$400 Pioneer (Wilbur)

[87manche1]

Shoot ur not to far from me I'm 10 min north of canton where do u wheel message me.

I'm getting ready for a spring trip.

[mvusse]

I got to Dover Dirt Trails once in a while as it's something like 2 miles from my house. Pretty fun when it's dry, but a nightmare when it's wet. I also go to Southington Offroad (used to be Jeepskool) a few times a year. I used to go every month, but it got too expensive and I have conquered all but one of their trails. I like the camping atmosphere there as I know just about everybody and my daughter loves their trails. I'm also a member of Stillwell Stompers, who have access to some of the finest wheeling in Ohio. They consider 35" tires "small", though and 33 is the absolute minimum to be able to get around on their trails unless you're a Samurai. Sammies can manage on 31s.

 

My truck isn't anywhere near ready to get back on the trails yet, though.

[mvusse]

[mvusse]

[mvusse]

Welp it's been 13 years since I posted in this thread!

 

The Purple People Eater went to the scrap heap when the drivers seat fell through the floor, that was probably 5 or so years ago. According to most of my friends it should have been scrapped years earlier.

 

Wilbur sadly pretty much ripped itself apart trying to climb a waterfall. The term "spectacular breakage" was mentioned more than once, and a description of "it sounded like a tree being felled" as the cascade of parts broke.

Both rear wheels hit a vertical wall at the same time causing axle wrap so bad it broke the leaf springs both in front and behind the axle, brake hose got ripped in half,rear driveshaft twisted itself in half when the pinion pointed straight up. Only thing keeping the axle under the truck was the shocks (fully extended) with the frame rails laying on the axle tube.

The front end attempted to keep going which resulted in the driver side upper control arm bracket being ripped off the body, with the flanged bolt being ripped the whole way through. Lower driver side control arm bracket ripped off the axle which allowed the axle to pull far enough forward for the front driveshaft to be pulled apart at the slip joint, but not before it broke the pinion yoke.

 

At that point I got a deal on a rust free 99 Cherokee, Xena. Moved all the big boy parts over to it (and linked the rear end, I'm done with leaf springs) and wheeled it for about 10 years. Until it became time to put in a roll cage.

 

A 97 Cherokee fell into my lap with a cage already in it for less than it would have cost to cage Xena. Been working on it for a year and a half now as life kept getting in the way, but I'm in the home stretch now. Her name is Karma.

 

This is how she sits currently

 

At some point I'd like to build a rust free Comanche, about 4.5" lift on 32s, stroker, stick shift as a summer daily driver, keeping it out out of the snow and road salt.

[neohic]

Hell yeah! Good to see you, Marcel!