Show us your 4x4

[ZONA]

Thought I would start a topic so anybody who has a 4x4 can show us what they got. I love this hobby/pastime/sport or what ever you want to call it quite a bit. I've had several Jeeps in my day and have friends who have lifted trucks to sand buggies. The one thing I never like with all my Jeeps though is that in order for it to drive decent on the street, it could not be trail beast. The more I made my Jeeps to where they would perform on the trail, they started to suffer on the street. Last year I sold my last Jeep and went the route of not having my 4x4 as my daily driver. This would allow me to really make a 4x4 that could do almost anything I want to offroad. I don't compete in rock crawling but I sure love doing it. Finally, my project ZUK is almost done. Of course I can barely turn a wrech so I had it made. Should be done in a week and then I will post some pics from the trail. For now, the shop photos.

The 1st one is how it started it's life. A stripped down Suzuki Samurai. I wanted to keep it light, and also keep the cost down.

The Specs:

*1.6 Liter 8 valve 4 cylinder EFI Throttle Body Engine (brand new crate
engine - 0 miles)
* 6.1 transfer case gearing
* 5.13 Ring & Pinion (differential gearing)
* Full Spool (locker) in the rear
* Lockrite auto locker in front
* 36" Swamper TSL SX tires
* 1976 Wide Waggy Dana 44 axles (rear axles trussed) 76 44's also have
thicker walled tubes
* Brand New brakes (rotors, drums, cylinders, pads, shoes, lines, etc...)
* Triangulated 4 link in rear
* YJ reverse shackle leafs in front
* Big Horn Rock shocks
* Automatic 4speed Transmission
* Hi-steer (astro van power steering)
* Street Legal (didn't say street friendly........just legal........lol)
* Full roll cage tied to frame
* Mastercraft clone seats with 4 point harness
* Frame stretch and axles relocate for a 104" wheelbase (don't want to be rolling over backwards on those steep climbs :)


Some cool features on this rig - in the rear there is a locking compartment and above that, the tire rack pivots up so you can gain access to the storage.

Just some minor wiring to do, put the winch on the front, put a roof on, fix up the dash just a bit, replace windshield (lol) and maybe some rattle can paint job. Oh, and the exhaust. Can't wait to hit the trail on 4th of July. Of course it will be a morning run since it will be well over 100 degrees......lol.


Bought it for $700 bucks. Nice huh...lol
http://zona.nikegames.net/Misc/Zuk/JZ08.jpg

The rest were taken today....almost there!

http://zona.nikegames.net/Misc/Zuk/JZ01.jpg

http://zona.nikegames.net/Misc/Zuk/JZ02.jpg

http://zona.nikegames.net/Misc/Zuk/JZ06.jpg

http://zona.nikegames.net/Misc/Zuk/JZ09.jpg

http://zona.nikegames.net/Misc/Zuk/JZ07.jpg


Show your rig! I love looking at pics of people's 4x4's. Ever watch the show Extreme 4x4 on Spike TV? Awesome show. They're going to build a Samurai this season but I believe they are going with something less extreme then what I got, mostly Toyota stuff (axles, drivechain, etc..). Can't wait.

[WABronco]

Ever been to Moab?

[theAPAOps5]

Nice rig Zone! You ever hit up pirate 4x4, its a pretty cool site. I myself have a Chevy Blazer ZR2 and it is pretty good on the tamer stuff. It has its own version of a locker which isn't all that great but works and has great gearing. I have taken it up some local stuff no problem.

[Tombstone RJ]

Zona, are you putting the newer, Suzuki engine in it? That's the one they put in later rides like th Sidekick and Vitara? It's like a 2.4L 4 cyl. power plant that basically can bolt right into a Samurai?

[WoodMan]

Very Nice rig Zona. I never really made a great off road 4x4, but the first I had was a 1947 CJ2. Made by kaiser I'm pretty sure. It had a 56 Studabaker 6 cylinder in it and it could really climb with that low rear end. I rode in an old Toyota 4x4 truck (the little one) many years ago in the Colorado mountains and was very impressed with its off road performance. I had a couple of Broncos which were not very good off road, but good for hunting because I could keep the gear and dog dry. Now I drive a 2003 FX4 Ford 150, but haven't done any serious off road stuff, so I don't have an opinion on it. It sure is fun to off road in Colorado mountains, but I know a lot of the old roads have been closed that we used to take. I love that Flat tops area out of Glenwood Springs, but the mud can be horrible. I've had them stuck with chains on all four wheels up there. Yuck!

[COBronco 69]

I run a 69 Ford Bronco.

The latest buildup included moving the rear back 9", 4link, coilovers front and rear, beadlocks and 40" Iroks.

Specs: 351 Lightning EFI, C4 auto, Atlas 4.3 tcase, HP Dana60 front (Detriot, 35 spline outers, narrowed 4") Full Floater 9" rear, spool. Full custom cage, rhino lined interior, custom dash. Front end of the bronco narrowed 9 inches. All work done by myself and friends. Live an hour away from Moab, here in GJ there is ALOT of wheeling really close.

Pics:

Work in progress:
http://www.eddytech.net/bronco/paintprep.JPG

Rear Links:
http://www.eddytech.net/bronco/rearlink2.jpg

Wheels down:
http://www.eddytech.net/bronco/wheelsdown.JPG

Blinged out Engine:
http://www.eddytech.net/bronco/Enginedone.JPG

All done:
http://www.eddytech.net/bronco/clintshowandshine.jpg

BFE Moab:
http://www.eddytech.net/bronco/bfe1.jpg

[ZONA]

Tombstone - it's not the newer engine. It's a custom made engine by the same guy who does all the fab work. He does it all basically, which is why I went to him. I call it a crate engine because he sends the blocks off to be completely made to be like new again. Then he adds new cam, bearings, crankshaft, rods and pistons which are bored to .020. They way he makes them are very popular and he gets orders all the time for just his engines and then ships them out all over the US. It's 1.6 Liter long block 8 valve 4 cylinder with EFI. Threw on the cold air intake for a few extra ponies. I've talked with lots of people with these engines and they run great and deliver much better power then stock 1.6L. I actually wanted to put the 1.6L 16 valve in there but those are very hard to find. I actually found a sidekick with one and bought the whole car for $3K just to get that engine. But I realized that that engine has plenty of problems and finding replacement parts is a beotch. So I sold the sidekick and just went ahead with the 8 valve and geared the tcase and diffs super low. I don't know if it's a straight drop in job, we relocated the mounts and a few other things but since we were relocating the front axle further up and doing a frame stretch, we basically removed everything down to just the frame anyway so just fabbed it up from there to fit. But I would guess it would drop right in without much fab work. Alot of Samurai guys get them. In the hardcore 4x4 scene the Samurais have always been more popular then the sidekicks because going to beefier axles is easy since the Samurai was made with solid axles. The kicks had IFS. Plus, since the most popular axle swap and cheapest is the Toyota, with a Samuari, it seems like it would be a full width swap just becase the Samurai is so small, the tires stick out past the body and give a good stance. I didn't think I would fit in the Samurai (6'4" 220) but the way I fabbed mine up, I fit very easy. No back seat in mine so I moved the fronts all they way back to shelf. Not having seats in back allowed me to move gas tank higher and have that storage area and keep the back free and clear for my 4 links.

Alot of people don't know what these beefed up Samurais (known as Zuk) can do and the JEEP guys are always trying to say they have no power. Truth is, what is Power? Power is basically HP minus Gross Weight. Most beefed up Jeeps weigh in around 4500 where my ZUK weighs 2900. You now take that weight and multiply it by whatever degree when the vehicle is climing a 60 degree rock wall and now that Jeep has tremendous weight coming down on the rear axle. That's why it's comon to see Jeep guys go up to Dana 60 axles, again, adding more weight. Just check out some of these photos of freinds and their super zuks. These little bad boys go.............and they are a TON cheaper to build up then Jeeps and even Toyotas. Mine, as you see it there, parts and labor, seats and winch, tires, rims you name it...... and it was $8000.

Still not done though. I plan in the next few years to add a quick disconnect steering wheel. Chromolly 35 spline rear axles and eventually 33 spline front Chromolly axles with an ARB air locker. Then I will be finished.

Apa - I live at Pirate4x4.......I don't like how the site is laid out but everybody who knows 4x4 stuff goes there so I check out the forum almost every day. Matter of fact, a well known ZUK guy died a few days ago in middle east, he was in Army. He had a great zuk too. A real good guy. Terrible loss.

WaBronco - never been but will some day. The Rubicon also. Meanwhile, I do live in Arizona which probably has the largest amount of trails and tons of rocks. I live right next to Florence Junction and 4 Peaks area. I could drive trails for a month straight every day and not get to all of them.

Anyway, here are some shots some moderate zuks and an extreme zuk or two. Big Red is the MONSTER ZUK. Dude runs 44's on Yota axles.......I would not recomend that......lol.

Arizona Zuk - same club as me
http://zona.nikegames.net/Misc/Zuk/misc%20zuks/zuk1.jpg

Zuk gettin after a big rock.....lol
http://zona.nikegames.net/Misc/Zuk/misc%20zuks/zuk2.jpg

He's called Bullzuki - love the design
http://zona.nikegames.net/Misc/Zuk/misc%20zuks/zuk3.jpg

This is the rig of NCzuk - he's the one that passed away a few days ago. RIP
http://zona.nikegames.net/Misc/Zuk/misc%20zuks/zuk4.jpg

Going up?
http://zona.nikegames.net/Misc/Zuk/misc%20zuks/zuk6.jpg

MONSTER ZUK - run for your life........hahaha
http://zona.nikegames.net/Misc/Zuk/misc%20zuks/zuk5.jpg

[ZONA]

I run a 69 Ford Bronco.

The latest buildup included moving the rear back 9", 4link, coilovers front and rear, beadlocks and 40" Iroks.

Specs: 351 Lightning EFI, C4 auto, Atlas 4.3 tcase, HP Dana60 front (Detriot, 35 spline outers, narrowed 4") Full Floater 9" rear, spool. Full custom cage, rhino lined interior, custom dash. Front end of the bronco narrowed 9 inches. All work done by myself and friends. Live an hour away from Moab, here in GJ there is ALOT of wheeling really close.


Nice rig bro - Atlas eh? Lovin those front digs huh? You got a tight rig. Normally I wouldn't say many Broncos are up for the big time rocks but you've got some good beefy axles and of course the tcase is solid being an atlas.

I actually wanted Iroks but the deal on got on my SX's I could not pass up. I plan to sipe them so I stick better. Nice beads too buba. Those are frickin sweet. What are they and what did they run ya? You run them Iroks at what 6 pounds on the trail? You got onboard air or you go CO2?

[COBronco 69]

Nice rig bro - Atlas eh? Lovin those front digs huh? You got a tight rig. Normally I wouldn't say many Broncos are up for the big time rocks but you've got some good beefy axles and of course the tcase is solid being an atlas.

I actually wanted Iroks but the deal on got on my SX's I could not pass up. I plan to sipe them so I stick better. Nice beads too buba. Those are frickin sweet. What are they and what did they run ya? You run them Iroks at what 6 pounds on the trail? You got onboard air or you go CO2?

Have had the atlas for about 5 years and love it! I tried a front dig when I had the 44 in and broke stuff :) I have used it a few times with the 60 and it works well :)

Im real happy with the last build. Im at 103" WB and its point and climb. The coilovers make going fast fun hehehe

I love the Iroks. Ran em with about 3 lbs to get em broke in, run em about 9 now and they grip well. The BLs are Beadlock Specialties out of CA. They are a vendor on Pirate as well. Still gotta get a CO2 tank or OBA. Have the compressor, just havent hooked it up :)

Ive got a couple bronco buddies down in AZ that play pretty hard as well. IM hoping to come down there this fall/winter and go play!

Your buildup looks excellent. The little zuks are excellent rigs and can do so much with the light weight and narrow footprint! Very cool buildup!


NC Zuk was on Colorado4x4 some where I frequent. As you know these 4x4 forums get pretty tighknit, and its tough losing one of our own and one of my fellow servicemen.

[ZONA]

Have had the atlas for about 5 years and love it! I tried a front dig when I had the 44 in and broke stuff :) I have used it a few times with the 60 and it works well :)

Im real happy with the last build. Im at 103" WB and its point and climb. The coilovers make going fast fun hehehe

I love the Iroks. Ran em with about 3 lbs to get em broke in, run em about 9 now and they grip well. The BLs are Beadlock Specialties out of CA. They are a vendor on Pirate as well. Still gotta get a CO2 tank or OBA. Have the compressor, just havent hooked it up :)

Ive got a couple bronco buddies down in AZ that play pretty hard as well. IM hoping to come down there this fall/winter and go play!

Your buildup looks excellent. The little zuks are excellent rigs and can do so much with the light weight and narrow footprint! Very cool buildup!


NC Zuk was on Colorado4x4 some where I frequent. As you know these 4x4 forums get pretty tighknit, and its tough losing one of our own and one of my fellow servicemen.

Thow me a line if you come down. I'd love to go wheeling with you guys. We can take your out Florence area and there's just a ton of trails to hit, from guaranteed carnage to easy cruisin. Is there anything in particular that you've heard of and want to run? I know alot of out of state clubs CA, TX, CO and NM like to come down in the winter to run Crown King. I've got a ton of trail pics I can send you and you can check them out. One of the cool things about wheeling the the Broncos and trucks is they have tons of room for the coolers.........yeeehaw. If you come, you should plan on staying for the week. Way too many cool trails down here to just do a few. Send me an email or PM if you come down and give me some notice.........lol. You gonna trailer it? Dumb question huh!

The 4x4 scene is a tight group and espeically once you get into the hard core fabbing group. Lots of the big named guys started shops down here and still have them. Toys By Troy, Shannon Cambell, Todd from Desert Fab. The whole offraod scene down here is huge. Tons and tons of sandrails. Up in Sedona you have Pink Jeep tours which has 57 Jeeps in their fleet, that's alot!

[Tombstone RJ]

Real nice Zona. If I was to fab up a 4x4 I'd start with a Samurai just like what your doing. I grew up in Colorado and saw all sorts of monster jeeps and Broncos and blazers and whatever else people wanted to build up for rock crawling.

I'd go Samurai with a 4 banger over all of them for real off roading and rock crawling. They are relatively cheap to build up and you can go as wild as your budget will allow.

Take some pics when you get it on the trail!!

[ZONA]

Real nice Zona. If I was to fab up a 4x4 I'd start with a Samurai just like what your doing. I grew up in Colorado and saw all sorts of monster jeeps and Broncos and blazers and whatever else people wanted to build up for rock crawling.

I'd go Samurai with a 4 banger over all of them for real off roading and rock crawling. They are relatively cheap to build up and you can go as wild as your budget will allow.

Take some pics when you get it on the trail!!

Thanks bro.

Oh - and another thing I forgot to mention that is a pretty cool desgin feature, even though you can't see it because the rear body panel line dovetails and blocks it, is that on my top rear shock mounts, there are 5 mounting locations in a verticle line. So If I did stack a cooler or had a ton of spare parts plus my tire, instead of trying to adjust the valving, I can take a wrech and move location in minutes to adjust my rear ride height. Of course I would have to find a rock and flex each side to compress but still, I can do it if I want or need to. Pretty cool feature if you ask me.

I love zuks but I do also like Broncos, Jeeps and Toyotas. It's all in how well you think out your design and the quality of stuff you put in it. I mean, when you start making your rig a true rock crawler, more stuff is non stock then original parts so they are all frankensteins so to speak. Each has certain advantages though. Trucks and Broncos are very heavy even if they tube it but they can hold lots of stuff too (coolers, tents, grub, parts, people, etc..). Zuks are excellent climbers, provided you increase your wheel base, and yes, very very affordable to build up. You could make anything awesome though. The aftermarket now days compared to 10 years ago even is not even funny.

But, If I had to do it all over again and provided I had about 3 times the money to spend as I did on this, I would build this. I just love how clean this design is, seats 4 with room for a cooler yet still small enough to be light and nimble, just love it. Only thing that confuses me is that he seemed to spare no dime on all of it but the wheels. He's got nice Krawlers on there but mounted on $50 dollar black steelies...go figure. And why are they not wearing their belts? Shame shame.

http://zona.nikegames.net/Misc/Zuk/misc%20zuks/4%20seater%20rock%20buggy.bmp

[Dr.5280]

Alluall got **** fer brains. Ever think about your carbon footprint, muchless the havoc you wreck upon the terrain.

[COBronco 69]

Alluall got **** fer brains. Ever think about your carbon footprint, muchless the havoc you wreck upon the terrain.

sigh....wrong place, wrong time, wrong board. Feel free to go away now.

[Requiem]

16. :D

Cool thread though man, I don't got one though. :)

[Taco John]

This one isn't mine, but I have a few that are very similar. Sorry for the image size:


http://www.builddirect.com/showimage.aspx?ImgID=708

[Garcia Bronco]

This is mine

[ZONA]

This is mine

FJ - nice indeed. They actually did a build up on Extreme 4x4 for the new FJ. Think it was a 6" lift with 35's, a custom roll cage where you can actually remove it when not on the trail. Pretty cool actually, you should check it out.

[Cito Pelon]

. . . . .Finally, my project ZUK is almost done. Of course I can barely turn a wrech so I had it made. Should be done in a week and then I will post some pics from the trail. For now, the shop photos.

The 1st one is how it started it's life. A stripped down Suzuki Samurai. I wanted to keep it light, and also keep the cost down.

. . . . ...

Interesting the Samurai was a body on frame design. I never woulda thunk. Is that why you chose the Samurai? Nice, looks like an effective machine. Congrats.

I have a '96 4wd Tacoma reg cab that is stock. 2.7L 150hp 4, 5 spd with a high-rise shell. It's my RV, heh heh. That thing is quite a climber, good ground clearance. I can get it into the high country on those narrow rocky roads pretty easy, that thing has been all over Colorado, Utah. I'm thinking about putting some different rear leaf springs on it, the type that has a linkage to extend wheel travel. I figure those things are pretty effective. Less wheel spin, less trail damage, less stopping to throw rocks into holes in the trail.

[Cito Pelon]

Alluall got **** fer brains. Ever think about your carbon footprint, muchless the havoc you wreck upon the terrain.

Well, actually there's only about 10% of off-roaders that F things up and give it a bad name.

[ZONA]

Interesting the Samurai was a body on frame design. I never woulda thunk. Is that why you chose the Samurai? Nice, looks like an effective machine. Congrats.

I have a '96 4wd Tacoma reg cab that is stock. 2.7L 150hp 4, 5 spd with a high-rise shell. It's my RV, heh heh. That thing is quite a climber, good ground clearance. I can get it into the high country on those narrow rocky roads pretty easy, that thing has been all over Colorado, Utah. I'm thinking about putting some different rear leaf springs on it, the type that has a linkage to extend wheel travel. I figure those things are pretty effective. Less wheel spin, less trail damage, less stopping to throw rocks into holes in the trail.

I chose the Samurai only after going through 3 Jeeps. The first Jeep I had was a Cherokee, which was unibody and that just sucked plain and simple. Then the next jeep was a moderate TJ build but brand new so I couldnt risk the offraod stuff because I needed it to drive to work. 3rd Jeep was way too serious offroad and I could not drive it to work, it was just way to big and not street friendly at all. At that point I knew I needed two differet rides. One play toy, and one for the commute to work. I researched and found out more info on the Samurai and went from there.

You should just 4-link it Cito. You will get plenty of travel and articulation with the links and also no wheel hop. Links have come way down in price from even like 3 or 4 years ago. There are even now 4 and 3 link kits you can buy and do yourself. If you want less wheel spin, get a locker. Even more so then gearing, I think lockers are the fastest way to improve trail performance. If you link it, lock it and air down, you will climb stuff you never thought possible. Gof for it.

[Cito Pelon]

I chose the Samurai only after going through 3 Jeeps. The first Jeep I had was a Cherokee, which was unibody and that just sucked plain and simple. Then the next jeep was a moderate TJ build but brand new so I couldnt risk the offraod stuff because I needed it to drive to work. 3rd Jeep was way too serious offroad and I could not drive it to work, it was just way to big and not street friendly at all. At that point I knew I needed two differet rides. One play toy, and one for the commute to work. I researched and found out more info on the Samurai and went from there.

You should just 4-link it Cito. You will get plenty of travel and articulation with the links and also no wheel hop. Links have come way down in price from even like 3 or 4 years ago. There are even now 4 and 3 link kits you can buy and do yourself. If you want less wheel spin, get a locker. Even more so then gearing, I think lockers are the fastest way to improve trail performance. If you link it, lock it and air down, you will climb stuff you never thought possible. Gof for it.

Yeah, no doubt a locker would definitely help. I think a 4-link as I see on your vehicle is a little out of my league, but thanks for pointing that out. That's something to consider rather that going half-ass. I do tend to go halfass on a lot of projects and then regret it later ($$$$$$!!!!). I believe I could get a Tacoma locker/limited-slip whatever their term is from a junkyard and pop it in with those articulated rear leaf springs. I did a quick search just now, but did not see what I was thinking of.

What they are is a leaf spring, but where the leafs bolt on fore and aft, there is an extender plate where the rear axle can extend . . . . you know what, now that you've made me think about it a little more, those things would probably suck. I may get more wheel travel, but I'd probably get more wheel hop also. The shocks would not be able to compensate for the unsprung linkage. So, another cheapskate theory falls by the wayside.

I like the Tacoma, but it has that long rear porch and the lack of rear wheel travel. It limits my angles. Maybe I should just go with the locker, a moderate lift kift and a winch. There's one area I want to get into - superb rainbow and brown fishing - but there's just this one area on the trail where there's rocks the size of houses my truck has little prayer of getting past. Well, there's other areas where the Tacoma would have to work hard and I'd be filling holes with rocks to climb. Most people use the little trail 4wheelers, or have the rock-climbers like yours. It's a long trail, a biotch to hike, and it's a dang nice trail, not abused, so I don't want to abuse it with a bunch of wheel spin, etc. Well, it's either a trailer and a trail machine, or I figure out how to get the Tacoma over the bad stretches without tearing up too much of my beloved Colorado.

[Bronco9798]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v472/Khouck001/IMG_0836.jpg

Picture of my wife who actually drives it more than I do.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v472/Khouck001/IMG_0834.jpg

[ZONA]

Yeah, no doubt a locker would definitely help. I think a 4-link as I see on your vehicle is a little out of my league, but thanks for pointing that out. That's something to consider rather that going half-ass. I do tend to go halfass on a lot of projects and then regret it later ($$$$$$!!!!). I believe I could get a Tacoma locker/limited-slip whatever their term is from a junkyard and pop it in with those articulated rear leaf springs. I did a quick search just now, but did not see what I was thinking of.

What they are is a leaf spring, but where the leafs bolt on fore and aft, there is an extender plate where the rear axle can extend . . . . you know what, now that you've made me think about it a little more, those things would probably suck. I may get more wheel travel, but I'd probably get more wheel hop also. The shocks would not be able to compensate for the unsprung linkage. So, another cheapskate theory falls by the wayside.

I like the Tacoma, but it has that long rear porch and the lack of rear wheel travel. It limits my angles. Maybe I should just go with the locker, a moderate lift kift and a winch. There's one area I want to get into - superb rainbow and brown fishing - but there's just this one area on the trail where there's rocks the size of houses my truck has little prayer of getting past. Well, there's other areas where the Tacoma would have to work hard and I'd be filling holes with rocks to climb. Most people use the little trail 4wheelers, or have the rock-climbers like yours. It's a long trail, a biotch to hike, and it's a dang nice trail, not abused, so I don't want to abuse it with a bunch of wheel spin, etc. Well, it's either a trailer and a trail machine, or I figure out how to get the Tacoma over the bad stretches without tearing up too much of my beloved Colorado.

If you're on a budge, first thing I would do is skip on the winch. Any winch worth a damn will be at least $400 or more. Cheaper then that and they are crap. I wouldn't buy anything besides a Warn myself but even MileMarker is not cheap.

Tacoma's, and I may be wrong, offer a rear long travel 3" and 5" spring lift, and I think it's still an under axle mount, so you won't have wheel hop. Even if you do have some, very cheap to do a trac bar and eliminate alot of it. I think these long travel leaf spring lifts give you decent travel while still being stiff enough to pile crap up in the bed. Sounds like you don't need to get a longer wheelbase, especially if you have king cab or extended cab. That's enough right there. No need to move axle back more. Just get a good bumper that can take some bangs because of your departure angle. You could also remove your stock shocks in the rear and go with a special shock which can give you less resistance for the first portion of the travel (I believe this is adjustable) and then stiffen once you've compressed it more. I believe the long travel leaf springs are made in the same theory. Don't do a limited slip locker. Been there, done that. That's really made for assistance on the road (rain, snow, ice, etc). The carriers used on those are not up to trails standards if you ask me. If you want to have it street friendly then I suggest instead of spending money on the winch, use that towards a rear ARB air locker that you can turn off and on when you need it. You can't go wrong with those. In the early days there were problems but they've been around a long time now and very reliable. Absolutely the way to go.

Having said that, if you do a Taco right, chaning out the IFS on later models to a solid axles (SAS), man they can be a beast on the trails. My motto is you only live once so go for it.

Check out this site. They even have front axle swap kits, lockers and lifts and lots of other goodies.
http://www.allprooffroad.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=94


What tire size to you want to run? Do you have the Taco now and what is the current status of it (lift, model, etc..) If you know how to do some mechanical work, you can get that thing to go where you want on that trail for not alot of money.

[ZONA]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v472/Khouck001/IMG_0836.jpg

Picture of my wife who actually drives it more than I do.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v472/Khouck001/IMG_0834.jpg

Nice indeed. The Hummer as well...........lol
I doubt that thing see any trail time though huh! The most action that thing probably sees is the speed bumps at the mall. Am I right?

[Bronco9798]

Actually you probably are. See the little white Nissan next to it. Well, that's what I drive. :-(

[Garcia Bronco]

FJ - nice indeed. They actually did a build up on Extreme 4x4 for the new FJ. Think it was a 6" lift with 35's, a custom roll cage where you can actually remove it when not on the trail. Pretty cool actually, you should check it out.

I haven't seen that but I have heard about it. Mine is the TeRD Edition..

[Simply Red]

I haven't seen that but I have heard about it. Mine is the TeRD Edition..

nice. *whispering*

[alkemical]

1990 ford bronco II

[Garcia Bronco]

this is actually from this weekend after heading out toward Drake

[COBronco 69]

Some pics from 21 road outside of Grand Junction on saturday:

http://www.eddytech.net/bronco/21roadJune07/21road0607-1.jpg

http://www.eddytech.net/bronco/21roadJune07/21road0607-2.jpg

http://www.eddytech.net/bronco/21roadJune07/21road0607-3.jpg

http://www.eddytech.net/bronco/21roadJune07/21road0607.jpg

[Garcia Bronco]

Nice...mine isn't old enough for that kind of rock crawling, and I don't have the experience yet either.

[ZONA]

CO Bronco 69 - looks like your rear diff took a good smack on that 2nd pic huh? Looks like a fun trail.

[COBronco 69]

CO Bronco 69 - looks like your rear diff took a good smack on that 2nd pic huh? Looks like a fun trail.

Actually walked right up over it :)

[Dukes]

Bump

Ya, I know I'm a little late. But I couldn't get any pictures until now.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c80/nvrsumr/P1010271s.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c80/nvrsumr/P1010275d.jpg

[Garcia Bronco]

Bump

Ya, I know I'm a little late. But I couldn't get any pictures until now.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c80/nvrsumr/P1010271s.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c80/nvrsumr/P1010275d.jpg

95? That's a nice ride and a classic stury machine.

[ZONA]

Here's a few shots from last weekend. The first test run, just a short little quickie to the fields and cannals to test the flex. I still have to put on the exhuast though but she's ready to rock.

http://zona.nikegames.net/Misc/Zuk/0705071445.jpg

http://zona.nikegames.net/Misc/Zuk/0705071449.jpg

[Dukes]

95? That's a nice ride and a classic stury machine.

'97. 160,000 Miles, still runs like a champ.