[ihc] My day in the sun

[John Hofstetter <hofs@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Our friend, the Blue Ribbon Ambassador, Del Albright is down here in
Southern California representing BRC at the annual Tierra del Sol Safari
which is held in and on a huge piece of desert land that has been designated
as an OHV park. Around a 100 square miles, which I think is larger than some
of the states from which you guys hail.

So, we go down to join Del and the head of the San Diego based club, John
Stewart, for a trail ride through the course they had set up.

The Scout was doing great, up, down, very hard left, very hard right, very
hard left and up, very hard right and down. You get the picture.

Wanda and I come over a hill, out on to a flat, and the Scout no longer will
steer toward the right. It'll turn left, it'll go straight, but will not go
right at all. 

I had torn the front shackle mount out of the frame on the front left spring
hanger. I didn't know you ever tore out front shackle mounts. I guess I know
that now. 

So, I took the Hi-lift jack that I had won at RMIHR off the front of the
Scout, jacked up the front left side, and the guys put a 4 inch slab of
sandstone between the frame and the spring eye. We let down the jack and the
rock spit into pieces. Jacked it up again (By the way, how come nobody ever
told me that Hi-lift jacks only work if lubricated properly?) and put a 4
inch piece of granite in there. The rock was kind of pointed on the top and
that point fit into the hole in the frame, so actually it was pretty secure.
We ran the winch cable down and used it to pull the spring into position.

This got us out to the vendor area where the B F Goodrich racing support
team welded the shackle mount back into its place. Then the guy from BFG
looked at the right side mount and it was cracked loose and was about to go.
So he welded that side up.

It's still early afternoon, so Del and we head out again. We come over the
top of a high steep hill and as we start down, I have no brakes. The brake
pedal is hard, but I'm getting no stop at all. I can't push hard enough on
the brake pedal if the assist isn't there to even slow the vehicle down. So,
with a 100 square miles to play in, a Bronco is crossing my trail at the
bottom of the hill I'm hurdling down. Not much I can do except honk and
holler, but I got his attention and because he was sure that I was crazy, he
slowed enough to allow me to get by.

The Scout stops when it gets ready to stop, and I get out to check the
brakes. Remember the pedal is completely hard. I pop the hood and there is
smoke and flames coming up out of the engine. Fortunately, I remember where
I mounted my fire extinguisher, I grab it, and put out the fire. It flares
again, and I put it out again. Again, and yet again. Some liquid is dripping
down onto Stan's header and bursting into flame.

I can't find any leaks to be the source of the liquid. Del is underneath the
Scout to check for leaks not visible from the top, I start the engine and
start looking for the brake problem. Aha, that check valve at the booster
has literally blown its top. No vacuum getting into the booster. AND, I
think that must have been where the liquid came from that was bursting into
flames. 

I put a lot of black Permatex around the edges of a quarter, and put it over
the opening, tell Del that I've had enough and that he undoubtedly has had
enough, and head for home. No problem on the way home except that I'm so
tired I keep almost falling to sleep.

Del and I both agreed that finding problems there with all that help
available was good preparation for Death Valley. If the Scout had broken
badly up where Wanda was hurt, it would still be there.

So there's a silver lining to every cloudy day. Except that there wasn't
even a cloud so I guess that made the silver lining a little harder to find.

I wonder if the Hell-for-stout extended length shackles that I have on the
Scout don't increase the leverage on those front mounts. As I've already
said, I'm well aware of the rear mounts breaking loose, but I've never seen
the front ones break out.

Del has some photos of the rock fix and the dynamite guys from BFG, and when
they are up and available, I'll let you know where.

John

John Hofstetter
www.goldrush.com/~hofs