Give me some ideas

[lt1fire]

My brother in law has a 91 V6 ext cab truck. I'm trying to convince him to take it wheeling and build it up more since my nephew absolutely loves that stuff. (He is only 22 months and would rather watch ultimate adventure than some cartoon)

He is starting to think about it and has been asking about parts and prices. I need pics or links to builds on these 89-95 ifs trucks. SAS are ok, not sure he will go that way but maybe:coffeedrink:

Lets see some pictures so I can convince him to start spending some money on this poor thing. (all it does now is sit in the drive way collecting dust, they won't let me buy it off them so it is about time they start using it)


:Mechanic::safari-rig::1888fbbd::truck:

 

[keezer37]

(He is only 22 months and would rather watch ultimate adventure than some cartoon)

I wouldn't take a 22 month old off roading on anything more than the vehicle is capable of stock, if that. Are his muscles developed enough to prevent injury from being jostled back and forth? Are standard car seats up for this? First thing I'd do is consult a pediatrician.

 

[lt1fire]

I wouldn't take a 22 month old off roading on anything more than the vehicle is capable of stock, if that. Are his muscles developed enough to prevent injury from being jostled back and forth? Are standard car seats up for this? First thing I'd do is consult a pediatrician.

We aren't taking him offroad, I just said his son is in love with trucks. By the time his Dad learns how to wheel it and gets around to building it up he will be old enough. Pediatricians say 2 1/2 to 3 years are the minimum we will most likely wait till his is over three and talk to his doctor. This isn't going to be a hard core wheeler anyway.


Anyone on here have a 89-95 truck, I got to page 50 on the picture thread and only saw one.

 

[NorthernWoodsman]

We aren't taking him offroad, I just said his son is in love with trucks. By the time his Dad learns how to wheel it and gets around to building it up he will be old enough. Pediatricians say 2 1/2 to 3 years are the minimum we will most likely wait till his is over three and talk to his doctor. This isn't going to be a hard core wheeler anyway.


Anyone on here have a 89-95 truck, I got to page 50 on the picture thread and only saw one.

I have one:

- '94 extra-cab
- black
- 22RE
- 5-spd.
- Bilstein shocks (soon to be OME hybrid w/BJ spacers)
- NWOR rear leafs (don't recommend)
- SR5 bucket seats coming soon
- "WARB" front bumper coming soon, Smittybuilt tube rear bumper currently
- Supra AFM upgrade w/3 inch intake w/K&N style filter
- soon-to-be new exhaust, thanks to the tweaker that stole my cat. converter night before last (Thorley header, 2 1/4" pipe, Dynomax muffler and hi-flow cat.)
- later this spring/summer: tranny rebuild & new clutch, brake upgrade, frame brace, window tint and hopefully 4.88 gears.

*Sorry, no photos at the moment.

 

[mr_crazy]

lol you talked to a doctor?..... my son is the same way (he's 3 and a half now)
his first wheeling trip was a blast....... and as long as you crawl you should be fine

he was a happy lil trooper all week

 

[tanglefoot]

I would focus more on education and driving technique than modification, if he really is interested in 4-wheeling. If it isn't something he would normally do, it's probably not worth dragging him into it. You could be the little guy's wheeling connection instead.

Do some 4wd training with him and let him practice finessing it over rocks and through gulleys, etc. on terrain that he's comfortable with. Once he masters some strategy, it will likely empower and encourage him. If he's anything like me (I hate spending money, especially on non-necessities) , pressure to buy stuff might just shut him down. Teach him what the truck can do just as it sits now.

Eric

 

[lt1fire]

I would focus more on education and driving technique than modification, if he really is interested in 4-wheeling. If it isn't something he would normally do, it's probably not worth dragging him into it. You could be the little guy's wheeling connection instead.

Do some 4wd training with him and let him practice finessing it over rocks and through gulleys, etc. on terrain that he's comfortable with. Once he masters some strategy, it will likely empower and encourage him. If he's anything like me (I hate spending money, especially on non-necessities) , pressure to buy stuff might just shut him down. Teach him what the truck can do just as it sits now.

Eric

OH we will be focusing on technique. It's not like a stock 91 is going to be walking up the rubicon. He is more of a visual person so I need pictures.

 

[zidaro]

Looks like youve got a nice 80. Take your Nephew out on some mild trails with his stocker, which is quite capable of wheeling, and get him into it. Once he's wheeling, he will start to see the limitations of his rig and then its time to mod it.

Ive had sweet crawlers and my stock IFS runner ive been dragging over all kinds of great trails is just now getting the knife.

I will also say that it is absurd to wait till your kid is 2.5 to take them out wheeling and camping. My daughter has been on trails since she was 6months old - the trails were like a baby shaker that just gently rocked her to sleep all day long. Now she loves wheeling and is an allstar camper at 6. You have to be SMART and SAFE when you have a kid with you, but unless you are hammering the rocks or railing corners and risking rolls I think your kid will be fine. Mine was always in a 5point carseat and we added extra padding to comfort. She NEVER balked, only giggles.

Id start any build with a set of nice AT tires, front/ rear bumper and sliders to protect from mistakes, rear detroit locker, lower gearing, air source, hi-lift. Break it, then fix it with mods.
www.Yotatech.com and www.Marlincrawler.com has a ton of mild IFS toy builds.

 

[lt1fire]

I think most of the trails here in NC would be ok for kids under that age. My sister won't let him go though so there is really no arguing that right now. She asked her doctor and he gave her those ages. I think that when you say "off roading" to most people they thing you are gong to be running the king of the hammers or something since that is what the main stream public sees.

Right now on the list are sliders and skid plates...... skids cost a damn fortune for an IFS truck :ylsmoke:

 

[Martinjmpr]

I think most of the trails here in NC would be ok for kids under that age. My sister won't let him go though so there is really no arguing that right now. She asked her doctor and he gave her those ages. I think that when you say "off roading" to most people they thing you are gong to be running the king of the hammers or something since that is what the main stream public sees.

Right now on the list are sliders and skid plates...... skids cost a damn fortune for an IFS truck :ylsmoke:

I second the idea of taking him with you somewhere. As far as mods, I'd focus more on modifications to make the vehicle a good camper - topper/shell, sleeping shelf, camping gear, etc. Start off with short camping trips to the Smokies or Uwharrie, that will give him an idea of what kind of gear he needs to be comfortable and enjoy himself. Once you've camped a few times and have an idea of how you like to do things, you could plan a longer trip, maybe out West.

I used to live in Charlotte so I know you're not real close to any nice public lands. Uwharrie has some trails and possible camping sites but I'd guess that on a busy weekend they'll fill up pretty quick. For anything else you'd have to go all the way to the Smokies.

Of course, another option would be to head East instead of West. Lots of cool camping sites on or near the Outer Banks and other coastal areas. Nothing like a campfire on the beach, right?

 

[BIGGUY]

I had a '90 ex-cab v6 5speed pickup. It had 4:88 gears as I lost a diff on vacation and couldn't get the 4:56 gears in time. I wore out the suspension and went with heavy duty torsion bars and rear springs with new shocks. It also had a K&N filter. Before the suspension change I ran the same trail pictured and others. The picture is from Moab and I ran trails for 7 years with this truck with no problems until the last year I ran it. I then had the sway bar bushings come apart and I slid into a rock and bent the idler arm. I was still able to drive into town and get it fixed. The truck had very high mileage when this happened so the bushings were ready to go.

The 4Runner is a '90 v6 automatic SR5 that I picked up used. It was stock in this picture except for the wheels and tires which were 31x10:50x15 instead of the 29" stock ones. I took this to Moab for 2 years. After this picture I added heavy duty torsion bars and heavier rear coils and I had an aux fuel tank put in.

I basically had no problems with either truck and ran the 31" tires and the suspensions which gave me about 1.5" of lift. I just used common sense and took it slow. If I had a spotter I watched what they told me. If with a group I tried to get behind a similar sized vehicle and watched what line they took through the obstacles. The only places I ever really hit on the pickup were the transmission crossmember and the rear hitch. The 4Runner was a little shorter and I really only hit the hitch.

If you use common sense and take it easy, you can do some pretty nasty stuff without having to add much to one of these trucks. They are pretty tough and will take you on the trail and get you home after it.

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[lt1fire]

Of course, another option would be to head East instead of West. Lots of cool camping sites on or near the Outer Banks and other coastal areas. Nothing like a campfire on the beach, right?

You got that right... my club goes every April, here is an article from Jan's four wheeler about it. Mine is the tan 80 in one of the pics

http://www.fourwheeler.com/eventcoverage/129_1101_spring_tide_ride/index.html

 

[tanglefoot]

Ooh, nice sandstone shots!

This always inspires me...