I do like that AJC plate, may have to pull the trigger for our fridge

Went to anza-borrego last weekend, rig did awesome. Dobinson suspension took 30 mph offroad corrugations intermittently for hours in the OHV area and also flexed heroically through some twisty sections.

And for those who asked about having a fully armored belly, and if i was worried about heat issues: four days crawling in 4hi/4lo in 97° heat = nothing to report. Temp gauge never moved, floorboards were cool to the touch.

Attached Images

         

This picture shows just how much storage our 4runner has for 5 people.

We have done our best to minimize/miniaturize our setup, but we simply end up with a full load with such a lean/narrow vehicle compared to something like a Sequoia/Tahoe/Expedition.

That being said, the passenger area has zero overflow and lots of legroom for my tall self, tall wife and tall kiddo's. The Frontrunner rack is a gamechanger and when we're able to strap our weatherproof duffels and other bulky/light gear, there's lots of leftover room.

Another note: Victory4x4 Strike bumper - We LOVE this bumper for the following reasons

1. Excellent step to access the rear of the roof rack
2. Excellent table/surface for fishing gear or trailside snack stops
3. Solid recovery point
4. improves breakover angle quite a bit
5. looks awesome
6. Allows for dual swingaways, but in our opinion, looks great without them.

We're honestly enjoying the unfettered access to the rear hatch (without a swing-away installed) and have moved our jack/maxtrax/fuel to the roof without much drama. Also thinking that our spare tire fits just fine in it's stock position. We carry a tire patch kit, too, so not too worried if we go up in tire size (and don't carry an exact sized spare.)

Attached Images

 

Had a blast out in Pismo, here's the things I know:

1. Thule box: We love our thule box mounted to the roof rack for secure storage. Probably will end up getting a longer one, to better utilize the space up there.

2. Airing down: Airing down makes a HUGE difference in ride comfort. We didn't air down at all in Anza-Borrego and the corrugations rattled us silly after just a day. We basically "floated" our way around Pismo @ about 18-20 PSI. What we did notice is that we definitely traded comfort for ground clearance. We'll be going up in tire size to compensate because we are sold on the comfort/traction we gained.

3. Onboard Air: Airing down doesn't require an expensive compressor. Ours is a cheap $40.00 model off amazon that got good reviews.

4. Smell the roses: Take time to get out, pause and enjoy where you are. We paused for about an hour just watching the surf from these dunes, digging in the sand, watching the buggies zip around and made a lasting memory with our girls.

5. Cruising: With all our mods, we've been careful not to compromise the street-ability of our 4runner. Skids, sliders, Dobinson's suspension, winch bumper, rear bumper, rack, snorkel, etc. are all completely transparent on the highway cruising at 70mph to get to or from our destination. MPG's have probably taken a hit, but it's within 1-2 mpg's of where we were stock, at this point. No biggie for an adventure rig. (We have a Honda Civic for commuting. )

Attached Images

 

Around this time last year in 2021, I was just starting to live out a decision we had made earlier in the year.

You see, i'm a car guy, a Jeep guy, a Toyota guy, but mostly a car guy and while I enjoy garage time working on projects. that's ALL a vintage jeep had been for me for the previous 4 years. as in, zero trail time. I was just burnt out on that life and grew sick of going into the garage for yet another thrash session.

Now, to be honest and clear:

1. Due to budget - the two jeeps i picked were absolute basket cases requiring extensive work. (see pic below)
2. Due to budget - i was doing all work myself with help from a few friends
3. due to nostalgia and a romantic view of older vehicles - I had picked older, carb'd vehicles that honestly always required tinkering to run/drive correctly.

Fast forward to summer 2021 and my wife and I just flat decided enough was enough, that It was time to let me build a fresh new vehicle with the ability to road-trip and tackle tough terrain and just get out there.

In the last year we've been to:

1. Anza-borrego SP - Coyote canyon
2. Ocotillo wells SRVA
3. Julian/Mt. Laguna snow wheeling
4. Moab, UT. - all over
5. Pismo beach SRVA
6. Local SD trails (otay truck trail, etc.)

Plus, numerous local trips around town and socal, in comfort to visit family, go fishing, go sightseeing, etc, etc.

Bottom pic from a couple weeks ago, on Fiesta Island here in Sandy Eggo where I took time to drive in 4wd on the sand to a good spot. I pulled out my grampa's vintage cane 5wt fly rod and proceeded to catch a respectable-sized halibut (my first), much to my delight.

cheers!

Attached Images

   

I was the same, too much time spent in the garage. Years of playing with a Land Rover Discovery and Defender, sold them both, bought the 4Runner.

Was a quiet but busy holiday season. Not much time for wheeling. Did put the 4runner through some fairly challenging hoops helping me pull a storm-damaged tree out of our neighbors yard and back into ours so that we could process it with our chainsaw.

Attached Images

 

Few more pics

Attached Images

     

Well, it's been a while since I've put an update up on the site - been uber busy with not much down-time between holidays, trips and family events. (Also, had a health scare with a family member that consumed our tribe for about a month and a half - we're finally normalizing after that)

Some updates:

1. TacoBox - in December we got a Marlin Crawler Tacobox installed by a local fab/off-road shop. We've dropped into low-low a dozen times on our property for some light yard wheeling and suffice it to say - 157:1 crawl ratio is ABSOLUTELY a game-changer when it comes to traction and control. Descents are calm, controlled and uneventful (exactly what we want when we're on a tricky trail) and the traction-finding ability is pretty amazing with the rear locked and ATRAC on in the front.

2. On-road comfort - unchanged with the Tacobox, 33's, rack, etc. We really like our setup right now, with the rear Victory4x4 swing-aways removed. we lose some storage, but i realized that our Frontrunner rack works fine for what we usually carry. (I might decide to add the swing-away back for tough trail where we need 2 spares or maybe if we ever go above a 34" tire)

3. MPG's - MPG's in our current form has settled to about 13 city/mixed and about 15 hwy. [shrug] Not something we worry about since reliability and durability are very high with this platform. Planning for fuel costs and fuel range are easy in comparison, in our opinion.

4. Engineering - having installed sliders, engine, transmission, transfer case, lower trail arm, shock and rear diff skids, front winch mount, rear plate bumper, suspension, roof rack, snorkel, dual cases, and extensive rear cargo mods - my conclusion is that this is one of the most well-thought out platforms that I've worked on so far.


What's next:

1. Install Rokmen rear lower trailing arms - major upgrade in strength.

2. Take a shakedown trail ride locally to put the new mods through their paces in Aug/Sept. Probably corral canyon or Valley of the Moon.

Updated pics

Attached Images

     

Our “super-stock” build on 2.5” Dobinson lift and 33’s vs. stock rig:

Attached Images