Twister - Jo's Jeep J10 Replica Build
- Thread starter nstevic01
- Start date
) and that is one serious rebuild!
ValiantTheOdd
New Member
Im going to begin work on a 1/24th scale replica of the truck here soon, and I was looking around google for refrences because I need to make up some parts for it. I found this post and read though the entire thing and mate, I respect your craft here. The truck came out beautiful. Awesome, awesome work! Hope to see more pictures soon.
I did want to ask though, how did you wind up making the university stickers?
Either way, thank you for sharing all this information!
I did want to ask though, how did you wind up making the university stickers?
Either way, thank you for sharing all this information!
nstevic01
Well-Known Member
Designs are freely available on the Twister the Movie: Behind the Scenes, Replicas, and More facebook group. I had a guy in Canada make them up for me on the condition they be freely used in the community.
nstevic01
Well-Known Member
Time for some LONG awaited updates. Putting these together took way more time than I thought. Luckily/unluckily, there are almost no pictures which take up even more time to organize, link, and post.
Thursday – May 13th, 2021
Stop 1 – Wawa in Lutz, FL
2.3 Miles from home
We load up on road trip snacks like we are 10 years old with money to burn and get the journey started. We get on I-75 northbound and begin the trip. At this point it’s about 6:30pm, so we are definitely driving through the night. Due to the 12 gallon capacity of my tank, and the average 10-11 miles per gallon, our effective range before refueling was about 90ish miles. We decided to keep a log of the fuel stops, which kinda helped determine the total cost of the trip in the end, but more on that later.
Stop 2 – Sunoco and Walmart in Gainsville, FL
117 Miles from home
Trip – 114.7 Miles traveled, 12.31 gallons consumed, 9.5 mpg
Overall - 12.31 gallons consumed, 9.5 mpg
On the way to the second fuel stop, we thought it would be a good idea to stop in Walmart and pick up some spare fluids for the journey. Seeing that almost every single thing was brand new, I didn’t think it would be needed, but this was the first time the truck had gone more than an hour from the house. We made it to just outside of Gainesville around 8:30pm filled up with fuel and swung in to Walmart. Got a giant jug of oil, some coolant, trans fluid, and some drinks for the ride. I checked the oil and it seemed to be down about a half quart. We topped it off and started the journey again.
Stop 3 – Sunoco in Valdosta, GA
215 Miles from home
Trip – 98 Miles travelled, 11.7 gallons consumed, 8.37 mpg
Overall - 24.01 gallons consumed, 8.95 mpg
Our last fuel stop for the night was in Valdosta, GA around 11:22pm. Truck is still running hot. Had to turn off the AC to keep temps in check. Truck also stalled just before the turn to get on the offramp, Lee managed to get it started again to get steering back JUST before we went over the edge.
Friday – May 14th, 2021
Stop 4 – Circle K in Unadilla, GA
320 Miles from home
Trip – 105 Miles travelled, 11.7 gallons consumed, 8.97 mpg
Overall - 35.71 gallons consumed, 8.96 mpg
1:08am, fairly boring fuel stop unless you count the group of guys crowding around the front of the store. The one holding open the door was wearing a tank top that was pulled up for some reason and pants around his ass. Usually I wouldn’t care except he was openly carrying a firearm in his waistband, no holster. Luckily Georgia is an open carry state, so he wasn’t really doing anything illegal. It’s just different from Florida, we have to conceal carry in our state so it stood out. Other than that, we grabbed our snacks, checked the fluid levels, filled up and were on our way.
Stop 5 – Quick Trip in Morrow, GA
426 Miles from home
Trip – 106 Miles travelled, 11.5 gallons consumed, 9.21 mpg
Overall - 47.21 gallons consumed, 9.02 mpg
3:19am, nothing to report here. Quick fill up, driver change, and back on the road. Truck is running cooler, but mainly because the temps outside are in the 40s and its drizzling. Actually have to turn the heat on.
Stop 6 – Mapco in Eastaboga, AL
538 Miles from home
Trip – 112 Miles travelled, 12 gallons consumed, 9.33 mpg
Overall - 59.21 gallons consumed, 9.08 mpg
5:21am, nothing to report here. Quick fill up, fluid check, driver change, and back on the road.
Stop 7 – Shell in Carbon Hill, AL
641 Miles from home
Trip – 103 Miles travelled, 10.9 gallons consumed, 9.44 mpg
Overall - 70.11 gallons consumed, 9.14 mpg
7:09am, nothing to report here. Quick fill up, driver change, and back on the road.
Stop 8 – Pilot in New Albany, MS
740 Miles from home
Trip – 99 Miles travelled, 11.01 gallons consumed, 8.99 mpg
Overall - 81.12 gallons consumed, 9.12 mpg
9:01am, Finally something interesting. While filling up with fuel we noticed a screw in the tire…
So now we had to find some place nearby that can fix it, and fix it same day. I will say this, small town hospitality is a thing, and everyone here was super nice. They told me about a tire place right around the corner so we went. Walked in and asked if they could fix it, they said they were fully booked for the day and would call a place right down the road for us. We went over to a place called D.C. Tire Town. They put aside the current job, fixed our tire within 30 mins and we were back on our way.
Stop 9 – BP in West Memphis, AR
836 Miles from home
Trip – 96 Miles travelled, 11.8 gallons consumed, 8.13 mpg
Overall – 92.92 gallons consumed, 8.99 mpg
11:43am, nothing to report here. Quick fill up, fluid check, driver change, and back on the road.
Stop 10 – Shell in N. Little Rock, AR
966 Miles from home
Trip -130 Miles travelled, 10.8 gallons consumed, 12.03 mpg!!
Overall – 103.72 gallons consumed, 9.31 mpg
1:58pm, not sure how the hell we pulled off 12.03 mpg out of that tank, but it happened. Other than that, standard stop for fuel, fluid checks and driver change.
Stop 11 – Love’s Travel Station in Ozark, AR
1077 Miles from home
Trip – 111 Miles travelled, 10 gallons consumed, 11.1 mpg
Overall – 113.72 gallons consumed, 9.47 mpg
4:22pm, when I popped the hood, oil was all over the intake manifold and Sniper EFI. Where in the hell did this come from?? Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the oil filler cap was wonky and not sitting flush. Apparently there was oil blowby and the heavy duty fan was just blowing it everywhere. I got under neath and it looks like there is oil leaking from the fuel pump mount and dripping down the back of the block. We do some quick roadside repairs, top it off with oil, fuel and head back out.
Crazy story time. JUST before this fuel stop, we were stuck in construction traffic. 4 lanes of travel divided by steel cabled fencing. As we are sitting there at a dead stop, in the left lane, a car comes FLYING on our left in between the fence and my truck and comes to a complete stop just before plowing into the semi in front of us. LUCKILY I keep my distance from larger trucks in case they roll back. I **** you not, the guy keeps talking on his cell phone, stopped in front of me, like nothing happened. I have zero clue how the hell he missed me, let alone the divider or the truck. ******* idiot.
Stop 12 – Conoco Phillips in Porter OK
1190 Miles from home
Trip – 113 Miles traveled, 11.4 gallons consumed, 9.91 mpg
Overall – 125.12 gallons consumed, 9.51 mpg
6:57pm, Not much longer to go. Should be one more fill up after this, then we will be in Jet, OK.
Stop 13 – Shell in Red Rock, OK
1309 Miles from home
Trip – 119 Miles travelled, 11.5 gallons consumed, 10.34 mpg
Overall – 136.62 gallons consumed, 9.58 mpg
8:09pm, LAST FUEL UP before we hit Jet, OK. This gas station is out in the middle of literal nowhere, on an Indian reservation, and has a casino inside of it. According to the GPS, we only have about another 90 mins of driving. After that, we are crashing.
Twin Springs Lodge – Jet, OK
1380 Miles from home
9:46pm, Jet is a VERY small town. Like you can drive through it in about 5 mins. There is only 1 gas station which doubles as the town restaurant I think. It’s late, some of the gang is already at the AirBNB, time to get some sleep.
The follow up posts to this may take a bit of time, there are a TON of pictures and the story back home gets even crazier.
Thursday – May 13th, 2021
Stop 1 – Wawa in Lutz, FL
2.3 Miles from home
We load up on road trip snacks like we are 10 years old with money to burn and get the journey started. We get on I-75 northbound and begin the trip. At this point it’s about 6:30pm, so we are definitely driving through the night. Due to the 12 gallon capacity of my tank, and the average 10-11 miles per gallon, our effective range before refueling was about 90ish miles. We decided to keep a log of the fuel stops, which kinda helped determine the total cost of the trip in the end, but more on that later.
Stop 2 – Sunoco and Walmart in Gainsville, FL
117 Miles from home
Trip – 114.7 Miles traveled, 12.31 gallons consumed, 9.5 mpg
Overall - 12.31 gallons consumed, 9.5 mpg
On the way to the second fuel stop, we thought it would be a good idea to stop in Walmart and pick up some spare fluids for the journey. Seeing that almost every single thing was brand new, I didn’t think it would be needed, but this was the first time the truck had gone more than an hour from the house. We made it to just outside of Gainesville around 8:30pm filled up with fuel and swung in to Walmart. Got a giant jug of oil, some coolant, trans fluid, and some drinks for the ride. I checked the oil and it seemed to be down about a half quart. We topped it off and started the journey again.
Stop 3 – Sunoco in Valdosta, GA
215 Miles from home
Trip – 98 Miles travelled, 11.7 gallons consumed, 8.37 mpg
Overall - 24.01 gallons consumed, 8.95 mpg
Our last fuel stop for the night was in Valdosta, GA around 11:22pm. Truck is still running hot. Had to turn off the AC to keep temps in check. Truck also stalled just before the turn to get on the offramp, Lee managed to get it started again to get steering back JUST before we went over the edge.
Friday – May 14th, 2021
Stop 4 – Circle K in Unadilla, GA
320 Miles from home
Trip – 105 Miles travelled, 11.7 gallons consumed, 8.97 mpg
Overall - 35.71 gallons consumed, 8.96 mpg
1:08am, fairly boring fuel stop unless you count the group of guys crowding around the front of the store. The one holding open the door was wearing a tank top that was pulled up for some reason and pants around his ass. Usually I wouldn’t care except he was openly carrying a firearm in his waistband, no holster. Luckily Georgia is an open carry state, so he wasn’t really doing anything illegal. It’s just different from Florida, we have to conceal carry in our state so it stood out. Other than that, we grabbed our snacks, checked the fluid levels, filled up and were on our way.
Stop 5 – Quick Trip in Morrow, GA
426 Miles from home
Trip – 106 Miles travelled, 11.5 gallons consumed, 9.21 mpg
Overall - 47.21 gallons consumed, 9.02 mpg
3:19am, nothing to report here. Quick fill up, driver change, and back on the road. Truck is running cooler, but mainly because the temps outside are in the 40s and its drizzling. Actually have to turn the heat on.
Stop 6 – Mapco in Eastaboga, AL
538 Miles from home
Trip – 112 Miles travelled, 12 gallons consumed, 9.33 mpg
Overall - 59.21 gallons consumed, 9.08 mpg
5:21am, nothing to report here. Quick fill up, fluid check, driver change, and back on the road.
Stop 7 – Shell in Carbon Hill, AL
641 Miles from home
Trip – 103 Miles travelled, 10.9 gallons consumed, 9.44 mpg
Overall - 70.11 gallons consumed, 9.14 mpg
7:09am, nothing to report here. Quick fill up, driver change, and back on the road.
Stop 8 – Pilot in New Albany, MS
740 Miles from home
Trip – 99 Miles travelled, 11.01 gallons consumed, 8.99 mpg
Overall - 81.12 gallons consumed, 9.12 mpg
9:01am, Finally something interesting. While filling up with fuel we noticed a screw in the tire…
So now we had to find some place nearby that can fix it, and fix it same day. I will say this, small town hospitality is a thing, and everyone here was super nice. They told me about a tire place right around the corner so we went. Walked in and asked if they could fix it, they said they were fully booked for the day and would call a place right down the road for us. We went over to a place called D.C. Tire Town. They put aside the current job, fixed our tire within 30 mins and we were back on our way.
Stop 9 – BP in West Memphis, AR
836 Miles from home
Trip – 96 Miles travelled, 11.8 gallons consumed, 8.13 mpg
Overall – 92.92 gallons consumed, 8.99 mpg
11:43am, nothing to report here. Quick fill up, fluid check, driver change, and back on the road.
Stop 10 – Shell in N. Little Rock, AR
966 Miles from home
Trip -130 Miles travelled, 10.8 gallons consumed, 12.03 mpg!!
Overall – 103.72 gallons consumed, 9.31 mpg
1:58pm, not sure how the hell we pulled off 12.03 mpg out of that tank, but it happened. Other than that, standard stop for fuel, fluid checks and driver change.
Stop 11 – Love’s Travel Station in Ozark, AR
1077 Miles from home
Trip – 111 Miles travelled, 10 gallons consumed, 11.1 mpg
Overall – 113.72 gallons consumed, 9.47 mpg
4:22pm, when I popped the hood, oil was all over the intake manifold and Sniper EFI. Where in the hell did this come from?? Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the oil filler cap was wonky and not sitting flush. Apparently there was oil blowby and the heavy duty fan was just blowing it everywhere. I got under neath and it looks like there is oil leaking from the fuel pump mount and dripping down the back of the block. We do some quick roadside repairs, top it off with oil, fuel and head back out.
Crazy story time. JUST before this fuel stop, we were stuck in construction traffic. 4 lanes of travel divided by steel cabled fencing. As we are sitting there at a dead stop, in the left lane, a car comes FLYING on our left in between the fence and my truck and comes to a complete stop just before plowing into the semi in front of us. LUCKILY I keep my distance from larger trucks in case they roll back. I **** you not, the guy keeps talking on his cell phone, stopped in front of me, like nothing happened. I have zero clue how the hell he missed me, let alone the divider or the truck. ******* idiot.
Stop 12 – Conoco Phillips in Porter OK
1190 Miles from home
Trip – 113 Miles traveled, 11.4 gallons consumed, 9.91 mpg
Overall – 125.12 gallons consumed, 9.51 mpg
6:57pm, Not much longer to go. Should be one more fill up after this, then we will be in Jet, OK.
Stop 13 – Shell in Red Rock, OK
1309 Miles from home
Trip – 119 Miles travelled, 11.5 gallons consumed, 10.34 mpg
Overall – 136.62 gallons consumed, 9.58 mpg
8:09pm, LAST FUEL UP before we hit Jet, OK. This gas station is out in the middle of literal nowhere, on an Indian reservation, and has a casino inside of it. According to the GPS, we only have about another 90 mins of driving. After that, we are crashing.
Twin Springs Lodge – Jet, OK
1380 Miles from home
9:46pm, Jet is a VERY small town. Like you can drive through it in about 5 mins. There is only 1 gas station which doubles as the town restaurant I think. It’s late, some of the gang is already at the AirBNB, time to get some sleep.
The follow up posts to this may take a bit of time, there are a TON of pictures and the story back home gets even crazier.
nstevic01
Well-Known Member
Saturday – May 15th, 2021
The place we stayed at in Jet is pretty awesome. It’s run by a guy named Colton who is the fire chief for Jet. When I looked out the window in the morning, I was greeted by a surreal image. The sun was rising on an eerily quiet Saturday morning and a gentle breeze had all the anemometers spinning on the Dorothys. This was my view from the window:
Of course I had to go down and snap a few more pics.
We grabbed some breakfast at the only place in town, and gassed up. People are a whole other level of nice in this town. I was picking out what I wanted to eat in their display case and noticed they were out of breakfast burritos and kinda made a joking comment about how I wished there were more. One of the women behind the counter asked me if I wanted her to make me one, of course I agreed. If that was anywhere else, Id totally expect a sorry, we are out. But yeah, everyone there was super nice. After eating, we headed out to Wakita for the Twister celebration.
Short video of us rolling in to town:
All lined up for the car show. After we parked and set up, I went to go enter the truck in the contest.
After hundreds of texts and fb messages, I finally got to meet the screen used truck and the owners. Also managed to get the much needed pictures for the archive and gave them a set of my decals.
Some shots around Wakita
Linda’s screen used Dorothy from the truck drop
And much to my surprise, I freaking won the car show’s best replica category. 3 long years of blood sweat and tears building this truck and at this moment, it was all worth it. Not only did I make it to the 25th anniversary by the skin of my teeth, I took home first place.
As I was wandering around by the screen used truck, one of the guys shouts “Sean Whalen is looking around your truck!” I of course run off like a crazy person, keys in hand to let him in, only to be stopped by his body guard.
So after this happened, Lee let me in on the full story for this. Apparently, my wife had ordered a “cameo” video from Sean to be sent to me while I was on the road to Wakita. One thing led to another and he forgot to do it. While we were at the event, Lee messaged my wife and let him know he is literally right over here, and he could ask him about it. So he walked over to Sean and explained the situation. Sean was more than happy to do it right then and there, in Wakita, with my truck.
After the excitement of that wore off, we took the trucks around town for some additional photos and video footage.
Aunt Meg’s House location is right around the block from main street. It’s a park now, as the house was destroyed for filming.
After that, we took a quick tour of the museum. I didn’t get very many shots of the interior, but here is what I do have. Nothing terribly exciting for non-Twister fans.
The place we stayed at in Jet is pretty awesome. It’s run by a guy named Colton who is the fire chief for Jet. When I looked out the window in the morning, I was greeted by a surreal image. The sun was rising on an eerily quiet Saturday morning and a gentle breeze had all the anemometers spinning on the Dorothys. This was my view from the window:
Of course I had to go down and snap a few more pics.
We grabbed some breakfast at the only place in town, and gassed up. People are a whole other level of nice in this town. I was picking out what I wanted to eat in their display case and noticed they were out of breakfast burritos and kinda made a joking comment about how I wished there were more. One of the women behind the counter asked me if I wanted her to make me one, of course I agreed. If that was anywhere else, Id totally expect a sorry, we are out. But yeah, everyone there was super nice. After eating, we headed out to Wakita for the Twister celebration.
Short video of us rolling in to town:
All lined up for the car show. After we parked and set up, I went to go enter the truck in the contest.
After hundreds of texts and fb messages, I finally got to meet the screen used truck and the owners. Also managed to get the much needed pictures for the archive and gave them a set of my decals.
Some shots around Wakita
Linda’s screen used Dorothy from the truck drop
And much to my surprise, I freaking won the car show’s best replica category. 3 long years of blood sweat and tears building this truck and at this moment, it was all worth it. Not only did I make it to the 25th anniversary by the skin of my teeth, I took home first place.
As I was wandering around by the screen used truck, one of the guys shouts “Sean Whalen is looking around your truck!” I of course run off like a crazy person, keys in hand to let him in, only to be stopped by his body guard.
So after this happened, Lee let me in on the full story for this. Apparently, my wife had ordered a “cameo” video from Sean to be sent to me while I was on the road to Wakita. One thing led to another and he forgot to do it. While we were at the event, Lee messaged my wife and let him know he is literally right over here, and he could ask him about it. So he walked over to Sean and explained the situation. Sean was more than happy to do it right then and there, in Wakita, with my truck.
After the excitement of that wore off, we took the trucks around town for some additional photos and video footage.
Aunt Meg’s House location is right around the block from main street. It’s a park now, as the house was destroyed for filming.
After that, we took a quick tour of the museum. I didn’t get very many shots of the interior, but here is what I do have. Nothing terribly exciting for non-Twister fans.
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nstevic01
Well-Known Member
I did come across this in the museum. Apparently, this is one of two designs used for the bee antenna topper on the truck. If ANYONE at all has a lead on one for purchase, I would be eternally grateful.
This shot sorta shows the other design used. It was a thinner bee with its head turned sideways.
Lined up outside the museum. We moved the trucks over so that we could have dinner with the crew for the event.
This was effective dubbed the porta potty of death. Seriously, this thing was a huge safety hazard. Not sure why they left the men’s one on the trailer, the women’s one was safely located on the ground next to it. Every time someone stepped up on to the trailer it tipped.
Some shots of Wakita while we were leaving. The town itself was not very large.
The Twister Café, which was sadly not open during our stay. There was rumor that someone bought the place and is currently refurbishing it, but I will believe it when I see it.
On the way back to the house, we stopped off and got some beers for the night and began the desolate trek back. Once at the farm, we decided to take some photos around the property, which turned out to be some of my favorite images of my truck. And this is where I started noticing a new sound with the truck. I put it in reverse and heard a slight clunking sound. I had made a comment about the sound wondering what it may be, but we didn’t think much more of it at that point. Big mistake…
There were actual tornado warnings that night with hail expected. We asked the property owner if we could stash the trucks inside one of the barns and he said no problem. All tucked in for the night.
This shot sorta shows the other design used. It was a thinner bee with its head turned sideways.
Lined up outside the museum. We moved the trucks over so that we could have dinner with the crew for the event.
This was effective dubbed the porta potty of death. Seriously, this thing was a huge safety hazard. Not sure why they left the men’s one on the trailer, the women’s one was safely located on the ground next to it. Every time someone stepped up on to the trailer it tipped.
Some shots of Wakita while we were leaving. The town itself was not very large.
The Twister Café, which was sadly not open during our stay. There was rumor that someone bought the place and is currently refurbishing it, but I will believe it when I see it.
On the way back to the house, we stopped off and got some beers for the night and began the desolate trek back. Once at the farm, we decided to take some photos around the property, which turned out to be some of my favorite images of my truck. And this is where I started noticing a new sound with the truck. I put it in reverse and heard a slight clunking sound. I had made a comment about the sound wondering what it may be, but we didn’t think much more of it at that point. Big mistake…
There were actual tornado warnings that night with hail expected. We asked the property owner if we could stash the trucks inside one of the barns and he said no problem. All tucked in for the night.
nstevic01
Well-Known Member
Sunday – May 16th, 2021
The next day, we packed up all of our stuff and ran back to the gas station. We grabbed some more food, topped off the truck, and began our journey of touring other filming locations. You know, its funny, on the worst days of your life you never wake up thinking something bad could happen. But on this day, little did I know, that a lot more than bad would happen…
Wakita, OK – N2820 Rd.
First up was the filming location for the opening sequence where Jo’s dad dies. Ironically the farm at this location was destroyed by a real tornado back in 2010. The owner said the path of the tornado was eerily similar to the one shown in the movie. All in all, 2 houses, five barns, two silos, some equipment and a horse were lost. All that remains today is a single silo, nothing else is left.
Woodland, OK – Wulf Rd.
The next location we were heading to is one of my favorites, the ditch run scene. En route to the location, I guess word got round that a group of replica trucks were running around. I am not joking when I say, there were literally people sitting it their front yards waiting for us to pass by. Phones in hand, ready to record. I even managed to find a recording online.
photos.app.goo.gl
As we approached the location, we were stopped in the middle of the road by a truck that pulled out in front of us. Some guy got at and started talking to the lead truck. Come to find out, it’s the landowner for the ditch scene. He invited us to his property and offered to show us the tractor that sat on the little bridge that the Jeep hits before getting sucked up into the tornado. It’s not much to look at, but cool nonetheless.
The guy went on to tell us that they created the ditch and subsequent bridge specifically for filming. They needed a tractor and the property owner offered up theirs. They even offered him a cameo driving the tractor on to the bridge, but he declined. After the filming was done, the production crew filled in the ditch and destroyed the bridge for liability reasons. After a brief chat about their experiences during filming, we followed him over to where the bridge was. Looking around the location, we actually noticed there were still several large pieces of the bridge left on the ground, albeit mostly rotted away. We had stated how cool it would be to get a piece for a souvenir, he said go for it. So we hopped the fence and went down to collect our prize.
Fairfax, OK – Where Wulf Rd turns into E 100 Rd.
At this point it started raining. The next location was the turn the Jeep makes just before dropping into the ditch. We each ran through it while Leo filmed with the drone trying to recreate the following of the truck through the turn. Not too exciting, but hey, when in Rome. That sound from before is still noticeable…
photos.app.goo.gl
Burbank, OK – OK19 (between Co Rd 5920 and Remington Rd.)
After that, we visited a few more less exciting locations. But the one that stood out the most was the road that Jo and Bill were arguing on.
We opted to try and recreate this one as well. Due to the rain we weren’t going to push the truck and we certainly were not going to take it off the road like in the scene. We like to have fun, but we aren’t stupid.
photos.app.goo.gl
Watching the towards the end of the video, you will notice a silver car on the right side of the road. Little did we know who was inside that car. I turned around and pulled in behind the other trucks. There was already someone over there talking to the person in the car. One of the guys walks up to my window and says “you may want to go over there and talk to that guy”. So, being curious, I did just that.
As I approached the vehicle I saw an older gentleman sitting in the driver seat. The guy who was already talking to him turned to me and said, “this is Mel Wright, the guy who built the Jeeps for the movie”. I was completely stunned, what are the freaking odds that we would run into this guy while driving around?? So we got to talking, getting details and such on how they were built and painted for the movie. At some point in the conversation he mentioned that he stopped when he saw the trucks on the side of the road and thought a couple of them were the actual ones from the film. Flattering, but I had to let him down gently. He was a wealth of information and I wished I had gotten his number. I did try reaching out on Facebook shortly after, but he hasnt been active on it in some time.
Kaw City, OK – E. Ferguson Rd. Bridge
We had a few more stops planned for the day before breaking for an Aunt Meg’s style meal. However, fate would have a different plan for me that day. We made our way down to the bridge that was used during the “sisters tornado” scene located in Kaw City on E. Ferguson Rd. Not even a minute away I get a phone call from my wife. Her mom just died… Unfortunately, at the exact same time, one of the Rams’ driveshaft bearings went out and had to pull off the road. I pulled over and let the guys know we had to go and would be missing out on the rest of the day. I apologized for not staying to help, but we had to get back to Florida ASAP.
This was the last video I filmed as we went over the bridge to head home. You can hear Lee talking in the background about the driveshaft on the Ram.
photos.app.goo.gl
By this time the rain is coming down pretty hard, we find the nearest gas station, the Diamond Shamrock in Shidler. We filled the truck back up, grabbed some snacks and drinks and went back to the truck. Lee suggested we try to find out what that noise was from under the truck. I get down on the ground and have him put it in drive, I noticed the front driveshaft jumped a tad when it went in gear. Being an NP229, this should not even be moving since the front hubs are disengaged and the transfer case is in 2 High. At least, that is what all the signs showed. We decide to get back in the truck and start heading out. Unfortunately we did not record mileage and fuel usage on the way back for obvious reasons. My mind was elsewhere.
Phillips 66 – Porter, OK
1217 Miles from home
6:36pm, Make it another 118 miles before we need to fill the truck up. We pull in to the Phillips 66 right on the Muskogee Turnpike. At this point the sky is very ominous and the rain is brutal. After topping the truck off we run inside for some food and get back on out way. We get a few miles down the road and the weather just turns worse. There is zero visibility on the road, the winds are insane, and it feels very much like a tornado is in the area. The antennas on the truck are going nuts and banging against the roll bar and body. We ended up pulling over under an overpass to remove them for our sanity. We check the cargo in the bed of the truck one last time and get back on the road.
Love’s Travel Center – Ozark, AR
1079 Miles from home
8:47pm, 113 miles down and we stop to refuel. Truck seems to be running ok, still overheats if we leave the AC on, and we are still limited to 60mph or so to keep the truck cool without the AC. Mostly an uneventful stop.
Pilot Travel Center – Russellville, AR
1032 Miles from home
9:51pm, only 47 miles this time. Something felt off with the truck, we started noticing that the voltmeter was registering less than 12v while driving. As a precaution, we shut off all non-essential items in the truck to reduce battery draw. We pulled into the gas station, top off and start checking the truck over. Oil is still blowing out of the filler tube making a huge mess, oil is still leaking out of the bottom of the truck. We get everything cleaned up, clean out the filter element in the filler cap, top off the oil and gas and are back on the road.
Shell – North Little Rock, AR
965 Miles from home
11:22pm, 68 miles more, something is wrong with the truck. We started noticing intermittent losses in power and that damn noise from the drivetrain, voltage is still low as well. We pull into the gas station and give the truck a once over. Nothing seems to be out of place, rolled under the truck and nothing is loose. Everything seems solid. I triple checked the transfer case to make sure it was still in 2wd High. We topped off the oil and gas and got back on the road.
Monday - May 17, 2021
Exxon – Brinkley, AR
859 Miles from home
12:47am, only 64.5 miles. We pull off again. I rolled under the truck to check everything again. This time I accidentally brushed up against the transfer case and burned the hell out of my hand. The case was HOT. Something is wrong, but at this point not much could be done. The gas station was closed and we needed to get back on the road, so we chanced it.
Blues Highway (just before the bridge into Memphis) – Proctor, AR
833 Miles from home
2:10am. Well, this is it. We were driving along and the loss of power comes back a few more times, very spotty. Then BANG, followed by the sound of broken bits rattling around. Well, ****. I look over to Lee and say that’s it, we are done. I assume the transmission became a box of neutrals, after rolling off the side of the road and stopping I try to put it in park and there is just a grinding sound. I shut the engine off, then put it in park, then restart the truck. Tried to go into drive and it just grinded. At this point I was beyond frustrated. I’m 833 miles from home, my mother in law just died, and the truck that I spent the last couple of years putting together with ALL BRAND NEW parts just left me on the side of the road. Fortunately, I am one of those people that always keep a level head, I sat there for a minute in silence, then grabbed my phone and called Hagerty.
While we sat and waited for the tow truck, we arranged to stay at a hotel just over the bridge. It would be almost 3 hours before they could to us… Around 5:01am, the truck finally arrives and loads my broken beast onto the flatbed.
We finally get the truck unloaded at the hotel. Exhausted, we just collapse into bed trying to not focus on how the rest of the day is going to go down. We manage to get a few hours of sleep, got up, showered, and immediately got to work on how we were going to get home. I got back out to the truck now that I’ve gotten some rest and I begin diagnosing. I eventually come to the conclusion that it is the transfer case and not the transmission that decided to eat it. I jumped on every FSJ facebook page Im on and put out an APB on a replacement 229 case, or anything that will fit in its place. We gave it a couple of hours, got a few replies, but nothing that could help at the moment. One reply was very promising, Daniel Van Doren over at Jeep Heritage. He offered to send me a new case, but it was gonna take a few days. A few days was way better than the several month lead time from other vendors. I put this in my back pocket and kept searching. I eventually came up with the idea of renting a U-Haul with a trailer and just dragging it home. I called a few places in the area and finally found one that would let me do a one-way haul with a trailer to pull a “Toyota Corolla” to Florida.
Once the truck and trailer were reserved, we set up an Uber to get to the rental place. $1400 later, we secured the ridiculously overpriced truck. While we were waiting for the paperwork to be completed, I walked around the store looking for things we may need. I see a come-along on the wall for $30 and grabbed it. I have loaded this particular truck on to this type of U-Haul trailer about 3 times before this and I know how much of a pain in the ass it is with the 33x12 tires. We jump in the truck and head back to the hotel to get loaded up. About 30 mins in to trying to get this thing on the trailer, a Police Officer pulls up. He gets out and asks us who we are and what we are doing. We explain the situation and ask how we can help. Apparently, they were looking for a stolen U-haul with a trailer that was last seen on that particular street. I **** you not, there was another one the next block over pulling away, we point it out and he jumps in the car and takes off. We shake our heads and get back to work. About an hour later we were on our way.
For the next 16 hours, the trip was uneventful. The U-haul got significantly better gas mileage than my truck… who would have thought. We finally pull into the house around 5:21am the next day, unload the truck, and pass out.
The next day, we packed up all of our stuff and ran back to the gas station. We grabbed some more food, topped off the truck, and began our journey of touring other filming locations. You know, its funny, on the worst days of your life you never wake up thinking something bad could happen. But on this day, little did I know, that a lot more than bad would happen…
Wakita, OK – N2820 Rd.
First up was the filming location for the opening sequence where Jo’s dad dies. Ironically the farm at this location was destroyed by a real tornado back in 2010. The owner said the path of the tornado was eerily similar to the one shown in the movie. All in all, 2 houses, five barns, two silos, some equipment and a horse were lost. All that remains today is a single silo, nothing else is left.
Woodland, OK – Wulf Rd.
The next location we were heading to is one of my favorites, the ditch run scene. En route to the location, I guess word got round that a group of replica trucks were running around. I am not joking when I say, there were literally people sitting it their front yards waiting for us to pass by. Phones in hand, ready to record. I even managed to find a recording online.
New video by Nathan Stevic
photos.app.goo.gl
As we approached the location, we were stopped in the middle of the road by a truck that pulled out in front of us. Some guy got at and started talking to the lead truck. Come to find out, it’s the landowner for the ditch scene. He invited us to his property and offered to show us the tractor that sat on the little bridge that the Jeep hits before getting sucked up into the tornado. It’s not much to look at, but cool nonetheless.
The guy went on to tell us that they created the ditch and subsequent bridge specifically for filming. They needed a tractor and the property owner offered up theirs. They even offered him a cameo driving the tractor on to the bridge, but he declined. After the filming was done, the production crew filled in the ditch and destroyed the bridge for liability reasons. After a brief chat about their experiences during filming, we followed him over to where the bridge was. Looking around the location, we actually noticed there were still several large pieces of the bridge left on the ground, albeit mostly rotted away. We had stated how cool it would be to get a piece for a souvenir, he said go for it. So we hopped the fence and went down to collect our prize.
Fairfax, OK – Where Wulf Rd turns into E 100 Rd.
At this point it started raining. The next location was the turn the Jeep makes just before dropping into the ditch. We each ran through it while Leo filmed with the drone trying to recreate the following of the truck through the turn. Not too exciting, but hey, when in Rome. That sound from before is still noticeable…
New video by Nathan Stevic
photos.app.goo.gl
Burbank, OK – OK19 (between Co Rd 5920 and Remington Rd.)
After that, we visited a few more less exciting locations. But the one that stood out the most was the road that Jo and Bill were arguing on.
We opted to try and recreate this one as well. Due to the rain we weren’t going to push the truck and we certainly were not going to take it off the road like in the scene. We like to have fun, but we aren’t stupid.
New video by Nathan Stevic
photos.app.goo.gl
Watching the towards the end of the video, you will notice a silver car on the right side of the road. Little did we know who was inside that car. I turned around and pulled in behind the other trucks. There was already someone over there talking to the person in the car. One of the guys walks up to my window and says “you may want to go over there and talk to that guy”. So, being curious, I did just that.
As I approached the vehicle I saw an older gentleman sitting in the driver seat. The guy who was already talking to him turned to me and said, “this is Mel Wright, the guy who built the Jeeps for the movie”. I was completely stunned, what are the freaking odds that we would run into this guy while driving around?? So we got to talking, getting details and such on how they were built and painted for the movie. At some point in the conversation he mentioned that he stopped when he saw the trucks on the side of the road and thought a couple of them were the actual ones from the film. Flattering, but I had to let him down gently. He was a wealth of information and I wished I had gotten his number. I did try reaching out on Facebook shortly after, but he hasnt been active on it in some time.
Kaw City, OK – E. Ferguson Rd. Bridge
We had a few more stops planned for the day before breaking for an Aunt Meg’s style meal. However, fate would have a different plan for me that day. We made our way down to the bridge that was used during the “sisters tornado” scene located in Kaw City on E. Ferguson Rd. Not even a minute away I get a phone call from my wife. Her mom just died… Unfortunately, at the exact same time, one of the Rams’ driveshaft bearings went out and had to pull off the road. I pulled over and let the guys know we had to go and would be missing out on the rest of the day. I apologized for not staying to help, but we had to get back to Florida ASAP.
This was the last video I filmed as we went over the bridge to head home. You can hear Lee talking in the background about the driveshaft on the Ram.
New video by Nathan Stevic
photos.app.goo.gl
By this time the rain is coming down pretty hard, we find the nearest gas station, the Diamond Shamrock in Shidler. We filled the truck back up, grabbed some snacks and drinks and went back to the truck. Lee suggested we try to find out what that noise was from under the truck. I get down on the ground and have him put it in drive, I noticed the front driveshaft jumped a tad when it went in gear. Being an NP229, this should not even be moving since the front hubs are disengaged and the transfer case is in 2 High. At least, that is what all the signs showed. We decide to get back in the truck and start heading out. Unfortunately we did not record mileage and fuel usage on the way back for obvious reasons. My mind was elsewhere.
Phillips 66 – Porter, OK
1217 Miles from home
6:36pm, Make it another 118 miles before we need to fill the truck up. We pull in to the Phillips 66 right on the Muskogee Turnpike. At this point the sky is very ominous and the rain is brutal. After topping the truck off we run inside for some food and get back on out way. We get a few miles down the road and the weather just turns worse. There is zero visibility on the road, the winds are insane, and it feels very much like a tornado is in the area. The antennas on the truck are going nuts and banging against the roll bar and body. We ended up pulling over under an overpass to remove them for our sanity. We check the cargo in the bed of the truck one last time and get back on the road.
Love’s Travel Center – Ozark, AR
1079 Miles from home
8:47pm, 113 miles down and we stop to refuel. Truck seems to be running ok, still overheats if we leave the AC on, and we are still limited to 60mph or so to keep the truck cool without the AC. Mostly an uneventful stop.
Pilot Travel Center – Russellville, AR
1032 Miles from home
9:51pm, only 47 miles this time. Something felt off with the truck, we started noticing that the voltmeter was registering less than 12v while driving. As a precaution, we shut off all non-essential items in the truck to reduce battery draw. We pulled into the gas station, top off and start checking the truck over. Oil is still blowing out of the filler tube making a huge mess, oil is still leaking out of the bottom of the truck. We get everything cleaned up, clean out the filter element in the filler cap, top off the oil and gas and are back on the road.
Shell – North Little Rock, AR
965 Miles from home
11:22pm, 68 miles more, something is wrong with the truck. We started noticing intermittent losses in power and that damn noise from the drivetrain, voltage is still low as well. We pull into the gas station and give the truck a once over. Nothing seems to be out of place, rolled under the truck and nothing is loose. Everything seems solid. I triple checked the transfer case to make sure it was still in 2wd High. We topped off the oil and gas and got back on the road.
Monday - May 17, 2021
Exxon – Brinkley, AR
859 Miles from home
12:47am, only 64.5 miles. We pull off again. I rolled under the truck to check everything again. This time I accidentally brushed up against the transfer case and burned the hell out of my hand. The case was HOT. Something is wrong, but at this point not much could be done. The gas station was closed and we needed to get back on the road, so we chanced it.
Blues Highway (just before the bridge into Memphis) – Proctor, AR
833 Miles from home
2:10am. Well, this is it. We were driving along and the loss of power comes back a few more times, very spotty. Then BANG, followed by the sound of broken bits rattling around. Well, ****. I look over to Lee and say that’s it, we are done. I assume the transmission became a box of neutrals, after rolling off the side of the road and stopping I try to put it in park and there is just a grinding sound. I shut the engine off, then put it in park, then restart the truck. Tried to go into drive and it just grinded. At this point I was beyond frustrated. I’m 833 miles from home, my mother in law just died, and the truck that I spent the last couple of years putting together with ALL BRAND NEW parts just left me on the side of the road. Fortunately, I am one of those people that always keep a level head, I sat there for a minute in silence, then grabbed my phone and called Hagerty.
While we sat and waited for the tow truck, we arranged to stay at a hotel just over the bridge. It would be almost 3 hours before they could to us… Around 5:01am, the truck finally arrives and loads my broken beast onto the flatbed.
We finally get the truck unloaded at the hotel. Exhausted, we just collapse into bed trying to not focus on how the rest of the day is going to go down. We manage to get a few hours of sleep, got up, showered, and immediately got to work on how we were going to get home. I got back out to the truck now that I’ve gotten some rest and I begin diagnosing. I eventually come to the conclusion that it is the transfer case and not the transmission that decided to eat it. I jumped on every FSJ facebook page Im on and put out an APB on a replacement 229 case, or anything that will fit in its place. We gave it a couple of hours, got a few replies, but nothing that could help at the moment. One reply was very promising, Daniel Van Doren over at Jeep Heritage. He offered to send me a new case, but it was gonna take a few days. A few days was way better than the several month lead time from other vendors. I put this in my back pocket and kept searching. I eventually came up with the idea of renting a U-Haul with a trailer and just dragging it home. I called a few places in the area and finally found one that would let me do a one-way haul with a trailer to pull a “Toyota Corolla” to Florida.
Once the truck and trailer were reserved, we set up an Uber to get to the rental place. $1400 later, we secured the ridiculously overpriced truck. While we were waiting for the paperwork to be completed, I walked around the store looking for things we may need. I see a come-along on the wall for $30 and grabbed it. I have loaded this particular truck on to this type of U-Haul trailer about 3 times before this and I know how much of a pain in the ass it is with the 33x12 tires. We jump in the truck and head back to the hotel to get loaded up. About 30 mins in to trying to get this thing on the trailer, a Police Officer pulls up. He gets out and asks us who we are and what we are doing. We explain the situation and ask how we can help. Apparently, they were looking for a stolen U-haul with a trailer that was last seen on that particular street. I **** you not, there was another one the next block over pulling away, we point it out and he jumps in the car and takes off. We shake our heads and get back to work. About an hour later we were on our way.
For the next 16 hours, the trip was uneventful. The U-haul got significantly better gas mileage than my truck… who would have thought. We finally pull into the house around 5:21am the next day, unload the truck, and pass out.
nstevic01
Well-Known Member
Wednesday – May 19th, 2021
Finally get some time to tear down the transfer case. I pulled the lower drain plug and immediately found the issue. Maybe ¼ of a quart of fluid came out….I sat there reflecting. In the mad dash to get the truck ready for the trip, I NEVER CHECKED the fluid level of the transfer case. I was devastated and amazed all at the same time. The time, effort, and work that went into this truck and I forgot the damn fluid. But on the other hand, this truck went over 1600 miles WITHOUT fluid in the case. That’s fairly impressive. Through the opening, I could immediately see bits and pieces. I pulled the cover off and this is what I found. Most everything was intact with the exception of the shift fork, some bearings, and most of the surfaces were a pretty blue color from the heat. I immediately reached out to Daniel and ordered the transfer case.
Sunday – May 23rd, 2021
The transfer case finally arrives, at least what was left of it. Part of the case was sticking out of the box. I immediately send Daniel a message on FB, but since it was a Sunday, I was not expecting to hear back just yet. He did send a reply hoping that it wasn’t too damaged. At this point I was busy with other things and didn’t really have the time to open up the box the check everything.
Wednesday – May 26th, 2021
I get everything open, there appears to be some cosmetic scratches and 2 of the mounting studs are bent beyond repair. I immediately send Daniel a message on FB. We go back and forth for a bit and he offers to send new studs and promises to address any further damage once discovered.
Saturday – June 5th, 2021 (My birthday)
I ended up having to wait for the seal that goes on the output shaft of the trans to arrive. In all of the driving with no fluid thing, the seal actually got damaged. I get the studs swapped out and mount the case in the truck. So far so good.
Go to fill with fluid, everything is good. Get it topped off and wipe the excess fluid from the outside of the case. Go over it once more, oh, more fluid, let me wipe that off. Wait…more fluid, wipe and wipe, and wipe again. The fluid keeps re-appearing. The damn case is cracked… My first though is “hey, I have another case, just swap the shell”. Well it wasn’t on the back half, so I couldn’t just undo the cover and replace it. I would essentially have to gut the entire case and move the contents over to the other one. Wasn’t really wanting to do that given the amount of money I dropped on this replacement case. I immediately reach out to Daniel and he says give me until Monday to find a solution. Shortly after, I come up with the idea of getting it welded. My buddy out in Orlando might be able to come over and do it for me. I offered this as a solution and Daniel reassured me that this was not my problem to fix. He really is a stand up guy. Seriously, buy stuff from this guy. Yeah, it’s pricey, but his customer service is top freaking notch.
Monday – June 7th, 2021
Daniel send me a picture of the new case, and its more secure packaging. Unfortunately UPS freight only picks up on Thursdays, so it may be a bit before I get it.
Friday – June 18th, 2021
Couple of good things happening today. UPS freight was taking its sweet ass time getting the crate to me. It has literally been sitting at the local hub since Monday. I called them up and they gave me the option of driving down there and getting it in person. Done. Called up my nephew and we took his Grand Cherokee down there and grabbed it.
Not only was I getting the new case, I got word that the screen used truck owner was sending me something. They were replacing all of the wheels on the truck with new ones and offered to send me one of the old ones. Pretty freaking cool.
Saturday – June 19th, 2021
Transfer case is installed, fluid filled. No leaks.
I took the time today to go over the drivetrain and see if I could address why the front driveshaft was moving in 2wd. I jacked up one side of the front and spun the wheel, shaft moves. Hmm… this for sure tells me that the hub is locked despite the indicator on the hub saying it is unlocked. I pull the hub apart…. The damn thing wasn’t installed correctly, it was essentially locked this entire time, handle wasn’t controlling anything. This explained a few things. Explained why the truck seemed sluggish at speed, explained why my newly sealed front axle was now leaking again at the tube ends, why the driveshaft moved, and really why the transfer case ultimately exploded. I tore the whole thing down and installed it properly this time, ensuring that when disengaged the shaft did not spin. I did both sides.
So at this point, my little adventure to the 20th anniversary is finally over. There are many other struggles with the truck that I am/will be battling. I can give you a high level summary of everything below:
Transmission – turns out, it was never adjusted right. I followed the directions Novak gave me over the phone for the initial set and thought I was done. Even after addressing the transfer case and hub issue, the truck still seemed slow. Flooring it really didn’t make her go any faster, it never kicked down, and I still had issues maintaining speed on the highway. Finally, I watched what felt like every 700R4 adjustment video on youtube and I think I have it dialed in now. The one key thing I kept seeing is that it should not shift into second until 20-23mph. I was already in 3rd by that time in the old setting. It seems like a very different truck now and shifts to second right at 20-21. Highway speeds are no issue and I can even feel the torque converter lock up. Im VERY lucky I did not burn up the transmission during those 1600 miles.
Air Conditioning – no longer works. It lasted all of maybe a few months after getting it filled. Funny thing was, I could not find a leak anywhere using the UV kit. One day, when I was recharging it, I finally noticed that the caps that screw on to the high and low ports had refrigerant on them. Turns out the caps had these little nipples on the inside that were depressing the Schraeder valve on the lines and it was slowly leaking out. I left them off, filled the system, and it held a charge for about 6 months instead of a week. It still sits not blowing cold though. Im going to have to break down and take it in and have someone pressure test the system to find the leak.
Paint – this one pisses me off to no end. Not even one year after the event, I started noticing rust bubbles all over the truck.
Fuel System – I had initially installed a RobMC surge tank in the truck and it worked ok for a bit. The inlet kept getting clogged (even running two filters). After a while the pump would whine all the time. Eventually, it got the point where it was leaving me stranded on the side of the road. I’d have to wait a while for it to cool down, then I could get back on my way. In the end, I couldn’t make it more than 500 feet before the pump would give out. I ripped that thing out and replaced it with an inline pump. While noisy, it works. Eventually I will go the in tank route.
Charging System – This one just turned out to be improperly tensioned belts. Got in there with a pry and locked it down. 14 volts all day long now.
I still have not finished Dorothy, she sits in the garage with all the upgrade parts waiting to be worked on. It just seems like one project after another takes its place. One day, Ill get her done and finally take her to a show. Ultimate goal would to have it done by the 25th anniversary and make a return trek. Thanks for taking the time, hopefully this was entertaining enough and you learned from my mistakes.
Finally get some time to tear down the transfer case. I pulled the lower drain plug and immediately found the issue. Maybe ¼ of a quart of fluid came out….I sat there reflecting. In the mad dash to get the truck ready for the trip, I NEVER CHECKED the fluid level of the transfer case. I was devastated and amazed all at the same time. The time, effort, and work that went into this truck and I forgot the damn fluid. But on the other hand, this truck went over 1600 miles WITHOUT fluid in the case. That’s fairly impressive. Through the opening, I could immediately see bits and pieces. I pulled the cover off and this is what I found. Most everything was intact with the exception of the shift fork, some bearings, and most of the surfaces were a pretty blue color from the heat. I immediately reached out to Daniel and ordered the transfer case.
Sunday – May 23rd, 2021
The transfer case finally arrives, at least what was left of it. Part of the case was sticking out of the box. I immediately send Daniel a message on FB, but since it was a Sunday, I was not expecting to hear back just yet. He did send a reply hoping that it wasn’t too damaged. At this point I was busy with other things and didn’t really have the time to open up the box the check everything.
Wednesday – May 26th, 2021
I get everything open, there appears to be some cosmetic scratches and 2 of the mounting studs are bent beyond repair. I immediately send Daniel a message on FB. We go back and forth for a bit and he offers to send new studs and promises to address any further damage once discovered.
Saturday – June 5th, 2021 (My birthday)
I ended up having to wait for the seal that goes on the output shaft of the trans to arrive. In all of the driving with no fluid thing, the seal actually got damaged. I get the studs swapped out and mount the case in the truck. So far so good.
Go to fill with fluid, everything is good. Get it topped off and wipe the excess fluid from the outside of the case. Go over it once more, oh, more fluid, let me wipe that off. Wait…more fluid, wipe and wipe, and wipe again. The fluid keeps re-appearing. The damn case is cracked… My first though is “hey, I have another case, just swap the shell”. Well it wasn’t on the back half, so I couldn’t just undo the cover and replace it. I would essentially have to gut the entire case and move the contents over to the other one. Wasn’t really wanting to do that given the amount of money I dropped on this replacement case. I immediately reach out to Daniel and he says give me until Monday to find a solution. Shortly after, I come up with the idea of getting it welded. My buddy out in Orlando might be able to come over and do it for me. I offered this as a solution and Daniel reassured me that this was not my problem to fix. He really is a stand up guy. Seriously, buy stuff from this guy. Yeah, it’s pricey, but his customer service is top freaking notch.
Monday – June 7th, 2021
Daniel send me a picture of the new case, and its more secure packaging. Unfortunately UPS freight only picks up on Thursdays, so it may be a bit before I get it.
Friday – June 18th, 2021
Couple of good things happening today. UPS freight was taking its sweet ass time getting the crate to me. It has literally been sitting at the local hub since Monday. I called them up and they gave me the option of driving down there and getting it in person. Done. Called up my nephew and we took his Grand Cherokee down there and grabbed it.
Not only was I getting the new case, I got word that the screen used truck owner was sending me something. They were replacing all of the wheels on the truck with new ones and offered to send me one of the old ones. Pretty freaking cool.
Saturday – June 19th, 2021
Transfer case is installed, fluid filled. No leaks.
I took the time today to go over the drivetrain and see if I could address why the front driveshaft was moving in 2wd. I jacked up one side of the front and spun the wheel, shaft moves. Hmm… this for sure tells me that the hub is locked despite the indicator on the hub saying it is unlocked. I pull the hub apart…. The damn thing wasn’t installed correctly, it was essentially locked this entire time, handle wasn’t controlling anything. This explained a few things. Explained why the truck seemed sluggish at speed, explained why my newly sealed front axle was now leaking again at the tube ends, why the driveshaft moved, and really why the transfer case ultimately exploded. I tore the whole thing down and installed it properly this time, ensuring that when disengaged the shaft did not spin. I did both sides.
So at this point, my little adventure to the 20th anniversary is finally over. There are many other struggles with the truck that I am/will be battling. I can give you a high level summary of everything below:
Transmission – turns out, it was never adjusted right. I followed the directions Novak gave me over the phone for the initial set and thought I was done. Even after addressing the transfer case and hub issue, the truck still seemed slow. Flooring it really didn’t make her go any faster, it never kicked down, and I still had issues maintaining speed on the highway. Finally, I watched what felt like every 700R4 adjustment video on youtube and I think I have it dialed in now. The one key thing I kept seeing is that it should not shift into second until 20-23mph. I was already in 3rd by that time in the old setting. It seems like a very different truck now and shifts to second right at 20-21. Highway speeds are no issue and I can even feel the torque converter lock up. Im VERY lucky I did not burn up the transmission during those 1600 miles.
Air Conditioning – no longer works. It lasted all of maybe a few months after getting it filled. Funny thing was, I could not find a leak anywhere using the UV kit. One day, when I was recharging it, I finally noticed that the caps that screw on to the high and low ports had refrigerant on them. Turns out the caps had these little nipples on the inside that were depressing the Schraeder valve on the lines and it was slowly leaking out. I left them off, filled the system, and it held a charge for about 6 months instead of a week. It still sits not blowing cold though. Im going to have to break down and take it in and have someone pressure test the system to find the leak.
Paint – this one pisses me off to no end. Not even one year after the event, I started noticing rust bubbles all over the truck.
Fuel System – I had initially installed a RobMC surge tank in the truck and it worked ok for a bit. The inlet kept getting clogged (even running two filters). After a while the pump would whine all the time. Eventually, it got the point where it was leaving me stranded on the side of the road. I’d have to wait a while for it to cool down, then I could get back on my way. In the end, I couldn’t make it more than 500 feet before the pump would give out. I ripped that thing out and replaced it with an inline pump. While noisy, it works. Eventually I will go the in tank route.
Charging System – This one just turned out to be improperly tensioned belts. Got in there with a pry and locked it down. 14 volts all day long now.
I still have not finished Dorothy, she sits in the garage with all the upgrade parts waiting to be worked on. It just seems like one project after another takes its place. One day, Ill get her done and finally take her to a show. Ultimate goal would to have it done by the 25th anniversary and make a return trek. Thanks for taking the time, hopefully this was entertaining enough and you learned from my mistakes.
Last edited:
TerranCmdr
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the extensive update! It was a great read about an epic adventure. Sorry to hear about the transfer case troubles. It's an epic truck and you absolutely deserved that 1st place!
