Off Roading Hungry Valley, CA

[cummins_crewcab]

We just ran the miller jeep trail the other night. Ran it from midnight to about 4:00am. Doing it at night definately makes it interesting

 

[JGheen]

I have heard of that trail before, where is it exactly? What rig did you take on the trail? Do you think it would be sufficent enough for my dually?

Don't think I could do it from 10:00 to 4:00, that's pretty late. Did you run it at night, to stay away from the heat of the day?

 

[cummins_crewcab]

I took this:



#ad




No way your dodge would fit, it's a trail made for jeeps. My chevy had to make 3-4 point turns around some parts and there are some 3-4 foot ledges to drop off of while turning, I got pretty off camber.



It's an easy trail, we had a jeep leading us and he had no problems since he could go around everything. My buddy and I tried to hit everything though, every rock we drove over, I didn't build my truck to go around stuff



I got some new dents and scratches from trees, if you tried to take a dually through there you would end up with no fenders in the rear and not a whole lot of paint left on the rest of the truck.

 

[JGheen]

Damn, Crewcab! We need to play follow the leader up Vic's Cat trail or some of the other HV black diamond trails. That chevy is pretty tough lookin'! I like having no bumper in the rear, makes for easy, STEEP hill climbs!

I'll take your word for it about the Jeep trail, but I have been on a few trails before in the Coalinga area at my uncle's ranch and they all thought I would come back with no rear fenders as well, but I showed them and came back with just a few scratches that the 'ol Turtle wax took right out. I even had to pull my uncle's jeep out of a sloppy mudhole up at the top of some hill where a natural spring was. Always like using the winch since i have had it for 3 years now and only used it 3 times.

What other toys do you have to bash the trails with? Soon it's going to be time to lift that tow rig like I did to mine.

Well, I might be up at HV this Sunday morning. Installing my ATS manifold on the truck on Saturday, so gonna be cleaning the engine and working on it all day, but testing on Sunday if I get it done. Let me know if you want to meet up there, and we'll take some trails. Remember i like to go early, too darn hot for anything past 10:30am.



Joe

 

[cummins_crewcab]

Well this trail is tight, I hit my cage and "bed" all over the place on trees and used it to pivote around trees to get through. Basically I would pull up next to the tree and turn to full lock and the side of the truck would hit the tree and the truck would pivot around, I don't think that would work to well on your truck though



Anywho, can't this weekend, I was playing in the rocks a few weeks back and destroyed my t-case crossmember, going to build a new one in a few days but as of right now I cannot shift the t-case.



The chevy is my only trail rig. It's built for rocks and harder trails such as the hammers family in Johnson Valley.

 

[JGheen]

Well, shoot, we'll have to make it another weekend. Let me know how the crossmember swapage goes. Why do you have to "build" one? Are your drivetrain components different then what originally came in that truck? Are you running a TH400 and a NP205 combo or something else? That is what my old '71 had underneath it and I wouldn't have it any other way when I get the money for my next early Chevy 4x4.

 

[cummins_crewcab]

I'm running a 454/4l80e/4401/4401 combo. Dual 4401 cases for super duper low range. I don't think anything is stock on that truck anymore. I have a swapped in air locked high pinion dana 60 in the front with 35 spline 4340 shafts inside, all of this in place of the stock crappy IFS system. Rear is a 14 bolt with 4340 shafts and a detroit located by a 4 link rear with 18" travel coilovers with tripple rate coils, all with 5. 13's. I'm building a 14 bolt/dana 60 hybrid for the rear for rear steering to help me out on tight trails. I'm building a crossmember cause I never buy anything for my truck, I do all my own fabbing Also going to build a full underbody 1/4" plate skid plate running from transmission pan to just before the rear axle. Going to skin it in HDPE plastic as well.

 

[JGheen]

Man, have you ever entered that thing in the Top Truck Challenge? That rig is ideal for that competition up at Hollister Hills. I assume the 454 is fuel injected?

I would really like to get a look at the rear 4-link design you mentioned as I am a sucker for those set-ups. Can't wait till I can get my long arm kit for the front of my truck cuz this 4. 5" SJ kit just doesn't do the front suspension justice.

What do you do for a living? Do you have your own shop since you mentioned you do all your own fabbing? I do the majority of my own fabbing up at my Uncle's weld shop in Hanford, when I can get away from the wife and kid. Hard enough tryin' to ask if I can get up to HV for just the morning time.

 

[cummins_crewcab]

Nope, never entered. I've never really been into the whole go as fast as you can and break it to pieces so you can get a pic in a mag and nothing else sort of guy I get my competition fill from judging Cal-ROCS events...



Anyway, heres some 4 link stuff:



http://www.industrialoffroad.com/geeklog/public_html/staticpages/index.php?page=4link



If you look under projects you can see all the other stuff done to the truck.

 

[cArNiVaLwOrKeR]

Damn Joe, how did you manage to have 626 post's in less than 8mos. ? Do you spend any time doing other things?

Hope to see you @ the B-day BBQ

 

[JGheen]

Originally posted by cummins_crewcab

Nope, never entered. I've never really been into the whole go as fast as you can and break it to pieces so you can get a pic in a mag and nothing else sort of guy I get my competition fill from judging Cal-ROCS events...

Definately understandable, I always wanted to take my truck to that competition, but wanted to be able to make it back in one piece and that Tank Trap trail is for sure a truck killer.

 

[JGheen]

Originally posted by cArNiVaLwOrKeR

Damn Joe, how did you manage to have 626 post's in less than 8mos. ? Do you spend any time doing other things?

Hope to see you @ the B-day BBQ

Of course I spend time doing other things, Joe. You'd be surprised how much I am NOT on the computer. But the more posts, the more one learns, as well as contributing to the other people who are requesting info.

 

[sbutter21]

I have been to Hungry Valley several times. I've also done Miller Jeep trail a few times. I have seen a 3rd gen 1500 4x4 do part of the trail, but I wouldn't take my Ram through there.



I usually off road my 87 Suzuki Samurai and tow it with the Ram.



I'd be up for a TDR trip to HV sometime. I might even drive the Ram on the trails if some others are and the trails are wide enough. I don't want to abuse my daily driver too much.



I have taken the Ram off road a few times on some easy stuff to get a feel for it but the off-roading tends to be done with the Samurai.



-Sam

 

[JGheen]

Cool, another fellow dirt lover. Oo.

YEah, we'll have to get a TDR run together and head up there sometime. Maybe when it cools down some though, too hot up there for a full days worth of wheelin'.

Most of the trails I have been on are wide enough for my dually so, you shouldn't have to worry about scratching up the daily driver. Or even breaking something. Most of the trails, IMO, are not hard at all. Too flat, but still enough to have some fun. Just got to find the right trails for some challenges.

 

[Elite1]

Myself and 5 friends are taking 3 Jeeps up to the Dusy Ershim trail near Shaver Lake. Should be alot of fun, first time for me on that trail... . I don't have a Jeep, but I have the tow rig. We leave in 2 days, on Wed. afternoon, can't wait... . have any of you been there?

 

[cummins_crewcab]

Members of my club have ran it quite a few times but I haven't yet... They say it's really tight in places and that my chevy will have to squeeze through some spots.

 

[Elite1]

Anyone else ever do the Dusy-Ershim trail, near shaver lake? I'm leaving Wed. afternoon for a 4 day weekend, with a bunch of buddies... should be fun, but have never been there before... any input would be appreciated. If you have never been, you should do a Google search on dusy ershim... pretty good stuff! I can't wait! Oo.

 

[JGheen]

Shaver Lake... ... hmmmm? Where is that exactly? I have heard of it but not sure where it is exactly.

I would go with my rig but after hearing what cummins_crewcab said about him having to sqeeze his rig through some spots, I probably would come back with out any rear fenders.

 

[Elite1]

It is fairly close to Fresno, but check out the maps on the first link... here are a few good links about the dusy-ershim trail...

http://www.californiajeeper.com/dusy_ershim/trail-maps.htm



http://www.lostcoast4x4.org/sierra_trek_dusy-ershim.htm

 

[Elite1]

BTW: Sorry to highjack your thread, but thought this might be of interest... we leave this afternoon and we will be towing the jeeps up on flat bed trailers... . I will tow one of them (check sig for description of truck), anotther guy with a new 04' duramax chev. will tow another, and the third guy has a 6. 0 litre ford diesel (he's had nothing but probs with that truck)... . any way these two guys are already talkin smack that they will leave me in the dust climbing the mountain grades and passes, there will be some pretty serious climbs going both ways... I hope to leave them green with envy... I will report back next week to let you know how it goes!



http://25thaviation.org/johnkerry

*2003' 3500,Laramie package,4 door, single rw,Br. White, Cummins T/D HO, 6-sp,taupe leather, heated seats, 2 whl dr, 373 no spin, trlr pkg + mirrors, chrome sport grill insert. Ultimate bed liner, AFE7, Dipricol Gauges, Volumizer 100 HP box, MagHytech differential cover