pc1p
New member
Hello all,
I've been a lurker for about 2 years now, browsing through the swarms of information getting info that I needed. I was a Jeep guy for quite some time, but my kidneys could no longer take the pounding that a 15 mile drive delivered and transitioned over to other vehicles...
In all honesty, it was my move from PA to the desert of AZ that made me get rid of my XJ. Since then, I haven't been actively off-roading much. I didn't "get out of it", but my daughter was born and as they say "life happened" and my priorities changed.
With that being said, I desperately need to get four-wheeling again. I have an 04' V8 2WD 4Runner with about 120k but am keeping an eye out for a 2nd Gen that is a good candidate for a 3.4L swap. The 04' is great for the family, though I will still be playing with that a bit now that it seems to be our "camping" and desert truck (which is working a lot better than our Infiniti G35!). I was originally quite impressed with the 4Runner, even with only 2WD, since it took me far and back through BLM lands with relative ease. After the summer heat dies down, I'm looking at possibly the OME lift (gotta remove my XREAS soon, as I'm seeing some "oily buildup" around the shocks) and maybe a few other bolt-on goodies. Currently I'm dealing with wheel bearing issues (gonna end up buying "complete" assemblies from the guy on here if he's still selling them) and will be doing the timing belt, water pump and t-stat next week all by my lonesome. I'm also contemplating ripping out that horrid radio, though this will also probably wait until it cools down (so November-ish).
Let's see, what else... Oh yeah, well- I'm into the outdoors (hunting, fishing, etc :hunter
, and my family and I do tons of hikes. Now that my little one (Charlotte-7, Leo-3) is a bit easier to handle we have been doing lots of car camping, which will soon progress to backpacking trips again (finally!). I'm also a Harley rider and have been on 2-wheels more than I've been on 4 for the past 6 years or so.
Here's a pic of my wonderful wife on a pit-stop during a ride down to Bisbee, AZ.
Professionally, I'm a big geek. I was a research chemist for some time but now spend my days as an EH&S (Environmental, Health & Safety) Professional. I'm also wrapping up a M.S. degree and should be done in December... you know, if all 8 planets align and hell freezes over!
I've been a lurker for about 2 years now, browsing through the swarms of information getting info that I needed. I was a Jeep guy for quite some time, but my kidneys could no longer take the pounding that a 15 mile drive delivered and transitioned over to other vehicles...
In all honesty, it was my move from PA to the desert of AZ that made me get rid of my XJ. Since then, I haven't been actively off-roading much. I didn't "get out of it", but my daughter was born and as they say "life happened" and my priorities changed.
With that being said, I desperately need to get four-wheeling again. I have an 04' V8 2WD 4Runner with about 120k but am keeping an eye out for a 2nd Gen that is a good candidate for a 3.4L swap. The 04' is great for the family, though I will still be playing with that a bit now that it seems to be our "camping" and desert truck (which is working a lot better than our Infiniti G35!). I was originally quite impressed with the 4Runner, even with only 2WD, since it took me far and back through BLM lands with relative ease. After the summer heat dies down, I'm looking at possibly the OME lift (gotta remove my XREAS soon, as I'm seeing some "oily buildup" around the shocks) and maybe a few other bolt-on goodies. Currently I'm dealing with wheel bearing issues (gonna end up buying "complete" assemblies from the guy on here if he's still selling them) and will be doing the timing belt, water pump and t-stat next week all by my lonesome. I'm also contemplating ripping out that horrid radio, though this will also probably wait until it cools down (so November-ish).
Let's see, what else... Oh yeah, well- I'm into the outdoors (hunting, fishing, etc :hunter
, and my family and I do tons of hikes. Now that my little one (Charlotte-7, Leo-3) is a bit easier to handle we have been doing lots of car camping, which will soon progress to backpacking trips again (finally!). I'm also a Harley rider and have been on 2-wheels more than I've been on 4 for the past 6 years or so.Here's a pic of my wonderful wife on a pit-stop during a ride down to Bisbee, AZ.
Professionally, I'm a big geek. I was a research chemist for some time but now spend my days as an EH&S (Environmental, Health & Safety) Professional. I'm also wrapping up a M.S. degree and should be done in December... you know, if all 8 planets align and hell freezes over!
