Direction changing events in your off roading hobby

Saw a topic like this on an open track / road race forum once.

Not like, you went from 33's to 35" inch tires but events that started the domino effect of where you are now.

For example, I had a 1996 Acura Integra GSR with a supercharger. made 246whp. Coil overs, adjustable dampers....random suspension pieces that were wastes of money. 17's....basically F'n'F'd up for the time. Went to Nashville and got RAAAAPED by a "stock class" 4dr Acura Integra driven by a 40 year old man. I mean like, beaten by 4 seconds on a 40 second course.

Began realizing you can't buy talent. Took classes / schools / practice practice practice. Won the 2000? Tennessee Region Street Modified class. Basically became the Ricky Bobby of the Class.

For offroading, it was when my 33" tire / 3" body lift / 2" suspension lift / locked rear 2001 Ford Explorer could not make it up the bottom section of Trail 3 at Windrock. I was riding with 30-35" street rigs/jeeps/Toyotas at the time. The 35" tire rig walked right up the section I would get stuck on. Once I was pulled up, I watched the 30" tire NO LOCKER jeep Cherokee gracefully ballet up the section like it was a gravel road. Then another guy....then another guy....AND ANOTHER GUY.

Explorer went up for sale next week / bought cookie cutter XJ / locked / 35's

The Explorer was originally bought to be a "get to work in in climate weather" vehicle only. I'd never owned a 4x4 vehicle before. I never had ANY intentions of anything off-road. In fact, I thought they were stupid and slow and boring. I used to make fun of them when I had my dirt bike.

It kind of makes me wonder WTF I would have been doing the past 5ish? years had I not been "that guy" in the group that day. I probably would've continued on with my white Mustang / auto crossing and even possibly getting in to wheel to wheel. Hell, might've even been a drag racer.

I think this is why I'm considered "speedy" when I'm on the trails. I'm used to start/finish times, day schedules / rules / rankings, etc. However I have grown to LOOOVE the no pressure / low speed and ability to somewhat relax.

Can't say I'd change anything other than NOT doing a 2nd XJ. Should've just gone from first XJ to 1 ton rig. Pretty par for the course though, as hindsight is always 20/20.

Anybody else got any good Monday ramblings of cool **** like this?

I guess I got semi lucky. I had just graduated highschool and for the first time in years wasn't devoting every second to football or deer hunting and my fairly serious gf had just broke up with me so I literally had nothing fun to do. Dad's work friend was going to Tellico and didn't have a rider asked if I wanted to go and I went. Fell in love with everything about it met some cool people. that was in October, then he went on another trip in March and asked if I wanted to go again so I went. We had a flat trailer tire, got lost, didn't get off the trail until 3 am, his Yukon wouldn't start, had another flat on the way home, and 3 weeks later the jeep was in the driveway. When I decided I was tired of being the "little guy" was when I was at Morris Mtn and couldn't climb some random rock that everyone else did. I beat the **** out of the jeep trying to get up it. Broke a u joint and de balljointed the dana 30. after that was when I started getting everything together for my killer axles. Still running small tires but that's because I don't have tony's money.

jeeptj99 said:

Still running small tires but that's because I don't have tony's money.

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If you had my money, you'd still be whoring yourself out to passer-by's for gas money.

I had been racing motocross for 6 years. Got my girlfriend pregnant and was working crazy hours just to fund my amateur motocross career as well as pay a mortgage. Needless to say I devoted zero time to a relationship. So we split, it was ugly. I sold everything I owned to cover attorneys fees and costs.

Got custody of my daughter. Devoted my life to that little girl. Being an active guy I had to have something to do while she was in bed. Friend invited me to Clayton one weekend. I was hooked. Bought a 94' ZJ with a missing transfer case for $400. Chopped it up. Arc welded angle iron together to hang axles under it.

Truly a hacked rig. Kept my mind busy while my little one was asleep or away for the evening. Broke EVERY single time on the trail. Always related to my poor welding skills. After a couple years I decided somehow I need to get ahold of a bare chassis or build one.

Found a bare chassis online that had never been built. Used everything from the ZJ to build this one. Modified a bunch of the tube work myself. I was constantly broke so I traded work for almost everything to build our buggy, INITIALLY. Lol

Now my oldest has grown to love driving and camping. It has kept my hands and mind busy during all of the stress of life. Has kept me from wadding up on a 114ft triple somewhere and keeping me from providing for my family.

Has been a fun hobby. A lot of memories made. Time is flying by though. I wish it would slow down.

I picked up a bronco II on 31" buckshots for a grand back in high school that I used to bomb around in mud holes. I have always enjoyed racing anything that I can. So, that's why I tend to be a little more heavy footed and hate standing around for an hour talking.

I dunno if there was any specific moment though. I went to a rock race at Mayhem back in the day that really introduced me to bouncers first hand. I've been trying to convince myself that I drive a rock bouncer ever since.

LightBnDr said:

Has kept me from wadding up on a 114ft triple somewhere and keeping me from providing for my family.

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I landed short on an uphill triple at the Watt Rd moto-x practice track and broke the swingarm / shock mount off mine.....I stuck to enduro's / hare scrambles after that! It's a eye opener when **** like that happens. Coulda been a lot worse I know....

Had a spring over really nice Jeep and a 1 ton truck. One day the fuel pump went out in the Jeep soI figured it was time for a complete drivetrain and axle swap into the Jeep.
I grew up in Missouri. When you live in Missouri and have a 1 ton Jeep with a 383 and 38's you are a "big dog".

Married a girl in Alabama and moved south. Was really excited to take my Jeep out. Went to Morris mountain and then to watch "pick your poison" bounty hill (preSRRS)
I took me 2 rides to figure out my dream Jeep I've been building since high school was nothing more than a golf cart for me to ride around watch others having fun.
Went home and cut it up and bought a junk tube chassis and signed up to a gay forum where they make fun of you instead of giving you tech and started fabbering.
So a fuel pump and watching a single rock bouncing event were my pivotal moments.

LOL...prolly best story yet!

Many years ago I was into running mud, had no choice...Delaware is flat and no rocks. Everyone was running 38" and 44" tires and 8+ lifts. All the local places started getting "No Trespassing" signs put up on them. So I went ahead and rebuilt the truck to be street legal with a descent body.
Then one day an internet friend said" Let's go to Paragon" So I'm up there running an 10" lift and 44" boggers......I tore the **** out of that truck that day (Carb kept flooding, so it was full throttle or nothing on anything that wasn't flat) Looking back the trails we were on I could run on 35" with open diffs now...But at the time I almost **** myself many times over......I loved every second of it.
But the true turning point came after I loaded what was left of my truck on the trailer, one of the guys who rode with us asked me if I wanted to drive his rear engine toyota buggy for a while....It was truly amazing...Point it and it it climbed over it....Almost rolled it a couple of times following what the owner of the rig was telling me to do.....I was hooked.
The next day I ordered a propane kit.

Eddyj said:

Went to Morris mountain to watch "pick your poison" bounty hill (preSRRS)

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Choccolocco Mountain?

ForMud said:

Many years ago I was into running mud, had no choice...Delaware is flat and no rocks. Everyone was running 38" and 44" tires and 8+ lifts. All the local places started getting "No Trespassing" signs put up on them. So I went ahead and rebuilt the truck to be street legal with a descent body.
Then one day an internet friend said" Let's go to Paragon" So I'm up there running an 10" lift and 44" boggers......I tore the **** out of that truck that day (Carb kept flooding, so it was full throttle or nothing on anything that wasn't flat) Looking back the trails we were on I could run on 35" with open diffs now...But at the time I almost **** myself many times over......I loved every second of it.
But the true turning point came after I loaded what was left of my truck on the trailer, one of the guys who rode with us asked me if I wanted to drive his rear engine toyota buggy for a while....It was truly amazing...Point it and it it climbed over it....Almost rolled it a couple of times following what the owner of the rig was telling me to do.....I was hooked.
The next day I ordered a propane kit.

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A buddy of mine has the jeep that Paragon owned to run to parts to the broke people on the trails. It's pretty crazy how he ended up with that jeep.

jeeptj99 said:

A buddy of mine has the jeep that Paragon owned to run to parts to the broke people on the trails. It's pretty crazy how he ended up with that jeep.

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The whole story of why the place closed down is crazy.....Been rumors of it opening back up.

muddinmetal said:

Choccolocco Mountain?

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Eddyj said:

I took me 2 rides to figure out...

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Two separate events... I fixed it.

I had v8 swapped an IFS toyota to play in the mud... Moved to cookeville and finally got to go play on some rocks, which is all I had ever wanted to do since I was like 10 years old.

Instantly destroyed the steering/IFS/etc

So I took it back to dad's shop and linked it, tube front clip, full exo, 39 Iroks...

Took it to Mayhem on New Years, really hadnt' driven it except around the yard... The town wagon had broke down so Roger King was riding with me. Every rock and climb the truck would lean over like crazy, flex and dig (it had 20"+ of suspension travel in the back and 15" in the front...).

I was white knuckle death grip on the steering wheel and grab handles while Roger sat over there calmly. Eventually he looked at me really puzzled and said "Are you OK?, we're a LONG ways from rolling over, and even if we do, that what you built a cage for, right?"


After that I started shredding ring and pinions and spent the next year mostly like this

I should have kept that rig and put the D60/70 combo in it instead of building a bunch of 4cyl Toyota axle rigs..

Man, that ol cut out type trail reminds me of School Bus at Tellico. I remember my dad tellin' me he loved that trail because If he fell over/dropped the bike....he didn't hafta pick it up from a bad angle. LOL.

tonybolton said:

Man, that ol cut out type trail reminds me of School Bus at Tellico. I remember my dad tellin' me he loved that trail because If he fell over/dropped the bike....he didn't hafta pick it up from a bad angle. LOL.

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That's the ledge above Slickrock at Tellico.

School Bus @ Tellico is/was my favorite trail

TBItoy said:

That's the ledge above Slickrock at Tellico.

School Bus @ Tellico is/was my favorite trail

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Sure do miss that rock. A lot of fun wet or ice/snow. I was blessed my grand parent owned land and cabinet right down the mountain. Sure miss all the good times trailing ridding old school and the hog,bear and deering those mountains

I think the reason I didn't like rigs/trucks/4x4's was because it seemed like everytime we wanted to hit lower/upper 2-School Bus-Helicopter pad there was ALWAYS some broke down junk cloggin' up the trails.

We'd get dirty looks when asking if we could go around / pass. Of course, my obnoxious smart ass self at 16-18 probably didn't help. Dad said to never piss off someone that can carry you and what you're ridin' outta the woods.

I started with s15 jimmy 2 dr that I wanted to hunt and back road ride around. Had 2 small kids and me being stay at home dad needed at least 4 seats. Decided I wanted a 4dr cause its easier to get kids in/out. Got to doing more trails, put body lift cut body for 33s on and went, what I thought, everywhere. Went riding with some friiends with xj and I was struggling to keep up. Did a straight axle swap and followed them pretty well til someone to a wrangler on 36s. I had seen a few hack job s10 cab on full-size frames and the few 1 ton swaps onto s10. Traded for a s10 cab on 1 ton running gear built 350 on propane 4sp on 44s. Was at that time my "dream" truck. {My transition} Then after about 6-8 months I realize I have not used it but 1-2 times and decided its best to have a dual purpose wrangler. That way I can use it to haul kids and play. That moved me to where I am and what I plan to keep as an offroad rig. Makes it easier to keep wife happy if I can haul kids and play with it instead of just sit in the yard til its time to play.

Cool idea for a thread... I started like a lot of you. I was playing around on a 450R quad after graduating college. I found after running a few local races (similar to GNCC Racing) my body couldn't handle it anymore. I am in sales and spend a fair amount of time sitting behind a steering wheel and dinner table. My brother and uncle were into the offroading with a custom Ford Ranger and a samurai. I bought my first XJ about 6 years ago on 33s. I never really had an issues with it but we went to WindRock for the first time and I realized I could do much harder trails with bigger tires. I bought another XJ with half ton axles and 36s. I quickly upgraded to RCVs after breaking about 4 Dana 44 shafts and u-joints. I threw some 38.5s on with the new axle upgrade.
That's about the time I found this forum. My brother and I got on the Golden Ticket ride for Gray Rock 3 years ago. I busted a rear driveshaft at the top of Bents and Dents and again down by the bunny hills the next day. That trip inspired my current build. See "71 CJ5 Build" in the Tech and Fab Section.