100 Buildup for CruiseMoab '06 (1 Viewer)

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dieselbigot said:
I'm supposed to take my 100 up there the same week as you...he's going to see if the 99 is much different from your 04 then he's building me one as well...can you email me when you take your rig there so I can get mine up the same week?


Sure thing. Not sure of an exact date yet. Still gotta do the 80 first!

See ya,
 
It was interesting to see at the last CM that most folks would hit the rear bumper quite frequently but very rarely -if at all- the front one. Sliders often too of course, but I was surprised at how often you'd flat out drop on the rear hardware with a bang. That brought the rear bumper issue to the forefront in my mind for this kind of wheeling. A hitch would protect some too, of course, but you'd get stuck all the time with the thing anchoring you down...
 
Update.... OK, I have added the next piece to my build-up. I have tried several times now to buy a TJM T3C front bumper and I had just missed them. Apparently, TJM seldomly ships this model to the states and they always seem to be on back order. So, I have been considering other options. My second favorite was the ARB combo bar.

Yesterday, I was checking out the Vendor section and came across this post: https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=66656 I was excited to see such a good deal on an ARB combo bar and decided to buy it. It does have some minor damage. The passenger wing area has a bent section where it turns into the wheel well, but I can fix this easily. I've planned on paint matching the bumper anyways, so this turned out to be a great fit for me. It should be here sometime next week. I'll post up pics after I get it painted and installed.

There are still two bars available at significant discounts for the 03 and newer models. You should check it out if you're in the market. I ended up saving about $400 off the new price.

I've also started building a set of drawers for the rear cargo area too. I'll post up pics of this process after I am a little farther along.
 
Greg B said:
CruiserDrew,
Thanks for all the info and real world experience! I would prefer to stay with the 33's so that re-gearing isn't an issue. I don't think I will be happy for long with 35's and stock gearing.

I'm kind of leaning the armor way a little anyways and what you say makes a lot of sense. If all of those trails can be run with 33's and no lockers (especially with TRAC) then I would definitely prefer to not tear up the stock bumpers. So, a rear bumper may be the better route.


That sounds like the path for Moab. Sliders, rr bumper and 33's.

My friend installed a ARB rr locker in his 4Runner before Moab but ended up never needing it. He most of the trails and the ATRAC was enough- and not sure if that even was used much.

I'm looking forward to Moab 06 (my first) and your buildup!
My only additional mod will be to bring my MTB :)
 
Greg B said:
I would like to go on the 3-4 rated trails (Fins and things for sure; Gold Bar Rim sounds pretty cool too).

Gold Bar Rim pushes the easy envelope the last few years due to some erosion a lot of rear end drag on a few obstacles.

If you just want to do Fins & Things, etc you don't need a locker honestly.
 
3fj40 said:
Gold Bar Rim pushes the easy envelope the last few years due to some erosion a lot of rear end drag on a few obstacles.

If you just want to do Fins & Things, etc you don't need a locker honestly.

Yes, that one ledge on GBRim (exiting GSpike) was a dousy! Pic 1

As for 33's in Moab? On the 3 trails I ran, Fins and Spike?

Fins: Easy...33's, whatever
Spike: I'd give a big plus to the 35's. Those ledges are huge and a plenty. You'll REALLY appreciate the added ground clearance. Pic 2 and 3
 
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FirstToy said:
!
My only additional mod will be to bring my MTB :)

FirstToy-You left out the fact that you have a whole new rig-that's a pretty serious mod! You can definitely run Golden Spike on 33s in an 80 series. It will be fun to have a big Norcal presence there in 2006.
 
My two cents if you really are looking for crawling functionality don't get the ARB or TJM front bumper and put the money else where. But if your like me and many others here looks are equal to function and in that case the bumper is first on the list. The reason I say that is technically the TJM and more so the ARB hurts your approach... it seems to me one might be better off removing both the front and rear bumpers all together for rock crawling. If you consider the ARB and TJM applications, Assuie flatter higher speed off-road trails... a big large steel bumper will save your life if you hit a kangaroo flying down a dirt road at 70mph... But going 1mph over a boulder it don'in ya much good...

That said I bought the ARB combo bar for LOOKS not function.... no wild kangaroos in AZ off-roads... just slow moving cows and the occasional wild donkey
 
There's plenty of the same function here in the states as there are in Australia. Plenty of deer here in SC, a darn good application of an ARB.
 
I agree deer, moose elk... places other than AZ. So the ARB bumper has application here too. But strictly for Moab, and if your gonna prioritize... I would say its lower on the list.

For me my 100 is still to new to emotionally take it anywhere but wide fire trails... as to elminate the AZ pin-striping... it more like an off-road camping vehicle right now then a true trail explorer. So the bumper for me is in good part for looks.
 
Cruiserdrew said:
FirstToy-You left out the fact that you have a whole new rig-that's a pretty serious mod! You can definitely run Golden Spike on 33s in an 80 series. It will be fun to have a big Norcal presence there in 2006.


lol, duh on me :D yeah it will be fun in the 80! Gotta change my avatar and name too !
 
Yep.. The ARB was a necessity for my night-time adventures on deer and elk-strewn Utah highways.
I dont feel it hurt my off road capabilities too much though.. I lost a little approach angle in the center, but its easier to line up the front tires on rocks without worrying about scraping the hell out of my front bumper cover !

I must say however, Tires were the BEST upgrade that I`ve made so far...The added traction of the MT/Rs and the peace of mind when scraping the sidewalls in ruts or on rocks was worth every penny.

Maybe someday I can justify lockers..but so far this monster has gone anywhere I`ve pointed it !!
 
Shotts in your last picture a 100 on 33s could have easily walked up it. You were just nervous about the CV. The picture above that of the drop is almost impossible to drop down without banging a rear bumper. Fins also has lots of bumper dragging opportunities. I agree with most folks analysis that the rear is more critical than the front. The exception would be the Golden Crack. However, I think Shotts didn't bang his front bumper crossing the crack. Somebody probably has video. There are a lot of trails in Moab you can do without lockers. The adhesion of the slickrock makes the impossible possible.
 
rzpapp said:
My two cents if you really are looking for crawling functionality don't get the ARB or TJM front bumper and put the money else where. But if your like me and many others here looks are equal to function and in that case the bumper is first on the list. The reason I say that is technically the TJM and more so the ARB hurts your approach... it seems to me one might be better off removing both the front and rear bumpers all together for rock crawling. If you consider the ARB and TJM applications, Assuie flatter higher speed off-road trails... a big large steel bumper will save your life if you hit a kangaroo flying down a dirt road at 70mph... But going 1mph over a boulder it don'in ya much good...

That said I bought the ARB combo bar for LOOKS not function.... no wild kangaroos in AZ off-roads... just slow moving cows and the occasional wild donkey

I have had ARB bumpers in the past and they perform well for moderate rock crawling. While I agree with you that they don't help the approach angle, I disagree that they aren't functional.

First, they give you the opportunity to hold a winch.

Second, they give you the opportunity to add other functional items like solid recovery points, off-road lights, cb antenae mounting points, etc.

Third, they give you protection from any type of animal you may hit, like deer which are everywhere in KY.

Fourth, when off-roading, they give you something to bang on. A lot of times, an ARB will allow you to bump it against rocks, ruts, etc. to guage your clearance. Also, they give you valuable protection for the front end. Taking off your stock bumper would give you better approach angles, but if that is still not enough and you bump into a rock, what just hit the rock? See what I'm saying?

And fifth, It does look good, doesn't it. :D

While I agree there are items that could be prioritized differently, I think the route I am taking is going to set my 100 up nicely for Moab as well as for the trails I do locally.

Next is phase 2. In Jan-Feb time frame when I get more $$$, I plan on adding a Slee rear bumper and a winch. After reading a lot of the folks advice from this thread and evaluating what I want out of my 100, I think the rear bumper will give me the protection I need in Moab. I want the winch more for use around home and for peace of mind.

After reading posts from several folks here, I plan to let TRAC take me through Moab. I think I'm going to wait on the locker until later next year. Hopefully, I can re-gear at the same time to save a little money on install charges.

To all that have contributed to this post, thank you. It is really great having a forum like this to bounce off ideas on and to get valuable experience and first hand knowledge. :beer:
 
ginericfj80 said:
Shotts in your last picture a 100 on 33s could have easily walked up it. You were just nervous about the CV. The picture above that of the drop is almost impossible to drop down without banging a rear bumper. Fins also has lots of bumper dragging opportunities. I agree with most folks analysis that the rear is more critical than the front. The exception would be the Golden Crack. However, I think Shotts didn't bang his front bumper crossing the crack. Somebody probably has video. There are a lot of trails in Moab you can do without lockers. The adhesion of the slickrock makes the impossible possible.

Oh, I agree! A 100 with OME lift and 33's would do the Spike no problem. I just pointed out that the added benefit of 35's would make for a nice difference. I'd not hessitate taking 33's in there and with TRAC only. If my CV was OK I'd a never locked the entire run.

As for the Crack? No, I didn't touch the front bumper. I was surprised! The rear scraped though. The big scraper was that huge ledge...going down. Both my rear wheels were off the ground. I was on the back bumper. Nice test!
 
That ledge you could have turned into quite a bit and probably made it so your bumper didn't make full impact on that ledge. My friend Creig was driving my rig that day and I kept taunting him that if he'd just get more agressive into turning into it he wouldn't drag so much. I saw some video of him in this very spot. He cranked into it pretty hard and only caught the PS rear bumper slightly. He almost made it without touching. Fins and Things has a lot of these bumper scraping ledges. I would think it would tear up any stock bumper fairly quick. Really a rear bumper with high impact rollers would be perfect for this sort of thing.
 
ginericfj80 said:
That ledge you could have turned into quite a bit and probably made it so your bumper didn't make full impact on that ledge. My friend Creig was driving my rig that day and I kept taunting him that if he'd just get more agressive into turning into it he wouldn't drag so much. I saw some video of him in this very spot. He cranked into it pretty hard and only caught the PS rear bumper slightly. He almost made it without touching. Fins and Things has a lot of these bumper scraping ledges. I would think it would tear up any stock bumper fairly quick. Really a rear bumper with high impact rollers would be perfect for this sort of thing.

Makes sense. I'll try that on trip #2. :)
 
I'm looking forward to seeing the Shott's Roller Bumper. :D
 
That is because you are bringing the 100 to the Rubithon this year right? :D I know of at least 4 100s that have made the trek before you. What the heck do you need all those rigs for? I would think that one 80 and one 100 would be plenty. The LX and the Tacoma seem to overlap in duties for what you already have.
 

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