added a leaf today to the front leaf pack to allow for the weight of the winch... and got my order form trail gear with my front u bolt flip kit and 2 tie rod ends btu the shackle order from marlin feel thru since there out of almost everything I ordered and its been 4 wks so Im going a different route... order a winch plate form low range nd then going to get a XRC8 from 4wheel parts or winch depot...

 

got some 4.88 V6 3rs today at jims yota yard... also go a new front bumper since mine is so messed up and a few other little parts i have been needing

cant wait to install the gears and see how she pulls compared to the 4.56s

 

installed the 4.88s yesterday and finished up last few things today and took her for a drive... right of the start backing out of the garage I noticed an immediate increase in response and acceleration, cant wait to take her out on the highway and see how she pulls at speed

 

Doh posted twice

 

Nice, I love my 4.88s it pulls nicely even on 35s. I went from 3.90s and oh my what a difference. Enjoy!

 

my dad wanted to regear his truck to turn his 32s and I have been wanting to try 4.88s so we made a deal that he bought me the 4.88s and gets my old 4.56s to run in his truck rather than us both running 4.56 so its a win win

yeah mine had 3.90s factory and swapped those for 4.56s and was like a whole new truck and then after rebuilding the motor it mad a difference especially in MPG
and now the 4.88s are amazing, not as much of a change as I hoped but enough to notice and make an impact... but when my 33s wear out I might try some 35s or maybe 36-37s (MAYBE)

 

also the brown man dropped of my TG order front u bolt flip kit and 2 new tie rods now I can get back to trying to install highsteer

 

Nice, what mileage do get on average with the new rebuild?

 

Sweet Ride had min for about 2yrs now finally saved enough for lift and tires not as good of a body but sweet

 

With the rebuilt engine and newer tranny and 4.88 gears I get abot 20 mpg city and 25 hwy give or take

 

Ive had this one for about 3yrs and have changed it so many times, but she has never let me down...
Where in CO are you?

 

ordered myself a front drop hanger from TG since there on sale cant wait to get it...

want to use it to get a lil better clearance between my spring and IFS box sector shaft when I add my high steer and help with pinion angle with my new 4.5" front shackles and maybe even move my axle forward some...

parts I have collected
TG high steer (86 IFS box, custom box mounts)
TG front ubolt flip kit
TG front drop hanger
custom 4.5" front shackles

 

anybody in CO (near La Veta) want to help install some parts...

I dont have a garage or a welder and would appreciate some help!

I can bring beer, lunch, or both

 

Got my hanger and hub socket today... Cant want to get the hanger insalled and get the truck out on the trail...

 

got some work done on the truck this weekend!
took her up to CO springs and wakkjobb helped me out with some of the more complicated parts
got my front drop hanger welded on and my front shackles installed... then drove home and got my high steer installed today

 

4x4YOTA,
Nice buildup! I’m new to this forum, but have been on MUD for a few years. Your thread caught my interest, since I also have an ’81. I’ve only had mine for a few months, but I’ve wanted a First Gen 4x4 since they came out. I need to go through my front axle. The knuckle seals have helped a fair amount of grease to accumulate which is tell-tale of some neglect. She feels solid so I’m hoping the bearings and birfs are still in good shape. In reading through I’ve sympathized with you doing the work on yours outside in the elements. You need a garage. Was interested in your posts about lockers. IMHO, for the $ and the use it’ll see, the Aussie has to be my #1 choice. And since the Mini is part time (unlike my FZJ80), I’m going to put one in each axle. That should allow me to really get in some hairy situations. I like that the Mini is about half the weight of my 80 series. Much better for wheelin’ – especially in the pocket book.

 

went wheeling with the toyota jamboree and ran chinaman gulch in BV had a blast and cant wait til next year!

 

Looks like a blast! Looking at your tires, it looks like your running them at highway pressure. Try dropping them to 15 psi. You'll get better traction and contrary to what most people think, they are less susceptible to sidewall damage. Think of a balloon. Ever try to pop a fully inflated ballon? Pretty easy, huh? Now do the same with a ballon that's half inflated. You really have to mash the thing to pop it. And you won't lose much, if any in ground clearance.

 

I was actully running 15psi but my front pass tire kept slipping into the V notch and stopping me and then my hitch was hanging up on the ground and wouldnt let me back up...so we hooked up the winch and pulled my tire out and I was able to drive the rest of the way out just needed that lil tug to get moving

 

Yeah, it's been a long time since I wheeled a mini. As light as they are, we might even be able to get away with 7-8 psi. Gotta watch those beads though. Too bad you didn't have lockers. I think they are the most bang for the buck when it comes to off road performance. Looks like you had fun though, and that's the main thing.