VANdiana Jones sequel: The Legacy Continues

[mk216v]

One of the most interesting things I learned going down that grade in the XV-JP (5.13 gears and 33s) was that if I was in first gear in 4WD Lo, the truck wouldn't go but about 3 mph downhill. I'd not been down many of these low speed, really steep descents before, and was really surprised that I virtually never used the brakes. That really helped my bravery, along with the fact that Vandiana always went first, and given it was three times as wide and four times as long (looked that way, anyway), if they didn't fall off the edge or whack the rocks, I knew I wouldn't.

Good to know for the future! I wasn't about to test max speed of 4Lo-1st(4.11 Yukon's and 35's) in VANdiana on the Murphy descent; 6mph could have felt out of control and reckless! So it was much better to go 0.7mph with my foot to the floor.

S did say that on the Murphy ascent hill you got scarily close to the left edge(since it was pitch black save for our runway-landing lights). Thankfully you didn't drop off!

 

[mhiscox]

S did say that on the Murphy ascent hill you got scarily close to the left edge(since it was pitch black save for our runway-landing lights). Thankfully you didn't drop off!

Nah, had it all the way.

Just kidding, how would I know? It was pitch, freakin' black. Hey, here's a thought . . . maybe next year we could do it in daylight. :sombrero:

 

[bknudtsen]

And here, I'm pretty sure, is Vandiana poised in contemplation of the edge of the above-mentioned drop.

View attachment 254699

Not the most useful picture, since the trail is invisible off to the left (though you can tell there was a good-sized elevation change in not much distance). Unfortunately, throughout the trip, when exciting stuff was happening, I was pretty much required to look where I was going as opposed to photographing the big white van full of my travel companions.

Thx for this pic. It makes me very happy, and a little sad, to see the fruits of my labor in that place.... Speechless.

 

[bknudtsen]

Good to know for the future! I wasn't about to test max speed of 4Lo-1st(4.11 Yukon's and 35's) in VANdiana on the Murphy descent; 6mph could have felt out of control and reckless! So it was much better to go 0.7mph with my foot to the floor.

Altas T-case might be in your future, along with bigger brakes.

 

[mk216v]

Nah, had it all the way.

Just kidding, how would I know? It was pitch, freakin' black. Hey, here's a thought . . . maybe next year we could do it in daylight. :sombrero:

Mike Mike Mike....we just need more Rigid LED lights to turn the night into day. :chef:

 

[mk216v]

Thx for this pic. It makes me very happy, and a little sad, to see the fruits of my labor in that place.... Speechless.

Altas T-case might be in your future, along with bigger brakes.

Certainly Brad. This beast you built is meant for this kind of adventure. I am so hugely thankful, and honored to be able to get him out and about.

The NV271 t-case works great, just need much bigger brakes for sure(RSC is preferred and the largest available, but is $$).

 

[mhiscox]

Mike Mike Mike....we just need more Rigid LED lights to turn the night into day. :chef:

Well, now, Jer . . . that brings us back to this one, doesn't it?

 

[mk216v]

Well, now, Jer . . . that brings us back to this one, doesn't it?

View attachment 254909

LOL. I bet he has 3w bulbs in all of those lights, for ambience.

 

[Capital E]

Thank's for stopping for a bit so I could check out the rig up close. I know you guys still had a ways to go that afternoon. Be sure to reach out anytime you are in SLC again. It would be great to have a little more time. I love the pics on WRT, I'm sure that was epic.

 

[Toolman]

Thanks for the sweaty palms pictorial. I enjoyed them. Steep declines are no fun and I know the feeling of standing on the brakes so hard the ABS took over and was pulsing all the way down. I know at Atlas will solve most of it and lower rear end would help also, just don't want to lose any GPMs going to 456

VANdiana looks sweet with the Magiliona

 

[mk216v]

Thank's for stopping for a bit so I could check out the rig up close. I know you guys still had a ways to go that afternoon. Be sure to reach out anytime you are in SLC again. It would be great to have a little more time. I love the pics on WRT, I'm sure that was epic.

Certainly!
We go to Price at dark(missed the turnoff the first time, small sign), was bitter cold. We would have rather stayed and chatted more.
We'll be back though...we love UT, and we want to do the WRT again but this time spend more time on it vs rushing thru it.

 

[mk216v]

Thanks for the sweaty palms pictorial. I enjoyed them. Steep declines are no fun and I know the feeling of standing on the brakes so hard the ABS took over and was pulsing all the way down. I know at Atlas will solve most of it and lower rear end would help also, just don't want to lose any GPMs going to 456

VANdiana looks sweet with the Magiliona

I wish I would have had time to capture a better pictorial to show how sweaty palms it was at times, but alas I was manning the ship.
I always prefer to go uphill vs down, due to control.
Looking at the SSBC 8pot/rotors that Professor Paddle on SMB boards has.

Maybe someone can educate me more on the ROI from an Atlas(I assume it's just geared down even more vs the NV271?). I like the 4.11's Brad went with; ~15mpg up/down 3200miles to/from UT. Not bad for this beast--better MPG than my 7500lb G-Wagen!

Thank you, the Autohome Columbus/rack/etc is a good fit for now since I already had it and it didn't take too much effort to modify the rack legs to move from G-fitment to E-fitment...until time comes for a custom SMB top for standing height. This would allow for kayak's to easily be put on the roof as well.

I do think I forgot to mention that after looking at pics of the WRT, especially near the end along the Green River, I was a bit frightened that the entire rack assy would be too tall/wide and we'd scrape on the cliff walls. So I ordered 8 new FrontRunner rack legs(2.4" shorter than came on the G rack), Russ modified these as well to accept the rack on the van. Under-rack SS/alum table BARELY clears the roof, we're talking maybe 1/8" clearance. I also sucked the Fiamma awning and the Maxtrax/etc in towards the center of the van as much as I could....again, all in anticipation of having clearance problems on the WRT. Well the pictures were deceiving; had PLENTY of top end clearance on the WRT. But this lower overall rack assy height/width not only helps for future trails, but also looks much better IMHO. Overall, a lot of extra work to pack into the days before the trip, but in the end definitely worth it long term.

 

[Toolman]

The atlas 2 or 4 can be ordered with different gearing keeping in mind the 271 is 2.7 to 1 ratio most atlas2 will have 3.8 - 4.3 to1 ratio. It allows the vehicle to crawl slower with more wheel control. Another feature I like is the ability to run front only or rear only in Low range. I kick it in and out of 4 wheel drive going around tight corners to give the steering box a rest and make it easy on me biceps. I'm also accustomed to a manual transmission which locks into a gear and stays there where on these beasts we have a torque converter doing it's own thing. Even with 411's it's

Now as far as ROI that just depends on how much you like using your brakes going down hill. I was taught at an early age to use the compression of the engine to control wheel speed when going down hill, coasting and using the brakes gets me all puckered up.


Have you measured how tall your van is with RTT ?

 

[mk216v]

The atlas 2 or 4 can be ordered with different gearing keeping in mind the 271 is 2.7 to 1 ratio most atlas2 will have 3.8 - 4.3 to1 ratio. It allows the vehicle to crawl slower with more wheel control. Another feature I like is the ability to run front only or rear only in Low range. I kick it in and out of 4 wheel drive going around tight corners to give the steering box a rest and make it easy on me biceps. I'm also accustomed to a manual transmission which locks into a gear and stays there where on these beasts we have a torque converter doing it's own thing. Even with 411's it's

Now as far as ROI that just depends on how much you like using your brakes going down hill. I was taught at an early age to use the compression of the engine to control wheel speed when going down hill, coasting and using the brakes gets me all puckered up.


Have you measured how tall your van is with RTT ?

Ah, understood. I would rather use engine compression vs brakes, but I'll use the NV271 for now as it's already there.
Would be nice to not have the PS fight me so much in 4wd.

Van w/ rack/RTT is ~9' tall.

 

[350outrage]

Hey, Mk, I'm really glad to see you ended up with VANdiana Jones. Like many, I followed BK's build, and I was looking fwd to reading about VANdiana's travels. Trip to Utah looks cool. I am surprised, however, that low range locked in 1st didn't provide enough engine braking to make using brakes unnecessary. Mine crawls along at 1-2 mph in this configuration. Course I haven't tried it on that steep of a grade yet. Guess its not like a manual tranny, and the torque converter still spins up faster than a locked manual in 1st/low?