Leaderboard

I thought it might be worthwhile to add something here. Personally, I find all the chaff on FB to be silly and I don’t really even follow there anymore. I have repeatedly advised them to ignore it. I have owned my truck since new and have used it primarily for offroad exploration for the majority of its lifetime – here in the PNW, but mostly in the SW (AZ, UT, CO). I intend to drive my truck for another decade at least. I actually have a 2018 Toyota 4Runner I own with my Mom but I prefer my Pathfinder for narrow PNW trails, its uniqueness and nostalgia. My truck has driven almost all the CO Passes (except Black Bear) and I’ve done several multi-day off road trips in places as diverse as Big Bend, the White Rim Trail and down the West Coast of Vancouver Island. All of that was done as a basically stock ’02 LE with Air Lifts and AT Tires. Pines to Spines (@TowndawgR50 &[mention=36148]hawairish[/mention]) has played a big part in my decision to keep my truck. I am a long term owner and look at modifications with an eye to well thought out design, safety, and long term durability. Also, while I have the capital to invest where I’d like, I’m frugal and generally commit to modifications only after long consideration and with an eye to value. It was these principles which led me to[mention=37543]TowndawgR50[/mention] and[mention=36148]hawairish[/mention] in the first place. Anyone who reads the NPORA forum routinely will soon identify them as two individuals who give thoughtful consideration to their projects and are meticulous in their implementation. It was for these reasons that I eventually met the two of them and, ultimately, developed friendships based on shared values and respect. I think the most important attribute they bring to the table is their ability to look at their own work critically, decide it doesn’t meet their own standards, and go about rectifying their critiques in a thoughtful manner. It’s also worth noting that we kid around with[mention=37543]TowndawgR50[/mention] in the PNW group by calling him “Captain Safety”. I am continually impressed with the work Pines to Spines has done and their in depth consideration of usability, practicality, durability, and safety. I am now privileged to be in their inner circle so I’m likely to be a lucky recipient of their ingenuity and labors in any case; however, I think all those who truly want quality products for their R50 would be wise to look to them. The SFD project has proven their commitment. It is their willingness to be patient which has led to progressive improvements. [mention=36148]hawairish[/mention] mentions a redesign but, in fact, I have overheard many little tweaks as they work their way to make the product better. For the two of them, it is in their character and a matter of personal pride rather than as means of income which they rush to market. I have several projects in the pipeline with them but I have patience as I know the length of time to fruition of those projects just results in a better product. I have already seen this several times in discussions regarding things like snorkels, bumpers, differentials, etc. Ultimately, we all gain by their passion. If you’re in a hurry, Pines to Spines may not be for you. If you want something safe, practical, well designed and durable, it’s worth the wait.

Another long-overdue update. Let me start by quoting myself from an FB response I posted earlier tonight, mainly in response to mentions that P2S has been trying for years to do things and will probably not materialize: I'll be honest: if P2S never becomes a legitimate, multi-state corporation, nor has a website or IG or FB page, I'll care very little. ( @TowndawgR50 probably won't let that happen as our Director of Public Relations.) If it remains a hobby, ok. It won't stop us from making things, and it hasn't stopped us either. The discussions and ideas we've had are just as frequent as they've always been. We've not been idle. Yes, it has been over two years since our initial post and we're still not "selling" SFD kits and we don't have a website, or secretary, or whatever. But yeah, we have kits out there already, and we're proud of that. We actually put a partial kit on a member's truck over a year ago; some setbacks prevented us from completing the install at the time, and ultimately led to a small redesign. We were expecting to have completed that installation this year, but the pandemic derailed things; barring some travel plans, we're ready to finish that job. As you've probably already seen here or on IG or FB, @Stpickens and @02_Pathy have been sporting the kits from the latest batch for a few weeks, and @RainGoat's install is coming up. So again, we're not idle. As suggested in my post, we've not needed to push the sale on the extra kits. They hopefully speak for themselves, but at the same time, we're still needing to fully vet our parts and test the waters by gauging interest from seeing real trucks with those parts installed. On the vetting side, we've even confirmed that an alignment shop was willing to adjust our spacers and was able to get the vehicle within spec. We've fully assessed the costs of our kits and the value of our time/work; these aren't rusty steel tubes with holes drilled in them. We've paid heavily into tooling to do this sort of stuff, and compromising on a price to meet all budgets isn't an option. The intention isn't to narrow the market, but it has that effect. Specifically regarding SFDs, we plan to have a new NPORA thread that just covers them. This thread is basically our "overdue update" thread now. The FB post pretty much provides the current state of things (noting that I never reply to things on FB but wanted to curb the bull@!*% there), but I'll add: Obviously, we have SFD kits available and intend to sell them eventually. A few people have messaged us here and on IG; we've not announced any pricing, and we're not keeping a wait list. We'll discuss that stuff in the new thread when ready. The parts for my new CNC plasma table have been delivered, but I have no space for it yet. The plan was to have personally delivered my current 2' x 2' table to @TowndawgR50 by now, but that didn't happen for obvious reasons. The new table gives me a 4' x 2'6" footprint, so dreams of more skids and bumpers may soon become reality (at least on my truck, ha!). When the new table is up, I plan to make a pair of plate-style rear bumpers with integrated tire carrier—one for my truck, another for a buddy's. I may eventually do a front bumper as well by year's end. We're discussing the feasibility of offering re-packed LSDs and/or complete 3rd member assemblies. Jake's already gung-ho about swapping to 4.6's ever since borrowing my truck for a few weeks while visiting AZ, and his swap will include a re-packed LSD and rear disc brakes (geez, finally!). We have the means to re-pack a few LSDs and offer them up, but I also intend to do a write-up about the process in the coming weeks. That's about it. Hope everyone's well given the state of things, pandemic, economy, yada. Take care!

Taking some of the hard lines with some local Toyota’s and a sweet Xterra 2x locked on 35’s. Interesting to see how the wheelbases and drivetrains played out. An open/open double cab made it up this waterfall but the 4runner (1x locked) and my borrowed 2dr Jeep (2x locked, although the front locker seemed to not be engaging) couldn’t. The green truck was attempting a different obstacle that stumped everyone who tried it save one other tacoma. Fun day overall. I got a camera for Christmas and have been enjoying using it.