Wheelin' (Expedition Trip) Pics! [broadband - take a hike]

[ChrisInVT]

The wife & I went and beat the living shit out of my truck on Saturday. We hit a bunch of Class IV roads and the power lines up to Canada. Ended up on a 10 hour trip, and didn't get home until 1AM (my lights make night wheeling seem like it's freaking daylight). We got lost at one point because I brought my laptop and maps, but forgot the freaking GPS receiver at my house.

We had about a 30 minute break from wheelin' when I found out the hard way the relay for the E-Fan took a shit on me. The truck was idling and I was on top of a big hill taking pictures, when I saw a huge white cloud of smoke off to my right. I sprinted about 500' to the truck and shut it off, waited for it to stop spewing coolant out of the overflow tank and popped off the radiator cap. I brought a few gallons of spare water with me, but it wasn't enough. Thank God for VT's abundance of freshwater streams - I refilled the radiator with some filtered spring water and we were on out way back home.

Broken stuff from the trip:

• Both rear shocks (Speed + big rocks = no more shocks)
• Left CV boot (It was one of those shit auto parts store plastic junk replacements)
• Left Body mount (both on the frame and on the cab)
• Pinion shaft and RH axle oil seal (this makes a lovely mess in my garage)
• Cooling fan relay
• Light bar mounts (tree branches + light bar = carnage / removal = no more daylight at night)
• The wife's stomach (carsick)
• Rear bumper (might have to be replaced - yes I twisted 3/4" thick steel C-channel like it was nothing)

I spent most of Sunday fixing the truck. New body mounts, cooling fan relay (I now have 5 spares in the truck), removed the light bar, and I'm replacing the shocks & working on the bumper and CV boot today. I'll just keep adding gear oil to the rear end - but now it's more of a reason to get my limited slip carrier installed.



Quick mile ride down the power lines before we went and geared up:



Lots of streams in this state:



Class IV road:



Many Class IV roads are marked with stone wall boundaries:



More of the Class IV roads:





Hit the power lines:





Speed + Shit trails + weight in the bed = fuct shocks:


More of the power lines:




I dunno....


We hit a dead end and had to turn around... Tried hitting some side trails to get to the other side, but those ended up being dead ends too:






This was fun to turn around in... I got a little bit of lovin' when taking the pictures:



We did make it to the other side, and this was a few minutes before she overheated, when we were taking a break:




No more pics after that because by the time the truck was cool and full of water again it was dark - and there's no way in hell I was getting outta the truck in the freaking woods around here to take pictures. I don't feel like being bear food

[coffs03s10]

that shit looks like fun man. i was just wheelin yesterday with my buddy but we dont really have any good spots like that

[1posS10]

sweet, i found some sick roads etc like that up where i camp in the rogers rock, hague/ticonderoga area of ny. starts off 9n and you can go about 35 miles in the woods and come out at brant lake, cant wait to get my truck done. except were going to bring the guns and some camping gear and spend the night in the woods.

[Baggey22]

Once you get your 33s and limited slip in (and my truck is done) you'll have to come out my way to Belvedere. There are LOADS of wide ATV trails that are lots of fun to hit. There's also this place called "axle ally" there thats a nice climb.

[ChrisInVT]

Oh, and I tweaked my shift linkage: http://www.s10forum.com/forum/f13/sl...s-d-wtf-352835

But I got that fixed.

Quote: Originally Posted by Baggey22

Once you get your 33s and limited slip in (and my truck is done) you'll have to come out my way to Belvedere. There are LOADS of wide ATV trails that are lots of fun to hit. There's also this place called "axle ally" there thats a nice climb.

Sounds like a plan!

[Project Dime]

looks like a nice fun day... where did u get ur front bumper at?

[ChrisInVT]

Both front & rear were one-off custom jobs

[Project Dime]

damn i would like to have a front bumper like urs.

[ChrisInVT]

It can be yours for the low low price of $2k!

[1posS10]

imagine how much better that truck will do with some aggressive rubber

[lowcherrydime]

those are some cool ass pics.

[ChrisInVT]

Quote: Originally Posted by 1posS10

imagine how much better that truck will do with some aggressive rubber

Amazingly I've only gotten "stuck" twice. One time I was trying to climb a steep hill that was all mud, and that didn't work out too well. I had to back down and turn around - it was the end of the trial for me. Not truly "stuck" though...

Second time was going up a very steep hill that was all wet grass. It wasn't wet on the way down, but it started to rain - and it was enough to cause traction "issues" on the way back up. Didn't get stuck, but had a hell of a time getting back up.

[1posS10]

ever go to treadwright.com and price their tires, dirt cheap and perform great

[ChrisInVT]

Yeah, they never have the tires I want in stock... I'll be picking up a set of Wild Country RVT's in the future... I decided that I wanted better bumpers before I got better tires - all my tire money is on the front and back of my truck

[mrshaft696]

nice scenery, I wouldnt go wheeling alone, but it looks mainly like fire roads and such

[ChrisInVT]

I have no choice, I don't know anyone with a 4x4 around me. I might be getting another S10 pickup for my girl to beat around in with me.

[Baggey22]

Just get a good come along or winch and you're fine by yourself. I have both, but that's just me

[crazy91s10]

sweet! looks like fun!

[AmosM823]

Looked like an awesome time!

[95BlazerLT4wd]

Quote: Originally Posted by AmosM823

Looked like an awesome time!

agreed. why cant we have sh!t like this in jersey?

[Wicked Mayhem]

that looks like itd be fun as hell to drive there. makes me want something lifted again.

[crazy91s10]

Quote: Originally Posted by 95BlazerLT4wd

agreed. why cant we have sh!t like this in jersey?

you answered your own question.... your IN JERSEY

[VT1992S10]

I miss 4-wheeling in Vermont

[19914x4blazer]

dam looks like a cool place wish wh had trails like that

[ChrisInVT]

Quote: Originally Posted by Baggey22

Just get a good come along or winch and you're fine by yourself. I have both, but that's just me

I always carry a pair of them with me, along with rope, tow straps, tow clevis, first aid kit, basic tools, all sorts of stuff... Soon to be on the list are some more spare parts like U-Joints, tierod ends, hoses, etc.

Got my bumper fixed last night, and got the new shocks for the rear (not installed yet - had to fix the bumper first). I went to get a new CV boot (the one I had on there lasted roughly 100 miles of 4x4 use - it was freaking PLASTIC) when i got the shocks, but the only boots that the auto parts stores around here carry are the shit 2-piece boots. If anyone knows where to get a replacement RUBBER one-piece boot, do share your sources



This is what the bumper looked like:




Actually pushed into the bed; that rear corner was 3" higher than the other side, and the whole bed was pushed to the right about 1.5" - I have to fix that now too.

[Baggey22]

Are you talking the Ready Boots? They basically go over where the old boot was and clamp over at both ends?
I got one at Bond Auto when I had CV shafts. It had a crack down the center that you used to fill it and then you sealed it up.

[ChrisInVT]

Quote: Originally Posted by Baggey22

Are you talking the Ready Boots? They basically go over where the old boot was and clamp over at both ends?
I got one at Bond Auto when I had CV shafts. It had a crack down the center that you used to fill it and then you sealed it up.

Yeah, those things are shit. The tabs rip off and the boot just comes apart. Good for a quick trial fix, but for $40 when the whole CV axle is $70 - I'd just carry spare CV axles.

[ChrisInVT]

Well ladies & Gentlemen, Yesterday (Saturday 6/14) was another planned trip up the wires to get to Canada. I'm proud to say that we made it (well, to the border) with no real incidents. Only moderately damaged things were the front bumper fascia thing, one rear shock decided it didn't want to be a part of my truck anymore, and one of my rusty bed supports is tweaked. All have been fixed but the front bumper thing because I don't feel like pulling my bumper off to fix it.

We did meet an F20 on the trial and had top back up to let him pass (he pulled over to let us pass, but I didn't know since he was around a corner). And while I was out of the truck taking some pictures, there was a freaking new 2008 Ford Fusion coming down the trail about 5 miles further! Very strange to see it, an older couple probably in their late 40's. I had to pull off the trail and into a ditch to let them pass because there was no freaking room to pull off.

Anyways, I have 170 pictures to go through... So I'll probably post 'em tomorrow.

[s10W]

nice pictures, for some reason this is my first time viewing this thread. Looks like a lot of fun. I know what you mean by running into out of place stuff in the woods. A few years ago me and my friends were riding dirtbikes in northern Maine, way up in logging country. In the middle of nowhere, where you only see skidders and logging trucks. Came flying around a sharp turn and almost ran head on into a hyundai sedan, that scared the hell out of me.

[mbord79]

Man, looks like everyone is having way more fun with there s10 than I do. I am jealous. Good work man keep it up and keep the pictures coming.

P.S. Looks like your wife is having as much fun as my wife does on our off road adventures (usually on a four wheeler)

[ap72]

I used to go offroading in an Escort Station Wagon... 1.9L 5 speed... Funny thing was I could get in and out of a lot more places than my buddies in their Cherokee and Ram 4X4's... Then again I have spent a LOT of time