coryc85

Rob,

Looks like some good progress. Also looks like you are planning to flat tow your trekker. I've been thinking of this myself for my '83 pickup. But I have a few concerns that maybe you have thought about

1) I think we are supposed to disconnect both drive shafts for flat towing -- not a big deal, but just something I'll have to reconnect when I get there

2) Are there pre-fabbed mounts that I can weld to a bumper? I have a Front Range Offroad steel front bumper

3) Do you have any braking concerns with your tow vehicle pulling that much un-braked (is that a word) load

I'd be very interested in how you plan to connect your tow bar to your front bumper and any other general thoughts you have about this.

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

Hey Cory:
for Flat towing from what I found on Marlincrawler.com, the rear driveshaft needs to be disconnected since the transfer case bearings need lubrication and for some reason doesn't proper lube and can destroy the case if flat towed very far. The front shaft doesn't need to be disconnected with transfer case in neutral and hubs unlock so the front shaft is not turning.

I bought a Valley adjustable tow bar with some premade mounts off ebay. I used one 10 years ago to tow my '84 cross country. I will be welding those mounts to the bumper (probably 2" tubing) There are some similar ones on ebay that are seriously cheap but a friend of mine got one and it is crap compared to the Valley IMO.

I am using my '05 Tacoma to tow the '81. The truck seems to do fine with the '81 behind it. I used a tow dolley a couple of times since I don't have the bumper done yet. I try to keep a reasonable distance and allow for braking. I need to weigh the '81 to see how much it weighs. I do have access to a 16' flatbed that weighs about 1200 lbs w/ electric brakes, which would be a lot easier to use but not always available...

Kind of a long winded answer, hope it helps...

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

Took the truck out to the folks farm and did some firewood wheeling...need to take the tractor out and clear out the blackberries--lots of good trails down there overgrown...


Flex wasn't too bad, but hope to have the new springs on sometime soon. my brother in law is setting me up with new 4" rear springs he had bought for a project that he sold.
Ordered a Marlin rear bumper last week on monday and had it by wednesday afternoon... awesome quality..hope to have it and the sliders mounted in a couple of weeks. Just need to coordinate schedules with my welder buddy.. I will be ordering a Marlin front bumper in a couple of months..


though may add a little cross bracing so I can use one of CBI off roads spare tire/high lift mount..Thinking about going that route because it is something that I can use on both the trekker and my Tacoma..

Okiyota

Nice looking Trekker.

I want to lift mine and turn it into a "mild" wheeler/camping rig, but i need to wait until my other projects are done. Keep the pics coming, its nice to see one going the same direction i want to go with mine.

*Hijack on*

Heres a few pics of mine...its insanely clean!! Has different tires and wheels now too...






I also own a Trailblazer, its for sale (has been for a LONG time) if you know anyone looking







*Hijack Off*

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

Hi jack all you want Your trekker is in awesome shape, I would love to see that the interior looks like.
I remember seeing the for sale thread on your trailblzer awhile ago...can't believe no one had picked it up yet...

Okiyota

Thanks man, i'll shoot some pics of the interior this weekend and throw them on here.

Yeah the Trailblazer was for sale for a long time, then i left for Iraq for a while. Its back up for sale if anyone has any $$, i've just never taken the thread down because i know how hard it was to find any info or pics of them when i was searching initialy, so i thought if i left it up there someone searching later might be able to see a few good pics of it.

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

So finally getting a little time to put on the Marlin rear bumper.
Had to cut off the one that a PO had welded on.



It wasn't build too bad, but need something that is more functional/practical
Found that Winnebago welded a body mount over one of three holes in the frame that is used for Marlins mounting holes.

First one was no problem. The one on the driver's side though made me happy I wore safety glasses...Costco's drill bit package are not that great...Need to invest in better bits...only broke 4.
..Might have gotten crooked a little bit, but was drilling pilot holes as I went..

Camera battery died so will post up finished pics after dinnner...
Winnebago put a body mount about 3 inches behind the stock mount so that extra 3/16" on each side took a little finangling to get the bumper on.
Turned out I had to trim about 5" off the lower quarter panel to clear the bumper...Ryobi's 18V cordless saws/drills that all use the same batteries come in handy

The clearance on the Trekker is much tighter than I expected, I would like to see one on a regular 1st gen since they are steel vs. Trekker Fiberglass


Overall I think that the Marlin Bumper is one of the best piece of Armor that you can buy for a 1st Gen. I did not get a picture of it, but I was able to lift the entire back of the truck with the High lift, one of its intended purposes.. .

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

Just got home from taking my daughter to Band Camp and the UPS truck was just pulling away...
dropped off a set of these:

they look great for the money. Need a little touch up paint. Sorry Dave, but the stickers are gonna go, but I will mention to people where I got them:
http://www.davezoffroadperformance.c...opic.php?t=444 From time of order to delivery it was about 2.5 weeks, not too bad...
I was going to make a set of half doors but my donor doors turned out to be in much worse shape than I thought, but I did get the hinges off them, so not a total bust--trip to the local farm store yielded 4 quick release pins for the price of 1 at lowes..go figure

Will get them on over the weekend....

idayota

it looks great! excited to see how the tube doors look on it.

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

Sliders and half doors are on....went on a quick trip up to the logging roads but of course for got the camera so here are the driveway pics
Put on the tube doors over the weekend. Hardest part was getting the stock hinge pins out, have to hand it to Toyota, those things are well built..
hose clamp holding mirrors are temporary--couldn't find my small drill bits


Found out my brother in law had a nice wire feed welder...gave him a case of beer to help install the 4xInnovations sliders ..I think they will do the job..
(if you are wondering--YES both driver's sides wheels are chocked)

4banginRunner

lucky Trekker owners...

Victor

Cool truck but doesn't look like you have any spring flex. Future plans?

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

Yep, Flex is not the greatest but I do have some new Trail gear springs to install up front and a free set of NWOR (not a ton of flex) that need to be installed. The NWOR springs are basically a temporary solution to get rid of some 4" Blocks that were on the truck when I bought it. Just need time to get it all installed.

idayota

man, that is a completely different looking truck than when you started...great job! just a few bolt on's make all the difference.

idayota

could you shoot a picture of how those doors latch/release?

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

Thanks, hopefully this winter will bring some less obvious internal changes (dual cases, internal roll cage) that will also help it...Trying to get it set up for wheeling in the spring...

Give me a couple of days, dropped the camera and it only works when it wants to now, hope to pick up a new cheapie over the weekend.

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

Here you go, finally got a cheapo camera that works as long as I don't drop it
Basically Dave's Off Road performance used a fence latch. I was kind of sKeptical of it at first, but they have been very secure. Though I did save the latch mechanisms off the doors I was going to use for half doors as an option down the road.

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

So I have been looking for a used set of tires since I first bought the truck. I have looked at several sets that did not turn out to be in the kind of shape that the seller said they were, numerous different reason for not buying them..
I tried out a buddy's set of 35's over the weekend since that is what I really wanted and just ran them on the rear...I expected some difference because of gearing etc but it seemed like I was going to lose 5th gear and did not really want to re-gear for awhile, though I will be pulling the rear third member at some point to install a locker...
With the current 33" BFG AT's (2 of which were getting cracked with age) the truck had no problems using 5th at highway speeds (65MPH) and is able to pull hill really well IMO.

I wanted to get a set of the Wildcat's from Les Schwab but they have since been discontinued. I have run a couple of sets on other trucks and I have a set of 285's that were studded that I run on my '05. I even contemplated pulling the stud's and getting a set of 16" rims for the 81 but thought against it.

A 45 minute wait at the local Les Schwab resulted in a set of 33" Toyo Open Country MT's, they were a little bit more that I wanted to spend but have a great reputation. If you live in the PNW you know Schwab's has got great service and stand behind what they sell....
Even with the tube doors on I can hear myself think, they don't hum much at all...

CC_yota

How much was your CBI spare/hi-lift carrier?

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

I haven't got it yet, it is one of the options I am thinking about. When I emailed Steve at CBI a few months ago it was in the $250-275 range plus shipping. He has two versions one for up to 35" and one for 37".
Only thing that worries me a little is the rear visibility but there is a compromise on everything