullsociety.org
aggression they couldn’t seem to overcome. With giddy smile on his face Nate jumped into his Tacoma and headed right for the action. Pretty soon he was going up and down the section with ease to the chagrin of the others. Soon Paul jumped into the XD with Stefan’s encouragement and recreated his path. Then the green Defender and finally Christian and his brother together in his Blue Disco as the pit was claimed for Solihull with Rovers working all sides of the mud pit. At this point our party split up with some heading home via cross creek and others reversing Slaughterhouse. All in all a great trip with some awesome new members along for the ride.
Mike Burris demonstrates cross-axle articulation.
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A Newsletter for Land Rover Aficionados
Solihull Society PO Box 480864 Denver, CO 80248-0864