Replacing Ball Joints

I replaced the ball joints on my off road Jeep this week. I am sure they contributed to the breaking of my axle shaft in Harlan. The completre story is here: --> Ball Joint Replacement Jeep Cherokee

Trail Riding at Prentice Cooper

Prentice Cooper State Forest

This past weekend Mike, myself, our son Will , Jenny and her children decided to go to Prentice Cooper State Forest to check out the Jeep trails.  We had visited Prentice Cooper State Forest the day before and checked out some of the trails.  We were in our Suburban at the time. Therefore we stayed on the main trail.

The next day we went in the Jeeps.  We started out on Persimmon Trail and stayed on it until we came to a dead end.  We turned around and tried another way, but we got confused as to where we were on the map.  We turned around again and went back to the main trail.

We then found a trail that led to Lusk Point.  At this point we were able to overlook the Tennessee River.  It was a beautiful sight!  We could see Hwy 27 where it goes by the rock quarry at the foot of Signal Mountain.  It was here that we decided to eat our picnic lunch.  

After lunch we found Haley Rd.  This road was the most interesting.  When we turned onto the road we found a sign that said only 4x4s were allowed on this trail.  It started with a steep downhill leading all the way to a creek crossing.  As we made our way down the trail we came to a hill climb.  We kept driving until we found Hwy 27.  We then turned around and went back to the hill climb.  

There was a trail at the top that we took until we came to a couple of trucks.  The drivers said there were a few trees down.  We turned around and started to head back to Haley Rd. However,  Jenny's Jeep started to act up.  I don't think she the Jeep Princess) wanted to leave. Mike was able to keep her going as we coaxed her on, and we soon made it back to Haley Rd and Hwy 27 and home.

You can read more here.  www.mikestrawbridge.com

Aetna Mountain off road

This weekend I went with some friends to Aetna Mountain near Chattanooga. The recent rains made the rails very slippy. Even the main road up and down the mountain was a huge challenge to navigate. Places that can be accessed by car when dry were nearly impassable. I was very happy with my Maxxis Buckshots. Since trailer parking is limited and not secure, I drove the 50 miles to the trail head. I did not want to air down too much since I had to drive back. The Buckshots were amazing even at 25 psi.

We met some very interesting folks in he woods and had a great time. I was very appreciative to the guys it he Cherokee who showed us a shortcut out and to the guy in the Toyota who pulled me back straight when I got crossed up in the ruts on the way out.

Here is a video of Jenny playing on a waterfall climb: My favorite part of the video is the narration by her three year old son Hunter.

Jeep No Start update

I just thought I found the problem when I found the bare wire going to the distributor. The next day when I was needing to leave my office to go to a very important meeting, my Jeep would not start. I used up most of the battery trying different wires and connections that might be bad. I finally borrowed Jenny's Jeep and made my meeting.

The computer was again showing code 54 - no sync. This sensor is mounted inside the distributor. Since I had a spare distributor, I elected to change the whole unit instead of just the sensor.

Working in the parking lot between rain showers, I carefully marked the direction of the rotor for the old distributor. Installed the spare making sure the rotor ended up pointing at the mark I made so that it would be indexed the same as the old one.

I reconnected the wires and even with the low battery, it fired right up.

I am happy to have it going again. Maybe this will cure this very annoying intermittent problem I have had for a while.

More electrical gremlins

I have been fighting some more electrical gremlins on White Jeep for the last few days. It would suddenly cut of and then restart while going down the road. I had trouble cranking it Friday and got codes from the computer.

Code 54 turned out to be no sync signal from the distributor. Sunday afternoon I went to move my Jeep and it would not start again. finally I had the no start condition at home where I could work on it!

The code 54 was back. After a lot of searching and running the battery down trying to start it, I found that one of the wires coming from the distributor had a bad place in the insulation and was grounding out against the engine. I put some tape of the wire and the engine started right up.

I am noticing that alot of the insulation on the wires near the engine is starting to crumble. That was what had happened to this piece of wire.

Air horns

I have not had a horn on White Jeep for a couple of years. I had thought there was a wiring problem or a bad relay so I never really looked into it. However, recently, I was testing a horn for a friend and I found that the wire to my horn was hot. The horns just made no sound.

JeepGirl and Harbor Freight to he rescue. For my birthday she got me a set of air horns. I hooked them up last night. I fished the wire from the driver's side horn back into the engine compartment. I hooked it to the positive terminal of the compressor which I mounted where the air box used to be. I had to add a ground wire from the compressor to the body. I stuck two of the trumpets through the hole where the air box normally breathes and let the other trumpet rest under those.

Now I have a real attention getting horn.

Jeep repairs - seat belt latch

Last night I did a few repairs to White Jeep. My seat belt latch has been giving me trouble for a while. The little spring that forces the catch into the tang of the belt broke. I managed to get by for a long time by just shoving the parts of the spring back to together, but eventually that failed as well. I then stole the spring out of the center seat belt in the rear as the rear seat seldom gets used. However, the driver's side front buckle is slightly different from the rear in that it has a switch in it. I had to cut out the switch to get the rear parts in. This has worked well for a couple of months with the exception of being hard to disconnect.

Yesterday, it failed again. Part of the plastic from the old switch jammed the mechanism and bent the release mechanism.

I have made all the previous repairs with the seat belt still attached to the tunnel because I had not been able to get the bolt loose. Well last night I decided it would be much easier to make the repair on the bench so I used my air wrench to remove the bolt. It came out easily with the torque of the thunder gun.

Once it was out and I could see and move parts around, I cut out the remaining plastic from he switch and made the mechanism work smoother. I had to bend the tabs on the release button back into the proper position. After a few tries I was able to snap the cover back on and have every thing stay in place.

I have thought of buying a new belt but when I found the price was over $200 for the belt, I decided to fix mine again. It is amazing how motivating saving $200 can be.

It is nice to have a seat belt that stays fastened and comes loose when I push the button.

300,000 miles

My daily driver know affectionately as White Jeep turned over 300,000 miles recently. This Jeep has really been a very reliable vehicle. The oil gets changed occasionally and it gets driven a lot.
It has been raced, rallied, rally crossed , run off road, towed trailers and generally been well used. It has even been overheated severely a couple of times.

Over the years I have had to change the alternator twice. I have installed a half dozen or so sets of spark plugs. Changed the plug wires a time or two. I have changed the rear oil seal once and installed a new harmonic damper and seal in the front.

I have swapped the radiator a few times and had the head cleaned out by the dealer due to overheating issues.

The front control arm bushings were replaced with poly years ago but it is still running the original track bar. I have swapped the front wheel bearings more times than I can remember and installed several sets of high performance brake pads.

The leather seats are getting a bit ragged and I have worn out three steering wheels. The Ac compressor recently quit but otherwise this Jeeps runs and drives great. I could not have asked for a more reliable and fun truck to drive.

Wooly's Off Road Park

On the day after Thanksgiving, Scott and I were getting bored sitting around waiting for our wives to return form shopping so we took Janice's Jeep to a place near Lewisburg called Wooly's off road park.

We felt a little out of place in her stock Jeep with her Motives Cosmetics ads on the rear hatch but we knew that a stock jeep is very capable of running mild trails.

The folks there were very nice and friendly and told us which trails they recommended. We signed the waiver and paid our $10 entry fee.

I drove around a bit and explored the east side of the park. There was lots to see there. We watched a couple of wranglers tip toe around on some of the rocks there.

As we were getting ready to cross the road to the west side of the park Scott was driving when we spotted the Wranglers working their way down what looked like a tricky hill. I quickly scouted it and saw it was easily passable in JeepGirls Jeep and I waved Scott on. He made it down with very little drama.

In fact remarked how easy it was. So I told him to turn it around a go back up. Even with both sway bars installed, and full street pressure in the tires, he made it up the hill. He only stopped once but a little bump got him over the rock. Not a Neal Hoover bump, just a little bump.

We explored some of the west side of the park but we got confused at a five way intersection. It was starting to get dark so we turned around and I let Scott drive back to the parking lot.

Wooly's is defiantly due for a revisit. It looks like a good safe place for Scott to drive his Woody Wagoneer. There are also some very interesting looking hills that I want to try Scuffy on.

I guess I will have to fix my winch before Christmas.

My Jeep just quit!

Today I was driving along in my Jeep Cherokee and it suddenly lost power. I looked down and saw the tach was reading zero. I bumped the shifter into neutral and after a few tries, it started back up. I was pretty sure I knew what the problem was, but I did not want to mess with it in traffic. It ran fine after that initial failure.

Later that afternoon when I went to star up my Jeep, it started and then immediately died. I first checked the mounting for the ecu and the plug for the CPS. Both seemed fine.

I then moved to the grounding bolt on the back of the block. Sure enough one of the main ground wires had broken loose. I was able to position the wire where it made contact an the other wires held it in place so I could drive home.

I also found one of the other wires was loose in its terminal so I replaced both with new ring terminals.

Coker Tire and Antique Cars

Coker Tire Challenge and Antique Cars

During the weekend of September 19, 2008 I was involved with the Coker Tire Challenge in Chattanooga,TN. This event has run for the past three years and is sponsored by Coker Tire of Chattanooga.

This year there were 40 antique car entries. The event ran from Chattanooga, TN to Lynchburg, TN on Friday, September 19. Then on Saturday the entries ran from Chattanooga, TN to Etowah, TN. On this day the entries stopped in Cleveland, TN to have lunch with the National Antique Car Association. There were approximately 350 cars at this event at Westwood Baptist Church. On Sunday the entrants ran in the Chattanooga area.

Each day some of my friends and I helped out by working the checkpoints. These checkpoints were timed and each entrant had a certain time they were to arrive at each point and each entrant received penalties for either being early or late.

If I had to choose my favorite car I am not sure that I could. However, I did enjoy the Antique police car (Car 54) and the Jaguar from Puerto Rico. My friend Jennifer enjoyed the Model A that she got to ride in a the finish.

I enjoyed working the checkpoints, but my favorite part was getting to meet the people and see the beautiful cars. I enjoy events like this and the people involved have a wonderful love for the antique cars and trucks.

Corky Coker and his family did a great job with hosting the event and everyone had lots of fun. Thanks to the Coker family and what they do to help others enjoy playing with the antique automobiles.

For more information about the Coker Tire Challenge or to see pictures from the event go to http://www.coker.com/.

Changing the rear pinion seal

Last night we replaced the rear pinion seal on Jenny's XJ. Her Jeep has the Chrysler 8.25 rear end. The gear lash of the differential is set partly by the amount of crush on the spacer under the pinion bearing, so changing the seal has the potential to up set the alignment of the gears.

After removing the drive shaft, we carefully marked the nut and the pinion shaft. Then while holding the yoke with a pipe wrench and turning the nut with a socket, we carefully counted the turns required to remove the nut. In our case it was nine turns exactly.

The yoke came off easily with the nut removed. I used a chisel under the metal lip of the old seal to drive it out. After cleaning up all the surfaces, and inspecting the yoke for wear, we installed the new seal.

I used a hammer and a seal driver to press the seal in flat against the differential housing.

We then installed the yoke being careful not to damage the new seal.

We then reinstalled the nut and carefully counted the turns to put it back into the right spot. A little dab of lock tite was put on the threads as a precaution.

After tightening the nut back to precisely the same spot as it came off, I turned it just a little bit more to ensure it was tight.

We then reinstalled the drive shaft and filled the diff with fluid to replace what had leaked out.

A quick test drive shaowed it was all sealed up. No more stinky burning diff lube on the exhaust!

Jeep XJ Fuel Pump Relay

I have been dealing with a couple of Jeep XJ Cherokees lately that have had intermittent fuel delivery problems. The first one was Jenny's 92 XJ. Occasionally on hot days her jeep would appear to vapor lock. While vapor lock was common on systems where the fuel pump was at the engine and pulled fuel from the tank, the pressurized system of the Jeep should be immune to vapor lock. Jenny's Jeep would also occasionally read low fuel pressure ont he fuel rail and then at other times read the correct fuel pressure. Bypassing the ballast resister would sometimes cure the low fule pressure problem.

Next my son's 91 XJ began havign trouble starting. It would sometimes fire then stumble an ddie only to start right back up. At others times it would simply spin but not fire at all. Testing the fuel pressure at the rail would show fuel and checking spark gave me quite a jolt. But it simply would not start. Sometimes it would seem to start while holding the key in start but as soon as the key was released to run his Jeep would die.

The most annoying part was that after he would call me or my dad to come rescue him, we would get there to check it out and it would fire right up. Pull it in the shop to test it and it would start and run fine every time.

Finally, one day it failed to start while I was there and i had a chance to keep experimenting with it. After quite a bit of head scratching, I found that the fuel pump relay was not always making contact. I swapped his cooling fan relay in to the slot to get him home while I stopped by the parts store to get him a new relay. I picked up one for Jenny's Jeep while I was there.

Working with the boys

This weekend I took my younger son will to see his brother Scott. Actually Will took me along only because he needed a navigator.

We spent some time first replacing the master cylinder in Scott's XJ Wagoneer. He thought it was pretty scary to drive when the pedal went to the floor with no braking effort.

Swapping the master cylinder was an easy task once we got the right unit from O Reilly's. Getting parts for an XJ Wagoneer is always a challenge. When we went back to swap out the unit that was apparently for an SJ Wagoneer we simply asked for one to fit a Cherokee. That one matched up. Since he did not have a vice at his rented house, we went ahead an mounted it on the brake booster and did the bench bleed procedure there. After attaching the lines and quickly bleeding all four corners he has a nice firm brake pedal again.

Next we moved to Will's XJ. His dome lamp fuse was blowing ever since he changed his headliner. Assuming that there was a bad wire somewhere, we had removed the headliner an checked everything last weekend. We found nothing so we put it all back together.

The memory for the radio and clock are also fed from the dome light circuit so we made a plan to bypass the short and just power up the radio from another source. When we checked for a short at the radio every thing tested fine. We were able to power up the radio and clock with a jumper and ensure it all worked. So we looked further to find the short from this side. Everything we tried tested fine. So we went back to the fuse box and tested again. No more short. So we tentatively put it all back to getter and put in a fuse to see what would happen. Happily the fuse stayed an the radio, clock and dome light all work properly now. The clock did show 15:14 when it started up but it reset correctly when Scott pushed the buttons to set the time.

Gas Saving tips for your Jeep Cherokee

With increasing gas prices, I am having to take a close look at how I drive my Jeeps. I have looked at getting a more fuel efficient vehicle, but none meet my needs for getting me to the places I need to be and carrying all my stuff. I am looking at the idea of getting a dual sport motor cycle but I have not yet justified the cost in my mind yet.

For now here are some tips for improving the gas mileage of your Jeep: Jeep Cherokee MPG

Jeep Cherokee Trouble Shooting

I have started a series of articles relating to trouble shooting problems with your Jeep Cherokee.

I will cover topics like what to do when it won't start and instructions on common repairs like changing the alternator.

For more info see: Jeep Trouble Shooting and Performance Improvement

Making the Doors Removable

One of the most obvious modifications I made to my XJ before gong the the spring fling was making the doors removable. I love the modification!

The visibility is wonderful when crawling over the rocks. I also love the open air feeling. And not having to open the big heavy door when jumping out to check something is a huge plus as well.

At night and on the trip to and from the park, I put the doors back on and felt secure that all my tools and goodies were locked up safe.

For more on how I made my doors removable, click here.

Playing in the rock garden at Harlan.

Comments on Off Roading from another Jeep Girl

I really do not look like the typical off-roading, adventurous person. I'm just a 31 year old single mom of three children ages 10, 5 and 2. But I own a 1992 Jeep Cherokee Sport 4x4. It has a 3" lift, 31" Maxxis Buckshot Mudder tires, and Craggar Black wheels.
Last year I owned a 2000 Mazda MPV minivan. My kids enjoyed it since it had a video player, but surprisingly they were not sad to hand it over to grandma and grandpa.
In fact, all three of them are protective of "Princess." We have named "our" Jeep (XJ) Princess of the Mud.
I practiced off roading at my best friend's 26 acre property. He has created several trails all around his house along the creek.
Practicing helped prepare me for my first real off-roading adventure in October 2007. I was heading to Windrock located in Oliver Springs, Tennessee. It is 73,000 acres that a mining company has leased out.
I met up with several other XJ owners from the Yahoo XJlist, most of them from Kentucky. I managed to show them that a female in a stock Jeep Cherokee can keep up with the souped up XJ's. I made a couple of dents and scratches which is no big deal to me.
When you are off-roading the world's problems are forgotten otherwise you end up smacking a tree, the side of a hill or expect to go off a cliff/mountain. The adrenalin rush is awesome. Watching the XJ'ers in front of you take a challenging climb up a trail is exciting. When it's your turn, the adrenalin kicks in.
At Windrock on trail 39 I amazed everyone by making it up a part of the trail the rest of the group had trouble with in their lifted, off roading tires. At Windrock I had not made any modifications so mine was still just a street, stock Jeep Cherokee.
Then I blew them away on trail 16 making it up an up hill part of the trail on the first attempt while the veterans took two and three tries.
Nine months later we all meet up near Harlan, Kentucky at Black Mountain. This time my XJ is modified from the street stock it had been.
I have also brought along my oldest child, my daughter Shiloh who is 10 years old. After the Windrock trip she was highly upset I didn't take her so this is kind of a vacation for the two of us.
Myself, Shiloh and my best friend Janice meet up with her husband also my best friend, Mike. He had arrived a day earlier just to hang out with the guys. When I say meet up I mean out in the middle of the entire off roading map. Trail 45 looks innocent at the beginning since it is the main trail. But since it had rained there was mud and alot of slipping.
It was fun though to be able to do some trailing by myself without the guys around. Eventually we met up with them at the bowl. The bowl has numerous trails for ATV's and off-roading vehicles. After the guys kept asking me if I was going to go I got Janice to ride with me. I was looking forward to that adrenalin rush. I got it too.
The guys had been joking around with me since I had a chance to practice a few weeks earlier at Coppinger Cove near Jasper, Tennessee. Mike had me try out what looked like a tiny innocent hill. I nearly did a Dukes of Hazard jump which is why the guys were teasing me.
While in Kentucky, it kept raining. The first morning at camp (for us ladies) it rained and rained. Our plans had to be modified because some of the trails were going to be extremely difficult if not dangerous. We had all hoped to go to the Mason Jar area but that had to be cancelled since the rocks were going to be too slick. Mike had mentioned a section the guys had all been to before would require strapping to avoid going off the side of the mountain. With it being slick from the rain the guys just did not want to risk it.
Most of us went up trail 15 when it was nice and muddy. Half way up the first section it was very slick. It was fun though since I ended up being the last person. Neal, our leader and "expert" was in front of me. After the third section I made him look bad since I made it up all three on the first attempts. Apparently Neal forgot to put his XJ in 4 Low like everyone else had done.
One of the things I had the chance to do was try the beginning of the rock garden. Since I didn't get to have my rock rails put on before Kentucky (only one was ready to be put on), Neal decided just to let me try the first part of it. I hope on our next adventure to have the rails on so I can try a rock garden out.
After we got home, some of the guys expressed how they were continued to be amazed by me accomplishing the trails that some of the amateurs had difficulty on. We all had fun which is the most important part of the Spring Flings and Fall Crawls.
Living in the southeast part of Tennessee it is not unusual to see a lifted XJ or really any SUV or truck lifted with bigger tires. To some of us, off-roading has become a part of life. It is a way to get away for just awhile from a world that can be cruel at times. We get an adrenalin rush that tends to build confidence in a positive way.
Normally it's the men that are doing the off-roading. But for them to see a woman doing it makes it even more fun and exciting.
Jennifer Bryan
http://www.empowering-solutions.net - http://www.jenniferbryan.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Bryan

The ultimate road trip? NEXT Road Rally

Is this the ultimate road trip?

The NEXT group is hosting a Road Rally in September. This road rally will be a tour of nine states in the northeast USA.

The event looks like a lot of fun with entrants competing for $25,000 in prizes.

The NEXT group is also recognizes the potential for environmental impact for such an event and has teamed with carbonfund.org to minimize the impact of the event. However, I would have thought the north east would welcome some global warming.

Anyway check out this TSD road rally at http://www.nextroadtriprally.com/

XJlist Spring Fling in Harlan KY

The XJ list returned to Harlan Ky for their annual Spring Fling this year. As usual the event was huge fun. We welcomed new member Evan and his Cherokee.

AS you can see in the photo, I made Scuffy's doors removable for the event. I really enjoyed the extra visibility. And I really did not have too much trouble even in the heavy rains.

I took on a couple of the rock gardens this time and found out how much fun they are. Naturally that got me thinking about more modification I would like to do to Scuffy.

My ARB worked well after the repairs. I now have a few more repairs to make as my alternator and wipers became intermittent during the weekend. Probably mostly from disuse.

I also have an exhaust leak that becomes annoying at times so I need to quieten that down before my next trip.

Look for a full writeup and photos later at http://www.mikestrawbridge.com

The Power of Focus

My Dad just bought a Ford Focus, but that is not the kind of focus I am focusing on today!

Today I heard a talk on the subject of focus. The speaker pointed out that much of the chronic fatigue that we have in our lives is because our energy is so scattered. Multi tasking in considered an asset, however when taken to extremes it actually reduces our productivity.

For example when working on my Jeep, I find I can accomplish much more is a shorter period of time when I am alone in the shop. Just having someone stop by and speak to me is often enough of a distraction for me to injure myself. even if just a little cut or smashed finger, the pain reminds me that I have been distracted.

I don't even play music in my shop anymore while I work. The work becomes like a meditation. When I am truly focused on the work I am doing, I am purely in the present moment. If I find myself thinking about the past - of maybe how this problem came to be or to the future like how this problem will effect the performance of my Jeep, then I will either make a mistake or cause myself pain.

When I am truly focused on the task at hand, turning the one bolt, locating a gasket just right, finding a locating pin or tab, or just visualizing the flow of electricity through a circuit, I am most effective if I am focused on just that one thing.

Working on my Jeep has become great therapy for me. Learning to focus on the present moment and getting the instant feedback of seeing myself become more productive is a fantastic learning experience.

I find that when I am focusing on the present moment, I can get great clarity and trouble shoot problems that have eluded me for hours or even days as my attention has been divided.

I am often inspired to test things that might not even be on the checklist and suddenly uncover the source of a problem. At other times, I am reminded to just follow the trouble shooting chart ignoring the history for the problem and simply focus on what works and what does not to get the the root of a problem.

Staying focused is the key. Maybe I need to borrow Dad's car.

Buy parts on line and earn rewards

Do you buy Jeep parts on line? Unless I am in a huge hurry I buy almost all my Jeep parts on line. And even when I am in a hurry, I can sometimes purchase parts on line and pick them up at my local store. Parts America is one company that offers this option. Walmart is another.

By clicking this link and signing in as a preferred customer, each purchase you make can earn you reward points good toward free products. There is no cost to join, just click "sign in" in the upper right of the screen and make up a user name and password. Each purchase you make through this simple portal will earn you reward points that can be redeemed for free products.

Also, many vendors offer special pricing when accessing their site through this portal , so be sure to check them out and compare prices. Save money, save gas, save time and earn free products. It doesn't get any better than this does it?

Click here.

Starting problem follow up

Well it turns out it was not the NSS after all. My XJ finally failed to start at home where I had all my tools handy to check it out.

I first noticed that as I moved the shifter back and forth I could hear a relay click. That told me the NSS was doing its job.

I then hooked my voltmeter to the terminal on the starter solenoid and found that there was power there when the key was turned to the start position.

I used a screwdriver to tap on the solenoid and it started right up.

I promptly drove my Jeep to the barn and put it on the lift. I pulled the very muddy/greasy old starter off and replaced it with one from a ZJ that I am parting put.

Oddly the old starter tests fine now that it off the Jeep. I probably just needs a good cleaning. But after 295,000 mile it is probably due for a replacement. I will likely clean up the old one and keep it for a trail spare.

The Go Now Girls

The Go Now Girls:

JeepGirl has teamed up with Jennifer of www.jenniferBryan.com to promote a new home based business opportunity.

They are having a really fun time driving their Jeeps to meet with new friends to tell them about this new business opportunity that allows them the freedom to spend time with their children, as well as play with their Jeeps.

See http://gonowgirls.blogspot.com to see what fun they are up to today.

Interesting NSS problem

Yesterday I had an interesting problem with my XJ. I had met JeepGirl and Jennifer to work on our Marketing business.

When I got ready to leave, I hit the key and nothing. Guessing it was the NSS, I wiggled the shifter around and tried both neutral and park. No go on the starter. I opened the hood and checked the other basics like battery cables and the wires to the starter. All good just no power to the starter.

JeepGirl took me home to get the Suburban and trailer. Jenny, towed me out in to the street and I let my XJ roll down the hill onto the trailer. Gravity works with you some days.

I finally got my XJ home and pushed it through the garage doors to put it on the lift. Note that I tried at every opportunity to start the engine but never a hint at triggering the starter relay.

I took a break to change clothes and eat supper.

When I got back to the shop I got pout the test instruments to see where in the circuit I was loosing the signal. When I clicked the switch to begin the test the engine started right up!

I was happy the problem was fixed but annoyed that I did not find the cause since it is likely to reappear. I tried several more test starts and it works fine in both park and neutral.

When I get more time I will clean the switch anyway. See my earlier post about how to clean the NSS.

Coppinger Cove off road trip

This weekend we made a trip to Coppinger Cove along the Little Sequachie River.

We decided to take Jenny's XJ to test her new lift and tires.

We met there with a group of Toyotas from Atlanta.

The rains and snow melt had the water much higher than normal so much of the road in was flooded. Once we made it to the river crossing however, we found the water very deep and the current very swift.

We then decided to return to the highway and come in from the north. We entered on Pocket road and went down the stair case in to the valley. We passed the waterfall that springs from a cliff and falls into a sink hole.

We finally worked our way back to the other side of the river which had dropped a little since the morning when we first tried to cross.

The water crossing was a little scary due to the swift current but we all made it across safely.

See more videos here:
http://youtube.com/user/mlstrawxj

Mike

http://www.free2bme.ws/

Maxxis Buckshot Mudders

This week we completed Jenny's lift by installing her 31" tires.

Photos and the complete story are posted at:

http://www.mikestrawbridge.com/buckshots.shtml

Her new tires and wheels have really transformed the look of her XJ.

A quick test drive shows they have greatly improved the off road capability as well.

To get your own set of Maxxis Buckshot Mudders, see

http://www.induprod.com/

My XJ broke in holiday traffic

Last night while doing some Christmas shopping, I heard a huge noise from under the hood of my Jeep. It would go away if I revved the engine and return at idle.

Since I was in the middle of holiday traffic I drove on a few miles before I checked it.

When I opened the hood I found the idler pulley had spit out its bearings.

The thing I found most interesting was that there was no warning. There was no squeak or roar before the bearing separated. I have heard others squeak for years without failure.

So I am now recommending that this part be changed as a matter of preventative maintenance. Luckily I was able to drive mine to the perts store and them back to the shop. I would hate to have been stranded in holiday traffic if the belt had slipped off.

See my post on http://induprod.blogspot.com/ for a special holiday offer.

XJ List trip to Windrock

The guys and gals from the XJ list met up at Windrock, Tn this month for what has become a semi annual meeting.

A short video of my Jeep on one of the hill climbs is posted at this link:
http://induprod.com/Jeepparts.shtml

More info to follow.

Mike

XJ List Spring Fling

The XJ list converged on Harlan, Ky once again.

Since we saw so little of the park last time we went back for a repeat visit. We got in lots of play time this trip.

Friday's adventure ended in a slip and slide as we got caught in a rain storm on our way back to camp. The long muddy hill we started the day with was a big water slide for most of the group.

Saturday we ran a super fun trail called Mason Jar. This trail starts with what looks like an impossible obstacle. Our first Jeep made it over just to prove it could be done. Then the rest of us took the by pass. However this was no easy bypass. It was an extremely off camber run on the side of a cliff. Each jeep had to be strapped up for safety as we crawled through.

A few busted taillights and some new pin striping seemed to cover most of the damage in the group.

See the pictures at:

http://mikestrawbridge.com/jeep-cherokee-off-road.shtml

Tennessee Back Roads Heritage Rally

This weekend, JeepGirl and I ran the Tennessee Heritage Back roads Rally.

This rally started at Motlow College just south of Tullahoma, Tn

The route took us on some very scenic back roads between Tullahoma and Lynchburg.

The rally consisted of some fairly challenging navigation but was scored based on the answers to questions about the route.

The navigation tripped us up only once when we read a little too much into some of the pre rally hints. We quickly recovered our course and finished the route to Lynchburg well within our allotted time.

Arriving at the park in Lynchburg early gave us plenty of time to tour downtown Lynchburg. Being the home of Jack Daniels distillery gives this small town square a unique flavor of shops and atmosphere.

We took first place in our class and if I understood correctly we were the only team to get all the questions correct.

We look forward to returning to Middle Tennessee in July for the Bell Buckle Park rally.

Windrock

Windrock

I made a return trip to Coal Creek OHV area on Windrock mountain. The last time I was here was when I met the guys from the XJ list here.

There have been several changes since my last visit. Mainly the new windmills and the changes to the roads required to transport the windmills to the top of the mountain.

They now charge per person instead of per vehicle. This essentially doubles the cost for most trips but at $15 per person it is still a bargain.

Traveling with me this time was Robert in his Toyota pickup. Navigating for both of us was our friend Tom.

Even with three very skilled map readers, we got lost several times using the park provided map. Once we finally learned to ignore the new looking roads, we id much better at navigating, but still somehow ended up exiting the park in stead of back at the snack shack for lunch. We are still not sure how we did that.

What was most interesting about the day was the variety of trails. Most of the day we had dust to deal with. Then we found some rocks. Later we found these huge mud holes on the top of the mountain, I think my alternator fell victim to one of them as on the trip home it stopped charging. I drove 150 miles on the remaining battery.

Mike Strawbridge in IMSA?

It is amazing what you can find when you Google your name. Seems there was a racer with my same name back in the 80's. I do remember one time someone asking me about a crash they had seen me in on TV. Was probably this guy.


1986 : Al Holbert last title, part 3By AlexGT Ron Canizares and Mike Strawbridge took a second place in a Tiga GT286 Mazda, just ahead of class Champion Jim Downing, who drove his usual Argo JM19 Mazda with friend John Maffucci. The GTO class was to be a big fight between ...IMSAblog - http://alex62.typepad.com/imsablog/

100AW Rally

Once again this year I visited Salem, Mo for the 100 Acre wood rally.

This year my job was event steward.

Read more....

Mysterious Jeep CPS failure

Friday afternoon, I got a call form Scott saying his new stroker motor had died just east of Nashville, Tn. He was going 70mph and it just cut off.

I worked him through trouble shooting the system on the phone.

When I told him to check the connector on the CPS, he told me that he had found the trouble. The wires were gone!

I did not comprehend what he was saying at the time. I thought he said they were broken. He meant GONE!

While I loaded my XJ on the trailer and hooked up the Suburban, he was laying on the cold ground on the side of the interstate removing and rewiring his CPS.

By the time I got there (3 hours later) he had new wires run from the CPS to the ECU and had it running. One bolt was inside the Transmission however.

So we swapped XJ's and he headed on to Alabama to see his girl and I took his XJ back home to swap in a new CPS and repair the harness.

It looked like some gremlin had jumped in there and yanked the wires out. I can't figure out how it happened as that wire is pretty protected. I made sure the new one is tied up out of the way of anything.

I did enjoy taking his XJ back to him Sunday. His stoker motor has way more torque than my daily driver. I managed to take some tread off the rear tires when crossing the street to where we were meeting when I got into the gas just a little bit too much.

New 4.7 L Stroker install

Scott's Wagoneer gets a stroker




During Scott's Christmas break from college we installed a Titan Stroker motor in his 88 XJ Wagoneer.

He also added some lace wheels and a new gage cluster at the same time.

Due to the holiday season and some illness in our family, we have not really pushed to get the job done quickly. Working just a few hours here and there. Even at that pace it has taken just over a week to get the swap completed.

The motor started on the first revolution and after a few seconds of rough idle the computer began to adapt to all the changes: different injectors, new o2 sensor etc.

Once it warmed up it settled into a nice steady rumble. Since he has a quiet muffler on his and soft motor mounts, there is not much difference in the sound from stock. It runs so quite you can hear the injectors clicking.

Scott asked Titan to build this one to be as fuel efficient as possible. Chuck at Titan engines said he built it with lower compression and a milder cam than my race engine.

Scott will be keeping records to see how good the fuel economy really is. He may have to get past the period of enjoying the new found torque before he gets really good number however. I have had my motor for about a year now and I still have not gotten past playing with it every time I drive it. Just as well I don't keep fuel economy data on it.

So thanks to Chuck at Titanengines.com we have another stroker in the family.

New Titan engines 4.7L Stroker install

4.7L Stroker Motor

We have been so happy with the first Titan Stroker motor that my son Scott decided to get one for his XJ Wagoneer.

We got it bolted in place yesterday. Now we just have to do the finishing touches like wiring up the alternator, starter and new injectors that are still in route via fed ex.

Hope to start it up before new years.

Don't be a wuss!

David DeAngelo is one of the greatest writers I have read on the subject of not being a wuss. While I usually try to phrase things in a more positive way, he drives home the important point that the biggest problem men have these days is their lack of being men - being a wuss.I have posted two new article for you to learn from:
Ten most dangerous mistakes men make with women
and
A secret women know that men don't

Be sure to get his foundation book "Double your dating."

Sad day for the Green Mamba

The Green Mamba, a jet powered show car and dragster from the sixties has been stolen and stripped. I remember seeing this car at a car show when I was a kid. My condolences to Doug Rose on the loss of his prize possession. Maybe he can rebuild it.

Read the article here....

What makes a great kiss?

How to be a Great Kisser

The kiss near the end of Gone with the Wind is rated as the most memorable movie kiss of all time. Even after seventy years this one is still the greatest.

But what makes a kiss great? Is a kiss not just a kiss?

Read more about the five characteristics of a great kiss in this article:

http://mikestrawbridge.com/attraction-kissing.shtml

Practice with your JeepGirl.

First speeder caught in 1912

First Woman Speeder Is Fined $25 in Minneapolis;Accident Causes Arrest

Mrs. Margaret Speer, the first woman in Minneapolis ever charged with auto speeding, paid a fine of $25 today in municipal court for running faster than fifteen miles an hour on Washington avenue N.
A big hat, a high wind and an unlucky circumstance that put the police auto directly in the path of Mrs. Speer’s machine, caused her arrest. Otherwise the police say her speed was so great they never could have caught her.

Read more here....

Now if she had just had this information she might have gotten out of that speeding ticket.
Read more here...

Boosting our testosterone levels

John Alanis wrote this week about the declining testosterone levels of the American males. In his article he mentioned that few men do manly things anymore. Most of them just sit around on the couch and watch TV.

Well this weekend at least a few men went out into the woods and did manly stuff. Taking Jeeps off road this weekend turned out to be a bigger adventure than any of us planned for.

But we got a great lesson in how to work together and how to perform like men.

During what was planned to be just a quick warm up before we hit the hard trails we encountered a hill that few of us could climb. But once it started to rain, we were committed to getting up, down and out of the woods together.

This group of relative strangers pulled together and quickly formed a smooth working team. There was no whining about the cold and rain, there was a truck to get up the hill. No egos got in the way. Just the powerful relaxed confidence of knowing that we had the skills and tools we needed and we were going to accomplish the task of getting everyone safely out.

This type of activity is what John says in missing in our modern American culture. That is why so many men are having trouble in their relationships. They don't have that relaxed confidence in their masculinity.

If you want to learn more about being a man that attracts women, or just having the relaxed confidence to handle any situation, you don't have to risk your life or your Jeep, just click here to get John's course.

For the full story of the Harlan Adventure see
http://mikestrawbridge.com/jeep-offroad-harlan-ky.shtml

Harlan, Ky Jeep Cherokees Off Road

The XJ fall Crawl was in Harlan, Ky this year. The rain and steep hills of Kentuky made this the most exciting fall crawl ever.

The complete story is posted at:

http://mikestrawbridge.com/jeep-offroad-harlan-ky.shtml

XJ List fall crawl

I am getting packed now for the XJ list fall crawl. This year we are headed for Harlan, Ky.

None of us have ever been but the pictures look awesome.

There have already been some great stories told about the adventure of getting there. Adam has lost his keys and some of the others are stuck in traffic trying to get off the interstate.

I still expect my trip to be relaxing and uneventful. I have the Suburban packed and the XJ is ready to go.

I raised the Co driver seat off the floor so Scott can see out. He will make a better spotter that way. A rally co driver does not need to see as well so I have the seat mounted low and to the rear normally.

We head out tomorrow.

Jeep Coaching

Are you absolutely thrilled with the car your are driving right now?

If not what are your car dreams? Do you want a lifted stroked Jeep that will go anywhere safely and reliably?

Or do you desire a powerful diesel pickup that will tow all your off road toys to the woods?

No matter what your car dreams are, I can help you achieve them.

I am now offering for a limited time a coaching service for men and women who want to enjoy the feeling of knowing they are driving exactly the kind of vehicle they always wanted.

So no matter what kind of car or truck or Jeep you want to drive, my car coaching will help you get there in the style you deserve.

Read more at www.car-coaching.com or contact me at www.mikestrawbridge.com/contact-mike.shtml to set up a free coaching assessment session to find out if car-coaching is right for you.

Jeep Cherokee winch mount

Instead of reusing the bumper form Scuffy I, I decided to mount my new harbor freight winch.

I used the base plate that came with the winch as the bulk of the bumper. I used angle iron to make frame attachment brackets and some of the square tubing let over from the old bumper to make the outriggers.

Cost $5 for bolts.

Stroked and Lifted Jeep Cherokee update

A little spray paint helps to blend in the cut fenders.

Scott got artistic with the grill as well.

Scuffy II progress report

I just swapped the cut fenders from Scuffy I onto the race car and rolled the rear fenders to clear the big tires.

Now I just have to decide which front bumper to use or maybe fabricate an new one to hold my winch.

Snake Photo

Thanks to Jamie Perry for sending me this photo for our Course response vehicle with the mounted "trophy"

Crow Mountain Hill Climb

This past weekend I had huge fun working the Crow Mountain Hill Climb.

While it is technically an SCCA time trial event, the fact that they use a section of public road that is closed for the timed runs makes it operate like a single stage performance rally.

Because of my Rally experience, I was asked to assist in the function of course marshal.

This job consists of monitoring the safety and security of the course during the event. We also had Bill Perry's Jeep equipped with sufficient supplies to qualify us as a first response vehicle.

If anyone had an incident on the hill, we could respond quickly and determine the best course of action - like getting a wrecker or ambulance if needed or simply towing them ourselves if that was possible.

Our biggest surprise of the day was when turn nine reported unknown debris on the track. We were dispatched to investigate and discovered that a 44 inch timber rattler had made it on to the course and had been fatally struck by one of the race cars.

Sadly I swept the remains off the road. But after the event, I recovered the snake and mounted him on the front bumper of Bill's Jeep to show the unbelievers in the paddock area.

We used wire ties instead of duct tape so we don't really qualify as rednecks.

Pictures to follow.

Beasley Knob trip

I ran Beasley Knob today to give Scuffy II a trial run. I ran with Robert's Toyota Pickup as backup.

We ran trails A, C, D, and G
The above picture is from Trail D just before the Hill climb.

Trail C was blocked by a fallen tree between E and B so we could not make the whole loop.

The forest service has just done some grading and graveling on the main trail A. They have also run a dozer over some of the more difficult trails but they are still challenging on 30" tires.

We had the place pretty much to ourselves during the morning but after noon we started meeting ATVs and Motorcycles so we decided to head out as passing is very difficult on the narrow trails.

The red clay was slipper when wet but offered good traction when dry. The area has very few rocks. Mostly just narrow and sometimes steep clay roads.

Some places are very narrow and look like they would be difficult to get through in anything wider than a Jeep.

I was very happy with the way Scuffy II handled the obstacles. I only locked the front once and it did not help as i had the rear diff hung on one of the few rocks there so even all four tire pulling would not get me up the hill. Taller tires would have made a big difference.

The stroker engine was great all day. I still had to be careful not to give too much throttle or I would spin in the damp clay. The compression braking was way better than my old motor making going downhill very nice and controlled.

Scuffy II update

Stroked and Lifted Jeep Cherokee

This past weekend I stripped the lift springs and rock rails off of

Scuffy to swap on to the Rally racer to make Scuffy II.

Because I cut one of my 35" tires on playing on Scuffy's last run, I am running 30" for now.

The flex is amazing and the tight turning radius is nice on the tight twisty trails around my farm.

The torque of the Titan Engines Stroker motor is awesome. Even with the race cam, the power comes on nice and smooth. There is a noticeable bump in power as the revs go up. It caught me off guard on one side hill climb and got me in a scary spot for a while.

Proper use of the roof rack

Here is a story about a guy who lost 1.1 million dollars worth of paintings off the roof of his car.

And I worry about hauling my ladder on my roof rack.

Suntimes article

Jeep Cherokee Blind Spot?

According to this article the Jeep Cherokee has the worst blind spot of any car they tested. maybe they see things differently in South Africa, but one of the things I love about my XJ Jeep Cherokee is the visibility.

I did relocate the rear view mirror higher up on the glass to rid myself of that blind spot , but they are talking about the A pillar.

Even in my Rally racer, we were able to fabricate the A pillar bars so that there was no loss of visibility around the A pillars.

The photo they show in the article looks like form a Lumina APV. My dad has one of those and I hate driving it due to the huge blind spot due to its massive A pillars and strangely sloped windshield.

Anyway, I don't get it. I don't have a problem with my Jeep Cherokee blind spots.

Electric trailer brakes or lack there of

My trailer gets a lot of use. When it is not being used to transport my RallyJeep to and event or Scuffy to the woods, it is being used to haul furniture or maybe scrap metal to the recyclers.

I often pull it with my Jeep Cherokee but if it has a heavy load I pull it with my Suburban. I prefer the long wheel base of the Suburban to keep things stable.

Well, recently I offered to haul a friend's minivan to my shop to replace his steering rack for him.

He lives at the top of a steep gravel hill. It would have been no problem if the trailer brakes were working - but they we not. Click here to read the rest of the story and how I repaired the brakes.

Be careful what you think continued....

Yesterday we again towed our Ski Supreme to Parksville Lake for some boating. It has been a while since we have enjoyed this activity. Normally, we go at least once a week, but this summer we have been busy with other activities.

I commented that it had been so long since we went boating that I would have to be retrained. My words proved to be all to prophetic.

After some time enjoying knee boarding and wake boarding, we headed back to the boat ramp. That is when I noticed the keys to the Jeep were not where I normally keep them. About that time I also remembered accidentally placing them in my pocket instead of where we normally keep them in the boat.

I am sure that if not during my first start on the wakeboard, then during one of my yard sale falls - you know the kind where your board, vest, shorts and gloves are spread out across the water like at a yard sale - the Jeep keys came out of my pocket and were likely swallowed by one of the giant catfish that live in the deep waters of Parksville Lake.

So if you happen to be SCUBA diving or catch a large fish in Parksville Lake and find a Jeep key, please return it to me.

And thanks to Dad for taking me home to get the spare key and the cute girl at the Ocoee Inn that let me use the phone since mine was safely locked up in the Jeep.

Oh and JeepGirl says thanks to the cute guy who towed her back to the dock after the boat vapor locked due to heat soak in the hot sun while waiting for me to get back with the key.

For more on the dark side of manifesting your thoughts, I again direct you to: http://mikestrawbridge.com/dark-side-of-manifesting.shtml

Don't think about what you don't want

I was thinking about how I manifested that flat tire on my trailer by thinking about not having a spare. Sometimes I wish manifesting thoughts was not so easy.

To read more about the Dark Side of manifesting see my article on mikestrawbridge.com

Trailer Spare tire mount

This past weekend, we made a trip to Cookeville, Tn.

We had the trailer and the Suburban loaded with Scott's furniture for his new apartment near Tennessee Tech.

I have always carried the trailer spare rather randomly and I don't really pay much attention to it as I have only had to use it twice in twenty five years of towing this trailer. Once in Missouri and once in Mississippi.

Well with all the stuff on the trailer and in the back of the Suburban, there was not a convenient place for the spare, so I just left it in the barn. I am sure my thinking about not having the spare helped to manifest the big screw that made its way into the right rear tire just before we got on the interstate. I noticed it in my pre entrance ramp check of straps and tires.

So I left Scott to guard the trailer and his stuff while I went back to the house to get the jack and spare and tire plugging kit. About an hour later, we had four properly inflated tires and we were on our way again.

So today, I fabricated a spare tire mount that slides into the receiver tube on the front of the trailer. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it!

Jeep Stroker Engine update

Jeep Stroker Motor

My stoker from Titan engines is continuing to provide great service.

Now that I am in the process of converting this Jeep from a dedicated racer to a multi use vehicle, I was a little concerned about my cam choice. I specified a high performance cam grind for my planed racing activities.

However, in my testing so far, the engine runs great a t low RPM as well as high. It will crawl along easily with the transfer case in low range and the transmission in second gear with the throttle still closed. It simply chugs along nice and smooth. (In first gear, you can use a sundial to see it move. That may change when I fit up the taller tires.)

I got a little scare on oil pressure the other day but that turned out to be a sending unit problem.

Overall, I still can't say enough good things about my Titan Engines stroker motor. I could not have built on myself for what they delivered this one to my door.

Mississippi Off road

Our trip to the lake involved using what was left of the old road, some creative bypasses around fallen trees and some horse trails.

We let our younger son Will get in some wheel time on the way back to the house.

Some of the old road had some big ruts but they were easy to straddle with Scuffy.

The hill that I remembered as being so big and scary as a child was no adventure at all. In fact I kept wondering where it went. We have had to winch many a tractor and pickup up that hill in he past but it was really nothing at all in a Lifted Jeep Cherokee. Except for the places where we had to push trees out of the way, I think I could have made the trip in my daily driver Jeep.

Columbus, Ms

Touring Historic Columbus, Ms

While in Mississippi, we took a day to tour some of the surrounding towns. I was born in Pontotoc where we stayed and visited the lake in Scuffy. But I grew up near Aberdeen and Hamilton, Ms.

It took a while to find my old house in Hamilton as the roads have all changed. My Daddy Straw's old shop in Gibson Mississippi is almost invisible in the weeds by the new highway. I could still make out the cab of the old winch truck in the bushes.

We went on down the road to Columbus where Mom got her master's degree in Nutrition from MUW.

The visitors center is located in the old Tennessee Williams home. He wrote a couple of plays you may have heard of, Streetcar Named Desire and Fiddler on the Roof.

We took a short walking tour of the historic downtown area. I noticed that all the girls on the street looked really hot. In fact with the temperature around 100 every one looked hot.

We returned to Pontotoc through the Tombigbee National forest and enjoyed the curvy gravel roads.

Scuffy Safari

Jeep Cherokee off road in Mississippi

Today I towed Scuffy to Mississippi to make a trek to our lake there. The lake is way on the backside of the property on a road that has not been maintained in many years.

There was some evidence that some ATV's had been there some time ago but not recently.

We had to drive around fallen trees, over some small trees and through lots of kudzu and briars.

Scuffy enjoyed playing bulldozer.

We finally made it to Callaway Lake just before sunset.

Water Skiing on Parksville Lake

Boating

We spent some time on this hot July day at our new favorite restaurant - The Ocoee Dam Deli and boating on Parksville Lake.

My Jeep Cherokee ran just a touch warm towing the our Ski Supreme up the mountain but nothing to worry about.

The water was so warm it felt like a hot tub. After a run of wake boarding or knee boarding it felt good to just float in the water and relax.

I pulled my slalom ski out of the bag for the first time in about a year. I took a couple of passes at the course but I was doing good to manage six wake crossing much less make the buoys. Eating first was a bad idea, but since the Ocoee dam deli closes at 5 pm it was the only way to make both.

I though both the girls working at the deli were going to close up shop and join is at the lake but they decided it would be better to serve the waiting customers. Maybe next time girls.

ARB Wiring Complete

Jeep Cherokee Accessories

Since it all works, I routed the wiring harness through a grommet in the firewall and mounted the cute little switch in the shifter console.

I connected the control wire to the accessory circuit by splicing to the cigar lighter wire.




In case you are wondering that is the horn button also mounted on the console. It is there to be within reach of the co driver.

Scuffy II's first stuck

Jeep Cherokee Stuck in the mud

Little stiff gravel race tires don't work well in the mud. Even with the ARB spinning all four of them.



Had to get JeepGirl and the original Scuffy to rescue me.

Temporary wiring for testing my used ARB

Jeep Cherokee Accessories


I was not sure about all those colored wires on the ARB compressor so I hooked it up temporarily to make sure it all worked. I did not get a wiring diagram with my box of parts.

The easiest hot wire tap I could find was the dome light.




Notice the use of my nomex driving suit in case of fire.



The cute little light in the switch works and everything!

The compressor is now mounted solidly where the washer bottle should be. Just need to route the wires in through the firewall and find a place to mount the switch.

Scuffy II Build up update

Jeep Cherokee performance

The Rally Jeep needs a place to race bad today. I now have the Chrysler 8.25 with a lock right locker in the rear and an ARB equipped Dana 30 in the front. Both fitted with 3.55 gears.

On the little race tires and all four locked up the acceleration in incredible. I left off the rear sway bar in preparation for off roading so the rear traction is enhanced even more.

In fact, if I were to race it today, I would try it with out the rear bar. With the locker in the rear, I can still kick the rear out under throttle even in 4x4. Huge fun!

More later.

Peparing the Dana 30 for the front of Scuffy II

Lifted Jeep Cherokee

Scuffy II is getting the ARB I bought a while back. It is already installed in a Dana 30 front axle. The axle has late model knuckles that were damaged so my plan is to swap on the old knuckles from the existing front axle.

When I pulled the axle shafts they look quit a bit beefier than what I remembered a Dana 30 looking like. These may be some heavy duty axles. Nice bonus if that is the case.

Since I plan to use stock lower control arms, I clearanced the arm pockets adn shock mounts to get a little more drop before the arms hit.

See before and after pics below.

Scuffy II Build progress

Lifted Jeep Cherokee

The Chrysler 8.25 and lock right are now installed in the rear of the race Jeep. Had to finagle the old brake lines a bit but it is all finally in. Still have to work on the handbrake cables but that can wait.

The rally Jeep is also sitting a little higher in the rear after some time on the lift. Took it for a quick run around the driveway. The lower gears and locker make huge fun in the gravel with the torque of the Titan stroker motor.

Now I need to get the ARB installed in the front and get the ratios matched up so I can use 4x4.

New life for saggy stock springs

Jeep Cherokee repair problems

I stumbled on a way to put some life back into saggy stock springs. I had noticed before that going off road and flexing the rear springs was good for them but after sitting on the lift for a few days the springs really got some lift back.

I had the shocks and brake lines disconnected so there was nothing to keep the springs from drooping as far as they wanted to. I first noticed the difference when I found it difficult to hook up the shocks. I actually had to put some weight on the springs to get the shocks to reach the pins.




I am curious to see how long it lasts.

Rear Axle Swap

In preparation for the build up of Scuffy II, I pulled the 8.25 with lock rite out of my 1991 Jeep Cherokee Laredo last night. This axle will go in the Rally racer.

I re installed the original Dana 35 with an open diff.

The trouble I ran into as I was finishing up is that I only have enough brake parts on hand to make up one axle with 9" brakes.

I guess I will have to take the brakes off the 8.25 and put on the Dana 35 then sort out more brakes for Scuffy II. It would be a good time to do a disk conversion on one of them.

I will do a little more digging to day to see what parts I can scavenge.

Bell Buckle Tn Rally

Rally Round the Park in Bell Buckle, Tn

We celebrated the 4th of July by running the rally round the park in Bell Buckle, Tn.

For a complete description of the rally and how we did see:
Bell Buckle Rally

There was an interesting mix of cars there: a bucket T street rod, a Miata to some Mustangs, Jeeps a Pontiac Convertible and lots of other cars.
The great thing was all the fun in and around Bell Buckle. After the rally we took some time to wander through the antique shops and stopped at the ice cream parlor to share a banana split.


More pictures form the rally are posted at
http://bellbucklecafe.com/A%20BB%20Park%20July%204%20Rally/index.html

Dry Falls North Carolina

Our trip to Highlands, NC




This weekend we visited Highlands, NC. I have not been there in a few years and I have never been there in the summer.

We stopped on the way into town to tour the poorly named Dry Falls.

See more pictures at JeepGirl Travels

Herbie Lives!

Another self driving VW

In this article, VW announced that they have a Golf that can drive itself. And this time it is not like the DARPA challange in the desert, this car can drive itself around a race track. And around cones on an autocross course!

There have been plenty of time on long trips where I would have liked to set the crusise control on my Suburban and just loet it drive on the interstate so if this technology actually goes into production, that would be pretty cool.

I also invision a new from of robot racers competing on an autocross course. No need to strap in just program you car and send it out. It would be kind of like RC racing only you would not have to fiddle with the controller.

They say it works with GPS but I sure hope their GPS recievers are better than the ones I have. My delorme often shows me driving several hundred yards off the road I am on. Also, on roads like HWY 129 the Dragon's Tail, they don't pick up the satelites at all bedise the rock cliffs.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=393401&in_page_id=1770

Metaphysical mechanic work

Mechanic lessons from a Professional Dreamer

I have been studying Ghalil's Professional dreamer book for the past few weeks. I just realized that the same steps she takes for achieving life's goals are the same I use for mechanic work on my Jeeps.

Step 1. Clear the clutter. You can't work effectively if you have too many distractions.

Step 2. Decide what you are trying to accomplish. Just how do you want the repaired or modified vehicle to perform.

Step 3. Determine what you have to work with. Know what parts you have on hand, what skills you have and what tools you have to accomplish the task.

Step 4. Get a clear picture of how you expect the job to progress. Do the job in your mind and work out the problems before they arise.

Step 5. Start the job. You will never get finished if you never start. Just do it.

Step 6. Just let it happen. Once you start don't worry about the decision to do the job. Just work to get it done. As problems arise, handle them and keep going.

And finally give thanks for another job well done and enjoy your vehicle's new enhanced performance.

Benton Falls Trail

Hiking the Benton Falls Trail

Yesterday JeepGirl and I took our dog Smash for a hike to Benton Falls.

This trail has been closed for a few weeks due to a tragic bear attack. Now the trail is reopened and we used this opportunity to give Smash some leash training and have fun in the water.

The short way up the mountain is the gravel road. Great fun in the Jeep. The Chilhowee campground was the start on one of the stages in the Cherokee Trails rally. Jeep Girl earned her Jeep girls do it in the mud sticker working the finish of this stage in 2003.

For more pictures of the falls and more about the trail see JeepGirl Travels.

How to be an alpha dog

Attraction secrets from the Alpha Dog

I have been doing a lot of work with my dog Smash lately. Some of you may recall that he is a super mechanic helper when I am working on my Jeeps.

I recently bought the book sitstayfetch to help me work with him. One of the bonus books that came with sitstayfetch was a book on how to be an alpha dog.

Now I have been teaching men in my attraction training about being the alpha male and defining authority for a while now. But this little bonus book about being the alpha dog was a real eye opener for me.

I can see applications for this idea in every thing I do. In fact, in my employee management training I am often talking about maintaining authority while making the employees feel empowered. This alpha dog idea is exactly the same concept.

The alpha dog makes the rules and the rest of the pack is eager to follow along because they know he is doing what is best for all of them. He earns and deserve their trust. And it is such subtle actions that make the alpha dog. It has nothing at all to do with exerting physical force or aggression. It has everything to do with attitude and body language.

So if you want some great references on how to establish your desired place in the world and to know why it is important, I now have two to recommend:

First is this superb course by John Alanis about how to define authority.
And second is the bonus book included with sitstayfetch.

Remember both have a money back guarantee if they don't work for you. But I know you will learn something from both of them.

My Dog Smash: cute puppy pictures

AWW alert! warning cute puppy pictures.

My Dog Smash: cute puppy pictures

Here is a link to some really cute pictures of my dog Smash when he was a puppy.

Non Jeep Adventure

A rescue mission - but where's Mom?

Yesterday I got a call from my mom saying they had car trouble on their way home from Mississippi. They were stalled in sight of the rockets in Huntsville, Al.

I suggested that we could solicit the help from some rocket scientists I know but Dad said he would just wait.

The trailer was already hooked to the Suburban so I was off after gathering up some tools. One thing I did not think to bring was a winch.

Once I found them and managed to find a place to turn around, I pulled the Suburban and trailer in front of them and backed into place on the shoulder. Dad had told me the alternator had failed so I expected a dead battery. I had brought along my tractor battery for this problem.

We hooked up the jumper cables and the starter just clicked. I thought that maybe the dead battery was sapping the voltage so I went to disconnect the dead battery from the circuit. When I did, the battery terminal fell off in my hands. Well with the dead and damaged battery out of the circuit , it should start now. But no go.

So, next I loaded the ramps back on the trailer and backed the Suburban to within reach of the jumper cables. Lucky there was a very wide shoulder here.

Still no go on the jump start. I then realized that these were not my good jumper cables but some my son had bought one day in an emergency. They were stored where I normally keep my good cables so I suspect that my good cables are in his Jeep now.

So the next step was to remove the battery from the Suburban and place it in the Silverado. These are those silly side terminal batteries in case you are wondering why we did not just put in the tractor battery.

Now the pickup started. I had hoped that the alternator was OK but I guess the damaged battery did it in. Dad backed the truck up and started up the trailer ramps only to discover that the truck running boards would not fit between the trailer fenders.

So it was back off the trailer to remove the running boards. My Summit Racing pit mat was great for laying in the red clay while we snatched off the running boards on the side of the interstate.

One more try to load and it fit fine. Got it strapped down, swapped the battery back to the Suburban and we headed home.

Just north of Huntsville, we stopped at a truck stop for fuel and air for the trailer tires. As I was collecting my tire gage, mom asked me if I wanted a drink. The 97 degree day had made me thirsty so I asked her to get me a bottle of water.

Dad and I spent some time checking all the tires and tie downs. As I climbed in the truck I heard dad talking to mom and I carefully pulled the truck and trailer out into the busy highway traffic. As I did, I looked back to get my water bottle, I noticed that mom was missing!

I asked Dad "where's mom?" He said "I was just talking to her." I said "I know, but where is she?" We then realized that she had been left behind.

As I tried to move to the left lane to turn around on this divided four lane road there was a constant stream of traffic as far as I could see behind me. I had to drive very slowly down the right lane for about a mile before I got a break to move left and find a crossover.

By the time we got back to pick up her up, she was very hot from standing out in front of the truck stop thinking we had abandoned her.

From now on, we will take roll call after each stop to make sure no one is left behind. I am sure mom will find this event as funny as the rest of us in a few days. Check for any new "Left Behind" recipes on her blog - meals with a message

RallyCross race June 24th - cancelled

RallyCross June 24th cancelled
There will not be a Rallycross June 24th at Dave Brooks farm in Graysville, Tn.

See the Chattanooga SCCA web page for times and directions.

Jeep video clips

Jeep Video clips and in car video

Also posted on Jeep Girl Travels are some short video clips of our trip to Kentucky off road park.

Click here to view the Jeep video clips.

The www.rallyjeep.com site also has some video clips from the Rally Jeep racing on a stage rally.

Jeep pics and off road stories

My Jeep history

Much of my recent Jeep history is located on JeepGirl travels in the Jeeping section.

Here you can find stories and pictures of all the Jeep off road fall crawl trips from 2003 to the latest trip in the spring of 2006. There are tons of pics on these pages including some stored in our webshots folders. There are also links to the Jeep pics from some of the others who went on these Jeep off road trips.

Also on this page you will find links to rally cross racing and some stage rally racing as well. complete coverage of our stage rally racing is on www.rallyjeep.com. Also on that site you will find more our our racing Jeep history.

Jeep Pictures

Pictures of our Jeep Cherokees

Speed Racer XJ


Jeep Girl's XJ 1999 Cherokee Classic


Mike Daily driver XJ 1991 Jeep Cherokee Laredo


Scuffy the Off Road Jeep 1984 Cherokee v6


Our First Jeep Cherokee

For more pictures of our Jeeps and others from the XJ list, see the Jeeping section of JeepGirl travels.

Campfire Cooking

Food always tastes better cooked over a campfire.

One of the best things about the trip to Livingston was the campfire cooking. Hanging out by the campfire with the guys form the XJ list is always entertaining, but this time the food was excellent.

Maybe because I was very hungry. Maybe because it was warmer than 20 degrees out. Maybe because there was no sand in the steak. ( I did not experience that one myself, but I have heard the story enough to make me feel like I did.)

For whatever reason, I love campfire food. When camping, I am willing to totally ignore all my healthy choices advice and just enjoy the carcinogen flavored red meat.

I just found a campfire cooking ebook that has tons of great recipes that I am looking forward to trying out on my next camping trip. Here is the link to some more great campfire food.

Survey results so far

I have gotten lots of interesting suggestions from the survey. Keep sending them in.

Click here to take the survey

At this point here is what I am looking at:

Install the D30 with ARB in the front that I already have. Pull the 8.25 with Lock-rite from the daily driver and install in the rear. (3.55 ratio)

Use the seats from Scuffy as the race seats are difficult to get in and out of.

Use the springs and shocks from Scuffy to get about a three inch lift

I think I can fit 32" tires without cutting the fenders with the right bump stops.

The only cost here would be tires.

Rally Jeep future Survey

Click here to take survey

Due to a severe lack of rally racing activity for my dedicated race XJ, I have been tossing around some options for what to do with this great Jeep and its new Titan stroker motor.

Based on the amount of fun I had this weekend off road, I have been thinking of building it for off road. I can still swap back the stock suspension if I want to race it.

I can change springs in just a few hours. But I would have to stay away from permanent changes like long arms and tubbed rear fenders.

I will be limited on tire size if I decide not to cut the fenders. However, changing front fenders can just be part of the change over process. Not sure how to handle the rears just yet.

Click here to give me your ideas

Livingston Jeep trip

This weekend we took Scuffy to Livingston, Ky to meet up with fellow XJ list folks.

Livingston turned out to be a great place to wheel. The main road through - which is really the only place where vehicles are allowed now - is a great and challenging road.

There are lots of twisty V notch runs along with some big rocks right in the road.

We camped in a nice secluded place by the lake where we dined on fine steaks, potato boats and roasted corn. We had Smores for appetizers and apple and cherry turnovers for desert.

The complete story and Jeep pictures are posted here on JeepGirl travels.

Wheel balancing experiment

Having read about internal balancing methods I decided to try something on my 1991 Jeep Cherokee Laredo today. I have had trouble balancing the left front tire and it had several large weights on it so it seemed an ideal candidate for the experiment.

I took off the lead weights from the rim and weighed them on a scale.

I then measured out an equal weight of BB's. I added a few more just to make sure.

I then broke the bead on the back of the tire and poured in the BB's. Aired it back up and gave it a test run. It seemed much smoother than before. There was still some vibration but since I did only the one tire it may have been from one of the others.

I have tried other internal balance methods in the past with mixed success. I have used anti freeze poured inside the tire. This seems to work OK if the tire does not need much weight to balance it. Maybe the anti freeze can't pile up enough to make a heavy spot in the light part of the tire?

Anyway, the BB's seem to work so far. I really need to get it out on the interstate to see how it does at high speed before I add some shot to the other three tires.

Hail to Mud RallyCross

I took the Rally Jeep to a local rally cross again this weekend.

This weekend's RallyCross race was more about survival than fast times.

The day started out normal enough. The four wheel drive class started first and cut the wet grass off the course.

My Jeep's 4.7L Titan Stroker engine was running great with plenty of torque to cut up the grass.

The two wheel drive cars went next, turning slightly faster times on the now much drier course.

We paused for a nice lunch break of burgers and hot dogs grilled up by JeepGirl and RallyCross Hostess Cindy.

Just as we were getting ready to run again, lightning struck and rain began to fall heavily. Well we race in the rain but not lightning.

While waiting for the storm to die down a bit we huddled under Dave's porch to watch the rain. We kept hearing banging sounds on the tin roof. Soon it became obvious that it was hailing. At first it was little pea sized chucks of space ice. But later, the big stuff came. The race field looked like a driving range with golf ball sized hail stones covering it.




Just when we thought it was time to go racing again, the clouds let loose another burst of ice. This time the chucks were the size tennis balls or even baseballs. I have seen a lot of hail in my life but never any this big.




Three chucks penetrated the rear window of one of the Subaru's, two more penetrated the roof of the timing trailer. One cracked the windshield of Cindy's Volvo and there were enough dented sports cars to keep the paint free dent removal guy busy for a while.

Surprisingly, neither JeepGirls Cherokee nor the Rally Jeep got any damage. The Jeep Wrangler parked a foot away from us had huge dents in its hood and cowl. Once again, the favor of God was upon us.

When we finally went back to racing, the course was a slimy mess. Just getting around it took skill and finesse. Even with four wheel drive there were spots when I nearly came to a stop as I tried to float the Jeep around the pylons.

The Four Wheel Drive cars finally got the goo cleaned off and the two wheel drive cars got a bit of a run in. There were still plenty of places to get stuck and many did if they failed to keep up momentum in the turns.

Time became meaningless to me but they are posted at RallyCross Results if you want to look.

The Jeep stroker motor worked great all day. Plenty of mud slinging torque!




I look forward to seeing what it will do on a real gravel stage road soon.

Front receiver hitch for Jeep XJ

Front Receiver Hitch for Jeep XJ
jeep Cherokee accessories


In order to have a handy place to mount a winch or other jeep Cherokee accessories
on the front of my 1991 Jeep Cherokee Laredo, I installed a Hidden Hitch front receiver hitch for Jeep XJ.

One problem I had with the front receiver hitch was that the tube often filled with mud on off road adventures. I recently made the steel plug you see in the above picture of the Hidden Hitch receiver.

The integrated tow hooks (red in the picture above) get more use than the actual receiver. They are very strong and easy to connect to. Just last week I was helping a friend move his disabled tractor and as I went to attach the strap to the tow hook, he asked "Will that handle it?" I just smiled and told him to hook his end to a strong part of the tractor.

The front receiver hitch makes a pretty effective skid plate for the front of the XJ. However it does reduce ground clearance significantly. You can see the scuffs on the bottom of the steel plug as evidence.

For another option for a front receiver hitch for Jeep XJ integrated into a front bumper, see my Cheap Jeep page.

TSD Rally Stock Class Navigation

Georgia Sports Car Club Spring Rally

This past weekend, my usual rally partner Robert was rallymaster for a GSCC event. Lucky for me, Fred Holliger the Stock class champ was looking for a driver.

I have always been fascinated with road rally navigation ever since I discovered this sport at Tennessee Tech University. My roommate Jeff and I created all sorts of calculator and computer programs to aid our navigation. We also discovered early on that if we wanted to win, Jeff needed to be the navigator.

Our ultimate accomplishment after years of work was the CompuRally computer software that allows a standard (DOS) computer to be used as a rally computer. We used this software to take two national TSD rally wins and numerous local and regional trophies. Our software is now being used successfully in Silver Streak challenge type events out west

But this weekend, I saw something completely different. Fred, armed with nothing more that a book of rally tables and a simple four function calculator, demonstrated his navigational skills. He gave me feedback that was very very close to as good a my rally computer.

Every six to ten seconds he called "Mark" and I looked at my odo to see if I was early or late. A simple adjustment of the throttle put us back on time.

And he did not look overworked like I have been when I tried stock navigation. In fact, we were able to carry on a conversation punctuated by "mark" being called mid story.

His method is deceptively simple. He just adds .1 mile worth of time to the display register on his calculator and calls out when the time matches his clock.

It took me a few legs to get the hang of reading my Jeep Cherokee odometer to the hundredth mile but by the end of the day we were getting scores of 1 or 2 per leg. The computer guys were getting ones and zeros.

I always enjoy experiencing new things and seeing this skill in action was great fun to watch. Had I known this method of navigation 20 years ago I might never have written my own software and learned so much about computer controls.

The first place Stock Class trophy fits nicely with all the Equipped Class trophies on the shelf.

No Backup lights or your Jeep won't start?

Jeep Cherokee repair Problems

Location of neutral safety switch on Jeep Cherokee


The Neutral Safety Switch controls the function of the backup lights, the 1-2 shift and as the name implies, the Neutral Starting Safety interlock. So if your Jeep won't start or you have no backup lights, the trouble may be the NSS.

This switch is way too expensive to buy a new one when it is easily cleaned to get its full function restored.

When I did mine, I broke it trying to get it off the shaft so I had to get another one from a Junk Yard. Pull a Part in Atlanta had one for $5. So be careful pulling it off the shaft!

The complete procedure is posted on this site Go Jeep

How do I get the most performance from my Jeep Cherokee

How do I get the most performance from my Jeep Cherokee?


First, we have to define performance. Since the Jeep Cherokee is such a versatile vehicle, people use them for many different purposes and therefore have different performance expectations.

I have different performance expectations from each of my Jeep Cherokees. So each of them is prepared with different Jeep Cherokee accessories.

My off road Jeep has big tires and a flexible suspension and a small engine.

My RallyJeep has a stiffer, lower suspension with small rally tires and a
jeep performance crate motor from Titan engines.

To get more performance for jeep six cylinder, the most effective way is to bore and stroke it. But you can do a lot by opening up the intake and exhaust and improving the ignition.

My daily driver is a 1991 Jeep Cherokee Laredo with a K&N intake, Dynomax exhaust, Hidden Hitch receivers front and rear, a lock rite automatic locker in the rear differential.

For more Jeep Cherokee Performance tips see my Jeep Cherokee Performance page at Jeep Girl Travels.

Great Minds - Small Minds

Remembering Lilly Fitzgerald

My High School English teacher, Ms. Fitzgerald, passed away recently. She had a big influence on my life.

She had a saying that she kept prominently posted in her classroom:

Small minds talk about people,
Average minds talk about things,
Great Minds talk about ideas.

She used this quote to inspire many students in her classes.

However, as I have been studying marketing, I think the reverse may be true as well.

It seems many people have ideas but very few make the effort to convert their ideas into tangible things. And even fewer people take the next step and make that thing available to help improve the lives of the people around them.

For example, many people talk about wanting a more powerful engine for their Jeep. But few ever take the effort to build one and even fewer people do what Titan Engines has done and make that engine affordable to a large group of people.

So if you have an idea, I challenge you to make it a reality. And if you want to learn how to share that idea with the whole Internet and be rewarded in the process, read and study Cory Rudl's method of Internet marketing. I promise it will open your mind to a whole new outlook on ideas, things, and people.

Click here now for a FREE preview!

Blow by on an Aging 4.0L

4.0 oil blow by problem
Engine repair problem

A common problem with aging 4.0L's is excessive oil blow by. On some engines oil blow by is a sign of a trashed engine, but in many cases a Jeep 4.0L has a lot of life left even after oil starts to appear in the air filter.

My 1991 Jeep Cherokee Laredo has over 250000 miles on it and is still going strong. I have eliminated the factory air box on this Jeep so I had to design a different collection system for the blow by. I routed a tube form the top of the valve cover to an old brake fluid bottle to catch the drips. There is a small hole drilled in the bottle to vent excess vapors. The oil in the bottom of the bottle acts as a filter for any air that is drawn in. I also enlarged the orifice in the vacuum line from the valve cover to the intake.



On our 1988 4.0 we added an old oil bottle for a catch can and enlarged the tubing for the vacuum line. Also we replaced the orifice in the valve cover grommet with a quarter inch plastic tube.





Or you can cure the whole problem completely by replacing your aging engine with a new stroker motor from Titan engines like I did on my Rally Jeep.

Free Thinking is not Just a Jeep Thing

I am sure Wallace D. Waddles would have driven a Jeep if they had had them in 1911. Today's guest post is by Tony Mase who has made it his business to share the teaching of Mr. Waddles with the modern world. I think Jeep people everywhere can relate to this story from under the sea.

Mike

Are You a Free Thinker or an Intellectual Prostitute?
- by Tony Mase
© Tony Mase - All Rights Reserved
http://www.constructivescience.com
===========================================
As a father whose world revolves around his eight-year-oldson, most of what little television I've watched over thelast eight years has been kids' shows, primarily cartoons.
Although I'm almost embarrassed to admit this, one of mycurrent favorites is "SpongeBob SquarePants".

I don't know why, it just is. :-)

One of my favorite episodes of "SpongeBob SquarePants" is titled "Selling Out".
In this episode, SpongeBob's employer, Mr. Krabs, sells "TheKrusty Krab" restaurant for a trailer filled with suitcasesfull of money to a corporate conglomerate that intends onturning "The Krusty Krab" into a big chain.
Although it's what he always wanted, Mr. Krabs, now rich beyond his wildest dreams, quickly discovers retirement isn't all he thought it would be.
As a matter of fact...
He finds himself bored out of his mind with absolutely nothing to do.
So...
Mr. Krabs takes a job as a busboy and dishwasher at "TheKrusty Krab", now renamed "Krabby O' Mondays", only to findout it's no longer the restaurant it once was...
Everything is now very carefully "scripted", tightly controlled by a manager following corporate manuals full ofstrictly enforced policies, procedures, rules andregulations...
Squidward is constantly smiling...
Mr. Krabs' beloved "Krabby Patties" are no longer made by hand using the finest ingredients, but by a machine using recycled garbage passed off by slick marketing to unsuspecting customers as real food...
And...
Even worse...
The customers' money is no longer collected by real sea creatures, but by an automated cash register.
When Mr. Krabs questions Carl, the new manager of "Krabby O'Mondays", Carl tells Mr. Krabs "it's better if you don't know" and closes the office door in his face.
Unable to take anymore...
With SpongeBob and Squidward standing by, scared to death to say anything for fear of being "punished"...
Mr. Krabs, who hasn't read the employee handbook, nor cares to, violates company policy and...
Speaks out...
Loudly...
So loud...
Everyone, including the customers, can hear what he knew to be "wrong".
With an "uprising" clearly underway...
Carl grabs his cell phone, calls corporate headquarters and says something to the effect of:
Code red...
We have a free thinker!
When I first saw this episode of "SpongeBob SquarePants", it immediately reminded me of a passage I'd read in a book justa few days earlier and had been pondering...
In "How to Get What You Want", a book he wrote prior to "TheScience of Getting Rich", the book for which he's best known, Wallace D. Wattles writes:
"If you are an employee and desire promotion, put life into everything you do; put in more than enough life and interest to fill each piece of work."
"But do not be servile; never be a flunkey; and above allthings avoid the intellectual prostitution which is the vice of our times in many trades and most professions."
"I mean by this the being a mere hired apologist for and defender of immorality, graft, dishonesty, or vice in anyform."
"The intellectual prostitute may rise in the service, but heis a lost soul."
"Respect yourself; be absolutely just to all; put LIFE intoevery act and thought..."
Interesting...
Although Wallace D. Wattles wrote these words nearly one hundred years ago, they could have just as easily been written today.
Think about it...
The "intellectual prostitution which is the vice of ourtimes in many trades and most professions" has since risento the level of an art form and even become a profession in and of itself.
All levels of business and government are virtually overflowing with paid apologizers, defenders and ignorers of immorality, graft, dishonesty, or vice...
People who've "sold out" their beliefs, morals and values for a paycheck, and often not a very big one at that,totally oblivious to the true cost...
"A lost soul," as Wallace D. Wattles put it.
Jesus, the Master Teacher, once asked:
"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
With that in mind...
My question for you to ponder today is...
Are you a "free thinker" like Mr. Krabs or an "intellectual prostitute" like Carl?
The choice is yours...
Make it a good one...
It may well mean the difference between having respect foryourself and being "a lost soul". :-)
-----
Tony Mase is a serious student of the works of Wallace D.Wattles and the publisher of the "A Powerful Life: The LostWritings of Wallace D. Wattles" ebook by Wallace D.Wattles...
================================================
"A Powerful Life: The Lost Writings of Wallace D. Wattles""How to Get What You Want" by Wallace D. Wattles togetherwith twenty-four other rare books and articles written byWallace D. Wattles.
Click Here => http://hop.clickbank.net/?mlstraw/aplwdw
================================================

Rallycross racing with the Stroker engine

RallyCross racing the stroker

I spent April fools day racing a RallyCross event in my rally Jeep powered by my new Titan Engines stroker motor.

Rain the night before left the field slightly muddy for the morning runs. Normally the wet morning runs are when my Jeep has an advantage over the cars.

However, I was not accustomed to the tremendous torque of the new motor. Even with 3.05 gears in place, I was able to spin all four tires at any time. In fact, I quite entertained the crowd by spraying four rooster tails anytime I opened the throttle too far. Handling suffered severely when four tires were spinning, but it sure was fun.

I decided just to have some fun and eventually learned how to hold the drifts all the way through the long sweeping turns. I eventually got the hang of the extra torque and really enjoyed the new power.
I finished third in class Modified 4wd. But I had a huge grin on my face.

To enjoy wheel spinning, mud slinging torque in your Jeep Cherokee, get your own Stroker motor from Titan engines. Tell Chuck you want one like in the RallyJeep.

Click here for Official results

http://www.rallyjeep.com/

Running the Trans America Trail

Back road Jeep Adventure

With no race to run this past weekend, some of us decided to try a different kind of adventure. We got a copy of the Tennessee section of the Trans America trail from Sam Correro and headed out in search of adventure.

This trail is designed with dual sport motorcycles in mind so we were not sure what our band of adventurers would face. We tried to be as prepared as possible. Our group consisted of what could be described as a mastermind group of ralliest. I run out of fingers and toes trying to count the many years of Rally experience gather here. Many TSD trophies can be found in the homes of those gathered there as well as rally race organizing, driving and co driving experience.

The vehicles consisted of a Subaru, A Toyota 4x4 pickup and my Jeep Cherokee. All 4wd. We had our complement of maps prepared by Wilson - our organizer, GPS plots and suggested routing, and the set of Tulip instructions form Sam. We used a combination of them all during the run.

A compete write up of the trip is posted at JeepGirl Travels.

All dressed up and no place to play

Cherokee Trails Rally Cancelled

Now that the new stoker motor is installed and tested, I need to find a new place to play. Due to high forest services fees and low entries, the organizers of the Cherokee Trails Rally were forced to back up and punt this year. As frustrated as those of us who have spent lots of time and money getting our race cars ready, I know the organizers are even more frustrated. I know they have spent a great deal of their own time and money preparing for an event that did not happen. I sure hope they can regroup and get next years event running.

I will be RallyCrossing some this year and I have a few public appearances planned. Hopefully you will see the RallyJeep in action very soon.

Driving the Stroker

New Jeep engine - Stroker Motor first drive

I now have about ten miles on my new Jeep engine. I drove it around my gravel driveway / test track last night. I was on street tires but it was amazing how I could spin all four tires any time I wanted to with just a tip into the throttle. I am still trying to keep the revs down until the engine is broken in. I will have to grade the driveway this weekend to clean up the ruts I left.

Today, I drove it down the road. Plenty of low end torque. So far no pinging even with very old gasoline in the tank. The 24 lb injectors seem to be just right.

I also took it for a quick run on one of the trails on my farm to see how it crawled. It idled along very smoothly in second gear with the T case in low range. Just the slightest tip in of throttle was required to get up the hills. In fact, being on street tires, I had to be careful not to spin them.

Overall I am impressed. Cure your Jeep Cherokee motor problems by calling Chuck at Titan engines today.

Sometimes, more traffic is a good thing

If more website traffic is what you are looking for,

I have an exciting announcement to make...

After a year's worth of research, and a whopping investment of
over $79,853.28 -- My buddy Derek Gehl and his team have just released a
special report that's going to blow the lid off everything you
THOUGHT you knew about getting FREE search engine traffic.

Do you think it's HARD to get a top-3 ranking in Google, MSN,
or Yahoo? Are you spending $1,000's on SEO (search engine
optimization) specialists... or buying pay-per-click traffic?

Then you definitely can't afford to miss this.

Because Derek's elite team of Internet marketing specialists has
put together test results and case studies that *prove* there
is still a FREE way to blast your website to a #1 ranking in
Google, Yahoo, and MSN... Yes, I said FREE!

There's tons more to tell you, so visit:

http://www.marketingtips.com/trafficsecrets/t/834007

However, please note that while the strategies that are detailed
on this page are EXTREMELY potent right now -- if you don't
begin to apply them *immediately* (i.e., within the next 90
days), the opportunity will be lost forever.

Just like those who first embraced online shopping... e-mail
marketing... and affiliate programs 10 years ago, only those
who act TODAY will claim the lion's share of the traffic and
profits.

The rest will be left to fight over crumbs!

I hope you enjoy this!



P.S. Also, I must warn you that the special FREE teleseminar
with Derek that's available on this page is only open to the
first 250 people to register. So if you're interested, I'd
advise you to move quickly and visit:

http://www.marketingtips.com/trafficsecrets/t/834007

Jeep Distributor Indexing

Indexing the 4.0 distributor
Jeep Cherokee Motor Problems

After having heard and read many horror stories about Jeep 4.0's that don't run after pulling the distributor, I was very careful about installing the distributor in my new Titan Stroker Motor.

The procedure in the factory shop manual is surprising simple:

Use a 3/4 inch wrench to rotate the engine to the zero degree mark on the Damper. This is easier if the electric fan is not in the way. Also, you must ensure that you are on the compression stoke of the engine. One way to ensure this is to watch the motion of the valves and make sure that your are using the mark just after the intake valve closes.

Another note: If you damper is old, this is a good time to make sure it is not twisted by checking that the engine really is at TDC when the damper lines up with the mark.

With the cap on the distributor, scribe a line just to the left on the number one terminal. Transfer this line down onto the metal distributor housing. On the the Renix version, it will be near where the wires come out.

Use a screwdriver to set the slot in the oil pump drive to 11 O'Clock.

Now take the distributor cap off. Eyeball the mounting tang over the mounting bolt hole in the block. Pick up the gasket you just dropped and put it back on.

Set the rotor to point to about 4 O'Clock. This will be a bit to the right of your mark.

Lower the distributor in to the hole and allow it to engage the camshaft drive gears. The rotor will turn as the gears engage. When it hits bottom, the rotor should be pointing at the mark you made earlier. If not, try again.

Put the mounting clamp on and tighten the bolt.

From the stories I have heard, the computer will not work if the distributor indexing is off even one gear tooth. By using this procedure, yours will be right. Check off another item from your list of Jeep Cherokee motor problems.

Jeep Stroker Motor Start Up

4.7L Stroker Motor

I started my Titan Stroker Motor today. All my careful planning and checking of connectors paid off in it firing up first try.

Well actually it was the second try. I had to steal the battery off the tractor as the Jeep battery seems to have gone bad while sitting. My Granddaddy Straw would have said it was from letting it sit on the concrete floor.

The Stoker motor has as very different sound from the original engine. With several 4.0's around we have become pretty accustomed to the sound a Jeep engine makes. This one sounds much throatier. It has a deeper tone. Almost like a Chevy 350 rumble but with six cylinder smoothness.

I like it.

Can't wait to get it on the road and test it out.

Stroker Motor is Here!

Jeep Stroker Motor





My new engine arrived this afternoon. I was fun getting the 48 foot van backed up to the shop door.

I started swapping parts from the core engine this afternoon. Many of them have to be cleaned thoroughly before I can reuse them. The old engine is the dirtiest one I have ever seen on the inside. See the previous posts about the motor swap.

You can get your own Stroker Motor by calling Chuck at Titan Engines. Click here to get the number. Tell him you saw it in the RallyJeep.

Brake Break at 100AW

While prechecking the route as part of my Steward Duties at 100AW, I shook loose the un attached Emergency brake cable inside the brake drum of my Jeep Cherokee. The end of the cable strated rubbing against the back of the wheel studs. This made a very loud clicking sound that resonated up the cable through the hand brake handle.

By Saturday noon, I had had as much of this noise as I could take. As I arrived in Ellington to inspect the service facilities, I ended up parked across the street from Ken Block's Subaru Service crew. That his car pictured in this post.

They were kind enough to jack up my Cherokee and loan me an impact wrench to pull the wheel and brake drum so I could rearrange the loose cable end to not make noise any more. They were a bit surprised at how fast I made the repair. They even loaned me a torque wrench to reset the lug nuts.

Not long after this good gesture, I learned that Ken had moved into first place in the event and went on to take the overall win. Good Karma from his service crew I am sure contributed to his success.

Congratulations to Ken and thanks again to the service crew!

100 Acre Wood Rally

I am working the rally in the 100 acre wood this weekend. I have been following the progress of the only Jeep entered in the event. This one is an MJ 2.5L 2wd pickup.

Dirven by James Stevens with Tess Rudder navigating.

This is their first rally. I saw really big smiles on both their faces at the service stop.

In true Jeep form, they only had to check the fluids and keep moving. No repairs were needed.

We will see what the final scores have to say tomarrow.

Scores are posted at www.rally-america.com

Death Wobble cured with bushings

On Scott's XJ Wagoneer, the control arm bushings had been damaged by the constant oil leak from the air box. See the previous post on the engine swap to see why the blow by was so bad on this engine. The soft bushings were allowing the axle to shake despite all the normal cures for death wobble. Rather than just replace the bushing with stock parts we used this opportunity to upgrade the suspension. The poly bushings make a huge improvement in on road handling and have the added bonus of being easier to install than the stock rubber ones. If we had chosen the stock replacement, I would have replaced the entire arm with a new part complete with factory installed bushings.


The complete installation is documented at mikestrawbridge.com/bushings.htm

Jeep things in life

I am not sure who first said it because it has been attributed to many different philosophers, but the phrase goes like this:

"Happiness comes not from the achievement of a goal but in the struggle to accomplish it."

At first glance this philosophy makes no sense. But those of us who would rather drive through a door handle deep mud hole or across a pile of boulders than drive on the nice paved road beside these obstacles, we understand. It a Jeep Thing.

Why do we chase after a girl who is aloof when there are plenty of friendly ones nearby. The thrill of the hunt.

Success that comes easily does not bring happiness. Look at all those lottery winners that are broke again in just a few years.

So next time something appears to be difficult or troubling, just look at it as another Jeep Thing. Have fun overcoming your obstacles. Comments?

How I attracted my Jeep Girl

Last night I saw a commercial on TV that, after I stopped laughing, reminded me of the days just before JeepGirl and I started dating.
I remember that not long after we had gotten to know one another she got a visit at school from her nice boyfriend. I made sure she saw me flirting with some of the girls from the other school that were visiting with the group. I made sure she saw them laughing and having fun with me. I also pretended not to notice her at all.

I ended up going to the basketball game that night with another group of girls and made sure we sat across the gym from JeepGirl and her boyfriend. She admitted (years later) that she had been watching me all during the game and wished she was the one laughing and joking with me.

Have fun, be yourself and get the girl. That is how the alpha male works. Too bad I did not understand any of that back then. Luckily, some of it happened naturally.

If you want to learn more about the psychology and sociology of attracting people to you, I highly recommend you check out a course by John Alanis. Click here to learn more.

Bring back the Jeep Cherokee Petition

Bring back the Jeep Cherokee Petition

To: DaimlerChrysler Corporation
We, the undersigned, ask the DaimlerChrysler Corporation to bring back the highly popular Jeep Cherokee. To us, the Cherokee is irreplaceable, and we earnestly hope that DaimlerChrysler will seriously consider producing this great vehicle once again.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned

If you love the old Cherokee and wish there was something new with a station wagon body, solid axles, a torquey engine, and true off road ability, sign this petition.

http://www.petitiononline.com/Cherokee/petition.html

Off Roading Jeep Cherokee

1991 Jeep Cherokee Lerado Pictures

Some friends showed me this climb just off the new highway south of Ellijay, Ga. It is pretty steep with a very deep V noth in the middle. Near the top, there was a rock I could not get on top of, so I had to cross the V and go around it. It was a pretty interesting climb in my street truck with no lift. I did disconnect the sway bars and air down for the climb.

eBay marketing course trial

How Brandon Dupsky made $8 Million

Do you buy your Jeep parts off eBay? Have you ever wondered about all the people selling stuff on eBay?

If making a LOT of money on eBay (for example, $100,000+ in your first year) appeals to you, I'd like to give you a Trial Copy of "The Insider Secrets of an eBay Millionaire" system...

See, I've just been given permission to send a limited number of my best customers and subscribers Trial copies of the exact system that self-made eBay millionaire Brandon Dupsky used to earn $8 MILLION on eBay in just one year. It's a tested and proven method for finding an endless supply of CHEAP products that will sell like hotcakes on eBay for BIG profits... ... *without* selling junk from around your house or scrounging stuff from flea markets and thrift shops and reselling it. You can see for yourself.

Just follow this link: http://www.auctiontips.com/trial-system/t/834007

But since this is the first time these trials have EVER been available, I expect they'll be out of stock as early as this weekend... ... so you'll need to act right away! Otherwise, the Trial Copy I've had reserved for you will be up for grabs, and someone else will be able to "steal" all of the secret strategies Brandon's been using to earn an average of $22,000.00 every DAY on eBay!

Enjoy your trial,

Mike

P.S. Don't underestimate the value of the information in this trial. The strategies that Brandon reveals in his system took him EIGHT years to learn, and cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars in research and testing! To get your Trial Copy of the "eBay Millionaire" system right way, visit: http://www.auctiontips.com/trial-system/t/834007

Speed TV Petition

I got this email from Mike Haley today:

"Pardon me for intruding, but I need your help increasing the impact of a simple, online petition. SpeedTV has replaced real motorsports, like the World Rally Championship, road racing and motorcycle racing with so-called 'reality shows' like Unique Whips (pimping out Cadillac trucks), Texas Hardtails (lightly rehearsed show about BS at a bike shop) and several others I have yet to watch since there's nothing SPEED about any of them, so I signed an online petition and would ask you to spend a couple of minutes to sign it. Please visit - http://www.petitiononline.com/SpdTV/petition.html - to help 'the cause.' Thanks!"


If you want to see rally racing on SpeedTV, sign this petition now!

New Guard Dog

As those of you who get the JeepGirl Travels newsletter already know, we lost Jack our greeter / guard dog last week.


We now have a new ferocious guard puppy. I call him Smash after the Ogre in Piers Anthony's book Ogre Ogre.

Welcome Smash to the family!

Road Rally, Rally Racing, Rally Cross?

What is a Rally?

My love of rallying began at school at Tennessee Tech. About once a month, the Golden Eagle Sports Car Club would have a navigational road rally. In these events you were to follow a set of route instructions and arrive at secret checkpoint locations along the route. You either had to arrive at the correct time or get the answers to questions along the way - sometimes both.

Being engineering majors and sports car nuts, my roommate and I took well to this game. We instantly began looking at ways to improve our skills. We wrote crude calculator programs to figure our time and worked to improve the accuracy of our odometers. Since most of the events were at night, we built lots of lighting gadgets to see both inside the car and out.

Later our efforts evolved into the CompuRally computer software that both measures and calculates TSD rally information. We ran the SCCA national circuit and got a couple of first place trophies before moving on to other interests. I still like to run a regional rally with the Georgia Sports car club or TLSCC in middle Tennessee. My local region never showed much interest in TSD rally although we did have some fun events.

They did however support Rally Racing and Rally Cross. Rallycross is where you race in a field on a miniature road course marked by pylons or barrels. This sport has been lots of fun in the Jeep. It reminds me of the days when my grandfather would send me out to the field to get a part off a dozer and I would slalom the pickup through the junk tractors.


Then there is Rally racing. This is where you run a gravel road through the forest as fast as you can. The sport is normally dominated by Subaru's and Mitsubishi's but I have had a lot of low budget fun racing a Jeep Cherokee. I call it RallyJeep based on SCCA's tendency to make new words by running two together. See more about my Rally racing at www.rallyjeep.com

Stay tuned for this years rally activities.

Dakar is done

Euromilh�es Dakar

"93 bikers, 67 car crews and 33 trucks eventually made it to the finish line of the 28th Euromilhoes-Lisboa-Dakar. Luc Alphand in the car race and Marc Coma on two wheels were both crowned for the first time. Vladimir Chagin, behind the steering wheel of his Kamaz conquered his fifth title. "

American Mark Miller finished 5th.

Read More:

Advanced Potty Training

Lots of Jokes - Urinal Challenge

Here is a test for advanced Potty Training for men.

So you just thought you were finished potty training when you were three.

Toddlers click here.

Why we like Jeep Girls

Jeep Bouncy And Fun at Kontraband

I think this video (TV ad?) explains the real reason guys like Jeep Girls. And if you a still wondering how to get a cute Jeep babe to go out in the woods with you, John Alanis has a new program to explain step by step how to attract a Jeep Chick. Well not just Jeep Girls, but women in general. Click here. Actually not just women. He explains how to have the confidence to face any situation and be more respected in any pier group. Who knows, maybe the others in your Jeep Club may even start to like you.

Jeep Cherokee 4.0 Firing order

firing order for jeep cherokee inline six

I can never remember the firing order for my 4.0's so I am lising it here so I can find it.

FIRING ORDER

For your 1991 JEEP CHEROKEE 4WD:
FIRING ORDER 1-5-3-6-2-4

#1 is in Front 1 2 3 4 5 6

DISTRIBUTOR ROTATES CLOCKWISE ------------

Jeep Death Wobble

Jeep Cherokee Repair Problem

One common problem on the Jeep Trailing Arm front suspension is a wild shimmy that we call Death Wobble. If you have ever experienced it, you know why it is called death wobble. It feels like the whole front axle is going to shake out from under the Jeep. You are sure your are going to die when it happens. Often it is triggered by hitting a bump or just driving a certain speed if you have a tire out of balance.

Some time ago, Dora Fang put together a list for the XJ list.

Here's Dora's Death wobble list:

Front tires out of balance
Front alignment out of spec
Loose track bar
Worn track bar bushings
Worn track bar end
Need adjustable track bar
Bad bushings/joints in control arms
Worn/damaged steering stabilizer
Worn/damaged shocks
Worn/damaged tie rod end
Bad U Joint
Bad ball joint
Loose frame mount
Steering box looseness
Need drop pitman arm
Drive shaft(s) not balanced
Bad front hub assembly
Wrong size wheel studs in hub

Not specifically mentioned on her list is changing the caster. (she does mention alignment specs) However, Stock specs don't always work to remove Death Wobble. Larger tires often require less caster than stock. I have cured it in the past by adding caster as well. We cured it on Scott's Wagoneer by installing Poly control arm bushings. Click here for the story.

Jeep Woodgrain

1988 Jeep Wagoneer

Scott wanted something a little different from all the white Cherokees in the driveway. He restored this 1988 Jeep woodgrain Wagoneer. He says it looks like it is still in the box it was shipped in.

Looks like the RallyJeep engine has found a good home.

Jeep Girls

What makes a Jeep Girl special?

What is it about Girls in Jeeps that makes them so special? Is it their sense of adventure? Is it the fact they don't mind getting their hair messed up? Or that they look great with no makeup other than a bit of mud on their cheeks?

The best Jeep girls are not flaky. You can depend on them. They are not afraid to tell you what is on their mind.

Whether you call them Jeep Babes, or Jeep Chicks or Jeep Girls, going off road is more fun with a fun female.



Add your comments on why you like Jeep Girls.

Growler Jeep

There has been some talk in the papers lately about the Jeep Growler or Growler Jeep. The company's web site www.americangrowler.com has been under reconstruction lately so I am not sure exactly what they make. From the articles, looks like they take used Jeep parts and make new vehicles from them. Seems they used to sell a kit for about $7,000 now they are selling vehicles to the marines for $300,000.

Here is an article with pictures:

I am all for recycling used Jeep parts into new vehicles. See Scuffy. Wonder if I could sell Scuffy for $300,000. Well probably if I added guns, rocket launchers, and fancy GPS targeting stuff I could.

If you know any real info about the Growler Jeep, please comment.

Miller still doing well at DAKAR

Miller is still hangiong on to 8th place today. Still not making up any time on the leader.

17:39 - car
Miller sets second best time in the stage
American Mark Miller, at the wheel of his Race Touareg II, finished the 508 km stage in the same second as Stéphane Peterhansel at 6’52’’ behind today’s winner, Thierry Magnaldi.

American set second fastest stage time at DAKAR

17:39 - car
Miller sets second best time in the stage
American Mark Miller, at the wheel of his Race Touareg II, finished the 508 km stage in the same second as Stéphane Peterhansel at 6’52’’ behind today’s winner, Thierry Magnaldi.

Gordon is listed out after stage 8

Whitney on the Harley is listed out after stage 3.

Miller is only 2 hours behind the leader so there is hope for America yet. And we know Volkswagens can drive themselves across the desert.

A Harley at Dakar?

A Harley on BFG Mud Terrains?

With a side car?

OK, I think I have seen everything now. I tracked down some info on the Harley that is running dakar and found out it has a sidecar. Who would be crazy enough to ride in a side car in a rally through the desert?

Then looking through their pictures I noticed they are running BFG Mud Terrains!

Dakar Rally

No Jeeps, but an H3 entered.

There is also a Harley listed on the entry list but I can't find any info about it.

I have been trying to follow robby Gordons run at Dakar in the H3. Looks like he has had transmission trouble and had to drop way behind.


According to this report by USA Today.


I still want to run this rally in a Jeep someday!

Mike

Christmas Toys

Radio Controlled Rock Crawler

One of the toys I got this year was this RC rock crawler. It is lots of fun. The battery lasts longer than my trigger finger. It climbs pretty well and has great articulation, but it does have trouble in tall grass and has very little clearance under the axles. Need taller tires!




Crashes don't hurt near as bad as in a real rock crawler!





More pictures are posted at JeepGirlTravels.com

Motor Swap continued

Jeep Cherokee Motor Problems


This is the nasty engine that we replaced. No wonder it had problems.

I don't think I have ever seen one so gunked up. The oil could barely drain out of the valve cover. That explains why it would spray oil out the blow-by vent and why the main bearing were shot. I wish I knew what kind of oil they were using so I could avoid it.

We now have the race motor installed in Scott's Wagoneer and he made a 170 mile trip. Running fine so far.

Motor Swap Progress

Swapping engines between two 1988 Jeep Cherokees

Well the race car motor is now bolted in place in the Wagoneer. Still need to hook up the exhaust and coling system.
I checked on a replacement engine for the race car yesterday. I found that the one I had a chance to buy last summer is no longer available as of this past Sunday. What timing? I guess I will be building my own stroker motor. No I just have to decide if I should buy rods or pistons?

JeepGirl's Christmas tree

Pictures of a decorated Christmas tree

Getting this Christmas tree was an adventure! Click for the story and more pictures.



Our decorated Christmas Tree. O Christmas Tree O Christmas Tree!

Beasley Knob scouting trip

Yesterday I went to Blairsville, Ga to take a look at Beasley Knob OHV to see if it was a good place to take a trip with some friends. I wanted to see the parking lot and access before towing Scuffy that far.

When I found the park, the gates were locked. So before leaving town I stopped by the ranger station to see what I could learn. After talking with the cute ranger - Allison? - she said she would open up the gates and let me take a look. After lunch I went back to the gate and waited a bit. Soon one of the ranger guys showed up and open the gate for me.

Since I was alone with no recovery gear, I did not explore too far. I went part way up the "difficult" B trail that Allison told me about. I turned around when it started getting steep as she had warned me it was hard to turn around once you got into the real climb.

I continued down the gravel road to where it joined the c trail. This one was more interesting and a bit slippery as the ice in the mud was just starting to thaw. I made it to the top of the hill with little trouble but I decided not to try the downhill section as I was not able to stand up on the slippery slope when I went to look at what was the best line.

I hope to get back with Scuffy to do some real trail running before the park closes for the winter.

Mike

Busy Weekend

1988 Jeep Cherokees trading engines

Wow what a busy few days. It started with a simple sounding project - swap the motor form the RallyJeep to Scott's Wagoneer. Both are 88 models so that every thing should match up. Pulled both XJ's into the shop and started taking stuff apart. The original plan was to pull the manifolds off and set them aside leaving all the wiring in place, but after the lower header bolts refused to budge, we found we could disconnect the main harness at the firewall and leav all the wiring attached to each engine. We figured this out only after disconnecting all 12 injector plugs.

Anyway, as it tands now, both engines are out, the Wagoneer motor is apart and looks really nasty inside. The race motor is getting a flex plate installed and the harmonic damper repalced. Found the mystery squeak!!!

Pictures to follow.

RallyCross Racing

With fuel prices high and too many projects going on, I have not followed the Rally America Series out west. I even skipped Rally du Paris this year.

I have been filling the need for speed gap with RallyCross racing. RallyCross is to Rally what Autocross is to road racing. In RallyCross, we set up a small course in a field and run cars one at a time against the clock. All your runs for the day are added to together to get your final score.

I have been racing my 91 Cherokee that is also my Daily Driver. This Jeep has a Rocket City intake and a Dynomax exhaust. Poly control arm bushings and poly sway bar bushings in the front. The rear axle is a Chrysler 8.25 fitted with a Lock Rite locker. The rear sway bar is stock in the stock rubber bushings. The rest of the XJ is pretty much stock.

It has been a lot of fun to drive at the RallyCross and gives the Subaru's a run for their money.

See lots of pictures posted here.

Another rainy day

It is raining here in Tennessee today. I expect the creek crossing in the woods is going to be very deep. Here is what it looks like when the water is low:

Red XJ goes WAY north

Our friends Bill and Gail took their XJ from Tennessee to Canada this summer. They have been kind enough to share their story and pictures on JeepGirl's site.

They own Rivergate Racing where I get my Rally Jeep serviced.

Their story is posted here.

Attica

Jeep Cherokee off road

Just for some slower paced but still very exciting adventure, I took Scuffy the off road Jeep to Attica Indiana for a run at the Badlands. There I met up with the fellow XJers from the XJ list.

More info and pictures are posted on JeepGirl's site at www.jeepgirltravels.com

Introduction

Welcome to the adventures of JeepGirl and SpeedRacer. We are a fun loving couple that enjoys the outdoors and exploring it in our various Jeep Cherokees. Sometimes we just ride, sometimes we race, sometimes we get dressed up and go some place nice but we always try to have fun. Stay tuned for more history and updates.