The "Bet Ride" and a few pics

[6.2Blazer]

Unfortunately I was not able to attend, but got the update from a couple of fellow club members. Here is quick review of what I'm talking about.

A couple months ago a new kid in our club started talking about a particuliar trail we run. He had never driven this trail personally but had ridden shotgun in 78Buford's fairly well-built vehicle (42's, 1-tons w/ lockers, winch, big block, etc...). He started saying how the trail was pretty easy and how he could make it in a stock Bronco II with 30" all-terrains and a welded rear diff........I'm guessing that his perspective was thrown off some by the fact that the built vehicle he was riding in made the trail seem relatively easy. Most people, including myself, told him he was nuts since there was no way the little truck could make it.

Anyway, the guy in the built rig offered a bet that the stock Bronco II could not follow him without getting pulled 12 times or more. The bet..........$200 on the line, so not exactly chump change. The Bronco II guy took the offer and they worked out the rules.

One pull would equal 35 feet, any longer than 35' and it equals two pulls, etc... 11 pulls or less and the lil' truck wins. The built rig will follow the lines it normally takes, so no going through super deep mudholes or stupid lines. The lil' truck has to follow the same lines, so it can't avoid every obstacle.

Long story short, the stock Bronco II received it's 12th pull less than halfway into the trail, including taking lots and lots of attempts at certain places. It was getting late at this time and they decided to turn around before getting to the "hard" places...........yes, they had not even gotten to what I consider the first difficult obstacle yet.

Regarding the pictures, a couple guys showed up that we had not ridden with before. One of them had a nice looking K5, fairly low on big 44" Boggers..........

Who'd a thunk it? Apparently Dana 44 front axles don't like 44" Boggers much

 

[RootBreaker]

so where are the rest of the pics????

oh yeah that is a sweet blazer.... OUCH on the trail... so how did they fix it?
there are so many trail stories of duct tape, straps, etc......

 

[tcoker79]

I need to see more pics...the blazer is awesome!

 

[78Buford]

I need to see more pics...the blazer is awesome!

Yeah, it looks really mean...lying there broken with it's front end splattered all over the trail. Totally awesome.....

Roy

 

[6.2Blazer]

Yeah, it looks really mean...lying there broken with it's front end splattered all over the trail. Totally awesome.....

Roy

I was just thinking the exact same thing..........

 

[FOR MUD]

Well it could of been alot worse . The bronco could of won....NOT!! Anyways it looked like fun

 

[sled_dog]

Broke balljoints or what? yeah, 1/2 tons rule...

 

[78Buford]

Broke balljoints or what? yeah, 1/2 tons rule...

The front end popped up over the rock (at very mild throttle I may add) landed, broke an axle, several of us observed sparks (axle yoke babging around in the knuckle area) and hollered for him to stop...but it was too late. The wheel & tire folded in at the top, then flopped the rest of the way down.

This guy and a guy in a later model huge Suburban (on 44" Boggers) showed up uninvited by me. They were invited by another guy who I’ve wheeled with plenty times in a Suzuki…he generally knows his stuff. I talked to the guy in the Suburban and he had a Ford D60 in the front and a 14B in the rear. I assumed (and we all know what happens when we do that) that his buddy had a D60 front as well.

Before the ride started, I told a few people that if either of the Chevy’s followed me on the rougher sections I predicted them breaking driveshaft U-joints (1310’s…I asked) or D60 outers (they were stock axles)….and that is when I assumed they both had 60’s in the front.

The absolute first obstacle of the day: Blazer innards splattered all over the trail. The Suburban and the guy in the Suzuki stayed with him, and the rest of us kept going at the request of the Blazer owner.

The owners of both Chevy’s seemed like good guys…and they knew how to work on their own stuff. They left for parts and had it back together four or five hours later. However neither one of them could use any suspension flex and turn the steering wheel at all. At the end of the day, the Suburban had to winch through a spot that twists the suspension…the tires were wedging up against the frame. It should be noted that the way underbuilt Bronco II on 30” At’s made it through this spot with minimal hassle. The guy in the Blazer later popped a bead…on his 14” wide wheels…wonder how that happened. While he was changing it, I was going to loan him my spare 42 to put on the Blazer to get him out of the mudhole. They managed to get the wheel & tire off & pushed it ahead to the front of the group. I used my OBA to reseat it. While this was going on he noted several times, “Look how much bigger my 44’s are than your 42’s.” I agreed….and thought: Yeah, I can also steer my vehicle and the Ford would eat your lunch on any trail that wasn’t a mud bog,” but I kept my thoughts to myself.

 

[JK5]

Hey Roy,

Why didn't you do a bet ride with me???? I could have used gas money.


You need some stiffer competition.

 

[78Buford]

Bring it...Buford is looking for something a bit more filling........

 

[JK5]

Done!!!
Are those dirty 20 dollar bills hanging from your tie bar...
You better wash'm off and get ready to give'm up.

LOL...money isn't needed...just bring your title.

 

[Emmettology 101]

Sweet! I'd like to see this and would definately attend to watch!!

 

[6.2Blazer]

Hopefully this will take place this summer.

Jerry - do you REALLY want an old beat-up Furd at your house?

 

[Emmettology 101]

Hopefully this will take place this summer.

Jerry - do you REALLY want an old beat-up Furd at your house?

Sweet!

I'm sure he wouldn't mind, he's dismantled them before!

 

[JK5]

LOL....actually....I was a Ford guy at one time.

I'll have my buddy "House" sit shotgun so I don't have an unfair weight advantage.

We should go to raush creek or somewhere neither of us have been wheelin'.

 

[78Buford]

Jerry, what is the status of your Blazer? The last time I wheeled with you/talked to you was in November at Wellsville. As you were leaving, I heard you say that you were ditching the body and turning it into a buggy.


On paper, from what I remember, from front to rear…Jerry’s Blazer vs. my Ford:

Winch: Whatever you have is likely better than my MM 12K.
Front axle: I have more beef but also more weight on top of it.
Front D-shaft: I have 1410’s, 3.5” D-shaft, but it is thin wall…less susceptible to damage due to the HP front, but won’t survive a rock if I were to hit it. You have a beefier shaft with smaller U-joints.
Engine: I have more grunt, you have more horsepower.
Transmission: C6 is beefier, unless your TH350 grenades, not a big deal.
T-Case: 205’s…equal
Rear D-shaft: basically the same comparison as the front. I run mine with the small end & a 1350 yoke at the rear diff for more clearance. The T-case end is 1410.
Rear Axle: Welded D70-U vs. Welded 14B (I assume). Similar strength…mine is smoother…basically equal.
Gears: You have 5.13’s, I have 4.10’s…yours are better.
Rollcage: I don’t have one, you do.
Beadlocks: You have them I don’t.
Steering: You have hydro, I have stock setup.
Tires: Yours are larger.
Weight: I have more…not desirable.
Wheelbase: You probably like yours, I like mine.

I would never bet the title of the Ford for anything…it’s my “old buddy.” I’m not in the habit of making bets when I think I’ll lose…kinda defeats the purpose. My educated on a Blazer vs. Ford showdown: Yours is more capable on an average trail than mine is. I’ve said this before on your board and my club board. Your largest advantages in my opinion are less weight, larger tires, and beadlocks. Your steering is better, but mine works OK for what it is. A few front end parts on your Blazer are more likely to break than on the Ford. My greatest chance of winning the bet would be A) if your Blazer breaks, or B) the trails favor a long wheelbase. This is not smack talk, this is my opinion of how the two vehicles compare. With that said, I’ll offer a friendly wager of $100. This would be merely an asterisk to the trail ride itself…not the focus of it. I’d like to head out of state in late June this year. The point of the ride will be for fresh trails, wheeling all day, drinking beer around the campfire, etc. How about Harlan KY in late June? I miss being the underdog.

 

[JK5]

Jerry, what is the status of your Blazer? The last time I wheeled with you/talked to you was in November at Wellsville. As you were leaving, I heard you say that you were ditching the body and turning it into a buggy.


On paper, from what I remember, from front to rear…Jerry’s Blazer vs. my Ford:

Winch: Whatever you have is likely better than my MM 12K.
Front axle: I have more beef but also more weight on top of it.
Front D-shaft: I have 1410’s, 3.5” D-shaft, but it is thin wall…less susceptible to damage due to the HP front, but won’t survive a rock if I were to hit it. You have a beefier shaft with smaller U-joints.
Engine: I have more grunt, you have more horsepower.
Transmission: C6 is beefier, unless your TH350 grenades, not a big deal.
T-Case: 205’s…equal
Rear D-shaft: basically the same comparison as the front. I run mine with the small end & a 1350 yoke at the rear diff for more clearance. The T-case end is 1410.
Rear Axle: Welded D70-U vs. Welded 14B (I assume). Similar strength…mine is smoother…basically equal.
Gears: You have 5.13’s, I have 4.10’s…yours are better.
Rollcage: I don’t have one, you do.
Beadlocks: You have them I don’t.
Steering: You have hydro, I have stock setup.
Tires: Yours are larger.
Weight: I have more…not desirable.
Wheelbase: You probably like yours, I like mine.

I would never bet the title of the Ford for anything…it’s my “old buddy.” I’m not in the habit of making bets when I think I’ll lose…kinda defeats the purpose. My educated on a Blazer vs. Ford showdown: Yours is more capable on an average trail than mine is. I’ve said this before on your board and my club board. Your largest advantages in my opinion are less weight, larger tires, and beadlocks. Your steering is better, but mine works OK for what it is. A few front end parts on your Blazer are more likely to break than on the Ford. My greatest chance of winning the bet would be A) if your Blazer breaks, or B) the trails favor a long wheelbase. This is not smack talk, this is my opinion of how the two vehicles compare. With that said, I’ll offer a friendly wager of $100. This would be merely an asterisk to the trail ride itself…not the focus of it. I’d like to head out of state in late June this year. The point of the ride will be for fresh trails, wheeling all day, drinking beer around the campfire, etc. How about Harlan KY in late June? I miss being the underdog.

Well, I wanted to have this project finished by july 4th, but that's not going to happen, I've taken on more projects. Madmike just purchased a detroit for his 60, we started that last night. So...maybe by the end of the summer.

The plans for the rig include:
New DS's, 1410 rear/1/4" th DOM tubed, 1350 or 1450 C/V /1410 front square tube.
A reverse valve body for the th350
52" springs in the front/56" rears sitting a extra 1.5"s back. ALL 9/16" bolts.
Twinsticked hybrid 205. (homemade)
Rear anti-wrap set-up (my design)
Complete tube body (no existing GM sheet metal)

My wheelbase will be about 2"s more than before.

Yah, I'm with yah on the title thing, I've had my baby since 91'....
A hundred...LOL...I was thing a 12 pack of beer. (Labbatt's Blue)

Here's what I've done so far:

 

[78Buford]

I consume Labatt Ice (black bottles) about once a month....so a "12 pack of Labatt" bet sounds good.

I understand your reasoning for ditching the body. Many people have told me that I would gain a helluva lot of trail performance by cutting weight (not carrying a spare everything) and getting rid of much of the body. I definitely agree that it would be more capable, but I’ve always personally wanted it to still look like a truck. I’ve bent the passenger side front corner (fender) so many times it’s not funny. Winch through a snatch block pulls it back into “shape.” The tubing welded to the doors was one of my best mods…I have hit them HARD on trees & rocks many times, and they are holding up. The driver side has pushed the entire cab inwards an inch or so…but the doors still open & close. For some reason, the tailgate has been getting wounded a lot in the past several months. Last weekend I “Roy fixed it” with miscellaneous parts I found in a box in the garage…absolutely hideous, but the tailgate seems to be on there “Good-N-Tight” for now……….I’ll try to post a few pictures that I took last weekend of my “bodywork.” Also, note the sassy blue vinyl seat...matches the black & white interior....well maybe not.

 

[78Buford]

 

[78Buford]