From 1994 :p

Actually the video was from the Dixie Run back in October 1994.


I first got into wheeling in the spring of 1994 myself, so the video is a reminder of what it was like when I got started. I actually have some pics from my very first "trail ride"... maybe I will scan them in one day ;)


It was interesting to see what were considered "top mods" of the day... 33's and 35's were "big" at the time... No boggers... mostly A/T's, Buckshots, some Gumbo Mudders, and a set or two of TSL/SX's...


Anyway, it was a trip down memory lane for me, just wondering how long some others of you have been doing this sport, and what some of your thoughts on "how it used to be" compared to "how it is" :)

I've been wheeling since 85, although I did take a break between then and now.

I remember my first vehicle ever was a 66 CJ5, with the 225 V6.......the torque is what sticks with me....it felt incredible...I could point that thing anywhere and it would just keep going.

Of course I point my rig at different things nowadays.....

About the same time, 93-94. Bone-stock '89 Toy Xtracab with 31's. At the time, my friend's CJ5 was the most capable rig I knew of, with a 2.5" Rancho lift, 33's, a rear locker and front Truetrac. Wooohooooo! (my, how one's perceptions change)

First Jeep was bought in '89 and been offroad ever since. Have had a few since that time with a Toy mixed in the middle :rolleyes: :flipoff2:

I'v been into wheeling for about three years now with building my own rig and I used to have a 74 Power Wagon that went any where to.

...started in '78. Had a FJ40, 31's on white wagon spokes. No flex, no lockers, no nothing but an 8-track playin Jackson Brown...:D Wheeled it to death, actually I balled it up with a long roll in Big Bend. I was leaving the next month for the Army, so it didn't get rebuilt. Right out of Jump School I bought CJ-7 and have owned (and wheeled) 4WD's all along...

I bought my Scout in '97 just as a 4x4 to get from Reno to Roseville (over the Donner Pass) in the winter so I wouldn't have to worry about chains. We would take small day trips in the local hills of Reno and just have fun. The Scout was totally stock with 27's, t90, Dana 18 and the 4 banger. But, like 99.99% of the people here, I kept doing harder things and realized mods were necessary to do even harder things. The final nail in the coffin of the Scout just being a rig for a nice family picnic type trip was when I found this site and heard about the Rubicon. It's gotten to the point now where I despertly want to do comps, and added all together I've put out about $10k on this Scout (but I have sold things for about $4K).

Anyway, I'm now looking at coils for the rear to stretch the wheel base to about 112", redoing the entire inside of the tub, and more and more and more.

I sometimes stop and think about this subject quite often. I had fun when the Scout was stock. Plus, I had more money to do more day trips. But, I have more fun now on the fewer trips we do. I can't quite figure out which is best. Meanwhile I just keep hacking, welding and changing.

Funny you say that, a friend gave me a "Moab Extreme" video last night and it was a trail ride on Upper and Lower Helldorado and the Pickle.

It had John Currie, Pat Gremillion, Harold Off, Sam Patton and the usual suspects.

I think one rig was running over 35" tires and this was only 2 years old!!!:eek:

Thinks sure went big fast!

Well in 1981 I bought my first scout and lifted it with add-a-leaves and went with 31" Cepek Fun Country's. Ohh the good old days.

Every now and then I'll find an old paper or notebook or document on the computer from when I got my first Samurai back when i was 15 (wow, that's been 5 years ago, doesnt' seem like that long even) and I was always making a "to-do" list or something. It's always stuff like 2" body lift, 31s, lockrights, double tube bumpers, bikini top, lift shackles, and other non-hardcore newbie stuff :rolleyes: I was (am?) such a dork :emb3:

Edit: I must be making really slow progress, because I just realized that my current truck has a 1" body lift and 31s. :laughing:

Originally posted by Old Scout
Well in 1981 I bought my first scout and lifted it with add-a-leaves and went with 31" Cepek Fun Country's. Ohh the good old days.

with SUA wouldent adding leafs lower it :confused:

LOL.... someone should save this thread.

Its the perfect answer when you start hearing people go:
WAAHHHHHH!!!!!! The trails are getting paved over, are too easy, suck, etc.

When in reality (well 90% of the time) their rig has just grown to the point those 3' tall boulders don't pose a challenge anymore.

Be interesting to hear of anyone that has gone "big" and came back to 35-36" tires and more "stock"

Originally posted by Chief Yelling Alot


with SUA wouldent adding leafs lower it :confused:


:rolleyes: :shaking: Are you really that clueless? Go ask on the binder bulletin!





























They add a deeper arch to the spring! :p

Originally posted by Chief Yelling Alot


with SUA wouldent adding leafs lower it :confused:

Yikes! I think I like it better when I have no clue what you are saying! :flipoff2:

Originally posted by Old Scout



:rolleyes: :shaking: Are you really that clueless? Go ask on the binder bulletin!





























They add a deeper arch to the spring! :p

oh ok ya see I dont know this SUA stuff all the junk i've worked on are SOA so I figgured when you add a leaf to SOA it is the same as doing it to SUA but since it is under the axel it would pull the mail leaf down

but I see now

Originally posted by wngrog
Funny you say that, a friend gave me a "Moab Extreme" video last night and it was a trail ride on Upper and Lower Helldorado and the Pickle.

It had John Currie, Pat Gremillion, Harold Off, Sam Patton and the usual suspects.

I think one rig was running over 35" tires and this was only 2 years old!!!:eek:

Thinks sure went big fast!

alot of people run 35's here on purpose...but yeah that video cracks me up..

what I think is weird is why some of those guys who compete in ARCA (RRCA) have a hard time on some of the not-that-hard obstacles in that video ???

EDIT forgot to add mine...

my first rig was when I was 17 (i was a fast car fan untill then) was a 80 blazer 4 inch lift and 33's - we used to go out everyday and beat that poor thing...

that was 95 and shit sure has changed in our small town wheeling wise since then...

what about favorite sayings...one I to am guilty of with the blazer is "that thing will go ANYWHERE" -that one cracks me up...you know a oldtimer or someone who does'nt get out much when they say "it'll go ANYWHERE"

lol

It all started for me 9 years ago, I was 14, when I went to work on my great uncles farm back in South Dakota. One of my co-workers had a 81 Toy pickup that had 33" tires on it and well it was a hoot for chasing cattle in. That thing would go almost anywhere becasue we always had the momentum factor. Been into big trucks with huge tires ever since. Got into the rock obsession about 4 years ago when I saw a video on TV of Lions Back.

Just wondering if there are any places were you can pick up the old-school videos????? Would love to have some to add to my collection. :flipoff2: :flipoff2:

In 1982 when I was 9yrs old. My mom & step-dad bought a brand new Toy pickup. With 1200mi on it we took it through the Con. (my bro & I rode in the back) Only mod was 31" tires (off a chevy luv). No gears- no lockers -no bumpers or nerfs. They only got a couple of minor dings in the body, but made it through fine. Don't think that same rig would make it through today:nuke:

Hell I have been on this board for over a year now. Been wheelin ever since. I remember back in the day when 14K modems were popular. My latest mod was a cable hookup. Makes loading shit much faster. Probably has been the best bang for the buck overall in my wheelin experience. Still saving up for a rig though. Might get one of those tube things that are getting popular. Anyone know who makes them? :flipoff2: :D :smokin: :beer: :beer:

Back in 1994, most of us here in R/C got out start with a local 4x club called the Gear Grinders, and we slowly evolved into the
TinBenders (a totally seperate 180 degree group). Then we were the shiat (or so we thought), and not too many people would pull the same weight we did,...... now.... there still isn't. But, we don't show it or flaunt it ( only to U guys... ), the other club doesn't want a thing to do with us..... :flipoff2: lol....

This thread is funny. I was recently cleaning up my computer area, which is also where I keep all of my 4x4 mags. I was looking through some from a couple of years ago (97-98) and it was amazing to see how different things were. Any tire over 35" was for mud bogs or show trucks, and only specialty rigs could score over 1000 on a 20 degree ramp!

I started in 97 when I bought a 75 Wag to take camping and two tracking in northern Michigan. I bought a 4x4 rag to look up some Jeep parts and thought it was cool looking and then started looking on the web for more info on my Wag and off-roading. Eventually the engine was rebuilt, and in 1999 I put on a 2" lift and 31" tires and thought it was big for a trailriding rig. At the time 31s were the max for a Wag, and only a few had 33s or even 35s!

After a few years of trying to keep it running and starting to see more TJs on the trails making it look easy I traded my daily driver for a TJ and started building it. Around the same time I joined a local 4x4 club and a few of us have been going out of state to hit the bigger areas.

Now the TJ does too well on Michigan trails, but it is a blast a places like Paragon, Badlands, and Tellico. The Wag has been upgraded to 35s and a locker in the rear and just plays on the Michigan trails.

In high school in late '87 I was driving a 1977 CJ5 with 2" lift springs, a 3" body, 33x12.5 Kelly Safari's, angle iron bumpers, all kinds of extra lights, and a Sears 8000M Winch (rebadged Warn 8274) and I thought I was the most hardcore wheeler around.

Of course, looking back, with those 3.54 gears, open diffs, and 3 spd tranny, I probably wasn't. :D

Bought my first 4x4 in 92. Sure I had been off road since I was a wee lad in Scottland in the landlords land rover, and a buddies scrambler in high school, But I had no intention of ever wheeling. Then I picked up a copy of 4 wheel and sport utility, end of 92, had Ken Francisco's sami winching up a verticle cliff, and from there I was hooked. Joined a club, dented a fender the first time I touched the x case lever (think I had like 3 or 4 k miles on the YJ then). Did the body lift and 31's thing, then soa and 33's with an axle swap, then 35's, who knows whats next. Remember Armstrong Norseman radials?? How about when 31x10.50 swampers were unstopable?? Or even when tech consisted of how to unhook a swaybar?? Ok, I'm feelin old now, think I'll have another :beer:

Kwrangln

Originally posted by Moab Austin



that was 95 and shit sure has changed in our small town wheeling wise since then...

what about favorite sayings...one I to am guilty of with the blazer is "that thing will go ANYWHERE" -that one cracks me up...you know a oldtimer or someone who does'nt get out much when they say "it'll go ANYWHERE"

lol

you know its some lamer, my XYZ, in stock form will go anywhere, it eats "cruiser, jeep whatever" all the time, i drive right past them

and i think, yeah...thats it......TOOL
follow me your stocko, or near stocko xxyz....WILL NOT make it...alive

but i say: yeah i mostly just do shows, maybe one day you can show me where you go and drive around all these super capable rigs and ill have a go

them: nah i dont want to embarass you or spend all day towing you around

me: ok cool (they are all talk) wankers

here ya go little sluise mid eighties those are 33" tires runin open open and that was the biggest rock in it try that today:smokin:

Started in '89 with wheeling my CUCV blazer outside of San Antonio, then hummers in Korea. Bought my first one in 92. A bone stock 78 chevy stepside. Thouht I was big time when I put the 31's on it. Traded it for my Wrangler and lifted it with a 2.5 lift and 32's. One of the biggest wranglers around for a while. Ended up SOA w/35's, gears, t-case gears, D44 w/ discs and ARB's front and rear, sold it and built a 88 4Runner with all the good stuff. Only on 35's, but I drove mine from Reno to Moab wheeled pritchett, rim and all the others and drove it back with no problems. I still like to drive mine to the trail.

I've been thinking about the oldin' days myself. My dad and I were going through old pictures a month or so ago and we came across the old pictures of the monthy wheeling trips we used to go on with the guys from his work. I was just a wee lad riding in Pop's Plymouth Trailduster. It was a hardcore trail rig of the day. 4" anti flex lift, 33 norsemans, a 203, open diffs, and acrilic enamel so he could rub out the AZ pinstriping. Man that was fun. The Trail duster got stolen when I was 10 and dad got a '76 Cherokee. Around 12 I finally got the balls to ask Dad if I could drive the Jeep. He was perfectly content to sit in the passenger's seat and look at the scenery so drove from then on out. I loved that Cherokee so much I bought it back from the guy my dad sold it to when I was 16, and promptly wrecked it:eek::rolleyes::(

Since then I've owned countless 4x4s and have finally given up on the Jeep thing and settled on Toyotas and Scouts, I can't just own one 4x4 I'm an addict:). I was just into normal forest road driving like my dad was until I opened up my 4Wheel and Offroad and saw Pinky. The Cambell's original rock buggy, it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. Since then it's been a blur of crawl ratios, articulation and traction, now I have 2500 square foot of shop space full of unfinished projects and cool tools. I lay awake at night dreaming of the day I can quit my day job and build trucks all day long. I'm really glad my dad took me wheeling and I can't wait to do the same for my kids.
Travis

My dad bought a brand new Chevy K20 in 1974 to replace his current 2wd truck. So I guess I started wheeling then. But we would take the 2wd truck as far as it would go as it had a locker and a granny low four speed! I remember going up Twin Hills at Hollister at night with the bikes in the back (we had come in late to camp). I think this is back before the place was even a state park and Twin Hills had a left and a right side trail with a bike or car swallowing rut in the center!

Jason :)

Originally posted by twaldher
When in reality (well 90% of the time) their rig has just grown to the point those 3' tall boulders don't pose a challenge anymore.

Be interesting to hear of anyone that has gone "big" and came back to 35-36" tires and more "stock"


Around 03 months ago, I bought a stock 1971 military spec CJ5, still with the spare tire hanging on the side. And it´s gonna stay that way for exactly the reasons you describe.

Occasionally, it´s good to remamber what it´s like to get stuck!!

but only occasionally...........:flipoff2: :D :flipoff2:

:beer: :beer:

I like to think back about "did I ever imagine my rig would be built like this". It's nice to be able to say no and realize what progression/learning has taken place.

4 years ago I didn't know it was possible to run larger than 35's on a Jeep, let alone run 38's and feel small :D

Damn I just watched the 99 (I think) Warn rock crawling championship in farminton, nm. What are all those fullbodied jeeps doin there? One of the only ones that hasn't changed much was Harold Off's scrambler. That's only been a couple of years.

Originally posted by twaldher

Be interesting to hear of anyone that has gone "big" and came back to 35-36" tires and more "stock"

I've backed off a little. From 38X12.50's on front & 38.5X16's on back to Q78's all around & a much more stock "appearance", even if I probably have more engine than before. And I haven't competed in mud with open headers since '93. Been in the sport since 1986, wheeled exclusively on 31" radials until '92 when I got my first set of 33" TSL's. Back in my days of 31's, there was nobody in either of the 4x4 clubs I belonged to that could leave me behind on any trail in our area, though the handful of guys on 33's could get through with less effort (those that could drive anyway LOL). Anything more was overkill & the crappy springs that were available at the time made the guys on 35's & up poor performers in the twisties.

TEX

Well I remember when you could almost only get large tires from Dick Cepek Inc. I remember my Dad getting the first BFG Radial A/T's when they came out in '76? I remember waiting for 3 months to get the very first shipment of 16.5" Outlaw ll aluminum wheels for my tow rig--at the time you had a choice of dish mags or a few Huricane style if you wanted aluminuim 16.5's!

Jason :)

Bought a new '79 Chevy Luv 4x4 in 1980. Traded it in for a new '81 Toyota shortbed six months later. The dealership was amazed...they couldn't find one piece of straight sheetmetal on it! I delivered the twisted-up bed to them with a buddy's rig since I had previously torn all of the mounts off. Visited the S.C.O.R.E. Off Road show a couple of weeks later and bought a lift kit / Warn winch / 4.88's / Tru-trac limited slips and 11-15 Armstrong Tru Trac tires from Charley's Off-Road. (Any body remember them?) Piloted the Toy with P78-15 (33") Mud Country's on the '83 Sierra Trek sb run. This was the first year that mini's were allowed on the trail. Seems funny now to think that "they" didn't think that the mini's were up to par with jeeps and cruisers. Ran the "winch"-hills with the a/c cranked and the tunes a-blazin.
Ahhh...the good old days.

I got this back around Christmas of 1992 when I was 16, My first 4x4, but the only wheeling I did was playing in the mud and what-not on the farm :p

http://www.tennessee4x4.com/toyota/images/drm_chevy.JPG

Then I got this when I thought I would try Jeeps instead of beating up my Toyota:

http://www.tennessee4x4.com/toyota/images/drm_greencj5.JPG

And this Was another CJ5 I had for a while - wish I still had this one, it was SHARP looking :cool2:

http://www.tennessee4x4.com/toyota/images/drm_blackcj2.JPG



I have had a lot more, but those are the only ones I ever actually took off road....

Back in the day's wheeling on 32's I was the shit...then in March 2002 I cut one and went to 35's :)
My first 4x4 was a 88 Trooper I bought new. Had lots of fun but did nothing near what I don't even think twice of doing now.
My first wheel experience whas when I was 15 (1983). The Girls that lived behind me were friends of mine. Michelle was My age and we dated and her sister (Wanda) was 3 years older than me. Wanda's Boyfriend had a pretty big 81 Toyota. The spare just fit between the wheel wells so I guess it was on 38's or so. Stock axles. I went wheeling with them and we got the thing stuck running up a creek at a place called 1000 achers. Hooked a log with the font axle and pulled the truck down right up to the hood LOL.
The other truck that was with us was a 70's ScoutII. They pulled the Toy out ( with a logging chain) and then headed to the store for more supplies (read Beer :) ). I rode in the scout. NO back seat. Factory roll bar and the hard top was on. THe headliner in the hard top was some hard board with little holes about every 3/16. The guy driving was NUTS. Ball to the walls out of there. No seat, no seat belts holding onto that roll bar for dear life LOL. My Knuckles were bleeding by the time the ride was over :)
Now I have a 75 Jimmy with 5 inches in front, 6 inches in back. 1 inch body lift, 35's, 4.10 gear. Detroit in the back and a lock right in the front. I was serious about the 32's :) the remaine 3 and the dry rotted spare are for sale btw

;)

I had tru- tracs on my FJ and my CJ7. aired them down to 6 lbs and never lost a bead on them. No beadlocks back then either.:usa:

I got my first 4x4 in Oct. of 87. It was a brand new 88 toyota reg cab. I would go wheelin right after work ( midnight) on fri and sat nights. We would go to a local abandoned sand quarry and wheel until 3-4 in the morning. Then hit the car wash and spend $5 or more cleaning it. And in the summer we would head down to Assateague Island on the eastern shore of MD and wheel on the beach.:cool:

Originally posted by BJ On Roids


you know its some lamer, my XYZ, in stock form will go anywhere, it eats "cruiser, jeep whatever" all the time, i drive right past them

and i think, yeah...thats it......TOOL
follow me your stocko, or near stocko xxyz....WILL NOT make it...alive

but i say: yeah i mostly just do shows, maybe one day you can show me where you go and drive around all these super capable rigs and ill have a go

them: nah i dont want to embarass you or spend all day towing you around

me: ok cool (they are all talk) wankers

No way boy I been wheeling since you were knee high to a hopper and I can take my ole truck any-damn-where ya wanna go BOY !

:flipoff2:

I remember seeing my first Toyota truck in the box on the Rubicon in the early 80's. It was a long bed with the stock 235's. It still had dealer plates! As I recall he got a bit high centered but a foot to the floor made up for the open diffs! I had toyota trucks at the time but they were all show/race trucks (lowered convertable's 2wd etc.) I was not into Toyota trucks because what I had seen they all had bad wheel hop! I was a Pismo regular at the time and a four cylinder with wheel hop--well thats no good at the drags and hill climbs competitions that were popular back then. My Chevy truck had so much horsepower that I could back up Competion hill in reverse in 2wd! This was back when Competion Hill at Pismo was steep and was actually a different hill than it is now! Heck I even remember flying up Comp Hill once in my lowered 2wd truck and was the only truck to make it up that day. It was so whooped out none of the 4wd trucks could make it as they whoops were too deep and the trucks would bottom out and loose speed! I was bored, cranked up the HD Sway a Way torsion bars to go wheeling out in the dunes with my buddies. I hit the bottom of the dune and the whoops wide open in third gear (about 55 MPH!) and caught air at the top of second gear at the very top! Remember when you could do that at Comp Hill--that was a long time ago!

Jason :)

Jason