Vengeance

[Jdofmemi]

I am a little bit behind on this one, but today is a good day to catch up. 

 

I bought Vengeance in Tennessee on March 25th, 2021. 

 

He was all cleaned up, looking pretty. 

 

[Jdofmemi]

Of course we all know that wouldn't last long, as the next morning I met some friends at Windrock Park to wheel for 2 days before the 2,000 mile drive home. 

 

12 hours after the purchase, you couldn't tell what color it was. 

 

Less than 24 hours until the first breakdown, the transmission cable came loose. 

 

I can't believe how low this Jeep sits back then. It would high center on anything bigger than an anthill. 

[Jdofmemi]

Moab was fun, but with limited trail selection due to lack of clearance to get over the big ledges found on most trails. 

 

Hit Top of the World, Pritchet Canyon, and Hells Revenge. 

 

 

[Jdofmemi]

By May, I had to address the height, starting with a set of 40s. 

Ended up getting Cooper STT Pros, as that was all I could find. I really wanted to get Nitto, especially since it was all over the rig, but they weren't anywhere to be found. 

 

The 40s helped some, but come with major clearance issues. 

 

First tested on Apple Crush and Mousetrap. 

[Jdofmemi]

Sand Hollow was up next. It was a blast. 

 

Found more limitations. Learned I hated the fenders. I kept needing to get winched off of things to keep them from being ruined. 

 

Killed most of the things we tried though. 

 

The crack on Fallen, Wall of Doom, up the Drop on the Maze, nearly made it up Totally Nuts, and played in the Soup Bowl. 

[Jdofmemi]

Colorado trip brought in a loaner hood from the White Jeep, so I could loose the fenders. That helped. 

[Jdofmemi]

Big Bear run brought a failed PSC pump. 

 

40s with no power steering is. A long day. 

[Jdofmemi]

Trail Hero was fun. 

 

Got to hang with a lot of cool rigs. 

 

The new hood in black looks much better. 

 

The low COG is useful for some things

[Jdofmemi]

Nearly forgot, the day before Trail Hero was spent changing the transmission

 

 

[Jdofmemi]

Time ran out on swapping the armored transmission pan, and the stock one is not suitable for a rig this low. 

 

Back to the armored pan after doing this at Panamint Valley Days. 

 

Also broke 3 out of 5 studs on the right rear. That cut out the hard run we had planned on Isham Canyon. Maybe next year. 

[Jdofmemi]

Before the next trip, it was time to loose the EVO Quarter Pounder. 

I was tired of the lack of clearance, hitting it on every ledge I tried to climb. 

 

Added a VKS Felon frame chop bumper. 

It has a much improved approach angle, and is less than half the weight of the bloated Quarter Pounder. 

[Jdofmemi]

New years at Sand Hollow. 

 

Even better than the last 2 times. 

 

The pit crew cranked the ride height up a bit. It helped, but still needs more. 

 

Have I mentioned how the spare tire drags on everything, and has hung me up repeatedly?  Starting to hate it. 

 

All buttoned up for winter wheeling, snow and all. 

 

Was a fun time. 

[fiend]

Love the vengeance story.  glad you're having so much fun with it.

[Jdofmemi]

January Death Valley run with friends. 

 

Made me hate the open rear end. Dust can't be kept out. It was worse with the windows up than down, even with no one in front of me.

 

[Jdofmemi]

Pilot Rock with friends. 

 

 

[fiend]

4 minutes ago, Jdofmemi said:

January Death Valley run with friends. 

 

Made me hate the open rear end. Dust can't be kept out. It was worse with the windows up than down, even with no one in front of me.

 

Oh man. I remember that dust. I felt so bad for you. 

[Jdofmemi]

Out of sequence on this one. Calico before Death Valley. 

 

Tried but couldn't quite make it up the Doran Gatekeeper. 

Maybe next time. 

 

 

[Jdofmemi]

Motino Wash

 

 

[Jdofmemi]

Hammers was interesting. 

 

ARB compressor died on the first obstacle. No worries, carried on the rest of the day with open diffs. 

 

Had to drive it, but made everything we tried. 

 

I did have to pass on some harder lines though. 

[AJK]

Did you get the new COs installed?

[Jdofmemi]

9 minutes ago, AxK said:

Did you get the new COs installed?

Fronts. 

 

The new tears are shorter than the old ones. 

I need to get Devin to rebuild the rears now. 

 

I put the fronts on, and cranked 3" of preload into the rear. 

 

Stance is great now, and the performance is much better. I can sure tell the difference between the rebuilt fronts and the non rebuilt rears. 

 

Best part is that even though I raised the ride height about 2" or more, it's actually more stable since I now have about 6" more droop in the front. 

[Jdofmemi]

Arizona trip was fun. 

 

We had a local guy to show us the way, and trails were great. 

 

As stated above, the new front coilovers went on the second day. 

It got me up over many places I could never make before. 

 

I also ditched the spare, so it wasn't dragging around, keeping me from making it up things. 

 

I am already looking forward to a return visit there. 

 

No trail names or locations, just a good time. 

 

I may have rubbed a spot or two, and the exhaust left the chat. 

Funny thing is it's barely louder now than it was. Probably not going to replace it

 

Oh, the new Ram 1500 did great towing out there and back. Not quite the mileage I had hoped for, but close to 15 is nothing to complain about. 

[Jdofmemi]

I added a set of Mopar half doors that Jeff was kind enough to transport for me. 

 

They look pretty good on there. 

[Jdofmemi]

Oh, one more thing. 

 

I think I'm done packing the spare tire around, dragging it on things. 

 

Just have to broaden my tire repair kit a little bit. 

[wjtstudios]

Such a epic Jeep! Looks like Arizona was a blast!