I've been waiting for what seems to be forever to go to Moab to run my Jeep! So many times, we've had the vacation planned and penciled in, then we would cancel for one reason or other. Well, when my Diablo 4-Wheels Club decided we were going to go this year, I had to be in on it!! And it did not disappoint!
Before I get into the vacation summary, I have to spend some time gushing about my Jeep! I am so surprised and proud of him! what he is actually capable of doing!
So everyone who gets a Jeep has to figure out which path is right for him/her- what's the Jeep going to be used for? What would be the appropriate equipment to buy? How much do you want to spend on it? I specifically purchased this little 2-door JK to rock crawl. When I went to the stealership, I knew that I did not want to buy the Rubicon model, because I would just replace all the upgraded parts on it anyway. Electric windows and door locks? I would be removing the doors some of the time anyway. So ultimately, I knew that buying the least expensive model, the "Sport", would be the right option for me. Sure, it didn't have lockers on it like the Rubicon, but I could take all the money that I saved and just do everything the way I wanted it.
The Sport model does not have the stronger Dana 44 front axle like the Rubicon does, so I had to do some reinforcements on it. I took the Jeep to the 4X4 Shop in Livermore. I had a truss welded to it, as well as C-gussets. I also had front control arm skid plates welded to it, as long as the shop was welding. They also installed new Synergy ball joints, installed Eaton e-lockers front and rear and regeared the Jeep to 4.56. (I always felt the Jeep would only be offroading 15-20% of the time. I also built the locker selector system myself.) I later installed Revolution Gear chromoly axle shafts to increase strength to the axles, since I would be running 35" tires. Tom Wood drive shafts were fitted front and rear. I purchased a Rubicon 4:1 transfer case from someone on FB Marketplace and rebuilt it myself with all new everything. I eventually installed a Metalcloak 3.5" Gamechanger suspension system with MC bumpstops. I'm running the Teraflex Falcon 3.3 adjustable shocks on all four corners and Smittybilt skids all along the bottom of the Jeep. I went with AEV Borah wheels (with beauty rings) and BF Goodrich KO2 315 tires. For additional external protection, I have a Smittybilt front bumper, Poison Spyder rear bumper and rock sliders. Poison Spyder iron differential covers protect my gearing.
Oh and for sound, I just had to replace that God-awful excuse of a stock sound system. It wasn't until I replace the original head unit with a double-din system I stole from my Miata that I found out just how absolutely shitty the stock speakers sounded! It's as if they had to adjust the curves on their head unit just to make the speakers more listenable. But replacing the head unit only reveals how terrible the stock speakers really are! Being able to hear music at freeway speeds with the top off is a must!! So I installed a Sony stereo/nav unit paired with Infinity Prius components in the front and Polk Audio components in the soundbar. I have an Alpine 8" subwoofer under the seat and an Alpine 4-channel amplifier to give the system some help. This sound system is AWESOME!!
The Jeep has just about 80K on the odometer. I drove it from the SF Bay Area to Moab with a soft top and hard doors on it with a hitch trailer and a 300 pound dirt bike on the back of it! I averaged 16 mpg to get there and 14.5 getting home (due to high wind activity in the last half). I would say that's pretty outstanding, considering I'm used to seeing 13-15 mpg around town! When I got to camp, I removed the hitch rack and unmounted the hitch from the rear frame.
During the trip, the trails and obstacles we ran were:
- Hells Revenge, including Hell's Gate and the Staircase options
- Top of the World
- Metal Masher
- Steel Bender
- Poison Spyder Mesa and Gold Bar Rim, including the Waterfall and
- Cliff Hanger
Notice that they are all rated difficult (RED)! I was told that some providers don't even recommend that 35" go on Cliff Hanger! Now, remember- my Jeep is still running Dana 30's!! My Jeep, King, did GREAT on all these trails, but I did have to get winched on one of the last step ascents coming back on Cliff Hanger- I didn't have enough clearance to find a good line where my tires won't slide off! Other than that, no assistance needed. A good spot didn't hurt on some of the superhard stuff. Nothing broke and most of the time, I was even running the air conditioner! To say I had the time of my life would be an understatement!
I was also able to do a few other things that really completed my trip. I spent one day running the Onion Creek Road trail on my Honda dual sport bike with my buddy, Don. That road wasn't very difficult- just a lot of stream crossings. Lots of fun!
One afternoon, I hiked out to see the Delicate Arch in Arches National Park to watch the sunset. The lighting was like magic! Then I stuck around a bit longer for the stars to come out, and was able to get some pictures of the Milky Way next to the Arch!
On the way home, I made a stop to do a tour of the Upper Antelope Canyon near Page, Arizona. I went with a tour company called Tse Bighanilini Tours. Our tour guide was Keanu. He and the tour were outstanding!! All during the morning drive out to the Canyons, it was raining and overcast, but during our tour slot, the clouds dissipated and the sun came out! That was very fortunate, since I paid a premium for that time slot, because the sun would be more overhead, so there's a good chance the sunlight can shine into the slot canyons! Keanu was full of great and fun information! He was instrumental in setting the camera filters for his customers, and he took pictures of everyone on their phone cameras!
Right after that, I drove for 10 miles to the Horseshoe Bend, and there it started raining again. It was a 0.75-mile hike to the overlook. Then it really started pouring rain! But I was at least able to get a few shots in, before the downpour! Hiking back to the Jeep, I got pretty soaked and had to change my shirt and shoes.
Another 8 hours later, I was in Las Vegas. Emily had booked a room for me at Treasure Island. I did free self-parking in the hotel parking structure very near to the entrance security booth, where someone could keep an eye on my motorcycle. I quickly dumped my stuff, got dressed and made my way across the street to the Wynn Hotel, where I ate at their famous buffet! The buffet is known for their seafood selection, which I pretty much tried every bit of it. But I had to sample the meat too and for me, their beef brisket took the cake! It was SOOOO GOOD! That made the visit completely worth it!
The next day, I woke up, hit the Starbucks inside the casino, then had very long drive back home. Now I can cross Moab off my wheelin' bucket list! It did not disappoint! and the time I got to spent with my friends was really nice. King performed like a champ! and all the way home, I knew that I made all the right decisions building this little Jeep!
