Episode 523 – Stolen Jeeps, Burr Bits, and Goosenecks

This Week In Jeep

Nexen Roadian HTX gains OE fitment on Jeep Wagoneer

Big congrats go out to Jeep Talk Show Sponsor Nexen Tires for landing a huge account. Stellantis N.V. the parent company of Jeep has selected a 20-inch version of Nexen Tire Corp.’s Roadian HTX RH5 highway-terrain tire as the original equipment fitment on the new 2022 Jeep Wagoneer, for the U.S. market. The Roadian HTX RH5 contains a four-channel groove design in a forwarding direction to enhance drainage and hydroplaning performance on wet roads. The three- and four-division tread design improves grip while enhancing wear performance. The reinforced shoulder block design results in improved cornering and handling, while a center rib block design optimizes grip and steering performance. Stellantis revived the Wagoneer nameplate earlier this year to help it compete more effectively in the full-size SUV market segment. The addition of the Wagoneer is in line with Nexen’s plan to become a global top 10 manufacturer by 2025. In March of 2021 Nexen Tires celebrated a manufacturing milestone of 500 million tires made over the course of 21 years in business with zero recalls. Between that and Jeep’s move to make Nexen tires the factory fitted tire for the new line of full-size luxury SUVs, I’d say Nexen is well on its way to becoming a household name.

Stolen Jeep Used As Getaway After Robbery by Crossbow

On October 10th at around 6:42 p.m, Colchester Police received a report of a male suspect driving erratically in a Jeep Cherokee along Vermont Route 15. According to police, the driver of the vehicle, 38-year-old Ben Webb, pulled up alongside a stranger in another vehicle, exited the Jeep, and demanded the man’s debit card. The victim, not wanting to comply, resisted, and that’s when Webb reportedly pointed a crossbow at the man. Luckily the victim was able to drive away from the scene and called the police. There is no report as to whether or not the crossbow was fired at the fleeing vehicle. Obviously, the cops are going to show up to take a report like this, and during the questioning of the victim, the same Colchester Police department received a report of a robbery at a convenience store approximately one mile away from where this incident allegedly took place. According to the report, a male suspect fled the scene in a Jeep SUV. At approximately 6:50 p.m. A mere 8 minutes after the first call came in, the neighboring town of Winooski’s Police department reported a crash on the highway that involved a Jeep Cherokee fleeing the scene of the accident. Nearly 25 minutes later, At about 7:14 p.m. Colchester Police received multiple reports about a Jeep SUV driving erratically on the highway and missing a tire. Ok so let’s pause here because I have a couple of questions: “Just how long exactly was he driving this Jeep with only three tires? And, what would you do if you saw this unfold on the highway in front of you…..? Would you follow or flee?”  Well, according to police, witnesses like you and me (morbidly curious individuals, dying to see how this was all going to end) followed the Jeep and even attempted to stop him from driving off. But Webb reportedly pointed his crossbow at them too before a CPD officer arrived at the scene. The officer then pointed his weapon at Webb. Webb clearly coming to the realization he was now severely outgunned, then dropped the crossbow and reentered the Jeep. According to police, as Webb drove off, he hit at least one mailbox before striking the CPD officer’s vehicle. Ok at this point that’s pretty much vehicular assault on an officer, and they usually take that kinda personally…Webb, still in the Jeep that still only had three tires on it, was somehow able to drive away from the first officer. Buuuut not before striking a second CPD officer’s vehicle. (that’s two.) According to a statement from the Colchester Police Dept, the two patrol vehicles actually sustained moderate damage from being hit by the Jeep Cherokee but were still able to be driven from the scene. Essex Police were called in to assist CPD with the now continuing, albeit handicapped chase. I’m sure you’re all familiar with the old adage “the third time’s the charm”… Well, as Webb was turning onto a street, he drove directly into the side of an Essex Police vehicle causing extensive damage to both vehicles. At this point the Jeep Cherokee, only being able to take so much abuse, finally gave up the ghost, and the chase was over. Authorities were able to take Webb into custody and he was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of wounds sustained from the multiple collisions. Two Essex Police Officers were also transported to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries. According to a statement from police, the Jeep Cherokee was taken from Webb’s brother without permission. Webb currently faces at least eight felony charges including aggravated assault as well as two charges of robbery. The Colchester Police Dept is asking anyone with any information on the incident to contact them.

Mr. Vanderquack Update

In episode 513 I told you a story of a duck. Not as cool as a particular rat, but he’s a big duck. A fluffy duck. He’s a stuffed duck of course, and he’s been on his way across all 50 states, from one town to another, being handed off from one local Jeeper to another in a relay across the nation and even into Canada and back. Well, I just checked on Mr. Vanderquack’s journey before we went live, and he’s here in Oregon! He’s about 3 hours south and east from where I’m currently sitting, in a beautiful town called Bend.

I’m not sure where he’s going next, or how they’re getting there, but there’s a chance he’s coming closer to my town and if he does, I’ll be sure to get a little interview with the latest local Jeeper on this leg of his nationwide journey. If you’re wondering what the big deal is, it’s all to raise funds for St. Judes Children Hospitals. This is going to be one well-traveled duck, and after his trek is done, he will be auctioned off, with all proceeds going to help St. Judes. If you missed the story, go check it out, it’s pretty cool what they’re doing. Remember, that’s episode 513.

Listener Shout Out

Shout out to Charles Fredricks 

He’s on a couple of thousand-mile journeys right now with his son. He has a big gooseneck trailer hooked up to his Dodge truck, and on that trailer rest three generations of Jeeps. His, his dads, and his sons. They at one point had a max speed of 15 miles per hour driving through Wyoming because of snow and ice. They even encountered a 50 mph headwind slowing down their progress as they came into Cheyenne. Average fuel economy for this trip?… 5.1 MPG… and they’re on their way to California. Why are they doing this? Why make such a long journey with three Jeeps? Well unfortunately Charles’ dad, we’ll call him grandpa, has been diagnosed with Leukemia. He’s lost about 50 pounds in a couple of months, and Charles thought it would be an extra special gift to surprise grandpa with a visit with all three of their Jeeps. Grandpa’s, Dad’s, and Son are all together for the first time on the west coast. Charles said he was going to keep The Jeep Talk Show playing the whole time. And judging by the video he sent us at one point, his 17-year-old son isn’t digging it quite as much. Just wanted to let you know Charles, we’re proud to have kept you company on your trip, and we’re glad you’re a part of the family. And be sure to tell grandpa hi from all of us here on the show. Hats off and a big Jeep wave goes out to Charles, his dad, his son, and the whole family. Hope you all have a safe trip there and back.

Tech Talk with Jeep Talk

It all started in episode 517 where we began a multi-part series in hardtop repair.

We continued that in episode 519, and then I dropped the ball in episode 521 and left you all hanging. Well, we’re going to pick up that ball and run it down the field a little more. Today we’re going to continue this series in hardtop repair, but if this is your first time with us, then you’ll need to go back and listen to 517 and 519 to get up to speed. Otherwise, it’s going to be like trying to do algebra without knowing how to add or subtract. By now, you’ve procured all the supplies and tools you’ll need to properly work with fiberglass without ruining everything around you. We focused on the type of damage that would typically leave a hole somewhere in the hardtop. You’d certainly have one after the prep is done for that kind of damage. But what if all you have is a crack? Well, this is where you get lucky. Because a lot of the techniques and tools used for the larger, more severe type of damage are going to be used here too, just on a smaller scale. First, you’ll need to identify whether the crack goes through all the layers of the top or not. In other words, can you see the crack from both the inside and the outside? If not, then you’ll want to work only on the surface where the crack is visible. For the sake of this segment, we’re going to assume the crack is on both sides. Using the same kind of burr bits for a die grinder or Dremel tool that we talked about in episode 519, you’re going to want to select a bit that is more cone-shaped, as this will allow you to get the tip of the tool into the crack a little more. Here too is where a light touch is going to come in. We want to use multiple passes, with very light pressure, letting the tool do all the work. The objective here is to take that crack and turn it into a small ditch. But you only want to go about half of the way through the material from each side. This will leave a small open crack with enough surface area on each side of the top to enact the repair from both sides. Again, we’ll want to use some compressed air to clean off the work surface of any dust or debris. And just because the damage is smaller, it doesn’t mean the damage to your lungs will be any less severe if you don’t take proper safety precautions. Just like with the last repair, we’re going to be using the chopped-strand-mat type of fiberglass. You’ll want to make small thin strips that will be used to build up the cavity of that ditch to seal up the crack. Again more is better here, you don’t want to be halfway through the work period of your resin and run out of strips. But make sure those strips will sit inside the ditch and not cover it. And speaking of resin, you don’t need much for this type of repair, but remember, each mixing bucket, stir stick, and paintbrush will be ruined with each batch, so make sure you have plenty. Again we will use masking tape to protect the other side of the top from resin leaking through. Make sure the tape gets down into the cavity of the opposite side you are going to be working on. You may need to use duct tape or something else to keep that tape down in the ditch, and not allow anything to come through from the other side. Here is where we are going to get into the nitty-gritty of building with fiberglass. Working on the first side, you’ll have some mixed-up resin that will have the consistency of real thick honey or runny molasses, and you’ll have a pile of your stips or patches of fiberglass mat. Now we play a game I like to call just the tip. Place one piece of fiberglass into the wound at a time. After you place one piece, using just the tip of the paintbrush bristles, you will push the resin into the mat. Here’s a pro tip; dab a little resin into the work surface first to give your first layer something to hold onto. This will also make the next steps easier. Oh, and pro-tip number two; Do not just plunge your brush into the resin, you only need a little at a time so just barely dip the tip into the resin. And trust me, I know you’re holding a paintbrush, so the urge will be there to paint with it. If you try to paint with the fiberglass resin on the brush, moving it from side to side, you will end up ruining everything. The paintbrush will grab ahold of the loose fibers of the mat and smear a fibrous mess of resin and fiberglass across the work surface that will only get worse the more you try to correct it. Like I stated when we started this series, this will be messy.

The paintbrush will still pull fibers from the mat, and you’ll want to pick those off and wipe them off on something when you can to keep the tools from getting in the way of making a bigger mess as you go along. So making sure you have lots of those disposable gloves on hand is going to help, especially since you will find using your fingers a lot of the time will be mandatory. You’ll need to hold stuff in place, hold things down, press here, wipe that, etc, etc. Repeat the process by laying down one strip or patch after another and dabbing it until it’s soaked through with the resin. Sometimes you will find the surface has enough resin already, and you just simply need to push the mat into it. Again, dab, dab, dab, …just the tip. Very light pressure, just enough to get the job done. Once the first side is built up to your satisfaction, you’ll want to let it cure before moving on to the other side. Cure times will vary with things like ambient temperature, the size of the repair, and how hot you mixed the resin with the hardening agent. Nothing different will be required when working on the other side. The only difference is going to be you won’t need to do the masking tape routine here, as the fiberglass repair done on the other side will hold everything in place. Now it’s just a matter of rinse and repeat. A little resin first, then layer after layer of glass, dabbing the resin in until we have built things back up. In the next tech talk, we’ll wrap this whole thing up by covering the final prep and finish required for repairing a hardtop.

Jeep Life – With Jeep Momma

Jeep Momma Prepares For Hole In The Rock Trail

Tony Josh and Wendy… I am getting a little nervous about our upcoming trip to the Hole in the Rock trail.  It’s going to be pretty chilly at night and we will be out in the middle of nowhere-ville. I did hear there are some spots that you can get cell service so keep your phones handy this weekend in case I need rescue! This past weekend was a great weekend to head out into the mountains to see the fall colors. I know all over the country the past few weeks there have been lots of Fall Color trail rides. Here in the San Juan mountains, the Aspen trees were amazing. I would like to make a plea… Please don’t carve your name, you’re your loved ones’ name, or even your favorite President’s name into the trees is not a good thing for the trees.  Please when you are out on these trails try to refrain from doing this.  So, we headed over the paved highway of Wolf Creek Pass to Pagosa Springs. It is a great tourist town fyi… They have hot springs there to soak your achy bones.  The next morning we got up and headed for the trailhead of Elwood Pass for a day up and over the San Juans. Elwood  Pass was used by the Utes to reach the hot springs at Pagosa Springs for many, many years before settlers even ventured into the San Juans. The San Juans were one of the last settled areas of the US. It wasn’t until 1876 early travelers cut a rough road over the pass. Then in 1877, a charter was granted to the Conejos, Pagosa Springs, and Rio Grande Toll Road Company to build a toll road up the Alamosa River, over the pass, and down to the San Juan River. By 1878 mail was being carried over the road between Summitville to Pagosa Springs. In 1880 the U.S. Army improved the route to connect Fort Garland on the east side of the San Luis Valley, with Fort Lewis in Pagosa Springs. This is why it was known as “Soldiers’ Road” or “Military Pass”. The name Elwood, as legend has it, came from contracting a local prospector’s name, T.L. Woodvale. He discovered a vast gold mine in the area.

This was the only way to cross the Continental Divide between Stony Pass to the north and the New Mexico border until around 1916 when Wolf Creek Pass became an automobile route. With Wolf Creek Pass open the use of Elwood Pass declined. In 1961 a natural gas pipeline was laid over the pass. From the Pagosa Springs side, Elwood Pass road starts out as a two-lane graded gravel road where it leaves the highway. Past the East Fork Campground, the road will follow the East Fork Creek up into the mountains. After about 5 miles you will come to private property. You can continue to pass through Private property but you need to stay on the road. You will find this quite often here in Colorado as there are a lot of free-range cattle ranches here.  After three miles of private property, you will come to a small parking area with a short trail into the forest. This is the parking area for Silver Creek Falls.

There is a trail here where you can hike on foot to see the waterfalls. We usually don’t do a lot of hiking which is why we drive Jeeps. Except for this time we took our Ford F250. I was so surprised at how well the truck did. The crawl ratio gives my Rubicon a run for its money. Neil and I are planning a race with the two, A slow race. As you head up in elevation the road gets narrower and rougher. Quite a few steep climbs.

There will be a long steep uphill section with loose rocks to navigate. It will become a ledge road for a short section and then it will work back down closer to the creek.

Links Mentioned in this Episode

NEXEN Tires USA https://www.nexentireusa.com/

Trails 411- POWERING Your Adventure https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrydriver

The 4×4 Radio Network http://4x4radionetwork.com/

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