Mine all started with..... a car. I bought a 84 chevy cavalier and put on a new paint job. Cleaned it up real nice. (this was back in 91) I then was out at a mall and some damn punks hit my car with a shopping cart and scratched the side up pretty good. Ever since then I decided I was going to do any damage to my vehicles... and no-one else. Thats when I sold the car for a 85 GMC Jimmy. I never painted it, never waxed it. The more mud on it the better. I will never buy a new vehicle and try to keep it like new. It just will piss you off when the first scratch, ding, or fender bender will happen.

punk kids

 

I got started in a 92 cavalier(best looking) but crashed it only to get a 89 sunbird(most fun). After i got rid of that(long story) i bought a 72 Nova(fastest) and dropped a 400HP 350 in it. Blew that up and ditched the car for a 68 Camaro(rustiest). After i pulled the windshield out (along with half of the roof, like i said rusty) i junked that at a total loss. I drove my friends 90F250 cuz i had to do some work on it and was sold on Fords.

I first wanted a truck after a family camping thingy where there was around 1' of snow and we all piled in this old chevy suburban w/a diesel. I was sold on a truck right then and there. I was around 14.

A friend and I went camping in his fathers truck and we first went "wheeling" on our own. We were 18 at the time and the truck was only 2WD but we had a ball. At this time my Nova was sitting in his driveway waitin for a the motor. I said I wanted a truck and he said i only wanted one cuz we just went "wheeling".

After i junked the 69 Camaro i picked up a 89 F150 CHEAP. I BEAT THE PI$$ out of it literally. I'm talkin sledge hammers shotguns and tire irons. After a year of abuse i crashed it so i bought a 86 F150 off a friend for $150.

I swapped the EFI, 4WD, 302/AOD, rear diff, wiring harness and just about everything else into the 86. I miss the 89 but by the time i was done with the 86 the 89 was laying on the frame in the street.

Now that i've bored all of you with my life story, heres my plans.

I'm getting a 90F250 from a friend for free(the one i did the work on that sold me on Ford) and I'm researching 2.5 ton Rockwells and those 52" tall Michelins. Obviously it wont be street driven but hey i can dream.

 

I have USED every truck I have ever owned and at 21 there are enough to start a small used car lot. My first two trucks were both two wheel drive diesels. That is how I know for a fact the only thing worse than a Ford SRW is a Dodge dually. Between the two of those trucks and Central Texas mud I think I have replaced every fence post on the ranch (and three rear fenders on the dually). I finally got smart and purchased a 98 GMC 2500 4X4 with a 454 and did all the typical mods BFG M/T's and flowmaster exhaust ... When you drive on average 50,000 miles a year the gas adds up quick. I have now downsized to a 02 Tacoma in hopes that the reputation for longevity is not a falsehood. as for mods there probably won't be any I just can't seem to hold on to a vehicle long enough to make it worhwhile.

 

Re: How Did You Get Started, And What Are Your Pla

well gorwing up in farming ranching kinda town you guessed it cars just dont do, though i did drive my parent 82 mustang for a few months,

then bought my 6 lug 3/4 ton chevy thinking it was a 3/4 ton I could use to pull the horses and junk around, its barely adeguate for the, been drivn that same truck for over 4 years now, I also have always been into auto mechanics and welding fabricated so I took those courses in high school and all that were realated like drafting n stuff.

my truck started out as 2 wd drive due to cv shafts comeing apart then I replaced pretty much all the fron end parts, tossed on set of 285s then a body lift a fewy years later, and now lots of trimming to fit 35s. kinda half assed planning a sfa swap for sometime in the near future and running 36-38 tires for offroad use.

thats pretty much how it started.

Evan

 

For me I guess it started with an old 51 Chevy truck. It was 2wd but that didn't stop me from taking it places it shouldn't have gone. I got into going fast for a while with a 67 Camaro RS/SS but sold it when I got married. Eventually I got into 4x4s when my dream truck kinda fell into my lap. It was a 66 Jeep J-2000 truck. I drove it far a long time and still have it out decorating the yard. I decided I was going to rebuild it a while back and was going to buy something to get back and forth to work intil I got the truck running again. Well I got a CJ-5 and got to experience hitting the trails in something that could go places the bigger truck had a tougher time doing. It was too small for a weekend trip with the family though. I lucked onto my current ride and was able to do some trading to end up with my 71 Jeepster. Since then I have been putting all of my efforts into keeping it running and adding upgrades so the truck has just sat.

I have bought another CJ-5 for my wife and will be getting it trail ready for her. She told me she would like to have the Jeep truck running so she could use it as a daily driver also. I plan on continuing to show my kids the outdoor life and hope that they will continue with their families some day.

 

I wrote this story for my Dad but many of you may relate to the story. Click
Here for the story.

If you enjoy the story please pass it on to others who may relate to it as
well.

Thanks

 

I was born ................

I grew up next to a motocross track in Pacifica Ca in the mid to late 70's........

Got better and better jobs making more money for toys

Had to move to a place where I could play with the toys with my kids

 

I grew up on a farm in Colorado and we always had 4WD GMCs. We had to have them for the winters and for wet areas and what not. I have always loved going offroad. I also have always love working on cars. In high school I moved to Oregon, I had a 68 Mustang that I tinkered with. I got my first truck in 96 when I was 22. It was an 88 Toyota 4x4. I rebuilt the engine replace clutches, lifted it...and of course offroaded it. I sold that and got a 94 Toyota truck and took it easy on that and just did minor modifications. I mostly used it just for hunting and stuff. I recently bought an 89 4Runner SR5 V6. I am planning on slowly turning it into a real offroading vehicle for once. In the next couple months I am putting differential breathers, a homemade snorkel, 1" body lift, Ubolt flip with 2" longer than stock shackles, 1" torsion bar crank. In the next year I want to do a gear swap and lock the rear-end. Someday I would like to do an SAS or buy an FJ60 and build it to the hilt.

 

Man you are lucky, as you self I started riding when I was about 7 but I didnt ride all the time and my plans were not to become pro. I liked riding with my friends either on trails or on the track.But about five years ago I saw my first prerunner and i've been hooked ever since.The guy with the prerunner went to my school and it had king coilovers with equal length beam bed cage eng. cage it was awsome.but i didnt know to much about trucks. I started looking in the trader for a truck and i just couldnt wait.so i found a 90'f-150 4x4 with camburg coil buckets and thats about it, it had a 96'front clip with fberglass and it looked clean, little did I know that the frame was cracked and everytime i would turn my tires my whole frame would move. Ever since I got that truck ive had problems with it right now im driving a 96'mustang cobra because i broke my truck again.I broke the cheap rancho radius arm in half cracked the cross member that hold on my i-beam and stripped the other i-beam bolt out. so that about were im at know.Since I have another car im going to fully build my truck or as much as I can aford.If any one had any hint or tricks about the wiring on my truck please let me know all those wires SUCK.

 

I grew up on the outer banks and the roads were fewer then . Nows a different story unforunatley .Anyways I got my 1st cj when I was 18 and I have had one ever since .It used to be a lot of fun when you could actually go wheeling on all of the beach and pennys hill . I have to spin my own wrenches on a whole ,as I spend all my money on parts and not shop labor ! I plan on moving to Nevada in the next 5 years so I wont have to drive so far to wheel anymore . Plus I love Reno ! Anyone want a house at the beach ? lol

 

i'm growing up, at age 10 i raised cash for a 350 odyssey in dallas texas. i got it at 13 and rode, rode, rode! i never had a dad so i kindda just did stuff. i bought a new cr80 and now a CR125 at age 14 i started gering up for mx and here i am months later still gearing!

 

I actually got started on the production of my Bronco last year. However, I fell in love with off-roading and lifted 4x4s when I was dating my ex-boyfriend Chris. I had always appreciated going mudding, but I never spent as much time out at Fort Mott (the local dikes) as I did when I was dating him. The problems between us began when everyone realized I had a natural ability and fascination with wheeling, and they believed my abilities far surpassed Chris's. Well, that didn't rise well to a man's ego - so, after purchasing a beat 89 stock Bronco, I began the challenge (after already having broken up). "My Bronco's going to be bad ass, you wait and see." To no avail, I turned my Bronco into a bad ass toy that I would never give up. I've done a lot of body work and interior design. It's up on 35" Swampers, 3" body, 2" suspension, shaved fenders, and has all the muscle and torque of an engine being rebuilt. I did all the work myself, and with all of my own money, with some assistance from my friends. No one's going to say that I didn't do any of it myself. The only thing I left to the professionals was the paint job. Which, might I say, adds a feminine flare to it (which makes guys cringe when my Bronco can out mud their Chevys and Dodges). It has a beautiful interior of denim (once beautiful that is, not now - it's all covered in dust and dirt) with a glistening black body, pale pink trim on the bottom and a matching top. No one's going to stand in my way as I continue to modify and excel in what I love.

 

a

 

sorry about the "a" i don't remember doing it!LOL LAMO

 

Howdy Names Joe and Yes I'm new to this BB,I got started when turned 12 and Dad need someone to drive hunting while he had a beer.Got hooked and drove as often as I could get away with it.I've owned some kind of 4x4 since I was 16.Plans are to someday have my own shop to fab. things up and get paid for it.

 

Just curious to hear from all of you.

Me? Well, I started out at age 12 in 1968 on a Kawasaki 120 dirtbike that my brother brought back from 'nam on his Aircraft Carrier. I grew up in southern, Orange County, CA and at that time, we could ride right out of our garages and into the hills. Needless to say, we wore out a lot of motorcycles. Since then, I have owned many dirtbikes and have been fortunate to ride same in some awesome areas of our country. Now, I am prety much content on going fast and far in my 4-seat prerunner car. Once in a while, I jump into a race truck with Scott Steinberger. Last year we won our class in the Baja 1000. For the future, I am concentrating on getting my kids addicted. Just like when I was young, they too, can ride write out of their garage, accept now, they ride into the desert around Las Vegas, NV. It's really a blast to see their enthusiasm. The oldest boy rides a Honda TRX250r and draws pictures of race trucks with pride. When he turns 15, we'll start work on his first ride which will be converting my daily driver, 1995 Ford Lightning into a viable "prerunner style" truck for him.

 

Was a rider/navigator/winch b***h for several years prior to buying my first 4wd. It was an '81 Chevy Blazer K5 with a 350. After blowing out countless U-joints, and rebuilding driveshafts and transmissions, I thought it best to find something that could handle my heavy footed driving style, or force me to adapt to the vehicles limits. Besides, that 350 really liked to drink, and 35 gals only lasted two or three days. The only thing I didn't pass was a gas station.

So I bought an '88 Wrangler and prceeded to flog the snot out of it both an and off road until the 2.5l died.

Now she sits in the side yard in anticipation of a Vortec V-6 and complete drive line replacement.

 

Just recently have gotten started, being 17 and my first vehcle being a 4x4. Its been kinda hard lately to save money for things for the truck when people slash yor tires all the time and you are replacing tires that still have blue on the damned sidewalls...

 

Got started in the mid-seventies in Panama. We took a Blazer, a Ford Bronco, a Toyota and a Land Rover (all late model) and tried to make it from through the Darien Province from the Canal Zone to the Colombian border. Even though it was the dry season, we encountered some thunderstorms which dumped rain on what trail there was. At about half way we had to turn back. The Blazer performed admirably but it was too big and fancy. The Bronco was good, but didn't have any horsepower to spare. The Toyota was the most rugged and best overall. The Land Rover was a disaster. Things kept breaking, including the excessively long shift lever. It snapped and broke half into. We had to tow and drag the Rover back to civiliation. Had it been up to me I would have abandoned it.

 

I've always had to work on my rides just to keep them running. Got into street bikes out of school. I've had 3. Last of which (my Roadking) I'll probably be buried with. I got stuck in the snow in my driveway 3 years ago in a 2wd ford, and I'm still pissed about it. I since got the lil cherokee '86 and I haven't been stuck to this day. The lil jeep is great, but it's just not stroking my sensitive ego, so I'm gonna build this big Burb I've been talking about. I'd like to build a hardcore 4x4, but not out of something that big. I'm also trying to set a good example for my 7 year old boy(and not let my liver or my lil thingy dry out at the same time)! As for the beginning, this is it, and y'all are making it pretty easy. Thanks!

 

i traded my friend a 180 dollar digital camera for a old bike that didnt run (fuel bowl was dirty) and that was my first bike

 

I just recently got into offroading when I bought a 1976 3/4 Ton Chevy Scottsdale off a guy I worked with for $2,000.

It's got 35" wheels, an 8 inch lift, 350 engine, 400 turbo tranny, 1 ton axles and enough attitude to earn it's nickname. (The Goat Beast).

My friend and I are kinda going half on everything. We plan on installing a roll bar, custom seats with 5 point harnesses, a rebuilt 350 engine from his 77 Suburban, and newer more traction oriented tires. Those are the long term goals anyway.

Short term goals are too repaint the entire truck, spray in a bed liner, and have a friend of ours airbrush a Goat Beast on the hood.

 

i started when i was about 8ish. around fourhwheelers then started to buy junk ones and fix them when i was about 13-14 and selling them or giving them back to the owner lol. then i started camping a lot when i was 15-18 and loved the outdoors. then i just got my lisence at 18 and got a old toyota pickup, then got a jeep wagoneer, then got a toyota 4runner, then got a jeep cherokee again. i have only been wheeling vehicles for about a year but hey its never to late to start... im only 19

 

i couldnt tell you exactly when i got started but i remember when i was little goin huntin or fishin with my uncle and it always seemed like the best places where down a mud road! since i was 16 i've had a 4x4 and owned almost everything out there. I've built off-road death traps, full blown show trucks, and a few capable trail/daily drivers. I joined the army and went to KS and thats where i got into rock crawling(sounds wiered to say rock crawling in ks but theres a few awesome spots around the area) I recently got a 87 blazer thats gonna be my new trail/daily driver i figure 4 inch lift and some 33s i should be alrite, but knowing me i'll get it done get bored of it in a year and be on something else.

 

Started with a 160 Honda, years ago. Did some poking around in western Ill. with it. After service got into flat traking a Yamaha 250. Not enuf trail time tho'. Bought a 175 Bultaco to trail more. Then upgraded to 250 Yamaha for couple of yrs. Between kids, job and house lost time, not interest. Built a couple of Baja bugs to play with. 66 volks baja bug was a screamer. Got into 4x4 with an old Toyota Land Bruiser. Had a 4x4 P/U since. Sporting an '01 F-250, 7.3L 4x4 xtra cab now. Am retired now and have the time and interest. Bought my Polaris Sportsman 400 last year and took it to SW New Mexico last winter to ride the desert. Great off roading there. Have nearly 2000 miles on the Polaris now. Picked up a '95 Tracker this past April. It is a 1.6L 16V 4 banger. Needs engine work as it has 155,000 miles on it. Body is great. Better than my own. Has a Best Top on it and American Racing mags fitted with Cooper 215x15 C range sneakers. Plan to rebuild engine, ad performance exhaus and lift kit. Will pull engine in Dec, before trip to NM, to have it rebuilt and perhaps a different cam. Then, back next spring to dump engine back in to explore lots of new roads here in NW MT.