[mbalbritton]

3AM Sunday the Front axle CV joint goes out on my ZJ on our way back from Florida. We're about 20 minutes south of Columbia SC, or 2 hours south of Charlotte. Sounds like the whole axle is gonna explode. 5AM I wake Bill Carver (wbcarver) up with a phone call, Hey, that's almost sleeping in time for Bill. We discuss it, and at the time can't figure it out. I limp down the road to see if I can get any more clues as to what it is. While Bill searches the internet about my Jeep trying to figure it out from my descriptions. Bill goes to the Carolina Jeepsters board and in no time finds me a local solution.

I call Bill back at 8am, I think by 8:30-8:45, My ZJ is strapped on a flat bed trailer, my family is tucked comfortably in a Crew Cab F-250 Diesel and we're on the road to Charlotte. All this offered up by a Guy I never met before in my life!!! But he takes time out of his Sunday to pick us up, drive us to Charlotte where i just happen to have my Dad's '93 ZJ sitting at Carolina Rock Shop awaiting some bumpers to be made for it. he then turns around and drives 2 hours back to Columbia, SC. and all he'd accept was a tank of fuel. Did I mention i never met the guy before! That's a class act!

One thing I can tell you, my wife will never piss and moan about my Jeep habits and friends again..

 

[upalittle]

Great story! Glad it worked out so well. I've had similar experiences, though not so extreme. Just Jeepers stopping along the interstate while I was checking tie-downs, etc. Its a great community.

 

[lomodyj]

Brent, Glad to hear you'all made it back safe. Too bad about the zj. Yup Jeepers are the best. Sorry we missed you last night at M&G...will try again in 2 wks.

 

[Caver Dave]

Also glad you (OK, your fam) made it back safely....

Don't reckon the failure had anything to do with your boot swap last weekend?

 

[1437]

see i told you it was a CV joint when i talked to you one the phone

....but glad you made it back safe........if you need a ride to go get the ZJ just let me know and well go get it

later
john

 

[mbalbritton]

Nope, don't think it had anything to do with the Boot swap the other weekend, I think it had to do with not doing the boot swap soon enough...

Good note, Andy at Carolina Rock shop has some TJ D30 U-joint shafts I'm gonna buy off him and replace the

@#%%^ #$%^[email protected]!%^$

CV shafts with.... Just need to see if I can pull the ABS sensor prats off the CV shaft and put them on the U joint shafts or If I need to pick up new ones made for a Ujoint shaft.

 

[3125]

I agree wholeheartedly. I have a similar story from my honeymoon. My new wife and I basically got stuck in the middle of the desert with a rented YJ. We got a flat and the spare was void of air.

We sat on the side of the road for 4.5 hours. Only two people stopped to check that we were ok, a Cop and another Jeep owner.

I'm proud to own a Jeep!

Sean

 

[Dirt Dog]

Another great "jeeper" story Brent. (he told me this on the phone) Hard to beat the "core" of us isn't it? Glad you made it there and back OK. And sorry I couldn't help you with some of the parts you needed.(I sure would have)

 

[thorjeep]

Have to share a eye-opening story:

Out wheeling with a couple of buddies in my jeep. One of them, Jim, owns a couple of Toyota Landcruisers (Fj??) and we are always ribbing each other about my Jeep and his Fj.

So, Jim sees a trail, and from the back seat of my Jeep, Jim says "go over there, your Jeep 'might' be able to make it", I took the trail, dropped in a rut and snapped the driveshaft

.. He had fun with that

. I unlocked the rear hubs and rolled it back down the hill (He started to drool when he saw what Warn full-floaters can do). Jim stared freaking out saying what can we do now., untill he saw me pull out my tool box

So far in the distance, we see a Jeep, a nice trail rig all set up coming our way. Jim walks away, saying "I don't want to associated with you when they drive by and laugh at you" I said, "I don't know about Fj owners, but the Jeep will stop, ask what I broke, see if they have anything with them to replace/fix/fab something, and if they can't help, they will stay and chat and share their beer if they have some.

"
"In your dreams, that doesn't look like Mother Theresa pulling up" - Jim said
Needless to say, the Jeep stopped, the passanger was upset becouse he kept an extra driveshaft in HIS jeep, they offered U-Joints, bolts etc, though to no avail. So they sat with us as I removed the driveshaft and shared thier Wild Turkey with my 2 buddies

.
Later over the campfire I heard Jim say : "How much did Scott pay for his jeep? Do you remember where he got it..."
And yes, I would stop for a Fj.