Down sizing, what do you got.

[kid rok]

Ive been noticing that alot of the big buggy guys are getting back to their roots. I know a few guys that are going back to wanting daily drivers ,but still be deadly when it comes to off road.
My daily driver is a 78 F150. I plan on doing a little to it, to make it the ultimate, go anywhere camping expedition type vehical , but still stay within the street driving parameters.
Who else has an old school off roader they drive or could drive everyday. Post some pics and share.

 

[wngrog]

I drive a fully built 97 FZJ-80 Land Cruiser. It has dual lockers, Old Man Emu suspension, bumpers, sliders, all the cool ****.

It has 163,000 miles on it. I put about 80 miles on it a day and it get 13 mpg any way I drive it.

I take it on family camping and wheeling trips and would not hesitate to drive it to California tomorrow.

My family and local Cruiser buddies are all going to Moab in June. I am taking the 80 series because it will go anywhere I want to go in Moab.

I plan on daily driving it until 200,000 miles and then I am going to put 37" Krawlers or KM2's on it and make it my trail wheeler.

My current buggy is 100% street legal running 40" Krawlers. I have wheeled it exactly 2 times in 10 months but I drove it every week to work a few times a week through November. If it was not street legal it would be gone. I have lost interest in chasing the big rocks and am enjoying family wheeling and camping and peeling out in my RZR-4 these days.

 

[Travis]

I haven't been trailriding the buggy much, so I'm buying back a comanche I built almost 5 years ago. http://www.nc4x4.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8932

I'm planning on trailriding it with a cooler full of beer in the back. Eventually, it'll get a hp44 and 60 and a set of 37 krawlers or km2s.

 

[B Gillespie]

1. '72 GMC Jimmy: numbers matching CST, factory 8 track, AC, 4 barrel, bucket seats, 52k mi. Sold.

2. '87 K5: Atlas, 60/14, 35's on the street and 42's off road. Stolen and chopped.

3. Campbell Ent. front engine buggy: whoompow, 300M, cheater tires, big shocks. Sold to dad.

4. Badlands single seat rear engine: 75% whoompow, 300M, cheater tires, stupid high power to weight. Traded to dad for CE buggy.

5. CE buggy again. In the garage.

6. Cheater bike: Full suspension Salsa El Santo 4" travel XC set up, Shimano XTR, tubeless 2.2's. In the living room, leaning on the pool table.

7. Fun bike: Gunnar Cycles Ruffian, Reynolds chromo frame single speed only, rigid Vicious Cycles fork, King wheels and head set, tubeless XC tires. On the bike stand in the living room, covered in mud.

Most of my offroad fun is mtn biking. Don't have extra time for offroad trips, unless Nasty hauls my junk around for me.

 

[tonyt]

sleeper.

magnum v8
atlas
tera 50 up front, chromoly shafts, free spin hub kit, ARB
tera 60 out back, chromo shafts, ARB
4linked with coilovers in the front

fresh everything, paint, powdercoat, sailcloth top, winch

brand new 35inch KM2's.

it'll go. and its got heat and AC. LOL

 

[InDaShop]

Great post.

I ramped up, didnt like it at the top and downsized right back down.
I absolutely hated the time commitments to race on the top level of what we do.


Chronological order:

Co-drive, spot trail riding (Mainly beer drinking)
Buy buggy to trail ride
Decide to race buggy because I wanted stickies
Addicted to racing (most expensive stickies EVER)
Buy dually, buy BigDumbass trailer to haul around country
Say **** this its too much of everything
Sell BigDumbass trailer
Sell Dually
Content with non-dually and bumper pull
Build LandSpeed car, have to buy new big enclosed
Bored of buggy so sell it
Dont use bumperpull anymore so sell it

I'm down to:
My DD Duramax, a Featherlite enclosed, a '65 Riviera, a salt car, and my project '42 chevy truck.


Currently lusting after a Class1 Lite or Class10 desert car, but cant pull the trigger because I keep thinking about the time commitments. I wish I could find a car owner who needed funds to race, and let me fly and drive a couple times a year to get my fix.


Like all of you guys, I'm always going to be into something or somethings. I do miss offroad racing and the people, but I dont miss the 24 hr one way road trips, and associated 3 months of solid prep before hand.

 

[Bones]

P and I talk about this a lot lately. Hell Muchado and I had a nice talk a couple weeks back as well

I have visions of either SAS'ing the Vitara on 33-35's and going to Disney, OK like in the old days and riding creek beds in KS hit the AC to drive home. Will I do this or simply buy another beater Toyota or something that's mildly built to sit curbside and drive it when wanted to Sonic.?? Unsure really. The shitty vitty only has 90K miles and is 10 years old, It'd be stupid to chop it up for a wheeling fix, it's one of my best automotive purchases to date and outed me as a gay web wheeler

Unlike most of you, I have not had a rig in 6 years and only trailered that one the last 8 months I owned it and I hated the aspect of never being able to use what I had so much cheddar into. I was 3-5 hours from any rocks unlike most of y'all in the SE

In short, the time with 555 racing made me realize how much I miss wheeling, but racing is not where it's at....for me personally. Great times, but the rewards are less

 

[BamaTJ]

This is a good post. I will see how KOH goes, but I have been thinking a lot about getting a rig to street and wheel here and there. I am really interested to see the payback on the time/money inviested in KOH this year. First time out was a longshot, I invested little money and skimped on most items. We qualified in LCQ and finished the main race 20 mins late, but finished. Those were really our only goals, finish and have fun. This year I have more money in it, more time, full team and all the equipment needed to compete. If I can't hang and don't have a decent showing I will look very hard and going a different route. I am with Bones, it is a lot of money to only use it a few times a year. I can't wheel every weekend like a lot of these guys without wifes or kids. Having something to street would be really cool. A semi-built TJ or 4 door JK would both be badass to cruise and wheel in.

 

[wontwork]

I am like some of you but unlike in alot of ways. I don't ge trid of nothing.
As of this moment I have a big block buggy that i have been working on for decades it seems like.
A buggy I just recently purchased for what reason I don't know, but I love the **** outa it and have been riding 3 times in the last month
I have a 1980 FJ40 landcruser that sits for months and never gets moved that has been semi restored (paint and new wheels)
Got a 1980 F150 that has had the **** beat outa it since I was 16 and it is currently loaned out to 86tank until he gets done with his build
Also got a 4 seater mule that is great fun when wanting to cruise around with a group and they ride with you.

I plan on keeping all of this cause you never know what mood you will be in or what group of friends are going riding. You just can't have to many options when it comes to toys.

 

[grcthird]

I'm diggin this thread. I've never had a dedicated trail rig or an expensive buggy (mainly because I can't afford it).
I kick my own ass everytime I think about how I got rid of the cool old **** I have had, like my 82 FS Cherokee on widetrac axles and swampers, or the 72 Blazer I let go for practically nothing :
Don't even get me started on all the damn boats I've had :****:
I currently have a 94 toyota 2wd pu and almost all the parts to make it a sbc sleeper street truck (it's been tagged and insured sitting in the yard without a motor for about a year ) and an 85 x cab yota 4x4 that needs a little work to be trail ready, I'll probably the **** out of these more so than my dd 06 sierra. Then there's the beater Honda 4 wheeler that takes a whoppin occasionally.

It's a good thing that I live in a neighborhood instead of in the country because I'd have so much more junk sitting around. I'm pretty sure my neighbors hate me

 

[B Gillespie]

Currently, I'm lusting for an LJ Rubicon. Probably have Oneal pick up one for me in the next year or so. It will likely get the extra Campbell hood I have, 0" of lift, 35's, and bumpers/winch. A commuter and camping rig for weekend mtn bike trips would be fabulous.

 

[Speeding]

I have a love/hate relationship with my DD wheeler. I have a 95 Grand Cherokee that I've had since I was 16, first car. It has been through a lot but it's also recently had a LOT of TLC. It's got long arms, new 5.5" coils and 12" travel shocks, ARBs F/R, 35" KM2s, body armor, and a sweet custom BTF front suspension/steering set up. It's still got a couple bugs like A/C needs to be repaired and I need to replace the OD solenoid in the transmission, but it still gets me pretty much everywhere I wanna go. It's seen trails way tougher than it ever should have, and it's always (almost) driven home from the trail. It's been on road trips to MS and TN, wheeled Gray Rock, Morris Mountain, Gardendale, Summertown, Golden Mountain. If I wasn't always worried about breaking something I'd be a lot happier with it. But fact is I expect way more from it than I should from hanging out with my buggy driving friends. I like trail riding, but I don't want to worry about body panels all the time...

Recently my focus has changed, I need a nice street driven rig. I love wheelin' but I can't afford it right now. I need to focus on getting a truck for the street, finishing school and getting a house. I'm too tempted to wheel the ZJ to keep it as a street rig, so it'll be for sale officially after new years.

 

[InDaShop]

In short, the time with 555 racing made me realize how much I miss wheeling, but racing is not where it's at....for me personally. Great times, but the rewards are less

I miss the people. We could be a buncha ditch diggers and have a good time together. Thats what I miss.

The salt car wouldnt even be on my radar if it werent for trying to do something with my dad and trying to get him to realize a dream. Unfortunately I think its actually had the opposite effect.

Mentioned something like this in the jesus thread. I had to downsize, I was not spending any time with my family. Was likely on a fast track to one of them Day-vorces!

 

[COPPERHEAD42]

I had the racing bug but after smorr stopped doing the outlaw series (series I wanted to race in) I gave up on that dream. I cant travel all over the country trying to catch races. I got what i want now a nice trail buggy and a rzr s.

 

[Bones]

I miss the people. We could be a buncha ditch diggers and have a good time together. Thats what I miss.

VERY true! Damn good times and met a ton of great people from all over.

Mentioned something like this in the jesus thread. I had to downsize, I was not spending any time with my family. Was likely on a fast track to one of them Day-vorces!

I can't see how a lot of people stay married with a hubby with racer dreams to be honest. Hats off to you for noticing and making the changes.

 

[BamaTJ]

I miss the people. We could be a buncha ditch diggers and have a good time together. Thats what I miss.

Mentioned something like this in the jesus thread. I had to downsize, I was not spending any time with my family. Was likely on a fast track to one of them Day-vorces!

Truth. People and environment are what draw me to it. Lots of great people that will give you the shirt off their back. Also getting sucked into this is a fast track for a divorce if you cannot balance your time.

 

[InDaShop]

.....if you cannot balance your time.

Thats the key. I know Bones, Kelly, and Miles know for fact that I dont like last minute ****. I'm ubber anal and last minute unplanned **** gets me out of my comfort zone.

Bones can attest to KOH '09, we had some set backs with my motor got us two days behind. I had to run around like a chicken with my head cut off, and got major hurt. Went to the ER on the way out of town. Consequence for me rushing. I'm not kelly

For 2011 Bonneville Speedweek which is in April, I'm mostly prepped, have to do several things with the car that are major, but wont be an all summer thrash fest like this past year. This is my comfort zone



Anyway hope this isnt a derail, but I've had to learn to say "No" alot. Its hard to do. No one wants to disappoint, or let down anybody. But sometimes saying "No" is the only way. I had three different groups of people try to get me to do "24 Hours of Lemons" since they do a race here in town. I really want to do it, but its all guys that have no business working on cars. That equals me doing all the work, and you know if they cant work on cars they have no idea how much money and time it will take to make an effort. When I mentioned it will take more than one set of tires they think I'm crazy. They are like but that car isnt $500, most people have zero idea what type of commitment it takes $$$'s and time wise to even be able to pay the entry fee.
If any guys on this board were local to me and wanted to do it, I'd be in, in a heartbeat.

 

[godevil]

Went to KOH last year with the rockwell buggy, going to make my big trip this year an old school trip and hit KOH again in '12.
my plan is to hit the Rubicon in September with a group of old jeeps from earlycj5.com in my true love,my old flatfender.
She has sat in the garage for 2-3 years now collecting dust and whatever misc crap I have stacked all over her.
Time to dust her off and stretch her legs.
Not sure it will be up to the Rubicon but we are going to give it one hell of a shot.
Donnie

 

[B.DRAKE]

I would say i down sized a lil bit
from this

to this

been throwing around the idea of sellin the Samurai and doin some more stuff to my yota that i have had since I was 15(my first truck) alredy done the SAS need to take body lift off and put some gearing under it and add some protection for the body, makes a nice pavement pounder and LIGHT wheeler, but who knows i change my mind ALOT ;D

and i love this thing cheap to ride andfun as hell

 

[Bones]

VERY nice looking Toyota!