ThePete
New member
Finally broke down and bought a Toyota to see what all the fuss was about, I've wheeled quite a number of different Jeeps, Broncos and other misl vehicles in my time but this is my first Toyota. Sold my 05 Xterra because it was "too nice" to be a trail rig according to my wife. I needed something big enough to haul The Kid around with the dogs and camping gear but I wanted something I could run with no top or doors. There was no way I was going to shell out $30k for an new Unlimited Jeep. I'd heard good things about the older Toyota pickups and figured that if they were pretty capable (I've seen some impresive wheeling with some of the solid axle Toys) so I'd go for the next best thing a 1st Generation 4Runner, I picked up an 86 4Runner 4x4 5-speed with the venerable 22RE from a BMW repair shop owner for $3000 that already had some decent bumpers, rock sliders, roof rack, BMW M3 leather seats, Diest belts up front, a decent ipod compatable stereo with a Fosgate amp and bazooka sub and was mechanically VERY sound. It was a bit worked on the inside but we're using it for hauling dogs and camping gear along with the occasional trip to Home Depot and I'm up to the challange of practicing my re-upholstry skills. So far I'm pretty happy with the truck but its going to need some work. I'm planning on swapping in some 2nd Gen 4Runner rear seats (fabbing brackets is easy for me) and re-doing the interior pannels will be fun since I won't have to use stock factory colors. Currently its red with a "black" (sprayed over stock red) top. My wife got me a sprayer for my compressor for Christmas so that's not going to last, going for a flat desert sand color.
I'm not as fanatical about off road adventures as I used to be but that may change as my son gets older, don't really have time for too many hobbies, I tend to spend more time with my family and doing mostly 33% stuff (if you have to ask you don't need to know). I know my way around a shop and I'm pretty mechanically inclined so I'm not afraid to pull stuff apart, fabricate or modify stuff on my own. I've done all sorts of stuff from being a professional master bike mechanic (pedal type) to working on atomic reactors. Now I'm an 8404 Corpsman with the Marines (I'm Navy but I'm a medic for Marines) so I'm usually pretty broke and any spendy big ticket items, modifications have to be done bit by bit, my family's needs come first, then my bike then and the truck is pretty far down the list after that, not that it's last on the list but if I've got $1000 to spend and I've got a choice between upgrades on the bike and upgrades for the truck the bike's probably going to win out.
I'm not as fanatical about off road adventures as I used to be but that may change as my son gets older, don't really have time for too many hobbies, I tend to spend more time with my family and doing mostly 33% stuff (if you have to ask you don't need to know). I know my way around a shop and I'm pretty mechanically inclined so I'm not afraid to pull stuff apart, fabricate or modify stuff on my own. I've done all sorts of stuff from being a professional master bike mechanic (pedal type) to working on atomic reactors. Now I'm an 8404 Corpsman with the Marines (I'm Navy but I'm a medic for Marines) so I'm usually pretty broke and any spendy big ticket items, modifications have to be done bit by bit, my family's needs come first, then my bike then and the truck is pretty far down the list after that, not that it's last on the list but if I've got $1000 to spend and I've got a choice between upgrades on the bike and upgrades for the truck the bike's probably going to win out.
