2WD overlanding?

op... So what did you decide? Overland prerunner? Im in socal and it doesn't rain much. Just know your limits and you'll be ok

 

@lashingbar I've decided to keep adding things to my truck, i bought an All Pro tube bumper, and am getting ready to buy an 8000lb winch. Since this thread, i've done a bit of work fixing all the things that were wrong with it (leaking tranny/valve cover, both of which fixed by simply tightening the bolts saving me thousands of doll hairs). The next project will most likely be a 4WD conversion if i can find a junkyard truck for the right price. Researching the conversion it doesnt seem too complex, especially on a first gen truck like mine. Also looking at a bed rack for hi lift and other recovery equipment. Since ive last posted i have been off the beaten path a few times and am genuinely suprised what good tires and a locking differential can do. Im still a novice at offroading so im an incompetent driver but every trip is a learning process.

 

Listen to people when they say "Use what you've got and have fun" cuz i sure did. Has anyone been to Cleghorn or any offroad trails/parks in ventura? i live in SoCal (Simi Valley) and all of the local spots have been closed or built over so im in search of a trail to test what my truck can do

 

SAS

 

Was that in actual dirt, or the famous Lassen powder?

 

@ChamYota

 

Forgive my lack of knowledge but... SAS? @opteron

 

Solid Axle Swap.

 

If the question is between doing and not doing, run the truck and use the money you have for gas. There are a whole lot of pavement and improved dirt roads that lead to great places. You seem aware of the limitations not having 4WD and low range. Truth is you can take a mountain bike or hiking boots, park and almost just as efficiently explore the last little bit of stuff you can't get to with a mildly built locked 2WD.

 

@DaveInDenver doing the 4WD swap would mostly be for giving my dad and I something to do on my truck, and I hear it's more expensive to do a SAS than an IFS (I think that's what it's called). If I did the swap obviously I could take it to a little more remote places but realistically 2WD will get me to most scenic places off the beaten path

 

I think you'll be fine for the kind of terrain that you mentioned, because that's exactly what mine is for. Just to camp out for a weekend or so at the top of a fire road or something like that

If not, then I guess I've been building my truck wrong this whole time

 

@Lfaub03 What mount is that for your cb antenna? I've got a firestik mount on the bed just behind the cab, but if i get a shell or bed rack ill have to relocate it

 

Short answer: No, depends on your idea of "overlanding" The term has been thrown around soo loosely it could mean going off on a dirt road, or climbing waterfalls.

 

It would less expensive and easier to convert the truck to factory IFS 4WD since the parts basically just bolt on your Prerunner, but either way having a project with your dad sounds cool. Everyone gets wrapped around the hardware, having the right this or that, when it's about using the tools you have at hand to gain experiences. See and do stuff.

 

Down here in dry socal there isnt much jungle and swamps to get through, just rocks and sand. My goal is to have a truck that will get me to a scenic spot using fire roads, or more complicated trails is i have another truck with me, and im going to try to get recovery equipment such as a winch and a jack/shovel and some common sense. The hardest part will be to find a place thats a nice scenic drive relatively close to socal.

 

@DaveInDenver My thoughts exactly. I have been researching some 4WD conversion threads to see what ill be getting into, as my dad and i have limited knowledge on trucks, and im a high school jid working part time at Mickey D's so im financially challenged. But if i find a good junkyard donor truck, ill think hard about pulling the trigger

 

YouTube is also such a useful tool it doesnt seem too hard

 

Not the best quality picture, but I basically made it out of some 1/8" sheet aluminum that I bent at two 90-degree angles and mounted the base onto.

 

oh cool do you just run the coax through the shell into your cab?

 

Yeah, I ran it behind the bedliner and through the existing conduit into the cab where I have it hooked up to my radio.