GoPathyGo

Depending on the sliders, you may still not have enough space. A number of folks - self included - can only use the Hi-Lift with the doors open to avoid gouging the door sheet metal. Honestly, I was very disappointed in the Hi-Lift. I know that sounds heretical and there are a number of unconventional situations where it might be useful. But, for pure jacking purposes, I got a screw jack instead. Looks like a bottle jack but has a screw mechanism instead, allowing it to both jack up the vehicle AND act as a jackstand. Purely manual and as light as or lighter than a Hi-Lift. Much smaller than a Hi-lift. Makes my life easier. That said, I have a winch so I don't need the Hi-Lift quite as much as other folks in unconventional situations. I have 2 screw jacks. You may be able to find them cheaper elsewhere. I think they're also called support jacks. Amazon had pretty good prices on them a while ago. http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/sto...18901_200318901

x3 or x4 on no substitute for a winch. They scare the bejeesus out of me, though, so I got a synthetic rope line from a dude on Craigslist who couldn't afford his rig anymore. Synthetic line was literally new. It kinda pi**es me off to see the prices people charge for winches, synthetic rope and the like. After all, we all know the margins are huge and a $650 Warn Tabor is fundamentally the same as a $900 Warn 9.5i. There's also no way the rope cost that much to manufacture. Then I ask myself,"Is my life worth $900 ?" There are many questions in life for which I have no answers. This is not one of those questions.

I just spat up my drink...

Let's hope she makes the most of her gift and doesn't throw it away like that fool DJ whatever. Survived a plane crash and what did he do ? ODed on drugs a year later. What a loser.

*Returns with drink. Turns around and heads back to bar to get a double.*

Man, everyone here just needs a drink and a good cigar. Honestly, we're here because we like our trucks and share a common interest in wrenching and/or wheeling. That doesn't mean we're going to agree on anything else or convince anyone else about anything. I like cats; I bet there are at least 200 members here who hate cats. Well, that's fine because this is not the Cat Forum. Why do I bother writing this? A good discussion's one thing, making it personal is another. I would hate to see the emotions here spill over into the on-topic forums. E.g., nasty barbs when discussing lifts because XYZ really ticked you off with his/her/its opinions on whatever. Not saying that's gonna happen. Just hoping it doesn't and throwing it out there. *Goes off to get a drink*

Have you checked all the bushings, control arms, tie rods and so on ? Wondering if it's a suspension issue...

One thing I did on my Pathy was to remove fender flares and just put body bolts (bolts with extra large washers) in. Prevents mud and water from getting trapped in there, makes it easy to hose off stuff and ensures I catch rust easily. You can get them in black or silver and paint them to suit your tastes.

I think they forgot to "detail" the frame rust.

Few tricks I learned the hard way. 1. Bolts where the head has broken off. Use an air hammer ($20 at Lowes, complete with 3 bits) to hit the area on the other side of the bolt or, failing that, in the general vicinity of the bolt. The vibrations from the air hammer will often work just enough of the bolt loose for you to grab it with pliers or hands and unscrew it. It should be fairly easy to unscrew now that the head's bust and the threads have been worked loose a bit. I have used the same trick when removing bolts that are stuck/rusted in place. If I'm worried the head will snap, a quick set of whacks with the air hammer, with or without a gentle turn on the head of the stuck bolt, has sometimes worked wonders. 2. Use a rubber mallet if you can. I only go to hammers as a last resort. The mallet will often provide the shock you need without denting/bending/twisting the part 3. Buy fasteners in bulk, particularly the common M6 and M8 sizes. It turns out to be cheaper and faster than constantly running to the local hardware store or auto parts shop. MUCH cheaper. You can also be certain you're getting the class and type of fastener you want. I keep a full set of Class 10 metric and Grade 8 SAE bolts (flanged and regular), washers and nuts. This also makes it economical to replace fasteners as you work on the car. www.boltdepot.com www.nutsandbolts.com

Nice! Good luck!

CJ-ShmeeJay. SAS the Pathy!

Can you clarify "beating sound" ? Any more info would be appreciated.

Hmmm, probably not a good time to mention I got 19s with 285/35 rear, a JL W7 12" sub (no trunk space with those 2 monsters) and am swapping the stock 2.93 gear for a 3.64... Seriously, thanks. When yours arrives, I highly suggest going straight to 19s. Forget the whole 18 intermediate stage. I bought TireRacks "BremmerKRaft BR03" 19s and they worked out really well. Also, the stock sound system is completely worthless junk. Throw all that stuff away. You don't have to go wild like I did, but any decent aftermarket setup will beat the pants off stock. Looking forward to the pics of your new ride.

Let's move on. More importantly, I still think he needs to STOP WATCHING TV AND GET BACK TO WORK!!! (Reminds me of my mom...)

New Years hangover on the assembly line.

Forget race, politics, outlook and issues. This guy has TIME TO WATCH TV ?????? GET BACK TO WORK! (And this from a guy who will freely and happily tell you he's a Democrat.)

This is a contest ? Really ? We need a poll for this ? JL Audio easily. Gotham. Fathom. W7. W6V2. High end speakers like Focal, Wilson, Revel, Dali and Avalon will blow anything JBL makes out of the air. (And, before everyone jumps on this, I own JL Audio subs, JL speakers and Focal speakers. Music is one of my hobbies. So, for once, I actually do know what I'm talking about.)

Oh dude, a guy got smoked by a TERCEL. Some dude turboed the heck out of his Tercel and blew through the quarter-mile in 13 and change. Imagine the humiliation!

I'm sorry but I think you're being needlessly defensive. With the exception of ONE comment, which folks have called out, the tone has actually been remarkably constructive and helpful. People have gone to great lengths to explain WHY this would not work. Frankly, I think members are showing a great deal of concern and care. Far more than I have seen on other forums on the internet. Your long, highly defensive replies and unwillingness to accept you may be wrong reflect poorly on you, NOT on this forum. This is not a flame on you, it is merely a defense of this forum. People are trying to HELP you and being nice about it. Getting angry because your toy doesn't work and asking it should all be erased is like a kid throwing a tantrum because his legos didn't work out. Get over it and don't risk lives and damage for the sake of ego. And don't grumble about a forum where people are trying their hardest to be helpful.

Very ingenuous. That said, I can see a few weak points. There are 3 possible points of failure - the winch attachment to the plate, the plate to the ball, the ball to the receiver. Given the angle it's mounted at, I suspect the plate/ball attachment would shear off under strain. Winching uses a great deal of energy, as Simon and the others point out. A strong male can bench press 250 lbs. A mid-size winch can pull 9,000 lbs. Not the best metaphor but you get the idea. In addition to that, the hitch receiver itself can fail and come flying off. Incidentally, I actually own a Warn Multi-Mount (pictured above). It is a solid, thick metal cradle that actually surrounds the winch to brace it and prevent it from flying off. The cradle weighs 30 lbs and Warn will not sell it for winches rated above 9k. This is a company for whom winches and truck parts are bread-and-butter. I know there's a lot of hearsay out there about winches. But I assure you the danger is very very real. I think you should view these, particularly the first one. name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>" wmode="transparent" style="width:400px; height:326px;" id="VideoPlayback" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashvars=""> name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>" wmode="transparent" style="width:400px; height:326px;" id="VideoPlayback" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashvars=""> name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>" wmode="transparent" style="width:400px; height:326px;" id="VideoPlayback" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashvars=""> I think you're right to be proud of your invention. But I would suggest NOT using it. Ever. It is not safe, for you or anyone else around. That's just my opinion.

Here are the Toyota Tacoma pics OSR, fleurys and others requested. Parked across the street. Gives you an idea of the ride height. 2.5" front coilover lift with ToyTec/Eibach springs and Bilstein 5100s Add-A-Lead rear lift Rear Bilstein 6100s ARBs (hence the wires you see in the cab; haven't put em in the gash yet) Light Racing control arms (heavier-duty and more maneuverable than stock) EBC YellowStuff pads (well worth it ) Motul 600 Dot 3/4 brake fluid (594 degree dry boiling point, 421 degree wet boiling point) Sliders and skids 4.56 gears vs the stock 3.73 33" TrXus MT - originally destined for the R50 I must say I was NOT impressed by the stock UCA. Check it out. Stamped metal. The R50s UCA looked much tougher by comparison. Also, where the R50 had to two bolts holding the front strut in, the Taco only has 1. Taco frame is pretty good, though - double-walled.

I hate to say this, but properly modding ANY truck is going to cost more than $400-$500. Yes, you can get cheap Wrangler "lockers" or LSDs but you're driving an unreliable vehicle with thin metal, poor build quality, no cargo space and the daily practicality of an ostrich. The R50 is a completely different vehicle - it is meant to be an everyday or "real world" vehicle that CAN, if the owner so desires, be modified to go offroad. I also own a Toyota Tacoma. I can assure you that it has cost me more than $400 to make it capable offroad.

Link's all weirded out, Steve...

Not really. I have a dual battery in my R50. They both charge fine with the stock alternator. Guess you could charge 'em a bit faster with a larger alternator but