Hi folks,
Got to 15 posts the hard way so it took a while, but been learning the whole time.
Previous Toys in order:
1979 Celica - bought a month after I got my DL in 1987, driven, upgraded and sold
1984 4x4 P/U - Driven, stolen and bought by insurance
1989 4x4 P/U - Driven, stolen and bought by insurance
1983 Celica - Stripped and bought by insurance (theme here?)
1980 Celica - "borrowed" from my younger brother for a while. Sold.
...fast forward about 7 years with no Toys :-(
2008 Tundra 4.7L (yes that's right). Still driving at 135K miles.
And just last fall, after months of searching, a 2001 beauty of a 4runner with 84k miles on it and garaged its whole life in Colorado. I couldn't hold out for a manual with the requirements of low mileage and no rust, so I'll live with an auto.
All started with a buddy who gave me his '92 2nd gen runner with about 238k miles on a rebuilt 3.0L 3VZ, which I've since learned was a dog. Made it from Cali to Colorado (worth the road trip) and then figured out the 5th cylinder ring was blown. Not worth repairing that engine again, so donated it after a month of owning it.
But the inspiration stuck, so I searched and ended up with this baby (yet to be named). Plate is homage to my buddy who inspired the move.
I grew up offroading with buggies and cycles, so this is a step back toward my roots. It complements the mountain bike that I spend a lot of time on.
Currently stock. Near-term plans:
4xI rear plate bumper (hot dipped) and gate (powder coated to approx match body paint), after adding some poly body mount bushings - all inspired by
@
sleepydad
build (great artists steal, right?)
4xI sliders, thinking rattle-can zinc
King extended travel coilover front, thinking about 1.5 lift, add SPC UCA
Rear springs and shock still TBD, thinking about 2.5 lift to accommodate bumper and gate/tire/hunting or biking or skiing or camping gear
All the rest in due time, but figure this should get me off the ground (and road) so to speak.
I look forward to continued expertise and swapping stories here!