Kansas Meet

Sorry that I have been incognito around here lately Jeff. My girlfriend is a school teacher so with the summer off we do a lot of traveling. I also do home improvement projects that are weather dependent. So anyway life happens and even with the best intentions sometimes plans fall apart. It was great meeting you at 4WD parts a few months ago Jeff.

If you guys don't mind hanging with mostly Land Cruiser folks we have a large family in the KC area that is the local Toyota Land Cruiser Association chapter named Tornado Alley Cruisers. Our website is having some issues right now but we mainly hangout here
https://forum.ih8mud.com/forums/ks-mo-tornado-alley-cruisers.53/
I think I might be the only member cross posting between this group and website above. My username on MUD is robkc. We have members with every serious version of Toyota 4WD. Stock to Wild! Full frame off restorations of many classic FJ40's, FJ45's, FJ55's of which I have spent many hours helping with 2 of these restorations. Other members have multiple FJ60's, FJ62's, FJ80's, FZJ80's, FJ100's, FJ200's, FJC's, Every Generation of 4runner, several mini trucks, Tacomas. Check us out!

Our stomping ground for members is the entire state of KS and MO and a few stragglers in other states. Most of our Tacoma owners in our group live in central MO. We have several members in Topeka and KC that I know are good with wrenches and willing to lend a hand once you get to know them. We often have wrenching weekends but don't highly publish them as in the past the guys hosting them never actually got help with their project due to distractions by all the other projects brought in. With smaller focus we have done 4 different head gasket projects over individual weekends on the 4.5L I6 in FZJ80s, put a new motor in an old school bus conversion to camper/tow rig twice for one member, the list goes on.

We had 2 groups go to Colorado this year. The timing was just right for 1 group to be the first group down Black Bear Pass this year due to the late opening of the road. The other group was planning on joining up with the first group but unfortunately 1 of them rolled his rig coming down a back loop of American Mountain. Fortunately nobody hurt and after getting the wheels back on the ground, some fresh fluids and raising the roof via high lift the FZJ80 was driven back down the mountain to civilization. I coordinated with another local member who had 4 day off shift coming up as Fireman drag the rolled rigs' wife 4runner out to CO on my trailer and the injured LandCruiser back to KC.

We have started to try to have monthly meet and greets the last Saturday of each month. I intended to cross post here when they are in the KC area but as stated above life happens. I am taking the next couple days off to help strip the rig that was rolled in CO of any parts we can. My task will be pulling the locked axles out and swapping in unlocked axles from another parts rig.

Check out the IH8MUD link above and read some of the threads. Our annual dues is only $10 which gets you access to one of the best wheeling families I have ever met as well as a great parts discount from several KC Toyota dealers with free shipping via our club members who travel KC to Central MO or KC to Topeka for work.

 

I promise, even though I wheel pretty hard at times so my rig looks like this.


We have many members with rigs like this


I have spotted this gray rig through many trails to help keep it looking this showroom quality.

 

I should mention that we do even have a few Jeep members. Keep it on the down low we don't want word to get out.
Seriously Jeepers can be good people too. I think one of the KC area Jeep clubs meets at Fox & Hound near 105th and Metcalf in Overland Park twice a month.

We request that our TAC members also become TLCA members. Yes you can become a TAC or TLCA member even if you don't own a Land Cruiser. As long as we keep at least 80% of our membership also TLCA members we can get a great rate on insurance for club events. No this insurance won't cover your rig if you roll it. Standard waivers apply at all club sanctioned events. However, if for some reason someone gets injured at the event Banquet dinner it will cover standard liability.

 

Holy shit bro...does your arm have an aura??? Caught you, sleeper jedi!

 

Here is a shot of the rig that rolled over in CO 2 weeks ago.
There are some tube half doors we made for FZJ80's hanging above the door.


Here is the rig we will be swapping as many salvageable parts to that the Insurance company will allow.

 

The owner of the rolled rig is a fireman and currently on 4 day off shift. We are planning to have everything of value we can swap out with lesser valued items by Saturday evening when he returns to work. He has a replacement 80 purchased that has a blown head gasket. We have a donor head that is passed around our TAC family. The FZJ80 I6 is prone to head gasket failure at #6 where the EGR is dumped into intake on North American spec. As soon as we get the donor head back from the machine shop since another member just did his a couple weeks ago there will be a wrenching party to see if we can get the new rig ready in time for our Fall Crawl Event at Flat Nasty Sept 22-24, 2017. I'll let you know when or if you have time before then let me know.

 

Tentatively the TAC family will be having a Meet and Greet at 4WD Parts at 10 AM on Sat 8/19 - 119th and Metcalf in Overland Park. Lunch to follow at Johny's Bar and Grill about a block east on 119th. Hope to see some new faces out there.

 

Are any of you guys checking out the links I have been making to IH8MUD?
For instance, here is a link to information about our Fall Crawl event at Flat Nasty near Jadwin, MO Sept 22-24, 2017.
https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/fall-crawl-2017-at-flat-nasty.1003065/

If necessary I can copy the basic information from these links and double post them here but I can't copy all the input other users are making.

 

Hey here is another link to information about the Fall Crawl w/ TAC at Flat Nasty if you guys do FaceBook.

 

Well I have some good news and some bad news regarding Fall Crawl w/ TAC at Flat Nasty Sept 22-24, 2017.

Bad News:
The TAC Treasurer and I sat down and went over the numbers from last years event and determined that our fixed costs for the event are actually $35 rather than the $25 that the TAC President and I had come up with while the Treasurer was out of town. Extra meals will remain the same at $10 each.

Good News:
The $35 registration fee for Fall Crawl 2017 is cheaper than the $50 registration fee that we had charged last year for the event with T-shirt for the driver.

More Good News:
Our web hosting service has surfaced and the TAC website is back. I will be working on getting the registration page for this years event up this week and I will post a link when registration is up and running.

Best News:
I am making contact with several new sponsors and our Raffle will be stocked with many more valuable prizes than the Habor Freight merchandise that was the predomiate theme at last years Fall Crawl.

Therefore, make sure you bring some cash for raffle tickets which are only $1 each. Sneak peek will be coming soon thanks to the following sponsors:
Molle Toyota
Olathe Toyota
Adams Toyota
4WheelParts
The Overland Shop
Adventure Motors
Please thank these businesses for their support and as I get confirmation from other sponsors I will let you know.

 

I've been following this thread for a bit. If anyone wants to make a run out to Tuttle Creek ORV park in Randolph KS I would definitely be willing to meet up and lead sometime. I'm out there often enough and know my way around. Between the FJC forum and the usual group of guys I know it can be hard to find people to wheel with. At any rate I might start posting here before I go too. Pics from a few days ago.

 

@Iconic_ , @jeff b Some TW users may no show but the Tornado Alley Cruisers that cross post from IH8MUD or Kansas City Toyota Group on FB will show. TAC will be out there in force from Thur-Sun the last weekend in October. I've pretty well filled my calendar until then but please do post up and if I can slip away I'll let you know.

 

@jeff b About 12 or so members of TAC will definitely be out at Tuttle for our Mike Sears Memorial Daylight Savings Time Run. We will be camping in the Fancy Creek Campground loop that is closest to the West entrance to campground. There are about 11 sites in the loop that we reserve and there is plenty of room to share sites. Come on out to that or join us at Flat Nasty Sept 22-24.

Edit: Several members will bring their families as well.

 

If we don't get too much rain this week I will be out at Potawatomi Off Road Park in Fulton, MO on Wednesday to give my siblings a little taste of off-roading. Extra seats would be appreciated. Park is definitely not well maintained and can be a slicker than snot clay mud pit with just a little rain.

 

Fall Crawl w/ TAC Registration is live. Select your options in the TAC Store.

More information can be found here: http://www.tornadoalleycruisers.org/fallcrawl/

 

This thread needs more activity
Found some sweet photo spots around Belle Plaine

 

Wichita checking in!!

 

Hell yah! I'm in Wichita too

 

LBFTW

 

Who did ur headlights?