Why asking a 4runner owner to "see the mountains" is a bad idea

[Stick Figure]

While my parents were visiting a couple weeks back my dad decided rather than sit in LA traffic to see the sites again, that he would rather see the mountains. So i loaded them up in the 4runner, and first hit Lake Arrowhead, and Big Bear for lunch.


Then I decided to "show them the mountains" ....

for those of you from the local area here, you should know this spot well...

Yes we did the full loop, no my dad didn't have another heart attack

Sorry no really cool wheeling shots from this round.

and for those people that never seem to believe my little 4runner hits the trails i snapped some pics of the trail abuse before fixing what i could.

90% of that came out with a quick buff... the rest will come out next time around i'm sure.

and my FJ wheels are no longer mint, but she still cleans up pretty good

 

[GottaBeTRD]

thats one of the cleanest looking rigs ive ever seen! Nice combo, i love everything about it.

 

[fightman80]

HA! I'm not the only guy who buffs the scratches out after!!! Nice pics man! I really like the look you've got going on with your rig too! :driving:

 

[J-money$$$]

I would never try and get the scratches out of mine. Its par if its character, and scratches from rocks dont buff out..... Then again it didnt ever look that shiny since I owned it.

So i see you ran up the the old pontiac on pontiac sluice. Did you run the loop up to the top of the mountain. Its got a little fun spot here and there

 

[Stick Figure]

Yeah we ran the whole loop, I wasn't aiming for the hardest lines by any means, but the truck always impresses me with what its capable of...... of course that stock e-locker helps things a bit too.

We had to come in the back way off of the 18 (38 was shut down for the fuel spill) so we had a lot of dirt/light rock road driving even to get to it, otherwise i would have like to spend some more time.

When did they shut down the climb out from broom flats is it?

As far as the scratches, yeah they have to come out! For now I still use the truck for a little bit of everything ... Towing, to trails, to IKEA runs to make the g/f happy.

 

[driffter33]

Very clean runner. I know the spot, here is a pic I took last time I was there.

 

[ryhi]

looking good man. so whats the story behind that wrecked car?

 

[driffter33]

looking good man. so whats the story behind that wrecked car?

I don't know the story behind it , but I'm sure it was a blast driving it there. It is a long way from a good road.

 

[masson74]

Wow you really did give them the tour if you took them on Heartbreak Ridge

Here is my pic from a few weeks ago. That trail about gave me a heartattack in a few spots though. That is the most difficult trail I have done to date as I am still new to whellin'. I just started a year ago.

PS I buff out the scratches to as it is my daily driver for work

Dave

 

[brian2sun]

Nice! Pontiac/Heartbreak is a fun little trail. That real leany section on the way down the loop always makes me pucker a little. I think it's the 100' cliff maybe.

 

[Supra725]

quick question Stick Figure,

what did you use to remove the scratches?

I had the same issue last time when I went wheeling..

 

[Stick Figure]

looking good man. so whats the story behind that wrecked car?

I always wondered if it was left over from days when there may have been a better road in there for the mining operation.

Nice! Pontiac/Heartbreak is a fun little trail. That real leany section on the way down the loop always makes me pucker a little. I think it's the 100' cliff maybe.

Its not the size of the cliff, as much as the fact there is nothing to catch you if you slide off. A couple trees would make this a little less nerve racking.

quick question Stick Figure,

what did you use to remove the scratches?

I had the same issue last time when I went wheeling..

3M Perfect-It 3000 Rubbing Compound, 3M Rubbing Compound, 3M Perfect It 3

That and a Makita buffer is what i use.

Keep in mind though this isn't a magical fix, you will eventually buff your paint away. The good news (for my paint anyway) is that i don't tend to wheel all that often, and when i do i try to avoid doing that. I've only pin striped it a couple times out of all my adventures. This time around it was brush the tree or risk real damage taking a harder line. Until I build my sliders and get some skid plates I would rather drive out with scratches than have to be towed out with out them.

 

[Pikeman]

I know you wheel you truck, I remember you posting up GM runs solo when you first joined the forum. The only issue I have is that you do it solo all the time. Can you do me a favor and keep my number handy in case you have an issue. I will gladly come help you out if you break down or get stuck. Brian2sun is a local up there and I am sure he would come help you out of a situation as well as many others on here. Better yet take a second vehicle with you. Anyways glad to see you gave your parents the nickle tour of the mountain. Looked like a good day.

 

[brian2sun]

I know you wheel you truck, I remember you posting up GM runs solo when you first joined the forum. The only issue I have is that you do it solo all the time. Can you do me a favor and keep my number handy in case you have an issue. I will gladly come help you out if you break down or get stuck. Brian2sun is a local up there and I am sure he would come help you out of a situation as well as many others on here. Better yet take a second vehicle with you. Anyways glad to see you gave your parents the nickle tour of the mountain. Looked like a good day.

Yeah^^. I would definitely also be willing to help out any fellow members if they get into trouble up here. PM me if any of you would like to get my phone number. You never know when you might need it.

 

[Stick Figure]

Pikeman the comment about people not believing it gets dirty was more from a "car show" we did mid summer. I really didn't have anything car wise worth showing, but being a ricer show and have a 4x4 category i figured i would clean up the truck and see what happens. The judge didn't seem to believe that I ever took it on more than a dirt road since it wasn't as been up and scratched as his rig.

As far as wheeling alone, yeah I do have Pikeman's number and it wouldn't hurt to have Brian2sun's as well as others. I usually go solo vehicle for the sheer fact that my trips are more ... "what do you want to do today? ... eh lets take the truck to play" ... or after a hike the g/f saying "um where the hell are we going now". Nothing ever has much planning to it. I do try to pick places and lines that are appropriate for someone with out a "plan b" just to keep things on the safer side though.

 

[bluecollarjock]

Cool man! ive done some wheeling at Big Bear with my Jeep Rubicon, but not the 4runner yet. Come end of semester if it isnt deep snow, if there was a group of guys on here who wheel Big Bear id love to go! Ill take the Jeep or the 4runner.....I wanna wheel the runner, but dont want to trash it as it IS my commuter for grad school....the Jeep sucks way too much gas so is my weekend and around town car now, the 4runner is my "practical" car with the lift and locker though so still should wheel well

But yea, I quit solo wheeling after high school! Id break down or get stuck but back then I could walk a few miles to a phone and call a friend to come tow my butt out!

 

[J-money$$$]

Pikeman the comment about people not believing it gets dirty was more from a "car show" we did mid summer. I really didn't have anything car wise worth showing, but being a ricer show and have a 4x4 category i figured i would clean up the truck and see what happens. The judge didn't seem to believe that I ever took it on more than a dirt road since it wasn't as been up and scratched as his rig.

As far as wheeling alone, yeah I do have Pikeman's number and it wouldn't hurt to have Brian2sun's as well as others. I usually go solo vehicle for the sheer fact that my trips are more ... "what do you want to do today? ... eh lets take the truck to play" ... or after a hike the g/f saying "um where the hell are we going now". Nothing ever has much planning to it. I do try to pick places and lines that are appropriate for someone with out a "plan b" just to keep things on the safer side though.

If you ever put sliders on it and want to go do some harder stuff you can always hit me up. Put a set of sliders on it and you should be able to do almost everything in big bear. With the exception being the hard section on john bull. Its hit and miss with just a rear locker. Good luck

 

[Stick Figure]

Slider wise, its on the list, but so are a lot of other things (4runner isn't my only project by a long shot) I need to take advantage of my free time though and do it while I've got the time. I'll have to at least start drawing them up.

Rear bumper would be nice too since I know that factory hitch is killing departure angle ... We smashed it pretty good on this run even.

 

[J-money$$$]

Slider wise, its on the list, but so are a lot of other things (4runner isn't my only project by a long shot) I need to take advantage of my free time though and do it while I've got the time. I'll have to at least start drawing them up.

Rear bumper would be nice too since I know that factory hitch is killing departure angle ... We smashed it pretty good on this run even.

with sliders there are enough inexpensive options out there that I wouldnt build my own unless you wanted something special. I know my next set i will build. Not to keep costs down, But i want .188 Dom outer tubes. I can get a couple sticks of that cheap enough,

Trail gear makes a 67" slider that about $170 and my 4xinnovations were $170 plus shipping. ANd the rear bumper is nice, but not really necessary. I eventually took the hitch off my 4runner and just let the sweet chrome bumper get all bent up.

 

[Stick Figure]

with sliders there are enough inexpensive options out there that I wouldnt build my own unless you wanted something special. I know my next set i will build. Not to keep costs down, But i want .188 Dom outer tubes. I can get a couple sticks of that cheap enough,

Trail gear makes a 67" slider that about $170 and my 4xinnovations were $170 plus shipping. ANd the rear bumper is nice, but not really necessary. I eventually took the hitch off my 4runner and just let the sweet chrome bumper get all bent up.

Oh I know there are a lot of reasonably priced options out there. No I don't have an inventive new idea to make a bigger badder slider, but I'm also the same guy that machined his own top out spacers, and pretty much everything that isn't stock on my 4runner, so why stop now?