What a coincidence. We were both in the womb at the same time.
Well, in slightly different ways, that is....
Builds My '78 FJ40 "44"
- Thread starter Solace in Solitude
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What a coincidence. We were both in the womb at the same time.
Well, in slightly different ways, that is....
What a coincidence. We were both in the womb at the same time.
Well, in slightly different ways, that is....
BAHAHAHA
4Cruisers
SILVER Star
Same here!My kids are older than youLOL
JP
- Thread starter
- #3,045
I know, but if I can’t drive 44, I’ll stick with my Tundra. It’s got everything I need and is easy on my old bones.
I’m sincerely hoping this next year is better. I’m not ready to give up on 44. I just won’t be driving her much until fall.
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- #3,046
4Cruisers
SILVER Star
I was lucky that my family moved from the NW suburbs of Chicago to the mountains of northern New Mexico when I was two years old. Public land everywhere, even more so since the Federal government bought the 100,000 acre private ranch several years ago that's now the Valles Caldera National Preserve.
But I didn't own a 4WD (the '84 FJ60 I bought new from Toyota West on Decatur Avenue) until after we moved to Las Vegas in 1983. We started exploring Southern Nevada in our '82 Chevrolet Impala, but decided, after a drive to Goodsprings and Sandy Valley on a halfway decent gravel road, that we really needed a good 4WD vehicle. Naturally the decision was a Land Cruiser
. So we got hooked the same way you did. And there are so many out of the way, beautiful places to explore in your part of Nevada. And many of them not that far from town. The icing on the cake came one day when we were out exploring NW of Lone Mountain and ran across Bob, Esther, and their children in their FJ55. It wasn't too long into the conversation that they invited us to check out Southern Nevada Land Cruisers. We joined at the next meeting and participated in a lot of club runs, as well as our own trips.I look forward to all of your posts and photos - keep them coming!
- Thread starter
- #3,048
Valle Vidal was my favorite place, until I first visited the Conejos, below Platoro.
I’ve never been to Valles Caldera National Preserve. I think we’ll try to drop by there, this summer, if we can work it in.
I was raised on the western edge of the Imperial Valley, near the Mexican border, in Southern Calif. Everything to the west was desert (public) and, eventually, mountains and Indian Reservations. South was the border (All American Canal). In those days, we could walk across at any of the canal drops. Spent a lot of time South of the border, around Mt Signal and on the Reservations, around Campo and Manzanita, CA.
Eventually, the Air Force sent me away and the only nearby public land was around Colorado Springs and Tucson, in the early 70s.
After ‘75, I was never near public land until we moved here in 2012.
Northern NM and Southern CO are gorgeous and the fly fishing is superb!!
thorslc1977
SILVER Star
I also bought my 77 FJ40 new from Toyota west on Decatur in November of 77 Did not care for them. Some one from their dealership stole my tool roll from the time when I signed papers to the time my vehicle had been "prepped"" ( didn't notice until I got home from dealership). For that matter I haven't found many Toyota dealerships I have cared for. Great product, usually horrible service designed to take as much money from you as possible. OK It is early and maybe too much coffee. Sorry for Hijack
4Cruisers
SILVER Star
My wife and I stopped by near closing near the last day of the month, and were done and out of the dealership in about an hour, even including the time spent debating whether to buy the mustard yellow '83 FJ40 or the beige '84 FJ60. They were ready to deal on the FJ60, it had been sold but then returned when the buyer's financing fell through. We picked it up with ~400 miles on the odometer for about $2,000 less than MSRP. We still own it.
I've had good luck with American Toyota in Albuquerque, Cdan's and Beno's old haunt. I still buy a lot of parts through Don and Antonio.
thorslc1977
SILVER Star
I also still own my FJ40. And yes there are exceptions to the bad dealership rule. Ruben Crowe in Norwalk comes to mind.
rkymtnflyfisher
Trout Bum
thorslc1977
SILVER Star
I am sorry "good". Very good service and good prices on oem parts
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- #3,054
Back from a family trip, with the Tundra and Trailer.
We camped a couple of nights on Dolly Varden Flat, at the southern end of the Goshute and Antelope Valleys
… and drove 3 different routes to the 20 acres our kids bought up there. You gotta really pay attention this year. All the rain and snow melt greened it all up and overgrew many of the “roads”... there’s very little road use up there anyway.
An old homestead, on the western side of the Goshute Mountains Wilderness
We camped a couple of nights on Dolly Varden Flat, at the southern end of the Goshute and Antelope Valleys
… and drove 3 different routes to the 20 acres our kids bought up there. You gotta really pay attention this year. All the rain and snow melt greened it all up and overgrew many of the “roads”... there’s very little road use up there anyway.
An old homestead, on the western side of the Goshute Mountains Wilderness
- Thread starter
- #3,055
These pics are of the 20 acres and the views in different directions... you can see the artistic crackled earth effect, in the bare spaces... the land is so flat that water sits and evaporates.
- Thread starter
- #3,056
Then we camped in Thomas Canyon Campground, off Lamoille Canyon, in the Ruby Mountains... we hiked Thomas Canyon several times, muddy and awesome waterfalls... but, the water was the same white as the snow and the foam of the rushing creek.
Chester and Teddy... Chester quickly learned to lay on his side and kick his feet to start himself sledding down the slope. He repeated this so much that he was almost too tired to get back to camp.
Chester and Teddy... Chester quickly learned to lay on his side and kick his feet to start himself sledding down the slope. He repeated this so much that he was almost too tired to get back to camp.
- Thread starter
- #3,057
One day, we drove 4 miles up the road to the Lamoille Lake trailhead... our intend was to hike up to the lake... but the trailhead had too much snow to make the fairly steep 3.9 mile hike.
- Thread starter
- #3,058
If and when summer is over, I’m making another trip up to Elko County, NV... this time, in 44.
I plan on exploring the area in yellow and I’ve already found the only gas stations are in Wells and West Wendover... I’ll be doing a lot of driving Goshute, Antelope, Steptoe and Independence Valleys... and all are vast areas of emptiness.
Either town can be a 150-300 mile round trip, depending on where I am... kinda defeats the purpose of driving into gas up.
So, I bought two more Scepter gas cans and another water can, from Petr (@VidereStudios) and fabbed a secure mount on the roof rack. My welding ain’t purty, but it’s functional and secure.
If I fill up in West Wendover, then drive back to Antelope Valley, I’ll have about 56 gals of gas (2 tanks and 4 cans) when I get there. That gives me a lot of gas to fall back on until I’m near Wells or West Wendover again.
I’ll get the can rack painted before we leave for a trailer trip to Colorado next week.
Of course, the down side of this can rack is that I have to remove it to get out of the garage, then put it back on and mount the cans. But, I installed it with knobs and I’ll only be using it for VERY remote trips.
I plan on exploring the area in yellow and I’ve already found the only gas stations are in Wells and West Wendover... I’ll be doing a lot of driving Goshute, Antelope, Steptoe and Independence Valleys... and all are vast areas of emptiness.
Either town can be a 150-300 mile round trip, depending on where I am... kinda defeats the purpose of driving into gas up.
So, I bought two more Scepter gas cans and another water can, from Petr (@VidereStudios) and fabbed a secure mount on the roof rack. My welding ain’t purty, but it’s functional and secure.
If I fill up in West Wendover, then drive back to Antelope Valley, I’ll have about 56 gals of gas (2 tanks and 4 cans) when I get there. That gives me a lot of gas to fall back on until I’m near Wells or West Wendover again.
I’ll get the can rack painted before we leave for a trailer trip to Colorado next week.
Of course, the down side of this can rack is that I have to remove it to get out of the garage, then put it back on and mount the cans. But, I installed it with knobs and I’ll only be using it for VERY remote trips.
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Looking forward to giving my own report on the Rubys soon enough Danny.
I don't know how you get your gas in the tank, but I just purchased an electric gas pump on Amazon that has changed my life. You screw it in the top of the 5 gal can, with a draw tube you cut to length, push the "on" button and wait for the gas to go in. I cannot imagine doing it otherwise, now.
