Derpiful's Build and Adventure Thread

Aaaand sliders!







They're just the basic TrailGear 67" sliders, but it's so much better than nothing..

I'm not quite used to having a step (as I made them come out enough to act as one), but I'm sure I'll get used to it. Hooray, more armor!

So much work I've done in the past 4 days in prep for Rock Therapy. I'm leaving in about an hour... SO EXCITED!
 
Truck looks great. have fun at Rock Therapy, Ive been twice and its a blast!

Advice I have is to buy raffle tickets! You can win so much cool stuff there.
 
Back from Moab after Rock Therapy 2015!

It was an absolute blast! I had such a great time, met some awesome people, and ran some amazing trails. The weather was nearly perfect too, not too hot and a few clouds in the sky. The views in Moab and the surrounding area are so amazing!

Just to mention a few of the people I met:
[MENTION=9139]steezemcqueen[/MENTION]
[MENTION=65101]BrianSD_42[/MENTION]
[MENTION=95069]TBuzz[/MENTION]
[MENTION=118225]FalconFixer[/MENTION]
[MENTION=95338]mk1noob[/MENTION]
[MENTION=97939]TheArkMaster[/MENTION]
[MENTION=80933]4x4runner2002[/MENTION]
[MENTION=110242]ur2ez22[/MENTION]

It was great to meet you all and talk/wheel with you!

The damage list:
- Gas tank is pretty dented now (not a clue which rock was responsible for this)
- Fenders are trying to become widebody fenders... oops. Both fronts don't line up very well anymore and the corner lights don't either
- Fender flares are very rubbed away and many mounts are now broken
- Rear lower control arms took a beating
- The front bumper, rear bumper, sliders, and skid plate all have some nice scrapes and dents on them now (but that's what they're there for!)
- Flat exhaust tip (which I absolutely do not care about)

It really isn't terrible, and honestly, well worth it..

After this trip, I have a few maintenance items and mods/upgrades I need to do:
- Replace both LBJ & UBJ
- Clearance the fender flares/fenders
- Chop exhaust back/ weld on something with higher clearance
- Move CB to unswitched power (not relying on key)
- Get unswitched power under the seat - I needed to charge things, but didn't always want to leave the key in the ignition & unlocked
- Figure out if fuel gauge works and is accurate, along with new tank capacity
- Get better lighting for the rear cargo area (it was tough trying to see everything in the middle of the night)
- Bumpstop extensions


The next few posts will be for each day's pictures, as I ran Top of the World, Gold Bar Rim/Golden Spike, and Hell's Revenge! There's over 1500 pictures I took... can't hurt to have too many, but now I have to take the time to go through all of them!

For now, have a few teasers:

















 
Back from Moab after Rock Therapy 2015!

It was an absolute blast! I had such a great time, met some awesome people, and ran some amazing trails. The weather was nearly perfect too, not too hot and a few clouds in the sky. The views in Moab and the surrounding area are so amazing!

Just to mention a few of the people I met:
[MENTION=9139]steezemcqueen[/MENTION]
[MENTION=65101]BrianSD_42[/MENTION]
[MENTION=95069]TBuzz[/MENTION]
[MENTION=118225]FalconFixer[/MENTION]
[MENTION=95338]mk1noob[/MENTION]
[MENTION=97939]TheArkMaster[/MENTION]
[MENTION=80933]4x4runner2002[/MENTION]
[MENTION=110242]ur2ez22[/MENTION]

It was great to meet you all and talk/wheel with you!

The damage list:
- Gas tank is pretty dented now (not a clue which rock was responsible for this)
- Fenders are trying to become widebody fenders... oops. Both fronts don't line up very well anymore and the corner lights don't either
- Fender flares are very rubbed away and many mounts are now broken
- Rear lower control arms took a beating
- The front bumper, rear bumper, sliders, and skid plate all have some nice scrapes and dents on them now (but that's what they're there for!)
- Flat exhaust tip (which I absolutely do not care about)

It really isn't terrible, and honestly, well worth it..

After this trip, I have a few maintenance items and mods/upgrades I need to do:
- Replace both LBJ & UBJ
- Clearance the fender flares/fenders
- Chop exhaust back/ weld on something with higher clearance
- Move CB to unswitched power (not relying on key)
- Get unswitched power under the seat - I needed to charge things, but didn't always want to leave the key in the ignition & unlocked
- Figure out if fuel gauge works and is accurate, along with new tank capacity
- Get better lighting for the rear cargo area (it was tough trying to see everything in the middle of the night)
- Bumpstop extensions


The next few posts will be for each day's pictures, as I ran Top of the World, Gold Bar Rim/Golden Spike, and Hell's Revenge! There's over 1500 pictures I took... can't hurt to have too many, but now I have to take the time to go through all of them!

For now, have a few teasers:

Great meeting you man. Yeah, my fuel gauge goes from 1/4 to empty in 20 miles now... and I have lost 3 gallons of fuel capacity :naughty:

I look forward to wheeling with all of you again.
 
Hey man it was great getting to meet you both and go wheeling together. I know what you mean about the pictures!
 
Good wheeling with you!

You wheeled your open/open truck better than a lot of people did all locked up.

Thanks for helping me get through it all! Gold Bar Rim/Golden Spike was my favorite trail to run out of all the ones I did.

I honestly have no idea how I was able to get over some of those obstacles so easily being open/open. I was driving it a little harder than I should have been.. that might have helped a little bit!
 
I must have just missed you today at work. I noticed your truck as I was leaving. Looks great!

Thanks Craig! Yep, you barely missed me, as I noticed you down on the track right as you were leaving... oh well, I'm sure I'll see you around!

Also, I'm really liking those new wheels you got, they look even better in person!!
 
Finally went through the pictures! I reduced it down to 45 in total, all in an album I created my Flickr page. Go check that out for all of the photos! (I'm trying not to make this page huge like I did the previous one... sorry mobile users!)

Anyways, here's a few I picked to showcase on here:

Day 1 - Top of the World
This trail was great, as the scenery was pretty much unbeatable. I also loved some of the optional obstacles, making this trail a little tougher if desired!







Day 2 - Gold Bar Rim/ Golden Spike
My favorite trail of the three I ran. This one was hard, and I did some obstacles that I probably shouldn't have been able to do without a locker.







Day 3 - Hell's Revenge
This trail was pretty easy, just a little bit nerve-racking with some of the crazy ups and downs that the trail winds through. Also had some great views! Also, I did not to Hell's Gate, as I figured without a locker and it being my DD there is just too much to risk.








One of my favorite parts about the whole event was going to the dunes, where people were jumping. I'm not sure what it was, but being so close and seeing it in person for the first time ever is just amazing! (This is a very poor photo, but it's the best one I had..)


 
250,000!
kr5GwyAl.jpg

...and it's still running really great!
 
Well, I got started on a project tonight, but never got to finish it: lower ball joints. I've been meaning to do them since I got back from Moab, but haven't found the time until now.

I'm just missing the bolts! I made the mistake of assuming that the main 4 bolts in the lbj would come new with it... I was wrong. It also seems that I forgot to get a new tie rod cotter pin, so time for a new one of those also. That means I have to leave her like this tonight..

2jTe9Hgl.jpg


Time to head back to the dealer tomorrow!
 
A few different updates!

In regards to the LBJ, they got put on the to-do list again. I ended up having to order the bolts I needed, and was forced to leave the 4Runner on jackstands for 2 days while they came in. I hated not being able to drive it!

I got the driver's side completed, and all has been fine since! I just need to get the passenger side done now.

------------------------------

Next, to the fun part: I went offroading yesterday!
We ran Middle St. Vrain along with Coney Flats. The trails were great, the weather was perfect, and the water crossings were so much fun. I was aired down to 18psi (which I absolutely love doing now, it makes things so smooth).













Everything was going great, until... pssssss. I knew exactly what it was, got off the trail, and got it all fixed up. It seems that I hit one of the rocks just right to stress the sidewall and tear it. This is exactly why I carry a spare..









Overall, an awesome day! I did get Discount to get me a new tire (I love having the certificates), but now my tire situation is mildly upsetting. I have 2 tires with full tread, and 3 that are pretty worn. I'm running the two new ones up front, even thought I really wished they simply all had matched tread.

Also updated my avatar to show of some of the more recent additions. Went for the same style picture (from the front while entering water), but my last one was when I was stock!
 
Last edited:
Ak18qq6l.jpg


Sorry to hear about the tire, correct me if I am wrong but are these the same duratrac's that have a rep for having "weak" sidewalls? I may be confusing with another brand / tire but I thought I have seen a lot of people post about tearing their duratrac sidewalls.

BTW I have the same wheels! Love them.
 
Sorry to hear about the tire, correct me if I am wrong but are these the same duratrac's that have a rep for having "weak" sidewalls? I may be confusing with another brand / tire but I thought I have seen a lot of people post about tearing their duratrac sidewalls.

BTW I have the same wheels! Love them.

Yeah, I've definitely heard of lots of people with busted Duratrac sidewalls. I don't know what it is about these specific tires, but it seems more people have issues with tearing the sidewall than people with other tires do. Oh well...

And yeah, the wheels are awesome! Simple and effective.
 
So I did a little bit of wiring today!
This project is something I've been wanting to do for a while. Switched power to turn on the radio and power outlets without having the key in. Perfect for charging phones while camping, listening to music while sitting around, using the CB on the trail, etc. While all of the could be done with the key in, I'd much rather have it in my pocket where I know it is safe.








As you can see in the picture above, the radio, CB, and power outlets are on, all without the key in. I love it!

I had to spend my time going through the FSM, trying to figure out which wires to splice, where they are, and all of that fun stuff. I had originally planned to power the PWR OUTLET relay, but realized that I'd have to do some funky stuff to get the radio to work too. I ended up splicing into the wire right before the ACC fuse.

Now, for the confusing part. When I turned everything back on and tested it out, the clock never turned on... I killed it! I'm not quite sure what caused it, or if it can be fixed. It's upsetting. Any ideas?
 

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
278,310
Messages
3,554,078
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Trending content

Back
Top