May 2009 - Erie Jeep People Forums

Jerry Paduano (Jerry94yj) editor
Steve Simkovic (ErieJeepSteve), President
(MAY 2009)
Bill Moses (XJBill), Vice President
EJPer Of The Month
Chris Simoson
•
The slate began 10 years ago by picking up a clean stone white ’96 Cherokee with a 4.0L, 5 forward gears to grind, and
25k under its belt. It was unblemished and quick. We’re now probably around 140k miles and on its fourth build version,
currently turning 39.5” Iroks wrapped around 17” diy beadlocks. It hasn’t been self propelled interstate speeds since I
moved to PA two years ago, and the hood might be the only unscathed body panel left.
The drivetrain now features 60’s front and rear courtesy of a ’79 f350, both fitted with Detroit lockers, 5.38 gears, and 35
spline alloy shafts. Suspension is a 3 link front and double triangulated rear 4 link, designed for slight roll understeer and
multiple mounting points with a wide lift/squat adjustment range. Hydraulic assist steering uses a 8x1.5” cylinder, some
D.O.M. tubing, and 1-ton tie rod ends.
I wanna say the wheelbase is 104.5” and the track width is just enough to squeeze through the trailer fenders at 82”.
Minimum ground clearance… well that’s what the diffguards are for… back up and bump it. It is a fat pig I’d guess 5000+/500#. It ramped something > 1000 at a recent EJP comp run where it usually places dead last in the timed events.
Most of the body work was ‘suggested’ by the trails, predominantly in the southeast. The winch has been recessed into
the grill but the bumper still likes to smack ledges. The doors are removable so I can stick my head out further and get
into driver tire vision only mode, oblivious to what the other 3 are doing. The cage is primarily 1 ¾” D.O.M. and tied into
the frame. The rockers were replaced with box tubing tied to frame and cage. The gas tank (I've got a funny story to tell
around the campfire about removing dents from that little guy) was relocated into the bed. Only recently did it loose the
rear glass; in fact the backend was chopped off, bobbed a bit, and dovetailed. Future plans should include some kind of
fancy-shiny transfer case with multiple levers to irritate those that don’t have front dig.
If you're still reading, here’s a little bit about myself… I'm 28 years old and moved up to PA in 2007 for a job where I am a
diesel engine performance and emissions engineer. I've spent some time in SC and TN where I grew up in Bristol. You
may have heard of my hometown if you're a NASCAR fan (don’t tell anybody but I’ve never been to a race). Some random
facts: I lived in Africa for 2 years and climbed Mt Kilimanjaro, played in the world’s largest soccer tournament in Sweden
on a Christian soccer team, and scuba dove in the Great Barrier Reef... See yall on the trails!!
•
Here’s how Chris came up with his screen name (SIMO)
Want to be EJPer in the next addition? Send me a
description of your Jeep, a bio. on yourself and a littleknown tid bit that most wouldn’t know about you! Jerry
(jerry94yj)
Chris Simoson says,
somewhere in high
school he picked up
a shortened
nickname “SIMO”
(said with a long “I”
and long “O”)
Camping & wheeling go together like beer and pretzels!
So here’s a few tips to help you make the best of your
experience!
•
•
When camping sometimes it can get damp, wet or down right cold.
These conditions can all make it more difficult to get a fire going,
going, to help keep you
warm, or to cook on. Here are a couple of fire starting tips for those times.
To help with starting a fire…
fire….
1. Put a piece of charcoal in each section of a paper egg carton. Cover with melted wax.**
Tear apart and use as needed.
2. You can also use sawdust, dryer lint or Pistachio shells instead of the charcoal.
OR
Use pine cones covered with wax.**
Need a quick charcoal fire?
Pack charcoal in paper egg cartons and tie shut. When ready to use, just light the carton.
Prepare soups, stews or chili etc. ahead of time.
Freeze and keep in cooler. Reheat for a quick meal.
To cook hamburgers more evenly throughout, put a
hole in the middle of your hamburger about the size
of your finger, during grilling the hole will
disappear but the center will be cooked the same as
the edges.
Jerry94yj
Here are some official and non official EJP events for the next few months :
May:
9th Steve and Katie have invited everyone to there Stag-N- Drag @ Presque Isle Snowmobile club.
June:
6th & 7th - Spring Trip Outback Adventure Series at Siz Points in Eau Claire, Pa
28th - Member Meeting at Sommerlyst ( not sure of time yet)
July:
3rd - Fourth of July Show n Shine and Fireworks at Sommerlyst
4th - Millcreek Township Fourth of July Parade.
As always with the events calendar : everything is subject to change( additions and / or deletions), so keep a close watch on our
web site for details.
Copyright 2009 Erie Jeep People. The Jeep brand, models, images, and logos are trademarks of the DaimlerChyrsler Corporation. Erie Jeep People is
not affiliated with the DaimlerChrysler Corporation.
Woods
EJP Calendar
of events
and trail
rides
ACER
Offroad
March 21st
Matt
3-21 Trail ride ACER Offroad in Corry.
3-28 EJP Meet-N- Greet at The Fox and The Hound !
Check the website for details, and more upcoming
events.
Well EJP had its first official trail ride of the year March
21st at ACER offroad (AKA Matt’s.) The weather was
great for wheeling, mostly sunny a littlie on the cool side
yet, but hey, It was still March after all!
After a little talk on trail etiquette and safety from our trail
coordinator Mark (WOODS) we were off for the woods.
The trail conditions were mud, mud, and more mud, not the
deep mud holes you find latter in the season when there’s
muddy water on top that looks bad, but has plenty of rocks
and gravel underneath for traction. Nope, this was mud
plain and simple, dark, cold, thick, fill in your tread sticky
mud. Finding traction on flat ground was bad enough but
those little bumps, small hills and tight turns made for an
interesting day.
There were at least 20 jeeps on the trails, quite a line up.
Every time we would stop because someone up front was
stuck on an obstacle, we would run up to check it out, but
by the time we got there the action was over, and by the
time I made it back to my jeep it was my turn to move. Next
time we have a large group I’m going to find a spot in the
middle so I might make it to the front, or rear in time to see
some of the exciting stuff.
This was one of the largest, most diversified EJP groups
I’ve seen yet, everything from stock jeeps on street tires, to
a bad ass XJ, Dana 60s, locked front and rear, riding on
39.5” Irocks, which had to drag my junk up the ravine and
out of the woods after my front hub gave way in the bottom
of the inescapable ravine. Many a jeep went in and up it.
But I believe only two made it out the top under there own
power.
There were a few new EJP members that came and got
there feet wet, so to speak. We had one guy that should
be featured as worst stuck here, but unfortunately there are
no pics. and I never got his name. Let me just say it took
plenty of, (try this try that) ,tugging and pulling HI-Lifting
blocking and a double line pull from a good winch to finally
get him off what basically was a wicked bump in the road.
There were also a few seasoned members that came out
without their wheels, and I commend them for doing so,
just to help with spotting people, pushing, tugging, and
training proper safety and wheeling technique’s.
The carnage / damage report seemed to be quit long,
although most were minor scratches scrapes and dents. I
can tell this is going to be a great season, come on out and
join the fun.
Jerry94yj
•
Slippin
and a
sliden all
day long!!
SPOTTING A JEEP
Here’s how it happens, you’ve just spent the past couple hours trail riding
with a great group of Jeepers, (EJP) of course, you have successfully
transverse thru mud, up a steep hill, over a steep slippery bank, and
across a creek, your having the time of your life, you have just watched
two fellow jeepers, tackle a small but steep waterfall, with a few spins
of their tires, raking the front wheels back and forth, and a quick bump
over the ledge and they were on top of the world!
Now it’s your turn,
you’re about to OD. on adrenaline, your body temperature rises your palms
get sweaty, and your eyes glaze over. You tell your self, this is no big
deal, I can do this, if they did, it so can I. You take off, your Jeep is
rocking and rolling over the rough terrain, your front tires slowly begin
to climb up the steepest part of your assent, spectators are yelling “kill
it, nail it, tires wet and churning, the front axle starts pulling the
Jeep to the right, sliding slowly down into a monolith of granite. There’s
a crunching sound followed by a slow screeching of sheet metal. Someone
yells out "A little more to the left". Four other people are also yelling
at you, shouted out well intended directions. "Doesn't look good over
here", "Oh no, that beautiful paint job!"; and, "too fast". "Maybe a little
lower tire pressure", yells another. Everyone is trying to help but the
calamity of unorganized direction just confuses the issue. Wow, this sucks
(you say to yourself.) If you have a passenger whom you trust to help you out
of this situation (AKA your spotter), now is their time to shine, If not I
recommend asking a qualified wheeler to spot you. A good spotter can
help you tame an obstacle, or at least get you back on level ground without
sustaining more damage than you already have.
A note too interested observers:
Ask the driver if he or she wants to be spotted. You need to ask if
they WANT help. Many overlook this obvious piece of etiquette. There’s a
great tendency to start shouting out advice from your vantage point.
We must understand some jeepers have such a high degree of ability on
the trail; they do not want or need a spotter. They rely on memorizing
the trail just before they go over it, taking mental snap shots of the
route. If you encounter one of these talented and highly developed
jeepers, just sit back and watch the show. Shout all you want at them,
they won’t listen anyway. Alas, most of us are not of that caliber, and
rely on someone to spot us over the really torturous areas. These may be
where there is a good chance of getting out of control by sliding or
rolling over, or a high degree of exposure, where you might actually go
over a cliff, endo, or sustain vehicle damage or personal physical harm.
Sometimes inches make a great deal difference when driving on perilous
terrain. This is where you DO need a spotter.
Ground rules
Once the driver has said he/she will accept your advice and directions,
here's what to do:
1. One spotter at a time is preferred. The spotter usually stands in
front facing the vehicle from the side of the route where the driver can
see his/her hand signals.
2. Sometimes it is important to have an additional spotter at the rear,
or where ever there is a problem area. This spotter only yells, "Hoap",
"Stop", or "Wait", before the going gets to the damage stage. The second
spotter only stops the proceedings and does not direct the driver in any
other way.
3. Hand signals are the best. Particularly if you’re hearing is impaired
either naturally like mine or from loud external sources, Engine,
exhaust, or a screaming crowd. Both driver and spotter must clearly
understand any hand signals before starting. Below are some come
commonly used hand signals. It’s best to use one hand that the driver
can easily see.
· FORWARD: Using the "thumb up" in the vertical position with one hand
means, "move forward slowly". Slowly pivot your thumb fore to aft
signaling the speed at which to move.
· TURN RIGHT OR LEFT: Leaning your thumb a little or a lot to the right
or left, indicates the degree to which you would like the driver to
change direction of the steering wheels. To be more insistent, you can
jab your thumb more vociferously to obtain a quicker response.
· STOP: A flat hand held in the vertical "Stop" mode, means just that.
· REVERSE: If you need to have them back up and try again on another
line, signal your intentions by waving them off and motioning for them
to go back by swinging your hand toward them. Most of the time it is
best to walk up and tell them this, as they will already be at a stop.
This is a good time for the spotter to go to the rear of the Jeep and
give "verbals" to get back to a place where the driver can try again.
TRUST: You must trust your spotter, they signal-you move, just keep
looking at them, not the trail, because you generally can't see the
trail like they can. "Trust, if you don’t your on your own, and unless
you can remember exactly what’s under your jeep or you have a camera
mounted to your skid plate, (Not a good Idea by the way) trust your
spotter, or get used to those ugly grating metal sounds associated with
a truly tough trail.
Copyright 2009 Erie Jeep People. The Jeep
brand, models, images, and logos are
trademarks of the DaimlerChyrsler Corporation.
Erie Jeep People is not affiliated with the
DaimlerChrysler Corporation.
FOX & HOUND M&G 3-28-09
The meet and greet was a great time! It was nice to get out and see some old friends after a long cold winter.
There were also a lot of new faces there (Welcome to EJP Ya’ll!)
Plenty of jeepin conversations, new mods. Proposed trail rides, and a great basket of goodies to give to a lucky
winner, = (Iridebtch) Katty!
It’s fixe’n to be a fun filled season!
p
i
c
s
\
5
.
j
p
g
You may have to cut the handle
down a bit like we did if you
have a long Hi-Lift, But it’s a
perfect fit on a YJ, TJ or XJ tie
rod.
The wild
monkey
Thanks Steve, Rick and Randy
for showing me this trick!
.
.
\
d
a
d
s
Did you know that you can
use a HI-lift handle to sleeve a
bent tie rod? I didn’t, until I
bent mine on some rocks at
Rausch Creek in 2007 with
.
EJP.
SAY’S…..
Oh, and the extra muscle!
Remember
this is a
temporary
trail fix!
HiHi- Lift Handle
Hi-Lift Handle
Be sure to
replace
your tie
rod and
the Hi-lift
handle
when you
get home!