What truck next, the Kevin B. edition.

[sixstringsteve]

Andrew, you have one of the coolest backcountry rigs out there, and more importantly, you know how to fix it if you need to.

 

[Rot Box]

Thanks for the kind words Steve. I figure with F#$ds you either learn to work on them yourself or pay someone else to do it. Either way it's going to happen LOL

 

[sawtooth4x4]

That's exactly how it is. And you save yourself thousands over having a dealership work on it. I have to rebuild my turbo now. its putting oil into my intercooler piping and down the downpipe. opps. 192K miles though and 18 mpg makes me keep it.

Thanks for the kind words Steve. I figure with F#$ds you either learn to work on them yourself or pay someone else to do it. Either way it's going to happen LOL

 

[Kevin B.]

Do it! Every time I start to think my truck is too large the idea of a 1st gen Tundra pops into my head. But then again that's a compromise in some ways as well.. Meh, It's scenic enough out there you don't have to take the hardest trails haha.

Your beast is easily one of my favorites, no lie. I'd trade three of my F150 for your F350.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Andrew, we need a dedicated thread for the greatness that is your rig. I want more pics, including pics of the inside.

Kevin, what about a zj? Dirt cheap, v8s, not super roomy inside, but they sure are cheap.



EDIT: Andrew, I just found your build thread on ExPo. Thank you!

 

[Kevin B.]

Explorer is on the list. I saw one this morning same year and color as the one I sold and I thought it looked dang sharp. It's the perfect size. Those Explorers have the same soggy torsion bar front end that's one of the things I don't like about the F150 though, so it's not exactly high on the list.

ZJ is the old Wagoneer, right? I'd rock one of those for sure, that was the first 4WD I remember really noticing in high school. I'd go for a Commando too, this one is dead sexy. Those are almost the size of the F150, but I wouldn't be nearly as concerned about the paint.

Andrew has a thread for that truck. It's a very nice thread.

 

[sixstringsteve]

zj is a grand cherokee, like an XJ but available with a v8 and more luxury.

 

[TurboMinivan]

ZJ (first gen Grand Cherokee, aka the boxy one):

WJ (second gen Grand Cherokee, aka the rounded-off one):

FYI

 

[N-Smooth]

If you want room I would skip ZJ and WJ for a '05+ Durango like I mentioned above. It was sort of a quick, off-the-cuff suggestion but I checked KSL and you really can get a Hemi model with less than 200k miles for under $5k... My bil had one and it was a nice ride with seating for 7. Just saying...

 

[sixstringsteve]

Kevin, go test drive a sequoia. It's probably only 15% bigger than my 4runner with the same motor and trans. I think that's the perfect vehicle for you and the HUGE giant kids you produce.

 

[Caleb]

I'm willing to bet the Sequoia is going to be about the same size (maybe larger?) as his F150. That was one of the things i loved and hated about my Tundra was how big it was, and the Sequoia has almost the exact same dimensions. It's a little shorter but every bit as wide.

 

[sixstringsteve]

it's going to be a compromise. You're a big guy Kev, and I think you'll be cramped in a small rig. Do you feel cramped in your wife's 4runner? I can't imagine a sequoia being any bigger than a durango.

 

[N-Smooth]

According to Edmunds the Toy is 3.1" longer and .4" wider. That's my last contribution to a Toyota guy's thread

it's going to be a compromise. You're a big guy Kev, and I think you'll be cramped in a small rig. Do you feel cramped in your wife's 4runner? I can't imagine a sequoia being any bigger than a durango.

 

[Kevin B.]

According to their Wiki pages, the Sequoia is pretty much the same size as the F150. I don't see much to be gained there.

And you be nice, Nate, or I'll buy an XJ and paint it exactly like yours and drive around your neighborhood with a rainbow flag off the back.

 

[N-Smooth]

Don't threaten me with a good time!

 

[sawtooth4x4]

I had a Sequoia. It was pretty nice in a lot of respects. But the suspension does not flex very well. The seats were very uncomfortable and there are miles of plastic. I had a 2006, 5 speed auto, SR5 version with leather and the center diff lock. Mine also couldn't tow a car very well. And toyota's version of traction control is garbage. All you have to do is spend a second in a newer Land Rover Discovery or LR3, it'll walk up everything, while the toyota sits there spinning tires.

There was a lot of room though. even with the third row installed. There just isn't any aftermarket support for it. Sure you can get some lift kits, but bumpers and such are non-existent.

The rear latch breaks all the time and the rear window is prone to breaking as well. Changing the timing belt is a pain in the butt. I had so many cuts on my hands it was ridiculous. Why can't toyota smooth the edges of their metal like European cars? Anyway for a mom mobile its great, but for anything else, it seemed limited for what I needed and wanted.

 

[sixstringsteve]

According to their Wiki pages, the Sequoia is pretty much the same size as the F150.

Cool. Are you talking exterior dimensions, or wheelbase/width, etc? It looks like a sequoia is 10" longer than a 100 series, same width.

What don't you like about the f150? size? susupension? Comfort? reliablilty? looks? Are you willing to go with something small like a zj, or is that too small? What kind of trails do you want to be able to do with it? Rattlesnake? Eagle Canyon? Devil's Racetrack? Pritchet?

 

[sawtooth4x4]

Here was my build up on mine. Didn't get far before I got rid of it.

http://www.rme4x4.com/showthread.php?99176-VERY-SLOW-SEQUOIA-Build

 

[Kevin B.]

it's going to be a compromise. You're a big guy Kev, and I think you'll be cramped in a small rig. Do you feel cramped in your wife's 4runner? I can't imagine a sequoia being any bigger than a durango.

I could wish for a little more space when I drive it, but it works. I'd love to get the wife to fall in love with something else and let me have it, but she won't do it.

 

[Kevin B.]

Cool. Are you talking exterior dimensions, or wheelbase/width, etc? It looks like a sequoia is 10" longer than a 100 series, same width.

What don't you like about the f150? size? susupension? Comfort? reliablilty? looks? Are you willing to go with something small like a zj, or is that too small? What kind of trails do you want to be able to do with it? Rattlesnake? Eagle Canyon? Devil's Racetrack? Pritchet?

Oh, what don't I like about the F150. I have a lot of little gripes, but mostly it's not enough truck to be a utility truck and a little too much truck to be a play truck. It's got a soggy front suspension and a silly awkward little bed, and I'm not falling in love with it. I'd like to get an older F250 for working and towing, and then something else to slot between the Bastard and the pickup. What I'm looking for isn't something for trails, so much, I've got the Bastard for that (or will once I get off my butt and finish it). But the '85 isn't comfy for long long trips and doesn't have room for the whole family plus camping gear, and the F150 is a bit too far in the other direction. That truck + tight brushy two-tracks and washbottom routes = horrible pinstripes and ripped off plastics and 74 point turns when the fire road turns into an ATV track and I have to turn it around. The F150 just isn't small enough to go where I want to go without getting torn up.

No, that's not quite true. If I were committed to the truck I could armor it up and slap some bedliner over the paint and just run into/over stuff and not worry about it. But I haven't fallen in love with it and I don't want to invest a bunch of money in armor and sliders and such, and so here I am with grass-is-greener syndrome. The couple of trucks I've had before have been perfect for whatever I was doing at the time, and that's suddenly not the case, and I don't like it.

I dunno. Reading through this thread and thinking about it, there's not really a rig out there there that I can afford that can do what I want it to do. Everything is not durable enough or not reliable enough or too big or not big enough or too damned expensive! Maybe I just need to tow around a street legal UTV, or resign myself to staying off the fun stuff when I've got the family with me.

I think my perfect truck would be a 60 on 33s with link suspension and a motor swap, maybe an LS or 2UZ or something similarly beefcake. Find me something like that.