3eyedwagon

I'm obviously never going to be able to make you see what I am trying to say, and I'm obviously at fault as much as you are. When I say a negative thing about something, be it a Toyota Pickup, or a Dodge Coronet; I'm very, very rarely calling it a total piece of crap. Like I've tried to say repeatedly; Toyota's do have bad things about them, they aren't all sunshine, and lollipops. I don't think I've said that Toyotas out, and out suck. I even checked back to make sure, and couldn't really find a case where I had. I will however stand by my guns that there are things ABOUT THEM that do suck. Not being able to get off the gas fast enough to stop front axle hop before it breaks a Birfield = SUCKS. Changing Birfield Joints = SUCKS. The cost of a Birfield Eliminator kit dropping hundreds of dollars AFTER purchasing my last one = SUCKS! (the last Birfield Eliminator kit I bought was just under $700.... ) Looking up the interstate from the overpass, to look for a gap in the traffic before hitting the onramp = SUCKS Electrolysis mysteriously whiping out heads/headgaskets, despite efforts to alleviate it = SUCKS Mysterious grounding issues = SUCK But hey, I can go down a list about Subarus, and do the exact same thing. Breaking the same front joint design as a Toyota, while not being able to go as many places = it sucks. Not being able to haul all that crap = it sucks NO gearing options = oh yeah, that sucks Trying to figure out my rear axle geometry to stop breaking rear axles on a car that I really enjoy driving = yup, definitely sucks. Worrying about every last ounce of weight in order to make up for my lack of gearing, especially when I'm a fat *** = that kinda sucks The reality that I am probably going to beat the car to death to go everywhere = that sucks too This list can be made for pretty much anything. I can assure you; only one of my Toys was a lemon. Jeff actually helped me load it on a trailer, and take it to some friend's house here recently. Heck, I'm even damn proud of how some of them turned out. Especially both the ones my bro ended up with. They are out, and out machines. But, it took a LOT of work to get them there, and I honestly think it would be inaccurate to give the credit to Toyota, because there are alot of other parts on there to get them to work well, and ALOT of hours spent staring at stuff trying to figure out how to get it on there, and working right. That's why I'm not giving the credit to Toyota. They built an OK platform, and other people have made it great. As for your idea of issuing a challenge to Zap; I honestly don't think I'm quite ready for that one. As is now, none of my Subs could go quite as far as a Toy on 33"s. But, I'll keep working on it, and I'll let you both know when I'm ready. And, when the day comes that I give you a call; even if I don't make it quite as far... I'll still have won in my mind. Because I'll have designed, and built every last piece of my inferior pile of crap. The journey will have been made by the sweat of my brow. I won't have Trailblazer, or Skyjacker, or AllPro to thank. OR BLAME. It will all be on my back, and even if I'm sitting at the trailhead, trying to figure out where I went wrong; I'm ok with that.

Like I said; they all have upsides, and all obviously have downsides. I'm just pointing out the Toyota's, because nobody else wants to. If you guys really want to, we can go through each older mid-size one by one, and ALL call out their problems. Heck, it might even be fun! Maybe Rooinater could unwind by calling some of my crap out. Just to let you know Rooinater, my weakness is the s-10. The 4.3 V6 (aside from its' one oil galley) was sent to us directly from Jesus F. Christo himself. Any slightly older 1/2 ton domestic, be it Dodge, Ford, GM, will never fit in the places a Toyota will. At least not for the first few trips, until you get it good, and rounded off. But, it will haul alot more crap, and be able to tow the boat, camper, etc. There are alot of IFS trucks out there that, with a little lift can keep up with a Toyota on 33"s, and have some other great attributes about them. Many of them have superior drivetrains, and higher-end capabilities. Some of them are even newer Toyotas! I know you are gonna curse IFS, but hey; its' here, and we are gonna have to start dealing with it/cutting it out sooner or later. :-p That's all I want to point out. If everyone decides to wheel nothing but pre-86 Toyota's, or Jeeps; we are going to run out of Jeeps, and Toyotas. And more importantly; miss out on some good vehicles, and some possibilities for some truely original ideas.

Kinda makes you realize why they keep all the trails so harshly regulated. Looks to me like there has been maybe an 18+ inch drop next to the shark fin. Just think, alot of that dirt has been hauled back into town.

Hate is a strong word. I'd just like to think that I'm a little more realistic about Toyota pickups. I owned a small fleet of Toyota pickups at one point, and probably wheeled them longer than you have. Not trying to start a pissing contest, just giving you an idea of how I came to my conclusions. I've spent ALOT more hours working on Toyotas than I have Subarus. They are a fine pickup. They do most things ok. I'm sure yours does everything you want it to just fine. The only thing I'm here to say is that they aren't as remarkable of a vehicle as the general Toyota owners wishes to claim that they are. They aren't bulletproof, they aren't unstoppable, and they aren't magical in any way. If someone wants to make a good wheeler out of one; it takes alot of work, alot of knowledge, and a good fistful of dollars to do so. The same goes for most rigs. There are a multitude of vehicles out there that can do everything as well as the Toyota pickup. every. single. day. Some may do some things better, and some things worse. But I'll gladly tell anyone, whether it be 3 people, or a million staring me in the face; the Toyota pickup is not a stand above the crowd, remarkable truck. It has survived the years by being mediocre, and that is the honest to god truth. They do about everything medium well, and they do nothing particularly, amazingly well. Own one long enough, drive some other similar sized pickups, and you will see that I am not lying, and I am not bashing on the Toyota. They are just another small pickup, in a group of about a dozen. And in the end, arguing about it is a joke; because in thirty years or so..... you 80-85 Toyota lover's are hosed! rust never sleeps.....:-\

I'm not here to argue that the XJ is the greatest wheeler on the planet. The comment was made that Jeeps are expensive to wheel, and I provided an example of one that isn't. Just one. There are plenty of other Jeep platforms that could be built for far less. My M38A1 was dirt cheap, and went everywhere (except if there was snow on the ground) . But, it also had an oddfire GM V6, Danas, and a NV trans, and a Saturn overdrive. Hardly a Jeep. I have however wheeled with at least a dozen that I can remember, and seen some pretty amazing stuff done. The SINGLE problem with the unibody that I can remember seeing is on my friends, which took a fairly long drive down a steep hill, unpiloted, and ended up dropping off a logging road onto a rather largish stump. Of course they have problems if you go big, uni-body construction is probably their major downfall. However it is also one of their strength. Flex is what we are after, isn't it? You left out a major part of my quote, which is probably what is leading to confusion. As far as your price quotes: You are a HUNDRED percent right. I won't argue that a bit. You can build a "Toyota" transfer case for far cheaper than that of a Jeeps. I just have to laugh at how into it you Toyota guys are. My brother is one of you, and he can't see the forrest through the trees. You all definitely show devotion. My point is this: You build a "Toyota", and claim how amazing your "Toyota's" are. By the time you are done, most of them barely even resemble, or ARE Toyotas. With all the aftermarket parts required to weed out the weak links, can you still really call it a Toyota? I mean, in the end, you are really bragging about a frame, cab, transmission/transfer (stuffed full of aftermarket parts), v6 third members from later Toyotas, and a motor that will barely push it all down the road at highway speeds. I understand that every single vehicle out there has it's strong points, and it's weak points. The path to build a decent Toyota has been made incredibly simple by the people ahead of you, and in the end; maybe you are the smarter one for taking advantage of a aftermarket so full of easy upgrades. All I find funny is that people out there are so incredibly tunnel visioned about how what they are building is the absolute tops, and all others aren't. Especially when most of it has been designed years before them, and handed to them for the cost of a paycheck.

I JUST got done fighting with this same problem. My D/R is 23 spline, and I think the case is 23 spline is 23 spline is 23 spline. No idea about all the trickery of which trans, versus turbo/non turbo..... would be which. It all gets a little confusing if you ask me. But, I do have a few suggestions to help get your axle in. 1: Loosen the strut tower nuts for a bit more wiggle room. I wouldn't normally do this, but if you just can't get it - something has to give. 2: And more importantly.... DO NOT put the roll pin in the axle before getting the bottom balljoint back in. That was the problem with mine.

And, anyone with two eyes, and a brain could have read/interpreted my post. NOWHERE in my post is the sentence, or could even be contrived the phrase: "A stock XJ is more capable than a stock Toyota pickup." I think you should really try re-reading it, and coming at me with a legitimate, well thought out post. That meaning; something other than a couple of quickly found Google pics, and a broadly painted mis-quote of my conversation with other people whom are having actual engaging thoughts with me, and bringing up strong points. My post spoke to the "capabilities" of each vehicles drivetrain. Not to their capabilities off of the showroom floor. If that were the case, I wouldn't be mentioning the XJ, but probably instead a Uni-Mog.

The literally dozens of XJs I know have never had any of those problems, And the mobs of people that wheel them, and the clubs that support them might argue your claim. The ONLY problem with the unibodies I have EVER encountered are on ones that have been in major wrecks. As far as your claim of taking more abuse offroad.... that'd be one I'd be more than willing to argue with you. I think it would be more than a fair fight, IF; the Toyota kept all Toyota parts, and the Jeep kept all Jeep parts. Or even if you just kept them to their stock components. No upgrades allowed, other than maybe suspension, and tires. Possibly gearing too, with some restrictions. That way you are speaking to the true capability of the vehicle. Let me tell you from experience: the Toyota would be up **** creek. Without the VAST aftermarket, and the pilfering of designs from other vehicles; the Toyota pickup would be nowhere in the wheeling industry. It would probably be classified well below the XJ.

I don't think that's the case. You can pick up, and wheel a XJ for nothing. And they are honestly one of the most efficient wheeling machines around. Especially the two doors. If I ever had the desire to wheel something that was all bolt on stuff; I would probably go with a XJ. They have the best return per dollar in wheeling goodies, in my opinion.

Yeah, I hear there is a good place to test lifted Subaru's, and beat up your friend's not far from where this picture was taken....

So, if you already have your mind made up; why ask for the comparison? People here have told you that their EXPERIENCE has proven Dynamat to be a superior product. Whether it be the science that the company has invested in, or dumb luck: Dynamat is the best out there. It may all be a rip, but if so; why do you even care? If you don't want to use it, just shove some old dish cloths under your carpet. Or buy the cheap stuff, and be pissy when it doesn't do a very good job. You gotta pay to play.

I'll try to make it down that way, but I've kinda got a full plate going on. If nothing else, I'll give you a call in the afternoon.

Sweet deal man. Looks good!

No idea man. Last time I saw his bike, it was in pieces. I'll give them all a call tomorrow. I gotta remind the Justices, and a few other people anyways. I'll get the phone book out, and start dialing about mid day tomorrow.

Go with Dynamat. There's a reason the stuff is more expensive. It's because they've earned the reputation of working incredibly well. I layed some of this down inside my Nova while we were painting it. You wouldn't believe the difference versus some of the other stuff I've used. I was convinced to use it by a friend at a local stereo shop. They won't use anything else on high end installs, and this is only after a few years of trying every product on the market.

Rog check, I'd just heard so much about them, I figured they were the hot ****. Jeff found me some hot dog ones here fairly locally that I can have shipped tomorrow. Thanks for the info though.

Anyone know of a good place to get these near Mt. Vernon Washington? Or are they a mail order deal only? I need a front for an EA82 D/R SPFI car, and would prefer to pick one up somewhere around here as I need it by THIS FRIDAY!

Don't worry man. Everyone here had to start somewhere' date=' and with a little persistence; you will get this figured out. Just try not to get discouraged.

Those are 215s? For some reason, they look larger than that.

The Weber is a great carb, about as good as any carb can get. As far as the SPFI, I just bought MY VERY FIRST SPFI car about a week ago now. I will admit, at first I was against it. I didn't like the idea, and I would've much preferred a carb'd car in favor of swapping in a Weber. To compound this problem, the SPFI setup was acting poorly. It had some problems, and the previous owner just stopped driving it as a solution. After limping it home with the help of a friend, I decided to give it a go. The problem ended up being a Throttle Positioning Sensor, a problem I had never before dealt with. With just a little research on here, asking some quesitons, testing some sensors, asking a few more questions, and trying again; I had solved the problem ON MY OWN. Now, I obviously had help from people here, and friends. But, ultimately I got to the bottom of the problem. I am no genius, but I was able to fix it, and now the car runs great. Now I am glad that I scored on an SPFI car. With just a little bit of research I found out how incredibly simple these systems are, and now I have the benefit of fuel injection. I have no need to pump the gas when the car is cold. I just start it, and walk away. Plus, I got to use that incredibly expensive digital multi-meter that I had invested in awhile back. I had always wondered why so many people on here raved about the SPFI system. Now I know why. I highly encourage you to learn all you can about it, and enjoy it. This board is an excellent place to start, as there are ALOT of people on here who not only know these systems well, but, more importantly; they are willing to take the time to help you figure it out.

Yeah, I am fairly impressed with the overall simplicity of this motor. It's just some concepts that I'm fairly unacquainted with. I'll slowly learn it while I go.... I grabbed a spare while I was at Pull-A-Part, but I will definitely take this one apart just to see how it works, and to see if I can get it to work correctly. It's hard to mess up something that's already broken - So, I've got a perfect opportunity to learn something. Thanks again for the help. Now I can get it ready for the wheeling trip...

As promised: I said I would let you all know how things went. I went to Jeff's yesterday evening, and tested his TPS to compare the reading. The TPS on Jeff's car reacted/measured out EXACTLY as the procedure in Daeron's thread described. I was fully convinced that my TPS was garbage, and this morning I took a trip to Pull-A-Part to test/grab a couple sensors. I finally got around to installing it a couple of hours ago, adjusted it to specs, and tested it. This WAS indeed the problem. With the new one installed the car revs freely, no matter how hard the throttle is stomped. There is no hesitation at any RPM, and the car seems to run excellent. I want to give a big thanks to all of you who helped walk me through this. Thanks for patiently answering my questions, as misled, and odd as they may have been. Hopefully I can some day pay it forward.