Topic: rubicon in my 85 4runner

[roadcrawler]

i seen alot of people askin if there trucks can make it on the rubicon, an i read all about it. i even read that someone (there name eludes me at the moment) took there sube with 31s on it.
 i got a straight beater daily drive 85 4runner that i want to take on the rubicon. i got 4 inches of lift an im open at both ends, i got no protection whats so ever, no sliders no after market cross member. im completely stock, cept for the lift the 32inch mud terrains, cd player, brake lines, rod knock an me. i plan on jerry rigging diff breathers for water crossings an throwing on a 2000lb winch from harbor freight for whatever an of course ill have my trusty hi lift. im not worried bout body damage at all, i just dont want to break a original birf or any of my drive train compnonents or anything that would need welding. ill be bout 4 hours from home,  plus i never welded before.
 from what i have seen an read here an other places there are quite a few bypasses. soup bowl looks freakin nuts, i dont think my truck can flex enough for that with out my rear tires grinding into my frame. i think theres a by pass for that. there are other sections that look crazy also. i mean real crazy where trucks  pivot on there rockers or sliders on huge boulders an are way off camber. im down an i want to do it. i have wheeled a  load but never any crawling. ive wheeled gorman, hollister, stampede resovoir in tahoe, all over the santa cruz mountains, my aunt an uncles property in lompoc, an some other stuff but never any slow an steady. i also love to baja my solid axle, until it gets a mind of its own an gos whereever it wants no matter how much i try an steer.
 so after all this i really want to hear it from the people that have wheeled the rubicon........i know ill do it anyways, cause its just my nature, but im still really interested in what the pros gotta say. by the way im a poor boy unemployed  budget wheeler all the way, almost everything ive done to my truck has been by hand an with high quality second hand parts.
 by the way ill be going with 1-3 great homies that are gonna be right there for me, an we get it done.

by the way i put this in chit chat camp cause i wasnt sure where else to if everyone is sick of the topic.

thank you

oh yeah, an ill be driving with no doors or hard top.

[*FFC*]

to the board!


I recommend at least welding the rear third, then you should be good to go

[kneedownnate]

i seen alot of people askin if there trucks can make it on the rubicon, an i read all about it. i even read that someone (there name eludes me at the moment) took there sube with 31s on it.

I believe that would be crawlerdan

[Doof]

  good luck and welcome....im more or less on the same track as you with being a poor boy trying to build a crawler

[roadcrawler [OP]]

im gonna do it, im gonna be there by friday an ready to wheel. i dont know what entrance im gonna check on line tonight. i dont have anything that i wanted to get. im going in 32's that rub, an 4 inches, a hilift, an generic winch that hasent been mounted, an thats it, thats all. oh an lotsa tools. i just hope i dont break a birf cause i dont have a spare. im also open at both ends. but i got mud terrains! an its a 85 yoda. im thinking 3 days an nights.

[roadcrawler [OP]]

im gonna check my map cause i coundnt see on goole  hybrid or earth maps

[TurtleTappers91]

ok sounds good, but DO NOT spend money on a 2000 lb HF winch. that would barely un stuck an ATV.

[Duffil]

I hope you don't mind body damage, cuz you'll get some.  Other than that, your gonna hafta hammer it.  Even mild rockcrawling trails can be tough without duals or gears...don't be afraid to stall it, if you try to slip the clutch I don't think you'll make it home; it'll burn up quick.

[Duffil]

I can email you the whole trail on Google earth if you want, but you don't see much.

[roadcrawler [OP]]

i figure ill toast my clutch like an m-f'r, i expect lotsa body damge, maybe a flop ( i never have), lots of frame rubbage in back, lots, an alot of skinny pedal. its me an a bro. its gonna be so nuts.
my truck is a complete beater an daily driver, but more on the beater side. its thrashed but as long as it can cruise on the freeway at 75mph im happy. i just dont want to break drive train or engine stuff.

[Doof]

why would you look to try and do that stuff? if you are smart about the lines you take you can get away with little to no damage...just wheel smart and dont push the limits to far....but if you want to trash your truck then hit up lil slouce (spelling???), that will trash your rig if you want to trash it

[BLACKDOG]

i figure ill toast my clutch like an m-f'r, i expect lotsa body damge, maybe a flop ( i never have), lots of frame rubbage in back, lots, an alot of skinny pedal. its me an a bro. its gonna be so nuts.
my truck is a complete beater an daily driver, but more on the beater side. its thrashed but as long as it can cruise on the freeway at 75mph im happy. i just dont want to break drive train or engine stuff.

Ummm, a clutch is part of the drivetrain?   

With what you have, you could certainly make it through the rubicon.  In the hands of an experienced driver, I think it could do well.  However, if you plan on wheeling it like you're talking, you might as well plan on walking home right now.  A flop? that can seriously affect your getting home ability, let alone your cruising at 75mph.  even cautious drivers break birfs, snap drivelines, blow up gears, etc.  Going into it with a rod knock is also pretty stupid IMO. You're already putting yourself at a disadvantage.  Go slow, and listen to other drivers, ones that have done this a few times.  Once you are out there, listen to the advice of others, and don't give them the little "I'm gonna do it anyway, no matter what you say."  What they have to tell you will save you a lot of pain in the long run. 

good luck

[Shamb]

Going into it with a rod knock is also pretty stupid IMO.

Ask LB about that one ! 

Sorry I had too, it was ripe for the pick'n.

[BLACKDOG]

Ask LB about that one ! 

Sorry I had too, it was ripe for the pick'n.

  thats kinda the person I had in mind


Good thing lilbuddy has homies that were there for him, and got it done, and got him home, huh?

[Yota Up]

You can do it, bro.  My buddy had his rig on there, all stock with nothing but blocks in the rear, shackles in the front, a sawzall to the fender and 35" tires.  You're going with 32s, and aired down with that 12.5 width - you can still finese your tail through there.

If by chance you're going this weekend, you're in luck.  I'll be there, with some buddies and other trucks.  You can ride with us, and we'll help you out if you need it.

I'm showing up Saturday at Loon Lake.  We're riding the trail as far as we get and camp out Sat. night.  Sunday we head back and then I got the Loon Lake Chalet)the only cabin out there - rented out for the next two nights.

Crawdads and fish on the menu, too.  

PM me if you can make it this weekend.

[UKMyers]

Enjoy your walk home. Don't get upset when people get pissed off at you when your unprepared POS is blocking the trail. Please please please tell me your going in with at least one other rig and not alone?  Are you planning on running the whole trail? I just can't picture an open open rig getting up Cadillac or Big Sluice without any strapping or winching. The last time I was up there I went in with my rig which I spent 15K on to build it right and it still broke and took the combined efforts of 3 other very experienced wheelers and their parts to get me home. I'm not trying discourage you but your not really being realistic with your plan. The Con is no joke dude!

[red]

it depends on how you drive it. if you know the limits of your vehicle then you will be amazed at what it can do. just because somebody has spent alot of money on their rig does not mean they can wheel it. i got an 89 2wd suburban where some guys couldnt get their built jeep wranglers to, all i did was hit my bumpers alot (no damage). no mods to the drivetrain, only mod was a heavy duty rear bumper. open diff.

just know the limits of your vehicle, listen to what your spotters tell you, and come prepared. if your getting a loud knock from your engine dont take it out there. fix the problem before you go because an engine breakdown that severe would really suck for everybody around you because they would then have to drag your vehicle back to the road, then tow it home. bring tools and spare mechanical parts (bring an electrical kit as well with some wire).

[Doof]

is this guy even still here reading any of this??


edit: the firt post was modified from what i think everbody read before hand. now it is completly different from the original, so if your reading this now and confused on what were talking about to what he says, it was changed 100%

[lilbuddy]

  thats kinda the person I had in mind


Good thing lilbuddy has homies that were there for him, and got it done, and got him home, huh?

COLD BLOW!!!

I didnt take it there with a rod knock. It started knocking on the way

[BLACKDOG]

is this guy even still here reading any of this??


edit: the firt post was modified from what i think everbody read before hand. now it is completly different from the original, so if your reading this now and confused on what were talking about to what he says, it was changed 100%

Actually, I'm responding to his first post.  the way it is now thanks for the heads up though.

COLD BLOW!!!

I didnt take it there with a rod knock. It started knocking on the way

Ah gotcha.  I just remember that poor truck sputtering and coughing into our camp

[Shamb]

I didnt take it there with a rod knock. It started knocking on the way

    .. I won't go there..



anyways..

As Red has said, it really does not matter how much money you spend on a rig. Really its all on drivers intuition to take the correct line and sticking with your limits...

If i've got a truck on 31" tires i'm not going to try and punch it up Soup Bowl.. Why?  because i'm not gonna make it for 1.. and for 2 i'm probably going to break alot of sh*t in the process..

Use your head.. there are bypasses to alot of the hard stuff, you can make it as long as you've got someone with you that's a bit more built and has a strap/winch for the off camber sections.. expect to have a LONNNG day of wheeling... That's for sure...   It's all about the FINESS!

Something I don't have, that's why i'm rolling in my trugged out POS on 42's smokin' it over 1ft rocks getting high centered and straped over every obsticle!     

[roadcrawler [OP]]

i never made it, we decided to leave a day later, the day before i drove 5 hours to tahoe from santa cruz, i rolled it on hwy 17 a mountain hwy... my rear end seized an i skidded 30 feet into the very last part of the median  head on an then got rolled 3 times down hill into oncoming traffic an 2 am completely sober.... it landed on its tires an my top was off an i was giving a freind a ride to the train station an all his stuff an mine got thrown on the freeway an run over 3 times before we could get it.

wanna buy it???
i want to fix it but i also want money, cause i have none

seized rear
driveshaft looks ok
32 BFG mud terrains to plugs, they are cherry
new black rims
downey rear leafs
body is totalled
inside nice
engine starts an runs but dies, dont know why

[lilbuddy]

i never made it, we decided to leave a day later, the day before i drove 5 hours to tahoe from santa cruz, i rolled it on hwy 17 a mountain hwy... my rear end seized an i skidded 30 feet into the very last part of the median  head on an then got rolled 3 times down hill into oncoming traffic an 2 am completely sober.... it landed on its tires an my top was off an i was giving a freind a ride to the train station an all his stuff an mine got thrown on the freeway an run over 3 times before we could get it.

wanna buy it???
i want to fix it but i also want money, cause i have none

seized rear
driveshaft looks ok
32 BFG mud terrains to plugs, they are cherry
new black rims
downey rear leafs
body is totalled
inside nice
engine starts an runs but dies, dont know why

Glad that you are okay though

[red]

glad ur ok man. how did the rear end seize up? i've never encountered that before.