Topic: Beefing up a 86 toy

[Prospectors77]

Lookin for any input on beefing up my 86 toy with ifs for the trails. It is my daily driver so I'm looking to keep in on the street but when I want to be able to get through some above average trails. I'm not climbing 4 foot boulders, just looking to get out of a sticky situation if I come across one. Thanks for any help, I'm not totally new to wheelin but I'm no master crawler either. One day I hope to turn it into one so where to start?? I'm wanting to put 4.70 gears in the t-case but what else. 22r currently running stock gears with 30x9.5 tires with no lift in az.

[tgmaul88]

get a locker for the rear,  and some armor for the sides   sliders and good tow points maybe even a winch mount bumper

[daniresch]

get a locker for the rear,  and some armor for the sides   sliders and good tow points maybe even a winch mount bumper

x2
Marlins HD clutch would also be a great upgrade.
The 4.7 in the case is not as important as the things listed above imo for were you truck is at now.

[Prospectors77 [OP]]

For a locker, whats a good option? I was lookin into Detroits but then a buddy of mine got an arb and its pretty sweet but I've got mixed views on them. My fear is the arizona sun eats and destroys everything so dry rot is unavoidable i believe. Can you put an e-locker in or is it more hassle then whats it worth? What would be the best way to go?

[Snowtoy]

Solid front/rear bumpers and rock sliders.

Oem gear swap to 4.56's, it will allow you to move up to 31's and have stock gear/tire ratio performance, and run 33's in the future with about the same performance you have now.  Whatever money you spend on the diffs you can recoup by selling them when/if you move up to bigger tires in the future.

Dual cases or 4.7 gears.

Rear locker.

Having wheeled for years w/open diffs, then locker(ARB), then dual cases, I have found the dual cases to be by far the better upgrade.  You can always find a way to over come a traction issue, however you are limited to how slow you can go before stalling.

There shouldn't be an issue with the ARB and dry rot, the airline is made out of plastic, you could also run it inside another tube to protect it if you wanted to.  Most of the issues attributed to the ARB are caused by human error when running the air lines, or with the compressor, not the ARB locker itself.

[Prospectors77 [OP]]

Thanks for the tips. My dad never had lockers in his toy so ive learned offroad that you can overcome alot, its all about finding the right line. I really like The idea of bumping up to 4.56 and ive been lookin into it alot. Bumpers are in the works, after I work out my design flaws ha. The big dream is to be running 32's, dual tcases, and some sort of a locker ( undecided on brand). I imagine that would enough to get me out of 95% of anything i might run into in az. As my dad always said, "the best part of 4 wheelin is wondering how the hell your get back to where you started." Anyone else got any upgrades or advice for this 86 toy?

[OOPS]

I have been running the same blue lines for the ARB's rear since since 97, front since 99!!!! Route them right and any spots where you think the might rub/wear slip some tubing over them. I do not really like e-lockers, weak side gear for my type of wheeling.

I wheeled IFS for two years with 4" lift 33" tires, Marlin 4.7 case, ARB rear, Tru-Trak Front, 4:88 gears Centerforce 1 clutch (still going strong). Went any place I wanted it togo, trails like Dusy, Rubicon and 4-dice all the way through!!!

[Prospectors77 [OP]]

Wow thanks for the good review on your ARB and congrats on the longevity of your system! Its nice to hear my fears of rot and failure is me just over thinking things.