Anyone rock crawl a 3rd gen?

Definitely not, Jeep guys don't talk to me lol. Even thought it is registered and insured in Ca as a 2000 Wrangler which at one point it was

 

where’s that

 

I’m in the process of building a 3rd gen Rock crawler but I don’t plan on ever selling this truck and it was in a pretty bad accident so why not. I’ve dumped 10k into it and I wheel with Rubicons all the time. Sometimes my wheelbase helps and other times it does not. Comparing the 2 is pointless in my opinion. Some guy’s like Jeep, some Toyota what matters is having fun out on the trails. One thing is for sure these trucks will take a beating.

Hey Diablo169 I’m originally from Santa Cruz I was wheeling out there in the early 90’s, Nice Rig!

 

I guess eventually I’d like a dedicated trail rig. To be honest I wouldn’t mind trading the taco for a new JL but financially it’s not really in my best interest.

 

The new JL is pretty nice, my buddy traded his ZR2 for one and I helped him install new LOD sliders, bumpers and metal cloak skids all underneath.

I will admit it's pretty nice but its so new there is no way hes doing anything extreme in it.

 

With school expenses, moving within the year, and possibly more school expenses.. paying off the taco is probably better for me. Otherwise I’d happily trade it!! Lol. Also, if I got a Jeep I’d love a Rubicon.. which is like another 10k on top of the base model so, guess I’ll stick to Modding the taco.

I’m also afraid of looking back one day and realizing that I wasted more money on mods than if I would’ve just traded it in for a Jeep lol.

 

And if you got a Jeep you're going to miss the practicality of a truck. I wanted a full size truck and a Jeep so the taco was a good middle ground.

 

To be fair, my dream Jeep is the LJ ( the one with the longer wheelbase). But even those suckers are like $18k!! Dam old jeeps!

 

Did you build the rear bumper?

 

For the fraction of the cost of modifying the Tacoma you could build or buy a dedicated crawler. The Tacoma is better left for camping/adventure type stuff with moderate wheeling. Unless you’re related to a man named Marlin, it might not be worth what it takes to turn a 3rd gen into a capable crawler

 

Wow that pic is a throwback! I know exactly where it is - just past Chicken Point on Broken Arrow in Sedona. I went to NAU in Flagstaff and used to run that trail at least once a month. In fact here is a pic of me in my XJ circa 2001 going up the crack in the opposite direction. I'm pretty sure we were some of the first people to make that an "obstacle" because the pink jeep tours used to get irate at us for trying it and said it was off trail. I was young and stupid so we did it anyways, not that I encourage anyone to go off trail ever now.



And same spot in my CJ5. Resolution was super crappy, but I thought I was pretty awesome having a digital camera back then!

 

Anyone watch "Truck Night In America"? You get the odd Taco in the fight but I believe I've only seen one Taco win it all ($10k)

Anyways, shocked to hear that one of the hosts died recently. "Pistol Pete Sohren" died in an UTV accident.

 

Well that was awesome

 

Due to life, and working all the time, I did not. Still running the gross tube one. Design for the new one is at 90% so when I eventually finish it I'll order the steel and get to work. Once I have all the pieces I'm sure I'll be motivated to finish it asap

 

Forgot I made this thread.. still want a JL rubicon, still can’t afford one

 

Lol it kind of got replaced by this thread
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-true-crawlin-thread.613915/

 

Or, you'd buy a plug horse for $5 and blow $15k on a case of 50yo Macallan's to drink while that horse takes you places no machine can ever go.

The right tool for the task at hand. Anything else is a poser's compromise.

 

Here's a stock Tacoma doing some light rock crawling. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7I2Wb35iZY

 

I'd call that driving down a dirt road

 

Just words or wisdom... don’t wheel your daily driver! I’ve seen a built 17’ rubicon flop on its back with the family in it and I’m not sure if the guy was crying more before his wife got out and beat him or his pride. Either way, if your building a crawler, your building a money pit that WILL get dented, banged, flopped,flipped, broken, and abused. My truck has done some amazing things but until I build crawling rig, it’s not going to do epic things...