This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
Tapage
Club 4X4 Panamá
Awesome pictures 
- Thread starter
- #1,944
Trip Report
Marching on to the Golden Crack.
Passenger side in.
A little wheel stand action.
Love my protection.
A little bit of black smoke motivation.
This rock gave me a little grief until I finally hooked it the right way and realized what the spotter was trying to tell me.
My
talked about grabbing a rock to put in her garden to remember the trip and then when airing up I found one this. It wasn't quite what she had in mind.
That's the end of the first run. The next day we were signed up for Fins 'n things so handed the keys to my wife; it was her turn to drive a trail.
Marching on to the Golden Crack.
Passenger side in.
A little wheel stand action.
Love my protection.
A little bit of black smoke motivation.
This rock gave me a little grief until I finally hooked it the right way and realized what the spotter was trying to tell me.
My
talked about grabbing a rock to put in her garden to remember the trip and then when airing up I found one this. It wasn't quite what she had in mind. 
That's the end of the first run. The next day we were signed up for Fins 'n things so handed the keys to my wife; it was her turn to drive a trail.
Drrrooooooooooooool 
Tapage
Club 4X4 Panamá
now .. the video !!!!
Just read the whole thread....I'm supposed to be working but this is so much better
Amazing build...words don't add to it.
Amazing build...words don't add to it.
- Thread starter
- #1,948
Trip report
I have always told her that she needed to know how to drive the truck on the trail in case something happened to me. She loves coming along and sharing the experience but doesn't have the need to drive the obstacles. This time she was willing the drive the trail and I was able to get out and see how my rig works from the outside. She did very good overall and others in the group were impressed. With plenty of traction she said the truck was easy to drive and that it did all the work.
The group was a bit more mild than the day before and about twice as big. There were some neat closer to stock rigs in the group too.
This rig was gorgeous and running a toyota diesel.
A nice baby blue FJ45. He let his daughter drive on some of the hard obstacles too. With the long rear overhand he scraped on stuff but didn't have problems on the trail.
Clint was on this run with us.
Clint's tailpipe kissed some slickrock.
This was a really steep climb but she drove up it like a champ.
This was a fun trail and only took half a day with stop for a lunch break. It was good for the second day so that we could relax some before the dinner and raffle. With a little more seat time I feel more confident in case something were to happen to me and she needed to take over and get us out.
I have always told her that she needed to know how to drive the truck on the trail in case something happened to me. She loves coming along and sharing the experience but doesn't have the need to drive the obstacles. This time she was willing the drive the trail and I was able to get out and see how my rig works from the outside. She did very good overall and others in the group were impressed. With plenty of traction she said the truck was easy to drive and that it did all the work.
The group was a bit more mild than the day before and about twice as big. There were some neat closer to stock rigs in the group too.
This rig was gorgeous and running a toyota diesel.
A nice baby blue FJ45. He let his daughter drive on some of the hard obstacles too. With the long rear overhand he scraped on stuff but didn't have problems on the trail.
Clint was on this run with us.
Clint's tailpipe kissed some slickrock.
This was a really steep climb but she drove up it like a champ.
This was a fun trail and only took half a day with stop for a lunch break. It was good for the second day so that we could relax some before the dinner and raffle. With a little more seat time I feel more confident in case something were to happen to me and she needed to take over and get us out.
- Thread starter
- #1,949
Trip update
Last day in Moab. We signed up for the Moab Rim and for some reason woke up debating whether or not we should do the run; we had a weird nervousness. We decided that we should so we got everything packed up and headed to the meeting spot. Right after the run we'd be traveling back to the Highlands, UT area to meet up with our kids and our friends who were watching them. Then the next morning start heading back to Oregon.
We met up and the group headed over to the staging area to air down and start the trail. This was our trail lead for the run on an alternative line at Z-turn.
A protected but stock FJ80 was in our group with his wife and kids. It took a couple of tries but he made it up on those little tires. I did hear a few screams come from inside the rig and I noticed that at the next big obstacle the family got out but they completed the whole trail. I have to admit that the FJ80s are quite capable.
I didn't have any issues on the lower section of Z-turn.
The upper section gave me a little grief until I hit the right spot and bumped up.
Looking back. The run up, coupled with that weird nervousness, gave me plenty of pucker factor. Coming down ended up being much easier.
This is another ledge I needed to bounce on to pop up.
Moab
Our little camp by the bridge.
The group
The sand hill climb. Only our trail lead made it up.
I took the bypass.
Almost down to the staging area.
I drove the trail cautiously and had no incidents on Moab Rim. Our trip back to the valley was uneventful as well so I'm not sure what my nervousness was all about. I can see why so many continue to go back year after year and I find myself looking forward to my next trip out to Moab.
Last day in Moab. We signed up for the Moab Rim and for some reason woke up debating whether or not we should do the run; we had a weird nervousness. We decided that we should so we got everything packed up and headed to the meeting spot. Right after the run we'd be traveling back to the Highlands, UT area to meet up with our kids and our friends who were watching them. Then the next morning start heading back to Oregon.
We met up and the group headed over to the staging area to air down and start the trail. This was our trail lead for the run on an alternative line at Z-turn.
A protected but stock FJ80 was in our group with his wife and kids. It took a couple of tries but he made it up on those little tires. I did hear a few screams come from inside the rig and I noticed that at the next big obstacle the family got out but they completed the whole trail. I have to admit that the FJ80s are quite capable.
I didn't have any issues on the lower section of Z-turn.
The upper section gave me a little grief until I hit the right spot and bumped up.
Looking back. The run up, coupled with that weird nervousness, gave me plenty of pucker factor. Coming down ended up being much easier.
This is another ledge I needed to bounce on to pop up.
Moab
Our little camp by the bridge.
The group
The sand hill climb. Only our trail lead made it up.
I took the bypass.
Almost down to the staging area.
I drove the trail cautiously and had no incidents on Moab Rim. Our trip back to the valley was uneventful as well so I'm not sure what my nervousness was all about. I can see why so many continue to go back year after year and I find myself looking forward to my next trip out to Moab.
FANTASTIC!!
I think we're gonna try to do Moab next year!!
Looks friggin amazing!!
I think we're gonna try to do Moab next year!!
Looks friggin amazing!!
Those pictures are awesome Mike, thank you
So what about updates since returning from Moab?
So what about updates since returning from Moab?
- Thread starter
- #1,953
Yes, still got more stuff to get on the thread. Just have to get some more pics uploaded to share. I still have the Plumas National forest trip and then all this Dana 60 stuff I'm working on now. Thanks for the interest. Did you ever get those adapters mounted?
No, I haven't. I crunched the numbers and with the H1 double-beadlock 7" of backspacing, it looks like the tire will be too far inside the front wheel well. It might work if I used my 6 lug spacers I've got on there now, but then I'd have one set of spacers, then these two-piece 8 lug adapter/spacers.
I've pretty much abandoned that project and have been focused on gearing up for putting a D60 up front.
No worries man, thanks for sending them to me!!
We're all looking forward to pics of your new D60 front end
kcustom73
Stretched it...
I love those pictures. I hope to be able to go to Moab one of these days, the only limiting factor is the ~2100 miles one way to get there. Maybe someday.
Great photos Boots. It looked like a really good time, maybe in the next year or so I'll take the truck out west again. I'm sorry to hear about about the axle break and fender bender - but it makes me feel better about all the work and money I put into my truck! I just had to replace my injection pump, got the radiator plugged, new lift pump, injectors, ordered a new idler pulley, need to fix a leaking brake line at the proportioning valve... And more. It never ends!!!
- Thread starter
- #1,959
Update
So last fall we were on a pre-run with the forest department where my local club holds the Cruisin' the Woods event and some unfortunate business happened. We met up the night before to camp, divided up the next day and set out.
The embarrassing thing was that I was on an easy trail but on this section I was on a steep climb, crested the top with the sun in my eyes not going fast and I found the only and biggest rock on the trail and hit it without seeing it. Apparently the stars were aligned and the impact changed a few things. We got out to look and found some damage that ended my trail assessment. I was able to get off the trail and park it at a pull out, finish the rest of the day in another rig, and had a buddy trailer me home. You can kind of see the wrong-ness in the driverside tire. The axle also didn't look as straight anymore.
Let alone the fact that I just about ripped the driver side spring hanger off of the frame!
Actually, it wasn't going anywhere as the plate I had put underneath and the crosstube were still reinforcing it. In fact when I cut the crosstube to patch it back together for the event the tube popped back due to the tension it was under.
I had to use heat and an BFH to pound the hanger back into place. I welded it back up and plated the frame for reinforcement. I only drove it to and from the event and then parked it since right after it happened I pulled the trigger on a frame and axle combo from a 92 Dodge W350 with has my perfect configuration for a Dana 60 to place under Dora.
So last fall we were on a pre-run with the forest department where my local club holds the Cruisin' the Woods event and some unfortunate business happened. We met up the night before to camp, divided up the next day and set out.
The embarrassing thing was that I was on an easy trail but on this section I was on a steep climb, crested the top with the sun in my eyes not going fast and I found the only and biggest rock on the trail and hit it without seeing it. Apparently the stars were aligned and the impact changed a few things. We got out to look and found some damage that ended my trail assessment. I was able to get off the trail and park it at a pull out, finish the rest of the day in another rig, and had a buddy trailer me home. You can kind of see the wrong-ness in the driverside tire. The axle also didn't look as straight anymore.
Let alone the fact that I just about ripped the driver side spring hanger off of the frame!
Actually, it wasn't going anywhere as the plate I had put underneath and the crosstube were still reinforcing it. In fact when I cut the crosstube to patch it back together for the event the tube popped back due to the tension it was under.
I had to use heat and an BFH to pound the hanger back into place. I welded it back up and plated the frame for reinforcement. I only drove it to and from the event and then parked it since right after it happened I pulled the trigger on a frame and axle combo from a 92 Dodge W350 with has my perfect configuration for a Dana 60 to place under Dora.
Tapage
Club 4X4 Panamá
you are moving away from Toyota more and more .. 