Wade Pat2

@Foxtrot Oscar it was a great drive. I learned alot as 2nd lead. I was impressed with everyone's driving on the night technical. Thanks for the nose dive lesson!

Confirmed

Back in Dubai! Doing parking garage installations before I move to my new parking spot. New spot will have no secret basement mechanic work allowed. Haha Lights mounted , need wiring finished. Covers fit well and should help with inspection and protection. Maintenance items (oil, air filter, front diff oil and bushing change, new prop shafts, and a couple seals for leaks and I should be ready for the desert by the time jetlag wears off in a week.

Updates will continue for sure! First RTA inspection/renewal is due as soon as I return to Dubai in August. After that I have more on the list to get done. Nothing to exciting. install lights, some general maintenance , new prop shafts and maybe rear springs to replace spongy stocks. Hoping to try out new 360 cam and get back in the groove on a few Newbie drives then back to Fewbie Will start my hunt for an OEM TRD supercharger that I hope to find before leaving Dubai and exporting it (2024). One of those if it happens great and if not still great things. haha Happy to have members interested in my project!

Rear locker is factory E-locker. Was working fine. Needed it on last drive where rear left tire had most of the weight on it but locker wouldn't engage and right rear just spun in the air. OEM locker is pretty simple design and was working great the ride before so Im sure I can fix once Im back and can climb underneath. Guessing a wire rubbed through or some corrosion at actuator. Front is TJM air locker and is much faster and easier to work then rear E-locker. Just not as needed

Found a few good deals while I'm on leave. Ready to be back in the desert. Parts replace and Upgrade list is always growing and I'm 8k miles from my car and desert. Side amber and rear clear wide lens lights with some covers for previously purchased fronts. Due for inspection as soon as I return home. Then maintenance, fix rear locker, and back to sand.

If anyone is interested I have uploaded a couple videos on YouTube along with this one.

Thanks @Kailasfor a great drive with a great balance of individual practice and convoy driving learn as you go. Thanks @Gok Krishfor choosing good lines for me to follow and allowing me to learn by watching. Thanks@Chaitanya D for the advice during refusals. Thanks @Rob H for the help during refusals and the pull during my crest. I will figure out why diff lock stopped working for next time. I wanted to move up in rank to try a Fewbie drive up before my extended leave home. I couldn't have asked for a better drive. See you all in a few months. Only mud and grass where I am going. Will upload videos and post link tomorrow for anyone who would like to view.

Looking forward to the drive. I like short convoys and it will be mine and @Fabien Monleau first Fewbie drives.

Confirmed , I'm in!

@Jack ThomasSorry to hear about motor damage. Did mechanic find out why sand got past filter? Was it OEM filter or after market.

Unless its a good ole American made Truck with the rear in to the sky for heavy towing proposes, I would always lift the front and rear to maintain stock front to back "rake". Always get wheel alignment done and make sure they adjust the camber and not just Toe. Shop familiar with lifts will already do that and lift kits will typically come with proper front and back heights springs, spacers, leafs, etc. I dont have an X but have done and had many types of lifts. My best advice , find a great shop and lift only as much as needed with a brand with well known name. Then take plenty of cool pics for us all to see. added--For us with IFS cars anything over 1 -1.5 inches can cause CV problems on many cars. If you then get a lift with a diff drop to correct those angles you are back at square one with the same ground clearance. Only reason to lift over 1.5 for most IFS cars is to accommodate for bigger tires and a diff drop is needed to maintain angles would be needed.

HI @Foxtrot Oscar, I think there are few accidental double RSVP's. I think it is Shu's first drive and would be ahead of me. Sorry for the confusion, wouldn't want someone to miss a first drive and I end up with two. Im sure the others with two would feel the same

I did the same as @Frederic. Land Cruiser has slot but didn't come with filter. I added one but also always leave AC on recirculate so it doesn't pull outside dust and sand. I would have them find where filter goes and do a full evaporator clean if you have sand coming through. Evap coils are probably clogging near bottom and can also clog the drain and water will leak back in cab. What year is your Yukon?

Lights still need some adjustments but very happy with the output. Side by side comparison. Brand New stock high beam +low beam , and fog lamps on the left. On right is stock lights + off- road amber lights on Low beam . Will get High Beam Off-road lights comparison after adjustment. I didn't use the High beam much since the additional spot led's were reflecting off car in front of me in convoy.

Thanks for clarifying. Glad I'm doing it correctly. 😁,

@Gaurav Could you repost the single drive restriction and process that should be followed for "attending " drives? Seeing multiple rsvp's from members I thought there must be some confusion about the process and I then I thought maybe I am not even be doing it correctly.

Please waitlist me for 2nd drive.

@Chaitanya D thanks for the great drive. Your night drives are great and I am learning alot. I enjoyed the short time in small tech dunes. I don't have the best car for the small places but would love to try them for a little longer in a morning or afternoon drive one day. Hoping to try my first fewbie drive this week before leaving Dubai for the summer. Thanks again for leading and teaching.

Few videos on my youtube if anyone is interested to watch. Need to set reminder to adjust lights so it doesnt look like I am burning a hole in @TT_Dubai bumper. haha https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrLEqgA2ftmi4zXpEUcoSPg

I apologize @Kailas I won't be able to make it tomorrow. Please remove me from drive.

Anyway we can find out what the issue was so others can avoid? Doesn't sound good.

Speaking as someone who purchased a car just to spend money , rebuild and mod as a hobby. If you want to lift and start down the modding road because it's fun..go for it. Rebuilding and conservatively modding is my favourite part of off-road. I fix, research, buy, search for and swap parts and mods way more than I actuall drive. Haha

I vote "NO LIFT" . Only because for me as a beginner seeing marshals and expert driver in stock or mostly stock vehicles helps to build confidence. Similar to "I can make it because the car in front of me made it". Seeing modified vehicles gives all us newbies the thought of. Well, If I had "that modified car" I could do those things. Seeing the many marshals and expert drivers at Carnity promoting only the mods you "need" for your vehicle is great and one reason why I am here and not with another club. If you want a lift just because you like it, that's different. Buy the best one in your budget and enjoy Just my opinions of course.. Its also way more cool to drive at your level without big mods so all of the crazy dune bashing big mod groups watch in amazement when you drive past them effortlessly.

Yep, I have had plenty of new cars. I like older ones better. Always something to learn, fix ,upgrade, etc. Also easier for me to export home in a few years.