Von Werretts 1988 Toyota Pickup (Late Fall 2002 Featured Rig)

Von began his buildup with the finished product in mind. He knew the Truck would see extremely hard use in the Competition Circut, as well as the Technical Trails he planned to run with it in the near Future. With that plan, he laid out the needed mods and went to work on his Project.

Besides the many Competitions, Von had driven his Toyota on Trails like Upper and Lower Proving Grounds, the Helldorados, Pritchett and others. Perhaps the most impressive feat is driving from SLC to Moab, running the above Trails and then heading back, all on the 38.5" SX's!!!



Here's the Breakdown of how it turned out-

Engine- Toyota 22RE 4 Cylinder, with a Thorley header.

Transmission- Stock Toyota 5 Speed.

Transfer Case- Single Toyota EFI T-Case, with a 4.7 Gearset and a Twin Stick, resulting in a Crawl Ratio of 98:1.

Axles- Toyota 8" Axles at both ends.

Front: IFS Swap using a Heavily Trussed Toyota Front axle, 5.29 Yukon Gears, High Pinion Electric Locker from a Lexus LX450 and a Pair of Longfield Superbirfs. 58" wide.

Rear: Original Rear Axle, 5.29 Yukon Gears, and a Spool. 58" wide.


Suspension- Front Springs are 5" Lift, 1.5" longer, AllPro leafs that have been altered for about 3" of lift and the Rear Springs are a Mazda Pickup Springpack. Von runs Traction Bars on both ends, with a Shackle at the Top of the Traction Bars.

Tires & Wheels- Who do you know that has 4 sets of tires? Von does......

-35" x 12.5 BFG AT's w/ poser alloys, for street use
-35" x 12.5 BFG KM's (regular)
-35" x 12.5 BFG KM's (prototype tires for possible release)
-38.5" x 15.5 TSL SX's

The last 3 Tire sets can be quickly changed onto his neat Beadlock wheels. Von runs the 35" BFG KM's in Competition to qualify for the Legends Class and the 38's during regular Trail Runs.

Steering- AllPro Highsteer Arms, FJ80 rod ends, custom heavywall tierod/draglink and a custom Hydro Assist built by Von and Carl. The Hydro Assist uses the stock Toyota Steering box, drilled and tapped in the right locations and a Howe 1.5" Ram to push the Tires around.

Protection- The most noticeable thing about Von's Toyota is the Exo Cage. It's built out of 1.75 x .120 wall DOM and ties into the Rocker Protection, front Bumper and rear Frame. The bed was chucked and the 'Lunch-tray' was added, reducing weight and removing a massive amount of the sheetmetal.

Winch- Warn HS9500i with a Winch Rope.

Interesting Facts- Von is running a pair of Fiberglass Fenders on the Front to fit the massive tires, with minimal lift. The Doors are Quick-Disconnect, the Pickup has been on it's lid a couple times, and consistently places quite high in the UROC Competitions. Also, both the Diffs have both been shaved for ground clearance and the truck has broken a front Axle Shaft!

Whats Next?- It's done, the next step is to wheel the Toyota where ever it wants! Now for the next project........
 
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Vonski

nothing to see here...
Location
Payson, Utah
Yeah, I talked to him about the incident after he got back to the motel. Thats cool that he got back in and was able to drive it back down the rim. After that kind of roll, you'd think he'd be kinda shaken up. I always felt that Scott (@ Rockstomper) and I built a good, safe cage and I'm glad everyone is OK (including the rig). :)
 

yellowjacket

Much more comfortable
Location
Eagle Mountain
footin fool said:
bringing it back to life. This truck is still awsome. It took 3 to 3 1/2 rolls on the rim Friday. It held up like a champ and keep my dad and his passanger very safe. Needs a new windsheild and a rear inner axle. I wish I had pics or video but nobody had anything rolling. I wasn't even there. great job on the cage and truck Von. I know hw still wont you to come out with us.
He came into my work today and said how impressed he was at how well it did and held up. I wish I bought it! :p
Tobin
 

footin fool

Registered User
Location
MAGNA,UT
Vonski said:
Yeah, I talked to him about the incident after he got back to the motel. Thats cool that he got back in and was able to drive it back down the rim. After that kind of roll, you'd think he'd be kinda shaken up. I always felt that Scott (@ Rockstomper) and I built a good, safe cage and I'm glad everyone is OK (including the rig). :)

Dont let him fool you Von. It scared the shizz out of him. He Pat drive it off for him. He knew if he didn't drive it off he might not get back in it.
 
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