Builds GCRad1's 1992 ADV80 LAND CRUISER (2 Viewers)

[NLXTACY]

FOUND PHOTOS! A while back before taking off on my Moab trip I wanted to see if I could relieve some heat from the engine compartment. I've seen some cool threads on venting, but I've not had the time needed to do all the work needed to install vents. Plus the money needed, I would rather put into things I need vs want. So, I've seen this little technique on some street rods and thought I would give it a try. It may look a little weird at first, but its not a fashion statement, its for function. I just wished I had a 1HDT turbo diesel motor under the hood.

To get the hood kicked up in the back, all I did was add a longer bolt with washers stacked in.
The above photo shows the stock hood latch bolt on the left and longer replacement bolt on the right.

I made two stacks of washers as I was not sure if I wanted to go with three washers or four. I went with three washers both front and back.

Another angle. I think it works OK but I think I will come back and add four washers as I noticed the hood barely clears the rubber seal at the back of the hood. The rubber seal expands up when the hood is lifted and didn't realize how much it expands up. I didn't shoot more detailed photos as I was just trying to get this done before my trips but I can come back and shoot these went I take time to bump the hood up higher.

I think I'm going to do this

 

[rickashay]

I think I'm going to do this

+1. I don't even mind the look as long as the rear isn't too raised up. Id be happy to lose a couple degrees of engine temp for a couple washers and a longer bolt!

 

[GCRad1]

I little quick report from this past weekend:
Picked up a hitchhiker on Friday:

Got it fixed and went wheelin' 125-miles worth of dirt with the Yotamasters crew Saturday and Sunday.

trip report coming soon...

 

[GCRad1]

Before we get into the Yotamasters125 trip report, here is how I extracted the TJM Yulara RTT from the FrontRunner SlimLine II roof rack by myself?

I took two 2X4's laid them up under the edge of the roof rack. Then pushed the RTT to the edge.

I had to lift the RTT so the channel running along the bottom side would clear the roof rack.

I added a couple of pieces of cardboard so I would not scrape up the bottom of the RTT or the roof rack.

It slid right on down to the shelf. I love it when a hair brain idea actually works! Now to get the RTT back onto the roof rack! And that day will be coming soon!

 

[NLXTACY]

I'm sorry, did you stop at each position to get down off the truck so you couple snap a pic then go up and move the RTT a few inches each time?

 

[GCRad1]

I found this thread https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/to-swingout-or-not.267168/page-2
and like this set up from Mud'member Tools R Us. I might have to go this route until I get a swingout bumper set up!!!

Mine rode strapped down in the back for years. Wanted to make a carrier, but wasn't wild about the designs that require unloading gear to remove/unbolt the spare. Made one where the spare rolls in from the back, works great. It also holds the Puma compressor, simply open the slider window, plug in the hose and click it on. The other rig is azTony's and a shot of the water can (or whatever) shelf. Both bolt into the stock 3rd row holes.

 

[GCRad1]

Naaa, I just pushed the RTT off the side and as it slid I shot the camera in hi-speed stop action motor drive mode at 4-frames per minute! hehehe

I'm sorry, did you stop at each position to get down off the truck so you couple snap a pic then go up and move the RTT a few inches each time?

 

[GCRad1]

YOTAMASTERS 125 August 23 - 24 2014
Got invited to tag along with the Yotamasters Crew to explore the local desert & mountains here is Southern California and to add 125 miles of dirt to our odometers over two days.

But the ADV80's drag link top side bushing is starting to give way making a clunky clicking noise when I turn the steering wheel. Yes, I need to spend some time working on my rig, but not this weekend as I am going wheeling! I have a spare stock length drag link if this one goes completely kaput on me!

Fuel up before I hit the commuter tarmac and on the road by 5:00am. The ADV80 is still wearing the same dirt from the previous weekend's outing on Saddleback. Two weekends in a row! YES and much needed!

Early morning tarmac blur as its about a thirty minute drive from my house to the Yotamasters shop in Corona, CA.

In Corona, Eric of Yotamasters, myself and Dylan of ICON Vehicle Dynamics (in my rearview mirror) meet up and are in route to Palm Springs / Indio area. We will pick up others as we make way to Dillon Rd. in Indio off the 10FWY.

THAT BUMPER! It's a Dylan-made aluminum bumper!!! Its a work in progress, but this weekend its a weekend for fun! And last weekend too as Dylan was with us for the Santiago Peak Run with the SoCal80's group.

Eric of Yotamasters said he was going to do things a little differently this trip!

We meet up and gas up at Dillan Road in Indio, CA and head towards the mountains. Over those mountains is Joshua Tree National Park and the start of our destination dirt tour 125. We have seven rigs in total for this little mission.

And a rather mixed bag of fruit in rig choice with these seven rigs; 2-80's 2-4Runners and 3-pickups. All likeminded individuals.

We pull into the canyon of Berdoo Canyon Road and its airdown time.

Yes sir! I am still loving my Falken Wild Peak's and this nifty Falken Speed Bleeder!
I bump the Falken Wild Peaks down to 20lbs. Not too soft - not too firm.

Our itinerary is as such: Joshua Tree, Pioneer Town, Rattlesnake Canyon, Cougar Buttes and Big Bear. Sounds like a plan!

We quickly had our obligatory meeting with Mr. Snake!

No we are not in Rattlesnake Canyon yet. Yea, you tell him whatever you want, this is his house, pass freely Mr. Rattler sir. You are born a free snake to move about freely under your own free will. Don't tread on me - don't want any trouble - won't get any trouble.

Onward we go:

The wash / canyon is a continuos gradual climb with a mix of sand and rock. What else would a canyon wash be?

Nevertheless the scenery is spectacular and the weather, while still early, is not too hot. This is of concern for me as I have a non-functioning air non-conditioner system that is really good at moving warm air around inside cockpit compartment. Thus it is windows down and trail off the dust buddies. As we get further up the wash the adventure picks up the pace. Also noticeable was the moister content of the ground from recent rain. Can you say loamy sand wash?

The canyon wash pushes us towards the rim, once over, the terrain transitions from the harsh rock to a more desert vegetative scenery.
The trail smooths for a snappy pace and happy faces.

Somewhere through here the road goes from Berdoo Canyon Road to Unnamed Road. We don't need any stinking names!

And then the road goes from Unnamed Road to Geology Tour Road. OK, Im cool with that. I just want to drive across this section and see where it goes no matter the name.

 

[GCRad1]

Yes! We are practically smack-dab in the middle of Joshua Tree State Park!
Upon tossing "Pine City Canyon" in the Google Map search = NOTHING! Hmmm...
But we were there! I got this photo didn't I?

Back in the saddle again and making chase as Eric did a double spur kick on ol'Betsy. YeaHA! Onward we go!

Typical Joshua Tree postcard material for what seems viewable in any and all directions! While this may not be super-off-road material and very limited dirt access, its still cool stuff to see!


From Joshua Tree State Park:

We make a tarmac transit for gas, ice, drinks and then onward to Pioneertown where we will grab some lunch and drop back into the dirt stuff.
Lunch location atmosphere is important and we make this a pre-determined location.

Pappy & Harriet's Pioneertown Palace
http://pappyandharriets.com

Wood fire grill action at Pappy & Harriet's

The eclectic collection of vehicles in the parking lot. Would love to own a real Myers Manx! Not sure if this is a real one or not, but its cool looking never less!
Yea, I know... No photos with the hoods open without fender-lizards. But I can't help it, NO A/C so I don't want to come back to a heat soaked interior so I let the heat out the easy way. Yes, hood louvers///hood louvers///hood louvers///hood louvers///hood louvers!!! I WANT SOME!!!

Desert Stars Festival Poster at Pappy & Harriet's.

CHATEAU dirt road was a no go, so it was a transit on around to Rimrock Road.

 

[GCRad1]

Yea, its nothing major.. but yea, I could, I can and I did this all day long!

And what keeps it all interesting...

is the change in scenery!!! Yea, those are some seriously large Joshua tree's!

I didn't do a good job of getting a shot of all the rigs here...

OK, so we have a trail to the left and a trail to the right... Which way are we going boss?
To the right we go - RATTLESNAKE CANYON here we come! I've read trip reports before about this trail so I was looking very forward to this one!

I have my 100oz CamelBak for continuous water supply on-hand as the D-Rings on the shoulder straps make it easy to hang on the back of the seat.
I quickly pop off the headrest and threading the D's onto the headrest. It has a large mouth filler opening so stuffing it with ice cubes is no problem.

But, sometimes you just need some taste to go along with your water and Gatorade's Frost Glacier Cherry has to be the top selling flavor!!!
WOW! Just pull it from the deep of the cooler and enjoy!

 

[GCRad1]

Now we are getting into Rattlesnake Canyon and I've wanted to see what the fuss has been all about:

Minutes into Rattlesnake Canyon and we run up on Randy Slawson and crew of Bomber Fabrication. What are the odds... Randy is a big time chassis manufacturer and quite the wheel himself in the rock racing community. But this weekend they are out chasing fun in some UTV's.

After chatting with Randy for a bit, we are back on the trail.

Once we are out of the rough, the canyon is a bit wider and flowing sand bottom that allows us to kick up the spur tempo!
With the wick burning on the deep side, focus is sharpened and adrenaline flowing! So much so that this was/is the balance I have been chasing since my rally car days! Yes, I was having some serious fun!
AND THEN....
SNAP CRACKLE AND POP all in TWO SECONDS!!! Something just got broke, hit and all that! My focus was so on mashing and maintaining the 80-series in a series of off throttle oversteers and land mine rock dodging tire management I let slip the monitoring of vehicle hight. And it was done... I had tagged a very nice size tree limb overhanging the trail. The FrontRunner axe mount sits vertically on the rack's ride side. Tree limb was lower on the right side of the trail. The two opposing objects met at approximately 40mph.

This piece was hanging in the lower branches.

When metal meets wood, one is going to win. This guy is obviously the victor and carries the scares of many scrappy battles from days past. This is the view looking back from the direction I was coming from. Its a L3-10 and I was hot-cooking it to keep the 3FE on plain in the sand and "on the pipe" to somewhat have a little power coming out of the turns.
So for the real damage...

The beauty of this whole ordeal is that the Front Runner Outfitters Slimline II Roof Rack system is a completely modular system. Had this been my previous roof rack it would be a completely tweaked whole rack and a complete write off. For this FRO-SLII-rack, I will replace one foot and one side section. I was rather impressed on the outcome as I hit this tree limb at approximately 40mph! That is no small brush limb that jumped out in front of my rig! Thank you FrontRunner for making such an awesome product! While I thought it was a bit ridiculous with all the modularity, but now I'm really-really a fan!

The ADV80 got bit by Rattlesnake Canyon. But, I was having SO MUCH FUN that while I did take on some damage, I didn't let it dampen my spirit or fun! Gathered my pieces and carried on. Just a little less gingerly.

 

[GCRad1]

Now we are clear of the canyon walls and sandy wash. Its back to the rocks.
I give the Falken Wild Peaks a quick once over before we get into it again. These tire are CHAMP!

Why yes, that is a full float rear axle assembly and rear disk brakes hidden behind mil-spec look steelies on the 1992 ADV80!

At this point we are just traversing the land between Big Bear and HWY247 in route to Cougar Buttes.

We follow a road that is clearly marked with the trail number and get to the end to only have a sign state, "DO NOT PASS - DON'T BE STUPID!"
So we get to a high point to do a little surveillance scouting toward the direction of Cougar Buttes.

Paper rock scissors... OK, this way looks good:

Everything looks flat in 2D:

But there was some dirt squirting getting up this hill. I dropped the transfer case into L and 2nd on the main stick, fired up the six squirrels into a chorus hum and got after it.

Cougar Buttes is just around the way. We will be setting up camp soon and sharing our thoughts of the day.

 

[GCRad1]

We arrive to destination Cougar Buttes within Johnson Vally, CA.

Mr. Dante Cerchio lays his Yota up into the rocks. No, he is not afraid and this is his DAILY DRIVER!

Planet of the Eighties.

This is Dylan Evan's 80 of ICON Vehicle Dynamics. Yes, they make AWESOME suspension and Dylan knows his stuff!
He is the one who originally use my ADV80 as the prototype mule and I think he got a little inspire by my piece of junk so he went out and secured his own 80 and started building! While he may be sorta'new to the Mud forum and this is his first 80, he is not a noob! Fast or slow, Dylan is the math of suspension and I have been working with him for a long time! He originally built the suspension for my rally car a long time ago. We built the car and jumped it like a truck!

This is Eric's 1991 4Runner, of Yotamasters. His shop is the only shop that I take my ADV80 to for service and its a 30-mile hike to his shop, but so worth it! He wheels and wheels hard! From fishing the Sierra's to blazing the desert, Eric is as much an enthusiast as the rest of us!

We circle the wagons:

Time to fire up the stove.

Everyone needs one of these 12V LED Strips!
Call and order yours today from Yotamasters as it is not up on the website yet: 951.279.0220.
I have it plugged into my sPOD for super easy use.

Campfire is roaring, but we get rambunctious...

We hop in the rigs and head over to the Bull Frog Trail for a little night-crawl.

So we get that out of our system and head back to camp for the night as tomorrow we get up and do it all over again on another route towards our
home base.

 

[GCRad1]

Next morning we awoke to a time continuum from another space and place:

We awoke to these!
Jon Larsen had popped up his foldable oven on his grill and popped some cinnamon rolls with frosting in the oven!

After breakfast and packing up camp, we are on the road again.

A scratch of tarmac transit alongside mountain range. We will be going up and over this section of mountain where the radio tower is. I think we are going up Grapevine Canyon Road as it will take us up to White Mountain South Peak and Redonda Ridge and on over into Big Bear.

Yeap, we are going up on the right where the big rocks are. I think this is High Drive.

Orchard Drive is actually a step wash that is very sandy. Applying too much skinny pedal only makes for spinning tires and sand ripples.

Making our way up the road.

Its step the whole way. The only tricky item is a couple of washouts to navigate around. Sorry I should have snapped a couple of those but I was actually focused on getting around them.

Expansive views from the little road hanging on the edge of the mountain.

A sign we are getting closer to the top.

We collect up the crew just before the crest:

And we make our way over the top! So onto the Big Bear section.

 

[BryanFRO]

Now we are getting into Rattlesnake Canyon and I've wanted to see what the fuss has been all about:

Minutes into Rattlesnake Canyon and we run up on Randy Slawson and crew of Bomber Fabrication. What are the odds... Randy is a big time chassis manufacturer and quite the wheel himself in the rock racing community. But this weekend they are out chasing fun in some UTV's.

After chatting with Randy for a bit, we are back on the trail.

Once we are out of the rough, the canyon is a bit wider and flowing sand bottom that allows us to kick up the spur tempo!
With the wick burning on the deep side, focus is sharpened and adrenaline flowing! So much so that this was/is the balance I have been chasing since my rally car days! Yes, I was having some serious fun!
AND THEN....
SNAP CRACKLE AND POP all in TWO SECONDS!!! Something just got broke, hit and all that! My focus was so on mashing and maintaining the 80-series in a series of off throttle oversteers and land mine rock dodging tire management I let slip the monitoring of vehicle hight. And it was done... I had tagged a very nice size tree limb overhanging the trail. The FrontRunner axe mount sits vertically on the rack's ride side. Tree limb was lower on the right side of the trail. The two opposing objects met at approximately 40mph.

This piece was hanging in the lower branches.

When metal meets wood, one is going to win. This guy is obviously the victor and carries the scares of many scrappy battles from days past. This is the view looking back from the direction I was coming from. Its a L3-10 and I was hot-cooking it to keep the 3FE on plain in the sand and "on the pipe" to somewhat have a little power coming out of the turns.
So for the real damage...

The beauty of this whole ordeal is that the Front Runner Outfitters Slimline II Roof Rack system is a completely modular system. Had this been my previous roof rack it would be a completely tweaked whole rack and a complete write off. For this FRO-SLII-rack, I will replace one foot and one side section. I was rather impressed on the outcome as I hit this tree limb at approximately 40mph! That is no small brush limb that jumped out in front of my rig! Thank you FrontRunner for making such an awesome product! While I thought it was a bit ridiculous with all the modularity, but now I'm really-really a fan!

The ADV80 got bit by Rattlesnake Canyon. But, I was having SO MUCH FUN that while I did take on some damage, I didn't let it dampen my spirit or fun! Gathered my pieces and carried on. Just a little less gingerly.

Thats quite a hit you took there! Looks like a few pieces to replace and you'll be back in business. Feel free to contact us an Front Runner anytime to get those pieces replaced.

-Bryan

 

[ryaneddy16]

LOL I see you!

 

[ajh760]

Great thread! I have enjoyed going through it all today and appreciate you posting your experiences as you built your 80. It will no doubt help others within the mystic 3FE club.

 

[onemanarmy]

Fantastic write up and great pics, that is how a write up should be done. No detail left out so the next person can follow along.

Great choice on the tire size and love the overall look.

Did you ever get the lockers working?

 

[tlin]

You don't mess around when it comes time to write up a trail report, nice work!

Great build, go 3FE!!!!

 

[GCRad1]

NICE FIND of the ADV80 Ryaneddy16 in that video! I take it you may be a bit of an Axial fan?

LOL I see you!