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Re: Off-Road Worthy 5x8 Conversion

PostPosted: Fri Oct 05, 2018 1:41 pm
by jmanscotch
Tigris99 wrote:I decided to watch some videos on black bear. I need to do more research on it but I'm thinking of adding it to the top 10 trips to make. Trying to find video of sections that make it so sketchy because nothing yet exceeds what my CRV can handle. Not sure if there is multiple options on the pass of routes to take (easy vs hard) or what but right now it just looks bad ass

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The majority of the trail is mild, but some off camber switchbacks/turns on loose/wet shale rock, rocks to get over, shelfs to climb/drop off and large 1,000 foot drop offs that'll kill you if you get it wrong are some of where the danger comes in.

It *could* be done in a CRV, with a good driver and an understanding that coming back with some damage to the vehicle is highly likely, but it definitely wouldn't be recommended. I'd say the ground clearance and lack of true transfer case/4x4 are the main disqualifiers. Vehicles with transfer cases are nearly a must as using low range is key, ground clearance is important but there are some drive arounds for the tougher high clearance sections. I also think the videos don't do some situations justice, keeping in mind only a small section of the trail is the true limiting factor, outside of mental juevos.

Re: Off-Road Worthy 5x8 Conversion

PostPosted: Fri Oct 05, 2018 5:14 pm
by Iconfabul8
Your conversation brought on a flash back from my teen years.

Image

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzWyZ-jM9Is

Re: Off-Road Worthy 5x8 Conversion

PostPosted: Fri Oct 05, 2018 5:36 pm
by Tigris99
jmanscotch wrote:
Tigris99 wrote:I decided to watch some videos on black bear. I need to do more research on it but I'm thinking of adding it to the top 10 trips to make. Trying to find video of sections that make it so sketchy because nothing yet exceeds what my CRV can handle. Not sure if there is multiple options on the pass of routes to take (easy vs hard) or what but right now it just looks bad ass

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


The majority of the trail is mild, but some off camber switchbacks/turns on loose/wet shale rock, rocks to get over, shelfs to climb/drop off and large 1,000 foot drop offs that'll kill you if you get it wrong are some of where the danger comes in.

It *could* be done in a CRV, with a good driver and an understanding that coming back with some damage to the vehicle is highly likely, but it definitely wouldn't be recommended. I'd say the ground clearance and lack of true transfer case/4x4 are the main disqualifiers. Vehicles with transfer cases are nearly a must as using low range is key, ground clearance is important but there are some drive arounds for the tougher high clearance sections. I also think the videos don't do some situations justice, keeping in mind only a small section of the trail is the true limiting factor, outside of mental juevos.
well what I've found so far is "the steps" is the worst of it because of being off camber. Gotta find videos of that section to see what's bad.

Plus side to a crv or similar is the smaller wheel base all around. But ground clearance being the down side. If I ever tried it, there are things I would have completed and probably hunt down one with a manual transmission. But my current one (2003) is getting a very mild lift, set of geolanders and so on. Only issue lies in the freaking gas tank location.

Is there anywhere that's not AS ADVANCED (that minus the really sketchy areas) that offers similar views? Seems I could go up and back and avoid the worst of it but that eliminates half the scenery and experience of the run.

Preferably somewhere that towing a camper/has camping as my trailer is being built to handle what my CRV can.

I do want to to get a 4runner or FJ (unless it's a older jeep wrangler you couldnt give me one for free, I'd sell/junk it, hate chrysler anything, too unreliable) but who knows. Tackling something decent like that in a CRV would be more to see if it could be done having full respect and understanding of what I was trying to do.

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Re: Off-Road Worthy 5x8 Conversion

PostPosted: Fri Oct 05, 2018 7:15 pm
by jmanscotch
Here's a video of a Subaru Forester successfully doing the pass, it's the closest I could find as a comparable to you Honda. He even list his only mod as slightly oversized all terrain tires.

https://youtu.be/aMnjxtPVu3o

Here's a great website to view some trails in the area (you might have to sign up for it to view some) and it'll include difficulty ratings, first hand reviews of each pass, dozens of photos and all the pertinent information to help make a decision. You're probably looking for anything rated Moderate. I've taken a RWD BMW 5 series through several "moderate" off road passes here and had no problem. At worse it's just slow going (winter time conditions obviously change this dramatically).

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colo ... -pass-road

I'm with you on the Chrysler crap thing. I've had older Jeeps (well early 2000's and older) and that's as new as I'd go. People wonder why all the new Chrysler products seem so attractive and crazy good "bang for your buck"...it's cause they're cheap crap. I wouldn't own one pass 30K miles and would be hard pressed to own it that long. Everyone I know, every one I've driven (for work vehicles) has suffered a slow, but ramping up of breakdowns, malfunctions, electrical issues and the most random non-traditional issues of any vehicles ever...starting around 35K and peaking around 100K to the point you'd give the damn thing away lol.

Jake

Re: Off-Road Worthy 5x8 Conversion

PostPosted: Fri Oct 05, 2018 9:58 pm
by Tigris99
Looks like the video actually shows the entire drive which except a couple spots that isnt bad at all. If that forester can make it my CRV will be fine once I get the tires I want and a small lift for for better tire clearance

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Re: Off-Road Worthy 5x8 Conversion

PostPosted: Mon Oct 08, 2018 7:25 am
by jmanscotch
Tigris99 wrote:Looks like the video actually shows the entire drive which except a couple spots that isnt bad at all. If that forester can make it my CRV will be fine once I get the tires I want and a small lift for for better tire clearance

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I look forward to some video of it! Should be interested :thumbsup:

Jake

Re: Off-Road Worthy 5x8 Conversion

PostPosted: Wed Oct 10, 2018 10:13 pm
by KTM_Guy
Tigris99 wrote:
jmanscotch wrote:
Tigris99 wrote:I decided to watch some videos on black bear. I need to do more research on it but I'm thinking of adding it to the top 10 trips to make. Trying to find video of sections that make it so sketchy because nothing yet exceeds what my CRV can handle. Not sure if there is multiple options on the pass of routes to take (easy vs hard) or what but right now it just looks bad ass

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


The majority of the trail is mild, but some off camber switchbacks/turns on loose/wet shale rock, rocks to get over, shelfs to climb/drop off and large 1,000 foot drop offs that'll kill you if you get it wrong are some of where the danger comes in.

It *could* be done in a CRV, with a good driver and an understanding that coming back with some damage to the vehicle is highly likely, but it definitely wouldn't be recommended. I'd say the ground clearance and lack of true transfer case/4x4 are the main disqualifiers. Vehicles with transfer cases are nearly a must as using low range is key, ground clearance is important but there are some drive arounds for the tougher high clearance sections. I also think the videos don't do some situations justice, keeping in mind only a small section of the trail is the true limiting factor, outside of mental juevos.
well what I've found so far is "the steps" is the worst of it because of being off camber. Gotta find videos of that section to see what's bad.

Plus side to a crv or similar is the smaller wheel base all around. But ground clearance being the down side. If I ever tried it, there are things I would have completed and probably hunt down one with a manual transmission. But my current one (2003) is getting a very mild lift, set of geolanders and so on. Only issue lies in the freaking gas tank location.

Is there anywhere that's not AS ADVANCED (that minus the really sketchy areas) that offers similar views? Seems I could go up and back and avoid the worst of it but that eliminates half the scenery and experience of the run.

Preferably somewhere that towing a camper/has camping as my trailer is being built to handle what my CRV can.

I do want to to get a 4runner or FJ (unless it's a older jeep wrangler you couldnt give me one for free, I'd sell/junk it, hate chrysler anything, too unreliable) but who knows. Tackling something decent like that in a CRV would be more to see if it could be done having full respect and understanding of what I was trying to do.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


You can't get the views of Telluride without getting to the steps. A little ways past the Pass the trail becomes one way going down. There are no easy ways around the tough spots. The other problem is if you get to a spot and you decide to bail it's probably to late, to get up some of the spots you just came down in a may not be doable in a CRV.

jmanscotch had a good post a few messages back about having low range. One of the things he didn't mention is approach and departure angles. That may be bad for you and your back bumper. I was looking at my daughters CRV and that is one of the things that jumped out at me.

As far as taking a trailer down BB I was reading on a motorcycle forum some guys were going down and got stuck behind a guy pulling a Turtleback expo camper, and couldn't make the switchbacks with out unhitching the trailer and doing them one at a time. really backed up traffic. The guy couldn't handle the trailer by himself and needed help from the people he was holding up. Made for some unhappy people.

Todd

Re: Off-Road Worthy 5x8 Conversion

PostPosted: Thu Oct 11, 2018 10:36 am
by jmanscotch
Good point Todd. I didn't realize how tight the switchbacks were before looking at more videos. I've had two friends do BBP and both mentioned to me it'd be tough but doable with a trailer, hence I was down. Now seeing it done (there's some videos of people hauling trailers through the switchbacks) I do realize it'd be a chore and inconsiderate. Add to that, I don't have much recovery gear (winch, snatch blocks, maxxtrax, etc) so it's not a situation I'd want to put myself in alone, much like your aforementioned story, it'd be a lot of manhandling a 1,500 pound trailer in tight high consequence areas and that's just not my flavor. :thumbsup:

Jake

Re: Off-Road Worthy 5x8 Conversion

PostPosted: Mon Oct 15, 2018 11:35 am
by jmanscotch
Pretty much finished the rear door finally. I ended up reusing some aluminum sheet from the old doors instead of the sheet metal, all to save weight. I initially didn't go this route because reusing the aluminum meant it'd have some holes in it and would have to make out of three pieces, but I needed to trim some fat and the ole lady said I couldn't spend any more mula right now to get it done, so it'll work for now. I may redo it down the road, for cosmetic reasons. All in all, it came out ok. I covered two large holes with a license plate relocation and have come stickers coming that'll cover two more large ones.

I used some liquid nail around the exterior edges, some self tapping black screws along some of the frame and some clear caulk on the inside edges to adhere the skins to the door frame.

Door skinned, all flaws in the aluminum are visible :/

Image

Clamping everything together for it to cure in place.

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Weather seal installed.

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Had to move the rain rail up a bit to clear the door effectively, also here's the shelf up/done.

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Stove on the shelf

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Took it out this weekend for some 10 degree camping

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Next up: figuring out a 90 degree door stay to keep it open and wiring up the license plate light after relocating it.

Jake

Re: Off-Road Worthy 5x8 Conversion

PostPosted: Mon Oct 15, 2018 10:32 pm
by Iconfabul8
Get you a few of those "I been to this park" stickers to cover the holes with. Btw the door looks good.

Re: Off-Road Worthy 5x8 Conversion

PostPosted: Mon Oct 15, 2018 11:47 pm
by hankaye
jmanscotch, Howdy;

Like the new door, bullet holes-n-all ... :lol:
As far as a 'hold-open' you appear to be a bit handy so you
could make one of these the appropriate length,
https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Steel- ... B071KC38SF
yes/no
:thinking:

hank

Re: Off-Road Worthy 5x8 Conversion

PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 7:42 am
by Ottsville
Still looking good! You could just fill your holes in the door with something and then get a piece of vinyl wrap to do the door in. I've gotten some offcuts from a customization shop cheap.

Re: Off-Road Worthy 5x8 Conversion

PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 9:15 am
by jmanscotch
Appreciate it fellas. I did order some camping related stickers to cover the top holes and we have enough random stickers that have no home, they'll eventually be placed on the door to distract from the rough finish, I'm sure.

Thanks for the link, Hankaye. Something like that is what I ended ordering. I found a cheap marine window stay that slides in/out of itself and has a tension knob on it to set it open at a certain point. I'll probably remove the knob and just put in a pin so the knob won't accidentally tighten when the door is closed (and I have no access to loosen it once the galley is built). We'll see how it works out. With the way the door closes, I'll have to build a mount for the thing to keep it out of the way but still functioning.

The only other thing that bugs me about the door right now is the shiny inside. It's very reflective, so I'll have to come up with a simple solution (plasti-dip maybe?) that will dull it down but still adhere to the aluminum well and look decent. I have some black plasti-dip laying around so I might give that a go on a good weather day soon.

In other news, I paid off the last $10,000 on my truck :twisted: little sickening to write that check as now I'm officially broke, but I'm also "DEBT FREEEEEEEE" [yelling in the traditional Dave Ramsey debt free scream fashion] to the entire world for a while, which feels great. We've got a wedding and a downpayment to save for now though, so we'll see how that goes. Not sure how we're coming up with that kinda dough in a mear few months, but we'll get there, hopefully. The housing market around us has boomed these last few years and houses we once looked at are now nearly $100,000-$150,000 more and it makes me sick thinking of spending the kinda money we'll need to spend to get a home we like.

I say that to lead into that fact that I won't be allowed to spend much money on the trailer over the next several months. I don't have much left to purchase, some wood for the galley, a battery or two and some general little supplies, but the lady's putting the brakes on hard for any frivolous spending so that might mean the trailer is going to sit for the winter as-is. Hopefully come spring, we'll be in a house and I'll have a garage to finish it in.

Appreciate all the knowledge, kinds words and inspiration from everyone here. It's been a fun last several months and we'll be back to finish it up soon :thumbsup:

Jake

Re: Off-Road Worthy 5x8 Conversion

PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 9:53 am
by McDave
Well Congratulations on all your progress with the trailer and personal finances. It really does feel great to be debt free. The day you burn your mortgage will come sooner than you would think possible if you stay on track. When your dreams become reality and emergencies become inconveniences you are truly free. Ramsey's got it right, and it works. Well Done, Sir.

McDave

Re: Off-Road Worthy 5x8 Conversion

PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 11:00 am
by jmanscotch
Indeed sir, we are aiming for the 15 year mortgage but will work hard to see if we can do it in 10 or less!

Jake