Hey folks,

Betsy is my 86 Tercel. The old girl has been in my crew since she was born. I am currently her 6th owner. This reliable beauty has helped many a starving student get around over the years and now it's time to reward her for her efforts.

I've taken her down logging roads; She's travelled as far as Banff & Cape Scott; She's been all over the interior of BC...





Now my plan is to "Pimp Betsy", offroad style. I called North Shore Offroad and they gave me some ideas, but this will be my first mod. I have some offroad experience as I used to have a '97 Jeep TJ (totalled when hit by a drunk driver) and then a Grand Cherokee (sold when I got wiped out in the stock market).

I have no experience doing offroad mods. North Shore Offroad suggested I could do something by simply expanding the struts and adding ATV tires. If anyone has some suggestions or warnings for me, I'd greatly appreciate it. I will also be doing the body and interior.

All my best,

Sean

 

Well I guess this is one case where we can't suggest a RB Body Lift.

 

gangus didnt put you up to this did he?

 

bascily everything you do is going to be custom, but i assume you know that already. i would not get ATV tires for it, they arent made to run at highway speeds.

 

um, hmm......what is your final goal???

try posting over at www.pirate4x4.com they can probably help you come up with something that will work. they're smurt

 

Hey gang, thank you for the tips. I am a total n00b, so things that might seem like basic knowledge to you guys will be groundbreaking insights to me.

"No ATV tires on the highway" - Good to know. I want her to have some range still, and really I wouldn't expect her to deal with anything worse than a poorly maintained class 1 logging road.

"Pirate 4X4" - Cool. Will check it out.

"Gangus" - Sorry, don't know him. I really am a n00b.

 

they make some pretty agressive tires in a 14" size....

gangus is some kid on this website that trys to act all gangster and start crap with people... here is a picture of him, his-self, himself and him crew

http://www1.pacific.edu/%7Ec-eaklan/...cs/yt/fobs.jpg

you will find 99% of the people on this site think he is a complete moron....


i have refrained from any flaming

 

To start a new hobby. To bring Betsy back as a beefed up Superheroine. To have a second car for pleasure use only. I'd like her to be street legal and capable of going on short road/offroad trips to remote campsites/trailheads.

 

Hilarious!!!

I hope you're not joking about the 14's.

 

keep it in good running condition and get an agressive set of tires... you will surprised at how far it will take you.... i had a 93 4 door tercel, that thing was a beast... i used to pack it with people and go mudding.... those were the days.....

 

why not take the money that you would spend on getting custom parts to do this transformation to a superherione and either get a actual 4x4 or restore "Betsy" to her original sex appeal? If you got something that was built for what your trying to do to "Betsy", you wont have as many problems.

 

I say get a pickup frame cut her down hang a solid axle (if it doesn't already have one) throw on 35s lock it then pull the wheels tires suspension and drivetrain out of your tercel and mount that on the frame tub the firewall and run a 22re.

 

Hey! Welcome to the forum.

Not sure if you have the $$ or if this would even work, but here's an idea:

Buy an old ('88 or '89) Celica all-trac. Swap in the 3SGTE (2.0L turbo--220hp easy with simple mods) and the rest of the drivetrain (AWD). Jack it up or do a bunch of fender trimming, and put some bigger tires on it. Do a roll cage. Maybe I'm thinking more rally style here, but that's the best I can come up with.

Or, take the body off and figure out how to mount it on a shortened pre '85 toyota truck frame.

I've never thought about turning a car into something good offroad, so just some thoughts off the top of my head. I'm not a great mechanic, so I don't even know if my ideas would work, but thought I'd mention them anyways.

Well, have fun all.
Daniel

 

Hey this is some great stuff. My first thought was just to keep the body and then find an old Jeep (I hope that's not blasphemy here) that I could mount her on, so I dig your vision. I like the Celica thing because I think rallycar might be the best call for her.

This is still in the planning stage so all suggestions are helpful.

 

The other option is to do her up Xzibit stylz and make her a low-rider on hydraulics, but I just don't think I'd get as much out of her that way. I don't see myself rolling around town in a cheaply modded low-rider anymore. It worked for my 78 Celica, but high-school was a long time ago.

 

Didn't Toyota have a 4X4 tercel once, back in the early 80's.

 

Check out this site:http://tercel4wd.com/invision/index.php?act=ST&f=4&t=36

 

Toyota did have a 4wd Tercel wagon. They're still plenty around CO, specifically Crested Butte.

How about a roll cage inside, 235/85/14 Swamper TSL Radials's for tires, small Yakima roof rack with a couple of lights, a spare tire and room for gear? I would make that little gem into a Baja Rally mobile. And I'm being serious.

I would also search on the net for Baja VW Bugs and class 11 Baja racers. It's amazing what can be done to a small car with a little desire and ingenuity.

 

Have this guy meet up with the guy who insisted on raising the toyota minivan..what was his name?? Bluefever..and his Previa...but he wanted to convert it from 2wd to 4wd and then raise it..talk to him.....

 

i was going to say something but by the end of this i realized all my braincells have been used up for the day.

good luck