her name is Natasha (1 Viewer)

Hi there.My name is Ryan, and I'm a cruiser junky.

One of my rigs is a 83' fj60.Nothing to crazy yet.There is a project I'm workin on and then maybe this one will go under the knife for a bit.

She has a 4 inch BDS lift.How the story goes, the lift that is on there was BDS's test springs for when they were R&Ding a lift for the 60 series.Thats the story I have been told.She sits on 33inch MTR's.Well 3 of them.You'll see in the pics what happened to the 4th tire.Locked front and rear.I installed the front locker.Was locked in the rear from the PO.Has a ARB front bumper with a warn winch.A "custom" rear bumper my buddy made for his 60 before she went to heaven and I traded something for it.The drive train is stock for now except for the lockers and longfields.The body has all sorts of "mods" from rocks and trees.I can't say there is one straight panel left.She had been threw a hail storm at some point cuz the hood and whole roof are all dents from death above.I have good hoods, fenders, doors lift gate/tail gate to swap someday, but it seems like a lot of work just to get dented all over again.

She plays DD/ trail rig for now.Have been known to drive 8 hours, wheel all weekend and drive back home.Not to bad for having about 250,000 miles and chit load of spares with.

Future mods: Really need to install some sliders and protect the rear quarters.Bigger tires and lower gears.I go around and around about swappin in a bigger motor and such.Leaning towards diesel.Maybe serve tow duty when the project gets done.Stretch the wheel base out back a bit.Some more power.We'll see.

My camera was being a POS so I couldn't get any recent pics.She looks the same.So here's the pics I do have. Ryan

pics

pics

more pics

again

some more

and more

You can see me way in the background. I'll see if I can find any more pics and get em resized.Some of the pics I got will not load.

some winter pics

last winter last 2

I really like the steering mod

oh, this is for the ROTW.I have been around for awhile now.

That steering mod got me home 9 hours away.Wasn't the most relaxing trip I have been on.That and the rear end went out on me also.By the time I got home there was about 3/8 inches of play in the pinion bearings.But she never left me yet.Heck, none of my cruisers have left me any where, knockin on wood.

What in the world happend with the steering? Did the TRE let go or was it the pitman or the box??? Man that looks rough. Any story behind the cruiser? How you got it, what got you into cruisers etc. ?

Cruiser 88 he has been around, just .33 posts per day instead of 6+ per day like a guy in my club

hehe,

The story behind her.Well I was surfin Mud like always and decide to go the vehicle for sale section.The last thing I was lookin to get was another cruiser.Well there the ad was.https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=62522
I had to go and check it out being so close to home.You can ask any cruiserhead around here, if you post it I will come.After thinking about it for a couple days and some wheelin and dealin she came home with me.A bunch of spare parts came with.The motor in it lasted about 6 months and let go on me.I never did like that motor.Burned oil and didn't have much power.So, I bought another 60 with a good motor and swapped it in.Has been good since.I have another 2f waiting for this one to go to from another 60 I parted out.I like spares.

How I got into cruisers.I'll make this one short.I went to SLC when I was 18.Hanging out, going to punk rock shows almost every night.Drinkin 3.2 PBR.When one day sittin out in front of this guys house drinkin a beer when A lifted tan fj40 went zippin by.Then another one just like the first one went by, I swear it wasn't the beer.They were twins(the trucks).It was luv at first site.I turned to the guy that lived there and asked what the hell were those.He looked at me with a silly look and said"those are Toyota Land Cruisers".At the time I lived in Michigan, and for those that don't know, we don't have these things runnin all over like out west.For the next couple weeks while I was in SLC I kept on seeing these things around.Up at car lots, driving the streets, all over.We were heading to Santa Cruz and got held up in SLC.After a couple weeks I had had enuff and headed back to Michigan.Got a job when I got back.Driving a POS escort around was getting to me so I wanted a new ride.So the search began.Test drove some trucks and such.But I didn't like em.One night I went up north to a buddies house and took a different way home.On the way home, there she was...... my 78' fj40 Toyna on the side of the road for sale.I locked up the brakes and whipped around.Took the info and got a hold of the guy.Again, wheeled and dealed and I had a new ride.Little did I know what it was goin to turn into.She was my DD for like 6 years.Thats the project one I mentioned before.

The steering mod: First trip out this april with the front locker.Wheeled all friday.Then towards the end of the day Saturday, I was backin up with the wheels turned and POOSH.Hopped on the cb and said to hold up I think I popped a bead.As you can see from the pic, it wasn't a bead.The rod had pulled out of the cup it rides in and let the pitman arm swing over into the tire and cuz I was backing up with the wheels turned, you see what happened.Limped off the trail useing bailing wire and 1 hose clamp.Drove to the hardware store doing like 5mph the whole way.This all happened up on Drummond island at Turtle Ridge offraod park.The traffic up there is almost non existence so it was all that.Walked around the store lookin for a way to fix it and this is what I came up with.It held up really well.Didn't make any sharp corners on the way home and stopped and checked on it alot.After I made it into town and was close to the barn and did jack it up and turned the wheels just to see what I did have available.I wasn't really that bad.More or less full turn.Needless to say, I still carry that chain as part of my spares.

great pics, great story, holy hose clamp!!!!

How'd that fail?

When I took it apart, the cups inside, the corners had busted off.They are part #53 in the pic.

I'm sure it was years of use and abuse and neglect.

god, I can't imagine trying to drive home after that happened to me. I mean I'd probably do the same thing but I'd try to con someone else into driving my deathtrap. think the worst I've had to limp home with was a busted shock mount but I just took the shock off completely and watched the corners a bit better on the drive back.

some sick pics in there by the way. I like the 4/20 mud puddle

Is this tire grooving???

What side view mirrors are those?

Mace said:

Is this tire grooving???

Click to expand...

Looks like custom "on vehicle" tire grooving...

Congrats on not being afraid to try out trails (from your pics it looks like your eager to jump in). So many folks never get off the path