Best Trail Repairs

[4xFar Adventures]

What are some trail repairs you've seen or done to get back to civilization?

*Split an empty can of beans. Wrap around exhaust leak. Secure with hose clamps.

*Trailer hitch pin was the only thing wide and long enough to replace a missing radius arm bolt.

*Use the handle of a shovel inside a busted radiator hose to keep it shape as it's wrapped with silicone tape. Zip tie until tape fully cures.

*Glass cleaner used as lube to re-seat a tire bead.

*Block of wood to replace a broken shock. Ratchet strap axle to frame to hold in place.

*Hi Lift Standard used as track bar.

*Broken rear axle on Jeep. Wheel wants to fall off. Strap Hi Lift Standard on outside of wheel and cinch towards body.

This is something I always like to hear about. Thinking outside the box in a tough situation.

 

[Gunnermoose]

Replace a front coilover when the top of the shock that keeps the coil captured broke. It required multiple ratchet straps, a slightly large human in the form of @1Louder and some inginuity. Thankfully a friend only lived 30min away and had a complete assembly in his garage.

So we (myself and @1Louder) set up camp for the night and awaited on our friends arrival. Once he showed up we came up with a game plan to remove the broken components without disassembling the entire front end assemblies. Going to that much trouble would have changed the alignment, etc... So we compressed the coil as much as we could with a bottle jack under the lower control arm and @1Louder sitting on the truck. We used three ratchet straps and tightened them down. We released the bottle jack to relax the coil. We repeated the steps a couple of more times to take up all of the tension we could. Disconected the upper control arm from the knuckle and slowly lowered the lower control arm. We used a "Harbor Frieght" packing blanket as a ballistic shield over the shock assembly in case the straps let go. With a little jiggling and a small pry bar we were able to get the assembly out. Installed the new one and off we went for the rest of the weekend.

To release the compressed coil, we laid the assembly on the ground. Again covered the assembly with the packing blanket and with one person standing on each side ot the shock pinning it to the ground with the blanket, we cut the strap, or I should just say, we touched one of the three straps with a knife and the whole thing let go. All of the force was captured within the blanket so everyone was safe.

In talking with service rep from ARB, he mentioned he had never seen that type of failure in a shock ever (see last photo, you will notice that the threaded portion of the shock just sheared off compared to a newer shock).

 

[Steve]

Whenever there is a discussion on appropriate vehicle for exploring, or stories of roadside repairs, I always think of my friend Barney Garfield. Like me, he has a 1958 MGA Roadster. Unlike me, his is his only vehicle, and he's been all over North America with it. It now has in excess of 450,000 miles on it.

In 1997, Barney and a couple friends set off from Texas in a small convoy of MG cars headed north. Two of them made it to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. This was only two years after the haul Road was open to the public, and there were no services, no cell phones, etc. In one stretch, they had to repair three flats in 18 miles. Many of these roads are paved now, but then, it was gravel for thousands of miles. On their return trip, they drove out the Kenai Peninsula to the farthest west road in North America, and drove up Pikes Peak on the way back for good measure. This was an entirely self-supported trip, carrying food, tools, parts, etc, and most nights were camped wherever they could find a spot to stop. Unfortunately, one of the cars left the road and the driver was killed during the trip.

As you can imagine in a 50 year old British car, there were lots of electrical problems, broken water pumps, at one point he dropped the tranny in a parking lot to replace a broken layshaft. I've never seen anyone have a vast an experience of roadside repairs as Barney over the years, and he has an entire website dedicated to helping other MGA owners figure out how to fix their cars.

Two years ago, Barney sold his home, loaded up the tiny trailer behind his MG, and lives on the road, crossing the country visiting friends and family, bumming couches or camping along the road. I can't think of a more experienced overlander, and in a vehicle no one would ever consider when planning a trip.

 

[4xFar Adventures]

That's a great story @Steve! I have a hard enough time in my 15 year old Landie. Can't imagine a 50 year old one.

Well actually I can. I'd love to have an old Series II or Series III Land Rover and tool around the country side.

 

[Overland-Indiana]

Whenever there is a discussion on appropriate vehicle for exploring, or stories of roadside repairs, I always think of my friend Barney Garfield. Like me, he has a 1958 MGA Roadster. Unlike me, his is his only vehicle, and he's been all over North America with it. It now has in excess of 450,000 miles on it.

In 1997, Barney and a couple friends set off from Texas in a small convoy of MG cars headed north. Two of them made it to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. This was only two years after the haul Road was open to the public, and there were no services, no cell phones, etc. In one stretch, they had to repair three flats in 18 miles. Many of these roads are paved now, but then, it was gravel for thousands of miles. On their return trip, they drove out the Kenai Peninsula to the farthest west road in North America, and drove up Pikes Peak on the way back for good measure. This was an entirely self-supported trip, carrying food, tools, parts, etc, and most nights were camped wherever they could find a spot to stop. Unfortunately, one of the cars left the road and the driver was killed during the trip.

As you can imagine in a 50 year old British car, there were lots of electrical problems, broken water pumps, at one point he dropped the tranny in a parking lot to replace a broken layshaft. I've never seen anyone have a vast an experience of roadside repairs as Barney over the years, and he has an entire website dedicated to helping other MGA owners figure out how to fix their cars.

Two years ago, Barney sold his home, loaded up the tiny trailer behind his MG, and lives on the road, crossing the country visiting friends and family, bumming couches or camping along the road. I can't think of a more experienced overlander, and in a vehicle no one would ever consider when planning a trip.

Awesome story, @Steve This guy sounds like an awesome guy!

 

[k9lestat]

Not my vehicle, but I know a guy that broke a rear leaf spring on his truck. He cut two medium on the small sized pine trees. Cut them to his desired length a strapped them to the frame and axle to limp to his house.

 

[Michael]

Whenever there is a discussion on appropriate vehicle for exploring, or stories of roadside repairs, I always think of my friend Barney Garfield. Like me, he has a 1958 MGA Roadster. Unlike me, his is his only vehicle, and he's been all over North America with it. It now has in excess of 450,000 miles on it.

In 1997, Barney and a couple friends set off from Texas in a small convoy of MG cars headed north. Two of them made it to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. This was only two years after the haul Road was open to the public, and there were no services, no cell phones, etc. In one stretch, they had to repair three flats in 18 miles. Many of these roads are paved now, but then, it was gravel for thousands of miles. On their return trip, they drove out the Kenai Peninsula to the farthest west road in North America, and drove up Pikes Peak on the way back for good measure. This was an entirely self-supported trip, carrying food, tools, parts, etc, and most nights were camped wherever they could find a spot to stop. Unfortunately, one of the cars left the road and the driver was killed during the trip.

As you can imagine in a 50 year old British car, there were lots of electrical problems, broken water pumps, at one point he dropped the tranny in a parking lot to replace a broken layshaft. I've never seen anyone have a vast an experience of roadside repairs as Barney over the years, and he has an entire website dedicated to helping other MGA owners figure out how to fix their cars.

Two years ago, Barney sold his home, loaded up the tiny trailer behind his MG, and lives on the road, crossing the country visiting friends and family, bumming couches or camping along the road. I can't think of a more experienced overlander, and in a vehicle no one would ever consider when planning a trip.

It would be nice to meet this man.

 

[Michael]

Zip-tie trail repair! Not too tough, but when my muffler bracket broke and the muffler rested on my driveline, I thought I bent the shaft. I moved the muffler back in place, zip-tied it with huge ties, and was back on the trail.

 

[4xFar Adventures]

Here's a recent one from the Rubicon, posted on Trail Weld's FB page. There's always a use for an old wrench ;)

 

[Roger352]

Welded up a broken coil spring with a pair of jump leads and a welding rod. Power came from the cars battery.

 

[chuckoverland]

Two rolls of duct tape to hold the axle on my parents old boat trailer, made it from valdez to anchorage (very small inflatable craft)

 

[Nickzero]

Thankfully I have never had to deal with a severe off-grid situation lately. I have stumbled upon others in sever vehicle trouble in which I had offered assistance at the time.

I occasionally find myself stuck in very remote places, however had always found a means to get out and back on the grid. I would say always come prepared for the terrain you will encounter. A detailed plan of action and thorough walk through of the rig before heading out can drastically increase your chances of having a good time.