I wanted to do the Rubicon trail soon but i'm not absolutely sure what that would require. I have two options to take considering I don't think a p38 would make it stock. I have a 77 two door RR w/4speed manual, w/overdrive. Currently its running a 4 litre block, four barrel weber carb etc and some other cool things. Has bilstein shocks (not heavy duty), big mud tires and other little things but nothing major. Would I be able to keep up with my friends jeeps on the trail? Also I'd consider taking a 95 RR that I would have extra axles and things that aren't compatible with the 77. Wouldn't worry about hurting the car nearly as much as the 77 since a lot of work has been done to it and parts are rare. Any must have modifications to make it through? Could they go the way they are?

 

I too have been contemplating on the Rubicon but personally, I'm doing local trails first to make sure my skills and the '98 Discovery are up to the task. The Sierras is a long way from home to break down surprisingly. By doing trails locally, I'm sure to break brittle parts that need replacing before such a big trip while getting home is much much easier. Not to mention, honing the offroading instincts that's more important than equipment itself along the way.

My 2 cents...wheel with at least 1 vehicle that has interchangeable parts with yours to split tools and replacements parts between. Remember, weight and mass is also a factor offroad specially when you have to pickup camp every night as is my plans with Rubicon. It isn't like a camp you can go back to every night on a multi-day adventure.

If you're fairly close to San Bernardino, I usually play around the area. Let me know if you'd like to meet up some time.

Cheers!

 

The Rubicon isn't extreme, it has it's technical spots, but it has been really dumbed down over the years, petitions to remove it and whatnot. Although it does have spot that are hard enough to break stuff, especially rover stuff, even more so the rover stuff when its 15+ years old. Conservatively speaking you would need: rear hd half shafts, 33's (paired with lift to fit them) and at least a rear locker to keep up with the others, if they are going in trucks that are modified.

 

I live in the SF Bay Area, a few places I can practice. Now about lockers. The RR and landies have quote on quote locking difs but it only locks the center dif sending 50% to front and rear. Do jeeps have that? And would I need lockers for the individual axles? Maybe as suggested in the rear, Arb?

 

Not really sure how the Jeeps center diffs work compared to Rovers as they're not full time 4 wheels. As for lockers on ours, I opted for Detroit on the rears and TrueTracs for the fronts, mainly because of price and ease of use - no air plumbing to worry about and sort of install and forget setup. I did have to install HD axles on the rears and re-gear to 4.12 while I'm at it.

 

jeep, land rover, chebby, etc = locked CENTER diff puts power % front and %back


difference being 2x4wd to 4x4wd and all wheel drive to 4wd. all of those combinations have their own limitations and possibilities. ie, 1x4 to 2x4 and 1x4 (at any corner) to 2x4


the goal is traction. a locked center diff is usually enough and is the most effective of the 3 options to lock (front, center, rear)


land rover = awd when the center diff is not locked and open. it is working in congress with lr's traction control and both axles and all wheels as options to power. it has its place for speed, traction in certain conditions and freedom of movement, but this leaves the possibility of only 1 wheel (on front axle or rear) that may be spinning.
land rover= 4wd when center diff is locked. power is distributed to front and rear axle but this leaves the possibility of only 2 wheels to be spinning...1 front and 1 rear axle. this works great with the traction control and proves to be a very capable set up.
an addition of a locker in the axle diff, changes that 1 wheel per axle to both, as the only possibility of free spin. locked center diff with 2 lockers takes the possibilities away, it will truly be 4x4 and all 4 are spinning..... the spare too, if you roll it over.


jeep = 2wd with center unlocked and leaves the possibility for only one of the rear axle wheels to spin, front axle is not active.
the rest works under the same principle as above without traction control. the newer ones may have some type of traction control. dunno, I haven't purchased a jeep since the late 90's.

 

Some Jeeps have a chain driven tcase, so when they put it into 4wd, it uses a viscous coupling to add power to the front wheels. It's not like the tcase on the Land Rover LT230, because since we are all wheel drive, we have an open differential with the added benefit of being able to lock it 50-50, the jeep pretty much has a limited slip transfercase, for the most part. Not sure about the newer models, but I know most had the viscous coupling t case.

 

I have a 77 two door RR w/4speed manual, w/overdrive. Currently its running a 4 litre block, four barrel weber carb etc and some other cool things. Has bilstein shocks (not heavy duty), big mud tires and other little things but nothing major. go for it