Topic: 83 yota budget build

[bdcplayer_83yota]

 Well im new to this site an crawling in general and im tryin to upgrade my 83 yota so i can got to the event in sept but have a budget so was wondering if anyone had any ideas on how to make it the best i can but the cheapest at the sametime.

[axled89]

what are you wanting to achieve?  mild trail rig?  or extreme trails and rock crawlin?    we need more info.
and what kinda budget?   lot's of different ways to go.

[bdcplayer_83yota [OP]]

i want to make it into a mid trail rig cuz i still need it for work an a daily driver an only have bout 2-3000 for a budget. an tryin to get ready by sept so i can go to the round up

[Snowtoy]

How new are you to wheeling?  Any rock crawling experience at all, even as a passenger or spotter?  If you have little experience to rock crawling, really I don't think you will be ready to drive your truck for the round-up, and your budget isn't enough to be able to build a rig capable enough to off set a lack inexperience, something that should never be done anyways.

If dead set on going to the Round-up in Sept and driving your truck, you will want body armor, i.e., strong solid bumpers and sliders, and front/rear recovery points.  Figure about $1k of your budget buying everything new(plus taxes/shipping), though you could save a lot if you can find the stuff used.  Next you will want dual cases or a 4.70 single transfer case.  The slower you can go on the rocks the better, especially for someone w/little trail experience.  Figure about $1-2k for dual cases, X-member/skidplate, and drive line work and a set of spare drive lines.  You can often get lucky and find dual cases for around $500, here is a Marlin set-up Dual-case set-up in Placerville on craigslist that would be worth looking into.  A single case w/4.7 gears will cost a lot less, since you don't have to lengthen the front or shorten the rear drive lines and you can use your stock x-member.  With duals your budget is likely gone, w/a single case you might have enough money left over for 35's and a cheap rear locker.  Now you don't need lower transfer-case gears and lockers to wheel the Rubicon, but they will make a huge difference.  A buddy of mine drug his '84 Runner through there 2yrs ago, and all he did was cut the fenders to clear some 35's and add sliders and bumpers(front w/winch).  However he has over 15yrs of wheeling experience(stock & extremely modified) to make up for the trucks' lack of ability, and had been over the Rubicon several times.

[bdcplayer_83yota [OP]]

hey thanks man for the info an the heads up really... but i was def doin gettin my body/axle armor on there an tryin to get my suspension better an after all that if i can afford it im def tryin to get the dual cases.. an ya i dont have much exsperience but been tryin to get the truck ready so i can go out an practice before the round up. like this weekend even though my truck isn't ready im still tryin to go to moon rock with bunch of buddies to start gettin the jist of it. but thanks again man an bout the shackle thing too

[Snowtoy]

Rock crawling is really a hobby that takes a lot of seat/trail time to get good at, there is a lot of stuff to learn.  Skipping any of the learning process will only come back to bite you in the long term. 

Have you been up the High Lakes during the dry months yet?  It is a pretty good place to learn how to rock crawl, that is where all my buddies learned to wheel, unfortunately my first foray into the rocks was Fordyce Creek trail(in 1990), in a brand new truck, an experience I wouldn't recommend for anyone.  Once the snow is melted I would suggest heading up there every chance you get, before deciding on driving your truck for the Round-up.  Even if you and your rig aren't ready for the Round-up, it is still a lot of fun, same with the trail.

At Moonrocks there is a relatively easy section on the right(looking at the rock section) that you should be able to drive through w/a stock rig, and there are dirt hill climbs, but unfortunately there isn't a lot of beginner/intermediate stuff to play on as far as the rocks go.  However with all of the people heading there due to all of the snow on the Rubicon and Fordyce, there should be plenty to see and you should still have a lot of fun.  It should be pretty much a party atmosphere all weekend.

[Tallchevy]

 

[toe]

 

[Rocksurfer]

  to Marland

[bdcplayer_83yota [OP]]

well after going to moonrocks this last weekend i decided to build a dif truck then my 83. so im now going to build a 87 extra cab, but was wonderin now if i put the 63" chevy springs in the back if i can use the rear ones in the front.

[Snowtoy]

If you are going to go through the effort of SAS'ing a rig, you might consider starting w/a 2wd truck.  The 2wd frame allows for a lower riding rig after the SAS.  This converted '92 2wd w/37's had an entry height that was almost the same as my '90 IFS w/33's(4" trailmaster lift).

[bdcplayer_83yota [OP]]

nice rig man an thats def a good idea but the truck im gettin is 4x4 an only getting it for 700. but sort of kickin round the idea of just makin the 87 my work truck an the 83 my crawler so i dont have to worry bout the SAS. but not to sure yet what to do. an thanks for the sujestion

[Snowtoy]

If you spend a lot of time on the road, I would make the IFS your DD, and build the '83 as a trail rig, the IFS is a lot more comfy.  Also it would likely take your original budget just to SAS the '87, still leaving you needing all of the extras like bumpers, sliders, dual cases. lockers, etc.  However a lot depends on the condition of the '87, your '83 looks pretty clean in your avatar and denting it up on the trail would be a shame if the '87 is already beat up.  Either way you go it is nice having two rigs, it makes long wheeling weekends a lot nicer when you don't have to unpack for Monday.

[80firstgem]

 

[Thad]

 

[bdcplayer_83yota [OP]]

thanks an welcome to you too

[bdcplayer_83yota [OP]]

hey sowtoy... wat size engine you have in the truck pullin your yota cuz was thinking bout doin the same but just wonderin some details so i can find the right truck to pull mine with

[Snowtoy]

That was a buddy's shop rig.  IIRC it was an '04 GMC Canyon w/the 5 cyl. engine, and I think it was a 5-spd.  It seemed to have enough power to tow the truck through the Sierra's(to 7k ft) w/o much issue on the open highway.  A little slower on the mountain roads and crossing the summit, but it wasn't too bad.  A V-8 equipped rig would tow it a lot easier, something like the 1st gen Tundra shouldn't have a problem.

[bdcplayer_83yota [OP]]

nice thanks.. ya i was thinking about gettin another toyota that had a v6 3.4L in it since the V8 is a lil out of my price range right now especially fuel wise for the v8. but how did you make your hook ups for the front of your rig since couldn't really tell in the pics.

[Snowtoy]

The 3.4 should be able to tow your '83, you wont be able to rocket up steep grades, but you should be able to make it work.  If you didn't want to go w/Toyota, you can pick up 1/2 tons Chevy's, Fords, from the 80's and early '90's for under $5k.  There are quite a few on Craigslist(Sacramento) and a two clean looking(in pics anyways) Suburbans for under $2500.  If you only used it to tow the rig, the extra gas consumed by the V-8 wouldn't be all that bad.

A standard tow bar was used to to the truck, my buddy just welded the tow bar mounts to the cross member and attached the tow bar.

[bdcplayer_83yota [OP]]

nice.. thanks man

[bdcplayer_83yota [OP]]

well finally got my shackles,33in tires (for now), my sliders,front axel armor,new clutch (from marlin) on truck looks way better now but tons more still to do...

[matchan420]

Good info here.  Thanks for the good read. 

I learned how to wheel in a stock Sammy.  I would say that learning how to wheel in a stock truck really pays off in the long haul, you really have to rely on your lines and hone your skill rather than letting you amazing rig do all the work for you.  I really noticed this when I was watching the comp ready buggies going through some obstacles...looks to me that it almost takes the fun out of it.

Enjoy!