Builds My '78 FJ40 "44"

[65swb45]

Danny

Here you all too well on the military 'creep'. We just lost one of our premier rockhounding sites in Christmas Canyon outside Ridgecrest to China Lake NAWS, and nobody is sure why. The designation of five million acres of land in SoCal in the new ACEC classification of the DRECP will come with a one percent 'disturbance cap'. We can count on that to administratively close a lot of trails. That's why I'm doing what I am doing. I take it you read the comment letter I submitted to the BLM on Tuesday.

On the tech side, I am a huge fan of the 235x85x16. They're almost 32 inches tall, and they steer like a dream with manual steering.

 

[handcannon]

Love those pics Danny. You are making me jealous with all the time you are spending in the outback.

Just a heads up for you, according to what I've read, 265/75/16 is about the same as 235/85/16. The big difference is in the width. 235/85's are narrower than the 265/75's. This might give you more room inside the fender to run the next size up tire. Might be worth checking it out. 265/75/16 is what is on my pickup, and 235/85/16 is what I am considering going to, along with an all terrain tread instead of the more aggressive tread. Hopefully for a bit better fuel mileage.

Don

PS- my hunt and peck typing strikes again. Mark posted before I did about the 235/85 tire size. And Mark, good info there about that tire size. Will be adding that info to my "memory".

 

[65swb45]

Love those pics Danny. You are making me jealous with all the time you are spending in the outback.

Just a heads up for you, according to what I've read, 265/75/16 is about the same as 235/85/16. The big difference is in the width. 235/85's are narrower than the 265/75's. This might give you more room inside the fender to run the next size up tire. Might be worth checking it out. 265/75/16 is what is on my pickup, and 235/85/16 is what I am considering going to, along with an all terrain tread instead of the more aggressive tread. Hopefully for a bit better fuel mileage.

Don

To echo Don, I also get my best mileage with the 235s.

 

[Solace in Solitude]

All good info @65swb45 and @handcannon .. Thanks!!

Mark: Bishop, in Utah, is one of the main culprits. He places riders and makes everyone say they don't want/need it.

I don't know if that's why you lost yours...

 

[Solace in Solitude]

To echo Don, I also get my best mileage with the 235s.

Mark,

How far do you air these 235s down?

 

[65swb45]

Can you wait till we meet? The 'real' answer takes a lot of typing. However, I may have typed it before [search]

Ha! Here's one YOU hit the 'like' button on:

Tires...how low do you go and what do you use to re-inflate????

 

[Solace in Solitude]

Can you wait till we meet? The 'real' answer takes a lot of typing. However, I may have typed it before [search]

Ha! Here's one YOU hit the 'like' button on:

Tires...how low do you go and what do you use to re-inflate????

I tried to like it again and it unliked, so I liked this instead

So, 15 on trails and 22 on highway. I run 18 on trails with the MasterCraft Coursers that came on 44. But, I run 40 psi on the highway and get much better performance out of 44... Like Tim the Toolman, I get more power!!

I was curious how well the higher profile tire held the bead... now I know.

Thanks!!

 

[Solace in Solitude]

Spent today, listening to the rain (it sure seems to rain a lot in Vegas this year...), while changing fuel filters, refilling the knuckles with grease, lubing 44, including the bushings (shackles and pins) and the springs. I noticed I need to pressure wash the underside again... I got a lot of the mud off, but the front of the rear end and aux tank is pretty muddy still.

Also, watched daBoise nap in 44, while I was working... Chester really loves it in there... Gunner would rather be in our bed, but he slept in 44 as well.

44 is a living, breathing thing... I keep tweaking where I carry certain items... sunscreen has migrated to just inside the driver's door, on the floor by the driver's seat... I use it more than anything else... hand cleaner and camp soap have joined the sunscreen... I've moved a number of small things around, to more easily access those that see frequent use... and more easily recall the location of those that are used very infrequently.

No pics today... just words.

Happy MUDders Day!!

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

who you callin' a mudder? boy, some people and their 44s.

 

[Solace in Solitude]

who you callin' a mudder? boy, some people and their 44s.

Hey!! I was rollin' in the dough the other day and it's rained twice since then... we should now be above our annual rainfall average... a couple of weeks ago, we were at 1.88 and the average was 1.89".

Global Worming... Vegas is a tropical paradise now!!

Here's what my rock garden looks like now... and "no", that pickup is not for sale, I sold it to a guy in the PNW awhile back

 

[micruz60]

That IS lush!

 

[DSB345]

Wait! what? Thats not the Vegas I know

Hey!! I was rollin' in the dough the other day and it's rained twice since then... we should now be above our annual rainfall average... a couple of weeks ago, we were at 1.88 and the average was 1.89".

Global Worming... Vegas is a tropical paradise now!!

Here's what my rock garden looks like now... and "no", that pickup is not for sale, I sold it to a guy in the PNW awhile back

View attachment 1254664

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

 

[Solace in Solitude]

That IS lush!

Wait! what? Thats not the Vegas I know

I guess I should confess... that picture is SuperBuickGuy's backyard, in WA.

Mine's lush for Vegas, but not nearly like his...

 

[micruz60]

Fool me once...

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

if you had any money, I'd sell you some prime, development land in Florida

 

[Solace in Solitude]

if you had any money, I'd sell you some prime, development land in Florida

Don't need it... But, I have some future Pacific Oceanfront property I'll sell you, in Nevada.

The value will rise astronomically, when the Cascade Fault reawakens...

 

[Solace in Solitude]

daBoise and I, on a whim, decided to drive to Beatty, NV this morning (200 miles round trip), to look at military surplus storage containers.

They didn't have anything we needed, but it was a great trip, on a very nice day!!

We brought everything we needed and are again camping in the DNWR. At 5k'.

May go home tomorrow... Supposed to be 99* in Vegas... Or, we may stay another couple of days.

We're gonna sleep in 44... So we can move from place to place.

We're gonna hike while it's cool in the morning... If it's cool enough to keep the snakes at bay.

daBoise are asking me to tuck them into bed...

 

[DSB345]

That's a great picture of daboise and your rig

daBoise and I, on a whim, decided to drive to Beatty, NV this morning (200 miles round trip), to look at military surplus storage containers.

They didn't have anything we needed, but it was a great trip, on a very nice day!!

We brought everything we needed and are again camping in the DNWR. At 5k'.

May go home tomorrow... Supposed to be 99* in Vegas... Or, we may stay another couple of days.

We're gonna sleep in 44... So we can move from place to place.

We're gonna hike while it's cool in the morning... If it's cool enough to keep the snakes at bay.

daBoise are asking me to tuck them into bed...

View attachment 1257513

 

[Solace in Solitude]

Thanks Dave!!