deathrunner

you did the reverse of me......

I had a Dakota that cost me 11,500 (wierd) and I got so sick of making payments that I sold it and bought my 4runner outright for 4,500.00....granted I have put more into, but it was reliable and wheelable for 4,500.00

Those Tacos are nice. pretty soft ride out in the desert for a stock rig.

alanbobalan

haha. i'm not looking forward to making payments... but it seems it's either make payments or you take a gamble and may have to end up fixing your car/rig all the time.

i've thought about keeping my 4runner as a wheeling only rig, but i don't know if i want to have to deal with the hassle. plus, i don't really have a place to keep it. plus i don't want to pay insurance on two cars. i COULD tow it, but then i have to waste even more money on a small trailer. plus when it breaks then i'm paying to fix that truck AND make payments on my taco. i just work in a tire shop... i don't have that much extra money to go around. i wish i could do that, but it seems like too much hassle for what it's worth.

but then again if i got rid of my 4runner i'd probably be paranoid to take my nice CLEAN taco out there on the trails. i don't know what to do! i can never give up wheeling, but i'm going to miss have a beater truck as my wheelin rig. having a nicer truck as your wheeling rig seems kind of risky if you ask me. ahhhhh!

but me and that 4runner had some good times

deathrunner

I am pretty conservative with my 4runner. It may be old, but I'm probably just as protrective as your taco.
I still have a great time with it. Never broken anything yet, I'm pretty cautious.

alanbobalan

i hear ya. i was anal about my 4runner (minus the body since it was rolled) and i'll probably be even more anal about my taco since it's so nice and clean

what year is your 4runner?

now that i have a taco, whenever i see an older pickup or 4runner that's clean and/or lifted/big tires/trail ready i get so uberly jealous now. those trucks are like classic trucks to me. i'm going to miss it.

but my taco is still a toyota and that's what's important! yotas forever

deathrunner

Mine is an 89, last year. It's getting cleaner, but only because I spend a lot of time refining it....oh yeah and $$$ too. But it was pretty clean to start. I spent all this time looking for a Runner in great condition and now that I look back, I have replaced almost everything.....but it has mad alot of things easier.

alanbobalan

hey seth......

how badass would it be to build a 4wd go-kart?

i dunno. the idea just kinda hit me. i might take action on it.

then i can romp the crap out of it and make it fly and get stuck all i want.

it would have to be heavier than a normal go-kart if i want to get across any 4x4 terrain.

bigger tires too.

i probably won't be taking on the same kind of obstacles as a fullsize modified 4 wheel drive rig. the small obstacles in a full size 4x4 that you don't even think about might become a challenge for a little go kart.

this idea just sort of came out of nowhere. i was in pep boys "harassing" the service writer there about alignment inspections and cupping tires because i had nothing better to do. that's when i saw the itty-bitty little 2wd offroad go karts they have for sale there and i started looking at them and it just hit me. it would be soo badass to have a bigger 4wd version of one of those puppies.

i'm not talking about a dune buggy either. not even that big. i'm talking about a GO-KART!

but i don't know. this is just a random idea out of nowhere.

first i would just want to build something... that would get me up my street and back. maybe use a lawn mower engine and some plywood to sit on and maybe some small tricycle wheels? haha!

i mean when the wright brother's invented the airplane, their first flight only lasted 12 seconds. so why can't the first trip on my go-kart get me up my street?

then maybe if i had enough fun getting a go-kart to run up my street and back, i can build one that will take me through a giant mudhole and back out again without getting stuck? yee haww! and the best part about that is....... it's not my daily driver so i can beat the crap out of it and all that stuff!

okay seth. i wrote enough. all this just spawned out of nowhere, but let me know what you think!

deathrunner

That would be cool. I wanted to make a 4 wd bicycle. I like mountain biking and 4 wheeling and wanted to combine them. Maybe one day.

4wd go cart would be cool. I have seen some cool stuff done to golf carts, check into that industry too.

Why not just get a 4x4 atv???

alanbobalan

because 4x4 atvs are too easy.

and besides... i like the idea of 4 wheeling in a "car"

the go-kart being like a "mini 4x4"

i just thought it might be fun to scale things down and maybe save a little more $$$

but still, it's alot of work. i need to find someplace to start. even if i could build a 2wd racer offroad go-kart that would be rad. maybe i could find a kit somewhere, that would make things easier.



anyway, well seth, i think my taco might be ready for some mild wheeling... i need to iniate it. it hasn't seen dirt since i bought it. one things for sure... it WILL NOT dive into mud puddles or go anywhere near branches/brush aching to dig into my paint. ahahaha. i have a fresh clean slate now and i plan on keeping it clean

alanbobalan

hey seth............

WHAT'S UP?????????????????

i think my taco is ready for some wheelin... it's been a good 7 or 8 months now since i've wheeled. HOWEVER...... i want to take it lightly. i have never wheeled this vehicle before and it's pretty much an ENTIRE different truck than my 4runner. every vehicle has it's own quirks and characteristics one needs to get used to.

and on top of that..... i just don't want to abuse my rig anymore. i think you've heard the story about me bashing my 4runner and rolling it. that was 3 years ago, then when i finally grew up a little.... it was too late. i ended up paying for it in the end and i had plans to fix everything but they just didn't work out.

now i have my taco... a fresh clean slate and i plan to keep it clean. so let's go do some fun clean wheelin

haha if you even read this....... this thread is so old. i haven't been on yotatech in a while since i haven't been wheelin. but i've always wanted to go to pismo........ hmmmm.

hit me up foo!

peace in the middle east!

-alan

deathrunner

Alan-

Good to see ya on here again. I guess it shows how much of a nerd I am that I notice this thread everytime it is refreshed. I need to get a life. hahaha

Anyway. Us San Diego guys are heading to superstition mountain on the 13th of January. I definitely plan on going. You should come too. Last year I took the easy run and had a blast, I plan on doing the easy run again because I want to take it easy as well. I don't have anything to prove, ya know.

Anyway I did the run with open diffs, no rear bumper, about 2" of lift, 33's, and of course my long travel front end. I did fine. No body damage, nothing at all. THere were a couple spots where they offered harder sections I tried, but couldn't progress due to the open diffs, but I always got out under my own power. There was also a bone stock extra cab pickup (92-94?) that cruise out. He had tires and that was the only mod I noticed. He woudl drag his trailer hitch but that was about it.

With 31's you will be more than fine. It costs alittle $$ to do the runs, but it is way worth it. The group will be mostly Jeeps, but we all do our part to slant the ratio. My frieend with an XJ and I plan to stick with the easy run again. It's a great way to safely learn the limits of your vehichle and a bit more about driving off road. I learned a ton last year. The only thing I would really recommend getting would be a CB, it definitely made the experience enjoyable.

That sunday we will split from the SD 4wheeler group and do a Yotatech run. Last year that proved to be a lot of fun, it moved at a quicker pace thatn that of the large group. Check the trip planning section for info. You better go.

deathrunner

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/show...t=71930&page=1

alanbobalan

haha. well i haven't been on here much since i haven't been wheelin. i've had my taco for going on 6 months now and it still hasn't seen dirt and i'm getting anxious to get back out there.

oh and seth.... it's ok, i'm a nerd too. come on... gardners cut grass with our trucks and we still think they are cool, ok? hahahhahahaha just messin man

ANYWAY....... i'm planning going on this run. i just posted on the thread. just need to make sure i have enough gas and funds to make the trip. goodyear franchises aren't payin too good these days.

i plan on taking it super easy, i don't wanna be a pansie but remember how i was paranoid with my old rig? yea, well that rig was rolled over and i was paranoid and anal about it. my new taco is worth about 10 times more than that rolled rig and plus its NOT rolled and the paint still looks almost new soooooooo um yea the rest should be self explanitory!!!! but i still want to wheel! but who knows... chances are i'll get there and change my mind and have MORE fun. but i'm staying well within my limits. i would probably even have a total blast just spotting or riding along on the harder runs () or being the group photographer if i didn't want to wheel the whole time. i just haven't been out on a trail in so long... ahhh! i've spent the last 6 months working in a mechanic shop with no offroading, so i'm alot more handy now, plus i'm going to mechanic school this semester starting jan 17th so i'm super stoked about that.

i'm also planning on bring my acoustic guitar so we can play some tunes! you should bring one along and we can jam!!! i dunno if anyone is into the poppy nerd rock that i play and listen but well...... that's what i'm good at! even some blues or somethin cool. wheeeeeee!




oh and seth.... an update on the 4runner since it has been forever. one of the things i have been doing while i haven't been on here is parting it out. it's been sort of a slow process as i have had to wait for dead time at my work so i can part it out at the shop. not to mention, we got new management recently which completly revoked our shop privileges...... my new boss is like worse than my mom. no joke dude. anyhoo, i just dropped the tranny out yesterday in the flippen parking lot outside of my work. (my boss is seriously just plain gay). that was a fun experience and it will be up for sale on here pretty soon! i got it out and i'm workin on cleaning it up right now. haha it was caked in mud. i'm taking pics of everything so i'll post them up here soon.

sadly, i'm also parting out that lift you sold me. the rear is probably going to go to my brother's 85 4x4 pickup because his truck is meant to be everything my 4runner wasn't. then the front, i'm going to see what i can get for it. all my plans for my 4runner just got screwed. i was going to chop that whole roof off and do a bunch of crazy stuff to it. long story though.

my brother's truck has benefitted alot from this parting out. he took the whole interior out, dashboard and all, and dropped it in his. he also scored my clinometer (but he had to pay for that hehehe). my 4runner was sr5 and his pickup was just the base model. so it's lookin alot better! and i'm making him take my rear axle. i'm just going to give it to him. wider, stronger, bigger drums and all! i love his truck, except that it's not fuel injected. it's a 22r, but he's getting a complete carburator rebuild this week and vented rotors and v6 calipers and the whole deal from marlin crawler. this thing is going to be a champ. i know his 22r wants to be a 22re one day, so we'll see

alright seth...... um. i think i wrote too much. i had alot to say. now it's out. but it HAS been forever!!!! and now i'll never post anything this long again. i talk too much, sheesh.

alright dude. peace out!

-alan