MrMoMo
That's not rust, it's Canadian patina...
Well, Hmm. I'm a little un-prepared for this, but I'll do my best to dazzle.
My addiction to toyota does not have near the cool history as many of you folks have. Parents never had cruisers, and I was never really a "truck" guy, though I always thought the Toyota pickups were the coolest looking trucks. In university a buddy of mine had a Mazda B2200 that could go anywhere, well, almost anywhere. A few times he had to be pulled out with a skidder - but hey - everyone is allowed to get stuck a few times.
Fast forward - done school, bought a house, surfed way too much internet. In the back of my mind I had wanted a truck like my buddy, but a toyota. Surfed around for long enough and found the wild yoats website. Saw some cool stuff there and around the same time, just happened uppon an '83 pickup in a wrecking yard near me. Scooped it up, brought it home, bought a lift kit, installed it, got it running and then realized why it had been in the wrecking yard. It was really beyond help - Frame was rotted, body was shot, but it sat nice and high!! Hooked on Toyota now I found myself a nice clean '99 tacoma extended cab. Night and day difference! With a kid on the way it would be MUCH safer than the '83 pickup, and had more room (that's what I told my wife anyway). After a few years of driving the tacoma, I stumbled over Ih8mud and was hooked on the 40 series. I really wanted a diesel, but instead settled for a 40 in decent condition with the 2F. I decided that I really didn't need to be driving a "truck" back and forth to work every day, so bought the 40 and sold the Tacoma. I figured at least they were both 6cyl so the milage couldn't be that different. Ya. Right. Drove the 40 back and fourth for about 2 years, and then really got the diesel bug. I HAD to have a diesel - Gas was going up, and the 40 was not the best vehicle to be toting around a small child in. (as a second vehicle) The hunt began. Found myself a Diesel 60, near by and it seemed to be in decent shape (for the location I live in!) Took it for a test drive and picked it up the next week. Figured I'd get around to selling the 40... but it hasn't happened yet!
Here's how it looked when I got it. 1984 BJ60, 3B. Stock but with 31's on 4 runner rims; (didn't have the rack then)
After driving it around for a year the way it was, I had to play around. I wanted tires, and I needed tires - these ones were worn out when I got them. Being a cheap-ass I wanted the best but didn't want to pay. Searched around the mud classifieds, but couldn't find any amazing deals. I had heard about the High-tech re-treads site, so I gave them a try. Ordered a set of 33x12.5's and stole the rims of the delapidated (but still around!) '83 pickup. Mounted up, and bolted up - this was my first real change - very happy - still running the tires today. Probably have around 15K miles on them.
Always looking for mods to clean up the look of the truck, I blacked out the grill - and for improved vision, I installed the Sylvana silver star headlighs (have them in the 40 as well -awesome and totally worth the simple upgrade)
So, after installing the tires, blacking out the grill the truck is really starting to look like a decent cruiser, what this truck really needs is a lift. Of course, we all know that OME is the "one" but MAN it's expensive. I need to take advantage of this diesel and start really saving money. I've got to give this Waste Veggie Oil thing a try. As luck had it, a friend of a friend was JUST opening up a restaurant - I tagged all the oil. I have been picking it up every week since they opened - and it's running great. I've been WVO powered for a year and a half now, with absolutely no ill effects, other than I spend all my fuel saved money on other stuff, so I don't really save it!!!
WVO build up is a totally different story, I won't get into it here as many folks are un-able to convert.... I won't bore you. Info can be found here, in my Build thread; https://forum.ih8mud.com/alternativ...tc/205482-84-bj60-3b-wvo-build-up-thread.html
Saving my pennies, thinking - do I really want to spend the money on OME? I finally decided to just go for it. Man am I glad I did... Somehow I had managed to save a bunch of pennies, and bought myself a 2 post lift at the same time. Made the install a dream, and all the work since then as well - but enough of that, back to the cruiser!
Playing in the deep snow, just after the lift;
Sweet... Got the tires, got the lift - got the look. All set right. Man that bumper is looking wimpy. I need a winch, oh and new mirros, and a TURBO!, and a.. and a... and... and.. and... (it doesn't ever stop does it!)
Needless to say, they are all on the way.
New mirrors;
So now the fun really begins - I manage to wrangle a buddy into a 60, so now I have a wheelin' buddy. Cool - here are some fun shots of some of our outings...
And it's always good to bring along a friend who really knows how to take pictures;
Turbo install; (the slowest install ever) Boost and Pyro gauges are in, I have the manifold and the turbo but I need to get my ASS in GEAR and slap the damn thing together!!!! So much so, that I actually drove the 40 last week - Nice to have the power, but DAMN this stuff called "Gasoline" is EXPENSIVE and it uses a LOT! (veggie gauges can also be seen below the dash in this pic, and the toggle on the dash is what switches from diesel to veggie) can also see the edge of my Icom VHF 2meter Ham radio... installed at some point along the journey of cruisership...
Gauges in the vent holes;
Ok, I've got to get a winch - this truck is starting to not be right without one. I know the 8274 is expensive, but it's just the right winch. I've got to get me one!! Got sick of missing out on the ones that kept popping up for cheap, but finally, sticking to it, I managed to snag one in the Ih8MUD classifieds. Now I need to build a bumper for it!! Got some heavy steel, made some time, and started welding;
Using the hoist to mount the bumper!!;
Right, so now we start seriously looking for places to get stuck. And people to get stuck with. Located, UCLC, Upper Canada Land Cruisers, definately a dedicated bunch of knowledgeable guys. Time for a trail run or two! Enter, the UCLC Spring Run - well, it was a little more winter when we got there, but that made it just that much more of a challenge!
Truck is starting to look worthy now...
Hmmm, just not quite enough Umph!! (needs a locker!)
Schtuck!
For the full story, and tons of pics, go here! https://forum.ih8mud.com/ca-upper-canada-land-cruisers/267781-uclc-spring-run.html
Right. Sleeping in this truck is a pain, so it's time to build a better bed. (since on this 3 day trip, I slept on the floor in the back (no mattress) and I had to move my veggie tank out of the way, very heavy!
Enter the new idea. A new veggie tank, with a platform over top of it. An air matress and some storage - Perfect. One sheet of plywood and a few hours later with some help from a friend...
Set up for sleeping;
Right. NOW I'm set up for the next run!
Round two - the WSSR run with UCLC (full story; https://forum.ih8mud.com/ca-upper-canada-land-cruisers/289194-june2009-uclc-run-pics.html )
Nothing like a run of ALL DIESEL CRUISERS!!
A few of the highlight pics...
The group;
That hole's a bit deeper than I thought it was!!
So that's it folks, that's how the rig is these days. There's more evolution to come I'm sure. Gota get that turbo done.
I have a cruiser addiction. I'm sure we all do. Luckily for me I have been able to spread it around and meet some good people. I'm hooked, I'm in it for life - there may be times when I'm not on mud for a while, but it's because I'm busy with my cruisers!!! (see sig)
A few videos to end it all off - thanks a ton to those who have captured my moments in stills, and on film!
YouTube - MrMoMo mudding it
UCLCspring09Vids :: bj60 puddle crossin video by steadyburn - Photobucket
Hope you've enjoyed!!
My addiction to toyota does not have near the cool history as many of you folks have. Parents never had cruisers, and I was never really a "truck" guy, though I always thought the Toyota pickups were the coolest looking trucks. In university a buddy of mine had a Mazda B2200 that could go anywhere, well, almost anywhere. A few times he had to be pulled out with a skidder - but hey - everyone is allowed to get stuck a few times.
Fast forward - done school, bought a house, surfed way too much internet. In the back of my mind I had wanted a truck like my buddy, but a toyota. Surfed around for long enough and found the wild yoats website. Saw some cool stuff there and around the same time, just happened uppon an '83 pickup in a wrecking yard near me. Scooped it up, brought it home, bought a lift kit, installed it, got it running and then realized why it had been in the wrecking yard. It was really beyond help - Frame was rotted, body was shot, but it sat nice and high!! Hooked on Toyota now I found myself a nice clean '99 tacoma extended cab. Night and day difference! With a kid on the way it would be MUCH safer than the '83 pickup, and had more room (that's what I told my wife anyway). After a few years of driving the tacoma, I stumbled over Ih8mud and was hooked on the 40 series. I really wanted a diesel, but instead settled for a 40 in decent condition with the 2F. I decided that I really didn't need to be driving a "truck" back and forth to work every day, so bought the 40 and sold the Tacoma. I figured at least they were both 6cyl so the milage couldn't be that different. Ya. Right. Drove the 40 back and fourth for about 2 years, and then really got the diesel bug. I HAD to have a diesel - Gas was going up, and the 40 was not the best vehicle to be toting around a small child in. (as a second vehicle) The hunt began. Found myself a Diesel 60, near by and it seemed to be in decent shape (for the location I live in!) Took it for a test drive and picked it up the next week. Figured I'd get around to selling the 40... but it hasn't happened yet!
Here's how it looked when I got it. 1984 BJ60, 3B. Stock but with 31's on 4 runner rims; (didn't have the rack then)
After driving it around for a year the way it was, I had to play around. I wanted tires, and I needed tires - these ones were worn out when I got them. Being a cheap-ass I wanted the best but didn't want to pay. Searched around the mud classifieds, but couldn't find any amazing deals. I had heard about the High-tech re-treads site, so I gave them a try. Ordered a set of 33x12.5's and stole the rims of the delapidated (but still around!) '83 pickup. Mounted up, and bolted up - this was my first real change - very happy - still running the tires today. Probably have around 15K miles on them.
Always looking for mods to clean up the look of the truck, I blacked out the grill - and for improved vision, I installed the Sylvana silver star headlighs (have them in the 40 as well -awesome and totally worth the simple upgrade)
So, after installing the tires, blacking out the grill the truck is really starting to look like a decent cruiser, what this truck really needs is a lift. Of course, we all know that OME is the "one" but MAN it's expensive. I need to take advantage of this diesel and start really saving money. I've got to give this Waste Veggie Oil thing a try. As luck had it, a friend of a friend was JUST opening up a restaurant - I tagged all the oil. I have been picking it up every week since they opened - and it's running great. I've been WVO powered for a year and a half now, with absolutely no ill effects, other than I spend all my fuel saved money on other stuff, so I don't really save it!!!
WVO build up is a totally different story, I won't get into it here as many folks are un-able to convert.... I won't bore you. Info can be found here, in my Build thread; https://forum.ih8mud.com/alternativ...tc/205482-84-bj60-3b-wvo-build-up-thread.html
Saving my pennies, thinking - do I really want to spend the money on OME? I finally decided to just go for it. Man am I glad I did... Somehow I had managed to save a bunch of pennies, and bought myself a 2 post lift at the same time. Made the install a dream, and all the work since then as well - but enough of that, back to the cruiser!
Playing in the deep snow, just after the lift;
Sweet... Got the tires, got the lift - got the look. All set right. Man that bumper is looking wimpy. I need a winch, oh and new mirros, and a TURBO!, and a.. and a... and... and.. and... (it doesn't ever stop does it!)
Needless to say, they are all on the way.
New mirrors;
So now the fun really begins - I manage to wrangle a buddy into a 60, so now I have a wheelin' buddy. Cool - here are some fun shots of some of our outings...
And it's always good to bring along a friend who really knows how to take pictures;
Turbo install; (the slowest install ever) Boost and Pyro gauges are in, I have the manifold and the turbo but I need to get my ASS in GEAR and slap the damn thing together!!!! So much so, that I actually drove the 40 last week - Nice to have the power, but DAMN this stuff called "Gasoline" is EXPENSIVE and it uses a LOT! (veggie gauges can also be seen below the dash in this pic, and the toggle on the dash is what switches from diesel to veggie) can also see the edge of my Icom VHF 2meter Ham radio... installed at some point along the journey of cruisership...
Gauges in the vent holes;
Ok, I've got to get a winch - this truck is starting to not be right without one. I know the 8274 is expensive, but it's just the right winch. I've got to get me one!! Got sick of missing out on the ones that kept popping up for cheap, but finally, sticking to it, I managed to snag one in the Ih8MUD classifieds. Now I need to build a bumper for it!! Got some heavy steel, made some time, and started welding;
Using the hoist to mount the bumper!!;
Right, so now we start seriously looking for places to get stuck. And people to get stuck with. Located, UCLC, Upper Canada Land Cruisers, definately a dedicated bunch of knowledgeable guys. Time for a trail run or two! Enter, the UCLC Spring Run - well, it was a little more winter when we got there, but that made it just that much more of a challenge!
Truck is starting to look worthy now...
Hmmm, just not quite enough Umph!! (needs a locker!)
Schtuck!
For the full story, and tons of pics, go here! https://forum.ih8mud.com/ca-upper-canada-land-cruisers/267781-uclc-spring-run.html
Right. Sleeping in this truck is a pain, so it's time to build a better bed. (since on this 3 day trip, I slept on the floor in the back (no mattress) and I had to move my veggie tank out of the way, very heavy!
Enter the new idea. A new veggie tank, with a platform over top of it. An air matress and some storage - Perfect. One sheet of plywood and a few hours later with some help from a friend...
Set up for sleeping;
Right. NOW I'm set up for the next run!
Round two - the WSSR run with UCLC (full story; https://forum.ih8mud.com/ca-upper-canada-land-cruisers/289194-june2009-uclc-run-pics.html )
Nothing like a run of ALL DIESEL CRUISERS!!
A few of the highlight pics...
The group;
That hole's a bit deeper than I thought it was!!
So that's it folks, that's how the rig is these days. There's more evolution to come I'm sure. Gota get that turbo done.
I have a cruiser addiction. I'm sure we all do. Luckily for me I have been able to spread it around and meet some good people. I'm hooked, I'm in it for life - there may be times when I'm not on mud for a while, but it's because I'm busy with my cruisers!!! (see sig)
A few videos to end it all off - thanks a ton to those who have captured my moments in stills, and on film!
YouTube - MrMoMo mudding it
UCLCspring09Vids :: bj60 puddle crossin video by steadyburn - Photobucket
Hope you've enjoyed!!
