Precise1

Hey Z, the one in SF looks nice and is a good price also. I'd almost consider selling mine and buying it... Not making any promises, but its 50 miles from my house so maybe I could look at it for you. First you would have to call and ask all you questions, etc. Better hurry though, unless there is something wrong with it, it'll sell fast ! B

Sure Mr P, you are welcome to come along, as long as you are as well prepared... Darn it mws, I was going to mention bringing an Oh Mighty Hand Cannon myself, but figured that if you lean that direction, it's a no brainer anyway... Personally, I prefer 12 gauge pump short barrel shotgun; light game shot for survival, 00 buck for nasty critters (2 or 4 legs) and slugs for evil damage at 50-100 yards. I always have the .357 derringer in a pocket incase of (other peoples) foolishness. B

"full manual locker option" LMAO... I've 'installed' that option a few times my self... But atleast you were the beer keeper, a critical function !! And yes, those are the amusing bits that make a good story and adventure... Yes, it was... Although, in retrospect I described it wrong. It was my second month long trip down in Baja; the first was in a 65 VW bug convertible baja, and that one was in my old 720 PU. *sniff* still makes me sad that I sold it last year, that was the best wheeler I have ever owned. Anyway, my bud and I spent 28 days in baja and desert crawled/camped out the entire trip. The tire part happened about 80 miles north of bajia de los angeles on the sea of cortes side(500 mi south of the border). I quickly figured out that if you hit the vado (stream bed/wash) with speed on the exit, you can catch air. 35-40 feet was the record for the trip. Anywho, on one of these flights, when I landed (and slewed about vaguely in control) there were several large rocks in the road; I got around most of them, but clipped one with the rear drivers side tire, which promptly blew and split off the rim. OK, NP, put on the spare... For some reason I needed to swap the tires F to R on the drivers side and have a photo of the truck using piled rocks as jack stands somewhere. As I'm stowing the gear, my bud puts the rim (chrome rim with the blown tire) in the back unsecured. A few miles and wild manuvers later, the rim gets launched out of the truck, unknown to me. Many miles later, we stop for a break, and I hear a slight 'hiss" from the driver front tire. Lets just say I spent about 2 hours in 110F heat plugging a hole, pumping the tire up only to hear a hiss and look for the next hole... I'm certain I used 12 plugs in 9 holes on that tire, but finally, it stopped hissing at me. By now I learned about the spare (rim) being gone, cursed my bud repeatedly, and went back to find it. Roads in baja are lined with crap (I'll try to find the photos) and the deal was I look out my side, he his... Near dusk, I spied the pile of rocks I used as jack stands and made camp for the night. Next day we turn around and go back down the road; a few miles later I see a rim with exploded tire (on my side) and stop. Yep, it's mine; my bud didn't recognize it because he only saw the backside that was caked with dirt, not a bright, shiney rim. Ok, he was a paramedic so his skills apply elsewhere, but I cursed him, his offsprings and his pets anyway... Onward down the 'road' and about 10 miles later the truck starts driving soggy. The passenger side tire has a large rent in it. 4 tire plugs later (I'm running low at this point) it will hold 25 psi so we limp on to bajia de los angeles. The town has less than 1000 residents, a US mail jeep as a police car, 1 ice maker (broken), and 1 llantero (tire) shop. I select 2 of the best tires (choice of 2, both used with holes in them) and pay $50 which includes mounting. Balancing ? LOL, static balancing... Saved $10 by not having him patch them. Guy thought I was nutz until he saw me plug them so he could get them to bead. Replaced the torn tire, kept the other for a spare, figuring I had a minimum 25% chance of loosing the one with 12 plugs in it. Never had a tire issue for the next 2 weeks; put 2000 miles on the 12'ver till I got home and changed it out. Anyone who tries to tell me plugs dont work is A) An idiot, Has no idea how to do it right, C) Drives a Jeep, D) All of the above. Anywho, got a bit long winded, but was fun to describe as I had the whole mental photo thing going on... If I wasn't running common tires, it would have been another 100-150 miles to find a 'shop' that may be able to help although sometimes you can use the local hombre network to chase one down in someones back yard, but thats a different trip and another story... B

Well described mws... Sounds like you have experimented with them, and use them appropriately. It does sound handy for the occasional offroad situation where a couple of inches or a few degrees less lean would be desired... B

Hey Ale, just how deep into jungle you planning on going ?? I'd ditch the chainsaws (both of them), and the engine oil (other than a quart). I'd add FIRE EXTINGUISHERS (mount 2 small automotive ones in your truck somewhere), a tire plug kit, a midweight axe, a tire pump (high volume is nice), change of clothes/shoes, couple of tow straps and a come-along IF you know how to use it safely. That'll see you through about anything. I'm sure others will have an item or two... Oh, almost forgot... BEER !! B

It's more along the lines of a tip jar... Helps offset the cost of the site. If you do any work on your Pathy and look/ask questions here and it doesn't save you $100, I'll personally mail you a check for $10. Thats a safe bet in my book, I think you get the point. Be Well Bud ! B

It's all about the backspacing VP. I knew it would be close, but not that close.... Were they steel rims with the same BS, I'd be fubared and looking for other rims. A bit of modifying to fit a set of 4 rims AND tires I got for $140 is fine by me... LOL TrailChaser, I get exactly what you did. Personally (at this age), I just put the rims on a rotary table on a verticle mill, got my numbers, and cut the radial face clearance... Cars like the one you described are a blast. I built a 65 VW convert dune buggy that was street legal and pulled wheelies... Ahh, the memories ! Still have the rolling chassis, but is project #11 so it sits... B

One other nice thing about aluminum rims is that you can easily modify them if you want. The Centerline rims for my bug were just barely rubbing on the caliper bodies, so I spent an afternoon at a friends shop and machined a relief in them... Yes, you can obviously machine steel also, but it is more difficult and there is rarely much material that you can/should remove anyway. B

Minivan, eh ?? Well, you ride dirtbikes, so I'll overlook it... I agree with Hwt that the 10.5" tires would work just fine; I doubt you will be doing much dune driving. The type of tire design is the important factor in real sand, but 4x4 and off road tires will pull you through any vados or washes NP. Not trying to dissuade you from the 11.5" because I believe they will fit fine. I do like the 10.5x31" because it is very common size and easier to find a replacement when you have blown one off the rim and have 9 holes in another while the flat spare fell off the truck 4 miles back (unknown to you). Dont ask... Light or not, did the minivan have AT tires and a locker ?? B

Ditto to above !! Congrats on the insurance working out. With a little luck you wont miss your trip !! And with the rental, oh well... I'd personally be happy with everything so far !! GL Bud ! B

Yep, then glue traps, but those things are evil. Used them in my machine shop (cant have mice chewing on wires in a $50k mill). Came in one morning to find 1.5 mice on 1 trap. Seems the first ran most way across and got stuck, the second got glued right behind him. The second seemed upset as he chewed off the rear 1/2 of the mouse before him. It was plainly evident that this was done live; the first mouse didn't have its face glued down, and the second was panting and had a very bloody snout... I'm not squeamish, but that was just plain nasty ! Anything that produces canabalistic mice is bad in my book ! They do work, and the best scenario is that they do a face plant on the thing and suffocate... B

Lock a cat in there for a week ?? Try the old fashion wire spring trap baited with peanut butter and a poiece of dog/cat food. Just be careful, I snapped a rat trap on my thumb a while back. It didn't hurt a bit, it instantly went completely numb. Thought I broke it, but it started to work again after an hour or so. Thats when it hurt !! :furious: :o B

That BLOWS !! With a little bit of luck, the damage is not as much as you think... Good luck Bud... Oh, common courtesy and common sense pretty much went extinct with the Dodo bird... B

Cool, congrats, it look perfect... Mine is still fubared B

Yeah, I bet the bolts arent in too much better shape... I'd definitely start out on a hydrolic press, work my way to a vice and bottle jack and hammer, and leave flame for last resort... GL, it's going to take some effort to get reasonably straight ! B

^ Um, is not 4x4... ??? You have a nice truck Mudfinder, with more clearance, bigger tires than mine has, not to mention rear locker... But having a front wheel pulling can make a BIG difference... B

Ditto Bud... And at 300k I had to wait a minute for something I couldn't identify... B

OK, good you got the ball rolling now ! Just remember to focus on the solution, not pay backs (although a little cant hurt... ). GL, and keep us informed... Bet the guy doesn't know you have a Pathy Posse behind ya... B

Bastage, darn near made me choke on a pork chop !! B

Hey mws, I have 31x10.5 on stock chromies with t-bars cranked and GJC rear springs. Vertically, there are several inches clearance left, and never any indication of rubbing in the wheel wells any direction, so you may be able to do it np. Some Pathys did come stock with 31x10.5", but I cant remember what the backspacing is for various rims. You will probably be fine, as long as the backspacing isnt way off. B

Is this back again ??? It's almost as bad as the post whore thread ! Sure count me in, I'll take 1... B

I just gotta ask... You put 33's on a 4runner so it couldn't be wheeled ?? WHY ? B

Interesting Mudfinder, I had never heard that... Sort of makes sense, but I would argue that nothing is impossible ! Even then, a 7+ is nothing to sneeze at and screws things up pretty good. Fun fact for you; there is a Pt Reyes National sea shore area here... It migrated from the Santa Barbara area. It's on the other side of the San Andreas fault and has been moving north for a while... The geology is quite dissimiliar from the local. B

OK, be well MM !! Blue skys and low seas... Take care of yourself and get in touch when you get back to land. B

Hey Stat, I have a Magnaflow cat back system that the PO had installed for $235 1 year ago in Ca, so I think $455 is a bit steep... You might want to shop around more. Also, I have heard arguements that a 2.25" pipe is big enough, but I dont have much input on that. Some shops wont warranty parts that you buy and bring in to have installed. You should be able to get a $100 less bid if you shop around; it comes down to the time=$ ratio. B