Quarter Million Mile Build - The Mule

I fixed the carb. It just needed a new accelerator pump diaphragm. No more leaks. But.. Drove it to work and on the way home I started to smell gas fumes. Popped the hood and my rubber hose end cap on the return line had busted. I found a bolt that matched the inner diameter of the line, coated it in JB weld, and screwed it in. So now hopefully no more gas spills

I also did a stereo upgrade to a single din deck with Bluetooth so I can stream beats an added a slim all in one 8" sub. It sounds really good but I need to tune the EQ.

Now I'm sound deadening the top and back. New steering wheel on the way too.

RIP Rick patch

 

Finished the sound deadener on the back wall. I didn't know killmat is russian.. fuck them but I had already bought it. Improvised a steering wheel puller but that didn't work so I borrowed one from oriellys. That worked. Progess.

 

I have some Russian federation soundproofing that I haven't installed yet...had no idea it was Russian made when I ordered it back in January.

 

Me neither. I typically don't pay attention to that stuff. I looked down, saw it and

 

This think this ol mule is going on the market!

 

Awww, I spent many Highschool English classes reading this build. How much are you thinking?

 

Ha! That's awesome! Probably list it for 12 and go from there.

 

My wife (new girlfriend at the time) picked me up for our first date together in one of those… it was clean and in great shape (so was she!) Our ‘85 did really well everywhere we took it. Too bad we had a kid- kinda hard to sell the truck but the bench seat made it a terrible ’family’ car.

Was that the East Fork of the Carson River in your front photos? There’s a video of some guy’s small pickup rolling down river (literally rolling) after getting stuck there- sucks for the driver.

 

Yeah that is the east Carson. It's a fun camp spot. I've seen that video and there have been a couple more instances of similar shenanigans!

 

I used to be a white water guide there long before the truck trail was put in, that hot spring was my private spot for dates

I don’t think I’ll ever go back there though. The videos make it look like Disneyland!

 

It's not too bad there. We usually only bump into a couple other groups. We never go camping or wheeling on holidays though, that cuts down on the crowds.

 

I would go there in the winter, that spring runs year around. I think you’re right, though, I shouldn’t have said that because those videos are obviously done during busy times. I’m just used to having a whole place for days at a time by ourselves. Last time I was there a wildfire ran through it , and we were left stranded on the big gravel bar across from the spring for a couple days while the fire burned around us on both sides of the river. There were a lot of trees back then on those hillsides.

 

Hope you had a good time with er.

 

Trade for a jeep?

Really regret selling my ‘85.
Jeep is fun and all, I really like the aftermarket support but I think I’m a Toyota pickup guy.

I think a late 90s Tacoma would be fun to do a mild build on.

What’s your next project?!

 

Oh heck yeah. So many good trips! Such a capable rig. Literally can point it and get out of the truck and it can crawl by itself.

 

I'm going to frankentruck one of these runners. I want 40s so we'll see where that takes me with the build. Obviously tons and I was originally thinking an LS swap with an atlas but who knows. I'm going to throw a body lift on and then link the front and see where it goes from there.

 

I just read this full thread in 2 nights... I'm working nights and bored lol. super cool build! Did you end up building a 4runner on tons?? I recently picked up an '86 4runner SAS so now my interest is peaked! I'm new to the old school yotas but I'm in love with the damn things now...

 

Haven't sold the mule yet so no. I want to pull the trigger but at the same time I want to hold on to it. Decisions decisions. What's up with yours?

 

I picked up the thing for 8,500 bucks a month ago or so. something to finally be able to do actual hard trails with and not beat on my third gen so much anymore... it's got 5.29 gears, lunch box lockers, 4:1 gears in the t case, 22RE 5-speed, six shooter knuckles, Hi steer, ... some other odds and ends.

I've been learning as I go. it's definitely lived a hard life and I believe it has almost 300k miles... hard to say. it's got a different dash in it and the engine's definitely been out of it since the AC is deleted.

I put a winch on it recently, picked up a set of first gen Tacoma bucket seats to put in it, and got a set of RCV axle shafts in the mail yesterday. I'm just itching for summer time at this point... also the front doesn't have bump stops and I noticed the bottom of the frame rails are dented in where the tops of the u-bolts have been contacting it it's a little rough but it's got good parts and god damn is it fun to drive... I'd like to do dual tcases in the future but I'm just going to play with it as is for now.

 

I agree with you, they're fun trucks for sure. I'm jealous of where you live, looks like a nice piece of land!