New to rock crawling please help guys

[17yrOLDyotakid]

I have a 1980 single cab long bed that i bought from a guy who original plans were to make it a rock crawler. it has 33x12.50 2 or 3 inch suspension lift (i cant remember exactly what he said) stock tranny and stock 22r engine with a solid axle. i was raised in mud so when i bought it i took it mud diging everywhere around here even being shot at twice for tresspassing just for a little mud with my buddies lol it was all fun but i sunk it at a competition and spent so much money on fixing it iv decided to go for rock crawling instead bc at 16 almost 17 yrs old managing school a part time job on a farm football and trying to go to college makes it almost impossible to get the real money i need to mud dig. im just wondering what are some good mods for my truck to be a daily driver and still a pretty sweet rock crawler. i wanted to upgrade my camshaft but im not sure which one i should get i have it narrowed down to one from NWOR, the pro torquer cam from LCE and the 261C Crawler. i also want things like diff covers and axle gussets to make my axles stronger and look better can anyone tell me if i can still weld the axle gusset onto my front axle without cross over steering??? and im ordering the new rock sliders from marlin crawler. i also want a weber 38 caubrator performance package from LCE if anyone can tell me if that will be a good upgrade. im already gonna get the basics done like 5.29 gears, grizzly locker, and 35x12.50 tires are on the way with a 3 inch body lift. if im missing anything guys please just let me know and help me here tell me if im investing my money wisely thanks!!!

[yotaneck13]

to

Glad to see another kid goin with a yota.  have you actually wheeled it in rocks yet? id wheel it how it is before any mods that way you get to know the truck and can help it in the direction you want from what you can do and cant do on the trail.

one of the first id do it hysteer (crossover) steering with hydro assist.  with the factory push pull set up you loose steering when flexed and it will break your wrist / thumbs if you hold the wheel wrong. The tires have a tendancy to just turn on their own when dropping off a rock or ledge. ( ask me how i know)

after that id go with gears and lockers.

i wouldnt do the body lift unless absolutuly nessassiry for clearance purposes. they tend to give nasty body roll on the road and trail. go with a 1 or 2in if possible

and rember keep you center of gravity low this is offcamber driving not flat mud where the biggest truck wins here its the smartest driver.

Post up pick of the rig so we can check it out and see your progress

[17yrOLDyotakid]

thanks man all my friends here have the big block chevy's and ford's and laughed at my yota the first time we went off road together until the yota showed em all up!! and my dad is a local hero when it comes to toyotas and off road so im trying to be like him and he helps me out alot but he thinks its best if i do some research on my own. As far as wheeling on the rocks goes iv done it very little bit but it was because a man put some boulders on the boundaries of his land to keep us kids from getting to the mud but i crawled right over them real easy lol. one of my first mods i was gonna get was gonna be the cross over steering. gears and lockers are gonna be a biggie when i rebuild my front end and get the larger tires im thinking getting them from grizzly. thanks for the body lift input i didnt know that and yea i know its a big difference from mud lol. also could you tell me if i should lose the leaf springs eventually for better articulation or what? sorry if some of the things im saying sound dumb like i said im learning about this.

[yotaneck13]

bigger tires your gonna need to up grade you front axel shafts as well id go with Longfields for sure. i wheel the leafs for now mabye build a ruf ( rears up front) pack and 63 inch chevy rears out back usually a good combo i used t100 rears for the rear of mine check out my build thread in my sig its on hold for now but with in the month will be back to being updated regularly and im dumpin some cash on it .

[17yrOLDyotakid]

iv been reading about that rear up front stuff and i just didnt know if leaf springs would we be great for rock crawling so thanks for helping me on that to lol. i wanted to order some dirty 30's for about $550 plus shipping and stuff but would it be cheaper to wait till i break my 27 splines first and replace it with the dirty 30's maybe? all my mods are gonna be over the course of a year maybe two but im just trying to get and idea of the do's and dont's ya know. also is it possible for me to weld a gusset onto my front axle between the diff and the knuckle on the long side to make the housing stronger without cross-over steering because if i can im ordering them this week.

[Dirt Mover]

Buy quality stuff as you go, it's cheaper in the long run. Hysteer for reliability and dual cases to wheel slower would be high on my list.

[yotaneck13]

id spend the extra 100 and get long fields ask just about anyone theyll tell you. Around here that company who makes the axels you are wanting is it to high standings i for one will never run any of their parts. where as bobby long is a outstanding guy. hell warrenty anything. ive heard bad things bout tg warrynting stuff.

yes you can get a upper axel truss with out cross over. id go with the knuckel gussets as well ( with these be prepared to grind the gussets to fit none of them ever fit perfect that ive seen.) and when your welding the axel truss dont weld the hole legnth at once youll end up with a warped bent housing thats junk.  just do like 1 inch welds at a time so you dont warp it

[17yrOLDyotakid]

thanks man ill look into that to. where do u wheel at

[17yrOLDyotakid]

u wouldnt have any suggestions on which camshaft i should choose do you

[daniresch]

u wouldnt have any suggestions on which camshaft i should choose do you

stock the 22r is never going to be a rocket, i'd save you money for an EFI conversion and gearing.

[yotaneck13]

i thought 1980's had the 20r? but yea i wouldnt waste money on a cam just yet with gearing and a 2nd tcase youll have plenty of power off road

[17yrOLDyotakid]

mine has the 22r they may have made some with the 20r idk. and yea i have a 22re in my 1986 4runner that im rebuilding with my Dad right now i might convince him to let me put it in my pickup because i understand they have a little bit more power.

[yotaneck13]

more power and they run berrer in rocke IE theyll run upside down

[17yrOLDyotakid]

ordered 5.29 gears and detroit lockers today with my own money lol there goes 3 months of part time job money:/ but still need to order kit to rebuild the front end and getting the new marlin crawler rock sliders, diff cover and upper axle gusset for my birthday in a few weeks thanks to my awesome parents lol. got the body lift and tires in today but returning the body lift soon. looking at a "ruf" kit and a new suspension lift maybe?? im ordering the camshaft as soon as i decide which one i want because its what my papa wants to buy me. i have a snorkal kit for my truck but idk if ill need it anymore if i really can keep myselft out of the mud.  tried talking my dad into letting me put the 22re in my 4runner into my pick up but he doesnt want to since the 4runner is technically his. Girls are gonna love the even bigger tires to;) lol

[benzo87yotr]

if i can offer some advice...i think the weber 38 might be a little rich for the yoter ...i have a weber 32/36 progressive....i love it....i had the mikuni dual side drafts on it ...and when i put the weber on it made a huge diff...and if ur gona go rock crawler ...i think on of the best investment u can make is running dual t cases....u will not be disapointed with a dual case setup!  if u want to check out that weber ....i got mine from webercarbsdirect.com...i think it runs about 250$ with all the gaskets and adapter plates u need

[benzo87yotr]

im with u on the bobby long stuff !!!!

[yotaneck13]

or you could look into propane injection. 

:yepyep: girls love big tires

[daniresch]

or you could look into propane injection. 

seems like a hassle on a dd

[17yrOLDyotakid]

@benzo87yotr iv been looking at the double t cases bc thats all iv been hearing about but im not sure what im looking at so i dont know what would be best for my truck and the way i want to use it and i really appreciate that man lol the carb i was looking at was around $750 so if you really think thats the best way to go for this project/dd for $500 less then ill def look into it. i mite have to quit my job soon so i wont be getting so much money because we made it all the way to state this past season and lost which still hurts playing with a cracked rib and still losing:/ oh well but anyways my coach is making us spend even more time practicing:// does he not know i need to get off road every now and then lol.

@yotaneck13 na man i dont wanna do the propane injection bc i do use this truck for other things like hauling stuff around the farm i work and its my favorite truck to drive around. i got a mazda b3000, 92 yota pick up on 35's and a jeep wrangler thanks to my papa but my 80' pick up is my favorite to drive..also i took some pics of it just to show u guys what im working with but i cant get the photobucket thing to work. any other suggestions on how to put them up? and it looks like im gonna have to gut off my traction bar to make room for my axle gusset should i ditch the gusset or bar?? got any tips for "RUF" with 63" chevy springs? and yea dude i found out girls are crazy over big trucks when i got my license so the long bed comes in handy from time to time lmao (id put the green face with the thumbs up here but idk how to do it)

I got to say the reaction yall have given me is pretty dang great i really appreciate the advice and tips and clearing up stuff for me bc gettin off the pavement and onto dirt is a big time love of mine since my dad took me in his old yota years and years ago. i was hopin yall wouldnt think i was a dumb kid trying to be good at a man's sport cuz thats what i always heard at mud bogs around here till me and the beast shut em down(once again green face with thumbs up lol)

[17yrOLDyotakid]

@danaresch thats a pretty sweet looking yota in your picture. i like the no doors on it. if i ever get another truck i like more than my 80 pickup ima take the doors off it and get some tube doors because my driver side needs a new window regulator or something bc my window wont even stay rolled up like the gears aint catching on the inside or something but i cant find the parts for it i need to fix that sucker.

[yotaneck13]

@yotaneck13 na man i dont wanna do the propane injection bc i do use this truck for other things like hauling stuff around the farm i work and its my favorite truck to drive around. i got a mazda b3000, 92 yota pick up on 35's and a jeep wrangler thanks to my papa but my 80' pick up is my favorite to drive..also i took some pics of it just to show u guys what im working with but i cant get the photobucket thing to work. any other suggestions on how to put them up?
you need to copy and paste the image code from photo bucket into your post here. if you cant get it pm me the link to your profile and ill link em for ya
and it looks like im gonna have to gut off my traction bar to make room for my axle gusset should i ditch the gusset or bar??
    ditch the traction bars dont need em theyll just hang up on rocks anyways they more a bogger thing.
got any tips for "RUF" with 63" chevy springs?
as for ruf and 63" chevys i see most people takn 2 3rd gen 4wd rear (51inch) packs and mixn them together to make one. its all trial and error here to get the ride height you want.  Ditch the bottom over load and go with a 5 or 6 leaf pack staggered down in the legnth of springs. but set up your 63" chevys in the rear first then build your front pack to match
and yea dude i found out girls are crazy over big trucks when i got my license so the long bed comes in handy from time to time lmao (id put the green face with the thumbs up here but idk how to do it)

() <--- do this with out the ()

[yotaneck13]

: biggthumpup :

[79coyotefrg]

ok, first off.  don't EVER let me hear about you trespassing on someones land

dont get a body lift over 2 inches.

you have a 20R and a 4 speed.  depending on whether its the 4 speed that shifts on the side and has an aluminum bell housing or if its the 4 speed thats all cast iron.  you could have either 4.37 gears or 3.90 gears in the axles.

dont cut off that bracket on your front axle. replace the bar with a shock from a small truck ( i used one from a ford ranger)  the shock will allow MUCH more flex of the axle until you can go to histeer which if you arent HARDCORE rock crawling you can do just fine with the stock steering.

dont let anyone tell you you cant get much more power out of your engine because they are WRONG.  but, you have to have the right combination of parts.

get a 32/36 weber kit from LC Engineering http://www.lceperformance.com/Weber-32-36-Carb-Kit-w-K-N-Filter-11-x2-20R-22R-p/1030018.htm

then a cam http://www.lceperformance.com/Camshaft-20R-22R-RE-RET-Street-Performer-Cam-p/1022054.htm

and you will need a header and an exhaust thats at least 2 inches inside diameter

[yotaneck13]

i thought he would have had the 20r

[79coyotefrg]

i thought he would have had the 20r

he does have 20R
and mods I quoted he should  get 120hp at least

[hansi530]

 

[17yrOLDyotakid]

well sorry lol i dont tresspass no more since im out of the mud stuff haha but thanks ill check out all them parts and yea i do have the 20r sorry i guess i was just hard headed when yall told me that. and man i got a few pics for u guys but idk how to upload them???/

[yotaneck13]

send em to my phone ill up load em for you  814 516 5176

[17yrOLDyotakid]

Dang u aint worried about ppl blowing ur phone up on here

[yotaneck13]

its in my sig  neways and is a phone i use for business its cool