Triple-purpose JK Build

[Dan Grec]

Thanks for the advice - I'm definitely considering it. I gotta figure out what to do about gas though... I average about 12 mpg, which isn't great...

I can probably leave mid-October, so a bit late to catch up w Kerstin. I posted on her thread though to wish her good luck.

js.

You'll be driving a lot slower than normal in Central America as the roads and traffic just don't allow high speeds.
I'd be shocked if you still only get 12mpg when not going faster than about 70km/h

-Dan

 

[jsmoriss]

Roadside camping around NC I think - driving up from FL to PEI:



Fixing a mud flap after tearing it off while backing up around some trees / over a stump.



Camping in Kouchibouguac National Park in NB:







Camping by the beach in NB:





js.

 

[jsmoriss]

Camping by the coast in NB (at the end of a really long dirt road that looked promising on the GPS).











js.

 

[jsmoriss]

You'll be driving a lot slower than normal in Central America as the roads and traffic just don't allow high speeds.
I'd be shocked if you still only get 12mpg when not going faster than about 70km/h

That's true. Off highway I get about 14.7 mpg (16 l/100km). I usually carry a 5 gal and 2.5 gal jerry can, but for this trip, I'll probably bring a few more. I'm thinking of adding something like this on the trailer to carry 2 extra jerry cans: http://www.wilcooffroad.com/shop/hitchgate/

I have a swing-away Yakima bike rack that works well on the trailer:



The kitchen is relocated under the awning in that picture because of the rain.

js.

 

[jsmoriss]

This summer I had to upgrade / change a few things on the truck...

I've been having some intermittent issues with the head-unit -- sound will often switch front/back or left/right. It seemed to happen more when the batteries were low, so I decided to try and upgrade the alternator to see if that made a difference. With 4 (and sometimes 5) batteries onboard, I felt the stock alternator had to run a long time to re-charge everything.



Unfortunately, the alternator didn't make a difference to the head-unit issue.

The lights on the roof were badly rusted too, so needed a swap. The originals were Cibie lights w a steel housing. The new ones are HID from Baja Designs and the housing is aluminum.

Before:



Adjusting the wiring:



And after:



The paint on the hinges was starting to flake off as well, so I replaced all the door hinges.

Before:



And after:



js.

 

[jsmoriss]

And lastly, I was starting to wonder if the rear coil springs (OME 620s) were starting to sag little after carrying the trailer for so long (the tongue is fairly heavy), so decided to replace them and see.





In the end, I don't think it made much of a difference -- I probably should have measured the rear bumper height before and after, but didn't think of doing that.

js.

 

[Dan Grec]

That's true. Off highway I get about 14.7 mpg (16 l/100km). I usually carry a 5 gal and 2.5 gal jerry can, but for this trip, I'll probably bring a few more. I'm thinking of adding something like this on the trailer to carry 2 extra jerry cans: http://www.wilcooffroad.com/shop/hitchgate/

You won't need them. I'm willing to bet you can't get more than ~150km from a gas station in all of central America.

Probably more like 75km in 99% of cases.

-Dan

 

[jsmoriss]

I'm currently in Concord NC and plan to head down to McAllen TX on Tuesday November 3rd, taking 3-4 days to get there. After that, into Mexico and keep heading south. ;-)

Anyone heading south around that time looking for some company?

js.

 

[jsmoriss]

I just arrived in San Diego CA - a bit of a detour from McAllen TX I know. ;-) It turns out McAllen (and Brownsville, which I was thinking of going to) feed into the most dangerous part of Mexico! I was *this* close from crossing -- had already bought insurance for the truck & trailer, etc. So then I figured I might as well head west!

I just arrived in San Diego CA. I'm hoping to stay here a few days / weeks, but need some ideas of where to stay... Anyone familiar with San Diego?

js.

 

[kojackJKU]

How do you like your new lighting? they look like great lights!

 

[mtbxj87]

Check the ground on your head unit.

 

[jsmoriss]

Hi everyone,

After 2 1/2 years on the road, with a few stops here and there, I'm taking off on one final time with the Jeep and trailer -- I'm leaving Montreal for good and making my way to the north-west coast!

More about that here: http://trtms.com/2016/08/20/heading-west-again-across-canada-this-time/

Meanwhile, the throw-out bearing on the clutch has been making noise for a while, and the tires need replacing, so it's going in the garage. The TO bearing is a known issue, so I'll be upgrading to a Centerforce TO bearing instead. Luckily, I had a Centerforce clutch sitting on the shelf for a few years, so that'll save me a bit of money.

The big surprise was the rear locker though... The original OEM e-locker wore-out after 5 years, and cost me a bundle to replace (though I did change the gears at the same time). ;-) Recently, I found the lockers wouldn't engage, and found that the rear locker would blow the fuse. It turns out the magnet controller inside the diff blew-out!



I'm leaving next week, so this was really bad news -- not just the cost, but the install time for a new locker as well. Luckily, it looks like Spicer is now selling the magnet separately for $200-250!!! How awesome is that!? In case anyone else blows a magnet in their Jeep JK e-locker, the Spicer part number is 2005193. ;-)

js.