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2019 Herd of Broncos in Baja Adventure

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Bukin 67

Bukin 67

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Getting input from the herd who has 'been there, done that' is so important to planning the next adventure successfully. Thanks to all of you with whom I had the pleasure of meeting and hanging out with a couple of days for your input. You guys really did it right. I really wish I could have experienced the whole adventure with you and look forward to any advice you might have that could help someone new to the Baja environment make a sound decision.

It takes a lot of planning, (step in anytime Scott! :)) money, hours and hours of Bronco prep work and dedication to make this bucket list item happen and help ensure you can do the whole trip and have a good time. A love for adventure, the mystique of Baja, and being able to overcome and adapt is also a must :)
 

Rox Crusher

Bronco Guru
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Dec 13, 2008
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2,772
For those of us considering a future trip, while fresh on your mind please make a note of types of breakdowns, maintenance required, tools and supplies needed, what you concern “necessary” (ex: extra fuel tank) and “luxury (ex: AC), supplies, so we might start budget and truck planning. Trip sounds wonderful, thanks for sharing.

Our group didn't really have a lot of problems, but here are the ones I can think of;

(3) rear drivelines due to bad u-joints. In my humble opinion, the rear driveline should be freshly rebuilt or new for a trip like this. Drivetrain configurations determine driveline lengths so relying on a shared spare rear drive line must consider this. Bring a spare or at least bring spare u-joints.
(1) flat tire
(1) EFI engine that decided to not cooperate. This motor had been running fine but for some reason it suddenly needed 4 or 5 new injectors. We speculate that there must have been a problem with bad fuel or contamination from the tank that took these injectors out.
(2) rigs suffered failed shocks
(1) rig suffered from failed body mounts / bushings and shock bushings

The dirt roads are hard packed and not at all smooth. They will beat the hell out of your truck. You should pay particularly close attention to suspension, shocks, steering linkage, wheel bearings, body mounts, and securing the battery. Also, the dust is non-stop so don't forget extra air filters and consider adding socks / pre-filters for your air filter.

We had one day where a gas station we were counting on was closed so enough extra fuel for each vehicle (5 - 10 gallons) should be a requirement whether aux tanks on each vehicle or surplus fuel on support truck.

Me, I forgot some simple stuff like grease gun, wire crimpers, thread locker, bailing wire.

Turns out you can't solve everything with duct tape !
 

BoulderBronco22

Full Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2012
Messages
234
A few thoughts while it is fresh in my mind.

- Even the best plan will probably be effected by something unexpected and flexibility is key. It is a lot easier with having fewer rigs to pivot to another plan or come up with a game plan. I couldn't imagine our trip without having everyone there, but there were times that it would have made things easier and at times more fun just due to not herding so many trucks down dusty and slow moving roads.

- AVOID Guerrero Negro at ALL COSTS! That place sucks and if there was any sour taste during the trip-- this place was it.

- There is so much to see in Baja and it seemed like there were lots of little side roads to duck off and play around on (including a lot that led down to the beach). I didn't mind SOLO sports but if you are planning to go there-- you need to ensure you can get there mid afternoon to truly take advantage of it. It may be a better plan to find a somewhat secluded beach to camp on (just think, that requires EVERYONE to have their own camping gear and lug that around for the entire length of the trip).

- Invest in a good cooler.

- Adding 1 more day to the trip would probably be worth it and that way you could have 2 separate "free/rest" days. La Paz seemed like a really cool area and would have liked to have been able to see more of it. The Baja Sur Bronco Club is also there and they seemed like they wanted to be able to show us their town so you would have local hosts in La Paz.

- As was said-- if the goal is to run more dirt than highway, I think capping it at 6 Broncos is probably a necessity. If you are just wanting to run mostly highway with the occasional dirt road to get to a mission or cut through-- you would probably get away with a dozen Broncos.

- Know your own rig. There were no 2 Broncos alike on our trip and so it was imperative to know what was unique to your rig. We had plenty of willing and able people on the trip that could help diagnose and fix things but it sure helps if you know enough to give the resident experts a bump in the right direction. Also be sure that if there is anything unique to your rig, have spares on hand.

- The one thing I plan to have now following this trip is a spare rear driveshaft. I had u joints with me and did have to replace one but on a long haul like that, a spare rear shaft is important.

- I never put my Bronco in 4 wheel drive the entire time we were down there. This is a different type of test to these old trucks. The teeth chattering vibrations and pot holes put stress on things you normally wouldn't think of. Any accessory or thing held down with screws, small nuts and bolts without lock nuts, etc. will be put to the test. Shocks were definitely put to the test so make sure that your shocks are newer or recently rebuilt (if not, carry a spare). I had issues with the constant vibrations playing havoc on my inner door components. I had to fix my drivers side window twice and had to make adjustments to the door button on both sides.

- Have extra fuel just in case. Anything related to the fuel system (carb rebuild kit, injectors, fuel line, fuel filters, throttle body and MAF parts and cleaner, fuel regulator, fuel pump) be sure to have spares of. The fuel is already dirty, it gets hot down there, and sand is everywhere.

- Carry an extra air filter or 2 and a pre-filter. Clean out the filter daily.

- Try to have a good variety of extra nuts and bolts. Things shake loose and you will have to re-attach things (hopefully you have more than zip ties and duck tape).

- Make sure your battery is secure and check it frequently.

- A working CB is a must. Day 1 on our trip, we had not quite figured out how to effectively keep the group together and we had not really been using CB. Once we started to communicate via CB, it organized us much better. Without a doubt, having a chase truck and trailer is a must as well (and they should have race radios that have longer ranges than the CB).

- I heard that little packs of beef jerky were good bribes for the military checkpoints. This is better to me than them wanting to take some of your beer. The coloring books and matchbox toys were a hit among the kids and EVERYONE wanted stickers (big thanks to Jim from WH for giving me a bunch of sheets of stickers to take down).

- I did not bring any cleaning products other than brake cleaner. Next time, I would bring some windex wipes, and probably some cleaning and armor all wipes to try to keep the inside of the cab area somewhat cleaner. Also bring a blow gun if you have on-board air. I brought one and it got borrowed quite a bit to blow out fuel filters, air filters, defrost vents, dust of your bags, etc.

As this thread develops-- I will be happy to weigh in and share my experiences to hopefully help the next herd of Broncos pave their own Baja Adventure!!
 

markw

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Sep 10, 2009
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Great information. October would be a perfect month to go. Camping along the Bay of Concepcion. Early morning fishing trip with a local panga. Sit and relax in the sun. Sail the Hobie....well I wish. San Ignacio and a trip out to see the whales? Skip GN as a destination, maybe okay as a fuel stop. Couple of days in Loreto and maybe La Paz. If a large group is along, maybe a couple of day trips for the adventurous. If a large group, perhaps a couple of chase rigs. I could see this taking a life of it's own and becoming unmanageable if too many options are offered. I doubt I will have my adventure Bronco finished by then but I have a pretty capable chase truck that tankers 80 gal diesel, on board air, inverter, race radio and Lowrance GPS. I can haul a lot of spare gas and tires, driveshafts, tools and a good trailer.
 
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Bukin 67

Bukin 67

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... but I have a pretty capable chase truck that tankers 80 gal diesel, on board air, inverter, race radio and Lowrance GPS. I can haul a lot of spare gas and tires, driveshafts, tools and a good trailer.

Sooo, you may be in consideration with your F350? That would be awesome! :D The last charge of El Rapido and his immortals! ;D
 

coachbarnes

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Aug 3, 2001
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2,705
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Franktown/Breck, CO
A couple of quick comments, Randy --

First, I would scrap CB's and make race radios (VHF) a must for everyone.

Second, it dawned on me as we were making the trip that a great day would have been to base camp in Loreto and make this loop run;

- East on the Road to San Javier, then the dirt road N/NW to Comondu and out to the Hwy on the Pacific side. Head South and grab the dirt road East back to San Javier and into Loreto. It would be a GREAT day trip! In fact, I'm strongly considering a 4-5 day trip where we fly into Loreto, rent some RZR's and do that loop.

So glad you could join us for a couple nights! See ya -- Scott
 

markw

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Well, Rapido, may give it some serious thought. I'd have to work it around a bucket list trip with my 90 Y/O dad that we hope to do. Much to think about!
 
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Bukin 67

Bukin 67

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A couple of quick comments, Randy --

First, I would scrap CB's and make race radios (VHF) a must for everyone.

Second, it dawned on me as we were making the trip that a great day would have been to base camp in Loreto and make this loop run;

- East on the Road to San Javier, then the dirt road N/NW to Comondu and out to the Hwy on the Pacific side. Head South and grab the dirt road East back to San Javier and into Loreto. It would be a GREAT day trip! In fact, I'm strongly considering a 4-5 day trip where we fly into Loreto, rent some RZR's and do that loop.

So glad you could join us for a couple nights! See ya -- Scott

I agree 100% on the VHF radios. A good rechargeable hand held 5 watt VHF is only about $35 I believe. As long as there's a few with 50 watt and up, we would be in good shape. The bottom line on radios is that they need to be long range and everyone should be on the same frequency.

The day trip sounds real interesting. The fact that you could choose not to go, and those that do could leave all their gear at the hotel and not in the Bronco. Great idea.
 

No Hay

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Jun 4, 2014
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A couple of quick comments, Randy --

First, I would scrap CB's and make race radios (VHF) a must for everyone.

Second, it dawned on me as we were making the trip that a great day would have been to base camp in Loreto and make this loop run;

- East on the Road to San Javier, then the dirt road N/NW to Comondu and out to the Hwy on the Pacific side. Head South and grab the dirt road East back to San Javier and into Loreto. It would be a GREAT day trip! In fact, I'm strongly considering a 4-5 day trip where we fly into Loreto, rent some RZR's and do that loop.

So glad you could join us for a couple nights! See ya -- Scott

This sounds like a great trip as I keep picturing my Bronco riding the trailer! ;D
 

ntsqd

heratic car camper
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Jan 30, 2005
Messages
3,224
Loc.
Upper SoKA
I can not image trying to do anything in any desert with just a cb radio. I would make an installed and tuned VHF radio of at least 50w transit power a requirement. I would go as far as stipulating which radio first timer's should buy so that in the event of a problem someone will know how to reprogram it or clone it's programming & have the cable to do so. Oh, and use any Kenwood 261A's that show up for target practice!

The desert done long distance, be it Baja or otherwise, will take all of those iffy things on your vehicle and turn them into "Full-Stops". Tricky, cool stuff isn't the solution. Simple parts with clean execution is your best bet. Use as many unmodified wear replacement parts as you possibly can. Carry spares for all of the trick stuff as it will fail more often than the OE parts. This means Dura-Spark II, not MSD. This means SEFI, not FAST/FiTech/etc. Not to say the OEM parts are failure-proof, but OEM parts are surprisingly available in Baja. Tricky, cools parts not so much.

Address every part of every system on the truck as if your life depends on it working for the whole trip, because it just might. Even if you're with a well equipped and supported group you can't rely in their being able to find you in time.

I won't take a vehicle into Baja without it having a marine water separating fuel filter just out of the tank. I did this the first time I drove down there as a 'just in case' and the post trip inspection showed some water in the filter. It might have come from a Pemex station. It might have come out of the drums at San Juanico. No way of knowing. So now I just won't consider going without.
 

coachbarnes

Bronco Guru
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Aug 3, 2001
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2,705
Loc.
Franktown/Breck, CO
I can not image trying to do anything in any desert with just a cb radio. I would make an installed and tuned VHF radio of at least 50w transit power a requirement. I would go as far as stipulating which radio first timer's should buy so that in the event of a problem someone will know how to reprogram it or clone it's programming & have the cable to do so. Oh, and use any Kenwood 261A's that show up for target practice!

The desert done long distance, be it Baja or otherwise, will take all of those iffy things on your vehicle and turn them into "Full-Stops". Tricky, cool stuff isn't the solution. Simple parts with clean execution is your best bet. Use as many unmodified wear replacement parts as you possibly can. Carry spares for all of the trick stuff as it will fail more often than the OE parts. This means Dura-Spark II, not MSD. This means SEFI, not FAST/FiTech/etc. Not to say the OEM parts are failure-proof, but OEM parts are surprisingly available in Baja. Tricky, cools parts not so much.

Address every part of every system on the truck as if your life depends on it working for the whole trip, because it just might. Even if you're with a well equipped and supported group you can't rely in their being able to find you in time.

I won't take a vehicle into Baja without it having a marine water separating fuel filter just out of the tank. I did this the first time I drove down there as a 'just in case' and the post trip inspection showed some water in the filter. It might have come from a Pemex station. It might have come out of the drums at San Juanico. No way of knowing. So now I just won't consider going without.

All really good points/tips. Curious about the fuel filter -- do you have any pics and/or part #'s that you have installed?
 

ntsqd

heratic car camper
Joined
Jan 30, 2005
Messages
3,224
Loc.
Upper SoKA
This is the actual filter pad that went to Baja for the '02 B1k, as now bolted under the Bronc-up. The Suburban it was under when it went to Baja is long gone:

i-LZp3QrS-L.jpg

(BTW, that kink in the hose was fixed shortly after the pic was taken.)
Turns out that these filter elements can be had in a 10 micron rating and a 21 micron rating. Under the Sub I had the mech pump pulling thru a 21 micron and never had a problem. Under the Bronc-up the P4070 pushes thru it.

West Marine's kits: https://www.westmarine.com/search?Ntt=fuel/water+separator+kit
This one is the non-drain (some filters have water drain petcocks in them), short filter black aluminum pad rated 10 micron & 90 gph (the P4070 is rated 72 gph & most OEM EFI pumps are rated ~65-70 gph): https://www.westmarine.com/buy/sier...-replacement-element-kit--9399478?recordNum=5
Clearly, West Marine is not the only source, they're just convenient to link to. Amazon has some listings, even Summit has some listings for marine fuel filters.
 
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Bukin 67

Bukin 67

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All really good points/tips. Curious about the fuel filter -- do you have any pics and/or part #'s that you have installed?

I agree as well, and was curious about the filter too. Just like a boat set-up. I've never had water in the fuel issues in Baja before, but that's not to say I won't in the future.

The herd stays pretty tightly grouped when traveling. The pace is relatively slow and steady, nothing like a race or the desert fun runs I do here in So CA. 50 watt VHF units would be plenty powerful. It would still be nice to have a few 5w handheld radios to keep in contact when out of the vehicle as well.

The one I have in my chase truck it like this one. It has max 60 watts. Once you go VHF you'll never want another CB.
 

ntsqd

heratic car camper
Joined
Jan 30, 2005
Messages
3,224
Loc.
Upper SoKA
The minimal water that I had probably wouldn't have been an issue. Its been some years, but I'll guess 3 tablespoons worth in ~2500 miles of driving. the fact that it was there at all, and I've not seen any in US fuel since, is why I think they are a requirement for any of my vehicles that might cross south. I've heard some horror stories and don't want to have one of my own to tell.

It is important that what ever make/model radio is chosen has a known "MARS/CAP" modification be done to it. The local 4X club, once the advantages of VHF were demonstrated in the middle of a race that they tried to do using cb's, all bought 75w TX Icom V8000's. Which unfortunately have since gone out of production, but can occasionally be found NOS.
Some more VHF radio links:
https://www.theantennafarm.com/cata...civil-service-radios-67/vhf-mobile-radios-70/
I bought one of these for a vehicle that I'm still working on:
https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-015771
 
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