Our hotel.





I think the Aria? On the way to a comedy show. A really racist Italian one..... The night before we went to a blame the white man racist one so I suppose it all evened out. It was awful really..... America is a really juxtaposed country. On the one hand, beauty, culture, diversity and strength but there is still such a dark side that just won't go away..... Oh and brainwashed about social healthcare.


Below is my buddy Neil just before things got nuts with it ending for him at the strippers with a dislocated shoulder.

 

So we dropped down South from Vegas to Arizona. I was a bit rough through the first part of the day so no photos where taken.

I pulled the camera out when we got to the Kaibab National Forest. It started off awesome and we pulled out the map and compass to head North on the backroads to find the Grand Canyon.








So far so good, just a bit rainy.







Roads all good so I thought it would be fun to give the missus some off road experience driving. She was having a ball.








Then it got messy and it was time to switch. I had no idea how difficult it was about to get.





AS you walk you grow taller from the mud caking under your feet.

It was retarded. Kinda funny but gross too.








It gets worse.



I really was concerned about a major break down. You could feel the strain on the vehicle. Worst thing is I did not have enough water with us. I know better too from Australia. We had lots but if we where stuck and it got hot like deserts can get even in winter it could have been troubling.











We had to jump out a few times to scrape the heavy glop off the windsheild. Went through all the washer fluid quickly so had to use drinking water to loosen it off enough to clear a view.

Was interesting.








You can see how low I'm sitting. The 4Runner is really heavy at this point with the mud all over the hood and roof tent.

It was a royal pain to get off.

As soon as we left here an old fella saw us and starting pissing himself laughing. Everyone waved and had a laugh. We noticed that no locals where driving those trails that day. No tracks from anyone's property.












Loooowwww.















No worries, nothing a hose and a hot lunch couldn't fix.


It was fun and worth the hassle especially as we made it there.

 

What no one likes Arizona? I agree that they have some pretty harsh shrubbery laws there but a boycott on Arizona related threads?



I have a great truck related update to post as well as a shameless thread bump and attention seeking sarcasm.


So, the missus went with me to the bank as she has a rad job in the oil fields and they where more than happy to try and give us more credit than needed. I did not take it as I don't want to be stupid but I have enough to get Red back on the road and trails. I don't want to fall into that debt trap and get into trouble. That's how we ended up in mining actually. Bills spiraled and it was make it or bankruptcy. Her moms dog bit me too many times while saving for that first house deposit to just let it go! I've never been happy over something being dead before that horrible little bastard. Anyway,....

I'll be ordering parts in the next couple of weeks.

I'll also make sure I get the rest of the trip up to help not have the build part harder to find. The thread has gotten rather bloggy.

 

Looks like you were playing in red clay not mud. Which is why it was sticking so bad. Looks like a real fun time though.

 

Looks like a good time. The only time Ive been to Vegas was for a bachelor party. Just wish I would of had more money with me to blow lol.

Im ready to be able to get my 4runner out on some trails, but thats still a few more months away lol.

 

Ahh red clay with little windshield ruining shards. It was fun.

I bet I woulda found the Grand Canyon if it was dry though.



I think almost everyone who goes to Vegas wishes they had more flailing cash.

 

Uck! What a mess. Clay, there are a few things that are nastier, but not many.

 

Muskeg bog smells like pooh and makes the inside of your truck smell the same for long after wheeling season.

 

You guys look like you had quite an adventure!!your runner is a true trooper!!

 

I miss driving it. My F150 bench seats are not comfy for a dude with a bad back.

 

There's a place near me where we have a similar type of mud - all full of clay. Its really weird driving along at 15-20 mph and seeing dinnerplate-sized chunks being thrown straight up 10 or 15 feet in the air...

Exciting news on getting the financial aspects out of the way - got any parts ordered yet?

 

Yeah it's fun for sure.

No parts yet. Waiting to hear back from people and going to get a thread up on pirate to get some more research going.

 

Just sent an email to Toyotafibreglass.

I will start by cleaning up the body. It has to be inspected so that means no weight saving rust holes. It also means paint so I'm looking forward to new pinstripes in shiny paint!

 

Whooooo!








That right there is 134,295km or 84,068 miles on this engine. It was tested and has only been off the road 6 months. The body was in good shape.







Oh yeah all mine. $900 and has a 4 month warranty for credit. If it runs as well as I hope I just saved budget costs on rebuilding.

 

Wow! Sweet score on the engine! That's a good year for a donor 3.4 from what I've read too - less emissions crap to deal with than the later ones. Looks like you'll be needing a manual ECU /wiring harness for the conversion. Did you get the whole 4Runner with it?

 

Motor swap time huh? Sweet. Yours will probably be done before mine lol.

 

Eww, it's from an auto, though. That makes wiring and/or different computer issues. Still ways around it for that kind of a deal, though!

 

Yeah I didn't pick up the ECU so I'm on the hunt for one from a manual. The engine was too good with too low km's to pass up.


Edit///


Also, I have more research done on a 1UZ swap so right now I'm flying blind.

 

If you haven't already, check out offroadsolutions.com for research. They're pretty much the pioneers, and who I got my conversion harness from back in 09.

 

I had just sent them an email and told them I need everything and give me a call.

I'm excited.