Topic: Project: The '81 "Yoter"

[a1gemmel]

Some little clips from some snow crawling tonight. Busted open a trail that probably hasn't seen tracks since first snowfall. In an hour, we went roughly 400 yards 
I need to go back on the weekend with a metal detector to try and find the tire chain I threw! Don't know at what point I lost it, but it must have been buried pretty good in the snow. I walked back with a flashlight and couldn't find it.

https://youtube.com/shorts/Q6zpUNylVdE

https://youtube.com/shorts/ABAd8rg2FHw

Apologies, I guess this forum software doesn't know about youtube shorts so you'll have to click through.

[a1gemmel [OP]]

More recovery shenanigans... I had just settled in for a cheeky pint before bed and a request came in on a community group - ram 1500 with a broken CV stuck on a snowed over road, about 70 minutes from me. It's been snowing hard the past two days. 1am I was wheels up, I made it to them around 2:30am. They weren't very stuck but had wandered quite far down into a gulch of a road, of course they made it to the bottom and couldn't get back up. Normally this is just a road, but with 2 feet of fresh wet snow on it...

There was a minor embarrassing moment when I was turning around, dropped both front tires into a ditch that was hidden by 4 feet of powder. Shovelled for 2 minutes and dropped from street pressure to 6psi and the yoter walked right out.

I got them turned around pretty quick, set up a bridle on a kinetic rope and then it was pretty much foot to the floor in second gear single low range for a mile to get back out. The ram in 2 wheel drive (really worst wheel drive) could hardly help at all.

This is pretty much exactly how I broke my L52, but I'm not just gonna not send it when I have a chance to give full send. I think I got away with it this time. The guys were impressed, said it was like being pulled by a tractor. A local in an F350 failed to help them before I showed up so they were doubtful it was possible  Lockers and low tire pressure are like magic.

That's all for now, I've got to go to work in 2 hours... I'll have to see if I got enough clips for a coherent video.

[Gnarly4X]

a cheeky pint...  1am I was wheels up, I made it to them around 2:30am...

...dropped from street pressure to 6psi and the yoter walked right out.

... foot to the floor in second gear single low range for a mile to get back out.

... I have a chance to give full send.

....F350 failed to help them

... Lockers and low tire pressure are like magic.

"cheeky pint".... COLD SNOW?.... cheeky pint.... COLD SNOW?.... cheeky pint....COLD SNOW?... hmmmmm....

For GO... NO GO...Snow and Glamis sand dunes always appreciated my 4 PSI.

Another deposit in your KARMA BANK! 

Gnarls.

[a1gemmel [OP]]

The most neglected vehicle in my fleet - the 1986 4runner - is getting a bit of love. I snagged a 5.29 Detroit IFS diff on FB for a song and a dance, it just had a broken stub shaft which I extracted with a welder and a slide hammer. I threw the old 5.29 trutrac from my pickup into the rear end, and slammed the detroit under the front. This goofy rough country bracket lift makes changing the front diff a huge bummer, but at least the 2 post makes it less of a chore. Lots of swearing/prying/hammering to get the "subframe" to line back up at the end. The lady might start dailying this truck since it somehow gets better fuel economy than her fullsize, so some efforts are going into making it a bit nicer to drive. Going from 4.30s to 5.29s (and not having a spool in the rear) is an immediate improvement for drivability.



Also swapped in a "new" window regulator from the doors I have saved from that parts 4runner I had. This unit was miled out!

[a1gemmel [OP]]

So here I am - drinking my morning decaf coffee and looking through facebook, craigslist, auction sites for things I don't really need. I'm hosting a bunch of friends in the summer for a camping trip, so I've been looking for another 4x4 for the occasion that I'll flip afterwards. I saw a 4runner on an auction site, started scrolling through the photos. It looked ok, not amazing for the price. Then I get to the last photo - what is this? It has a TRD supercharger kit that's mentioned nowhere in the listing? And it's priced like a bone stock truck? With 6 minutes left I put in a bid and won the truck. So now for a measly $4k I own a 1998 TRD 3.4 supercharged 4runner. I think it was a good buy but I don't really know anything about these. It does have 300k miles, but it's super clean and it ran pretty well in the 100 yards I put on it loading it on the trailer.

[OVRAROK]

So here I am - drinking my morning decaf coffee and looking through facebook, craigslist, auction sites for things I don't really need. I'm hosting a bunch of friends in the summer for a camping trip, so I've been looking for another 4x4 for the occasion that I'll flip afterwards. I saw a 4runner on an auction site, started scrolling through the photos. It looked ok, not amazing for the price. Then I get to the last photo - what is this? It has a TRD supercharger kit that's mentioned nowhere in the listing? And it's priced like a bone stock truck? With 6 minutes left I put in a bid and won the truck. So now for a measly $4k I own a 1998 TRD 3.4 supercharged 4runner. I think it was a good buy but I don't really know anything about these. It does have 300k miles, but it's super clean and it ran pretty well in the 100 yards I put on it loading it on the trailer.

SCORE....

[a1gemmel [OP]]

I wanted to be like all the cool overlanding kids so I put a rigid molle panel behind my seat. It's just affixed via nuts welded to the back of the cab, with the panel bolted in using some copper tube as standoffs.
I've just got a few bags for the system to start, have a bit of gear that always stays in the truck in there - paracord, tape, knife, hi-vis vest, headlamp, second radio, gloves. Not very full yet but I'll add stuff as I feel the need.

[Gnarly4X]

What about a 20 lb. C02 tank, big jumper cables, fire extinguisher, and a first aid kit? 

Gnarls.

[a1gemmel [OP]]

That stuff is already in the bed, of course.

I got in an altercation with a snowy ditch and a tree and broke a headlight. Upgraded to H4s with integrated LED turn signals, pretty snazzy. I bent the hood back into place but frankly there wasn't much hood left to bend.