72 IH + ‘85 Alaskan = Questionable Judgment...

[Nailhead]

back in the neighborhood. Sounds like a great trip

It was.

No breakdowns at all, just the morning ritual of topping off the t-case with oil.

The fuel bill was immense, however. How immense I purposely do not know, being a "what's-inside-a-hot-dog" subject. I do know I paid over $6/gallon at Old Faithful.

 

[Nailhead]

Next, the Labor Day trip to the Walden Happy Place, or so I thought.

I plotted out an indirect route that would include as many back roads as I could reasonably incorporate in the 3 days I allotted to get there, which meant heading southwest to get to a destination to the northwest of Longmont.

First stop was an RV park in Fairplay so I could be absolutely sure I had phone signal with which to call Bob & get the gate combo to Red Canyon.

I really didn’t know what I was getting into with that RV park, and I didn’t really like it much, with the population density there:

I made the best of it, walking uptown for a replacement Colorado Atlas (forgot mine), and refreshments:

Saw a bucket-list truck on the way there, though:

Diamond T. Cure me then kill me.

 

[Nailhead]

Next morning, after a fuel tank repair, a wholesome gas-station breakfast, and reconciling myself with a carb that wouldn’t idle, it was Weston Pass to Leadville:

Never even locked the hubs, just granny all the way over. Nothing like stump-puller axle gearing to alleviate drama.

 

[Nailhead]

Leadville, 1:30-ish PM:

Get some gas, head for the pass. Hagerman, that is.

 

[Nailhead]

Hagerman Pass has occupied a hallowed spot in the Colorado backcountry pass pantheon ever since I first thumbed through a book on the Colorado Midland Railroad my grandma had when I was a kid.

Looking at it (and I looked at that book pretty much every time we visited— I just had to wash my hands), I came to appreciate what a feat construction and operation of a railroad over Hagerman was through old photos of rotary snow plows in operation with nothing but plumes of snow & smoke visible, or entire trains stuck in snow roof-high. That pass got under my skin at an early age, and it is safe to say it’s the reason I bought a four-by as soon as I could afford one. I had to see places like Nast, Hell Gate, the Curved Trestle, and the Busk-Ivanhoe Tunnel for myself.

My mom and I went up the west side in the early ‘80’s, as far as an Econoline 150 could go, and I did manage to climb down to the wrecked tender at Hell Gate, but that wasn’t enough.

A buddy and I finally transited the pass in the early ‘90’s, and was a day-long history field trip, just like I’d hoped. Win.

Here’s the east side of the pass, with the east portal of the Busk-Ivanhoe (later renamed Carlton) Tunnel at the clearing in the lower center, the current pass road running to the upper right, and the old High Line hooking faintly off from the road, essentially doubling back on itself, headed for the summit tunnel at far-left center:

East portal, Busk-Ivanhoe Tunnel:

All the signs made it very clear all manner of misfortune would befall anyone who even looked at those doors, so of course I got back in the truck & drove away.

Right…

The tunnel was a state highway briefly after the CM rails were taken up, and then was converted to a water diversion tunnel with the installation of the concrete pipe seen here. That must have been quite a drive.

I spotted this nearby:

No ideas, then or now.

 

[CAPTNDAVIE]

Just read the whole thread through! Love the truck, camper and your documentation here! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Nailhead]

Just read the whole thread through! Love the truck, camper and your documentation here! Thanks for sharing!

Thank you!

I really should catch up on this thread— quite a bit has happened in the last year.


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[Bernie]

another “read the entire thread in one sitting” member and fellow IH/ Alaskan fan (maybe Avion too) requesting more.
Thanks

 

[Nailhead]

Thanks guys— a lot going on lately, including a relocation from the expensive chaos that is the Colorado Front Range to a small, quiet Wyoming town.

Going to make a barndominium out of this:

Already got a new, taller overhead door:

Gonna need that indoor workspace, as it turns out…

 

[Nailhead]

So, up Hagerman Pass we go, me & the Strugglebus.

Actually, with a 6+:1 first gear and 4.89 axle gearing, there wasn’t much drama to the climb— I just had to do my best to dodge any rocks that could take out the low-hanging steering tie rod.

The first crux is at the top of this hill. It’s really steep, by the way:

I took that one rolling— no way I was gonna stop.


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[Nailhead]

Here’s the very next pic I took:

With a shiny new weld on the far end of that goddamn tie rod.

Long story, many details to follow. Gotta get back to the barndo build.


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[Nailhead]

A mile or so after the pic in #175 I reached a turn to the right and steeply uphill. It had been a glacially slow but fully-engaging crawl to that point, with that adrenaline undercurrent that I’ve loved about four-wheeling since a drive in an FJ-40 in the mid ‘80’s, but at that particular turn an “Air Disasters” convergence of factors came together: the truck would not idle because of carb issues, I had hardly slept the previous night, and there was a guy standing right next to the trail who started talking to me just as I needed to concentrate on the line I needed to take to navigate that turn & avoid a giant rock in the washed-out center of the trail.

These factors, combined with the courtesy I was brought up to exhibit towards those who are addressing me, pushed my faculties into overload, and I steered too low on that line, lost traction, and hung that tie rod right on the uphill side of that rock. Nowhere to go but backwards, and a cracking noise that shook the truck signaled the end of the outward leg of the trip.

That chatty individual who unwittingly trashed my concentration was to become my bestest buddy & big toe when his brother showed up in his Xterra a few minutes later.


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[Nailhead]

They were, as I said, brothers, touring the Colorado mountains on an annual outing. They waited while I removed the remains of the tie rod, grabbed my bag, and secured the truck as best I could. All the while, they were graciously making room for me in an already-overstuffed vehicle.

They dropped me off at the nearest motel I could find to the their desired route out of Leadville, which happened to be quite a ways to downtown and sustenance. I thanked them profusely, having long gotten past the desire to inflict harm on the clueless one.

About 1/2 mile into my walk toward dinner & beer, I noticed a sign that said “welding”, easily the most important word in the English language at that time. As luck would have it, there was a kid there finishing up a handrail project. I described what I needed done, he said bring it by, I can probably have it done some time in the morning. I then cut loose and breathlessly executed many flawless cartwheels about the parking lot. Actually, I didn’t, but I sure wanted to. About an hour & a half later, he called to let me know the repair was done. I was halfway through a huge smothered carne asada burrito right then. I wasn’t going anywhere. I thanked him & told him I’d be by in the morning.

Next morning, repaired tie rod in hand, nearly-satisfying motel continental breakfast in stomach, I faced the next problem: how do I get back to my truck, 15 miles away up a 4WD road?

First I had to call Ed, an IH buddy of mine who I was going to meet at my destination, and let him know it wasn’t going to work out. He, his wife, and their posse were camped about two hours away on Buffalo Pass, and he eagerly offered to drive down to Leadville and play Uber for me. After I got over my astonishment, I eagerly accepted.

A pleasant drive to the crime scene, some wrenching, and we were on our way. I was absolutely BABYING that butt-welded tie rod on that trip back down the pass, but even so I’d told Ed to lead in case it did come apart. I also did not exceed 30 mph on the pavement back to town.

I thanked Ed when we parted, called AAA, and after several hours got my ride back to Longmont.

Now what to do? These tie rods are NLA, and the DS rod end is integral to the rod; it’s a wear part, so no sense in buying a take-off.


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[Nailhead]

Here’s what to do: meet Ed & Kate at Red Canyon & treat ‘em to the scenery, serenity, and fun that damn rock tried to deprive us all of -

A BBQ, some red wine, and a great time was had by all.


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[Nailhead]

So here’s where we’re at:

An essential unobtainable part rendered unfit for further highway service.

A three-year project sitting inert, and likely to remain so.

It was recommended I call a vendor/fabricator in the PNW about having a new tie rod fabricated, and he recommended swapping the steering knuckles one side to the other after I gave him the measurements of the bends on the old tie rod. He wouldn’t be able to duplicate my tie rod with all those bends, but he would be able to provide the straight tie rod such a swap would require. I was in: that modification would relocate the tie rod out of harm’s way, and would get my truck back on the road, probably pretty quickly.

Little did I know.


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