Welp, despite upgrading my Dana 35 with Superior 30-spline shafts and truss and a Detroit Locker it still found a way to let me down.

I was coming down a particularly scetchy section of Hell's Revenge trail out here in Moab. I think it's called Dragon's Back. The steep descent down from where the Hot Tubs are located. The nose had just started to drop in the downslope when I heard a pop and the pedal went nearly to the floor.

I wound up doing the rest of Hell's Revenge (including Tip Over Challenge) with no rear brakes. Eventually when I saw brake fluid pouring from the passenger drum I stopped using the brakes entirely and limped the WHY-J down to the Checker Auto Parts store in Moab using nothing more than engine compression braking and the E-brake.

Diagnosis? Busted backing plate shoe spring pin. And naturally, my '89 has the somewhat rare non-C-clip backing plates. No dice finding a replacement in town. I scrounged some 7018 welding rod and was going to weld on a bolt, buy some new shoes, and reassemble, but other work commitments are sort of getting in the way of fixing my junk and having fun wheeling.

Oh well. I got a few good days in behind the wheel of WHY-J. This is the first time in 7 or 8 years I've had a vehicle with tires smaller than 35s. I had a blast wheeling my little Wrangler on the 31s and going places most guys told me I wouldn't make it. Maybe this one needs to keep the small tires and 2.5L? ... .... ... ...Nah.