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'90 K5 - The Nevada Blazer [Post 1437: School me on alternators)

I've never had one either. I only get on technical type forums like this. I keep telling my wife that she's not authorized to put any pics of me or info about me on Facebook, but that doesn't stop her. :rolleyes:
 
After a coworker decided he didn't like my pro-U.S. Constitution posts on FB and tried to get me fired over it, I closed my account too. :doah:

Today I finally sacked up and got my torque wrench out and re-tightened all of my suspension bolts. Damn good thing I did, too. I had had one experience with death wobble in early July and knew something must have been loose. Sure enough I get under there and the nut is about to come off of my passenger front spring's rear shackle. :doah: I should not have waited so long to do the check up on the torque - everything was loose. So, I feel much more comfortable about driving the Rubicon next week now that I know everything is how it should be. :D
 
Russ's towrig never did get fixed, the fools at the stealership didn't listen to him. So, he's hoping to not break down on the way back to Canada. I'm sure he'll fill you in on the details in the next couple days when he gets back.
 
After looking at your Rubicon thread, I feel like I was actually there on the trail with you! No wonder everyone wants to go there. What a great trip. You're a blessed man! :bow: :laugh:
 
83ChevyK5Blazer said:
That looked like such a good time, as usual awesome pictures colby :thumb:
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It was amazing. You should plan a trip down and we'll drive it together. I'm sure I could convince "alexsdad" and my friend Mike to go again.... soon. :D

andyblack said:
After looking at your Rubicon thread, I feel like I was actually there on the trail with you! No wonder everyone wants to go there. What a great trip. You're a blessed man! :bow: :laugh:
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Daily I thank God for His blessing. Seriously, I'm regularly in a state of amazement at how good life is... and how good the wheeling around here is. :D

Actually, one thing I was thinking about on this Rubicon trip is how we (meaning only several generations) live in a unique time in history where we have the combination of freedom, liesure time, and the capability to do a trail like this.

Speaking of freedom, liesure time, and capability:

My wife found a sign that said the Rubicon Trail has been around since 1880. It was originally founded because a couple of lumberjacks decided that the Rubicon Springs water was so amazing that they should bottle it and sell it. Then Mrs. Sierra Nevada bought the land and made it into a resort. The road was more accessible back then, but not by much, and certainly not much easier given the horse drawn carriage or the 2 wheel drive cars they had. The lodge was around till the 50s when a snow storm leveled the place.
 
Imagine going up the Big Sluice or Cadillac Hill in horse drawn wagon. :eek1:

I imagine them on mules most of the time really. Mules can go just about anywhere.

What modifications did this trip make you realize you need to do before the next time you go?
 
Cadillac I can believe in a horse drawn wagon, Big Sluice = no way! However, they wouldn't have had to deal with Big Sluice to get to Rubicon Springs. I saw a photograph of Little Sluice from back in the 20s or so, and it was basically a gravel road. So, I suspect that the way the trail is today is significantly different from how it was back then. :)

The biggest modification I need to do before I drive the trail again is get a real rear diff cover. Mine got really hammered, and I was getting concerned that I might end up peeling it off. I think I'm going to order the DIY4x one. It's the cheapest option I have found, and really tough (3/8" ring, 1/4" plate cover). It's not the heaviest duty one out there, as Rough Stuff Specialties makes a complete 3/8" cover, but I really don't need something that enormous. 1/4" is more than enough. Plus, I really don't care for the crappy customer service I continually get at Ruff Stuff.
 
Where did it get hammered at? On the bottom edge? Have you shaved your housing and cover down yet? You may even consider one of those little skidplates and a guardsman for underneath the yoke while you're at it. (Although both those things look like they would get hung up worse to me.) Just out of curiosity, did the diff cover take a worse beating when you were going forward or when you had to back up?

Sorry for all these questions. Guess I'm just trying to live vicariously through your thread by imagining I'm out on the Rubicon trail instead of here at work wishing I was out there. :rolleyes:
 
It was the bottom edge that got beat up. I'm amazed that it stayed sealed through the whole trip. I have done a VERY minor shave on the bottom of the diff housing, basically just removing the lip and grinding it down so that it's a sliding surface rather than a huge edge. I'd like to do a Guardsman for my pinion, but my truck budget is minimal right now. My birthday is next month, and a couple family members usually send me a bit of cash, so I may be able to do a Guardsman. Not sure if that's the top priority right now, though.

The diff cover took the worst beating from going forward, sliding over rocks and pealing the edge back. Backing up, I didn't smash into anything on the actual surface of the cover at all. I did, however, smash the bent-up lip of the cover back flat against the surface of the diff, though. So it's like a flattened taco. I'm glad it did, too, because I think it helped protect it from getting ripped off.

One other thing I'd like to do, but probably won't before the next time I drive the Rubicon, is to build a real sturdy trans/tcase crossmember with a really good skid for my tcase. The stock one works, but I'm not sure it would hold up to constant abuse over time. I didn't ever nail my tcase crossmember on this trip, but "alexsdad" was sitting on his. I would just feel better about it, since I have an AL tcase.
 
Do you have the "W" shaped, TH700R4 style crossmember? The flat TH400 style crossmember has a much thicker and stronger skid plate on it. They use different trans to t-case adapters to mount to though. A trip to the junkyard may get you the stuff to do a cheap upgrade. Or you could do like you said and make your own...
 
I suspect it's a W shaped one. Never really paid attention. It's whatever the stock 700/241 crossmember from 1990 would be. :D
 
I dont know if I missed it. But with your set up, whats your top speed? What rpm are you turning at highway speeds? Im planning on running the 4:56 gears and eventually 37s. I wanna be able to run my truck at 80 mph on the freeway.
 
I've got 37's and 4.56's. It's still geared high, good for the highway. I'm going to drop to 5.13's though, as I only use OD when I go over 50mph +. Most of the time driving around I leave it in 3rd, to avoid "hunting" back and forth from OD, as I never go over 50mph unless it's a freeway.

With OD, 37's and 5.13's would be perfect for me.
 
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