is there such a thing as too extreme-too much crawler??

[Naetzker]

Newby here, thinking of buying an 84 Toyota truck that has been highly modified; 36" tires, 4" lift, gears, detroit locker in rear, double transfer case, etc.
Is this too much build for an expedition vehicle? I figure most of the driving will be too and from places where I will go off road.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Scott Brady]

Drive whatever you like/have

You will just not find many vehicles here with huge tires or lots of armor as it compromises range and driveability and the added weight of armor affects payload. Those are the practical reasons for it

Glad you are here - where do you want to go in your truck?

 

[Naetzker]

thanks for the input!

I have been an admirer of your site(s) for a number of years.

I was thinking the tires could be changed to something a bit tamer and more road worthy. There is minimal armor-front rear bumper and sliders. I like the roof rack and the owner said he would make a matching rear rack with canvas top so I could carry an autohome or kayaks. It also already has FI and a winch. Payloads would be compromised by the bobbed bed!!

Here is a link to the 84;

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...witem=&sspagename=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_500wt_1182


Also considering this 2001 for about the same money. It would be nice after a day of hiking/kayaking to have the comforts of a modern cab. This truck is nicely set up.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...item=&sspagename=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_3238wt_1167

I am living in Buffalo, NY. We don't have the vast expanses of spaces to explore as many of you out west. I would like to do the east coast this winter and maybe georgian bay-northern Canada this summer.

Any recommendations on interesting places to visit here in the east is also greatly appreciated!!

Thanks!

 

[ywen]

This is probably too much.... jus sayin'...

 

[Naetzker]

Wow!

That is a sweet truck! What size tires/gear combo??

 

[dennisuello]

What you want and what you need should get a little closer together before you buy anything. You want a crawler, but the stuff you want to do can be done in a Subaru. Just my humble opinion.

 

[Naetzker]

Very true!

It is true! I was reading about the gentleman who had the mid 80's 2wd toyota truck and the many adventures he had in it. Makes me wonder ****** I am thinking!

I do have other plans; we have 80 acres of forest, a small truck with a winch would be very useful moving some of the logs around in the tight spots. We also live in the snow capital of the east! 4wd is necessary to get out and about some days and useful to get to some of the more scenic trailheads. I would also like to do some winter camping and an autohome would be perfect.


More thoughts?! This has already been very helpful, thanks.

 

[ben2go]

A fellow that lives behind me has a 79 yota mini truck,standard cab short bed,on 44 super swampers.I think it has a small block Chev but still has the factory yota axles.

 

[haven]

There's nothing wrong with using a street-legal crawler for adventure travel. Give it a try. Your experiences will tell you if you need to make any changes.

 

[Rexsname]

Welcome to our little corner of the world!

Have fun with what ever you choose to drive, There is NO one right answer for everyone. I love my truck but it might not work for another.


REX

 

[GabAlmighty]

That 84 looks very, very clean! I wouldn't say that it looks too extreme. And juding/ASSuming by the pics it doesn't look to be abused alot.

The thing I find happens when a car becomes very heavily modified is you lose some reliability out of it, albeit depending on the build quality.

Although that 11k is pretty expensive for a 30yo truck. They have proven themselves to be quite capable and usually worth every penny. Not to say that that Tacoma wouldn't be a bad buy either. I prefer older rigs so I would get the 84

 

[RusM]

Both of those are priced rather aggressively for what they are. If you are really ready to drop that much coin on a built rig then I would drop this guy a line with a good offer. Way better build than either one of those trucks.
http://tacomaterritory.com/forum/showthread.php?t=164945

 

[sixstringsteve]

Although that 11k is pretty expensive for a 30yo truck. They have proven themselves to be quite capable...

I think that truck ('84) is worth $7k tops. I recommend a tacoma as well. I've had both, and they're both fun trucks. For bajaing through the desert, a tacoma will be your friend. For gnarly rocks the size of a volkswagen bug, the '84 is going to be your friend.

 

[Mr. Leary]

Getting back to Scott's question: Where do you want to go in the truck?

If you are planning on traversing tight trails with lots of off camber stuff (typical upstate NY) while being nice to drive up and down the east coast, I would stick to a moderately built truck. You do not need 36" meat to tackle 99% of trails, and the higher stance will make the truck more tippy.

If you are new to wheeling, go to a local 4wd club meeting. Ask the guys what kind of wheeling they do and what modifications they would recommend. Once you have that info, go back and start looking for a truck.

Both options are capable. I don't think they are your only options. Do some research on different build styles and buy / build the rig that is suited to what you want to do with it. Smaller trucks can be very capable, but lack some of the creature comforts. Trucks with big lifts give you plenty of clearance, which can also lift you right into overhanging tree limbs on trails. Old trucks are great, but understand that every 30 yo machine is going to have some quirks.

I'll echo what everyone else said, there is no one solution. Maybe if you post some more of your plans on where you will go with it we can help steer you off to a good start.

 

[java]

Get what you want. even if its just to have a cool truck.

that being said. i had a 85 PU that i loved. lifted 36" swampers, bumpers winches, lockers, regeared etc. my wife and i took it on every road trip/camping trip we took. had a topper and matress in the back. was a bit of a chore to drive but i was used to it and it went any where you pointed it. we sold it when we had a kid, just wasnt car seat friendly.