I'm slackin'....PICS from yesterday, in the swamp (NOT DIALUP FRIENDLY! 32 pics)

[big94gmc]

I tried writing this up last night, but I hit some (obviously wrong) key just before I was finished, and erased everything. So, here it goes again....

We (Ira - aka sandawgK5, Scott - aka 84zz4ss, Rob - Rob 85K5, and myself) left out Sat. morning at 8am from Scott's house. It was a good day....not too long, and filled with good, muddy fun. One of the other three can chime in and correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the casualty list was: one tire sidewall split; one bead lost, but reset; passengers side alternator on the 6.2 crapped out; mutliple ignition fuses in the blue K5, fan blade/pulley/balancer assembly on the blue K5 just FELL OFF (to quote Scott, "In all my years of having GM's, I've never once seen that happen"), causing water pump and severe radiator damage; water in the fuel of the brown K5 that had been plaguing it for a couple weeks now; E-Z locker in the front of the brown K5 sounding more and more like popcorn; fire ants got under my pant leg and ate up my left leg from the knee down; and Ira's pride, for being the only person to officially get stuck - not once, but twice!

In our playin', we came across an abandoned-over-night Bronco that (apparently) entered the swamp without a front driveshaft, and then busted the pinion in the rear axle (not sure, exactly). When we came upon it, it was a funny sight. The owner wasn't far away, and among the folks with him was a guy in a fullsize, 2wd Dodge van. They got it stuck.... We looked the other way. We offered to tow out Bronco when they got their act together (I did the driving, with the CUCV). As I was, the passenger rear tire started walking out in that POS F*rd (LOOOOVE c-clip axles ). We pushed it back in, and continued the tow - "If it falls off, keep pulling", Scott said. We were hooked up with the dude's chain that he had (about 40-50ft of THICK chain), and when we got to the asphalt, and Bronco was unhooked, and wouldn't ya know it, that chain stayed in the back of the CUCV!!!

Shortly after that fiasco, both the K5's were having trouble staying running for various reasons. With straps doubled-over between all the rigs, we 'freight trained' it out of the swamp and back to the asphalt with the M1028 as the engine. One word - WOW. I HAVE to have an M1028 now....that freakin' think - STOCK - is impressive. I have to have one.

I think I just about covered everything. Enjoy.

 

[big94gmc]

Here's the four of us. From L to R, Scott, me, Ira, and Rob....

First stuck....we were only a few minutes into the day . It's Ira at the wheel of Scott's blue K5....

Random shot....

Scott working out fuse issues....again....

In the 10 seconds Rob was behind the wheel of the Green Thing, he sliced a sidewall....

One of the alternators crapped out and started smoking. Scott isolated it quickly....

Donuts are fun....

Debris got in both the inside and outside beads. We didn't clean enough the first time, and didn't even know the backside was leaking, too, so we removed this tire twice - the second time, breaking both the beads, and cleaning them really well....

This is the Bronco we came upon. We stopped to check it out, and not two minutes after we did, a "friend of the owner" came walking up, followed shortly after by the owner and his entourage. We didn't notice there was no front driveshaft until it was pointed out, and, with a busted rear axle, this thing was dead weight....

 

[big94gmc]

We continued playin', because that's what we do....

One of the members of the group (with the Bronco owner) was in this fullsize 2wd Dodge van. I think he tried to back in this hole, and this is where it got him. We didn't think about offering assistance. We don't know how, but it was extracted....

While dragging the F*rd out, the shaft starting coming out. This is all that was available to 'locate' the shaft/rim/tire. I pulled him out, watching over my shoulder to see if I was pulling a four wheeler, or a three wheeler. I was kinda bummed when it never came out all the way....

After the Bronco pull, I re-entered the swamp, found the two K5's (that were apparently taking turns pulling each other), hooked up the strap, and the freight train began. Scott took over driving the M1028 at this point, which was a good thing - he was giving that truck hell, acting as a locomotive (after all, it is his truck). Not only did I fall in love with this thing going anywhere it was pointed, but it made short work of 12,000 lbs of rolling dead weight through deep holes and soft sand. WOW (I have to have one)....

Questions? Comments?

 

[spongeidys]

looks like a kick ass good time bro ;D

 

[readymix]

Ira in the mud Eh??? Looks like all had fun.

 

[Paxx]

Hell yeah that looks like it was a lot of fun. I haven't had a day of wheeling like that in a long time. Is the area far from where you live?

 

[big94gmc]

Hell yeah that looks like it was a lot of fun. I haven't had a day of wheeling like that in a long time. Is the area far from where you live?

It's right across the street from my house. And, Scott lives just up the road from me.

 

[Paxx]

Nice. I feel bad for all the people who have to drive for hours to get to a beautiful spot to wheel.

 

[big94gmc]

....to drive for hours to get to a beautiful spot to wheel.

This isn't exactly what I'd consider a beautiful spot.... Utah, Colorado, Cali - those places would be nice to have in your backyard, ya know....

 

[muddybuddy]

looks like a blast

 

[walla2k5]

..........

 

[cbbr]

Whose idea was it to use the brush gaurd and POS bumper as a tow point?

 

[steve_kibbe]

Nice, I'll have to make a trip down with my k5

 

[Cricket]

Sweet.

 

[big94gmc]

Nice, I'll have to make a trip down with my k5

Let us know. Ira was in town, and he was driving Scott's K5. Ira was saying over and over again that he wished he brought his own K5.

Bring yours down sometime, let us know, and the Florida Panhandle can set something up for whoever comes out/over/down.

 

[GotBoykins]

Great pics and looks like yall had a great time!

 

[nvrenuf]

Looks like fun, I hate I missed it - I was right around the corner at TARussell's part of the day too.

 

[HarryH3]

Looks like a fun day! I grew up playing in the swamps down near Palm Beach. Gotta love the smell of swamp mud baking on the exhaust system...

 

[tRustyK5]

Not only did I fall in love with this thing going anywhere it was pointed, but it made short work of 12,000 lbs of rolling dead weight through deep holes and soft sand. WOW (I have to have one)....

I'm glad I'm not the only one that loves that 6.2 off road. It may not win races but it also will not quit pulling. With no disty, carb, throttle body or computer it'll take an absolute beating in the worst environment and still be happily chugging along.

Looks like you guys had a ton of fun even with the gremlins and stuff...

Rene

 

[big94gmc]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that loves that 6.2 off road.

I would love to have a 6.2 trail rig....it'll run upside down, torques through anything, and doesn't stop so long as the batteries are still hooked up. Wow. I'm imagining a 465 and doubler behind a 6.2, and I'm grinning ear to ear.