Posts by GhostDakota

A DeJa forum member is helping me with this. Thanks for anyone who PM'd me!

My clutch went on Christmas Eve night while heading out to my mother's in Jersey. Haven't had time to fix it since. I am trying to go wheeling this Saturday at Rausch Creek. Between work, school work, etc., I don't have the free time to get this done. I've got the AMS Flywheel, AMS Clutch Kit which includes the plate, disc, throw out bearing and pilot bushing, as well as an alignment tool. Money is tight as usual, so I'd be willing to offer anyone say $200 cash to do it? I know it's not a ton, but it's all I've got. Jeep is located in Exton, PA and I can flat tow it to your shop if it's not too far. I would really appreciate it!

Thanks in advance.

Every time I post video's, people keep asking what I use to take the video's with. Well, after bothering my bosses for several months, they finally gave in and we are now offering the product. It's known as the GoPro Hero Cam. There are 3 variations of this.

-GoPro Motorsports Hero Cam, regular angle, non HD. All the information is listed here: http://www.quadratec.com/products/96101_0000.htm

-GoPro Motosports Hero Cam WIDE, non-HD. This is the one I've had the most usage out of. I love it. Info is listed here: http://www.quadratec.com/products/96101_0001.htm

-The third, and best in my opinion, is the GoPro Motorsports Hero Cam WIDE HD. This is the latest and greatest. It's the same compact size as the others, only it takes full HD video (1080p, 960p, and 720p HD resolutions record at 30 frames per second (60 fps in 720p)). Info is listed here: http://www.quadratec.com/products/96101_0002.htm

I have used the non-HD Wide version on my TJ, my Honda Hawk GT (motorcycle), mountain bike, former Camaro & XJ, roller coasters, hot tub, etc. It rocks! I have an HD on order and can't wait 'til it arrives!

Here are some photos of the unit installed, some photos taken by the unit, and some video examples as well:

Muddy water on the lens, but shots from the standard def camera:

Jeep related standard def videos...
Interior test:

Mud Interior Topless 1:

Mud Interior Topless 2:

Hill Climb at Rausch:

Non Jeep standard def videos...
On my motorcycle at NJMP:

Roller Coaster:

Mountain Biking:

Non Jeep HD videos...
Base Jumping:

Ski Movie:

Formula Car Flip:

Mountain Bike:

Going on now over on Quadratec's forum! http://www.quadratecforum.com/showthread.php?t=103483

Quote from TheMistaken

But there are a lot of other things that the $850 or $900 could be used for also. I am not knocking the fact of having HIDs. I like them to an extent, but to upgrade from a normal bulb on a vehicle that more then likely is either not a DD or is not like an over the road rig, I don't see the point in $900 of lighting. $200 or so, I would understand, but not nearly a grand.

I'll tell you from working at Quadratec... there's a lot of Jeep owners out there with a ton of money. They'll buy things just 'cause they look cool, even if they serve no purpose. Why buy a $1500 Warn winch... and not even hook it up? It happens often

I have tons, but I am too lazy to find them all lol.. so just a few shots from Sunday that I really enjoyed:

Quote from TheMistaken

You do realize that breaking stuff is not the point of going wheeling right? Its more of a statement to say, "We had a great day and navigated the trails very well, and while we have some scrapes and pin stripes, we did not break". Seems to me that you guys just point and shoot on trails and hope for the best. Remind me to never go on a trip with ya.

Your point of wheeling is different from everyone elses point of wheeling. We all have our reasons we go. Some people go to enjoy navigating through obstacles and not breaking things. I go just 'cause I love to be behind the wheel of my Jeep with great friends, taking photos and enjoying myself. If something breaks, it gives us a reason to upgrade. 'Cause of this trip, not wanting similar things to happen, I am upgrading:

-Big Daddy Offroad Tie Rod
-Upgraded fuel tank skid plate
-Skid Row Control arm skid plates & welding the inner LCA mounts
-Rear diff/driveshaft skid/glider

etc...

My Camaro had a LOT of vibes (93 Z 28 that ran high 12's, low 13's with SLP Loudmouth exhaust!). Never had issues with that and they were on the car for a couple years. However, the current owner told me there was a problem (not sure what it was), and he reverted back to halogens. I've only had these HID's on my Jeep for about 1 month now, with tons of wheeling on 'em and no big issues. My headlight buckets are kind of loose as well, so they definitely get shaken around quite a bit. My whole thought is, for the price (H4 bi-xenon HID kit) being slightly more expensive than a set of Silverstars, it's worth it.

Quote from Meeper

useful, ppl are just complaining that they are bling and cost to much

This isn't bling. This is hardcore, real lighting. DOT approved/street legal, bi-xenon HID projectors are the way to go IF you have the cash to spend. I'd rather put $850 into lighting like this than into a set of chrome rims...

Thanks Ian. I've been using VVME for years now with no major issues. If a bulb goes bad, or something happens, they've want photos & then will send you a a replacement. I was the one who told Mike about 'em They actually have an address/# in Delaware... though I think it forwards to China lol...

Go read my info on my HID's:
http://www.delawareja.com/forum/index.php?topic=27040.0

Hey all,

So I've been a lighting whore since I got my first car. With every car I purchase I go right to upgraded headlight housings, bulbs and a wiring harness. This has always been a great way to go, with halogens.

As technology has progressed, things have changed. I've tried a whole lot of different headlights in my Jeep's over the years. The latest of these two technologies were LED headlights and HID headlights. I’ve run HID kits on multiple vehicles, typically in retrofitted projector housings with great results

5000K HID kit with Hella 90mm Projector low (on left) and 55w halogen (on right) on my former 93 Camaro Z28:

Now, the LED’s looked great! In 24v form on military vehicles they perform very well! It is a very cool concept, but these were one of the first 12v applications in the world and they were on my TJ to test their performance. Unfortunately, their performance was lacking and I only ran these for approximately 1-2 months. The newer versions are upgraded, and I hear much better than these.

Here are the LED’s on my TJ:

Here are some shots of the LED housing installed on the passenger side (right in the below wall shots). The driver side (left in the below wall shots) has a Hella E-code housing, 100w low and 160w high H4 bulb, as well as an upgraded wiring harness…

[SIZE=5]PLEASE NOTE: Every photo from here on out is shot with my Nikon D2x camera and my 18-70mm lens. I shot in Manual mode, 1 second shutter exposure, f/13, ISO 200, etc - All settings are precisely the same so you can get a feel of what it all looks like on an equal comparison. Absolutely no Post Production with Photoshop or another program was used. These are as they were shot from the camera. Now, because of this, the output photos aren't going to look "amazing" - this was done so you can see the actual main beam spread, not all the light it's putting out. You can see that easier in the road video.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=5]LED housings...[/SIZE]

Low Beam:

High Beam:

Dual LED’s on Low Beam:

I’ve since upgraded to HID kits from VVME. For the headlights I am running Hella E-code housings, a 35w bi-xenon 4300K H4 HID kit with glare shields. For the off-road lights I am running two Hella Rallye 4000’s with a 55w 4300K H1 HID kit. The headlights still need some adjusting, including the glare shields, but that's part of doing theses. The photos are shown as follows…

[SIZE=5]HID setup...[/SIZE]

Wall Pattern…
Low Beam:

High Beam:

Low & Off-road:

Low Beam Above Cut-off:

High Beam Above Cut-off:

Low & Off-road Above Cut-off:

Low Beam Below Cut-off:

High Beam Below Cut-off:

Low & Off-road Below Cut-off:

Low Beam on the Road:

High Beam on the Road:

Low & Off-road on the Road:

[SIZE=5]Video's...[/SIZE]

Inside the Jeep (High/Low for first 34 seconds - Off-road lights engaged at 34 seconds):

Outside the Jeep (Same deal as above, pardon the glare caused by the brightness):

[SIZE=5]Links...[/SIZE]

HID’s came from here: http://www.vvme.com

Hella Rallye 4000 Light (sold each): http://www.quadratec.com/products/97008_04.htm

Hella E-code Housing (sold each): http://www.quadratec.com/products/97052_9001.htm

ANOTHER NOTE: I am most likely selling my Hella E-code housings and going with a set of Cibie H4 housings as I prefer the beam spread from them.

:cheers2:

DISCLAIMER: This is for entertainment & informative purposes only and in no means is meant to be a step by step installation of the product. Please check your local laws and regulations regarding headlamps before upgrading your headlamp system.

Thanks Keith

Yah whenever we wheel we break stuff. I know he had issues with his tie-rod at a prior wheeling event. I think he used a torch to heat it, and that weakened the metal where it just bent. The LCA that broke off was beat and abused over time.

Yah I really don't think those are Bud cans? Any beer that was consumed was the night before and it was Miller bottles.

Hmm, I didn't even see beer being consumed?!? At that point we had been sitting around for 20 mins and were there for another 2 hours w/o driving... maybe they just had one? I don't even know. I saw 7-up or Sprite, Vitamin water, iced tea, etc. I'll discuss with them next time!

My buddies with their XJ's decided to head up to Rausch Creek on Saturday night, around 11pm. They all camped there. I decided to leave early Sunday morning. I woke up early, drove 1 hour 15 mins to find Tom (XJ3) still sleeping. So, the rest of us decided to make some bacon on the grille using pliers as a fork. What fun!

By the time we were packed up, checked in, and ready to hit the trails it was 10am:

We took some green trails to get to the blue, blue-black, and black trails for the day:

Things started out great but slowly deteriorated for Harrison (XJ2) and Tarby (XJ1). Harrison backed into a rock, which caused his tailpipe to bent into the tire:

VIDEO: http://"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Isvp1_AhcDs

Eventually we ripped the tailpipe off and got moving again:

Then, Tarby had an incident. Climbing a decent hill, his leaf spring/axle centering pin sheared on the driver side. This pulled the driveshaft out of the t-case as the axle moved rearward. So we had to try to rig the axle to stay in place:

VIDEO:

After "fixing" his Jeep, the rest of us made the climb, while he bypassed:

VIDEO:

ON-BOARD VIDEO:

Tarby decided to keep his Jeep with us and continue on. So, we did. We moved to some rocks... And Tom (XJ3) got a little stuck from going forward, but after moving some rocks we got him backing out:

But just as we're really enjoying ourselves, things went downhill... Tarby bent his tie-rod .. badly.. and it was in danger of hitting the oil pan:

While repairs continued, we took a food break. We cooked hot dogs .. using a screwdriver as a prod lol:

And then got back to work. We removed the tie-rod. We had to kick the driver side tire to keep it straight coming down the hill climb. That sucked, so we then ratchet strapped the tie rod to the axle to keep it slightly towed out:

Once we got it down to the bottom of the hill, and out of the way for JK's to climb the hill, we straightened it the redneck way. We then put a hi-lift jack handle over the tie-rod to keep it straight, and we headed back to the lot to drop off his Jeep and head back out:

Or so we thought. While waiting for the limping Tarby to catch up, Harrison flexed on a rock... which ripped out his driver side LCA axle side mount (it was beat up pretty bad already):

He hobbled back to the parking lot garage as well, where him and Tarby started to fix their rigs. Tom and I wanted to drive on the rock course in the parking lot, so we had some fun. A NAXJA guy, Hammered, decided to drive through as well:

Of course, Tom ended up getting high centered, but how corny it became lol:

I winched him off the rocks as the sun set on an interesting, damage-prone, yet still fun and exciting day!

If You Didn't Want To Read Above - Damage Report:
-XJ1 (Small 4 door): Bent into a "V" tie-rod which was rednecked back to straight. Rear center-pin sheared off, axle continued moving back war...ds during the day. Rear driveshaft came out of t-case due to this.
-XJ2 (Big 4 door): Tailpipe squished then ripped off. Rear bumper scratches lol. Driver side lower control arm and mount ripped off of axle tube.
-XJ3 (2 door): Minor rock rash
-Me: Minor rock rash, broken factory side step (I need rocker guards)

Quote from whatevah

pics no workie.

Photos are now uploaded on our main page or Facebook/MySpace.. pick your poison:

http://www.quadratec.com/commu…p_news/article.php?a=1436
http://www.facebook.com/Quadra…22&id=108491428681&ref=mf
http://viewmorepics.myspace.co…=98429171&albumId=2938421

Just finished editing and uploading the recap video from our Tent Sale this year. This was my first production, so go easy on me! lol. See if you made the video if you were here!

Here are some of the photos from our tent sale back on October 3rd, as well as a little writeup.

Though the weather was somewhat dreary in the morning, the sun broke through the clouds and produced some great weather. We had quite a few Jeep's and people, and the savings on Jeep parts were everywhere.

One of our cover models, Jamie, was autographing her Summer 2009 catalog cover in our Photo Studio, which was on display for all to see. We had a moon bounce and petting zoo which both kids and adults enjoyed. The food was great, the hot tub was warm, and several of our vendors were on hand to answer questions about their products. NJJA was also here to obtain donations for "Crawl for the Cure".

We appreciate everyone who showed up and made this a thoroughly successful event. Congratulations to the winners of the Show and Shine, as well as the raffle winners. Hope you found a great deal on parts! See you again next year!