I drive a 1965 CJ5 with a chevy 350, SM420, Dana 18, 44(posi), and 27(open) up front.

Messing around last tuesday night on the way home from work, I ended up stuck in a mudhole.Trying to pull myself out by one of my front wheels, I kept hearing a loud bang and the cj would lerch slightly. I had to hi-lift my way out. Up the trail a few yards, I decided to check if my front wheels were under power. I punched it, and didn't see any tire spin on the sand. I then put it in reverse and did the same thing. One of the stock Dana 27 front axles
must have snapped. When I go to pull out -- nothing, the engine just revs.

Tuesday night, my wife's car (Subaru WRX) was totalled in a flash flood. This is a story in itself, as I arrived on the scene before emergency services (they were rescuing other motorists)and fetched her off the roof of the car myself. The water had been over 3 feet deep at its highest. Now,we were down to 1 shared 2wd pickup truck. We live on a dirt road that is now mud and sand due to the flooding.

Wednesday, I tear CJ apart in the carport to find that the mainshaft on the SM420 transmission was snapped just inside the rear bearing. This appeared to me to be the result of the PO running the transmission dry. Wednesday evening, another flash flood onthe way home. We had to park a few miles from home and hike cross-country. I later fetched the truck with my quad.

I spent thursday learning that the mainshaft was part of an advance adapters' kit. I ordered a replacement shaft for Friday delivery, and bought a bearing at a local parts
supply house. My road was flooded,so I had the package delivered to a relative. The shaft arrived early Friday evening, and I picked it up from the relative's Saturday
morning. I spent Saturday and Sunday morning swapping shafts and then reassembling the jeep. Monday, I tore the front axle apart to learn that I chunked my spider gears. I now have a Lincoln Locker up front (Technically it's an Airco Locker). I did all the work in my carport with temperature reaching 107 degrees. What a hot, miserable weekend.

The wife is scared to death of driving on the dirt, even in the jeep. I don't blame her, spending an hour on the roof of a car teetering in a tree in the middle of a raging torrent - I'd probably be in worse shape than she is right now....

The main reason I am writing this is to put in a good word for Advance Adapters. I thank them for the professionalism and urgency with which my needs were handled. I'm still in a bind, but thanks to them, I was able to have my jeep back on the road in a very short time. I drove it to buy groceries last night, and to work this morning. During monsoon season in the remote desert, 4wd is a necessity. I've dealt with companies before that take many days to ship, and don't seem to understand that consumers sometimes NEED parts right away.

By the way, since the jeep was down, I had to pay a towing company for the Subaru extraction... $775. And the 'RU is totalled... She's looking for something with a little more ground clearance this time around.