Direction changing events in your off roading hobby

clemsonjeep · Jan 8, 2018

I started riding shotgun in my buddy's 95 YJ Rio Grande that was on 33" Mud Terrains with ARB's, extended fender flares, ARB front bumper, etc. Then I got a 93 YJ as my first vehicle and began bolting parts on to it. After breaking the Dana 35 the second time I put an 8.8 in the rear and it was good for a couple more years. Then I upgraded to Wagoneer Dana 44's with ARB's and 37" SSR's. I really just enjoyed wheeling and didn't beat it up much...of course it was a 2.5L so it wasn't exactly a hot rod. Then when I moved back to SC from GA I got in with a group of guys that wheeled a little harder trails and started noticing body damage piling up.

That's when things changed...being my first vehicle I felt guilty about beating it up and decided to look for a Samurai...which I'd always enjoyed seeing on the trails...and found the one I have now for $400. All it needed was a t-case shifter sheet to get it back right and of course a tune up. I drove it in stock form for 2 years off and on as a commuter. I even drove it from Sumter, SC to the other side of Charlotte, NC with my 4x6 trailer to pick up a set of Wagoneer Dana 44's that I was going to swap under it. I started cutting it up and planning for the swap and realized I would be putting in a lot of work on the Dana 44's and they'd be heavier, with less aftermarket support (the rear was the offset version) so I found a good deal on a set of Toyota axles. I've been wheeling the same Samurai for the last 10 years with slight changes every couple years to keep things interesting.

easleycrawler · Jan 8, 2018

clemsonjeep said:
I started riding shotgun in my buddy's 95 YJ Rio Grande that was on 33" Mud Terrains with ARB's, extended fender flares, ARB front bumper, etc. Then I got a 93 YJ as my first vehicle and began bolting parts on to it. After breaking the Dana 35 the second time I put an 8.8 in the rear and it was good for a couple more years. Then I upgraded to Wagoneer Dana 44's with ARB's and 37" SSR's. I really just enjoyed wheeling and didn't beat it up much...of course it was a 2.5L so it wasn't exactly a hot rod. Then when I moved back to SC from GA I got in with a group of guys that wheeled a little harder trails and started noticing body damage piling up.

That's when things changed...being my first vehicle I felt guilty about beating it up and decided to look for a Samurai...which I'd always enjoyed seeing on the trails...and found the one I have now for $400. All it needed was a t-case shifter sheet to get it back right and of course a tune up. I drove it in stock form for 2 years off and on as a commuter. I even drove it from Sumter, SC to the other side of Charlotte, NC with my 4x6 trailer to pick up a set of Wagoneer Dana 44's that I was going to swap under it. I started cutting it up and planning for the swap and realized I would be putting in a lot of work on the Dana 44's and they'd be heavier, with less aftermarket support (the rear was the offset version) so I found a good deal on a set of Toyota axles. I've been wheeling the same Samurai for the last 10 years with slight changes every couple years to keep things interesting.

Thanks to you, I got hooked when you took me to Harlan the first time. The rest is history.

TacomaJD · Jan 8, 2018

Re:

Anybody wanna talk about the direction change of when you eventually quit wheeling and feel like you got a big raise? Lol.

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onepieceatatime · Jan 8, 2018

Re: Re:

TacomaJD said:
Anybody wanna talk about the direction change of when you eventually quit wheeling and feel like you got a big raise? Lol.

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I should be able to speak on that after this weekend. Wife and I have been discussing how much we can afford to build our new house for and what we used to spend when we both had mortgages and car payments and I mentioned that I won't be rock crawling anymore so that will save a lot of money too.

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tonybolton · Jan 8, 2018

Re: Re:

TacomaJD said:
Anybody wanna talk about the direction change of when you eventually quit wheeling and feel like you got a big raise? Lol.

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We always find something to waste money on.

There's alota things I'd like to do but can't justify the money/time/devotion. Windrocking....motorcycling.... interstate racing is keeping me content.

Eddyj · Jan 8, 2018

Re:

TacomaJD said:
Anybody wanna talk about the direction change of when you eventually quit wheeling and feel like you got a big raise? Lol.

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Buy an engagement ring?

poolman · Jan 8, 2018

^^^^^hahahahaha

Stretch · Jan 8, 2018

Re: Re:

tonybolton said:
We always find something to waste money on.

There's alota things I'd like to do but can't justify the money/time/devotion. Windrocking....motorcycling.... interstate racing is keeping me content.

This. Sold out of the wheelin' thing for a while because I was talked into doing a hare scramble, was hooked and started riding the dirtbike more and the rig just sat.
Last year looked like this:
VXCS - 8
GNCC - 3
NCHSA - 1
Mideast - 1
VCHSS - 1
And then all the other weekends of just practicing and riding for fun. I don't regret it though. Everything is within a 5 hour ride and I never wheeled 15x a year even when I lived 30 minutes from Callalantee. Plus, I can blow my **** all to pieces and put the motor back together for a grand in the garage and be riding the next weekend.

Had a 99 4Runner and went to Crozet. Full BudBuilt everything and an open front and I wailed on that thing, about took out the entire rear quarter and realized didnt want to beat on the DD like that so that morphed into a few built toyotas, tow rigs etc over the years. Then started riding dirtbikes and was having more fun for my money so doing that now. Inherited a CJ7 project which reignited the wheelin thing so slowly tinkering with that but no priority. Gotta pay for a wedding and house first. Low slung leaf sprung rig on tons and 40's with a plate is the goal. Just a budget trail cruiser that I can beat on but drive to work on occasion.

tonybolton · Jan 8, 2018

Re: Re:

Eddyj said:
Buy an engagement ring?

Lol!!!

onepieceatatime · Jan 8, 2018

I decided I wanted to sell mine shortly after getting married and the wife was like "WTF now everyone is gonna blame me for this ****!". If any of my decision is her fault it's the fact that she went along with the idea to buy her uncle's old CJ7 he started restoring. We bought it and I was working on it in the garage and realized I could buy bolt on stuff for it and drive it to work whenever I wanted and realized that I had just as much fun with it as I did the big jeep that's been sitting in the barn and going nowhere.

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mckeddie · Jan 8, 2018

All my buddies built buggies, and I was the full bodied jeep trying to follow. I made it up most of the time, but the jeep looked like a full bodied jeep trying to follow the buggies. I sold the jeep and bought my first buggy from johnathon. Loved that little thing, best working zuk ever. Had it out about 10 times in the 4.5 years I pwned it. My buddy's on the other hand hauled it all over the country. Traded it to zayne's brother zeb for the rear engine buggy I had on a whim bc another buddy wants to build a rear engine, and we were curious to see how it worked. It was a sweet awesome working rig.

My oldest (only boy) left for the Air Force this summer, leaving me my wife and 2 daughters. My 11 year old loves the woods and wheeling, but the wife and daughter hate it. Figure an 11 year nationally competitive gymnast, out in the woods with a bunch of guys drinking and what ever other extra curriculars, probably wasn't the best idea, so sold the buggy to get a boat and spend more time with the girls.

The price difference is stupid so far. I haven't had to replace an axle or a cut tire yet.

I'll get another rig in a few years when Lo quits competing and I have more spare time, but only getting to wheel once a month in a good year, maybe 5 times and a minimum of a 4 hour haul away, just isn't worth it right now. Oh, and I don't have to store a 26' enclosed and maintain a crew cab diesel dually anymore. I can actually dd my escalade and tow the boat w it, which is a huge plus too.

nhl_bullitt · Jan 8, 2018

As a 16 year old, I became fond of cherokees. That immediately led to putting on lifts, 33-35" tires and lincoln locking the rear (always swapping in a 29 spline 8.25). My friends and I all did that, had plenty of fun for a few years with similar set ups.

Money was spent elsewhere as well. I loved LS cars, mustangs, v8 s10s, eventually bought a small house.

My wheelin career had become extremely stagnant with no progression.

Then came the domino effect you speak of:

Showtime. A video of it while it was current, went viral. I didn't really even know what the hell I was watching, but it had lots of horsepower, big tires, and a nasty stance to it. I HAD TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE. None of that **** was going on here in southern Illinois.

I quickly researched and found this crazy world of buggies that had already existed for many years. I realized how badly I needed to step up my game which would lead to more fun in the woods. It motivated me to figure out how to sling big axles under jeeps, reinforce unibodies, bend tube, mount large shocks, stretch the wheel base.

After a couple linked jeep builds, it became very obvious why a buggy from scratch is a MUCH BETTER platform to start with and knew I'd head that route ASAP.

mtnride · Jan 12, 2018

It all started heavy for me when I got in with the wrong crowd. Ring leader being 1toncrawler.

Went from a 96tacoma with a topped out ifs suspension and ended with 14 bolts and an LS buggy aptly named... Peer Pressure.

tonybolton · Jan 12, 2018

LOL....kinda reminds me of my maxed out XJ phase / switch to 1 ton-somethin'er other. My cool exo'd XJ on D44/8.8/36's/trailered.....only to show up at Windrock and see friend in 1 ton XJ on BFG Red's. Uuuuughhhh.....

jeeptj99 · Jan 12, 2018

Re:

TacomaJD said:
Anybody wanna talk about the direction change of when you eventually quit wheeling and feel like you got a big raise? Lol.

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I've thought about getting out several times. Even had to jeep posted a couple times. But then I thought about what i'd spend my time doing. Fast cars didn't appeal all that much to me, tickets are to expensive, I thought about getting a rzr and racing, parts to expensive and then time off from work to go to races and all that couldn't justify it. I enjoy hunting, but hate getting up early to go so that was out, figured i'd just stick with what I got for now until something else happens. The way the jeep is I could put a back seat in it with some changes to the cage if I ever got a family. Just wish i'd done tons from the get go. That's really my biggest regret, stupid 44/8.8

tonybolton · Jan 12, 2018

#whitepeopleproblems

TacomaJD · Jan 12, 2018

Re: Re:

jeeptj99 said:
I've thought about getting out several times. Even had to jeep posted a couple times. But then I thought about what i'd spend my time doing. Fast cars didn't appeal all that much to me, tickets are to expensive, I thought about getting a rzr and racing, parts to expensive and then time off from work to go to races and all that couldn't justify it. I enjoy hunting, but hate getting up early to go so that was out, figured i'd just stick with what I got for now until something else happens. The way the jeep is I could put a back seat in it with some changes to the cage if I ever got a family. Just wish i'd done tons from the get go. That's really my biggest regret, stupid 44/8.8

My first love has always been motorcycles, so I have that to get my fix. That made it easier. If I knew then what I know now, I would have skipped the sxs phase. What I paid for that Ranger and how much I spent building it up, I lost $4,100 when I finally sold it. Expensive lesson. The lesson was not to get back into wheeling until I can afford a solid built buggy so I'm not left with the desire to change/upgrade anything. I like wheeling, not working on **** or paying people to work on my ****. Lol

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AllGoNoShow · Jan 12, 2018

My dad let me borrow his ranch pickup to go spot lighting coons with a buddy one night, 14 years old I think. We got it stuck and had to walk home. Had to wake my Dad up and get the tractor to pull it out. I got my ass chewed and he was pissed. Decided right then and there that I was going to work and buy my own pickup and put big tires on it so this didn't happen again......

jeeppoor · Jan 12, 2018

I grew up in farm country. We raced everything. Mini bikes, motorcycles, snowmobiles, tractors. Hell I got caught drag racing my car at 14. Parents didn't even know I own the car. Painted the license in plant. Back then you got a new one every year. Race motocross for years. Came just short of getting enough points to get my pro license when I got into a wreck and blew my knew out. That was the end of my motocross racing. So I got in to the drag racing screen and had Harley. Did that for a few years and got into a lot of trouble with the cops in 3 towns. LOL The circuit judge got tired of seeing all the time put it to me like this. You have a choice of joining the service or going to jail. So I join the navy and raise all kinds of hell half way around the world and back. Got stupid and married a Calif girl. Hated Calif so we moved back to Mich. That lasted about 3 years. Got Divorce. Meet my current wife at work. When we (me) final settle down and got married. I told her I needed a toy. Something to build. I told her I have had cars ( which she knew and I got in trouble with), a Harley. But I never had a 4x4. What did she think.
She said I should get a 4x4. (late she told me she wanted some steel around me as opposed to being open on a bike). We picked up a Blazer. Built it up to big block, tons and 44s. Ran mud for about 20 years. That's all there was in Michigan at the time and that is what everyone was doing. Grew tired of the mud. Bought a jeep. Some ORV parks open up. Started playing on the rocks and I was hooked. Been running the rocks now for about 10 years. The problem now is the wife likes to drive or rig as much as I do. And she is not afraid of anything we have came across yet. Now we getting close to 60 and I don't see us slowing down any. Only going to more places, wheeling and meeting people.
We have meet some great people along this ride we are on. Hope to meet many more.