offroad

[Lockleaf]

The 720 divorced center drop transfer case is the T100. The married, drivers side drop transfer case from pathfinders and hard bodies is the tx10. Just wanted to clear that up in case he goes looking for additional info on the Nissan t cases.

[]2eDeYe]

I was under the impression the 720 t-case was center drop. Not to familiar with the Nissan cases. :)

[Lockleaf]

You are correct on the center drop redeye. All your info was totally correct except for the name. That t case is called the t100. The tx10 name applies to the hard body t case.

[]2eDeYe]

Shows what I know :lol: 

[84720FourWheel]

T100L more specifically. That gets rid of Toyota transfer cases when searching.

[720driver97]

My local scrap yard has a wagoneer how much should axles and leafs be?

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

The front axle can sell for as little as $300 and as much as $1000. The width is why they are popular; wider than a stock Toyota axle, not as wide as a full size truck axle.

 

Leafs are cheap. $75 per pair.

 

Where in MN are you? I was born in Duluth and grew up in Saint Paul.

[datzenmike]

Ahhh then you'd know Dick Bong!

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Wasn't he a pilot? I know there's a bridge named after him and there's a parking lot on the side of the hwy with an old P38 or something...

[720driver97]

What do u guys carry for gear when offroading?

[]2eDeYe]

Spare tire, hi-lift, various straps, chains, shackles and most importantly meat, cheese and water. 

[720driver97]

Is it worth having like a 10 gallon tank of water for the engine? What about a air compressor?

[]2eDeYe]

Extra water is always nice to have. If you plan on airing down then you will want a compressor of some sort. 

[84720FourWheel]

I bring a couple gallons of distilled water with. Depends on how many rigs are coming though. Snatch straps, shovels, boots, basic set of tools, duct tape, metal and plastic zip ties. And a hi lift.

[720driver97]

What axles are good to pull from other trucks?

[datzenmike]

Make a hollow tube rear bumper with a tire valve on it. Fill up the bumper and carry your air in it.

 

Always have rubber boots and shovels for the mud. A good flashlight.

 

If you need to carry water for the engine you shouldn't go far from home. Preparation is the key... be ready for anything.. and I don't mean a spare engine and hoist. Make your engine reliable as hell so it won't leave you there. Maintain it and the truck and you'll be more likely to make it back.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

What do u guys carry for gear when offroading?

It depends on a few factors. Where am I going? How far away from my tow rig and trailer will I be? Will I be going alone or with others?

 

I always carry a high lift, a spare, some extra fuel, my CO2 tank, a small bag of tools and some spare parts like an extra slip yoke and fan belt. My spare is small (34 x 9.50) so it fits in the back nicely.

 

Then of course there's the personal gear which totally depends on weather, etc. Food is a must regardless.

 

Is it worth having like a 10 gallon tank of water for the engine? What about a air compressor?

Unless you're going to spend a week out in Moab, more than 5 gallons or so of water is going a little overboard. You have to remember, most guys will stop to help you out if you're in need of assistance. If you're wheeling where there may not be somebody else for a long while, then that's a completely different scenario, more like expeditioning.

 

I only bring my 5 gallon water jug when I'm going to be out for a couple days.

 

But where do you draw the line? If you brought everything you thought you might need, you'd need a Unimog to carry it all.

 

Bring a good pair of hiking boots, a solar charger for your cell phone and a backpack filled with hiking gear, food and water. Oh, and a first aid kit. Worst case, you hike out and find help.

 

What axles are good to pull from other trucks?

That really is a hard question to answer. It all really revolves around tire size. ie- if you want to run 42 inch tires, you NEED D60's or better. If you want to run 35's, the sky's the limit.

 

Width is a concern too. Toyota axles are awesome, but stock they only measure out to 56 inches wide. Add IFS hubs and Tacoma brakes to that axle and you're at 59 inches. Not bad for most rigs. But Toyota axles are not cheap to build. You will easily get $2000 into a stock housing Toyota axle. I have built Toyota axles for customers that cost over $6000 before.

 

Wagoneer axles are probably the cheapest way to go wheeling, but they have the weak D30/D44 balljoint knuckles that go through balljoints like crazy. Out here in Rubicon country, a D44 with 37" tires will need balljoints once every year, two at most. But the D44's are rather cheap to buy and build. You get what you pay for though.

 

And then it comes donw to dollars and sense. I would never willingly put more than a couple grand into a D44. At that point, you may as well go out and buy a D60. Stock, they are stronger than anything out there. But you can spend some serious coin on D60's.

 

If it were my truck, and I wanted to do the occasional backcountry trip where the hard lines are completely optional (ie- bypasses) A Toyota axle would be my choice. 1985 had the strongest Toyota axle so look for one of those.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

I hate to do this to you at this point. I know how exciting it is to plan a build, but if wheeling is your main goal, and not the exercise of building a truck, go out and buy one that's built. You will save tons of money and anything that the previous owner screwed up is always going to be fixable.

[720driver97]

I bought the truck because I enjoy working on it I'm just trying to learn as much as I can so I know what I'm doing, by the way what gearing do the D44s have or dose it change?

[84720FourWheel]

They'd be different based on year model, engine size, ect. They usually have a code stamped some where on the vehicle. But I think regear kits are more readily available than Datsun axles.

[720driver97]

Ok

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Wow, TWO guys from MN.

 

Where do you guys go to be able to do any actual rock crawling?

[720driver97]

I got some hunting land that's ruff that's as close as I can get to rock crawling were I'm at but I plan to go up north to some trails up there

[84720FourWheel]

There are some good trails up north by thee north shore. One of these days I'll get up there.

[Rhino13]

I'm native to Michigan! Lived in Oregon for about 4 years now but spent my whole life back there. I love northern Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Camped all over there when I was a kid.