light off road mods

[Four0Sport]

I just got my 93 back up and running and since its not my primary driver i thought about doing some slight modifications to make light to moderate off road trail driving easier on the old truck. any suggestions on things i can do on a tight budget? im already planning on changing diff fluids, rear shackles, front coil spring spacers and possibly a 2 inch body lift to fit some bigger tires in the near future. 30x9.50s wont look too stout after a small lift. thanks in advance.

 

[Killem234]

Have you thought of some KC lights? or do you want smaller than those.

 

[AAnnddrreeww]

Mounting some spotlights on the bumper/roof will make visibilty a LOT better on trails.

My bajas saved me from plunging nose-first into a ditch last night.

 

[Donner]

How about a wench(?)

 

[JMan689]

How about a wench(?)

I hope you mean a winch

For a cheap moderate offroad build, coil spacers, shackles, 3 inch body lift will cost about 200 bucks without an alignment, then throw some 33's on there. Regear the truck (most people go 4.10 for 33's).Tow hooks (or some recovery point, hooks are like 10 bucks from jcwhitney i think). Then eventually get lockers and you'll be set for awhile.

^ Should run about 2-3k depending on the deals you get on tires, lockers, and gears, and if you do the work yourself.

If you go at night get some lights otherwise they aren't worth the money. A winch will allow you to go alone untill you burn it up.

 

[IZwack]

Save up and throw in an Aussie Locker in the rear axle -- for a little over $200, thats probably one of the best bang for the buck as far as off-roading (you'll be amazed at what you can climb after the locker is in). If you still have some cash after the Aussie, then upgrade the tires. Go with BFG Muds or Interco TrxUs MT. After that, just hone in your off-road driving skills and you should be good to go.

 

[JMan689]

Save up and throw in an Aussie Locker in the rear axle -- for a little over $200, thats probably one of the best bang for the buck as far as off-roading (you'll be amazed at what you can climb after the locker is in). If you still have some cash after the Aussie, then upgrade the tires. Go with BFG Muds or Interco TrxUs MT. After that, just hone in your off-road driving skills and you should be good to go.

Aussie's are that cheap?

 

[IZwack]

Sorry its $240:
http://www.offroadlockers.com/make.php/TM989224/98a5/06/.html

Still, you'll be amazed at the difference a locker makes.

 

[Donner]

Well...

I hope you mean a winch

For a cheap moderate offroad build, coil spacers, shackles, 3 inch body lift will cost about 200 bucks without an alignment, then throw some 33's on there. Regear the truck (most people go 4.10 for 33's).Tow hooks (or some recovery point, hooks are like 10 bucks from jcwhitney i think). Then eventually get lockers and you'll be set for awhile.

^ Should run about 2-3k depending on the deals you get on tires, lockers, and gears, and if you do the work yourself.

If you go at night get some lights otherwise they aren't worth the money. A winch will allow you to go alone untill you burn it up.

Oops! Well then, bring a winch and a wench and either way, getting stuck somewhere will be worth it!

 

[DeRocha]

There are lots of things that can be done to make your truck perform better off-road; mainly a lift, tires, gearing, and a locker. Of course some things that make your truck more cable off-road will make it less capable when On-road. Many times people jump in and start building a rig based on current needs without giving adequate thought as to future plans or the ultimate goal of their vehicle. Time and time again you will see posts from people complaining they would have saved lots of money, time and effort if they just built their rig correctly from the start.. That being said you'll need to determine your current needs and what you plan to use the vehicle for.. How much time will the vehicle spend on the street vs off-road. What kind of off-roading do you plain on doing (trails, mud, rocks)? The choices of lift, tires, gearing, and locker will depend on how you plain to use your vehicle. Overbuilding results in a very capable vehicle with wasted $$ (like front and rear lockers when you never hit trails that require them). Under building initially saves $$, but you'll soon spend more $$ and time on repairs as you push your vehicle beyond its limitations. Stepping down from my soap box now...

I just got my 93 back up and running and since its not my primary driver i thought about doing some slight modifications to make light to moderate off road trail driving easier on the old truck. any suggestions on things i can do on a tight budget? im already planning on changing diff fluids, rear shackles, front coil spring spacers and possibly a 2 inch body lift to fit some bigger tires in the near future. 30x9.50s wont look too stout after a small lift. thanks in advance.

How about a wench(?)

Donner, Four0Sport indicated he wanted minor mods on a budget to help make his rig more capable off-road.. A winch is Big $$$ and is more for recovery than for making a rig more capable. Yes a winch is nice, but I would hate to get stuck behind someone that needed it all the time to compensate for his rigs lack of off-road ability. IMO his money would be better spent making his rig perform better so a winch won't be needed in the majority of off-roading he will encounter.

 

[unclemeat]

Manual locking hubs, cat back exhaust, cold air intake or K & N filter, onboard air compressor, high lift jack or come along, tow hooks.

 

[JMan689]

Manual locking hubs, cat back exhaust, cold air intake or K & N filter, onboard air compressor, high lift jack or come along, tow hooks.

Techincally a cold air intake draws air in from the wheel well, so not exactly a great off-road mod.

 

[IZwack]

Techincally a cold air intake draws air in from the wheel well, so not exactly a great off-road mod.

I run the KKM intake (similar to the K&N kind of) and its not that bad Just dont go in the deep stuff (stick to the trails and the rocks). Of course there are some occurances when the vehicle is forced into the mud but part of driving off-road is knowing when to stop

 

[JMan689]

I run the KKM intake (similar to the K&N kind of) and its not that bad Just dont go in the deep stuff (stick to the trails and the rocks). Of course there are some occurances when the vehicle is forced into the mud but part of driving off-road is knowing when to stop

Agreed KKM is the way to go.

 

[Donner]

Got it...

There are lots of things that can be done to make your truck perform better off-road; mainly a lift, tires, gearing, and a locker. Of course some things that make your truck more cable off-road will make it less capable when On-road. Many times people jump in and start building a rig based on current needs without giving adequate thought as to future plans or the ultimate goal of their vehicle. Time and time again you will see posts from people complaining they would have saved lots of money, time and effort if they just built their rig correctly from the start.. That being said you'll need to determine your current needs and what you plan to use the vehicle for.. How much time will the vehicle spend on the street vs off-road. What kind of off-roading do you plain on doing (trails, mud, rocks)? The choices of lift, tires, gearing, and locker will depend on how you plain to use your vehicle. Overbuilding results in a very capable vehicle with wasted $$ (like front and rear lockers when you never hit trails that require them). Under building initially saves $$, but you'll soon spend more $$ and time on repairs as you push your vehicle beyond its limitations. Stepping down from my soap box now...





Donner, Four0Sport indicated he wanted minor mods on a budget to help make his rig more capable off-road.. A winch is Big $$$ and is more for recovery than for making a rig more capable. Yes a winch is nice, but I would hate to get stuck behind someone that needed it all the time to compensate for his rigs lack of off-road ability. IMO his money would be better spent making his rig perform better so a winch won't be needed in the majority of off-roading he will encounter.

I see... however my suggestion was based on FOS being able to afford a second (or 3rd) vehicle used for fun/pleasure. I don't do offroading, so you are correct, I didn't realize that someone w/o a winch could get stuck and need help, and require the assistance of another... It's not my call, but I would have a winch first, ba tires and mods to follow... But for the the offroading people, you know what you will encounter out there, I don't... but from the pictures I've seen on this website, I'd get a winch first. I don't know how much those specific tires run, but tires are costly, so are mods and a second vehicle - somewhere there has to be room for a winch in the budget. If not, maybe wait a bit like FOS waited to get the truck back, no?

 

[IZwack]

Agreed KKM is the way to go.

Well I think they're pretty much the same, the KKM and the K&N that is -- biggest difference is probably the price of course.

The KKM was purchased when my Explorer still saw some pavement. But now that its a trailer queen and achieves no greater than 10 or 15 MPH under its own power, the intake is just an afterthought

 

[unclemeat]

FYI, air intake in the engine compartment instead of the stock air intake is a very important modification. The stock intake point will suck in water way before the engine compatment intake.

 

[JMan689]

FYI, air intake in the engine compartment instead of the stock air intake is a very important modification. The stock intake point will suck in water way before the engine compatment intake.

Thats only if you don't remove the tube that goes down to your grill. At least on the first gens.

 

[kert0307]

if the budget is really tight, and it will be mostly for off-road use, you can always weld the spider gears in the rear...

As stated, some up with some goals as far as what you want, ie, fun off road toy, complex off road toy (see Izwack's rig), or a weekend warrior.

 

[BLOODBANE]

For easy/moderate wheelin', go with lunchbox lockers(lockRight or Detroit version), he's not wheeling it hard and I know some don't care for them, but if their set up right they should work good for him. I could be wrong but don't 30's fit without a lift? Put a small body lift on it and call it good. A catback will just improve engine performance, but I would do it anyways combined with a good quality high flow cat. Same with the intakes. Best mod is to learn your vehicle and don't go where you know you will get into trouble. AND ALWAYS WHEEL WITH SOMEONE.....DON'T GO OUT ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!