Wisconsin Tacomas and bad financial advice

An hour later...

Both are assembled and await install.

 

And that, friends, is what smoked my budget.

 

Good choice and you'll be glad...

 

The portals are what the early vw buses used except they called them reduction boxes.
I’m still running them on my 63 split window crew cab bus.

 

I had a '65 three-door p/u. Wish I had never sold it, it was for the better, though. I was racing and just didn't have the time or resources to do it justice.

 

The vw bus is actually kind of handy as the sides fold down to make it a flatbed ,but it’s not worth a crap on a trail ,or mud or rain or cold weather ……….

 

More like 40s and a 3/4 ton or heavier axel

 

I agree with Dennis, 5.29's are too deep for 35's.

What you say @Snowy ?

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/fs-upstate-new-york-1989-toyota-pickup-rock-crawler.806375/
Just buy this truck ,with a little work it looks like it’ll handle anything a sane person wants to do.
Or buy it and take the parts out.
It’s a early version so parts won’t fit the late model but it’s got some good stuff in it.

 

I'm by no way no more then the next just Maybe done more stupid shit and somehow survived. I was just asking why you were thinking 5.29 ? You explained. Most 4x4 I've seen or know of don't drop to such a low gear unless they go 40" or bigger. Most of my own 4x4s and there been a few I've never went lower then 4.28 and that was on my old ford. . I ordered 4.56 from the get go when I bought truck, was used to pull my other toys.besides that it has trans cooler and extra oil cooler. I've never had it tuned but I have done a few eng up grades. Old drag racer stuff not what most would do, I have no lack of power with the 34.8s ! Oh and I'm not part of the GRC !I like real adventures and 4 wheeling sleeping in the woods off the trail or just busting a new trail.

 

The factory/dealership trans service is worth it for the longevity of your running gear.

 

Damn, that's nice!

 

They weren't bad in the winter with the gas heater...agreed on the rest.

 

Now I'm dying to get them on and try them out! Maybe next Sat...

 

I’ve got 5.29’s on my first gen with 37’s (114 lbs total), 2.7/5-speed, wish it had 5.71’s since 5th gets tough to hold in the wind. But it’s only got 150hp so I can only expect so much. It just is what it is some days when 4th is the usable gear at 65.

The second gen on heavy ass 35’s on beadlocks (114 lbs total) and 4.88’s is about right. I just wrapped up a 4k mile road trip to CO/UT/AZ and have thought about gearing quite a bit during the trip. Whenever I wear out the 35’s, I’ll probably drop to a skinny 34 on non beadlocks. I cruise at like 2750 at 81-82 and spend a lot of time in 4th at elevation. Mileage wise, worst tank was 11, best was 17, most were around 13. I think a lighter wheel would help me quite a bit but I wouldn’t mind a shorter gear either for pulling the boat or hills. I feel kinda between 4th and 5th at times.

If we’re taking about 3rd gen’s I wouldn’t be scared of 5.29’s fwiw

 

Thankas for the input

 

sure, I’m in. I’ll snag a Duluth or rhinelander shift one of these days and head up.

 

This is helpful. So 4.88's... and that is what the research I have done says works well for most situations with a second gen. I do tow a fair amount. Hoping for a skinny 35, but will probably give in and run a wider (heavier) tire. Right now the truck is hunting between 3rd and 4th at highway speeds and seldom can hold 5th (33's with factory gears.) Steep climbs off road feel "hard" and I have to get into the throttle more than I want to get momentum. Hard to crawl because I need so much to go. Thus my thinking on gears. 4.88's are doing you fine though it sounds like.

What would be the problems of going to a 5.29? This is where I need some advice from people who know.