Junkers88

A locker is NOT the best bet. The best bet is to learn your rig and wheel it to the limit of its capability and upgrade from there. Welding a diff is stupid on a DD since he'll eat tires. A spool is more expensive since he'll have to pay for someone to set the gears.... and he'll still cause more wear on the tires.

highonpottery

iTrader: (1)

welcome to YT! sweet truck, looks just like mine.

i'd just wheel the crap outta your truck stock to learn its capabilities and as funds permit, upgrade it. you'd probably learn a lot more wheeling with open diffs and playing it smart than being overconfident with upgrades and getting yourself into a sticky situation. it wouldn't be a bad idea to go back to that spot and try some different things out to see what works or not.

new tires won't make that much of a difference if your diffs are still unlocked. wheel it more and determine if a lunchbox locker is right for you vs saving up for selectable. if i were to do it again i'd have saved up for selectable - it's not the tire wear, it's the slight binding of the drivetrain on an xcab truck that i don't like.

first thing i would put $ into would be make sure the truck runs very well and to buy some recovery equipment - basic tools, a matching spare, a tow strap, some tow points (rear especially since there's none), and a hi-lift jack. oh yeah and cb radio so you can talk to your buddy in another rig because you should never go out solo.

i chose to upgrade my truck in this order: wheeled it stock w/31" tires, 2" lift and swaybar removal for more flex and tire contact w/ground, 4.88 gearing rear locker and high clearance rear bumper, NOW i'm finally getting to putting some MT tires on her - to be followed with more armor because now i can go more places and get into sticky situations.

Good luck!

CTRJ

While a locker makes life easier, I'd strongly suggest you buy a set of all-terrains in whatever size and tread pattern you like. Then, learn how to pick a line. If your truck is anything like my 86, it doesn't flex worth a darn. You'll need to learn how to keep the tires on the ground. Airing down is your friend.

I drove up this with open diffs, 30x9.50-15 all-terrain tires and tires aired down. It took some work, but I managed it without crazy amounts of throttle and picking the right line.


By rjhodges12 at 2011-03-21


By rjhodges12 at 2011-03-21

Junkers88

That's some damn good advice right there and something lots of folks miss. Spend a little money making sure the rig is in great working order first, then go out and spend some more on recovery gear. A CB is a great add on for off road and like was said try to never go out alone. Something else to consider would be a GPS unit although I think most cell phones these days have that as an option.

Different strokes for different folks but again some darn good ideas on which way to spend money on upgrades.